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The Big Bush Social Security Lie

US escalates GM food row with Europe August 19, 2003 Andrew Osborn in Brussels Europe's dispute with America over genetically modified food escalated yesterday after Washington asked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to force the EU to lift its five-year-old ban on new GM food products. guardian.co.uk

Other People's Kids August 18, 2003 By Mary Walworth What you do with other people's kids….  Well, you feed them, of course.  You figure out what's in your fridge that resembles what they're used to at home.  You talk to them.  You find out if they would like to make a picture with paints or magic markers (though you secretly hope they say magic markers which are so much easier to deal with).  You make them feel safe and loved when they come up to you looking a little scared wondering why mom hasn't picked them up yet, and you say she's almost here, she just called as she was leaving work -- you're hoping that accident on the Parkway isn't going to add another hour to this kid's wait - and wouldn't you like to pick out a video…Magic School Bus? Dora the Explorer?  You find out if they want white milk or chocolate milk, chicken nuggets or meatballs, a Power Puff Girls cup or a Barbie cup. These are things you do for other people's kids. One of the things you don't do to other people's kids is bomb them and burn them alive.  And blow the limbs off their little sisters and blind their little brothers.  And send their mothers (stained with blood and stuck all over with little pieces of broken glass) running away from flames, shrieking with grief. thepeoplesvoice.org

Iraqi Commander Swears He Saw USAF Fly Saddam Out of Baghdad August 18, 2003 Bill Dash - Far Shores Film will soon be made public of an Iraqi Army officer describing how he saw a US Air Force transport fly Saddam Hussein out of Baghdad. The explosive eyewitness testimony was shot by independent filmmaker Patrick Dillon, who recently returned from a risky one-man odyssey in Iraq. In the film, the officer, who told Dillon that he commanded a special combat unit during the battle for Baghdad airport and whose identity is temporarily being withheld, explains in detail how he watched as the Iraqi dictator and members of his inner circle were evacuated from Iraq's capital by what he emphatically insists were United States Air Force cargo planes. Presently, the only copies of the film (which I have not yet seen) are in New York City. People who have viewed it describe it to me as compelling. thetruthseeker.co

California recall exposes political myths August 18, 2003 By Bill Vann The recall was the initiative of the Republican right in the nation’s largest state. They seized on a near century-old provision for removing governors guilty of malfeasance, seeking to manipulate it for antidemocratic ends inimical to both its letter and spirit. The transparent aim was to overturn the results of an election and implement a reactionary social agenda for which there is little popular support. The multimillionaire politician who financed the recall drive, Congressman Darrell Issa, set out to exploit California’s fiscal crisis in order to capture the state house for himself or some other representative of those forces who want to dismantle all legal and political restrictions on the accumulation of personal wealth and corporate profit. wsws.org

We Almost Lost Ohio August 18, 2003 By Russell D. Hoffman And Your State Could Be Next Did you hear about what almost happened at Davis-Besse, a nuclear reactor in Ohio? It would have been "10 times worse than Chernobyl" as one eminent scientist I've spoken to put it. Most people have no idea how close we came to catastrophe. A mere half inch. Here's the basic sequence, in lay-person's terms: Davis-Besse is a 900 Megawatt PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) owned by FirstEnergy Corp.. It is located 21 miles ESE of Toledo, OH. It first went online in 1977. It's getting OLD. Winds tend to go from the Northwest to the Southeast in that part of the country, but not always. Areas that are variously downwind from Davis-Besse include Sandusky, OH, Cleveland, OH, Pittsburgh, PA, Washington DC, Toronto, Canada, as well as Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, NYC, Long Island, New England, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina... nonuclear.net

Study Finds Atmospheric Decline in Pesticide Harmful to Ozone August 18, 2003 By ANDREW C. REVKIN Government scientists have measured a significant drop in atmospheric levels of methyl bromide, a versatile pesticide that is being phased out of use because it damages the planet's protective ozone layer. The scientists say the drop, 13 percent since 1998, is attributable to mandatory curbs on the chemical under the Montreal Protocol, a 1987 treaty aimed at restoring the layer, which blocks ultraviolet radiation that could otherwise raise cancer rates and harm ecosystems. This year the Bush administration is seeking exemptions to the ban. nytimes.com

Draft text of VICTORY Act August 18, 2003 Libertythink has obtained from Washington contacts a  draft copy of the "Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations Act of 2003," also known by the Orwellian sobriquet "VICTORY Act." Attorney General John Ashcroft is currently putting on a little road show to garner support for the bill, as well as for the USA PATRIOT Act, which had two of its more Draconian provisions targeted for defunding by the House of Representatives in late July. (Though it does contain similar provisions, the VICTORY Act is not the same bill as the Domestic Security Enhancement Act, popularly known as PATRIOT II, which was leaked in January.) The draft obtained by Libertythink is dated June 27. Measures in the 89-page draft include: Creation of a new category of crime called "Narco-terrorism.", Radical expansion of asset forfeiture powers for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, Longer jail terms for a number of nonviolent drug and nondrug offenses, Expansion of nonjudicial "administrative subpoenas" for "terrorism" investigations as broadly defined in the USA PATRIOT Act. libertythink.com

US admits shooting Reuters cameraman August 18, 2003 (AFP) The US military has acknowledged its troops in Iraq killed a Reuters cameraman in Iraq, saying they thought his camera was a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Navy Captain Frank Thorp, a spokesman for the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has given the explanation to Reuters in Washington. Forty-three-year-old cameraman Mazen Dana was shot and killed on Sunday while filming near a US-run prison on the outskirts of Baghdad. Witnesses say he was shot by soldiers on an American tank. informationclearinghouse.info

Five US soldiers wounded August 18, 2003 From correspondents FIVE US soldiers were wounded today when their convoy hit three landmines on a road near the hot-spot western town of Ramadi, an Iraqi witness told AFP. An armoured vehicle in the convoy was destroyed in the blasts which occurred at about 4.30pm (8.30pm AEST), Tareq Torgan, 41, told AFP. He could not provide details on the condition of the wounded soldiers. news.com.au

The Amazing Warnings Of Benjamin Freedman August 18, 2003 From Bible Believers.org.au What do we face now? If we trigger a world war that may develop into a nuclear war, humanity is finished. Why might such a war take place? It will take place as the curtain goes up on Act 3: Act 1 was World War I, Act 2 was World War II, Act 3 is going to be World War III. The Jews of the world, the Zionists and their co-religionists everywhere, are determined that they are going to again use the United States to help them permanently retain Palestine as their foothold for their world government. That is just as true as I am standing here. Not alone have I read it, but many here have also read it, and it is known all over the world. Benjamin H. Freedman was one of the most intriguing and amazing individuals of the 20th century. Born in 1890, he was a successful Jewish businessman of New York City at one time principal owner of the Woodbury Soap Company. rense.com

Israeli police forced Palestinian boy to swallow chemical August 18, 2003 Al-Khalil IRNA A Palestinian family from the West Bank town of al-Khalil has accused the Israeli authorities of indulging in ''sinister and Nazi-like behaviors'' by forcing their son to swallow a chemical substance that causes impotence and complete hair-loss. The family of Zuhair Eskafi, 28, complained that Israeli policemen and interrogators had forced their son to swallow certain tablets that cause his head and facial hair to disappear. The family asserted that their son was in perfect health when he was arrested by the Zionist army a few months ago. The family said the criminal act was perpetrated in the month of April this year at the notorious Nafha prison. Interestingly, a similar case was reported by a Palestinian lady in May and the victim in this case was a young Palestinian woman detained in an Israel jail. Her family appealed to the world public opinion, the Red Cross, and all human rights groups to condemn and stop the sinister Israeli practices which are in violation of the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law. irna.ir

Revealed: how Israel helped Amin to take power August 18, 2003 By Richard Dowden When Radio Uganda announced at dawn on 25 January 1971 that Idi Amin was Uganda's new ruler, many people suspected that Britain had a hand in the coup. However, Foreign Office papers released last year point to a different conspirator: Israel. independent.co.uk

Israel kills Palestinian boys, steals their organs for transplants August 17, 2003 Israel kills Palestinian boys, steals their organs for transplants Source : 1- Occupied Jerusalem: (IAP News www.iap.org) 2- Resumen News Service http://www.nodo50.org/resumen 3- UNITY NEWS. Israel on Tuesday tacitly admitted that doctors at the Israeli forensic institute at Abu Kabir had extracted the vital organs of three Palestinian teenage children killed by the Israeli army nearly ten days ago. Israeli Minister of Health Nessim Dahhan said in response to a question by Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Teibi that he couldn't deny that organs of Palestinian youths and children killed by the Israeli forces were taken out for transplants or scientific research. davidicke.net

Inside the resistance August 17, 2003 The United States likes to think that all it confronts in Iraq are a few die-hard Saddamists. But Paul McGeough meets a new guerilla movement with growing popular support. They had agreed, after weeks of negotiation through a go-between, to talk about the resistance. Now they are here to recount the detail of their most recent offensive against the US occupation forces in Iraq. Ahmed begins: "Yesterday we were told about the new movement of convoys, so we used a special car to take our RPG [rocket-propelled grenades] and guns up there. We struck at sunset, in an area surrounded by farms. "We positioned ourselves as locals, just standing around. But as the convoy came into view we picked up the weapons which we had lying on the ground. There were 19 soldiers. I could see their faces. I fired three grenades - two at a truck and one at a Humvee. Then we escaped across the fields to a car that was waiting for us. It took just a few seconds because God makes it easy for us." smh.com

Michael Jansen: 'The occupation is a shambles' August 17, 2003 By Michael Jansen THE ONLY public facility that works well in Baghdad is the zoo. A few days ago I paid a visit to the zoo, located in a vast dusty park on the main road to the Mansour diplomatic quarter, and was taken round by Ahmad Abdel Razzak, a gentle keeper who has worked there for 13 years. His favourite charges were the thousands of birds that once lived in the large and small cages he tended. "They sang for me," he said, wistfully. "Now they are all gone." Stolen or set free during the devastating spate of looting after the fall of the former government on April 9, proclaimed "liberation day" by Washington but now considered by Iraqis to be the day the "great chaos" began. aljazeerah

Pentagon broadens nuclear strategy Bush lists 7 nations as potential targets August 17, 2003 The Bush administration has directed the military to prepare contingency plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries and to build new smaller nuclear weapons for use in certain battlefield situations, according to a classified Pentagon report. The secret report, which was provided to Congress Jan. 8, says the Pentagon needs to be prepared to use nuclear weapons against China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Iran and Libya. It says the weapons could be used in three types of situations: against targets able to withstand nonnuclear attack; in retaliation for attack with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons; or "in the event of surprising military developments." sfgate.com

Bush turning blind eye to ailing economy August 17, 2003 (Reuters) Democrats accused President Bush on Saturday of refusing to recognize that his fiscal policies are weakening the economy. "President Bush's misguided economic policies of huge tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and spiraling budget deficits have been a failure," U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama said in delivering the Democrats' weekly radio address."He has not created jobs, he has not provided small businesses with adequate incentives to invest in new workers, and he has not exercised discipline in balancing the budget," Davis said. cnn.com

Zionism in Microcosm August 17, 2003 By Mick Napier I recently visited the beleaguered Palestinian village of Yanun near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West bank on behalf of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. "We had a great reception from the wonderful people of Yanun, most of whose land has been confiscated for the nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, and who endure frequent beatings and shootings from these same fanatical settlers who want to 'redeem' the rest of the land by driving out the remaining Palestinians. Yanun is Zionism in microcosm. Heavily-armed settlers march through the village regularly, usually on their Sabbath, intimidating and beating up villagers. Any villager who strays over invisible lines, perhaps to retrieve a stray sheep, risks a severe beating or worse. While we were there one farmer was still in hospital after being shot in the foot, a serious injury for a working farmer. During one foray, the armed settlers had urinated and washed their dogs in the village's drinking water. UN-donated generators, housed in a small shed with huge UN letters and flags for "protection", had been burned by settlers not once but three times in recent years. The current generator gives the village three hours of electricity every evening. International volunteers rise every morning in the beautiful valley to accompany villagers while they bring in their flocks of sheep. But the settlers follow their movements with powerful glasses and seem keen to arrange beatings to catch Palestinians without benefit of foreign witnesses. thetruthseeker.co

Israel Pays Young Couples To Move To Settlements August 17, 2003 The Scotsman In a slap at international peace efforts, Israel is offering generous financial incentives to lure young couples to the occupied territories. Couples who sign up to move to Givat Ze'ev during the next four months will receive a grant of £7,100 and a loan for the same amount. Couples moving to other settlements will receive similar largesse. rense.com

Cartoonist sacked after being accused of anti-Semitism August 17, 2003  AN award-winning cartoonist dumped by New Zealand's biggest newspaper because of his drawings on the Middle East conflict said he stood by his work and rejected an editor's right to direct what he could or could not draw. Malcolm Evans, twice named as the country's cartoonist of the year, says he was sacked by The New Zealand Herald after the newspaper received complaints from Jews about his cartoons on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Evans, who denied that his cartoons were anti-Semitic,   said while he accepted an editor's right to reject a cartoon, he did not accept an editor's right to direct what he should draw.   He said the paper's editor-in-chief, Gavin Ellis, had told him to stop submitting cartoons on Israel. fpp.co.uk

George W. Bush - Terrorist in the White House and THE WAR FOR ISRAEL August 17, 2003 You are looking at the reason for the war against Iraq. This war is being fought for Ariel Sharon and for Israel's strategic benefit! Forget Saddam Hussein, forget weapons of mass destruction (WMD), forget even oil for a minute. Lets look at the BIG picture. Zionists have their eyes set on all of the land between the Nile and the Euphrates. The plan for a "Greater Israel" is as old as Zionism itself. The Nile forms the border on the West through Egypt, and the Euphrates on the East through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Israel intends to expand it borders to make it possible for them to reclaim the land that is rightfully theirs. That is, the land that they believe is rightfully theirs. After all God told them they could have that land, so they know that morally it belongs to them. But there is one small problem, namely the land in question belongs to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. So how do they go about expanding their domain. Why they use their indentured servants of course. England and the United States. nogw.com

Read His Lips August 17, 2003 After presiding over a two-year binge of tax cuts, a rocketing federal deficit and job losses that recall the Herbert Hoover era, President Bush appears ready to step away from the supply-side gaming table, at least for a while. Mr. Bush announced Wednesday that he sensed enough of an economic upturn to reject any immediate plans for yet another tax cut. He estimates that the effects of two years of giddy revenue-slashing — geared heavily toward the wealthiest Americans — are looking "robust enough" to hold off on more cuts. We accept the respite as an act of fiscal mercy rather than a cause for economic celebration. The Republicans' chokehold on the nation's revenue flow is doing far more to create debt and deficits than to create jobs, but it is a relief to know that Mr. Bush is not planning to do any more major damage in the immediate future. Certainly things are bad enough as it is. Over nine million Americans are unemployed, and close to three million jobs have disappeared during Mr. Bush's incumbency, leaving him in danger of facing the voters next year as the first president since Hoover to preside over a net job loss. nytimes.com

The toxic fallout of 9/11 August 16, 2003 By Abrahm Lustgarten For months after the attacks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency insisted that the dust contained few contaminants and posed little health risk to anyone but those caught in the initial plume from the towers' collapse. "Everything we've tested for, which includes asbestos, lead, and volatile organic compounds, have been below any level of concern for the general public health," Christine Todd Whitman, then the Bush administration's EPA chief, told PBS "NewsHour" in April 2002. But Deutsche Bank's owners, curious to know the extent of their liability and to properly evaluate the potential danger to their own employees, privately conducted their own extensive tests. The findings: Astronomical levels of asbestos and a long list of toxic ingredients that pose a significant risk of cancer, birth defects, nerve damage and other ominous health problems. salon.com

US troops provoke anger, fear in Afghan villages August 16, 2003 By Saeed Ali Achakzai SHER-O-ABA, Afghanistan. When U.S. forces entered a remote Afghan village recently to hunt Taliban and al Qaeda rebels, locals hurriedly hid their Korans in a sack. Baffled soldiers who discovered the copies of Islam's holy book asked an elder what was happening. He told them that villagers feared they would be killed merely for being Muslims. alertnet.org

TSA in ‘witch hunt,’ August 16, 2003 By Brock N. Meeks The Transportation Security Administration is conducting a “witch hunt” to ferret out and discipline employees in the federal air marshal program who have talked to the media, several sources within the program told MSNBC.com. Some air marshals are even being threatened with having the USA Patriot Act, a law enacted to help fight terrorism, used against them. msnbc.com

The Daily Briefing August 16, 2003 In June 2001, Democrats in the House advanced a proposal that would offer $350 million in federal loans for the express purpose of updating the outdated power grid. House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) blasted the proposal, calling it “pure demagoguery” and House Republicans voted it down. Then they voted it down again. And then a third time. Three straight party line votes killed the bill, while the White House worked behind the scenes to orchestrate the death blow. The Bush administration’s credibility on the energy issue has been tarnished from the beginning. Solving this current problem should not require closed door meetings between business interests and the vice president. It should not involve a new round of calls for massive deregulation. And it should not result in sweetheart deals with friends of the White House. thedailyenron.com

Banks helped Enron hide deals, report says August 16, 2003 Findings could bolster defense of Arthur Andersen CHICAGO -- Some of the world's biggest banks worked closely with executives of Enron Corp. to hide the true nature of shady transactions from Chicago's Andersen accounting firm, according to a bankruptcy-court investigation. thehollandsentinel.net

Turn Your Radio On - The Unions' Answer to Right-Wing Static August 15, 2003 by Thom Hartmann "If America's largest and most conservative corporations can own and influence big chunks of the American media," some have asked, "then why not our most established and respected unions?" It turns out that unions can get into the media business - and one already has, creating what has recently become America's only operational commercial liberal talk radio network, officially introduced to the industry this month with a prominent ad in Talkers Magazine. thepeoplesvoice.org

US military pioneers death ray bomb August 15, 2003 David Adam and Suzanne Goldenberg Pentagon project brings fear of new arms race. American military scientists are developing a weapon which kills by delivering an enormous burst of high-energy gamma rays, it is claimed today. The bomb, which produces little fallout, blurs the distinction between conventional and nuclear weapons, and experts have already warned it could spark a new arms race. guardian.co.uk

'It was punishment without trial' August 15, 2003 Hundreds of Iraqis civilians are being held in makeshift jails run by US troops - many without being charged or even questioned. And in these prisons are children whose parents have no way of locating them. Jonathan Steele reveals the grim reality of coalition justice in Baghdad. It was a warm spring evening in a Baghdad suburb when American troops stopped the car in which 11-year-old Sufian Abd al-Ghani was riding close to his home with his uncle and a neighbour. They were ordered out and told to lie face down on the road. Sufian's father heard the commotion and rushed out to find the soldiers pointing their rifles at his son and the others. Claiming the uncle had fired at them, they started beating the three captives with their rifle butts, according to the father. informationclearinghouse.info

Russia, China could support N. Korea August 15, 2003 Moscow Russia's deputy foreign minister said on Friday that Russia and China could support security guarantees in which North Korea is interested. The official, Yuri Fedotov, said one possible way to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, the way that is being discussed at present, is through the signing by Russia and China of a document on guarantees to Pyongyang. "A joint document on security guarantees to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, to which Russia and China could accede, is one of the currently discussed variants of the settlement of the nuclear problem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Fedotov said. iribnews.com

STRIKE THREE: BUSH IS OUT! August 14, 2003 by Dan Dvorak I don’t know If anyone has been keeping score lately, but in baseball parlance BUSH has just had strike three called on him and it’s time he’s called out. Strike one of course was the advance knowledge that the Uranium/Africa story was a lie but it was used anyway in the Bush SOTU speech and by inference by Ms. Rice and others publicly painting images of ‘mushroom clouds’ and an end to life on the planet if Iraq wasn’t invaded immediately, thepeoplesvoice.org

Troops in Iraq face pay cut Pentagon says tough duty bonuses are budget-buster August 14, 2003 The Pentagon wants to cut the pay of its 148,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, who are already contending with guerrilla-style attacks, homesickness and 120- degree-plus heat. Unless Congress and President Bush take quick action when Congress returns after Labor Day, the uniformed Americans in Iraq and the 9,000 in Afghanistan will lose a pay increase approved last April of $75 a month in "imminent danger pay" and $150 a month in "family separation allowances." sfgate.com

The Search Is Over Thousands of Jobless Have Given Up Looking for a Job Altogether August 14, 2003 By Catherine Valenti Julie Hasselberger, who lost her job as a human resources manager in October, has gotten frustrated with going to countless rounds of lengthy job interviews, only to be told at the last minute that she didn't get the job. So now the 37-year-old mother of three from Sandy Hook, Conn., has simply stopped looking. Almost 2 million workers, or 21 percent of the total jobless population, were out of a job for 27 weeks or more in July, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. abcnews.go.com

Local Soldier E-mails From Iraq, Asking For Help August 14, 2003 Chris Legeros There's pride in a sign outside Treva Yahne's home and patriotism reflected with flags. But the Bonney Lake mother has had a change of heart over the past few months. Sweltering heat, a shortage of good food and water, and constant danger. "I support the troops, but like I said, I don't support the war, if that's what they call it." Her daughter, Private First Class Mary Yahne is in Iraq, somewhere, hauling cargo for the Fourth Infantry Division and struggling to stay alive. "They need help, they need help badly," Treva said. Like other troops, Mary is sweltering in 120-degree heat eating packaged meals for months and drinking only two bottles of water a day. "The military expects us to be happy out here. I'm very happy serving my country, but not when the government fails to take care of you." "We volunteered our lives to be out here and we get treated worse that people in prison." Private Yahne also writes, "There is no real reason for us to be out here!!!!. We're protecting the oil is all, and as far as the supposed war ending, it hasn't. Not when everyday soldiers are still getting mines placed in front of convoys. Rocket propelled grenades thrown at us." "She just wishes it was all over. Like I said, they want to come home," said Treva. Private Yahne is also begging for some help, asking Northwesterners to send soldiers supplies they don't have like, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and snack foods that aren't perishable. libertyforum.org

US Military Downgrades Amputees As "Not Seriously Iknjured" August 13, 2003 by Christopher Deliso Letter In Response to Article "Respect the Troops – Not Their Spineless Leaders" Thank you for your article – I wish more people could see it – the truth. My son in law is in Ward 57 at Walter Reed. Lost his right leg to an RPG attack – the press is ignoring the number of injuries – especially amputees. Except for the Washington Post article they want to forget it. When I asked at Walter Reed why in my son-in-law's attack near Kirkuk on July 9 did the Army Public Affairs officer say no one was seriously hurt – I was told it would not be good for the President. iraqwar.ru

Study of Bush's psyche touches a nerve August 13, 2003 Julian Borger A study funded by the US government has concluded that conservatism can be explained psychologically as a set of neuroses rooted in "fear and aggression, dogmatism and the intolerance of ambiguity". As if that was not enough to get Republican blood boiling, the report's four authors linked Hitler, Mussolini, Ronald Reagan and the rightwing talkshow host, Rush Limbaugh, arguing they all suffered from the same affliction. All of them "preached a return to an idealised past and condoned inequality". guardian.co.uk

What threat? What evidence? What strategy? August 13 2003 By Wayne S. Smith Bush administration spokesmen keep stressing that Iraq poses a serious threat to U.S. security. But they can't tell us what that threat is. At his press conference on July 30, for example, President Bush used the word "threat" over and over, even as he acknowledged that no weapons of mass destruction or even weapons programs have yet been found. sun-sentinel.com

California Senate leader objects to polling site reductions August 13, 2003 Sacramento, California-AP When California's voters go to the polls in October's recall election, they may find fewer of them. Plans call for voter precincts to be consolidated to save money, which has state Senate President Pro Tem John Burton upset. He believes trimming the number of polling places by an average 40 percent will disenfranchise many low-income and minority voters. kesq.com

William and Sue Kamstra and sons. Kamstra lost a $43,000-a-year job, forcing them to live at the mission.

Homelessness grows as more live check-to-check August 12, 2003 By Stephanie Armour Homelessness in major cities is escalating as more laid-off workers already living paycheck-to-paycheck wind up on the streets or in shelters. As Americans file for bankruptcy in record numbers and credit card debt explodes, more workers are a paycheck away from losing their homes. Now the frail economy is pushing them over the edge. With 9 million unemployed workers in July, the face of homelessness is changing to include more families shaken by joblessness. Former neighbors and co-workers are on the streets, live with relatives or stay in shelters. Unemployed managers are living with their elderly parents. Families who once owned their own homes now sleep on bunk beds in homeless shelters. Job seekers in suits and ties stop by soup kitchens heading out to afternoon interviews. With no place to live, some homeless are camping out in their cars until work comes along. usatoday.com

Fear in the fields: Part 1 How hazardous wastes become fertilizer August 12, 2003 by Duff Wilson The powder, a toxic byproduct of the steel-making process, is taken out of the bottom of the silos as a raw material for fertilizer. "When it goes into our silo, it's a hazardous waste," said Bay Zinc President Dick Camp. "When it comes out of the silo, it's no longer regulated. The exact same material. Don't ask me why. That's the wisdom of the EPA." What's happening in Washington is happening around the United States. The use of industrial toxic waste as a fertilizer ingredient is a growing national phenomenon, an investigation by The Seattle Times has found. The Times found examples of wastes laden with heavy metals being recycled into fertilizer to be spread across crop fields. crcwater.org

Bush to cut Medicare payments August 12, 2003 Bush administration officials say they expect to cut Medicare payments to doctors by 4.2 percent next year unless Congress passes legislation to reduce or eliminate the cut. In a proposed rule to be published on Friday, the administration says the cut is required by the existing Medicare law. Many doctors and some members of Congress disagree. dailycomet.com

CIA and DOD Attempted To Plant WMD In Iraq August 11, 2003 author: Iraqwar.ru A DOD whistleblower detail an attempt by a covert U.S. team to plant weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The team was later killed by friendly fire due to CIA incompetence. Pentagon Whistleblower Reveals CIA/ DoD Fiascos. In a world exclusive, Al Martin Raw.com has published a news story about a Department of Defense whistleblower who has revealed that a US covert operations team had planted “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMDs) in Iraq – then “lost” them when the team was killed by so-called “friendly fire.” The Pentagon whistleblower, Nelda Rogers, is a 28-year veteran debriefer for the Defense Department. She has become so concerned for her safety that she decided to tell the story about this latest CIA-military fiasco in Iraq. According to Al Martin Raw.com, “Ms.Rogers is number two in the chain of command within this DoD special intelligence office. This is a ten-person debriefing unit within the central debriefing office for the Department of Defense. portland.indymedia.org

Jobs just aren't a priority for White House August 11, 2003 BOB HERBERT The folks who put the voodoo back in economics keep telling us that prosperity is just around the corner. For the unemployed, that would mean more jobs. Are there more jobs just around the corner? This alleged economic upturn is not just a jobless recovery, it's a job loss recovery. The hemorrhaging of jobs in the aftermath of the recent "mild" recession is like nothing the U.S. has seen in more than half a century. Millions continue to look desperately for work, and millions more have given up in despair. The stories have been rolling in for some time about the stresses and misfortunes that are inevitably associated with long-term joblessness: the bankruptcies, foreclosures and evictions, the dreams deferred, the mental difficulties -- anxiety, depression -- the excessive drinking and abuse of drugs, the family violence. There are few things more miserable than to need a job and be unable to find one. tribnet.com

"Of Patriots and Men" August 11, 2003 by B. Rehak LOS ANGELES, There's a lot of talk about patriotism lately: who has it, who doesn't. It's hard to sort out the True Patriots from the truly patriotic because now they almost ALL drive Humvees. Patriotism comes up often as we watch the Bush writers reworking their "Iraqi Victory" scenario to keep that upbeat ‘Feel Good Ending' that capped their great pre-invasion story pitch. For almost three hundred of our kids, this new rewrite will come too late. Newspapers used to be called the ‘first draft of history,' but a lot of our ‘worldview' seems to be reprocessed fresh every morning, spun to perfection, and then served up, fair and balanced. The Bush Administration has just announced another sweeping round of reality cuts, and restated their total commitment to the War on Veritas. columnleft.com

White House settles with timber industry over Northwest Forest Plan August 11, 2003 The Bush administration has reached a settlement with the timber industry over its challenge to the Northwest Forest Plan, agreeing to work more aggressively to meet logging goals and consider dissolving some reserves devoted to fish and wildlife. theolympian.com

US occupation forces attack Iraqi journalists August 11, 2003 By Jeremy Johnson US occupation authorities shut down an Iraqi newspaper last month and have stepped up the detention of journalists for reporting on the ongoing resistance. These actions, along with many other repressive measures, indicate the true character of the “democracy” and “freedom” the American occupiers are bringing to the Iraqi people. wsws.org