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Some die,
others profit December 12, 2003 $2.64 a
gallon for gasoline for Iraq? Pay to Haliburton is outrageous December 12,
2003 By Register War profiteering has long been despised by Americans, and
Halliburton's outrageous contract in Iraq ought to reopen that vein of moral
outrage. Your government is paying Halliburton an average of $2.64 a gallon
to import gasoline from Kuwait while Iraq's state oil company pays 96 cents a
gallon and the Pentagon's Defense Energy Support Center pays $1.08 to $1.19 a
gallon. desmoinesregister.com
Clear
Channel Radio Slashes Local News December
12, 2003 By
GABE WELLS "In my opinion, Clear Channel Wheeling is the poster
child for corporate greed in America," Kellas said. "There doesn't
seem to be a whole lot of compassion for the little guy. There are humane
aspects to this. I will be fine, but the thing is, for people that I work
with, good people born and raised in this valley, they are unemployed. Last
year, two weeks before Christmas, two people on the sales staff were fired.
... What about the person who finds themselves unemployed?
"I feel as though, as a lifelong member of this
community, they have come in here, the corporate suits, and intruded into
this community," Kellas added. "They are steamrolling people out of
the way and taking a 50,000 watt institution, and taking whatever local
orientation there was to it, and eliminated it." theintelligencer.net
Global Eye -- Bullet Points
December 12, 2003 Chris Floyd The brutal
essence of the Bushist Era was thus laid bare last week in the unlikely venue
of the Army Times, a corporate-owned military newspaper in Washington. In an
article detailing the effectiveness of a new kind of ammunition, the paper --
inadvertently, we assume -- stripped away the patriotic tinfoil wrapped
around the arms industry and revealed that "patriotism" for what it
really is: extortion, crude and thuggish, a raw greed driven by threats --
including the threat of turning their death-wares against the Americans they
are purporting to defend. tmtmetropolis.ru
Disorder Steals Soldier's Mind, Life December
12, 2003
By NANCY
BARR CANSON
The Dallas Morning News
KARNACK, Texas -- Staff Sgt. James Alford can't
talk. He doesn't recognize his wife. His head shakes, his hands tremble. He
is agitated, restless, diapered and helpless, requiring round-the-clock care
from his family. Unable to coordinate his fingers and hands, the former
marathon runner can still walk, with assistance. In April, the Green Beret
and Bronze Star recipient was sent home from Iraq by the Army. But it wasn't
because he badly needed medical care. "They sent him home to be
court-martialed," said his mother, Gail Alford, a former Army nurse.
"They wanted to strip him of his special forces tab. They wanted him out
of the Army. I don't blame the Army for this disease," said his father,
retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Alford, who was in the service 34 years.
"I blame them for how they treated my son. They treated him like
yesterday's garbage. They reduced his rank. They called him an idiot, called
him stupid -- this is a wounded soldier. It's no different than if he had
taken a bullet to the brain." lakelandledger.com
Bush laughs off critics of 'spoils of war' bidding
December 12, 2003 By Rupert Cornwell
in Washington George Bush poured fuel on the flames of the Iraq contracts
dispute yesterday with a sneering dismissal of a suggestion by the German
Chancellor that the decision to bar Germany, France Russia and Canada from
bidding might violate international law. "International law? I'd better
call my lawyer," the American President joked in response to a
reporter's question at the White House. independent.co.uk
The Fallacy of the War on Terror December
12, 2003 By Patrisia Gonzales and Roberto Rodriguez If we were
actually engaged in such a war, it would be clearly defined, with unambiguous
objectives and parameters. It would first necessarily target despotic
governments that threaten humanity and use state terror to torture and
systematically deprive their own citizens of their human rights. And it
wouldn't force allied nations to act against their own citizens' wishes. A
country involved in such a war wouldn't permit the export of torture
instruments , wouldn't sabotage international weapons treaties, nor blackmail
nations to exempt it from the international war crimes tribunal. It wouldn't
proliferate its own weapons of mass destruction, nor research the use of
"mini-nuclear bombs." commondreams.org
ElBaradei calls on Israel to give up nukes
December 12, 2003 By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent The
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed
ElBaradei, has called on Israel to relinquish its nuclear weapons as part of
a general peace agreement in the Middle East. haaretz.com
 Orders
to kill adopted puppy leave Florida soldiers mourning
December 11, 2003 By Roger Roy It's against the rules for U.S.
soldiers in Iraq to have pets, but the skinny black puppy that wandered up to
the Florida National Guard soldiers at a base in northern Iraq wouldn't go
away. So the soldiers from Alpha Co. of the 2nd Battalion of the 124th
Infantry Regiment adopted the mutt and named her Apache after their radio
call sign. But Army regulations finally caught up with Alpha Co. and Apache.
Family members said Wednesday that the soldiers were eventually forced to
obey orders and have the dog killed. "My husband was devastated,"
said Maggie Ford of Melbourne, whose husband, Sgt. 1st Class Bill Ford, had
hoped to bring the dog back to Florida. "We all cried when we found
out." sun-sentinel.com/apache
New Activist Network Slams Growing Abuses Under Bush
December 11, 2003 by Jim Lobe (IPS) More than 50 groups, ranging
from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to the New York-based Center
for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), said they had agreed to join forces to
address what they said was ”the alarming rate of human rights violations in
the U.S.”, particularly as it pursues its ”war on terrorism”. They
called for U.S. citizens to speak out against these abuses, as well as to
fight ”U.S. exceptionalism”, the view pushed strongly by the
administration of President George W. Bush, that the United States should not
be constrained by international law or human rights standards, especially
relating to economic and social rights. informationclearinghouse.info
Bush seeks help of allies barred from
Iraq deals December 11, 2003 By DAVID
E. SANGER and DOUGLAS JEHL President Bush found himself in the awkward
position on Wednesday of calling the leaders of France, Germany and Russia to
ask them to forgive Iraq's debts, just a day after the Pentagon excluded
those countries and others from $18 billion in American-financed Iraqi
reconstruction projects. jihadunspun.com
"My Son Stepped on an American
Cluster Bomb" December 11, 2003
Father of U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Speaks Out Listen to: Segment
/ Watch
128k stream / Watch
256k stream We speak with Fernando Suarez del Solar whose son, Jesus, was
one of the first U.S. servicemen killed in the invasion of Iraq. A new study
finds that Jesus may be one of eight U.S. soldiers killed by unexploded
bomblet dropped by U.S. forces. Fernando Suarez del Solar recently returned
from a week-long trip in Iraq. [Includes transcript] A USA Today study has
found that the U.S. dropped or fired nearly 11,000 cluster bombs or cluster
weapons on Iraq during the invasion and Britain dropped 2,000 more. It is
unknown how many Iraqis died from cluster bombs. One estimate puts the total
at 370. And the attacks left behind thousands of unexploded bomblets. At
least eight U.S. soldiers and an unknown number of Iraqis have been killed by
unexploded bomblets. democracynow.org
The soldiers Bush didn't visit on
Thanksgiving December 11, 2003 By Joan
Vennochi "My `Bush Thanksgiving' was a little different . . . The
ICU has been receiving soldiers for many months now, often unconscious young
men on ventilators with wives and parents (our age) bending over the beds,
stroking whatever part isn't bandaged, pinned, or burned. It requires a deep
breath and strong heart anymore to walk through those swinging doors; I know
the photo IDs outside the rooms will bear little resemblance to the men in
the rooms. "It's too bad Mr. Bush didn't add us to his holiday agenda. boston.com
Bush official urges weapons labs to
explore 'range of technical options' in nuke designs
December 11, 2003 By Leslie Hoffman ASSOCIATED PRESS A memo from a top
Bush official to the nation's nuclear weapons labs celebrating the repeal of
a ban on low-yield nuclear weapons research is chest-beating reminiscent of a
Cold War-era arms climate, anti-nuclear advocates say. The memo from National
Nuclear Security Administration chief Linton Brooks shows top officials in
the nuclear weapons complex view the repeal as a broad mandate "to
pursue every kind of nuclear weapon that might be feasible," said Greg
Mello of the Albuquerque-based Los Alamos Study Group. signonsandiego.com
Corruptible Voting Machines - Why the
Silence? December 11, 2003 by Siva
Vaidhyanathan The past few weeks the mainstream media finally awoke to
the single largest threat to democracy facing this country: insecure,
corruptible, undependable electronic voting machines. Since November 1,
Newsweek’s Steve Levy has written about security problems with “black
box” voting systems, the Washington Post issued an editorial calling for
further testing of machines in Maryland and Virginia, and most significantly,
Paul Krugman of The New York Times delivered a scathing indictment of
electronic voting on December 2. That these machines invite disaster in the
2004 election is indisputable. progressivetrail.org
U.S. Arrests Iraqi Union Leaders
December 11, 2003 David Bacon Editor's Note: There's another kind of
battle being waged in Iraq -- the struggle for worker's rights. Iraqi union
organizers say the U.S. authority is working against them. U.S. occupation
forces in Iraq escalated their efforts to paralyze Iraq's new labor unions
with a series of arrests this weekend. On Dec. 6, according to a union
spokesperson interviewed by phone, a convoy of 10 Humvees and personnel
carriers descended on the old headquarters building of the Transport and
Communications Workers union, in Baghdad's central bus station, which has
been used since June as the office of the Iraqi Workers Federation of Trade
Unions (IFTU). Twenty soldiers jumped out, stormed into the building, put
handcuffs on eight members of the Federation's executive board, and took them
into detention. pacificnews.org
Coalition: Nearly half of new Iraqi army
has quit December 11, 2003 BAGHDAD,
Iraq (CNN) -- About 300 of 700 members of the new Iraqi army have
resigned, citing unhappiness with terms, conditions and pay and with
instructions of commanding officers, a representative of the U.S.-led
coalition said Thursday. "It's a new force, and ... we face some
difficulties," the representative said. cnn.com
Carter: Miller's Senate appointment was
'mistake' December 11, 2003 The
Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Former President Jimmy Carter says the
appointment of Georgia's Zell Miller to the Senate was a mistake because his
fellow ex-governor "betrayed all the basic principles that I thought he
and I and others shared." ajc.com
Well, it's official: I am now deathly afraid of 60% of Americans
December 11, 2004 By Steve The results of the latest USAToday/Gallup
poll were released today, and 60% of Americans now think that the war in Iraq
was a good idea - and the main reason given for this rise in their approval
for the war was Bush's 2-hour layover in Baghdad on Thanksgiving! Are you
serious? Are there really 60% of Americans who are that easy to manipulate
with a photo-op? It's hard to even write anything about how ridiculous an
idea that is! newzmaniac.com
Anti-Bush Drawing Called 'Hate Speech'
December 11, 2003 By RON HARRIS Associated Press An award-winning
drawing blaming President Bush for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was pulled
from a small-town exhibit over "insurance issues" after a
businessman withdrew his $300 prize and called the piece a form of "hate
speech." Artist Chuck Bowden's drawing, "The Tactics of Tyrants Are
Always Transparent," won second place in the Redwood Art Association's
annual fall exhibit, held earlier this month in Eureka, Calif. In the
11-inch-by-14-inch drawing, a crown and halo-topped Bush stands on a grave,
his hand dripping with blood as bodies fall to the ground from the World
Trade Center towers in the distance. theledger.com
The court case that could reshape US
democracy December 11, 2003 By Rupert
Cornwell The state's Democrats have challenged what they say is a rigged
and unfair plan to redraw congressional districts, a move approved by
Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled legislature after the 2000 census. But
the case's implications are nationwide. At stake is not only control of the
House of Representatives in Washington, but the very health of democracy.
"This is hugely important," says Sam Hirsch, an attorney for the
Pennsylvania Democrats. "Gerrymandering on this scale is corrupting US
democracy. This was not what the framers of the US constitution
intended." independent.co.uk
Iraq Car Bombing Kills One U.S.
Soldier, Wounds 14 December 11, 2003 BAGHDAD
(Reuters) - One U.S. soldier was killed and 14 wounded in a suicide car
bomb attack on an American military base west of Baghdad Thursday, the U.S.
Army said. In a statement, the army said the vehicle was driven by a suicide
bomber. The attack occurred outside a base of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division
near the flashpoint town of Ramadi. reuters.com
Corporate media lies, distortions,
spin and omissions all serve Bush December
11, 2003 By Bev Conover The word anger is too weak to express what we
are feeling as we approach another stolen presidential election that will
benefit George W. Bush, unless the US corporate media come to their senses
and realize that four more years of Bush is no more in their interests than
it is in the interests of the American people or the world and start doing
their job. onlinejournal.com
Dearly deported
December 11, 2003 By Eric Boehlert Just months after Zeferino Colunga
Sr. lost his GI son in Iraq, the government arrested him and sent him back to
Mexico.
U.S. Army soldier Zeferino Colunga Jr. died four months ago from a mysterious
illness he contracted while serving in Iraq and was buried with full honors
in a Texas cemetery. Last week, with the family still in mourning, the
soldier's father was deported to Mexico as an illegal immigrant. Now family
members wonder if the deportation of Zeferino Colunga Sr. was connected to
their public demand for an independent investigation into the young soldier's
death. salon.com
Who Pays When Walmart Keeps Workers
Poor December 11, 2003 By Domenico
Maceri Five of the richest people in the world are descendants of Sam
Walton, founder of the Wal-Mart empire. Recently it was announced that
Wal-Mart hired undocumented workers to do the cleaning in some of their
stores. In one case, some undocumented workers had been paid 2 dollars a day,
according to a USA article. The gap between executives at Vons, Albertsons,
Ralphs, and their employees is not that huge. However, if the workers
currently on strike at these three Southern California supermarkets lose
their fight, they'll move closer to being paid like Wal-Mart employees.
Striking grocery workers make about five dollars an hour more than those at
Wal-Mart ($12 versus $8.50). So why don't they count their blessings?
Although all the fine print of the negotiations is not totally clear,
management has proposed that given the significant increase in healthcare,
workers would have to pay part of it. In addition, newly-hired employees
would be paid under a different (lower) scale. In essence, the new proposal
would create two classes of workers. coastalpost.com
Delivered Into Hell by US War on Terror
December 11, 2003 by Maher Arar I recently spent 10 1/2 months in a
grave-sized cell in Syria, unsure why I was there, unsure how to get out.
Fear paralyzed my wits when I needed them most. I was beaten and I was
tortured and I was constantly scared. Every day I worried that I would never
be released, that I would disappear into that concrete grave forever. Why was
I being held? I still don't really know. commondreams.org
The Joke is No Longer Funny
December 11, 2003 by WAYNE SNEEDEN Our professors have joked about it.
We joke about it with our friends. But it’s just a joke, a relic from the
“bad old days.” The draft is gone forever, isn’t it? Think again.
Become acquainted with the Universal National Service Act of 2003, H.R. 163,
introduced on January 7, 2003. This act, can be found on the website of the
U.S. Congress at (http://www.congress.gov). This act as seen on the website
states: Universal National Service Act of 2003 Title: A bill to provide for
the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States,
including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian
service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for
other purposes. theticker.org
Trans fats almost everywhere, tests find
December
11, 2003 By ANDRÉ
PICARD Trans fatty acids, a man-made oil described by a leading nutritional
scientist as a "secret killer," are present in significant quantities
in fast foods and other restaurant fare, according to tests commissioned by The
Globe and Mail and CTV News. theglobeandmail.com
'Prehistoric man began global warming' December 11 2003 Measurements of
ancient air bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice offers evidence that humans have
been changing the global climate since thousands of years before the industrial
revolution. From 8000 years ago, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide began to
rise as humans started clearing forests, planting crops and raising livestock, a
scientist said on Tuesday. Methane levels started increasing 3000 years later. smh.com.au
 Iraq
to Stop Counting Civilian Dead December
10,
2003 AP BAGHDAD Iraq's
Health Ministry has ordered a halt to a count of civilians killed during the
war and told its statistics department not to release figures compiled so
far, the official who oversaw the count told The Associated Press on
Wednesday. The order was relayed by the ministry's director of planning, Dr.
Nazar Shabandar, but the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, which
oversees the ministry, also wanted the counting to stop, said Dr. Nagham
Mohsen, the head of the ministry's statistics department. abcnews.go.com
US, Israel prepare mass killings in
Iraq December 10, 2003 By Bill Vann
The Bush administration is about to launch a campaign of wholesale killings
in Iraq with the assistance of the Israeli military, according to both US and
Israeli sources quoted in several recent news reports. Frustrated over the
growing popular resistance to the US military occupation and determined to
reduce US casualties in Iraq before next November’s election, the
administration has authorized a policy that could well resemble the infamous
“Operation Phoenix” assassination program run by the CIA during the
Vietnam War. That operation claimed the lives of as many as 41,000 Vietnamese
over a four-year period beginning in 1968. In preparation for the new
counterinsurgency campaign, the US military has brought urban warfare
specialists from the Israeli Defenses Force (IDF) to Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, the headquarters of the US Special Forces. They are training
assassination teams in methods that the IDF has used to suppress Palestinian
resistance to the Israel occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. wsws.org
Six children die in fresh US blunder
December 10, 2003 The US military announced today that six children and two
adults were killed during a US attack on a weapons compound in south-eastern
Afghanistan, the second bungled operation in the country to leave child
victims in as many days. guardian.co.uk
Operation "Bloody Skulls"
Andrew Kabannikov
Pravda, Russia After arriving to Baghdad with the US troops our correspondent
was shocked by the cruelty of the “liberators”.Akhmad’s saving for a
gun Fourteen-year-old Akhmad has a treasured dream: to buy a gun and to shoot
an American soldier. It’s not easy: Akhmad has no idea how he would get
such a huge sum of money – 30 dollars, for which he was promised an old
Colt with a full clip. This is the kind of money his father – a shoe shiner
– earned in a month. His entire family survived on this money. Now they are
all dead: on April 2 an American missile targeted at the Information Ministry
went slightly off-course and buried Akhmad’s parents and two sisters under
the rubble of their home. thetruthseeker.co.uk
A new low point
in this President's dismal record December
10, 2003 David Muhly On Wednesday,
President Bush signed the ill-named "Healthy Forests Restoration
Act," authorizing sweeping changes in the management of our National
Forests. The House had rubber-stamped legislation supported by industry and
the administration, and the Senate later passed a "compromise"
version of the same bill. In the wake of the California fires, 90 percent of
which burned in chaparral and shrubland, supporters of the legislation
cynically wasted no time in moving their project forward. philly.com
Go-along media ignoring
Kucinich December 10, 2003 By John
Nichols Dennis Kucinich cannot get a break from big media. The
co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is running a vigorous,
intellectually adventurous, policy-based campaign for the Democratic
presidential nomination. He is leaping on issues before the other candidates
recognize them, bringing broader perspectives to the debates and building a
base of supporters nationwide that could play a significant role in debates
about the direction of the Democratic Party. Yet, the political punditocracy
steadfastly refuses to treat his candidacy with even a measure of the
seriousness that is accorded the other members of the House and Senate who
are seeking the party's nod. madison.com
ABC News Pulls Reporter off Kucinich
Campaign December 10, 2003 The day
after Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich took ABC debate moderator Ted
Koppel to task for avoiding questions that would be useful to voters in favor
of questions about endorsements, money, and polls, ABC pulled its fulltime
"embedded" reporter from the Kucinich campaign, a reporter who had
been given no warning that such a move was coming and who had discussed at
length yesterday with the Kucinich campaign staff her plans and her needs for
the coming months. kucinich.us
High Payments to Halliburton for Fuel
in Iraq By DON VAN NATTA Jr The United States government is paying
the Halliburton Company an average of $2.64 a gallon to import gasoline and
other fuel to Iraq from Kuwait, more than twice what others are paying to
truck in Kuwaiti fuel, government documents show. nytimes.com
Campaign launched to appoint 9/11
Widow on 9/11 Commission December 10, 2003
A mass email campaign has begun reaching out to tens of thousands of
concerned citizens encouraging them to lobby Senator Daschle to appoint
Kristen Breitweiser to take the place of departing Max Cleland, who will
likely be confirmed at the Import-Export Bank tomorrow. scoop.co.nz
This is Your Brain on Propaganda
December 10, 2003 By Maureen Farrell Last January, a group of
prominent business leaders bought an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal
and, in an open letter to George W. Bush, reacted to the impending war.
"The candidate we supported in 2000 promised a more humble nation in our
dealings with the world," they wrote. "We gave him our votes and
our campaign contributions. That candidate was you. We feel betrayed. We want
our money back. We want our country back." buzzflash.com
U.S. House of Reps. Approves Bill to
Censor American Citizens from Voicing Opposition to U.S. War on Drugs
December 10, 2003 WASHINGTON A little-known provision buried within
the omnibus federal spending bill that the U.S. House of Representatives
approved yesterday would take away federal grants from local and state
transportation authorities that allow citizens to run advertising on buses,
trains, or subways in support of reforming our nation’s drug laws. If
enacted, the provision could effectively silence community groups around the
country that are using advertising to educate Americans about medical
marijuana and other drug policy reforms. Meanwhile, this same bill gives the
White House $145 million in taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana ads next
year. commondreams.org
17 students
file suit over school drug raid December
10, 2003 By LAUREN LEACH Group
seeks money for damages, injunction against another such raid
Seventeen Stratford High School students
are suing the city of Goose Creek and the Berkeley County school district in
federal court, alleging police and school officials terrorized them in a drug
raid last month. In the lawsuit, the 17
students asked for an unspecified amount of money for damages and an
injunction against another such raid. They
also asked for a declaration that their constitutional rights had been
violated. The suit charges the students’
Fourth and 14th Amendment rights were violated. The Fourth Amendment protects
citizens from unreasonable search and seizure; the 14th forbids states from
depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of
law.” The suit also levels charges of
assault, battery and false arrest. thestate.com
A warning from deep inside the
Pentagon December 10, 2003 SPINNEY:
If you look at the weapons that we're buying, they're not for the war on
terrorism. The best you can say about them is that they are not designed for
the threats that we face. Some of them may not work at all. ANNOUNCER:
The new defense budget is crammed full of high-tech super weapons. But with
so many of our men and women now on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq, are
our tax dollars buying them what they need most? An exclusive interview with
a Pentagon insider. MOYERS: You've said it's a moral sewer there on
the Potomac. SPINNEY: That's correct. MOYERS: What do you mean,
"moral sewer"? SPINNEY: Well, we are, in fact, in effect,
undermining the Constitution because we won't address this issue of
accountability. ANNOUNCER: And we also could be undermining our
national security. pbs.org
Manuel Valenzuela: 'The
stupefaction of a nation' Corporate Media Propaganda and its Weapons of Mass
Distraction December
10, 2003 By Manuel Valenzuela He who controls
the media controls the masses. Today, America's media is controlled
exclusively by fewer than a dozen multinational conglomerates and their many
interests. NewsCorp, AOL, Viacom, General Electric, Disney and others have
formed a media oligarch that reaches into every American home and most every
citizen. These few omnipresent entities hold as paramount the belief in
assuring for themselves perpetual loyalty from as many of the masses as
possible. Revenue and profit, corporate growth and power, executive pay and
ego, these are all determined by us, the masses, and helps explain why the
oligarchy has decided to invest and take an interest in all forms of media
that reaches and influences us. smirkingchimp.com
Che Guevera —
liberation fighter December 10, 2003 BY
JORGE JORQUERA What would people think of Ernesto “Che” Guevara
if he were around today? This leader of the 1959 Cuban revolution was
anything but a moderate. He believed with extreme passion in the beautiful
possibilities of humankind. Many considered him impatient and fanatical, but
he simply saw no reason to “moderate” his desire to make the world a
better place. greenleft.org
Pentagon: One-third of new soldiers in
Iraq army quit just before starting operations
December 10, 2003 By Pauline Jelinek WASHINGTON (AP) Plans to deploy
the first battalion of Iraq's new army are in doubt because a third of the
soldiers trained by the U.S.-led occupation authority have quit, defense
officials said Wednesday. Touted as a key to Iraq's future, the 700-man
battalion lost some 250 men over recent weeks as they were preparing to begin
operations this month, Pentagon officials said. boston.com
Nobel winner slams war on terror
December 10, 2003 OSLO, Norway This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner
says the September 11 attacks have been used as an excuse to violate
international law and human rights. Iran's Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim
woman to win the prize, did not mention the U.S. by name but was clearly
referring to Washington and its allies in a speech prepared for delivery at
the official award ceremony in Oslo, Norway. cnn.com
Does al-Qaeda
exist? December
10, 2003 by Brendan O'Neill
Al-Qaeda bombing foiled' says the front page of today's UK Sun. Also this
week, media reports claim that al-Qaeda may have developed 'car-bomb
capability' in the USA, and that al-Qaeda has compiled a 'kidnappers' manual'
and is plotting to snatch American troops from Iraq and other parts of the
Middle East. Every day since the 9/11 attacks of 2001 there have been media
reports about al-Qaeda - its leaders, members, capabilities, bank accounts,
reach and threat. What is this al-Qaeda? Does such a group even exist? Some
terrorism experts doubt it. spiked-online.com
"What will it take to defeat George Bush and
reverse the momentum of darkness engulfing the earth" |
|
What Will It Take To Defeat Bush?
December
9, 2003 From Martin LeFevre in California The thought of another four
years of the devil's right hand man as "leader of the free world" is
too horrible to contemplate. But can Bush, and what he represents, be defeated?
It is already too late for America. That's not the issue. The question is: will
another four years of rule by these soulless men and women make it too late for
humankind? Certainly defeating Bush will not, in itself, change anything. Shrub
could easily be replaced by another puppet of the corporate and dark forces that
are pulling his strings. The issue goes beyond American hegemony as well. The
reason people hate Bush so much is that they see or sense that the disgusting
physical and metaphysical entities that rule the world are going for all the
marbles in him. The goal of greedy elites is the destruction of the diversity of
life and peoples on earth, replaced by a smoothly operating consumeristic
political economy. But that too is merely a means to the end of the ultimate
metaphysical goal of the darkness in human consciousness. That is to bring about
an irrecoverable erosion of the human character and the human spirit. scoop.co.nz
This President Spoke for the People of
the World December
9, 2003 By Nicholas von Hoffman Whenever
President George W. Bush ventures abroad to meet foreign officials the question
is not what will he get accomplished but whether or not he will be murdered. The
man cannot set foot outside the United States without a bodyguard of thousands
of armed men and women. He literally cannot make a public appearance for fear of
his life. No other world public figure rivals George W. Bush in low esteem. The
man is despised everywhere. newsday.com
The Medicare fraud and the decay of American
democracy December 9, 2003 By David Walsh
George W. Bush signed the Medicare
reform bill amid great fanfare at a ceremony December 8 in Washington D.C.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “The ceremony was something of a
holiday season party for the legislation’s Republican supporters and leading
figures in the health care industry.” The passage of this bill and its signing
into law represent a devastating exposure of the state of American
“democracy” in 2003. The new bill, passed by Congress last month, marks a
significant step toward privatizing and ultimately dismantling Medicare. It
places prescription drug coverage for senior citizens entirely in the hands of
private insurance companies and health care plans, forbids the government from
negotiating drug prices, blocks the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada,
and subsidizes private health plans and insurers to the tune of tens of billions
of dollars. wsws.org
No Cheer for the Unemployed With
a perverse sense of holiday timing, President Bush and the Republican leaders of
Congress are blithely accepting the expiration of emergency benefits badly
needed by the nation's long-term unemployed. This vital program ends on Dec. 21,
crushing the hopes of an estimated 80,000 or more jobless Americans each week
who will find their state benefits expiring. nytimes.com
We should all thank George Bush for making things so bad Americans can’t
ignore it any longer December 9, 2003
By Mick Youther In the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, I want to thank President
George W. Bush and his administration for everything they have done for America.
They have taught us the importance of fair elections—free from judicial
interference. They have shown us what it is like to live in a nation where the
“king” can declare war, break treaties, imprison foreigners and citizens and
try them in secret trials with secret evidence. Thanks to Bush & Co. we now
know why the Founding Fathers provided checks and balances on government and why
they warned us to guard against every attack on the Constitution. interventionmag.com
America launches campaign to
oust Bush December
9,
2003 SAN FRANCISCO Liberal
America, chastened into a cocoon in the face of a dramatic rise of a powerful
neo-conservative Republican right, has begun to aggressively reassert itself and
launched a campaign to oust President George W. Bush in 2004. timesofindia.indiatimes.com
130 Daily Attacks Against
Coalition Forces December
9, 2003 by YellowTimes.org There are now 130 daily
attacks against coalition forces, with these forces only comprising one-third of
the strength needed to fight the growing guerilla movement, reported The
Scotsman. A former U.S. diplomat said the coalition has
only a third of the forces needed to combat insurgents, and they still don't
know exactly what faction is coordinating the attacks. "So
we just go around kicking doors in, which is exactly what the enemy wants us to
do," Neil was told. The insurgents themselves are
described as focused, forward-thinking operators with unnervingly accurate
intelligence information (in one instance, details of Paul Bremer's schedule). rense.com
Suicide Bomb Injures 58 U.S. Soldiers in Iraq
December 9, 2003
By Seb
Walker TAL AFAR, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber wounded 58 U.S. soldiers
and three Iraqis Tuesday when he charged the gates of an American military base
and blew up his explosives-packed vehicle as troops opened fire. In
Baghdad, a blast hit a Sunni mosque after morning prayers, killing three Iraqis
and raising the specter of further sectarian tension adding to instability in
Iraq. reuters.com
Israel trains US
assassination squads in Iraq December
9, 2003 Julian
Borger Israeli advisers are helping train US special forces
in aggressive counter-insurgency operations in Iraq, including the use of
assassination squads against guerrilla leaders, US intelligence and military
sources said yesterday. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF)
has sent urban warfare specialists to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the home of
US special forces, and according to two sources, Israeli military
"consultants" have also visited Iraq. US forces
in Iraq's Sunni triangle have already begun to use tactics that echo Israeli
operations in the occupied territories, sealing off centres of resistance with
razor wire and razing buildings from where attacks have been launched against US
troops. But the secret war in Iraq is about to get much
tougher, in the hope of suppressing the Ba'athist-led insurgency ahead of next
November's presidential elections.
guardian.co.uk
US seeks new bases in
Pakistan, India By Zia Iqbal Shahid BRUSSELS: As part of
its ‘ambitious plan’ of relocating US troops, posted around the globe, to
the regions closer to ‘areas of instability and trouble spots’, the US
administration intends to negotiate new military bases in Pakistan, India and
several other countries across the globe, a source closely linked to the Nato
defence ministers’ deliberations in Brussels told The News. jang.com.pk
Activists Gather in DC to Oppose
CAFTA December
9, 2003 CAFTA
is a trade agreement being negotiated by government representatives from the
United States, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. It
is modeled after the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Bush regime initiated CAFTA in
2002 and hopes to have an agreement sealed as quickly as possible, in part to
move the Free Trade Area
of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations forward faster (see the
FTAA IMC). All the same problems
human, environmental and labor rights organizations have with NAFTA (and the
FTAA) are present in CAFTA. These include the negotiations' lack of
transparency; probable provisions to allow corporations to sue governments
when laws hinder potential profits; privatization of public services and
utilities; reduced
labor rights; increased economic instability and financial speculation;
favoring subsidized agribusiness at the expense of small farmers; and
environmental destruction. The little known Plan
Puebla Panama is also an integral part of CAFTA. http://indymedia.org/
Schwarzenegger sued by woman claiming
dirty-tricks campaign December
9, 2003 FOREIGN
STAFF ARNOLD Schwarzenegger is being sued by
a woman who claims he launched a dirty-tricks campaign against her on the eve
of his election as California governor, it emerged today. Stunt woman Rhonda
Miller was one of a number of women who claimed to have been groped by the
actor-turned-politician. But the day before Californians went to the polls
Schwarzenegger’s office allegedly issued an advisory to the media, detailing
information about a convicted criminal called Rhonda Miller. Within hours Ms
Miller was branded a criminal on news programmes. Only days after the
election, with Schwarzenegger victorious, did it emerge that Ms Miller had no
criminal record. thescotsman.co.uk
 US DOLLAR IMPLOSION - PART II
December
8, 2003 By Alf Field In June 2002 I published an article
entitled “The Coming US Dollar Implosion”. At that time the Euro was US$
0.96 and the US Dollar Index 108. The figures today (3rd Dec 2003) are Euro =
US$1.20 and a US Dollar index of just under 90. The Euro has gained 25%. The US
Dollar index has declined 17%. As Winston Churchill might have put it, in
regard to the US Dollar : “We have reached the End of
the Beginning and are about to enter the Beginning
of the End”. What has taken place during the past 17 months has been no
more than Part I of the US$ implosion. We are set to start Part II. kitco.com
Two
Supreme Court Cases Confront Further Erosion of “Right to Remain Silent”
December
8, 2003 WASHINGTON
– The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in United States v.
Patane and Missouri v. Seibert, two cases in which confessions,
information and evidence were obtained by police without fully advising suspects
of their “right to remain silent” as required by the landmark Miranda
ruling. “The Seibert case highlights the increasingly commonplace
practice of questioning suspects ‘outside Miranda,’” said Steven R.
Shapiro, Legal Director of the ACLU, which filed friend-of-the-court briefs in
both cases. “Rather than instructing their officers to follow Miranda, too
many police departments are training their officers to undermine Miranda. The
result is an erosion of perhaps the Court’s best-known criminal justice ruling
– and an erosion of faith in the justice system that police are sworn to
uphold.” aclu.org
Revealed: how drug
firms 'hoodwink' medical journals December 8, 2003
Antony
Barnett Pharmaceutical
giants hire ghostwriters to produce articles - then put doctors' names on them. Hundreds
of articles in medical journals claiming to be written by academics or doctors
have been penned by ghostwriters in the pay of drug companies, an Observer
inquiry reveals. The
journals, bibles of the profession, have huge influence on which drugs doctors
prescribe and the treatment hospitals provide. But The Observer has uncovered
evidence that many articles written by so-called independent academics may have
been penned by writers working for agencies which receive huge sums from drug
companies to plug their products. observer.guardian.co
Florida won't require printouts of touch-screen votes
December
8, 2003 By George Bennett, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer California will
require that its touch-screen voting machines provide paper printouts for each
ballot cast, but Florida's top elections official says she does not favor a
similar standard here. palmbeachpost.com
BAKER TAKES THE LOAF The
President's Business Partner Slices Up Iraq December 8, 2003
By Greg
Palast Well, ho ho ho! It's an early Christmas for James Baker III. All year
the elves at his law firm, Baker Botts of Texas, have been working day and night
to prevent the families of the victims of the September 11 attack from seeking
information from Saudi Arabia on the Kingdom's funding of Al Qaeda fronts. It's
tough work, but this week the payoff came when President Bush appointed Baker,
the firm's senior partner, to "restructure" the debts of the nation of
Iraq. And who will net the big bucks under Jim Baker's plan? Answer: his client,
Saudi Arabia, which claims $30.7 billion due from Iraq (plus $12 billion in
"reparations" from the First Gulf war). Let's ponder what's going on
here. We are talking about something called 'sovereign debt.' And unless George
Bush has finally 'fessed up and named himself Pasha of Iraq, he is not their
sovereign. Mr. Bush has no authority to seize control of that nation's assets
nor its debts. gregpalast.com
Iraq delays hand Cheney
firm $1bn December
8, 2003 Oliver Morgan Key
contract decisions postponed again, Blair drawn into row over lack of 'level
playing fields'
Halliburton, the engineering group formerly run by US vice-president Dick
Cheney, has been given $1 billion worth of reconstruction work in Iraq by the US government without having to
compete for it, thanks to repeated delays in opening up a key contract to
competition. observer.guardian.co.uk
U.S. offers apologies after deaths of Afghan children December 8, 2003
By Aijaz Rahi The
Associated Press HUTALA,
Afghanistan - Shoes and woven
hats littered a bloodstained field in this desolate Afghan village Sunday, a day
after a U.S. warplane targeting a terrorism suspect mistakenly killed nine
children. The United States said the suspect,
a former Taliban commander, was killed in the attack, but villagers said he had
left the area days ago. The rockets made 30 to
40 small craters in the ground around where the children had died. The 10th
victim, an uncle of the two girls, rushed toward the stream after the first
plane struck and was cut down beside them, said a woman who identified herself
as the man's mother and the dead girls' grandmother. dfw.com
Whales Reveal Man's Damaging Impact On Oceans
December 8, 2003 By Nita Bhalla PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (Reuters) - Sailing the world's remotest seas in search
of the awesome sperm whale, the steel-hulled Odyssey has been dredging up some
dark secrets about mankind's damaging impact on the oceans. A
scientific research vessel circumnavigating the globe, the 93-foot sailing boat
has been tracking the giant whales in the hope that they may hide in their bulk
important clues to the state of the world's seas. The
mission is not over, but the early indications are ominous. Pollutants, the
debris of man's life on land, have poisoned the waters that dominate the planet.
rense.com
Russia accuses US over Georgia December 8, 2003
By Tom Warner Russia
accused the US at the weekend of having pressured Georgia's former President
Eduard Shevardnadze out of office, partly by helping to organise the
demonstrations last month that convinced him to resign. "There are enough
facts bearing witness that the events of those days weren't any kind of
spontaneous occurrence," Igor Ivanov, Russia's foreign minister, said on
his ministry's internet site. Mr Ivanov said Richard Miles, US ambassador, had
helped prepare the protest movement in Georgia. He also said it was "becoming more obvious" that
James Baker and Gen John Shalikashvili, US emissaries who visited before the
protests, had tried to persuade Mr Shevardnadze to quit. news.ft.com
The Echo Chamber as a Political Weapon
December 8, 2003 by
Rob Kall Great idea, moveon.org starting
an online Fox
Watch Group to track Fox news' s media bias. But Fox is only one tentacle of
the right-wing policy and position promotion monster. They use an echo chamber
that consists of Fox, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, local talk show
hosts, the weekly standard, the right wing half of CNN’s Crossfire-- and a
slew of neocon think tank pundits who regularly get their articles published in
the mainstream print media. opednews.com
IRAQ: Vietnam replayed December
8, 2003 BY DOUG LORIMER While
the White House and Pentagon brass desperately want to avoid the US people
drawing any such comparisons, with US troops dying every day at the hands of
guerrillas who clearly have popular backing, more and more Americans are coming
to realise that the war in Iraq is a replay of the Vietnam War. greenleft.org
NAZI GERMANY’S WAR ON TERRORISM
December
8, 2003 Hitler used the 1933
burning of the Reichstag (Parliament) building by a deranged Dutchman to declare
a “war on terrorism,” establish his legitimacy as a leader (even though he
hadn’t won a majority in the previous election). “You
are now witnessing the beginning of a great epoch in history,” he proclaimed,
standing in front of the burned-out building, surrounded by national media.
“This fire,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion, “is the
beginning.” He used the occasion – “a sign from God,” he called it –
to declare an all-out war on terrorism and its ideological sponsors, a people,
he said, who traced their origins to the Middle East and found motivation for
their “evil” deeds in their religion. balt.com
Top Secret Advisor To 4
Presidents Dies 'Violently' In DC December 8, 2003
By Dave
Martin Gus W. Weiss, 72, adviser to four presidents on top secret policy
matters, died violently in Washington, DC, on November 25, 2003, of a fall from the Watergate East residential building in the
District. The D.C. medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. rense.com
UN votes 90-8 to ask Hague court for opinion on fence
December
8, 2003 By Shlomo Shamir and Aluf Benn, Haaretz The
United Nations General Assembly approved Monday a resolution asking the
International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the legal
consequences of Israel's construction of the separation fence. Ninety nations
voted in favor of the draft, eight opposed and 74 countries abstained. The United States and
Israel strongly opposed the resolution. haaretzdaily.com
Student's one-year headache December 8, 2003 An American school with a
"zero-tolerance" policy on drugs has suspended a pupil for a year for
having headache tablets.
Year 10 high school pupil Amanda Stiles, from Louisiana, was suspended after
over-the-counter Ibuprofen pills were found in her purse.
Head teacher Ken Kruithof said the decision was in line with Parkway High
School's tough anti-drugs rules, even though the tablets are legal. Last month armed police stormed a high
school in South Carolina and ordered children to the floor at gunpoint so they
could conduct a drugs search. smh.com.au
US spending surges to historic level
December 8, 2003 Vote on gargantuan bill in Congress caps
a year of stunning growth in government. By Gail
Russell Chaddock | Staff writer of The Christian
Science Monitor WASHINGTON – President
Bush and the Republican-led Congress are spending money at a rate not seen since
World War II csmonitor.com
The
9/11 "investigation" – sometimes priorities dictate
December
7, 2003 By Kerry
Tomasi Now suppose you were a congressman assigned to investigate the 911
terrorist attacks. As you begin, it becomes apparent that certain members of the
US government had conspired to allow the attacks to occur. In fact, it's just
lying there, slightly below the surface, right out in the open. You immediately
realize you're dealing with the kind of people who would—at the very least,
and simply to further a political agenda—look the other way while 3,000
civilians were murdered. And
if that wasn't troubling enough, you then get a 'friendly' visit from someone
you've never met before, inquiring into how well your daughter is doing at that
overseas university in Dorm Room 305. As
Henry Kissinger once theorized, when a revolutionary power seeks to overthrow an
existing and stable system, it begins first by refusing to acknowledge the
legitimacy of that system, or it's rules. Those living within the system do not
realize this, and therefore reject the notion that anyone would, for instance,
disobey 'the rules' so blatantly and permit the murder of 3,000 people purely
for political gain; even though such an action (or inaction) would hand the
conspirators the cover to achieve virtually everything they could have ever
dreamed of politically. onlinejournal.com
EXECUTIVE
TYRANNY December 7, 2003 by Jonathan
Metcalfe "Today
Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order;
tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if they were told there
was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened
our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with
world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is
the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be
willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by
their world government." - Henry
Kissinger With
the unearthing of old and newly improved executive orders recently we come to
realise that this has been an ideological strategy that was designed long before
the present U.S. administration. We are seeing the death throes of the US
constitution and any semblance of democracy that may have initially existed with
the founding fathers. It seems inevitable that the U.S. will become the epitome
of a totalitarian rule with a further mandate to build on its already
established cultural "McDonaldization" and geopolitical destruction of
the planet. cassiopaea.org
US child bombing account challenged
December 7, 2003 US
'sorry' Patches of dried blood and a pitiful pile of children's hats and
shoes are the only evidence that remains of a bombing raid that went dreadfully
wrong, our correspondent says. Seven boys, two girls and a
25-year-old man were killed when two A-10 American planes fired rockets and
bullets into a group of villagers sitting under the shade of a tree at about
1030 local time (0600 GMT) on Saturday, he says. The United Nations has also
condemned the incident as "profoundly distressing " and called for a
swift inquiry. news.bbc.co.uk
Hunger In Paradise December 7, 2003
By
William A. Collins Jobs aplenty, On
the street. Just don't earn, Enough
to eat. There's bad news out there for the president
about America's rising poverty rate. It seems that all too often Junior and Sis,
having lost their jobs, are coming home to live with Mom and Dad. Yes, voters
may be able to overlook homeless data and food bank shortfalls, but when the
kids want to reclaim their old rooms, now that's getting personal. newtownbee.com
Russian Deputy Drug Czar: US Soldiers Becoming Drug Addicts in Afghanistan
December
7, 2003 MOSCOW US soldiers are developing a drug addiction problem in
Afghanistan, said Deputy State Drug Controller Alexander Mikhailov. He said that
there have already been several occurrences of drug addiction among US soldiers
in Afghanistan, but the US leadership is keeping it quiet. 'They don't have
control of the situation. rosbaltnews.com
Denial of
Purple Heart Medals Raises Questions About Casualty Count
December
7, 2003 by
Patrick Peterson GULFPORT, Miss. - An influential Mississippi congressman has
raised the possibility that the Pentagon has undercounted combat casualties in
Iraq after he learned that five members of the Mississippi National Guard who
were injured Sept. 12 by a booby trap in Iraq were denied Purple Heart medals. commondreams.org
USA may send US military to Georgia
December 7, 2003 According to a source in the
Georgian State Office, today's talks between US Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld and the new Georgian authorities touched upon the presence of US
military in Georgia. Rumsfeld said at a briefing after the talks that the USA
was thinking about deploying direct-action corps in the region. The US official
also reported that the program of military assistance to Georgia was approaching
completion. Under the program, 2,750 special Georgian servicemen should be
trained and equipped by the end of this year. The USA has already spent $64m for
the program, and the US Defense Department and the Georgian Defense Ministry
have just agreed that the program of military assistance would be continued. rbcnews.com
Poland ready to consider US bases on its territory: defense
minister December 7, 2003
WARSAW (AFP)
Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Friday that
Poland, a former Soviet satellite, was ready to consider allowing US bases on
its territory if such a request was made. "US
Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith arrives in Poland Monday to discuss the
issue of US bases overseas," defense ministry spokesman Colonel Adam
Stasinski told AFP without elaborating. spacewar.com
Melting Ice
'Will Swamp Capitals' December 7, 2003
By Geoffrey Lean
The Independent - UK Measures to fight global warming will have to be at least
four times stronger than the Kyoto Protocol if they are to avoid the melting
of the polar ice caps, inundating central London and many of the world's
biggest cities, concludes a new official report. The report, by a German government body, says that even if
it is fully implemented, the protocol will only have a "marginal
attenuating effect" on the climate change. rense.com
Complacent Canadians Forfeit Their Freedom December 7, 2003
Henry Makow Ph.D. "Terrorism"
Ploy to Create Police State Canada took a step closer to tyranny Thursday
when a lawyer who defends suspected "terrorists" received a death
threat from a Canadian government agency. Rocco Galati referred to the Canadian
Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) but seemed afraid to make the accusation
outright. "I'm on the verge of tears because it means we now live in
Colombia, because the rule of law is meaningless, " Galati told a news
conference Dec. 4. If this is happening in Canada, you can bet it's happening in
the US, UK, Australia and elsewhere. Galati said that he would no longer
represent about a half dozen accused "terrorists." The death threat,
left on his answering machine said Galati was a "dead wop" for
defending Abdulrahman Khadr, "a punk terrorist." Galati recognized the
voice from another death threat involving CSIS in which his client
"disappeared". He characterized the threat as
"institutional" rather than "individual." thetruthseeker.co.uk
These are photos of things
made by the Russian people. Now try and imagine a
war with Russia... |
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Georgia’s rose revolution a made in
America coup December 6, 2003 By Barry
Grey and Vladimir Volkov The United States has followed its
successful regime change in the strategic Caucasian nation of Georgia with a
series of moves aimed at pressing its advantage over its major rival in the
region, Russia. US-backed successors joined with the American secretary of
state, Colin Powell, to publicly criticize Russia and demand the removal of
troops from Georgia and another former Soviet territory, Moldova. Washington’s
aggressive stand toward Moscow coincided with the announcement that US secretary
of defense Donald Rumsfeld would visit the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on
December 5. Georgian parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for
January 4. will be little more than a formality, as the US-backed forces that
seized power over the weekend of November 22-23 have coalesced around the
current mayor of Tbilisi and most prominent leader of the insurgency. Earlier in
the week, President George Bush telephoned acting Georgian president
Burdzhanadze and promised to intervene, if necessary, to uphold Georgia’s
“sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.” wsws.org
U.S. eyeing bigger
foothold in the Caucasus?
December 6, 2003 By Vladimir Radyuhin MOSCOW
The United States is planning to establish a major military presence in
Azerbaijan to win a bigger foothold in the former Soviet part of the Caucasus,
safeguard oil and gas pipelines in the region and step up pressure on Iran. The
U.S. Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, discussed the plan with Azerbaijan's
newly-elected President, Ilham Aliyev, during his visit to Baku on Wednesday,
Azerbaijani media reports said. Mr. Rumsfeld ducked questions about possible
American bases in Azerbaijan, but confirmed Washington's resolve to expand
defence cooperation with the oil-rich former Soviet republic in the Caucasus. hindu.com
Government Lies About US Economy December
6, 2003 From Bill Conn I also have an internet retail site. This year my
sales have dropped to 50% of what they were a year ago at this time. I also know
of other people who have retail websites, they are all telling me the same thing
that I say. Sales are way down this year compared to last year on the internet.
I also have friends who work at street front retail shops, all of the retail
shops are complaining about how piss poor sales are this season compared to last
year at this time. However the media is saying that retail this year is way up
for street front stores........way up where I ask? I don't see this at all, in
fact I see it to be just the opposite. Sales suck this year! rense.com
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