Tweet
Democrats cooperating (at the very least) in covering up part of the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal. For whole outrageous tale,
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-cunningham16jul16,0,6656321,full.story?coll=la-home-center
The reason for their reluctance is this:
"Congressional sources said Reyes and other Democrats had initially voted to let other members of Congress see the document, but reversed course after a fierce protest by the panel's ranking GOP member, Peter Hoekstra of Michigan."They are so nervous about this report being out," said one congressional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Members oppose putting this thing out because you read this and the natural question is: 'Did you know this, and what did you do about it?' I don't think any members wanted that scrutiny."
MORE OF THE ARTICLE:
"WASHINGTON — An internal investigation that the House Intelligence Committee has refused to make public portrays the panel as embarrassingly entangled in the Randy "Duke" Cunningham bribery scandal.
"The report, a declassified version of which was obtained by the Los Angeles Times, describes the committee as a dysfunctional entity that served as a crossroads for almost every major figure in the ongoing criminal probe by the Justice Department.
"The document describes breakdowns in leadership and controls that it says allowed Cunningham — the former congressman (R-Rancho Santa Fe) who began an eight-year prison term last year for taking bribes and evading taxes — to use his House position to steer millions of dollars to corrupt contractors.
"When the committee's investigation was completed last year, the Republican-controlled panel would not release the results; now that the committee is controlled by Democrats, it still will not release the findings.
Found on Cursor.org
SIRATYST (Stuff I Read and Thought You Should Too) -- “To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.” (Calgacus, as quoted by Tacitus, Agricola 30-31)"
Monday, July 16, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
One in a Million: More on the Killing of Khalid Hassan--Chris Floyd Empire Burlesque
Tweet
"July 14, 2007
"Here's an update on the previous post. The NYT has now followed up on the killing of their reporter, Khalid Hassan, in Baghdad. He was apparently gunned down by militiamen after his car had been diverted into the backstreets by an American roadblock. It was a two-stage hit; he was forced off the road by a black Mercedes and shot, but survived. As he was calling his mother to say that he was OK, a second car came along, carrying a gunman who shot Hassan twice more and killed him.
"The impenetrable murk which covers the atrocities on all sides in Iraq will almost certainly make it impossible to determine just who killed Hassan, and why. As the NYT's John F. Burns reports:
"Hassan's neighborhood is riddled with the virulent sectarian strife that Bush's rape of Iraq has unleashed -- and which the "surge" is ostensibly designed to quell. But as we've often noted here, the United States -- and tag-along Britain -- have themselves been waging a relentless "dirty war" in the country since the first months after the invasion, arming some violent groups, infiltrating and steering others, throwing in with murderers, torturers, thieves, extremists and provocateurs, setting in motion a multitude of deep-delving plots whose ultimate consequences are far beyond the control of their begetters.
"Hassan's family -- Palestinians who came to Iraq in 1948, fleeing Israel's takeover there -- believe that Hassan was most likely killed by operatives of the Mahdi Army, loyal to cleric Motqada al-Sadr, who, as we noted yesterday, has been one of the mainstays of the Bush-backed Maliki goverment. If so, then Hassan was killed by the very forces that Bush has empowered in the conquered land. Burns notes that Shiite extremists have been entering Hassan's district in police uniforms, then changing into mufti to carry out their killings. Thus they are almost certainly Iraqi policemen who have been trained, armed and paid by American forces.
"Hassan's death is just one more of the "excess deaths" caused by Bush's war. The number of such deaths -- i.e., in excess of the ordinary death rate under Saddam's regime -- was estimated at some 650,000 last year by The Lancet, the authoritative medical journal whose findings on the death count were upheld by Tony Blair's own experts (although Blair himself mendaciously derided the figures, as did Bush). Follow-up studies using the Lancet's rigorous methodology have advanced that figure to almost a million by now -- more than were killed in Rwanda. An equivalent death toll in the United States would be roughly 12 million people -- twice the size of the Holocaust.
"We know about Hassan's killing because he worked for a Western news organization. But most of these "excess deaths" are just tiny droplets in a vast and spreading swamp of blood. They fall without notice in the wider world -- but their echoes will still be reverberating in the lives of our children and grandchildren. ***
Chris Floyd (Empire Burlesque) via Uruk.net
"Here's an update on the previous post. The NYT has now followed up on the killing of their reporter, Khalid Hassan, in Baghdad. He was apparently gunned down by militiamen after his car had been diverted into the backstreets by an American roadblock. It was a two-stage hit; he was forced off the road by a black Mercedes and shot, but survived. As he was calling his mother to say that he was OK, a second car came along, carrying a gunman who shot Hassan twice more and killed him.
"The impenetrable murk which covers the atrocities on all sides in Iraq will almost certainly make it impossible to determine just who killed Hassan, and why. As the NYT's John F. Burns reports:
The murderous turmoil in Baghdad has reached a point where many families never know the killers of their loved ones, or their motives. Sunni insurgents? Shiite militias? Killers who mimic one or the other, while pursuing more private motives of greed, spite or revenge? Or, in Mr. Hassan’s case, the nature of his employment, which placed him doubly at risk: as an Iraqi journalist, and as an Iraqi working for Americans?
With a police force that barely functions because of the bludgeoning it has taken from Sunni insurgents — and that has spawned Shiite death squads — families can rarely hope to see killers tracked down. Now, that may be the fate of Mr. Hassan’s family, for whom he was the principal breadwinner. After his parents separated during his teenage years, Mr. Hassan supported his mother and four sisters, all under 18, by selling cosmetics door to door and, for the last four years, using a polished colloquial English learned through movies, for The New York Times.
With a police force that barely functions because of the bludgeoning it has taken from Sunni insurgents — and that has spawned Shiite death squads — families can rarely hope to see killers tracked down. Now, that may be the fate of Mr. Hassan’s family, for whom he was the principal breadwinner. After his parents separated during his teenage years, Mr. Hassan supported his mother and four sisters, all under 18, by selling cosmetics door to door and, for the last four years, using a polished colloquial English learned through movies, for The New York Times.
"Hassan's neighborhood is riddled with the virulent sectarian strife that Bush's rape of Iraq has unleashed -- and which the "surge" is ostensibly designed to quell. But as we've often noted here, the United States -- and tag-along Britain -- have themselves been waging a relentless "dirty war" in the country since the first months after the invasion, arming some violent groups, infiltrating and steering others, throwing in with murderers, torturers, thieves, extremists and provocateurs, setting in motion a multitude of deep-delving plots whose ultimate consequences are far beyond the control of their begetters.
"Hassan's family -- Palestinians who came to Iraq in 1948, fleeing Israel's takeover there -- believe that Hassan was most likely killed by operatives of the Mahdi Army, loyal to cleric Motqada al-Sadr, who, as we noted yesterday, has been one of the mainstays of the Bush-backed Maliki goverment. If so, then Hassan was killed by the very forces that Bush has empowered in the conquered land. Burns notes that Shiite extremists have been entering Hassan's district in police uniforms, then changing into mufti to carry out their killings. Thus they are almost certainly Iraqi policemen who have been trained, armed and paid by American forces.
"Hassan's death is just one more of the "excess deaths" caused by Bush's war. The number of such deaths -- i.e., in excess of the ordinary death rate under Saddam's regime -- was estimated at some 650,000 last year by The Lancet, the authoritative medical journal whose findings on the death count were upheld by Tony Blair's own experts (although Blair himself mendaciously derided the figures, as did Bush). Follow-up studies using the Lancet's rigorous methodology have advanced that figure to almost a million by now -- more than were killed in Rwanda. An equivalent death toll in the United States would be roughly 12 million people -- twice the size of the Holocaust.
"We know about Hassan's killing because he worked for a Western news organization. But most of these "excess deaths" are just tiny droplets in a vast and spreading swamp of blood. They fall without notice in the wider world -- but their echoes will still be reverberating in the lives of our children and grandchildren. ***
Chris Floyd (Empire Burlesque) via Uruk.net
Fatah Wants Palestinians in Lebanon to Fight With the Siniora Army
Tweet
"This important news item appears only in Arabic. I will translate and will try to put it in perspective.
"'The Fatah official in Lebanon, Sultan Abu Al-Ainain, stated that the time has come for the various Palestinian organizations in Lebanon to take part in military operations, side by side with the Lebanese army, to finish off the "gang" of Fatah Al-Islam which still has tens of fighters inside Nahr El-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon.
"In a press conference, the Fatah official said that from the beginning some Palestinian organizations (not including Fatah) have insisted on limiting the Palestinian contribution to trying to find only a political solution to end the crisis.
"According to Abu Al-Ainain, it is the duty of the Palestinian organizations in Lebanon to take part in the military operations after the failure of political efforts to convince the "gang of Fatah Al-Islam" to surrender. He stated that the shelling of Lebanese villages close to the camp by this "gang" was a flagrant and unacceptable attack on the Lebanese people......"
"The significance of this news item is that it hints of a strategic alliance between Fatah and the American-Israeli-Saudi project in the area. Just as Fatah's thugs under Dahlan, with arming and financing by Elliott Abrams and Condoleezza Rice, were intended to spread "creative destruction," chaos and division in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Fatah is now intent on doing the same in Lebanon.
"By clearly taking sides with the Siniora army, which for two months has been shelling and destroying the Nahr El-Bared camp resulting in scores of Palestinian dead and wounded and the forced destitution of over 35,000 Palestinian refugees Fatah, again, puts itself not on the side of the Palestinian people.
Whole Story here on Uruk.net http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=34490&s2=15
Aljazeera.net, translated by Palestinian Pundit
July 14, 2007
"This important news item appears only in Arabic. I will translate and will try to put it in perspective.
"'The Fatah official in Lebanon, Sultan Abu Al-Ainain, stated that the time has come for the various Palestinian organizations in Lebanon to take part in military operations, side by side with the Lebanese army, to finish off the "gang" of Fatah Al-Islam which still has tens of fighters inside Nahr El-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon.
"In a press conference, the Fatah official said that from the beginning some Palestinian organizations (not including Fatah) have insisted on limiting the Palestinian contribution to trying to find only a political solution to end the crisis.
"According to Abu Al-Ainain, it is the duty of the Palestinian organizations in Lebanon to take part in the military operations after the failure of political efforts to convince the "gang of Fatah Al-Islam" to surrender. He stated that the shelling of Lebanese villages close to the camp by this "gang" was a flagrant and unacceptable attack on the Lebanese people......"
"The significance of this news item is that it hints of a strategic alliance between Fatah and the American-Israeli-Saudi project in the area. Just as Fatah's thugs under Dahlan, with arming and financing by Elliott Abrams and Condoleezza Rice, were intended to spread "creative destruction," chaos and division in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Fatah is now intent on doing the same in Lebanon.
"By clearly taking sides with the Siniora army, which for two months has been shelling and destroying the Nahr El-Bared camp resulting in scores of Palestinian dead and wounded and the forced destitution of over 35,000 Palestinian refugees Fatah, again, puts itself not on the side of the Palestinian people.
Whole Story here on Uruk.net http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=34490&s2=15
Air Force Quietly Building Iraq Presence--Associated Press
Tweet
How do you keep down U.S. casualties in an occupation? By dropping bombs on the country you occupy, rather than fighting insurgents on the ground. This article (portion below) outlines what most of us already suspected. Runways have been reinforced for "for five to seven years' more hard use." As this kind of use is hard on equipment, look for request$ to the arm$ manufacturer$ for more and better bombing machine$. Oh, and they are also doing reconnaissance from the air. I can imagine how accurate that info is. Whole article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070714/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_air_surge_i&printer=1;_ylt=AuXyIzGDFbTnpTuZvISwmZkUewgF
"Away from the headlines and debate over the "surge" in U.S. ground troops, the Air Force has quietly built up its hardware inside Iraq, sharply stepped up bombing and laid a foundation for a sustained air campaign in support of American and Iraqi forces.
"Squadrons of attack planes have been added to the in-country fleet. The air reconnaissance arm has almost doubled since last year. The powerful B1-B bomber has been recalled to action over Iraq.
"The escalation worries some about an increase in "collateral damage," casualties among Iraqi civilians. Air Force generals worry about wear and tear on aging aircraft. But ground commanders clearly like what they see.
"'Night before last we had 14 strikes from B-1 bombers. Last night we had 18 strikes by B-1 bombers," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said approvingly of air support his 3rd Infantry Division received in a recent offensive south of Baghdad.
"Statistics tell the story: Air Force and Navy aircraft dropped 437 bombs and missiles in Iraq in the first six months of 2007, a fivefold increase over the 86 used in the first half of 2006, and three times more than in the second half of 2006, according to Air Force data. In June, bombs dropped at a rate of more than five a day.
"Inside spacious, air-conditioned "Kingpin," a new air traffic control center at this huge Air Force hub 50 miles north of Baghdad, the expanded commitment can be seen on the central display screen: Small points of light represent more than 100 aircraft crisscrossing Iraqi air space at any one time.
"The increased air activity has paralleled the reinforcement of U.S. ground troops, beginning in February, to try to suppress the insurgency and sectarian violence in the Baghdad region. Simply keeping those 30,000 additional troops supplied has added to demands on the Air Force.
Found on Antiwar.com
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Even as Loved Ones Fight On, War Doubts Arise
Tweet
A NYTimes article with the above title, outlines erosion of support for the war among the soldiers fighting it and their families. A portion is below; whole article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/us/15protest.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
"On Tuesday, the Army chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said the Army would soon announce plans to give more money to programs that help family members of deployed soldiers cope with the long deployments.
"For some, the Army’s efforts have come too late. Penny Preszler, 46, a furniture refurbisher in Phoenix, said she had stopped wearing red on Fridays as she had done for the past year to honor the war effort. “It was when my son started saying he wished he could be injured so he could come home,” Ms. Preszler said.
“'There was no pride left in his voice, just this robotic sense of despair,” she said, describing a telephone conversation with her son, Skyler, 24, an infantryman on his second tour of duty in Iraq. “Mom, we killed women on the street today. We killed kids on bikes. We had no choice,” she recounted his saying.
"The same week, she said, her son told her he thought he had seen the worst when he had to pick up the body parts of his dead buddy, but then he saw an Iraqi boy picking up what was left of his dead father.
"Jaine Darwin, a psychologist and a director of Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists, said many families she counseled said they felt trapped.
“'Some of them say they fear we can’t leave Iraq because the job isn’t done,” said Ms. Darwin, whose organization, which is apolitical, offers free mental health therapy to military families. “But they still feel like it’s time to get out.”
"Their frustrations have led some soldiers to take drastic steps.
"Iraq Veterans Against the War, started in July 2004, has grown to 500 members, with 100 joining in the past two months. The Appeal for Redress Project, which since last September has been advising active duty military members and reservists on how to write to their representatives in Congress expressing their opposition to the war, has about 2,000 members, almost half of whom have joined in the past six months.
"Michelle Robidoux, an organizer with the War Resisters Support Campaign in Toronto, which advises Americans who have deserted or crossed the border to avoid military service, said in recent months the group has received calls that included two Army sergeants and a Navy chief petty officer.
"In the 2006 fiscal year, the Army reported that 3,196 soldiers had deserted, compared with 2,543 in fiscal year 2005 and 2,357 soldiers in fiscal year 2004. In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 871 soldiers deserted.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
U.S. Soldier Tells of Rape and Suicide of 15 Year Old Iraqi Girl
Tweet
Video - Should only be watched by a mature audience
"Anyone with a rag on his head is fair game."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18005.htm
Wonder if this will cause any of those "Support the Troops" stickers to come off any of those SUVs.
"Anyone with a rag on his head is fair game."
http://www.informationclearingh
Wonder if this will cause any of those "Support the Troops" stickers to come off any of those SUVs.
Democratic Push for [SOME] Troop Withdrawal
Tweet
The Dems are trying to dazzle us with their BS AGAIN! While ABC News would have you believe that the Dems are daringly calling for a pull-out from Iraq, the bottom line of the Levin-Reid bill being pushed by the Dems would leave "anywhere from 20,000... to 70,000" troops in Iraq after the "pull-out." Portion of article below--whole thing here: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3371044&page=2
NO! ALL US PERSONNEL (including mercenaries) OUT OF IRAQ NOW!
GO CINDY!!
NO! ALL US PERSONNEL (including mercenaries) OUT OF IRAQ NOW!
GO CINDY!!
"When asked about the details of the Reed-Levin amendment, Reid said he did not know how many troops would be left in Iraq after combat troops would be pulled by April 30, 2008.
"'I don't know how many troops will be there," Reid said. "I've heard anywhere from 20,000 -- and now I've got, this is the highest number I've heard -- to 70,000." Whatever troops remain in Iraq, he said, can "only be involved in special operations, counterterrorism activities, training the Iraqis and protecting our assets that we have in Iraq."
"Reid said he would vote against the amendment offered by Sens. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., to express the sense of the Senate that the president should implement the Iraq Study Group recommendations.
"'They started doing the study well more than a year ago," he said. "It's been seven months since the report was given to us. And it calls for a lot of diplomatic measures. There's not a single tooth in that proposal. No, I can't vote for it."
Are Cracks Developing in the Pro-Israel Block in Congress?
Tweet
This story refers to something that looks to me like a tiny, tiny possibility of "normalizing" the "special" relationship Congress has with Israel. The Dems are definitely going to proceed cautiously before making any changes, though. Patrick Leahy seems to be showing the most interest in this issue. Read whole article here: http://www.astandforjustice.org/2007/07/07-10-04.htm
"In the Senate, all eyes are focused on Leahy. According to observers, Leahy last week attempted to introduce a 0.1 percent levy on defense grants that would be spent monitoring how the allocations were spent.
"The concern: Making certain that the United States does not end up funding human rights abuses, a cause Democrats, particularly Leahy, have favored since the Iran-Contra scandals of the 1980s.
"The problem: Even 0.1 percent amounts to a considerable chunk - $2.4 million - of the $2.4 billion Israel receives in defense cash from the United States.
"The outcome: Israel, Egypt and Colombia were exempted from the across-the-board levy. Pro-Israel lobbyists made sure committee members knew that oversight was already written into Israel funding, suggesting that any additional spending on monitoring would be gratuitous.
Democrats involved in the back-and-forth said Leahy was receptive to exempting Israel from the levy and other changes that strengthened Israel's bid, and that the exchanges were always amicable.
"In the Senate, all eyes are focused on Leahy. According to observers, Leahy last week attempted to introduce a 0.1 percent levy on defense grants that would be spent monitoring how the allocations were spent.
"The concern: Making certain that the United States does not end up funding human rights abuses, a cause Democrats, particularly Leahy, have favored since the Iran-Contra scandals of the 1980s.
"The problem: Even 0.1 percent amounts to a considerable chunk - $2.4 million - of the $2.4 billion Israel receives in defense cash from the United States.
"The outcome: Israel, Egypt and Colombia were exempted from the across-the-board levy. Pro-Israel lobbyists made sure committee members knew that oversight was already written into Israel funding, suggesting that any additional spending on monitoring would be gratuitous.
Democrats involved in the back-and-forth said Leahy was receptive to exempting Israel from the levy and other changes that strengthened Israel's bid, and that the exchanges were always amicable.
CNN--A Report on the Actual Dollar Cost of the War
Tweet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFqc6dwJvLM
This is from the Anderson Cooper show. I didn't cross-check the figures, but they actually mention that Seattle is building a $10,000,000 high school somewhere and use that as an example of where these war funds COULD be used.
Found on Informed Comment
This is from the Anderson Cooper show. I didn't cross-check the figures, but they actually mention that Seattle is building a $10,000,000 high school somewhere and use that as an example of where these war funds COULD be used.
Found on Informed Comment
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Zionist Starvation Plan
Tweet
THESE PEOPLE ARE REFUGEES!!!!!! How can the world stand by and watch this happening? Portion of story is below--whole tragic thing is here: http://www.rense.com/general77/pall.htm
"Over 6000 (six thousand) Palestinian refugees from Gaza, including children, babies, pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, and unarmed civilians have been stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border of Gaza for over one month now.
"Stranded in the scorching heat, they are without adequate shelter, food, or money with which to solicit help because the Zionist Israeli military regime decided to close the border passage between Gaza and Egypt. The Zionists had earlier built an enormous wall between Gaza and Egypt, destroying hundreds of Palestinian homes without notice in the process. The wall is a wall that is too high to be scaled, and those now trapped on the other side of it are being denied by Zionists reentry into Gaza. The Palestinians of Gaza cannot go home. (1)
"In addition to this sadistic and prolonged torture of the innocent, according to Gush Shalom, (Gush Shalom is a Jewish peace movement- true Judaism is opposed to Zionism) "services of Western Union and DHL in the Gaza Strip were discontinued under Israeli and American pressure, making it impossible for families to send money to their trapped relatives." On July 2, 2007, Gush Shalom sent "a strong protest to Prime Minster Olmert and Defence Minister Barak, and also a letter to representatives of the European Union. (2) (3)
Stranded now in what former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya describes as "appalling conditions," the death toll of the tormented has begun. Twenty-eight have died. In what should be causing flags of great concern to be raised, the EU personnel who monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt are being sent home because it appears the border is going to remain closed. Chillingly, one must quickly ask if this is tantamount to removing potential foreign witnesses from a scene where a plan of torture and murder by the deliberate acts of withholding food and water from a civilian population could be underway. (4) (5)
Found on Whatreallyhappened.com
"Over 6000 (six thousand) Palestinian refugees from Gaza, including children, babies, pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, and unarmed civilians have been stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border of Gaza for over one month now.
"Stranded in the scorching heat, they are without adequate shelter, food, or money with which to solicit help because the Zionist Israeli military regime decided to close the border passage between Gaza and Egypt. The Zionists had earlier built an enormous wall between Gaza and Egypt, destroying hundreds of Palestinian homes without notice in the process. The wall is a wall that is too high to be scaled, and those now trapped on the other side of it are being denied by Zionists reentry into Gaza. The Palestinians of Gaza cannot go home. (1)
"In addition to this sadistic and prolonged torture of the innocent, according to Gush Shalom, (Gush Shalom is a Jewish peace movement- true Judaism is opposed to Zionism) "services of Western Union and DHL in the Gaza Strip were discontinued under Israeli and American pressure, making it impossible for families to send money to their trapped relatives." On July 2, 2007, Gush Shalom sent "a strong protest to Prime Minster Olmert and Defence Minister Barak, and also a letter to representatives of the European Union. (2) (3)
Stranded now in what former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya describes as "appalling conditions," the death toll of the tormented has begun. Twenty-eight have died. In what should be causing flags of great concern to be raised, the EU personnel who monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt are being sent home because it appears the border is going to remain closed. Chillingly, one must quickly ask if this is tantamount to removing potential foreign witnesses from a scene where a plan of torture and murder by the deliberate acts of withholding food and water from a civilian population could be underway. (4) (5)
Found on Whatreallyhappened.com
Who Told Them to Give Birth at Night?
Tweet
The sarcasm of this article in Haaretz is blatant, but the problems it outlines are life and death situations for the Palestinians locked up in the West Bank and Gaza. Portion below. Whole story here: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/880094.html
"The small village of Azun Athma is located in the southeastern part of the West Bank, not far from Qalqilyah and too close to Israel and the Jewish settlements of Etz Efraim, Elkanah, Sha'are Tikva and Oranit, which surround it in all directions. To ensure the security of the residents of Israel and for the sake of the settlers' convenience, the Palestinian village has been encircled by a fence and has become an enclave closed on all sides. In order to partake of essential services in the West Bank, the inhabitants of Azun Athma pass through a gate controlled by the Israel Defense Forces. They undergo physical searches each time they exit and enter. At 10 P.M. the soldiers close the gate and only open it again the next morning at 6 A.M.
"It is common knowledge that the Palestinians suffer from a serious lack of discipline, which starts in their mother's womb. There are fetuses that insist on coming into this world right at the time when the Israeli soldiers go to sleep. What is to be done with these babies when Azun Athma only has a clinic providing the most basic services for two hours, twice a week? To make sure they will receive proper medical care during the birth, pregnant women (in an average year about 50 babies are born in the village) tend to leave their homes and move in with relatives, who reside in places where one can obtain accessible and good medical services. Thus, of the 33 babies that were born to inhabitants of the village between January of this year and the beginning of June, 20 were born outside the village. The others were born in their mothers' homes without the aid of a doctor or a qualified midwife.
"According to a report published yesterday by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the publication of which coincided with the third anniversary of the ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague concerning the security fence, the 10 Palestinian communities surrounded by the fence have no access to 24-hour emergency services. The authors of the report estimate that when construction of the fence is completed along the planned route, about 50,000 people will find themselves in a similar situation.
Found on Angry Arab Newservice blog.
"The small village of Azun Athma is located in the southeastern part of the West Bank, not far from Qalqilyah and too close to Israel and the Jewish settlements of Etz Efraim, Elkanah, Sha'are Tikva and Oranit, which surround it in all directions. To ensure the security of the residents of Israel and for the sake of the settlers' convenience, the Palestinian village has been encircled by a fence and has become an enclave closed on all sides. In order to partake of essential services in the West Bank, the inhabitants of Azun Athma pass through a gate controlled by the Israel Defense Forces. They undergo physical searches each time they exit and enter. At 10 P.M. the soldiers close the gate and only open it again the next morning at 6 A.M.
"It is common knowledge that the Palestinians suffer from a serious lack of discipline, which starts in their mother's womb. There are fetuses that insist on coming into this world right at the time when the Israeli soldiers go to sleep. What is to be done with these babies when Azun Athma only has a clinic providing the most basic services for two hours, twice a week? To make sure they will receive proper medical care during the birth, pregnant women (in an average year about 50 babies are born in the village) tend to leave their homes and move in with relatives, who reside in places where one can obtain accessible and good medical services. Thus, of the 33 babies that were born to inhabitants of the village between January of this year and the beginning of June, 20 were born outside the village. The others were born in their mothers' homes without the aid of a doctor or a qualified midwife.
"According to a report published yesterday by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the publication of which coincided with the third anniversary of the ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague concerning the security fence, the 10 Palestinian communities surrounded by the fence have no access to 24-hour emergency services. The authors of the report estimate that when construction of the fence is completed along the planned route, about 50,000 people will find themselves in a similar situation.
Found on Angry Arab Newservice blog.
Rachel Corrie's Parents and Supporters Press for Justice Against Israel
Tweet
Below is a portion of an AP article on the Rachel Corrie case against Caterpillar. The appeal was heard at the 9th District Court of Appeals in Seattle this week. Linda
SEATTLE -- The family of a woman killed trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in 2003 asked a federal appeals court panel Monday to reinstate its lawsuit against Caterpillar Inc., saying the company knew bulldozers it sold to the Israeli government were being used to commit human rights violations.
AP article can be found on the Corrie's website: http://www.rachelcorriefoundation.org/
SEATTLE -- The family of a woman killed trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in 2003 asked a federal appeals court panel Monday to reinstate its lawsuit against Caterpillar Inc., saying the company knew bulldozers it sold to the Israeli government were being used to commit human rights violations. "Caterpillar sold this product knowing - or it should have known - it would cause exactly this harm," one of the family's lawyers, well-known Duke University law professor Erwin Chemerinsky, told the three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia, was crushed by a 60-ton Israeli bulldozer as she stood before a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip. Her parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, sued Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar, which manufactured the bulldozer, seeking to hold the company civilly liable for aiding and abetting human rights violations - the destruction of civilian homes.
Four Palestinian families whose relatives were killed or injured when the Israeli Defense Forces flattened their homes joined the Corries in filing suit.
A U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma dismissed the lawsuit in 2005, agreeing with the company's argument that it wasn't responsible for how the Israeli army used its product. The family's request to have the case reinstated drew dozens of protesters to the courthouse, some carrying black silhouettes of Corrie and others holding a painting of a diminutive figure standing before an oncoming bulldozer.
Chemerinsky insisted that the judge applied the wrong legal standard, and that as long as the company knew how the bulldozers were being used, it can be held liable under common law dating back centuries. The case should be sent back to the lower court for further proceedings to determine what Caterpillar executives knew, he said.
But lawyers for Caterpillar and the U.S. Justice Department, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Caterpillar's behalf, argued that letting the case proceed would require U.S. courts to improperly intervene in political issues reserved for the president and Congress. It would also require American judges to pass judgment on Israel's practice of demolishing Palestinian homes - "you can't aid and abet a legal activity," Caterpillar attorney Robert Abrams told the judges.
Abrams also said Israel purchased the bulldozers with U.S. aid, further complicating the issue.
"If your honors did look at the U.S. as paying for the bulldozer, the U.S. would be an aider and abettor as well," he said. "There is no conclusion that can be reached other than, it presents a political question."
Judge Michael Hawkins asked Justice Department lawyer Robert Loeb to consider the hypothetical case of a U.S. oven manufacturer during World War II: If the company continued selling ovens to Germany, knowing they were being used to kill Jews, would there be legal grounds to go after the company?
Yes, Loeb replied - treason, for starters.
AP article can be found on the Corrie's website: http://www.rachelcorriefoundation.org/
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Fencing the Border: Boeing's High Tech Plan Falters
Tweet
Personally I'm glad the "predator fence" is failing. But the problem is Boeing and its subcontractors are raking in the dough anyway. Same old, same old.
Whole great CorpWatch article is here (portion below): http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14552
A 28-mile stretch of the Sonoran desert that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border west of the city of Nogales, Arizona, is a sun-baked battleground. Pronghorn antelope, javelina, rattlers, a few pigmy owls, and even jaguars compete for scarce resources amidst the saguaro, mesquite, and prickly pear.
Also struggling for survival in the parched landscape are hundreds of migrants who hike the miles of uncharted northbound trails and roads pursued by border patrol officers, security contractors, and law enforcement agents. Many of the would-be immigrants are captured, processed and deported; some are identified as criminal aliens and detained; others make it into the U.S. to take low-wage jobs; and hundreds more die every year in the searing desert heat.
A new predator is on the horizon. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued task orders to physically and electronically seal this stretch of the desert under a multi-billion dollar contract named the Secure Border Initiative Net (SBInet) to curb the flow of undocumented immigrants, drugs, and potential terrorists by 2013. This first $20 million pilot phase, which is named Project 28 after the length of this part of the desert that it is supposed to cover, was to be completed by mid-June 2007.
The SBInet contract was awarded in September 2006 to Boeing of Seattle, the company best known for its wide-bodied aircraft that dominate the world's airline fleets. The company is also a major military contractor, manufacturing warplanes like the F-18 Hornet, the F-22 Raptor and the Joint Strike Fighter/F-35 as well as the Brimstone, Hellfire and Tomahawk missiles.
****Later in Article
Over Budget, Behind Schedule
"These first 28 miles of virtual fencing are key to gaining effective control of the border region," U.S Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson Michael Friel told CorpWatch. "(This) is the first task order of what is expected to be multiple task orders."
"Almost a month after the initial deadline of June, 2007, this first phase is yet to come on-line. DHS attributes the initial delays to poor integration of communication technology between U.S. Border Patrol and Boeing's team of private contractors.
"Right now, the project is variously described as a work-in-progress or a boondoggle in the making - by assorted U.S. governmental investigators, the Mexican government, as well as citizens on both sides of the border, who note that, in addition to being behind schedule, it is also already over-budget.
"In Washington, U.S. Congressional representatives are already bristling at the skyrocketing costs of SBInet. Since Boeing won the contract last year, the estimated cost of securing the southwest border has gone from $2.5 billion to an estimated $8 billion just a few months later. When Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter asked SBInet Director Giddens for the real costs at a February 2007 hearing of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Giddens replied: "I wish I could answer that with greater clarity."
"At the same Congressional hearings, Boeing vice president and SBInet program manager, Jerry McElwee, took heat from Congressman William Lacy Clay who demanded information about the ballooning costs and the extension of the contract period. "You bid on these contracts and then you come back and say, 'Oh we need more time. It costs more than twice as much.' Are you gaming the taxpayers here? Or gaming DHS?" the Missouri Democrat asked.
"DHS's own inspector general, Richard Skinner, says that the Boeing contract is in the "high-risk" category for waste and abuse because of its scope, its dollar value, and "the vulnerabilities stemming from the lack of acquisition management capacity."
Whole great CorpWatch article is here (portion below): http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14552
A 28-mile stretch of the Sonoran desert that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border west of the city of Nogales, Arizona, is a sun-baked battleground. Pronghorn antelope, javelina, rattlers, a few pigmy owls, and even jaguars compete for scarce resources amidst the saguaro, mesquite, and prickly pear.Also struggling for survival in the parched landscape are hundreds of migrants who hike the miles of uncharted northbound trails and roads pursued by border patrol officers, security contractors, and law enforcement agents. Many of the would-be immigrants are captured, processed and deported; some are identified as criminal aliens and detained; others make it into the U.S. to take low-wage jobs; and hundreds more die every year in the searing desert heat.
A new predator is on the horizon. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued task orders to physically and electronically seal this stretch of the desert under a multi-billion dollar contract named the Secure Border Initiative Net (SBInet) to curb the flow of undocumented immigrants, drugs, and potential terrorists by 2013. This first $20 million pilot phase, which is named Project 28 after the length of this part of the desert that it is supposed to cover, was to be completed by mid-June 2007.
The SBInet contract was awarded in September 2006 to Boeing of Seattle, the company best known for its wide-bodied aircraft that dominate the world's airline fleets. The company is also a major military contractor, manufacturing warplanes like the F-18 Hornet, the F-22 Raptor and the Joint Strike Fighter/F-35 as well as the Brimstone, Hellfire and Tomahawk missiles.
****Later in Article
Over Budget, Behind Schedule
"These first 28 miles of virtual fencing are key to gaining effective control of the border region," U.S Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson Michael Friel told CorpWatch. "(This) is the first task order of what is expected to be multiple task orders."
"Almost a month after the initial deadline of June, 2007, this first phase is yet to come on-line. DHS attributes the initial delays to poor integration of communication technology between U.S. Border Patrol and Boeing's team of private contractors.
"Right now, the project is variously described as a work-in-progress or a boondoggle in the making - by assorted U.S. governmental investigators, the Mexican government, as well as citizens on both sides of the border, who note that, in addition to being behind schedule, it is also already over-budget.
"In Washington, U.S. Congressional representatives are already bristling at the skyrocketing costs of SBInet. Since Boeing won the contract last year, the estimated cost of securing the southwest border has gone from $2.5 billion to an estimated $8 billion just a few months later. When Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter asked SBInet Director Giddens for the real costs at a February 2007 hearing of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Giddens replied: "I wish I could answer that with greater clarity."
"At the same Congressional hearings, Boeing vice president and SBInet program manager, Jerry McElwee, took heat from Congressman William Lacy Clay who demanded information about the ballooning costs and the extension of the contract period. "You bid on these contracts and then you come back and say, 'Oh we need more time. It costs more than twice as much.' Are you gaming the taxpayers here? Or gaming DHS?" the Missouri Democrat asked.
"DHS's own inspector general, Richard Skinner, says that the Boeing contract is in the "high-risk" category for waste and abuse because of its scope, its dollar value, and "the vulnerabilities stemming from the lack of acquisition management capacity."
Ever Heard of the Security & Prosperity Partnership--You Might Want to Look Into It
Tweet
Have heard rumors of this happening [melding of the North American continent in some quasi-gov't fashion], but never caught the name. Now we know: Security and Prosperity Partnership. I bet it's not OUR prosperity they're talking about. Portion of article below. Whole thing here: http://www.corbettreport.com/articles/20070709_spp_meeting_minutes.htm
"The most startling passage of the document concerns the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), which the minutes themselves note was a "body created by Leaders in 2006 to give the private sector a formal role in providing advice on how to enhance competitiveness in North America." The idea that business interests are really in control of the process is suggested in the following passage:
"This shockingly candid passage makes it clear that the business interests are actually in charge of the process, giving the politicians marching orders and demanding that these orders are followed, and followed quickly. Perhaps this is not surprising when one discovers that the SPP in fact did not start life as a governmental "dialogue" at all, but rather as an initiative launched by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCOCE) in January 2003. According to the CCOCE's own documents Council members comprise the CEOs of 150 leading Canadian businesses which "administer in excess of C$2.1 trillion in assets, have annual revenues of more than $500 billion" and, it seems, have a number of ranking governmental officials from all three North American nations in their back pocket.
"The other worrying news to come out of the meeting minutes is the revelation that Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day proposed at the meeting "the establishment of a coordinating body on Emergency Management" which like all other SPP initiatives will drastically curtail democracy in each of the three countries by leaving vital matters of national security in the hands of unelected foreign nationals and bureaucrats. The effects of such initiatives have already been felt in other areas, as Canada has already announced plans to lower pesticide standards in order to bring Canada's comparatively high standards in line with America's standards, which rank among the lowest in the developed world. One can only imagine what will result of this three-way race to the bottom in this "body on Emergency Management" which will presumably be tasked with coordinating disaster response.
Found on Whatreallyhappened.com
"The most startling passage of the document concerns the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), which the minutes themselves note was a "body created by Leaders in 2006 to give the private sector a formal role in providing advice on how to enhance competitiveness in North America." The idea that business interests are really in control of the process is suggested in the following passage:
Exchanges following a formal presentation of the [NACC's]
report uncovered frustration relating to the private sector's
seeming inability to influence the pace of regulatory change
"from the bottom up."[...]The subtext was clear: in the
absence of ministerial endorsement, bureaucracies are
unlikely to act on the more challenging recommendations.[...]
The complex and far-reaching nature of the recommendations
suggest that governments will need ample time to review and
consult internally — and trilaterally — but it seems clear that
the NACC will be looking for an early commitment to moving
forward quickly.
"This shockingly candid passage makes it clear that the business interests are actually in charge of the process, giving the politicians marching orders and demanding that these orders are followed, and followed quickly. Perhaps this is not surprising when one discovers that the SPP in fact did not start life as a governmental "dialogue" at all, but rather as an initiative launched by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCOCE) in January 2003. According to the CCOCE's own documents Council members comprise the CEOs of 150 leading Canadian businesses which "administer in excess of C$2.1 trillion in assets, have annual revenues of more than $500 billion" and, it seems, have a number of ranking governmental officials from all three North American nations in their back pocket.
"The other worrying news to come out of the meeting minutes is the revelation that Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day proposed at the meeting "the establishment of a coordinating body on Emergency Management" which like all other SPP initiatives will drastically curtail democracy in each of the three countries by leaving vital matters of national security in the hands of unelected foreign nationals and bureaucrats. The effects of such initiatives have already been felt in other areas, as Canada has already announced plans to lower pesticide standards in order to bring Canada's comparatively high standards in line with America's standards, which rank among the lowest in the developed world. One can only imagine what will result of this three-way race to the bottom in this "body on Emergency Management" which will presumably be tasked with coordinating disaster response.
Found on Whatreallyhappened.com
Bush's Oil Law Uniting Iraqis--Against U.S.
Tweet
"All the while a coalition in Iraq grows. It encompasses Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and secularists. Its goal is to keep Iraq together. But it also wants an end to the U.S. occupation.
"'They are also strongly opposed both to the terrorist forces of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and to the growing influence of Iran in Iraq," Robert Dreyfuss wrote of the opposition in The Nation.
Found on Juan Cole's Informed Comment blog. Another portion below. Whole article here: http://www.upi.com/Energy/Analysis/2007/07/09/analysis_iraq_near_united_in_opposition/8192/
"The oil law already faced opposition from Iraq oil experts -- including two of the law's three original authors -- as well as the powerful oil unions. The unions say they're willing to stop production and exports if the law gives foreign oil companies too much access to or ownership of the oil. "
"The last four years have witnessed repeated attempts at dismantling the basis for any well planned resources management for the whole nation, only to replace it with market oriented destabilization and fragmentation policies that are at variance and in competition with each other and the national interest," said Tariq Shafiq, an Iraqi now living in Amman and London, tasked last spring by the Iraq oil minister to co-write the law. It was subsequently altered in negotiations and he now opposes it.
"'Would this law really optimize the management of the oil and gas? Would it really unite the country?," Shafiq said. "I believe sincerely it is naive to think it would."
"'It's really important to challenge the notion that the law is going to unite 'warring factions,'" said Ewa Jasiewicz of the London-based campaigner Platform. "The language in which the law is being couched and reported is incredibly sectarian and is creating de facto Sunni, Kurdish and Shiite regional power blocks in the imagination and political landscape and, in the process, the conditions for the creating of these kinds of facts on the ground."
"Many political parties opposed Maliki's government before the oil law. As security in Iraq diminishes, so does the political strength of Maliki's coalition of Shiites -- many backed by Iran -- and Kurds.
"The ministerial council just barely had quorum last week because of boycotts of key Shiite allies and Sunni parties. Parliament was supposed to take up the oil law Wednesday but boycotts and chronic absenteeism scrapped that.
"The Sadr Movement and the Iraqi Accord Front now say they may end the boycott specifically to challenge the law. The former held mass rallies over the weekend in opposition to Maliki. IAF says it will call for a vote of no confidence in him.
"'They are also strongly opposed both to the terrorist forces of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and to the growing influence of Iran in Iraq," Robert Dreyfuss wrote of the opposition in The Nation.
Found on Juan Cole's Informed Comment blog. Another portion below. Whole article here: http://www.upi.com/Energy/Analysis/2007/07/09/analysis_iraq_near_united_in_opposition/8192/
"The oil law already faced opposition from Iraq oil experts -- including two of the law's three original authors -- as well as the powerful oil unions. The unions say they're willing to stop production and exports if the law gives foreign oil companies too much access to or ownership of the oil. "
"The last four years have witnessed repeated attempts at dismantling the basis for any well planned resources management for the whole nation, only to replace it with market oriented destabilization and fragmentation policies that are at variance and in competition with each other and the national interest," said Tariq Shafiq, an Iraqi now living in Amman and London, tasked last spring by the Iraq oil minister to co-write the law. It was subsequently altered in negotiations and he now opposes it.
"'Would this law really optimize the management of the oil and gas? Would it really unite the country?," Shafiq said. "I believe sincerely it is naive to think it would."
"'It's really important to challenge the notion that the law is going to unite 'warring factions,'" said Ewa Jasiewicz of the London-based campaigner Platform. "The language in which the law is being couched and reported is incredibly sectarian and is creating de facto Sunni, Kurdish and Shiite regional power blocks in the imagination and political landscape and, in the process, the conditions for the creating of these kinds of facts on the ground."
"Many political parties opposed Maliki's government before the oil law. As security in Iraq diminishes, so does the political strength of Maliki's coalition of Shiites -- many backed by Iran -- and Kurds.
"The ministerial council just barely had quorum last week because of boycotts of key Shiite allies and Sunni parties. Parliament was supposed to take up the oil law Wednesday but boycotts and chronic absenteeism scrapped that.
"The Sadr Movement and the Iraqi Accord Front now say they may end the boycott specifically to challenge the law. The former held mass rallies over the weekend in opposition to Maliki. IAF says it will call for a vote of no confidence in him.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Seattle Turns Out to Support the Corries at Court
Tweet
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_corrie_caterpillar.html
SEATTLE -- Dozens of protesters have gathered outside the federal courthouse in Seattle for an appeals hearing on the lawsuit brought by the parents of Rachel Corrie against the Caterpillar company.
They carry signs that say "Stop destroying Palestinian homes." The number of protesters overflowed the courtroom, and some people will watch video of the hearing in another room.
Cindy and Craig Corrie accuse the company of human rights violations for selling bulldozers to Israel to destroy Palestinian homes, like the machine that killed their daughter.
Twenty-three-year-old Rachel Corrie of Olympia was run over in 2003 while trying to save a home in Gaza.
Israel said the death was an accident. Caterpillar has said it can't be held responsible for how its bulldozers are used.
The lawsuit was dismissed two years ago in district court in Seattle.
SEATTLE -- Dozens of protesters have gathered outside the federal courthouse in Seattle for an appeals hearing on the lawsuit brought by the parents of Rachel Corrie against the Caterpillar company.
They carry signs that say "Stop destroying Palestinian homes." The number of protesters overflowed the courtroom, and some people will watch video of the hearing in another room.
Cindy and Craig Corrie accuse the company of human rights violations for selling bulldozers to Israel to destroy Palestinian homes, like the machine that killed their daughter.
Twenty-three-year-old Rachel Corrie of Olympia was run over in 2003 while trying to save a home in Gaza.
Israel said the death was an accident. Caterpillar has said it can't be held responsible for how its bulldozers are used.
The lawsuit was dismissed two years ago in district court in Seattle.
Pretty Amazing Rhetoric from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Tweet
If only it wasn't JUST rhetoric.
Whole speech here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4786#more-4786
Portion below.
"Think about what that would do for our economy, for our foreign policy, for our global leadership, it would dramatically improve our balance of payments, reduce our national debt and make all of us more prosperous and more independent and spare us from wars in the Mid-East that are costing us, already, a trillion dollars and from entanglements with Mid-Eastern dictators who despise democracy and are hated by their own people.
"Now you've heard today a lot of people say that there are many little things that you all can do today to avert climate change on your own. But I will tell you this, it is more important than buying compact flourescent light bulbs or than buying a fuel efficient automobile. The most important thing you can do is to get involved in the political process and get rid of all of these rotten politicians that we have in Washington D.C. --
"Who are nothing more than corporate toadies for companies like Exxon and Southern Company, these villainous companies that consistently put their private financial interest ahead of American interest and ahead of the interest of all of humanity. This is treason and we need to start treating them now as traitors.
"And they have their slick public relations firms and their phony think tanks in Washington D.C. and their crooked scientists who are lying to the American people day after day after day. And we have a press that has completely let down American Democracy. That's giving us Ana Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton instead of the issues that we need to understand to make rational decisions in a democracy - like global warming.
"And so I am going to tell you this, that the next time you see John Stossel or Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity --- these flat-earthers, these corporate toadies, lying to you, lying to the American public, and telling you that global warming doesn't exist --- you send an email to their advertisers and tell them that you are not going to buy their products anymore.
"And I want you to remember this, that we are not protecting the environment for the sake of the fishes and the birds, we are protecting it because nature is the infrastructure of our communities. And if we want to meet our obligation as a generation, as a civilization, as a nation, which is to create communities for our children that provide them with the same opportunities for dignity, and enrichment, and good health, and prosperity, and stability as the communities that our parents gave us, we've got to start by protecting our environmental infrastructure.
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the wildlife, the public lands, the things that connect us to our past to our history that provide context to our communities and that are the source, ultimately, of our values and our virtues and our character as a people and the future of our children.
"And I will see all of you on the barricades.
Found on The Progressive Undernews
Whole speech here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4786#more-4786
Portion below.
"Think about what that would do for our economy, for our foreign policy, for our global leadership, it would dramatically improve our balance of payments, reduce our national debt and make all of us more prosperous and more independent and spare us from wars in the Mid-East that are costing us, already, a trillion dollars and from entanglements with Mid-Eastern dictators who despise democracy and are hated by their own people.
"Now you've heard today a lot of people say that there are many little things that you all can do today to avert climate change on your own. But I will tell you this, it is more important than buying compact flourescent light bulbs or than buying a fuel efficient automobile. The most important thing you can do is to get involved in the political process and get rid of all of these rotten politicians that we have in Washington D.C. --
"Who are nothing more than corporate toadies for companies like Exxon and Southern Company, these villainous companies that consistently put their private financial interest ahead of American interest and ahead of the interest of all of humanity. This is treason and we need to start treating them now as traitors.
"And they have their slick public relations firms and their phony think tanks in Washington D.C. and their crooked scientists who are lying to the American people day after day after day. And we have a press that has completely let down American Democracy. That's giving us Ana Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton instead of the issues that we need to understand to make rational decisions in a democracy - like global warming.
"And so I am going to tell you this, that the next time you see John Stossel or Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity --- these flat-earthers, these corporate toadies, lying to you, lying to the American public, and telling you that global warming doesn't exist --- you send an email to their advertisers and tell them that you are not going to buy their products anymore.
"And I want you to remember this, that we are not protecting the environment for the sake of the fishes and the birds, we are protecting it because nature is the infrastructure of our communities. And if we want to meet our obligation as a generation, as a civilization, as a nation, which is to create communities for our children that provide them with the same opportunities for dignity, and enrichment, and good health, and prosperity, and stability as the communities that our parents gave us, we've got to start by protecting our environmental infrastructure.
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the wildlife, the public lands, the things that connect us to our past to our history that provide context to our communities and that are the source, ultimately, of our values and our virtues and our character as a people and the future of our children.
"And I will see all of you on the barricades.
Found on The Progressive Undernews
Cattle Given access to Wildlife Habitat
Tweet
Gov. Gregoire caught playing footsie with the Cattlemen's Association. Portion below. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/322936_grazing09.html
"Environmental consultant Robert Kavanaugh has filed an ethics complaint against Gregoire and Fish and Wildlife Director Jeff Koenings because he said they gave favors to the Cattlemen's Association that no other citizen could have.
"'The ethics code is very clear: A state official cannot give away state resources or do favors for others. The wildlife habitat down there is not theirs to give to the Cattlemen's Association," he said.
"Tom Fitzsimmons, Gregoire's chief of staff, said circumstances and motives that led to the pilot project are consistent with the governor's style, which is to seek out solutions that are mutually beneficial for all parties.
"'It was very typical of the governor," Fitzsimmons said. "In the spirit of reaching out to people, she reached out to the Cattlemen's Association and said, 'How can the state be involved in your issues?'"
"Fitzsimmons said the results have not been proved one way or the other and he said the governor is also taking into consideration the view of those who think it's not a good idea.
"There are differing views of whether it is really working or not," he said. "The jury's still out but that didn't keep us from experimenting and getting into the pilot a little bit."
"Environmental consultant Robert Kavanaugh has filed an ethics complaint against Gregoire and Fish and Wildlife Director Jeff Koenings because he said they gave favors to the Cattlemen's Association that no other citizen could have.
"'The ethics code is very clear: A state official cannot give away state resources or do favors for others. The wildlife habitat down there is not theirs to give to the Cattlemen's Association," he said.
"Tom Fitzsimmons, Gregoire's chief of staff, said circumstances and motives that led to the pilot project are consistent with the governor's style, which is to seek out solutions that are mutually beneficial for all parties.
"'It was very typical of the governor," Fitzsimmons said. "In the spirit of reaching out to people, she reached out to the Cattlemen's Association and said, 'How can the state be involved in your issues?'"
"Fitzsimmons said the results have not been proved one way or the other and he said the governor is also taking into consideration the view of those who think it's not a good idea.
"There are differing views of whether it is really working or not," he said. "The jury's still out but that didn't keep us from experimenting and getting into the pilot a little bit."
Did Washington's Ally Prolong Alan Johnston's Captivity?
Tweet
Washington has it's fingers on the pulse--trying to kill democracy in the Middle East via its henchpeople, like Mohammad Dahlan. Original article here: http://warincontext.org/2007_07_08_archive.html#354560655243871735
"Last week, State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, assumed the role of voice of the world when he said, "I don't think the world views Hamas any differently as a result of this" -- this being Hamas's success in securing the release of Alan Johnston. McCormack may be right, but I'd say the jury is still out. What might shift global opinion however, is the claim that one of America's closest Palestinian allies, Mohammad Dahlan, had his representative, Samir Musharawi, intervene three times to prevent Alan Johnston's release.
This has been known to Conflicts Forum since June 19 but could not be made public at that time. The information was disclosed during a meeting in Beirut, in which the following exchange took place between senior British Member of Parliament, Michael Ancram, and Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Usamah Hamdan:
While Dahlan's motives are a matter of speculation -- he may have felt that postponing Johnston's release would undermine Hamas's ability to provide effective security in Gaza -- the fact remains that Johnston remained captive for as long as Mohammad Dahlan's Preventative Security Services remained in operation in Gaza.
"Last week, State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, assumed the role of voice of the world when he said, "I don't think the world views Hamas any differently as a result of this" -- this being Hamas's success in securing the release of Alan Johnston. McCormack may be right, but I'd say the jury is still out. What might shift global opinion however, is the claim that one of America's closest Palestinian allies, Mohammad Dahlan, had his representative, Samir Musharawi, intervene three times to prevent Alan Johnston's release.
This has been known to Conflicts Forum since June 19 but could not be made public at that time. The information was disclosed during a meeting in Beirut, in which the following exchange took place between senior British Member of Parliament, Michael Ancram, and Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Usamah Hamdan:
Michael Ancram: You mentioned that Alan Johnston's captors
were a family...
Usamah Hamdan: The Dagmoush family.MA: That they were
associated with Dahlan.
Would Dahlan have known? UH: Yes. He knew this, he does.
And for three times we came to the point to release
Alan Johnston and by telephone call from [Samir Musharawi],
who is Dahlan's man, they stopped that.
While Dahlan's motives are a matter of speculation -- he may have felt that postponing Johnston's release would undermine Hamas's ability to provide effective security in Gaza -- the fact remains that Johnston remained captive for as long as Mohammad Dahlan's Preventative Security Services remained in operation in Gaza.
Half of America Want Bush & Cheney Impeached
Tweet
Article's big finish: "But Democratic leaders appear unlikely to pursue such a course."
"Nearly half of the US public wants President George W. Bush to face impeachment, and even more favor that fate for Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a poll out Friday.
"The survey by the American Research Group found that 45 percent support the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush, with 46 percent opposed, and a 54-40 split in favor when it comes to Cheney.
"The study by the private New Hampshire-based ARG canvassed 1,100 Americans by telephone July 3-5 and had an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. The findings are available on ARG's Internet site.
"The White House declined to comment on the poll, the latest bad news for a president who has seen his public opinion standings dragged to record lows by the unpopular war in Iraq.
The US Constitution says presidents and vice presidents can be impeached -- that is, formally charged by the House -- for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" by a simple majority vote.
"Conviction by the Senate, which requires a two-thirds majority, means removal from office.
Just two US presidents have been impeached: Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 and acquitted in 1999; Andrew Johnson was impeached and acquitted in 1868. Disgraced president Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 when a House impeachment vote appeared likely.
"In late April, left-wing Representative Dennis Kucinich, a long-shot Democratic presidential hopeful, introduced a resolution calling for Cheney's impeachment. To date, the measure has nine listed co-sponsors and a 10th set to sign on when the House returns to work next week.
"But Democratic leaders appear unlikely to pursue such a course.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070706195925.rdm9h3ci&show_article=1
"Nearly half of the US public wants President George W. Bush to face impeachment, and even more favor that fate for Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a poll out Friday.
"The survey by the American Research Group found that 45 percent support the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush, with 46 percent opposed, and a 54-40 split in favor when it comes to Cheney.
"The study by the private New Hampshire-based ARG canvassed 1,100 Americans by telephone July 3-5 and had an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. The findings are available on ARG's Internet site.
"The White House declined to comment on the poll, the latest bad news for a president who has seen his public opinion standings dragged to record lows by the unpopular war in Iraq.
The US Constitution says presidents and vice presidents can be impeached -- that is, formally charged by the House -- for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" by a simple majority vote.
"Conviction by the Senate, which requires a two-thirds majority, means removal from office.
Just two US presidents have been impeached: Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 and acquitted in 1999; Andrew Johnson was impeached and acquitted in 1868. Disgraced president Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 when a House impeachment vote appeared likely.
"In late April, left-wing Representative Dennis Kucinich, a long-shot Democratic presidential hopeful, introduced a resolution calling for Cheney's impeachment. To date, the measure has nine listed co-sponsors and a 10th set to sign on when the House returns to work next week.
"But Democratic leaders appear unlikely to pursue such a course.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070706195925.rdm9h3ci&show_article=1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)