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Is
lying about the reason for a war an impeachable offense? December
20, 2003 By John W. Dean ( FindLaw)
--President George W. Bush has got a very serious problem. Before asking
Congress for a joint resolution authorizing the use of U.S. military forces in
Iraq, he made a number of unequivocal statements about the reason the United
States needed to pursue the most radical actions any nation can undertake --
acts of war against another nation. informationclearinghouse.info
U.S. Opposes Provisions for Iraq
Tribunal December 20, 2003 By EDITH M.
LEDERER UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The new Iraqi war crimes tribunal includes
provisions taken from the International Criminal Court, which the United States
vehemently opposes - an irony that the international court's supporters have
been quick to note. guardian.co.uk
US must also be tried for Saddam’s
crimes December 20, 2003 TEHRAN –
The United States should be tried for crimes committed by Saddam Hussein because
it supported the ousted Iraqi dictator’s regime in the past, former Iranian
president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said Friday. “We would not want Saddam
Hussein to be punished by the Americans because the United States should itself
be tried for Saddam’s crimes,” Rafsanjani said during Friday prayers
broadcast on Iranian national radio. “From the day the Baathist regime began
its fight against the Muslims and the Shiites, the United States, Britain and
other oppressor powers rallied around Saddam Hussein,” he said. libertyforum.org
Savings
Dwindle as Americans Spend, Spend, Spend
December 20, 2003
By Andrea Hopkins "I buy now and sort it out later. That's what
credit cards are for," she said with a laugh. The consumer culture has
pushed America's personal saving rate to record lows in recent years and to
among the lowest in the developed world, a situation seen by many economists as
one of the most serious structural weaknesses in the economy. "Clearly if
you look at the bankruptcy rate, the (payment) delinquency rates, there are some
worrisome signs," said Wells Fargo chief economist Sung Won Sohn. reuters.com
The Deadly Dangers Of Mercury
Contamination December 20, 2003 An
Interview with John Moore Since John Moore almost died from mercury
poisoning in 1974, that highly toxic element has haunted the man. He was and is
an industrial engineer, at one time working with the Boeing Company. All of
life,s work became an aside once he decided to find out what happened to him. rense.com
 No More Mr. Nice Guy: Bush Gets
Serious About Killing Iraqis December 19,
2003 by Kurt Nimmo
When Robert Dreyfuss of the American Prospect asked an unspecified Bush
neocon "strategist" how best to deal with the resistance in Iraq, the
response he received was chilling, "It's time for 'no more Mr. Nice Guy.'
All those people shouting, 'Down with America!' and dancing in the street when
Americans are attacked? We have to kill them." It's not only Iraqis dancing
in the streets and elusive resistance fighters that deserve to be killed, but
pro-Saddam demonstrators as well. dissidentvoice.org
Fight to the death
December 19, 2003 Paul McGeough reports
from Baghdad on the Iraqis who hated Saddam, but who hate the Americans more. In
Khaldiyah, it's a war of nerves. A three-metre-deep crater marks the explosion
point of a careering car bomb that the local police knew was inevitable. Just
across and down a highway that cuts through this small town west of Baghdad is
the home of a man the US suspects could help bring an end to these relentless
attacks - tribal sheik Fanar Al-Kharbit. smh.com.au
THE RAT TRAP Part 2: Why the resistance
will increase Part 1: How
Saddam may still nail Bush By Pepe Escobar BAKU - Former Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) asset Saddam Hussein is - already was - totally beside
the point. Only in the past few months have we learned the extent to which the
Saddam system sub-contracted a great deal of decision-making to different Iraqi
elite - from tribal sheikhs to businessmen and Sunni and Wahhabi religious
leaders. They may originally have been cajoled by Saddam with carrots and sticks
to be incorporated into the Ba'athist regime. But now they are totally free to
command their own agendas. atimes.com
Medical evacuations from Iraq near 11,000
December 19, 2003 By Mark Benjamin
WASHINGTON, The total number of wounded soldiers and medical evacuations from
the war in Iraq is nearing 11,000, according to new Pentagon data provided in
response to a request from United Press International. upi.com
Arresting Children December
19, 2003 Jo Wilding, Electronic Iraq "Two
days ago there was a demonstration after school finished, against the coalition
and for Saddam. Yesterday the American army came and surrounded the whole block.
They just crashed into the school, 6, 7, 8 into every classroom with their guns.
They took the name of every student and matched the names to the photos they got
from the day before and then arrested the students. They actually dragged them
by their shirts onto the floor and out of the class." electroniciraq.net
Justice Dept. Finds Evidence of
Abuse of Sept. 11 Detainees
December 19, 2003 By Dan Eggen Inspector
General Says Video Tapes Show Physical, Verbal Abuse by Prison Officials of
immigrants detained after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Inspector General Glenn
A. Fine found that "some officers slammed and bounced detainees against the
wall, twisted their arms and hands in painful ways, stepped on their leg
restraint chains and punished them by keeping them restrained for long periods
of time," according to a report released today.
The report also found that jail personnel improperly taped meetings between
detainees and their lawyers and overused strip searches to punish them. washingtonpost.com
World hunger report: 842 million
starve in the midst of plenty December
19, 2003 By Barry Mason World hunger is increasing, with an
estimated 842 million people going to bed hungry every night. Most people
suffering from hunger live in Africa and Latin America, but 34 million are in
the former Soviet Union and 10 million live in the rich industrialised
countries. This startling evidence of the growing division between rich and poor
on a world scale appears in a recent report published by the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). wsws.org
Hunger and Homelessness Increase in U.S.
December 19, 2003 By SIOBHAN McDONOUGH,
WASHINGTON - Hunger and homelessness increased in many of America's largest
cities this year, with growing demand for emergency food supplies for families
with children, the elderly and even people with jobs, a survey by U.S. mayors
finds. The report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, released Thursday, found
that requests for emergency food assistance rose 17 percent overall from last
year in the survey of 25 large cities. Requests for emergency shelter assistance
increased by 13 percent, the report showed. yahoo.com
Again, the poor go begging for heat December
19, 2003 By Joseph P. Kennedy II and Marty Meehan A COUPLE OF
weeks ago, parts of our state got three feet of snow. Many children were happy
they didn't have school. Others broke out their cross-country skis. Thousands
more were caught in traffic jams and had flights delayed.
But there's another group of our fellow citizens for whom the early winter storm
meant one thing: They
were cold. They were cold when they awoke and cold when they went to bed. All
because of a simple fact -- they don't have enough money to pay for heat. boston.com
The IRS Claims New Patriot Act
Type Powers to Punish Political Dissenters
December 19, 2003 by Robert R. Raymond In a precedent-setting case, the
IRS wielded new power to punish the political speech of those who "espouse
views" the government considers "inconsistent" with
government-held beliefs. In a hearing originally closed to the public in a
secret tribunal on a military island, but moved to a public location after
protests from the press and the public, the IRS wants to wield this power
against a former IRS whistleblower, who was forced to resign upon his discovery
of fraud in the agency. After monitoring and taping the whistleblower's
appearances on Sixty Minutes, talk radio shows, and political publications where
he rebroadcast his findings of IRS fraud, the IRS initiated this inquisition
against their former whistleblower. This new power may find new political
targets soon enough mensnewsdaily.com
Another Home Pillaged, More
Illegal Detentions December
19, 2003 By Dahr
Jamail The soldiers forced the inhabitants to stand outside at gunpoint for
five and a half hours in their bed clothes while they pillaged the home,
destroying its contents. Stacks of books thrown on the floor, the dishes and
glasses broken, furniture ripped apart and destroyed, flour and rice poured out
of their sacks and spread across the floor. Antique wooden furniture broken,
cushions of sofas and chairs cut apart, jewelry, gold, and life savings
taken. Fahad begged the soldiers, to allow her to use the restroom while
accompanied by a soldier. This was declined, while weeping she was forced to
urinate on herself while soldiers stood by laughing at her. Why steal from us?
Why destroy our home? We want to know why. We didn't fight them when they came
here." She doesn't know where her brother Leith and sister, both taken to
prison for no reason, are being held. electroniciraq.net
Dangerous Religion - Bush's
Theology of Empire December
19, 2003 by Jim Wallis (Sojourners) Religion is the most dangerous
energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion
or organization) is convinced that God is either ordering or sanctioning a cause
or project, anything goes. The history, worldwide, of religion-fueled hate,
killing, and oppression is staggering. —Eugene Peterson (from the introduction
to the book of Amos in the Bible paraphrase The Message) informationclearinghouse.info
9/11 Widow takes Bush Regime to Court
December
18, 2003 Ellen Mariani, whose
husband, Louis Neil Mariani, was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 175,
which crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center filed a complaint
in federal district court against George W. Bush and his administration charging
they failed to heed repeated warnings from U.S. intelligence and foreign sources
that terrorists could well use commercial aircraft as weapons. In a separate letter
to the Bush, Mariani wrote: "During your daily intelligence briefings you
were given information that had been uncovered that the very real possibility
existed that certain undesirable elements would use commercial aircraft to
destroy certain "target" buildings. You never warned the American
people of this possible threat. Who were you protecting?" Access to Bush's daily
briefings in which such matters were discussed has been blocked by the
Whitehouse, though a select and questionable few on the 9/11 investigation
commission will be allowed limited review. 9/11
Citizenswatch / Take
Action / indymedia.org
Vanishing jobs Structural
change in the economy means many jobs are never going to come back
December
18, 2003 Leslie Haggin Geary
(CNN/Money) – If Smokestack America has a geographic center, it may be
Kannapolis, N.C. That's where locals used to produce sheets, towels and other
linens at the Pillowtex manufacturing plant. That was before this past
summer, when Pillowtex went bankrupt, shuttered 16 plants and eliminated 5,500
jobs in North Carolina. The closing made the town of Kannapolis – a community
of some 39,000 souls and birthplace of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt -- home to
the biggest single job loss at a U.S. textile plant ever. It was also the most
sweeping layoff in North Carolina history. money.cnn.com
"Why
are 50% of Blue Collar White Males Planning to Vote for Bush in 2004, Even When
He is Picking Their Pockets and Stealing the Futures of Their Children?"
December
18, 2003 UC
Berkeley Sociologist Arlie Hochschild answers the question, "Ironically,
the sector of American society now poised to keep him in the White House is the
one which stands to lose the most from virtually all of his policies -
blue-collar men. A full 49 percent of them and 38 percent of blue-collar women
told a January 2003 Roper poll they would vote for Bush in 2004.
Bush's "policy - and this his political advisor Karl Rove has carefully
calibrated - is something like the old bait-and-switch. He continues to take the
steaks out of the blue-collar refrigerator and to declare instead, 'let them eat
war.'" buzzflash.com
Gold hits highest price since 1996 as
dollar sags December 18,
2003 (Reuters) Gold hit its highest price in almost eight years on Thursday,
attracting bids of $413 an ounce, as the dollar struggled near a record low
against the euro. Precious metals analysts said the spot price was poised to
crack the 1996 peak of $417 a tonne, perhaps before the end of the year, because
of the gloomy outlook for the dollar. "Gold appears well supported by the
falling dollar, which should keep the price at least near its current price
until Christmas," said Australia & New Zealand Bank gold analyst Peter
Windred. reuters.com
Bush calls for Hussein’s execution: a portrait of sadism and ignorance
December 18, 2003 By Bill Vann Media reports on the nationally televised
interview with George W. Bush broadcast by ABC News Tuesday night focused on the
American president’s call for the execution of Saddam Hussein. “Zap rat
Saddam, sez Prez,” was the way the New York Daily News summed up the
contents of Bush’s remarks. The general portrayal was one of a tough-talking
leader moved by feelings of personal outrage to demand that the former Iraqi
president pay the “ultimate penalty” for his crimes. Those who actually sat
through the interview and who know Bush’s record, however, may not be so
impressed. When he was governor of Texas, the “ultimate penalty” was
altogether routine. He presided over 152 executions, more than any other
governor in US history. wsws.org
Kucinich: Voters need
"a second opinion" on Dean December
18, 2003 By
Mark Hertsgaard
When ABC's Ted Koppel suggested to Rep. Dennis Kucinich during last week's
presidential debate that his low poll numbers and relatively meager campaign
coffers made him a "vanity" candidate who should perhaps leave the
race, it gave the four-term Ohio congressman a chance to answer a question that
he probably knows others are asking, if only in whispers. "I want the
American people to see where the media take politics in this country,"
Kucinich responded. "We start talking about endorsements, now we're talking
about polls, and then we're talking about money. Well, you know, when you do
that, you don't have to talk about what's important to the American
people." salon.com
Unseemly secrecy in the White House December 18, 2003
By William
Safire NYT When George W. Bush was running for president, he was
inspiring on the subject of privacy. But it was not your privacy or mine he was
talking about. He has gone all out to keep his administration's
energy-legislation deliberations from public scrutiny. Cast your
mind back to the White House task force, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, that
came up with the stalled Bush oil policy. Democrats complained that the task
force met frequently with executives from Enron and other energy companies but
blew off environmental lobbyists. Bush and Cheney, sensitive to charges of being
too close to the oil industry, clammed up. iht.com
MASS EXTINCTION
UNDERWAY December
18, 2003 Scientists agree world faces mass
extinction. The complex web of life on Earth, what scientists call
"biodiversity," is in serious trouble. Study: Only 10 percent of big
ocean fish remain. A new global study
concludes that 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world's
oceans in the past half century, Lion populations have fallen by almost 90% in the
past 20 years, leaving the animal close to extinction in Africa, a wildlife
expert has warned. well.com
Earth warming at faster pace, say top science group's
leaders
Statement by American Geophysical Union's council warns temperature change is
real and human-caused December
18, 2003 David Perlman Leaders
of one of the nation's top scientific organizations issued a new warning this
week that human activities -- most notably the greenhouse gas emissions from
power plants and other industries -- are warming Earth's climate at a faster
rate than ever. The statement came from the 28-member council of the American
Geophysical Union, whose 41,000 members include more than 10,000 experts on the
planet's atmosphere and changing climate. sfgate.com
Goodbye sunshine December 18, 2003
By David Adam
Each year less light reaches the surface of the Earth. No one is sure what's
causing 'global dimming' - or what it means for the future. In fact most
scientists have never heard of it. In 1985, a geography researcher called Atsumu
Ohmura at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology got the shock of his life.
As part of his studies into climate and atmospheric radiation, Ohmura was
checking levels of sunlight recorded around Europe when he made an astonishing
discovery. It was too dark. Compared to similar measurements recorded by his
predecessors in the 1960s, Ohmura's results suggested that levels of solar
radiation striking the Earth's surface had declined by more than 10% in three
decades. Sunshine, it seemed, was on the way out. guardian.co.uk
Russia, Iran to sign nuclear reactor deal
soon December
18, 2003 MOSCOW (AFP) Russia and Iran will soon sign an accord
paving the way for the completion of the Islamic republic's first nuclear
reactor, a top Iranian official told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti
Wednesday.RIA Novosti quoted Iran's vice president and head of its atomic
energy organization, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, as saying in Tehran that the
accord would be signed during a visit by Russian Atomic Energy Minister
Alexander Rumyantsev. iranmania.com
US attorney general fined for breaking law December 18, 2003 By
Marcus Warren John Ashcroft, the US attorney general, has been fined
£21,000 for breaking election laws during his defeat by a dead rival for a seat
in the Senate. During his unsuccessful campaign in 2000, America's top lawman
illegally accepted £62,700 from a body set up to support a run for the
presidency, the Federal Election Commission found. portal.telegraph.co.uk
Sharon's War on Palestinian Kids "Don't
Think About the Children" December
18, 2003 By
GIDEON LEVY Why
was Asma Abu al-Haija arrested? Why did she have to spend nine months in prison,
sleeping on the floor of her cell? Why was a woman arrested, not interrogated,
not accused of anything and then released nine very difficult months later,
without any explanation? Just because she is a Palestinian, so anything can be
done to her? counterpunch.org
Saddam's arrest fuels
insurgency December
18, 2003 Rory McCarthy Police
are increasingly the target as 40 Iraqis die in four days of violence A
series of deadly suicide bomb attacks, explosions and drive-by shootings has
claimed at least 40 Iraqi lives in the four days since Saddam Hussein was
captured, raising the insurgency to a new intensity. guardian.co.uk
Chinese
mega-bucks for Bush brothers December
18, 2003 By
Margie Burns
Many observers were surprised last week when George W. Bush came down in favor
of the People's Republic of China, against a democratic referendum in Taiwan.
His weighing in on behalf of mainland China becomes more questionable at a time
when well-connected Chinese companies are funneling large sums of money to
Bush's brothers. News
reports reveal that Shanghai-based Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing, a
multi-billion-dollar company co-founded by a son of China's former president,
has presidential brother Neil
Bush under a $2 million contract. With no
background in semiconductors, Neil
Mallon Bush, third brother in the family, got a five-year contract from Grace,
involving an annual retainer of $400,000 in stock. The
arrangement is disclosed in court papers in Mr. Bush's scandal-ridden divorce. onlinejournal.com
Day three of US media coverage of Hussein’s capture: no let-up in the
hysteria December
17,
2003 By David Walsh The
hysteria of the American media’s coverage of the capture of Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein and its aftermath shows no signs of letting up. On the contrary,
having failed so far to contaminate the public at large with its own bloodlust,
the media has lost all sense of restraint, not to mention decency. Talk
of “killing” and “torture” and “death” fills the airwaves and
newspaper columns. An epidemic of homicidal rage seems to have overtaken the
entire media. No one, it seems is immune. Even the ever so proper Diane Rehm of
National Public Radio, who is often heard discoursing on such topics as the
proper way to cultivate roses in New England, devoted her Tuesday morning show
to an examination of the best way to dispose of Hussein. wsws.org
Dollar Falls to a Record as Investors May Shun Low U.S.
Rates December
17, 2003 (Bloomberg) The dollar fell to a record against the euro in New
York on speculation low U.S. interest rates will prompt international investors
to move money to countries where financial assets offer higher yields. quote.bloomberg.com
America in reverse
December
17, 2003 Larry Elliott America's core measure
of inflation fell to its lowest level since the mid-1960s as robust recovery in
the world's largest economy failed to stimulate dormant price pressures,
according to figures released in Washington yesterday. With
a surge in output from US factories surpassing expectations on Wall Street,
analysts were surprised that the consumer prices index excluding food and energy
fell by 0.1 percentage points last month.
guardian.co.uk
Bush Gay Marriage Remarks `Act
Of War` December 17, 2003
(Washington,
D.C.) President George W. Bush`s Support of the Federal Marriage Amendment is
deemed a declaration of war on Gay America the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force warned on Tuesday night. And it said the president is courting civil
disobedience if he pursues his course. rainbownetwork.com
 Satan Thwarting U.S. Intelligence, Graham
Claims December 16, 2003 By Keetjie Ramo
In an exclusive interview, evangelist Billy Graham told Rolling Stone
magazine that the U.S. government is battling satanic forces that have targeted
our intelligence operation, thwarting the Bush administration at every turn.
Citing Satan as the reason that the president had to fly into Iraq this
Thanksgiving under top-secret conditions, Graham said that Attorney General
John Ashcroft has known for some time that satanic forces are “messing with
our intelligence,” but has been reluctant to make the allegations public.
“It’s no secret in the top echelons of government,” Graham said. thepeoplesvoice.org
While Saddam was
Captured: Stealth enactment of the "Patriot II" legislation
December 16, 2003 Various
Sources While CNN and other media outlets are rejoicing because of the capture
of Saddam Hussein, Bush again introduced new legislation last Saturday which
increased the federal powers to investigate and reduces the privacy rights of
American citizens : H.R. 2417, INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION AGREEMENT OF 2004
Whitehouse Statement on HR 2417 (December 13, 2003) whitehouse.gov/news/releases
HR 2417 was cleared by the Congress on November 21, 2003 cbo.gov
Comments of Ron Paul, Congressman for Texas on HR 2417: It appears we are
witnessing a stealth enactment of the enormously unpopular "Patriot
II" legislation that was first leaked several months ago. Perhaps the
national outcry when a draft of the Patriot II act was leaked has led its
supporters to enact it one piece at a time in secret. Whatever the case, this is
outrageous and unacceptable. I urge each of my colleagues to join me in
rejecting this bill and its incredibly dangerous expansion of Federal police
powers. globalresearch
"This is not America"
December 16, 2003 By
Michelle Goldberg In Miami, police unleashed unprecedented fury on
demonstrators -- most of them seniors and union members. Is this how Bush's war
on terror will be fought at home? On Saturday, Nov. 22, a few dozen policemen on
bicycles rode by the warehouse that activists protesting Miami's Free Trade of
the Americas summit were using as a welcome center. The big protest had taken
place on Thursday, Nov. 20, and most demonstrators had already dispersed. Some
were in jail, others were nursing their injuries. But the cops wanted to deliver
a final message to those still around. "Bye! Don't come back here!"
shouted one. A pudgy officer gave the finger to an activist with a video camera.
"Put that on your Web site," he said. "Fuck you." It was the
end of two days of what many observers called unprecedented police
vindictiveness and violence toward activists. Certainly, complaints about the
police have become a standard ritual after each major globalization protest. But
what happened in Miami, say protesters, lawyers, journalists and union leaders,
was anything but routine. salon.com
White House Admits Pre-9/11 Warnings; Bush Still Denies It
December
16, 2003 The problem for the president and the administration is that the
White House has previously admitted that the president had personally received
such specific warnings. As ABC News reported in May of 2002, "White House
officials acknowledge that U.S. intelligence officials informed President Bush
weeks before the September 11th attacks that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network
might try to hijack American planes." While the administration claims that
the president's pre-9/11 warning was actually "not a warning," the
threat was specific enough for Attorney General John Ashcroft to stop flying
commercial airlines. While no warning was issued for the general public misleader.org
Patriots and Profits By PAUL KRUGMAN Last
week there were major news stories about possible profiteering by Halliburton
and other American contractors in Iraq. In fact, the more you look into this
issue, the more you worry that we have entered a new era of excess for the
military-industrial complex. The
story about Halliburton's strangely expensive gasoline imports into Iraq gets
curiouser and curiouser. High-priced gasoline was purchased from a supplier
whose name is unfamiliar to industry experts, but that appears to be run by a
prominent Kuwaiti family... Meanwhile,
NBC News has obtained Pentagon inspection reports of unsanitary conditions at
mess halls run by Halliburton in Iraq: "Blood all over the floors of
refrigerators, dirty pans, dirty grills, dirty salad bars, rotting meat and
vegetables." An October report complains that Halliburton had promised to
fix the problem but didn't. nytimes.com
National Guard 'Finished' December
16, 2003 Stars & Stripes Letters to the Editor I'm a soldier in the Missouri National Guard. I'm stationed in
Baghdad, Iraq. Had I known five years ago that the National Guard would be part
of the occupying force here in Iraq and the rest of the world, I would have told
them to stick the contract in their ear. rense.com
Pope Peace Message Takes Swipe at U.S. Over Iraq December
16, 2003 VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul took a swipe at the
United States and its allies Tuesday for invading Iraq without U.N. approval,
suggesting they had succumbed to the temptation to use the law of force instead
of the force of law. In his World Day of Peace message, issued three days after
the capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, he also appealed to democracies
fighting terrorism to uphold the principles of international law and fundamental
human rights. wireservice.wired.com
Judge admonishes Ashcroft for terror trial statements
December
16, 2003 Associated
Press DETROIT A federal judge has
admonished Attorney General John Ashcroft for violating a court order by making
remarks about defendants in the nation's first major terror trial after Sept.
11. U.S.
District Judge Gerald Rosen said Ashcroft's statements could have compromised
defendants' rights to a fair trial, but that the violations did not warrant
contempt charges or require Ashcroft to appear in the Detroit court to explain
himself. "The
attorney general's office exhibited a distressing lack of care in issuing
potentially prejudicial statements about this case," Rosen wrote in an
opinion released Tuesday.
salon.com
Iran's Leader - Bush, Sharon Deserve
Same Fate As Saddam December
16, 2003 Albawaba.com Iran's
supreme leader said Tuesday that all Iranians were "pleased" at the
arrest of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, but said U.S. President George W.
Bush and Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon should also go. "The
same Americans who are now happy over his arrest were at the time shaking his
hand. The current U.S. defence minister [Donald Rumsfeld] met with Saddam in
Baghdad, promised to help him and helped him in order to put Islamic Iran under
pressure," Khamenei declared. "I
heard the U.S. president told Saddam that 'the world is a better place without
you'. I want to tell the U.S. president that he should know the world would be
an even better place without Bush and Sharon," Khamenei said.
albawaba.com
Growing Fury and Unrest December
16, 2003 Dahr Jamail, Electronic Iraq Hamudi sits slumped in a chair at the lobby of Funduk
Agadir. Normally all
smiles with loads of energy, his face is deeply troubled. He sits staring at the
table before him. I ask him, "Hamudi, what is wrong? You look very
tired." He slowly looks up at me and responds. "You want the truth? I
am very, very scared." He tells me he fears civil war now in Iraq. Within
two or three months if things continue like this. Later we are watching some
footage from demonstrations, and a funeral service in Al-Aahimiyah today. The
funeral service was for an Iraqi killed, one of many, a few days ago by
Americans. Last night the locals report 24 Iraqis killed for demonstrating. On
BBC we watch footage of Americans gunning down Iraqis as they ran from the armor
clad vehicles. Gunned down in the street as they tried to run away, red tracer
bullets leaving laser-like trails as they flew past bodies falling upon the
cement. electroniciraq.net
Insurgents or protesters? 18 are killed in clashes with US troops
December
16, 2003 By Robert Fisk in Baghdad While Washington and London were still
congratulating themselves on the capture of Saddam Hussein, US troops have shot
dead at least 18 Iraqis in the streets of three major cities in the country.
Dramatic videotape from the city of Ramadi 75 miles west of Baghdad showed
unarmed supporters of Saddam Hussein being gunned down in semi-darkness as they
fled from Americans troops. Eleven of the 18 dead were killed by the Americans
in Samarra to the north of Baghdad. infoshop.org
How The US Armed Saddam Hussein With Chemical Weapons By Norm Dixon On August
18, 2002, the New York Times carried a front-page story headlined,
"Officers say U.S. aided Iraq despite the use of gas". Quoting
anonymous US "senior military officers", the NYT "revealed"
that in the 1980s, the administration of US President Ronald Reagan covertly
provided "critical battle planning assistance at a time when American
intelligence knew that Iraqi commanders would employ chemical weapons in waging
the decisive battles of the Iran-Iraq war". The story made a brief splash
in the international media, then died. scoop.co.nz
Justices to weigh
truck entry White House seeks to
bypass smog review of Mexican vehicles December
16, 2003 Bob Egelko, Chronicle The U.S. Supreme Court
stepped into an environmental dispute Monday at the Bush administration's
request, agreeing to decide whether thousands of Mexican trucks can be allowed
onto U.S. highways without a study of their possible effect on air pollution. sfgate.com
 MEDIA UNPLUGGED December 15, 2003
by Dan
Dvorak Who would have thought that the best
media attention to date for the only real Democratic Presidential
candidates, Kucinich, Sharpton and Braun would come from the fact that they
were not receiving media
attention? Kucinich
boxed Ted Koppel’s ears several times during the last debate of 2003,
finally getting the message out to
America
that the media was selecting the candidates instead of the voters. It could
not have been clearer of a message nor could it have been accomplished more
honestly and smoothly, almost scripted in fact if it wasn’t for the fact
that the whole world knew that Koppel’s intention was to put down the
three and not give them an opportunity to score any points during the
contest. Koppel failed miserably at delivering the knock out punch with his
remarks of the three campaigns being broke and out of the running. He was
victimized by his own bad intent and turned into an unwilling dupe for the
slamming of the press and the TV media. He knew he had been had and his face
showed it. thepeoplesvoice.org
Exposed: US War crimes
December
15, 2003 Timothy
Bancroft-Hinchey presents the case against the government of the United States
of America for War Crimes committed in Iraq. Under international law, it is illegal to deploy munitions which render
the battlefield dangerous after the conflict. The International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC), based in Geneva, states clearly and categorically in its
document "Weapons and International Humanitarian Law" that
"Combatants are prohibited to use weapons which are inherently discriminate
or which are of a nature to inflict suffering greater than that required to take
combatants out of action". english.pravda.ru
“Free-Speech
Zone” The
administration quarantines dissent December 15, 2003
By James Bovard When
Bush came to the Pittsburgh area on Labor Day 2002, 65-year-old retired steel
worker Bill Neel was there to greet him with a sign proclaiming, “The Bush
family must surely love the poor, they made so many of us.” The local police,
at the Secret Service’s behest, set up a “designated free-speech zone” on
a baseball field surrounded by a chain-link fence a third of a mile from the
location of Bush’s speech. The police cleared the path of the motorcade of all
critical signs, though folks with pro-Bush signs were permitted to line the
president’s path. Neel refused to go to the designated area and was arrested
for disorderly conduct; the police also confiscated his sign. Neel later
commented, “As far as I’m concerned, the whole country is a free speech
zone. If the Bush administration has its way, anyone who criticizes them will be
out of sight and out of mind.” amconmag.com
LaRouche - 50% Collapse
Of The Dollar Signals Bankruptcy Of The Nation
December
15, 2003 -At a Dec. 12
international webcast from Washington, D.C. Democratic Party pre-candidate
Lyndon H. LaRouche began by addressing the accelerating collapse of the U.S
dollar and the descent of the nation into bankruptcy, a theme which he returned
to repeatedly thoughout his address. In his opening
words to the audience, LaRouche characterized the economic crisis as fully as
serious as that which faced Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. He said: "Since
the new European currency was introduced, the value of the U.S. dollar has
dropped by almost 50%, most of that directly under the present Bush
Administration. rense.com
Economic Meltdown,
Secessionist Crackup? December
15, 2003 Nelson Hultberg "What likelihood was there
that the U.S. and other foreign governments would sell off significant portions
of their gold reserves in order to reduce their debt, should the price of gold
become tempting enough to do so?" This would never happen, of course.
America's current national debt is $6.9 trillion and its upcoming liabilities
are approximately $44 trillion. So the $140 billion worth of gold in the U.S.
Treasury's vault would be but a drop in the bucket in comparison. Even if gold
would skyrocket to $3000 per ounce (which it could well do), it still would give
us only $1 trillion to dispense toward $50 trillion in government debt. 321gold.com
Jessica Lynch Captures Saddam - Ex-dicatator
Demands Back Pay From Baker December 15, 2003
by Greg Palast /znet Former Iraqi strongman
Saddam Hussein was taken into custody yesterday at 8:30p.m. Baghdad time.
Various television executives, White House spin doctors and propaganda experts
at the Pentagon are at this time wrestling with the question of whether to claim
PFC Jessica Lynch seized the ex-potentate or that Saddam surrendered after close
hand-to-hand combat with current Iraqi strongman Paul Bremer III. melbourne.indymedia.org
Did Bush Know about 9-11? "Absurd Insinuation"
December
15, 2003 by synchrondeity At the press conference on 9/15/03, a
reporter asks about Dean's comments that Bush had 9-11 foreknowledge- Bush:
"Stretch, big strech...." gestures reporter to ask next question.
"I'm sorry..." Smiles, stretch: "Mr. President, I know you said
there will be a time for poilitics, but you've also said you wanted a change in
tone in Washington. Howard Dean recently seemed to muse aloud whether you had
advanced knowledge of 9-11. Do you agree or disagree with the RNC that this kind
of rhetoric borders on political hate speach?" Bush: "Ya, Uh,"
Shakes head, "This is time for politics. And ya know," Shakes head
& shrugs, "Its time for politics and uh, I uh," Shakes head,
"Its, its an absurd insinuations" Nods head for next question. indymedia.org
Army shells pose
cancer risk in Iraq December 14, 2003 Antony Barnett
Depleted uranium causing high radioactivity levels. Depleted uranium shells
used by British forces in southern Iraqi battlefields are putting civilians
at risk from 'alarmingly high' levels of radioactivity. Experts are calling
for the water and milk being used by locals in Basra to be monitored after
analysis of biological and soil samples from battle zones found 'the highest
number, highest levels and highest concentrations of radioactive source
points' in the Basra suburb of Abu Khasib - the centre of the fiercest
battles between UK forces and Saddam loyalists. observer.guardian.co.uk
UK's DU Shells In S Iraq Push Radiation 20x Above
Normal By Antony Barnett December 14, 2003 The
Observer - UK Depleted uranium shells used by British forces in southern
Iraqi battlefields are putting civilians at risk from 'alarmingly high'
levels of radioactivity. Experts are calling for the water and milk being
used by locals in Basra to be monitored after analysis of biological and soil
samples from battle zones found 'the highest number, highest levels and
highest concentrations of radioactive source points' in the Basra suburb of
Abu Khasib - the centre of the fiercest battles between UK forces and Saddam
loyalists. Readings taken from destroyed Iraqi tanks in Basra reveal
radiation levels 2,500 times higher than normal. In the surrounding area
researchers recorded radioactivity levels 20 times higher than normal. rense.com
We
Americans talk of 'Peace on earth,' but our actions speak louder than words
December 14, 2003 By Bruce Mulkey Now we are
in the season of Christmas. Celebrations are being held, carols are being
sung and prayers are being prayed (not to mention consumers going amok and
Atkins dieters falling off the wagon). And in this season many of us honor
the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. I have heard those who proclaim that this is
a nation founded on Christian principles. I have heard President Bush assert
that Jesus is his favorite philosopher. But when we look at where our
government, in our names, puts its attention and a massive portion of its
resources-implementing a strategy of preemptively striking our theoretical
foes, maintaining a formidable fighting force to assert our military
pre-eminence around the world and engaging in an endless war against
terrorism-can we really claim to uphold the tenets of the Prince of Peace? informationclearinghouse.info
Keeping Secrets
December 14, 2003 By Christopher H. Schmitt and Edward T. Pound The
Bush administration is doing the public's business out of the public eye.
Here's how--and why "Democracies die behind closed doors."--U.S.
APPEALS COURT JUDGE DAMON J. KEITH At 12:01 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2001, as a
bone-chilling rain fell on Washington, George W. Bush took the oath of office
as the nation's 43rd president. Later that afternoon, the business of
governance officially began. Like other chief executives before him, Bush
moved to unravel the efforts of his predecessor. Bush's chief of staff,
Andrew Card, directed federal agencies to freeze more than 300 pending
regulations issued by the administration of President Bill Clinton. The
regulations affected areas ranging from health and safety to the environment
and industry. The delay, Card said, would "ensure that the president's
appointees have the opportunity to review any new or pending
regulations." The process, as it turned out, expressly precluded input
from average citizens. Inviting such comments, agency officials concluded,
would be "contrary to the public interest." usnews.com
The Overthrow Of The American Republic - Part 44
Saddam Double-Crossed? December 14, 2003 By Sherman
H. Skolnick Some years ago we coined the phrase "oil-soaked,
spy-riddled American monopoly press". It is not an idle statement. The
basis for it are the numerous examples we have shown over the forty years we
have functioned as a research/investigative group. About forty years ago, the
American CIA created Saddam Hussein and his political party as a bulwark
against a growing left-wing in Iraq. Historically, it was just another way
the West deals with Europe and the East. American/British Big Business
financed Adolf Hitler and the Nazis as an opposition to the Soviets which had
themselves been created by the West. rense.com
Car bomb kills 18, wounds 29 in western Iraq
December 14, 2003 RAMADI, Iraq (AFP) - An explosion at a police
station in western Iraq killed 16 policemen and two civilians, including a
seven-year-old girl, and wounded 29 more people, a police lieutenant said.
Witnesses said the explosion was caused by a car bomb, but there was no
immediate official confirmation. Sixteen policemen and a civilian died along
with the girl, the lieutenant at the hospital in this western city where the
casualties were taken told AFP. The officer refused to be named. news.yahoo.com
Saddam an Important Symbol in the Arab World
December 14, 2003 by Joyce M. Davis WASHINGTON - Saddam Hussein may be
under lock and key, but experts warn that the anger at the United States that
he came to symbolize in the Arab world and Iran is far from contained. It
still seethes in every capital from Rabat to Tehran, in the streets if not
always in government. "To some extent, Saddam was a measure of the depth
of the region's alienation from the West," said James Zogby, the
president of the Arab American Institute in Washington. "He symbolized
the anger; he symbolized the divide."Arab and Muslim anger is rooted in
a long history of humiliation, by British colonial rule, by the creation of
Israel, by poverty, by the failure of U.S.-backed governments to allow open
democratic government. commondreams.org
Fortress Americas, Part 1 Ben
Gurion’s Ultimate“One True Zion” December 14,
2003 Joe Vialls This morning there was no time to prepare and no time
to hide their helpless children. Armed with weapons stolen from British
soldiers whose throats were cut while they slept, Irgun, Stern and Haganah
terrorists slipped silently into the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin at
dawn. Led by war criminal Menachem Begin, this Zionist scum from the ghettos
and gutters of Europe flitted from house to house, committing
unspeakable atrocities and laughing aloud as the defenseless women tried to
resist. When they finally tired of this sport, Irgun, Stern and Haganah
terrorists alike opened fire, their stolen British bullets ripping through
the vulnerable flesh of unarmed Palestinians. By noon that same day, 9 April
1948, just over 200 Palestinians lay dead in Deir Yassin, more than half of
them women and children. But the terrorists were not quite finished. Next,
they loaded 25 unarmed male survivors on trucks and paraded them around the
Zakhron Yosef quarter in Jerusalem. It was a display of absolute Zionist
power, showing all and sundry who was really in control of Palestine. It
could have ended there, but the Zionists had something more spectacular in
mind: a lesson to all others who might dare to stand in their way, then or at
any time in the future. The 25 unarmed survivors were driven to a stone
quarry near Givat Shaul, where they were made to kneel, before Irgun and
Stern terrorists took it in turns to fire single bullets into the back of
each head. The lifeless bodies were then kicked into shallow graves...joevialls.co.uk
Why are Wolfowitz and the Pentagon in Charge of
Iraq Rebuilding? December 14, 2003 by Stan Moore
Why are Wolfowitz and the Pentagon in Charge of Iraq Rebuilding? It is clear
that the neo-conservative approach to dominating the world by U.S. military
supremacy is the driving force in foreign policy of the U.S. government. The
military, the Pentagon, is issuing orders to determine which corporations of
which nations of the world will be allowed to participate in rebuilding Iraq.
Not the State Department, which normally would have handled such foreign
affairs. This is nothing short of amazing. Men who do not know first hand the
risks and impacts of war are leading our nation into wars and planned
subjugation of a whole list of foreign nations. mediamonitors.net
 A repressive embarrassment
December 13, 2003 Anyone who
thinks the administration and its law enforcement chief, Attorney General
John Ashcroft, aren’t out to impede a free press need only hear how the
federal government is treating foreign journalists coming to this country on
assignment. Without notification to foreign media outlets, the immigration
and customs people are arresting, detaining, and deporting journalists
arriving here without special visas. This is so even when they come from
nations whose citizens can stay for up to 90 days without a visa if they are
arriving as tourists or on business. toledoblade.com
Pentagon warned Halliburton-KBR
on "dirty" food service: report December
13, 2003 (AFP) The Pentagon repeatedly warned
contractor Halliburton-KBR that the food it served to US troops in Iraq was
"dirty," as were as the kitchens it was served in, NBC News
reported Friday. Halliburton-Kellogg Brown and
Root's promises to improve "have not been followed through," spacewar.com
Mickey Mouse-ing the Vote December 13, 2003 By
Daniel Patrick Welch "I'm Ted Koppel and thisssssssss….is
'Nightline.'" If you remember that line, or the Saturday Night Live
exaggeration of it, then you are old enough to know who Ted Koppel is, and why
he might be bored by a debate with too little blood on the floor. 'Nightline'
was born out of the hostage crisis in Iran, the grandfather of dozens of less
successful crisis-turned-long-running-shows-posing-as-"serious
journalism." Geraldo would love to have done the same with the OJ Simpson
trial, but alas, it was not to be.
danielpwelch.com
US: Hundreds of job cuts hit
Oregon’s manufacturing sector December 13, 2003 By
Noah Page In a crushing blow to the mid-Willamette Valley in the state of
Oregon, two manufacturing companies have announced plans to close plants or
drastically reduce their workforces within the next year, resulting in the
loss of more than 900 high-paying jobs, many of which will be moved overseas
and to Mexico. wsws.org
King George's retribution December
13, 2003 The best allies the United States had in the months prior to the
invasion of Iraq were not those countries that grudgingly went along with
George W. Bush's rush to war. The best allies were Canada, France and
Germany. These three countries, all of which have been consistent and
well-regarded sources of information and analysis for the Central
Intelligence Agency and other U.S. international security agencies, explained
that Iraq did not pose an immediate - or particularly serious - threat to its
neighbors in the Middle East, let alone to the distant United States. They
reminded U.S. officials that there was no evidence to suggest Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein had ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network. madison.com
In the western world, only one newspaper reports
the suicide of the woman who accused George W Bush of rape December
13, 2003 by Simon Aronowitz Despite the enormity of the story, a
virtual news blackout has remained in place since Margie Schoedinger first
filed charges against George W Bush in 2002. Schoedinger had accused Bush of
rape and other sexual crimes against both her and her husband, only one
publication in the USA saw fit to print anything about her or her
allegations. That publication was her local newspaper. thoughtcrimenews.com
The same old racket in Iraq
December 13, 2003 Tariq Ali
To the victors, the spoils: Bush's colonialism will only deepen resistance.
Iraq remains a country of unbearable suffering, the sort that only soldiers
and administrators acting on behalf of states and governments are capable of
inflicting on their fellow humans. It is the first country where we can begin
to study the impact of a 21st-century colonisation. This takes place in an
international context of globalisation and neo-liberal hegemony. If the
economy at home is determined by the primacy of consumption, speculation as
the main hub of economic activity and no inviolate domains of public
provision, only a crazed utopian could imagine that a colonised Iraq would be
any different. guardian.co.uk
Business
as Usual: The Assault on American Workers
December 12, 2003 By Bracken Hendricks and Skye Perryman This week,
the House passed a spending bill that could cut overtime benefits for nearly
8 million Americans. The newest scheme devised by President Bush and his
Congressional Republicans reclassifies workers in relatively low paying jobs
who have supervisory roles, as being exempt from overtime pay. According to
the AFL-CIO, the measure could affect the pocketbooks of our police officers,
nurses, retail workers, medical therapists and insurance claims adjusters –
cutting into the paychecks of working families. Such a reclassification would
allow employers to shift new burdens onto these workers without compensating
them for their extra efforts on the job. alternet.org
Jobless claims rise
in latest week Second
consecutive rise after steady decline December 12, 2003 By
Corbett B. Daly, CBS Marketwatch WASHINGTON (CBS.MW)
-- The number of people filing claims for unemployment insurance rose for the
second consecutive week after a steady decline, the Labor Department said
Thursday. In the latest week, claims rose 13,000 to 378,000, the
highest level since October. The four-week average rose by 2,250 to 364,750.
Initial claims are volatile and economists consider the four-week average a
better barometer of labor market conditions. marketwatch.com
Dollar
Hits 11-Year Low Vs Pound
December 12, 2003 By Carolyn Cohn
LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar hit 11-year lows against the pound and eyed
record lows against the euro on Friday, as looming U.S. trade data focused
attention on the United States' wide current account deficit. moneycentral.msn.com
"A Miserable Failure"
December 12, 2003 by Jack Beatty Will Bush be re-elected? Only if
voters wittingly ignore his long list of failures while in office. With one
phrase Dick Gephardt has defined the issue to be decided next November. Can a
"miserable failure" of a president win re-election? Bush's victory
would testify to a civic failure more dangerous to the American future than
any policies implemented or continued during a second Bush term. A majority
would have demonstrated that democratic accountability is finished. That you
can fail in everything and still be re-elected president. powells.com
CONGRESS
Democracy crumbles under cover of darkness
December 12, 2003 By
SHERROD BROWN Never before has
the House of Representatives operated in such secrecy: At 2:54 a.m. on a
Friday in March, the House cut veterans benefits by three votes. At 2:39 a.m.
on a Friday in April, the House slashed education and health care by five
votes. At 1:56 a.m. on a Friday in May, the House passed the Leave No
Millionaire Behind tax-cut bill by a handful of votes. At 2:33 a.m. on a
Friday in June, the House passed the Medicare privatization and prescription
drug bill by one vote. At 12:57 a.m. on a Friday in July, the House
eviscerated Head Start by one vote. And then, after returning from summer
recess, at 12:12 a.m. on a Friday in October, the House voted $87 billion for
Iraq. Always in the middle of the night. Always after the press had passed
their deadlines. Always after the American people had turned off the news and
gone to bed. stltoday.com
Criticism of
electronic voting machines’ security is mounting
December 12, 2003 by Elizabeth
Heichler Malfunctions and vulnerabilities
are stalling efforts to supplant old polling methods. As presidential primary
season approaches, a debate is raging about electronic voting -- and IT
professionals and computer scientists are among the loudest critics. computerworld.com
Patriot Act hearings sought by Democrats
December 12, 2003 By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff WASHINGTON -- Ten
House Democrats, voicing concern that the government strike the right balance
between individual rights and collective security, have asked for sweeping
congressional hearings on how the Justice Department has made use of the
Patriot Act and other antiterrorism powers. boston.com
Council votes to express opposition to Patriot Act
December 12, 2003 Toledo City Council voted 10-2 last night to express
its opposition to the USA Patriot Act and to send a letter to President Bush
and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft informing them of that fact. Council
weighed in on the federal anti-terrorist law after first rejecting a tougher
resolution that would have "requested" city police to refuse to
participate in investigations deemed in violation of the Constitution.
Republicans George Sarantou and Rob Ludeman voted against the resolution. All
councilmen who supported the measure were Democrats, except Betty Shultz, who
recently switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party. toledoblade.com
Intimidated by FBI, Whitnesses Claim 9/11 'Cover-Up
in Progress' in Florida December 12, 2003 by Daniel
Hopsicker FBI agents harassed and intimidated witnesses to the 9/11
terrorist conspiracy’s activities in Florida, issuing warnings to avoid
talking with reporters, say current and former residents in Venice,
Florida. At least one eyewitness, who knew Mohamed Atta because he lived next
door for a time, received regular visits for over six months after the attack
from FBI agents eager to ensure she continued to remain silent. Several said
they felt unfairly singled out because what they saw and heard is at
considerable variance with the official story of the terrorist cadre’s
time in Florida. madcowprod.com
Bush ally's firm vies for Medicare cards
December 12, 2003 By Wayne and Susan Milligan Washington -
Globe A Texas company owned by a campaign contributor and former business
associate of President Bush could profit if Medicare endorses its drug card
program under guidelines set by legislation the president signed into law on
Monday, according to a report released yesterday by a research group run by a
former Clinton administration official. boston.com
The Project for a New American Empire
December 12, 2003 Who are these guys? And why do they think they can
rule the world? by Duane Shank A British magazine called them "the weird
men behind George W. Bush's war." Their Project has led to countless
conspiracy theories. Their principles are now the governing foreign and
military policy of the Bush administration—a plan combining U.S. military
forces based around the world with a doctrine of pre-emptive war and the
development of new nuclear weapons. Who are they, the creators of the
"Project for the New American Century"? What is the
"Project," and why is it cause for concern? sojo.net
Bush's alleged Afghan war crimes face 'tribunal' December
12, 2003 The final hearings of a citizens' tribunal trying the administration
of U.S. President George W. Bush over its military operations in Afghanistan
will be held in Tokyo over two days ending Dec. 14. The indictment charges
Bush with aggression, attacks against civilians and nonmilitary facilities,
and torturing and executing prisoners. The hearings have been organized by
criminal jurist Akira Maeda and others. Testimony will be heard from the
mother of an Afghan who was killed in an air raid, and a Pakistani who was
held in the Guantanamo base in Cuba. Scientists will present reports on the
effects of depleted uranium bullets on humans. japantimes.co
The CIA's New
Assassination Program By
DOUGLAS VALENTINE The major media outlets have ignored the CIA's on-going
strategy of mass assassinations as one of the main weapons in Bush's
burgeoning global war of terror. This is why it came as something of a shock
to highbrows and media elites when Seymour Hersh, in a recent article for The
New Yorker, revealed the existence of what he wrongfully referred to as
"a new Special Forces operation" that is intended to assassinate
the people comprising "the broad middle of the Ba'athist
underground." This
is a half-truth at best. To begin with, this is a CIA assassination program,
not a Special Forces program; and while Hersh is correct when he says the
targets are members of the outlawed Ba'ath Party, he tactfully skirts the
fact that this assassination program is illegal because it targets civilians
not soldiers. counterpunch.org
US
BOMBS OUTRAGE December
12, 2003 AMERICA has used more than 10,000 cluster bombs in
Iraq - seven times the number it admitted at the end of the war. In April,
General Richard Myers said US troops had fired off 1,500 of the deadly
weapons, injuring just one civilian. But figures from the US Central Command
yesterday reveal that 10,782 were fired by US soldiers and 2,200 by the
British. Human Rights Watch said 1,000 Iraqi civilians were killed by the
bombs - made up of two million munitions, often unexploded bomblets. Eight US
soldiers also died. mirror.co.uk
'US bent on world domination'
December 12, 2003 Former Government minister
Michael Meacher has claimed that the war on terrorism is a "political
smokescreen" allowing the US to dominate the world and its oil supplies.
Mr Meacher, who was environment minister for six years until June, argued in
a national newspaper that the US knew in advance of the September 11 attacks
but did not act for strategic reasons. It has since made "no serious
attempt" to catch al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, he added. itv.com
Deadly U.S. Raid
Leaves Some Afghans Bewildered Villagers Say Target Was Not a Terrorist
December 12, 2003 By Pamela Constable Washington Post Foreign Service
NARAI KALAI, Afghanistan, Dec. 11 -- The village, surrounded by bleak winter
fields, was deserted Thursday. A dozen U.S. soldiers were busy inside a mud
compound; next to it was another farmhouse with one mud wall smashed to
rubble. On a frozen slope nearby, eight new graves, marked with jagged rocks,
were already partly covered by snow. Sometime between midnight and dawn on
Dec. 5, U.S. warplanes and ground forces attacked this mud-walled hamlet in
eastern Paktia province, searching for a arsenal of weapons, U.S. military
officials said Wednesday. In the rain of rockets and gunfire, an earthen wall
collapsed on a sleeping family, killing both parents and their six young
children. washingtonpost.com
Bush
Drops the Mask They Died for Halliburton By DAVID VEST The mask came off this week. George
"No More Beating Around The" Bush came right out and admitted it,
on camera no less. American soldiers have died in Iraq, and are still dying,
said the Commander-in-Chief, so that Halliburton, Bechtel and other corporate
contributors to his campaign can make money.
When it came down to money, Bush dropped all pretense.
He blatantly didn't care whether he looked like a villain or a weeping clown.
counterpunch.org
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: The
untold story of the Bush administration's penchant for secrecy
December 12, 2003 How the public's business
gets done out of the public eye PBS television program NOW with Bill Moyers
The Bush administration has removed from the public domain millions of pages
of information on health, safety, and environmental matters, lowering a
shroud of secrecy over many critical operations of the federal government.
The administration's efforts to shield the actions of, and the information
held by, the executive branch are far more extensive than has been previously
documented. And they reach well beyond security issues. A five-month
investigation by U.S. News details a series of initiatives by administration
officials to effectively place large amounts of information out of the reach
of ordinary citizens, including data on such issues as drinking-water quality
and automotive tire safety usnews.com
American
Apocalypse December 12, 2003 by Robert
Jay Lifton The apocalyptic imagination has spawned a new kind of
violence at the beginning of the twenty-first century. We can, in fact, speak
of a worldwide epidemic of violence aimed at massive destruction in the
service of various visions of purification and renewal. In particular, we are
experiencing what could be called an apocalyptic face-off between Islamist
forces, overtly visionary in their willingness to kill and die for their
religion, and American forces claiming to be restrained and reasonable but no
less visionary in their projection of a cleansing warmaking and military
power. Both sides are energized by versions of intense idealism; both see
themselves as embarked on a mission of combating evil in order to redeem and
renew the world; and both are ready to release untold levels of violence to
achieve that purpose. thenation.com
 A
Vanished Dream December 12, 2003 By
John Brand The time was a balmy spring Sunday afternoon in Vienna,
Austria in 1936. The incident took place in front of the Bristol Hotel across
the street from the Vienna Opera House. The tableau consisted of two groups
of people. In the first were several American tourists. The other group
consisted of several Austrian boys and girls, including myself. We were on a
chaperoned Sunday afternoon stroll along the Ringstrasse. rense.com
US Senators demand Guantanamo
resolution December 12, 2003 By Jill
Colgan Three
US Senators have written to Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld demanding
that he formally charge the detainees as war criminals or return them to
their own countries to face justice. The letter
follows a visit by the trio to the maximum security prison this week. The
letter was sent by Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham and
Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell. abc.net.au
GI pleads
guilty to injuring self to get out of Iraq
December 12, 2003 By
Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes WÜRZBURG,
Germany — Plagued with anxiety, driven by addiction to painkillers and
yearning to see his newborn son, Spc. Marcus Lee couldn’t stand to spend
another day in Iraq. So on July 1, 3½ months
into his tour at Sustainer Air Base in Balad, Lee grabbed his M-16 rifle from
the weapons rack of the 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, and walked
outside behind the tent. He sat down on a water jug, chambered a round, aimed
the rifle...estripes.com
Hey,
William Kristol - 'Hit the Road, Warmonger!'
December 12, 2003 By William Hughes Just who is William Kristol? He's
a Neocon, Chicken Hawk, TV Talking Head, Israeli Firster and unrepentant
warmonger. I saw him speak at a pro-Iraq War rally, held on the nation's
Mall, in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2003, just weeks after the Bush-Cheney
Gang unleashed the dogs of war in Iraq.
I was standing in front of a woman at that event and
overheard her say of Kristol, "Oh, look how small he is!" mediamonitors.net
Iraqi Mass
Graves From Multiple Causes December 12,
2003 By Mark Gery In the past few months the graves of thousands of
civilians have been unearthed in war-torn Iraq. Not surprisingly, the White
House wasted no time in declaring the dead to be prime examples of Saddam
Hussein's brutality and a further justification for the US-led invasion.
But a check of the historical record on this matter
reveals yet another calculated distortion by the US administration and its
supporters. rense.com
Statement
by The HSUS in Response to V.P. Cheney's Shooting Spree at a PA Canned
Hunting Facility
December 12, 2003 “This wasn’t a hunting
ground. It was an open-air abattoir, and the vice president should be ashamed
to have patronized this operation and then slaughtered so many animals,”
states Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The Humane Society of the
United States. “If the Vice President and his friends wanted to sharpen
their shooting skills, they could have shot skeet or clay, not resorted to
the slaughter of more than 400 creatures planted right in front of them as
animated targets.” hsus.org
Bidding
for Isolation Just when it looked as if there was a chance to expand
international involvement in Iraq, President Bush has reversed field again
and left the European allies angry, the secretary of state looking out of
step, and the rest of us wondering exactly what his policy really is.
Late last week, it seemed as if Mr. Bush had decided to
seek the global support he needs to free the United States of the demands
that come with its unilateral occupation of Iraq. Secretary of State Colin
Powell was in Brussels, expansively inviting NATO and the United Nations to
join the security and reconstruction efforts. And President Jacques Chirac
was sending the message that he was prepared, finally, to get involved.
Then came the news that Deputy Defense Secretary Paul
Wolfowitz had issued a decree, approved by Mr. Bush, barring any country that
did not support the invasion — including France, Germany, Russia and
Canada. nytimes.com
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