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NOVEMBER
7-1, 03
Archives |
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WAL-MART IS LEVELLING AMERICA
November 7, 2003 Wal-Mart department store, which employs 1.2 million people at
4,000 stores worldwide, and in 2002 became the largest company in America, is
levelling America. It demands outsourcing by its suppliers, i.e., that the
suppliers supply goods to Wal-Mart at such low prices that the goods could only
be produced at low-wage sweat shops overseas. Wal-Mart also crushes all labor,
paying slave-labor wages. In an Oct. 29 article in the {Washington Post}
entitled "Wal-Mart's Hidden Costs," author Steven Pearlstein reports
on Wal-Mart's practices: "To win Wal-Mart's business, suppliers have been
forced to close U.S. factories and source overseas, with millions of American
jobs lost in the process. Wal-Mart alone accounts for 10% of all imports from
China, and its shelves bear little trace of the 'Buy America' philosophy of its
founder. rumormillnews.com
Bye, Bye Miss American Pie
November 7, 2003 By Norma Sherry I'm just going to blurt it out; tell it
like it is. In the words of the venerable, Walter Cronkite, "and that's the
way it is"; here it is folks; outsourcing is tantamount to legalized slave
labor. Of course, it's much more than that to the American worker. Ask anyone
who is out of work, out of unemployment, on the verge of losing their home and
all that they worked for and thought was their American dream come true. Their
jobs by the multi-millions have left the shores of the U.S. for greener, cheaper
labor. Slave labor. scoop.co.nz
National Environmental Trust Statement on
the Backroom Deal on Department of Defense Environmental Exemptions
November 7, 2003 WASHINGTON Newswire Following is a statement of Gerald
Leape, vice president of the National Environmental Trust: "Today the
Republican Congressional leadership opened gaping new loopholes in two of the
nation's bedrock environmental laws. The backroom deal on the Department of
Defense authorization bill will significantly weaken the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. "This deal is a crippling
blow for marine mammals. It lets the Secretary of Defense bypass these key
protections, and appears to trump the recent court decision protecting whales
and dolphins from the impacts of navy sonar. Anyone who's been watching the Bush
White House knows this is an open invitation to the Administration's friends in
the oil and gas industries. "Finally, the deal lets military installations
bypass the Endangered Species Act by letting the military substitute their own
"management plans" -- with no funding and no dedicated
resources." usnewswire.com
EPA Drops Its Cases Against Dozens of
Alleged Polluters November 7, 2003 By
Elizabeth Shogren Times -- In a policy reversal, the agency halts actions on
Clean Air Act violations brought by the Clinton administration against
coal-fired power plants. The Bush administration has dropped
enforcement actions against dozens of coal-fired power plants that were under
investigation for violating the Clean Air Act and allegedly spewing thousands of
tons of illegal pollution into the air, EPA officials said Wednesday. Until now,
the Bush administration had said it would vigorously pursue the enforcement
actions, which were launched by the Clinton administration. However, the Bush
administration recently eased a provision of the Clean Air Act that requires
companies to install modern pollution controls when they build new plants or
expand or modernize old ones. Under the new policy, the alleged release of
pollution that sparked the original enforcement would be legal. latimes.com
Iraq is not America's to sell
November 7, 2003 Naomi Klein International law is unequivocal - Paul
Bremer's economic reforms are illegal. Bring Halliburton home. Cancel the
contracts. Ditch the deals. Rip up the rules. Those are just a few of the
suggestions for slogans that could help unify the growing movement against the
occupation of Iraq. So far, activist debates have focused on whether the demand
should be for a complete withdrawal of troops, or for the United States to cede
power to the United Nations. But the "troops out" debate overlooks an
important fact. If every last soldier pulled out of the Gulf tomorrow and a
sovereign government came to power, Iraq would still be occupied: by laws
written in the interest of another country; by foreign corporations controlling
its essential services; by 70% unemployment sparked by public sector layoffs. guardian.co.uk
Washington rejected sweeping Iraqi
concessions on eve of war November 7, 2003 By
Bill Vann On the eve of its invasion of Iraq, carried out without United
Nations sanction and in violation of international law, Washington brushed aside
Baghdad’s offer of sweeping concessions that would have realized nearly all of
the Bush administration’s publicly stated war aims without the massive loss of
life that followed. wsws.org
One in 7 Americans agree with Bush on
Iraq November 7, 2003 WASHINGTON (AFP)
One American in seven agrees with President George W. Bush that the Iraq
conflict constitutes the most important fight in the war on terrorism, according
to a Washington Post-ABC poll. news.yahoo.com
Perle Warns Germany To Stop Backing
France November 7, 2003 BERLIN (AFP)
Senior US defence adviser Richard Perle urged Germany Tuesday to stop following
France on the international political stage and said that the Franco-German
relationship is harming ties with the United States. www.rense.com
Blair could face international court over
war conduct November 7, 2003 Donald MacLeo
Government ministers, including Tony Blair, could potentially face international
prosecution for war crimes over the conduct of the war in Iraq, the organiser of
a legal debate into the conflict, said today. guardian.co.uk
New FBI rules relax restrictions Easier
to check backgrounds November 7, 2003 By
CURT ANDERSON Associated Press WASHINGTON The FBI will be able to more
easily check a person's background for potential terrorist activities under
national security guidelines issued Wednesday by Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Civil libertarians said the rules could invite abuses against innocent people. ajc.com
Executive privilege seen as leak-case
option Shielding material is not ruled out; Democrats protest
November 7, 2003 By Wayne Washington, Globe Despite President Bush's
repeated pledges of full cooperation, administration officials yesterday refused
to rule out invoking executive privilege to shield some documents from Justice
Department investigators looking into whether someone in the White House
illegally leaked the name of a CIA operative. boston.com
Arabs Wary of Bush's Democracy Message
November 7, 2003 By PAUL GARWOOD Associated Press CAIRO, Egypt Many
people across the Middle East agreed with President Bush's call Thursday for
greater democracy in the region, but they reacted coolly to backing a message
from a U.S. leadership seen as siding unfairly with Israel and fomenting war in
Iraq. gainesvillesun.com
Free
Yourself from Conservative Talk Radio: 12 Steps to Recovery
November 6, 2003 by Thom
Hartmann Step
1: Admit that you were under the sway of right-wing, anti-democracy radicals.
This is the first step for every conservative or "ditto-head" listener
on the way to recovery. It is important to understand that the people you were
listening to are not "compassionate conservatives,"
"Republicans," or "pillars of morality." They're right-wing
conservative radicals, more interested in strong corporations than strong
democracy, and you must be honest with yourself about that fact. thepeoplesvoice.org
In wake of helicopter attack—Washington
prepares for mass killing in Iraq November 6,
2003 By Bill Vann The Bush administration is preparing a major escalation
of repressive violence in Iraq following the November 2 guerrilla attack that
downed a Chinook helicopter near Fallujah, claiming the lives of 15 US soldiers.
The missile attack, which caused the worst loss of life for US forces in any
single incident since the Bush administration launched its unprovoked war
against the country last March, is part of a continuing pattern of resistance
that underscores the tenuous hold of the US military occupation. wsws.org
Bush is a liar November
6, 2003 The President has no idea where his aggressive policies are leading
America, warns Robert Scheer. On Sunday, 18 more young Americans died in Iraq
serving the vanity of an American President who woefully betrayed them and who
has no idea where his policies are taking his country. This is a President who,
as is now amply clear, has systematically lied to the troops and the American
people about the reasons for going to war, distorting evidence to claim that the
United States was threatened by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and
linking Iraq to the September 11 terrorist attacks. theage.com
44% say they’ll vote against Bush
November 6, 2003 New poll finds only 38% support president’s re-election.
More than four in 10 voters nationwide say they definitely plan to vote against
President Bush next year — more than plan to vote for him, according to a poll
released Tuesday. msnbc.com
The Wounded Come
Home November
6, 2003 For every soldier who dies in Iraq, many more are
injured. TIME takes an up-close look at
the battle they face after the shooting is over. For several seconds
after the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) drilled through the back of their
armored M113 "battle taxi," the soldiers inside, mainlining
adrenaline, continued firing. Then they started screaming. "It blew my leg
clean off," says Private First Class Tristan Wyatt, who was standing at the
rear of the armored personnel carrier (APC), unloading an M-240 machine gun at a
dozen or more Iraqis who had ambushed them minutes before. He was the first to
be hit. The RPG then passed through Sergeant Erick Castro's hip, spinning him
violently to the floor. His left leg was still attached — but barely. "I
picked up my leg and put it on the bench," he says, "and lay down next
to it." Finally, the RPG shredded Sergeant Mike Meinen's right leg.
"It was pretty much torn off," he says. "There was just some meat
and tendons holding it on." There is horror and there is luck, and in war
they sometimes come together. The RPG that severed three legs in a fire fight
late last August near Fallujah didn't explode, which probably saved the lives of
Wyatt, Castro and Meinen. time.com
THE LAST SENATOR
November 6, 2003 Justin Raimondo One man had the moral courage to stand
up to the War Party in the well of the U.S. Senate. Those cowards in the U.S.
Senate wouldn't be put on the record as having voted in favor of the $87 billion
appropriation for waging war on Iraq – they preferred a
voice vote. When it came time to speak out, very few were actually in the
Senate chambers, and the muttered assent of these few stragglers was put to
shame by the stentorian "Nay!" of Senator Robert Byrd (D-West
Virginia) – the last man with any balls in the U.S. Senate. The New York Times
reported Byrd's
lonely defiance: antiwar.com
Shocking Poll: Majority Of Americans
Cannot Name A Single Department In The Presidents Cabinet November
6, 2003 Washington, DC – Most Americans are unable to identify even a
single department in the United States Cabinet, according to a recent national
poll of 800 adults. Specifically, the survey found that a majority (58%)
could not provide any department names whatsoever; 41% could. Only 4% of those
surveyed specified at least five of the 19 executive-level departments, a figure
comparable to the poll’s overall margin of error (+/-3.5%). informationclearinghouse.info
What is happening to the Sun?
November 6, 2003 By Dr David Whitehouse The
Sun's intense activity in the past week will go into the record books.
Scientists say they have been amazed by the ferocity of the gigantic flares
exploding on the solar surface. The past 24 hours have seen three major events
erupt over our star, hurling billions of tonnes of superhot gas into space -
some of it directed at Earth. news.bbc.co.uk
They ban textbooks, don't they?
November 6, 2003 By Frederick Clarkson Texas school officials rejected a
widely used environmental textbook, claiming it was filled with errors. The
author says they're censoring him because they didn't like his green views --
and he's suing. salon.com
Israel hands out land confiscation
notices November 6,
2003 JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian farmers in the northern Jordan
Valley on Wednesday received letters stating Israel would use their property to
erect a security barrier, Palestinian officials said.
Palestinian Authority officials subsequently fired off protests to the
United States and the European Union. They said the commander of the Israel
Defense Force's central command had ordered the land confiscation. edition.cnn.com
Microsoft offers virus-writer bounties November
6, 2003 If you know who unleashed the MSBlast or Sobig computer viruses, turn
them in and Microsoft Corp. will pay you a bounty. Redmond-based Microsoft,
along with law enforcement officials, today announced the creation of an
anti-virus reward program that it funded with $5 million. Two $250,000 bounties
were also announced: Those who want to provide information can contact the FBI
or Secret Service at any of their local field offices; Interpol at www.interpol.int;
or the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.ifccfbi.gov.
bizjournals.com
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US workers see hard times
November 5, 2003 By Chris Gaither FRAMINGHAM High-tech firms tout
outsourcing as crucial to survival. Andre Brassard keeps sending out resumes but
has largely given up on the profession that employed him for a decade: writing
software. In his old department at Mindspeed Technologies Inc., most of the
software engineers are gone. The work Brassard and his colleagues did is now
largely done in Ukraine for one-quarter to one-third the cost. boston.com
Layoffs more than double in October November
5, 2003 By Rex Nutting WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Layoff announcements from
U.S. companies more than doubled in October to 171,874, the highest in a year,
according to the monthly tally released Tuesday by outplacement firm Challenger
Gray & Christmas. cbs.marketwatch.com
An act of ‘Betrayal’ November 5, 2003 By
Karen Jowers In the midst of war, key family benefits face cuts.
Commissaries and the Defense Department’s stateside schools are in the
crosshairs of Pentagon budget cutters, and military advocates, families and even
base commanders are up in arms. The two initiatives are the latest in a string
of actions by the Bush administration to cut or hold down growth in pay and
benefits, including basic pay, combat pay, health-care benefits and the death
gratuity paid to survivors of troops who die on active duty. The roots of all
these efforts reach back to the highest levels of the Defense Department,
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. navytimes.com
Troops suffer while Bush cronies make out
like bandits November 5, 2003 BY JESSE
JACKSON In the world of top dogs and underdogs, the Bush administration has
made it clear that it stands with the ''haves and have mores'' that the
president called ''my base.'' So we have ''trickle down'' tax cuts -- with
millionaires pocketing tens of thousands of dollars every year while most
taxpayers get less than $100. That was, perhaps, to be expected. But amazingly,
that same lack of concern about workaday people is at display in Iraq -- and the
young men and women whose lives are on the line are paying the price. Item: The
White House wants to paint the picture in Iraq as rosy, so the Pentagon has
banned photos of coffins and body bags leaving Iraq or arriving in the United
States. Worse, the president hasn't attended funerals or memorials for the
soldiers who have lost their lives, breaking with military tradition. President
Bush apparently doesn't want to draw attention to the U.S. casualties. suntimes.com
US television network caves in to right
wing over Reagan mini-series November 5, 2003
By David Walsh Executives at the CBS television network announced
November 4 that they were canceling a two-part series, “The Reagans,”
scheduled to be broadcast November 16 and 18. Instead they will license the
program’s exhibition rights to cable television’s Showtime (like CBS, a
division of Viacom), which has a much smaller audience. The network’s decision
is a direct response to a campaign by right-wing forces in the US enraged by the
supposedly uncomplimentary portrait of former President Ronald Reagan presented
in the mini-series. This is apparently the first time a major network has ever
removed a completed project from its schedule due to political pressure and the
threat of an advertising boycott. wsws.org
Corporate Media Abandons Washington's Sinking
Ship-of-Fools November 5, 2003
Les Blough The U.S. economy is weakened. The media is reporting a surging
stock market to be enjoyed by the rich. - while the national debt grows to
burden future generations of young American taxpayers and joblessness,
homelessness, personal bankruptcies, home foreclosures and living-on-debt become
a fact-of-life for the bourgeois and poor. Funds have been diverted from
education, healthcare and support for our poor to war on others. The assault on
civil liberties in the U.S. is now institutionalized in the "Homeland
Security Act". U.S. soldiers are being critically wounded and dying in Iraq
in increasing numbers. And U.S. citizens are enjoying the status of the most
hated people in the world. thetruthseeker.co.uk
US will deny aid to countries that refuse court
immunity deals November 5, 2003 By Rupert
Cornwell The United States aims to secure agreements "with every
country in the world" guaranteeing immunity for its citizens from any
prosecution from the new International Criminal Court (ICC), and will cut off
military aid to countries which do not comply. In an uncompromising defence of
Washington's decision to shun the court, Under Secretary of State John Bolton
announced yesterday that the US has already reached so-called Article 98
exemption agreements, under the Rome statutes setting up the ICC, with 70
countries; 50 of them among the ICC's 90 signatories. Speaking at the
conservative thinktank, the American Enterprise Institute, Mr Bolton also
accused the European Union of imposing an "unfair choice" on aspirant
members by insisting they do nothing to weaken the authority of the ICC. This
made it harder for these countries to reach exemption deals with the US, he
complained. independent.co.uk
Waiting for the command to start killing
Americans November 5, 2003 By Jen Banbury
In Sadr City, a friendly young Shiite shopkeeper buys me a 7 Up, then says he
wants his ayatollah to call for jihad. And he's not alone. SADR CITY, BAGHDAD,
Iraq --
I met Ithir yesterday when I visited Sadr City, the poor, crowded area in
northern Baghdad that is home to more than 2 million Shiites. Ithir, who holds a
master's degree in computer science, is devoted to Sistani. He goes to his local
mosque regularly and, like any good Muslim, is fasting for the month of Ramadan.
However, one issue leaves him at odds with Sistani. Ithir desperately wants his
ayatollah to declare jihad on the Americans, so that he can start killing
American soldiers.
Putin reaffirms Russia's right to
preemptive strikes November 5, 2003 MOSCOW
(AFP) - President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed his position that Russia can
resort to preemptive military strikes because the policy is also practiced by
the United States. yahoo.com
How the White House deletes the truth
November 5, 2003 By Derrick Z. Jackson PRESIDENT BUSH blames the media
for filtering out good news on Iraq. He says he does not even read newspapers.
"The best way to get the news is from objective sources," Bush said in
a Fox News interview. "And the most objective sources I have are people on
my staff who tell me what's happening in the world." This is the same
president who erases history itself. Bush's desire for us to become ostriches
over the deaths and wounding of American soldiers in Iraq -- 379 dead and 2,155
hurt at last count -- is but one more pathological act in sticking all of
America into the sand. boston.com
Israel destroys US-built wells
November 5, 2003 By Justin Huggler The US has reportedly complained after
the Israeli army destroyed wells built for civilians in Gaza by an American
government aid agency. Huge areas have been demolished by the Israelis in the
Gaza Strip in recent weeks, including more than 150 homes. The wells had just
been dug by the United States Agency for International Development (USAid). A
few months ago the agency announced a $20m (£12m) project to rebuild
infrastructure including roads, electricity supply lines and sewers in the
occupied territories. The agency was reporting good progress. But its workers
were dismayed when they turned up to finish the wells and found that their work
had been destroyed. independent.co.uk
ECTV WARNING: LARGEST SOLAR FLARE EVER
RECORDED HAS JUST OCCURRED November 5, 2003 by
Mitch Battros (ECTV) This is an official press release.... At 12:40 PM (MDT)
the largest solar flare every recorded has occurred. It came from sunspot region
486. Luckily, region 486 is at the furthest portion of the Sun's western limb
therefore minimizing the effects to Earth. "This solar flare was the
largest I have every seen" said Dr. Ernest Hildner, director of the NOAA/NASA
Space Weather Center. "The solar flare that occurred today was so large, we
do not have a chart high enough to register it. My best guess would be between a
X-25 and an X-30." earthchangestv.com
Scientists Confirm Risks Of Genetically
Engineered Crops November 5, 2003 by
Richard Caplan With hardly a mention in the American press, the results of
the largest field study ever conducted on genetically engineered crops were just
made public in Europe. The British government research concluded that
genetically engineered crops could lead to significantly lower numbers of
insects, an important part of the wildlife food chain. Of the three crops
examined – corn, canola, and sugar beet – the genetically engineered
varieties of canola and sugar beet were found to be more harmful to wildlife
than conventional varieties. commondreams.org
Pot Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew in
'74 November 5, 2003 By Raymond Cushing
The ominous part is that this isn't the first time scientists have discovered
that THC shrinks tumors. In 1974 researchers at the Medical College of Virginia,
who had been funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that
marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of
three kinds of cancer in mice – lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced
leukemia. The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further
cannabis/tumor research. americanmarijuana.org
Party Calls for Bush Impeachment
November 5, 2003 Boulder, CO - At its October 25, 2003 National Committee
meeting, the America First Party passed a resolution calling for the impeachment
and removal from office of President Bush for taking our Nation to war without
proper constitutional authority. This resolution is in keeping with ones passed
at the 2002 Convention and in April of this year. americafirstparty.org
Land Where Calling An Ambulance Is First
Step To Bankruptcy The Inflated Hospital
Bills Facing The Uninsured Poor November 5, 2003 By Julian Borger
Rose Shaffer's heart attack taught her a lot of things that, as a nurse, she
should have known. She learnt it pays to eat carefully and exercise regularly.
And she learnt the hard way that if you cannot afford medical insurance in
America, you better hope you don't get sick. A Chicago hospital saved Mrs
Shaffer's life but she feels it is now trying to take it back. Since that
frantic October night three years ago, the hospital owners, a Christian,
non-profit foundation, have hounded her for crushing bills she could not afford,
partly because as an uninsured patient she had been charged double. rense.com
'Bring
the criminals to justice' November 4,
2003 John Pilger [This
message was sent by journalist John Pilger to the October 22, 2003 Sydney
protest against the visit of US President George Bush.] This demonstration, and
our anger, is not simply directed at a foreign politician we don't like and like
to poke fun at. It's directed at the criminality of George W Bush. In attacking
Iraq, Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair and PM John Howard broke every
rule of international behaviour and every convention of international
law. To call them war criminals is not to take a cheap shot. It is to speak
the truth. In 1946, the judges at the Nuremberg war crimes trials said that
unprovoked aggression against another state was, and I quote, “the supreme
international war crime because it contains all the evils of other war
crimes. There is now no doubt that at least 10,000 civilans were killed in
Iraq by Bush and Blair's forces, backed by Howard. If you count the Iraqi
teenagers conscripted into the army, the figure is probably more than
30,000. informationclearinghouse.info
Growing Iraqi Fighting Dims US Post-War
'Glow' November 4, 2003 By Randall
Mikkelsen "Bush was at his ranch in Texas on Sunday and made no comment
after a guerrilla attack on a U.S. helicopter in Iraq killed 15 soldiers."
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) -- The triumphal post-war glow in which President Bush
once taunted Iraqi militants by saying "bring them on" has faded to a
grim determination against a resistance growing more deadly. rense.com
Deficit Disaster
November 4, 2003 It is not our intent to alarm anyone, but we do hope that
readers are aware of the latest pronouncement from Warren Buffett, the
second-richest man in the world who is frequently referred to as "the most
successful investor ever." The corporate free trade agenda, says Buffett,
has created a mess so serious that he is losing confidence in the stability of
the U.S. dollar, and the economy it underpins. rense.com
Diebold Documents Spark International
Campaign November 4, 2003 Swarthmore, Pa.--Diebold
Documents Spark International Campaign: Will Your Vote Count? When
American citizens step into the voting booth tomorrow, will their votes be
counted? Today, with Diebold Elections Systems operating electronic voting in 37
states, the answer is a resounding "maybe." As a result of widespread
security flaws and the lack of any verifiable check on their systems, Diebold
cannot guarantee the accuracy of any election in which their machines are
present. scoop.co.nz
Freed Iranians accuse US of torture
November 4, 2003 AFP Two Iranian journalists with state-run television
who were freed by US forces in Iraq after four months of detention have charged
they were subjected to "severe torture" while in American custody. But
in Baghdad a coalition military spokesman denied that anyone was mistreated in
its custody. "The detention was unimaginable. The first 10 days were like a
nightmare. We were subjected to severe torture," Saeed Abou Taleb told
state television as he and his freed colleague Sohail Karimi crossed back into
Iran. news.ninemsn.com.au
The new
Inquisition November
4, 2003 By Walter Cronkite
President Bush's televised answer to the growing
concerns of many - including some Republicans - about the powers granted to him
in the USA Patriot Act was to ask for even stronger measures, particularly the
expanded use of "nonjudicial subpoenas." That means a federal agency
such as the FBI can write its own subpoenas to conduct a search - no judges
needed. denverpost.com
New US Attack About to Happen?
November 4, 2003 By Empire Slayer From: the Peacewatchers at USAF’s
Fairford and Welford bases in the UK Since Saturday, people in the Highlands of
Scotland have been witnessing large movements of US warplanes overhead.
Experienced observers say the large numbers are reminiscent of those that
preceded the bombing of Iraq in 1998 and military strikes on Libya in the1980's
as well as the first Gulf War. At the weekend warplanes were flying over at a
rate of roughly one every 15 minutes. As well as watching them from the ground
the plane spotters have also been able to overhear pilots talking by listening
to their radio frequencies. At this rate some 288 warplanes would have passed
over Scotland in three days. indymedia.org
Sun on Fire, Unleashes 3 More Major
Flares November 4, 2003 By Robert Roy
Britt The Sun cut loose with three severe flares in less than 24 hours
through Monday morning, bringing to nine the number of major eruptions in less
than two weeks. Scientists have never witnessed a string of activity like this.
The three additional outbursts on top of two back-to-back monster
flares Oct. 28 and 29. "I think the last week will go into the history
books as one of the most dramatic periods of solar activity we have seen in
modern time," Brekke told SPACE.com. Reports of the third flare are
preliminary. The trio of outbursts comes within a week of the unprecedented,
back-to-back severe
flares rated X17 and X10. All flares of this magnitude are capable of
disrupting communications systems and power grids and harming satellites. A
storm's precise strength, however, cannot be known until about 30 minutes before
it strikes space.com
Is pressure cooker of Yellowstone set to
burst? November 4, 2003 By Scott Canon
Kansas City Star YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — When European settlers wandered
upon this otherworld of gurgling mud pits and angry geysers, they described it
as a place where "hell bubbled up." They didn't guess, as geologists
believe now, that three times in the past 2 million or so years, hell blasted
the Earth's crust here with a fury that can barely be imagined. Most recently,
some 640,000 years ago, Yellowstone's rage toppled mountainsides, changed the
course of rivers and sprayed ash ankle deep over all of what is now the Western
United States. deseretnews.com
Tens of thousands to
mobilize for Nov 9th International Day Against the Wall
November 4, 2003 Press Release The Anti-Apartheid
Wall Campaign, International actions will take place across Europe, Canada, the
US, Chile and Brazil. Many groups are building a mock Apartheid Wall which will
be symbolically torn down at the end of demonstrations, speaking events and
vigils. In Europe demonstrations and information dissemination will take place
in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Brittan, France, and Norway. As of yet, over
30 demonstrations worldwide are known to be taking place. electronicintifada.net
Pentagon
keeps dead out of sight November 3, 2003 TIM
HARPER Bush team doesn't want people to see human cost of war. Even body bags
are now sanitized as `transfer tubes'. Charles H. Buehring came home last week,
he arrived at the air force base in Dover, Del., in the middle of the night, in
an aluminum shipping case draped in an American flag. When the military truck
drove his remains across the tarmac, workers paused and removed their hats. But
America never saw Lt.-Col. Buehring's arrival, days after a rocket ended his
life at age 40 in Baghdad's Rasheed Hotel. Americans have never seen
any of the 359 bodies returning from Iraq. thestar.com
Iraqi guerrillas shoot down US
helicopter, killing 16 soldiers November 3,
2003 By Patrick Martin Rumsfeld says more such “bad days” to come The
shooting down on Sunday of a CH-47 transport helicopter, in which sixteen US
soldiers died and 20 others were wounded, many of them horribly burned, was a
stark demonstration of the mounting cost of the US occupation of Iraq. It was
the single bloodiest incident, in terms of US casualties, since Bush began the
war against Iraq last March 20. wsws.org
Rebel war spirals out of control as US
intelligence loses the plot November 3, 2003 Peter
Beaumont and Patrick Graham The ghosts of Vietnam are returning as Baathists,
zealots, criminals, tribal leaders and al Qaeda unite in a deadly alliance of
hatred. Sharp disagreements are emerging between the US and the UK over the
exact nature of the Iraqi resistance, amid warnings that the US is losing the
intelligence war against the rebels. guardian.co.uk
For first time Bush faces majority who
disapprove of war strategy November 3, 2003 By
Gary Younge For the first time, a poll has found that a majority of
Americans disapprove of President George Bush's handling of Iraq, even before
yesterday's devastating helicopter attack. The Washington Post-ABC poll released
yesterday shows the number who approve of Mr Bush's handling at 47%, a fall of
28% percentage points on the end of April. Those who disapproved had climbed to
51%, the first time the figure has broken 50 since the war began.guardian.co.uk
US soldiers kill four workers after bomb
blast November 3, 2003 By Alex Berenson
American soldiers killed four civilians near the
violence-racked city of Fallujah after a roadside bomb exploded near their
convoy, according to town officials and witnesses. theage.com.au
Iraqi child crushed by US tank
November 3, 2003 By Nurah
Tape A six-year-old
Iraqi child has been crushed to death by an American tank. The incident
was said to be reminiscent of scenes caused by the Israeli occupation of
Palestine as the child was killed underneath the tank's tracks. english.aljazeera.net
Bush is a
powerful personality; no wonder he inspires hatred
November 3, 2003 By
Barbara Amiel "Bush Hatred" is on the boil. His name
ignites conversation like kerosene. I've heard Americans gloat over their own
casualties in Iraq, as if every death were a stab in Bush's heart alone rather
than in American soldiers, so profound is their hatred. telegraph.co.uk
Oiling up the draft machine?
November 3, 2003 By Dave Lindorff The Pentagon is quietly moving to fill
draft board vacancies nationwide. While officials say there's no cause to worry,
some experts aren't so sure. salon.com
Long queue at drive-in soup kitchen November
3, 2003 The Guardian George Bush's America, the wealthiest nation in
history, faces a growing poverty crisis. In the first of a three-part series
Julian Borger takes the pulse of the US with elections just a year away. The
free food is handed out at nine, but the queue starts forming hours earlier. By
dawn, there is a line of cars stretching half a mile back. In Logan, it is what
passes for rush hour - a traffic jam driven by poverty and hunger. guardian.co.uk
Hospitals Try Extreme Measures To Collect
Their Overdue Debts Patients Who Skip Hearings On Bills Are Arrested
November 3, 2003 By LUCETTE LAGNADO Some hospitals now rank among
America's most aggressive debt-collectors, as they put increasing pressure on
poor and uninsured patients to pay their bills. Adding to the problem, as The
Wall Street Journal has reported, hospitals generally charge uninsured patients
far more than the discounted rates negotiated by health-maintenance
organizations and other private insurers and government agencies. Some also use
one of the harshest and least-known collections tactics of all: seeking the
arrest of no-show debtors. democrats.com
The Cheney-Bush
energy disaster is about to come to a vote
November 3, 2003 By Harvey Wasserman
As would be expected in the Age of Bush, an
energy bill that will affect all Americans for decades to come, and cost us
hundreds of billions of dollars, is being hashed out in secret. It's a
direct off-shoot of those notorious secret meetings held by Vice President Dick
Cheney, about which he refuses to disclose anything, despite a string of court
orders. A final Congressional vote may come this week.
freepress.org
Florida school bus racism scandal
November 3, 2003 By Lawrence Smallman November
3, 2003 A school bus service in Florida has refused to carry Iraqi and
Afghani refugee students for a second time in a week. Some
27 students aged between 10 and 14 were abandoned outside Jacksonville last
Wednesday, over eight miles away from home. Concerned parents contacted
the school, which informed them that nothing could be done other than to make
sure the driver was not given responsibility for these particular students
again. One teacher picked up some of the students in her car and took them to
their homes, Fryer said. aljazeera.net
"SHOCKING
FUTURE" CAN SO MANY BE SO WRONG?
November 2, 2003 Posted By:
Nemesis "though there is still increase in people waking to love, the increase of
hate, selfishness and delusion have become so pronounced, that the spirits being
sent to Earth to inhabit human bodies, will not have even the most minimal
chances of acquiring the learning and knowledge they would come to Earth for,
their choices are being reduced to a level that makes continued incarnation a
valueless experience. The great troubles are here, and they will only increase
in number, intensity and will be wide spread, Earth wide, all continents, even
the seas. There will be safe places, pockets large and small throughout most
lands for those that will flee. But only the righteous in heart, those that love
others equal to themselves will be able to enter, all the rest will be turned
back, and not by the force of man. Great calamity comes, increasing, one on top
of the other. As one ends another begins. America will be in another war
sometime in December this year. In January next year the economy will go into a
spiraling tail spin downward, and this will incite chaos. In July many nations
will gather with Russia and attack the United States. Before all of this, and
during, nature will herself increase in potent killing intensity." rumormillnews.com
Food security in
the United States November
2, 2003 Eighty-nine percent of American households were food secure
throughout the entire year 2002, meaning that they had access, at all times, to
enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining
households were food insecure at least some time during that year. The
prevalence of food insecurity rose from 10.7 percent in 2001 to 11.1 percent in
2002, and the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger rose from 3.3 percent to
3.5 percent. ers.usda.gov
Bomb Kills At Least 2 US Soldiers At Iraq
Police Station November
2, 2003 MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) A bomb blast outside a police
station in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul Saturday killed at least two U.S.
soldiers, Iraqi police at the scene told Reuters. They said four U.S. soldiers
had been driving past in two civilian vehicles when the bomb was detonated.
"There was a huge blast. The two drivers of the vehicles were definitely
killed," said policeman Abdul-Rahman Fawaz, who witnessed the explosion,
his face spattered with blood. Other police officers at the scene said they
believed three U.S. soldiers had been killed. rense.com
Afghan rebels kill two CIA agents
November 2, 2003 Associated Press Two
CIA agents have been ambushed and killed in a mountainous border region of
Afghanistan, the US military said today. The CIA confirmed that William Carlson,
43, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and Christopher Glenn Mueller, 32, of San
Diego, California were killed on Saturday near the village in Shkin in Paktika
province while "tracking terrorists". guardian.co.uk
Chopper Shot Down in Iraq, Killing 15 GIs
November 2, 2003 By TINI TRAN FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A U.S.
Chinook helicopter carrying troops en route home for leave was struck by a
missile Sunday and crashed west of Baghdad, killing 15 soldiers and wounding 21,
the U.S. command and witnesses reported. guardian.co.uk
Corruption in US
legal system November
2, 2003 In 1975, a
former Berrien County judge named Harry Laity and his wife Frances were robbed
of two rings and approximately fifty dollars in cash. Caldwell adamantly denied
holding up the couple. The facts appeared to support him. The
assailant was described as having a scar on his forehead, which Caldwell did not
have. The victims identified another man in a line-up, and Caldwell passed
a polygraph test. Perhaps most compellingly, fingerprints taken from the
crime scene pointed to a perpetrator in possession of all ten fingers.
Caldwell was missing two fingers from his left hand. Despite these facts,
Caldwell was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains to
this day. pravda.ru
Bush election donors share $8bn
bonanza November
2, 2003 Suzanne Goldenberg Major donors to George Bush's election
campaigns were the main beneficiaries of an $8bn (£4.7bn) bonanza in government
contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq, an investigation published yesterday said.
guardian.co.uk
Diebold
Memos Disclose Florida 2000 E-Voting Fraud
November
2, 2003 by
Alastair Thompson The Diebold Memos' Smoking Gun Volusia Co.
Memos Disclose Election 2000 Vote Fraud
. "DELAND, Fla., Nov. 11 - Something very strange happened on election
night to Deborah Tannenbaum, a Democratic Party official in Volusia County. At
10 p.m., she called the county elections department and learned that Al Gore was
leading George W. Bush 83,000 votes to 62,000. But when she checked the county's
Web site for an update half an hour later, she found a startling development:
Gore's count had dropped by 16,000 votes, while an obscure Socialist candidate
had picked up 10,000--all because of a single precinct with only 600
voters." portland.indymedia.org
U.S. Rejected Davis on Aid to Clear Trees
November 2, 2003 By Gregg Jones and Dan Morain SACRAMENTO FEMA spent six
months studying the governor's request, then turned it down hours before fires
began, saying state was already getting funds. The Bush administration took six
months to evaluate Gov. Gray Davis' emergency request last spring for $430
million to clear dead trees from fire-prone areas of Southern California. latimes.com
US puts right to protest at risk
November 2, 2003 Duncan Campbell Greenpeace is being taken to court by
the US government because of its action against the illegal importation of
mahogany. Its lawyers says it is the first time an entire organisation has been
criminally prosecuted for the activities of two members. guardian.co.uk
Bicyclists Accuse DJs of Inciting Attacks
November 2, 2003 By CONNIE MABIN CLEVELAND Bicyclists are demanding that
the nation's largest radio group be punished because disc jockeys at three
stations made on-air comments they say encouraged drivers to throw bottles at
bike riders or hit them with open car doors. They say the morning show hosts at
Clear Channel Communications stations in Cleveland, Houston and Raleigh, N.C.,
also suggested motorists blast horns at cyclists, and speed past them and slam
on their brakes in front of them. yahoo.com
White House wins,
but wins ugly
November 2, 2003 By James Kuhnhenn Inquirer
Washington Bureau WASHINGTON
- Even Republicans complain that Bush will use
his muscle when Congress sees things differently. For
President Bush, victories in Congress don't come wrapped in pretty bows. The
White House wins ugly these days.When the President walked away with his $87.5
billion postwar spending request generally intact last week, he left behind
lawmakers complaining that a ham-handed administration did not seem to
understand that the White House and Congress are equal branches of government.
And those are the
Republicans talking. philly.com
Israel
outraged as EU poll names it a threat to peace
November 2, 2003 Peter Beaumont Israel has been described as the top
threat to world peace, ahead of North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran, by an
unpublished European Commission poll of 7,500 Europeans, sparking an
international row. observer.guardian.co.uk
Bush
Ignores Soldiers' Burials November
1, 2003 By Christopher Scheer Bodies boxed up and sent home for burial,
deliberately shielded from view, lest the media capture on film the dark image
of this ultimate sacrifice. It is almost certain, as well, that like all of the
hundreds of U.S. troops killed in this war to date, these dead soldiers will be
interred or memorialized without the solemn presence of the President of the
United States. Increasingly, this proclivity on the part of President Bush to
avoid the normal duty of a commander-in-chief to honor dead soldiers is causing
rising irritation among some veterans and their families who have noticed what
appears to be a historically anomalous slight. alternet.org
Number of Hungry Families in U.S. Rising
November 1, 2003 By EMILY GERSEMA (AP) - About 12 million American
families last year worried that they couldn't afford to buy food, and 32 percent
of them actually experienced someone going hungry at one time or another, the
Agriculture Department said Friday. It was the third year in a row that the
department has seen an increase in the number of households experiencing hunger
and those worried about having enough money to pay for food. Based on a Census
Bureau survey of 50,000 households, the department estimated that 3.8 million
families were hungry last year to the point where someone in the household
skipped meals because they couldn't afford them. That's an 8.6 percent increase
from 2001, when 3.5 million families were hungry, and a 13 percent increase from
2000. guardian.co.uk
The Incredible
Lying BushCo November 1, 2003 This just in: More irrefutable
proof that Dubya's is the slimiest administration in 100 years
November 1, 2003 By Mark Morford Like you
even needed more proof. Like you even need to read about the incredible and
ever-increasing list of lies and misinfo and deeply, colon-clenchingly
humiliating wrongness shot forth from the mouth of the GOP machine, a truly
jaw-dropping assortment of falsehoods and fabrications about war, and war, and
war. Oh, and the economy. And the environment. And war. Look. There is no doubt
left. Zero. None. Even many high-ranking Republicans are deeply worried over the
increasingly embittered national timbre regarding BushCo's lies... sfgate.com
Sounds Of
Silence November
1, 2003 Surely the White House realizes that the
perception of a cover-up is more politically damaging than turning over a few
intelligence reports. Last December, when President Bush named Tom Kean, the
mild-mannered Republican former governor of New Jersey, to lead the commission
investigating the September 11 attacks, critics scoffed that Kean would be an
administration patsy. But the White House's resistance to releasing crucial
information about the attacks has stirred him to anger. "I will not stand
for it," Kean fumed last week. "Anything that has to do with 9/11, we
have to see it -- anything." cbsnews.com
Secret 9/11
case before high court The
justices consider a petition for a case with no public record
November 1, 2003 By
Warren Richey MIAMI – It's
the case that doesn't exist. Even though two different federal courts have
conducted hearings and issued rulings, there has been no public record of any
action. No documents are available. No files. No lawyer is allowed to speak
about it. Period. Yet this seemingly phantom case does
exist - and is now headed to the US Supreme Court in what could produce a
significant test of a question as old as the Star Chamber, abolished in
17th-century England: How far should a policy of total secrecy extend into a
system of justice? csmonitor.com
Democrats, uninvited, march into
Medicare talks to make their point November
1, 2003 DAVID ESPO A delegation of House Democrats marched unbidden
Thursday into closed-door talks over a Medicare prescription drug bill, an act
of political theater scripted to dramatize opposition to legislation taking
shape in negotiations dominated by Republicans. Despite the well-mannered
intrusion, a core group of negotiators reported progress toward agreement on a
bill that would remake the government's 38-year-old program of health care for
40 million Americans age 65 and older and the disabled. "I think we're very
close" to a compromise, said Speaker Dennis Hastert. "There are a
couple of things that we haven't put to bed yet," the Illinois Republican
said, sfgate.com
American imperialism off the rails
November 1, 2003 HAROON SIDDIQUI More people dead in Iraq proves that
the American occupation of Iraq is working. That's what George W. Bush says.
"The more successful we are on the ground, the more the killers will
react," he said following the latest terrorist attacks. "The killers
can't stand the thought of a free society." torontostar.com
French Experts Predict US Failure In Iraq
November 1, 2003 By Pierre-Marie Giraud Neither force nor Saddam's
arrest will end Iraq attacks: French experts Agence France Presse: PARIS, Oct
29-- Neither a full-on military response by US forces nor even the killing of
ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will be enough to halt a series of bloody
attacks in Iraq, French international relations experts say. "There is no
possible response to these attacks. When you have the population against you,
anything is possible," informationclearinghouse.info
The Danger of Defeat
November 1, 2003 By Fred Hiatt KIRKUK, Iraq -- When you journey abroad,
news from home tends to arrive in disjointed snippets. But rarely has such a
tidbit seemed as unrooted in reality as the comment of President Bush that
reached here a day after a series of devastating bombings in Baghdad. The
attacks, Bush said, resulted from the progress of the occupation and the
desperation of the insurgents. washingtonpost.com
Democracy for whom?
November 1, 2003 By DOUG BANDOW Although the Bush administration won
formal U.N. recognition for its rule in Iraq, that diplomatic victory is likely
to yield few allied troops for occupation duty. In fact, even Turkey, which
agreed to dispatch 10,000 soldiers after Washington's approval of $8.5 billion
in loans, is now reconsidering its decision in the face of overwhelming Iraqi
opposition. japantimes.co.
Iraqi farmer
'killed' by US fire November
1, 2003 Baqubah, Iraqi farmer
'killed' by US firead, today and his brother was detained for attempting to
retrieve the body, witnesses told AFP. The farmer, Ziad Yass Abbas, was watering
his crops when US troops, standing about 400 metres away, opened fire on him at
around 6am (2pm AEDT), said his nephew, Yass Amer Abbas, who was with him at the
time. His uncle was killed instantly, he said. thecouriermail.news.com
Criticism
is not about patriotism November
1, 2003 SIOUX CITY I have had it with the Republican right calling into
question the patriotism of those who question this Administration's Iraqi war
program. We were duped and now are being told to be quiet because if we dare
question our great President, then we are guilty of "... providing aid and
comfort to the enemy." siouxcityjournal.com
E-Vote Protest Gains Momentum
November 1, 2003 He said he has received a crash course in copyright law, but
added that the copyright issue was not the main concern. "My concern and I
think the concern of the students is to focus attention on electoral fraud. The
copyright stuff is a sideshow," he said. "If what the memos suggest is
true, this makes hanging chads look like state-of-the-art (election
technology)." wired.com
Repeal of meat labeling law may be intent
of Bush administration November 1, 2003 BY
ROGER LARSEN Repeal of the country-of-origin meat labeling law may be the
intent of the Bush administration a full year before it becomes mandatory, South
Dakota's two senators said Wednesday. In a letter to the White House, Sen. Tim
Johnson and Sen. Tom Daschle are asking why administration officials didn't meet
with farm and consumer groups supportive of COOL during the Office of Management
and Budget's eight-day review period. "The White House and USDA have been
against labeling from the start," Johnson said. zwire.com
Cloned meat a step nearer US menus
November 1, 2003 Suzanne Goldenberg Food agency gives the all clear, but it will
be years before test-tube animals are cheap enough to eat. America moved a step
closer to serving meat and milk from cloned animals or their progeny yesterday
when the government's food regulation agency said they would be as safe to eat
as conventional foods. guardian.co.uk
Bush To Allow Drilling In Utah Wilderness
November 1, 2003 The Bush administration will apparently allow oil and gas
drilling on Utah lands once reviewed for possible wilderness protection. Critics
are outraged. Sen. Joe Lieberman said, "We are now beginning to see the
fallout from the closed-door deals that the Bush administration negotiated this
spring ... just so its supporters could pump a few weeks' supply of oil and
gas." thewmurchannel.com
Global Warming Bill Defeated in Senate
November 1, 2003 LCG A measure sponsored by Senators John McCain, R-Ariz.,
and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., that would have created an incentive-based
program for limiting emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide was
rejected yesterday in a 55-43 vote. energyonline.com
Senate Chainsaw Massacre
November 1, 2003 Senate Passes Healthy Forests Initiative
Meanwhile, forest management in the rest of the U.S. is set to change, too, with
yesterday's 80-14 Senate vote in favor of a compromise version of President
Bush's Healthy Forests initiative. Although the vote was somewhat influenced by
the fires in California, its effect will be felt well beyond the Golden State,
on as many as 20 million acres of federal land. gristmagazine.com
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