It would appear that the Shia have reneged on the possibility of changing the constitution, which was the only reason that many Sunni were persuaded to vote in the recent elections.
This could lead to a total melt down in Sunni Shia relations.
Does the media take an interest?
apparently not
AlterNet: MediaCulture: Civil War Looms; Media Yawns: "he has described the agreement to allow changes to the constitution as a key element in keeping the political process moving forward. 'Thanks to last-minute changes, including a new procedure for considering amendments to the constitution,' he said on the eve of the December vote, 'the revised constitution was endorsed by Iraq's largest Sunni party. Sunnis voted in large numbers for the first time. They joined the political process. And by doing so, they reject the violence of the Saddamists and rejectionists. Through hard work and compromise, Iraqis adopted the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world.'
Now it is clear that the Shiites were just saying what the Bush administration wanted to hear; they never meant it and never intended to follow through. 'We will stop anyone who tries to change the Constitution,' said al-Hakim yesterday.
This belligerent stance could easily drive Iraqi Sunnis (in the words of today's New York Times) 'into the arms of radical Sunni groups in neighboring lands' and 'leave the Shiites even more dependent than they are now on Iran and American troops.' Sounds like a recipe for endless civil war -- and a foreign policy debacle of unimaginable proportions for America.
But, despite this looming disaster, with the exception of the Times' powerful editorial, the mainstream media are giving this major development hardly any play. Even the New York Times has its news story on al-Hakim's statements on page A-10 -- and at the very bottom of the page at that. In the Washington Post, the story appears on A-14, while the Los Angeles Times and USA Today do not cover the story at all! And a LexisNexis search didn't yield a single mention of the story on any of the broadcast or cable news shows. So the match that could ignite an all-out civil war in Iraq was just lit, and the U.S. media can barely muster a yawn."
Thursday, January 19, 2006
US Troops accused of raping Iraqi children
I picked this up from a Pagan group this morning.
I cannot say that it is good quality intelligence, but it quotes sources and is probably as reliable as any of the sources BushBlairco relied on as excuses to invade Iraq.
wrote:
I cannot say that it is good quality intelligence, but it quotes sources and is probably as reliable as any of the sources BushBlairco relied on as excuses to invade Iraq.
| U.S. TROOPS RAPE CHILDREN |
--- In National-Anarchist-Online@yahoogroups.com, Troy Southgate
Iraqi girl of nine kidnapped in front of her school, raped and
left unconscious and bleeding by US troops south of Baghdad on
Sunday 8 January 2005. Americans recorded as having raped 71
Iraqi children under the age of 10 in the year 2005 alone.
-------------------
In a dispatch posted at 7:45pm Mecca time Sunday
night, "Mafkarat al-Islam" Arabic site reported medical sources in
the city of "Al-Hillah", south of Baghdad, as saying that US
troops on Sunday had forcibly kidnapped and raped a nine-year-old
girl, abducting her as she came out of her school after classes.
The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported a doctor in al-
Hillah General Hospital, who asked not to be identified, as
saying that the little girl was found four hours after the
criminal attack, unconscious with blood all over her face and legs.
Witnesses said that the little girl Aminah (the rest of her name
was not published) was standing by the door of "Umm al-Banin
School", waiting for her family to pick her up. In full view of
all the people in the area, an American soldier kidnapped her in
his military vehicle which was part of a patrol passing by.
Numerous witnesses reported that Aminah was later found in
the "Maqali` al-Hasa" area near "al-Hillah", close to an American
base there.
The doctor in al-Hillah General Hospital, who spoke with
Mafkarat al-Islam, said that he had reported the crime to
correspondents for the "Al-Arabiyah Satellite TV Network" and "Al-
`Iraqiyah TV Network" which is owned by American-run Iraqi
government, but they were not interested in the incident,
believing that running the story would get them in trouble with
the US occupation authorities and the American-installed puppet
regime.
Aminah's family requested that the Mafkarat al-Islam
correspondent not publish the full name or photograph of their
daughter in hospital for ethical reasons and Mafkarat al-Islam
complied with their wishes.
The correspondent noted that the "Iraqi Organization for
Children Welfare" had registered 71 cases of rape committed by US
occupation troops against Iraqi children under the age of 10
during the year 2005 alone
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
t r u t h o u t - 2002 Memo Doubted Niger Uranium Sale Claim
The Americans quite quickly owned up to the Niger story being a fraud.
The Brits have hung onto it, saying it is real intelligence that they will not disclose.
Plamegate has faded out of the headlines recently, but Blair has never been made accountable for the plagiarised student thesis, that was 10 years out of date.
t r u t h o u t - 2002 Memo Doubted Niger Uranium Sale Claim: " The analysts' doubts were registered nearly a year before President Bush, in what became known as the infamous '16 words' in his 2003 State of the Union address, said that Saddam Hussein had sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
The White House later acknowledged that the charge, which played a part in the decision to invade Iraq in the belief that Baghdad was reconstituting its nuclear program, relied on faulty intelligence and should not have been included in the speech. Two months ago, Italian intelligence officials concluded that a set of documents at the center of the supposed Iraq-Niger link had been forged by an occasional Italian spy."
The Brits have hung onto it, saying it is real intelligence that they will not disclose.
Plamegate has faded out of the headlines recently, but Blair has never been made accountable for the plagiarised student thesis, that was 10 years out of date.
t r u t h o u t - 2002 Memo Doubted Niger Uranium Sale Claim: " The analysts' doubts were registered nearly a year before President Bush, in what became known as the infamous '16 words' in his 2003 State of the Union address, said that Saddam Hussein had sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
The White House later acknowledged that the charge, which played a part in the decision to invade Iraq in the belief that Baghdad was reconstituting its nuclear program, relied on faulty intelligence and should not have been included in the speech. Two months ago, Italian intelligence officials concluded that a set of documents at the center of the supposed Iraq-Niger link had been forged by an occasional Italian spy."
AlterNet: War on Iraq: The Military Recruiter's Lament
People don't want to kill for Bushco any more.
They are happy to take the risks of being a firefighter but they don't want to go to Iraq.
AlterNet: War on Iraq: The Military Recruiter's Lament: "When one examines the employment picture in America today, firefighting is listed as one of the most dangerous vocations. And yet America's youth are lining up to compete for firefighting jobs, despite the dangers. The reason for this is that danger aside, firefighting is seen as an honorable profession, one worthy of the sacrifice entailed.
Americans aren't afraid to put their lives on the line for a worthy cause. It is not military service that is being rejected, but rather military service in support of a cause not deemed worthy of the sacrifice expected. The military today has degenerated into an entity that is viewed by many in the American public as no longer serving the larger interests of the American people, but rather the play toy of a political elite who use the U.S. military as a tool to impose their ideology on others around the world, as opposed to 'upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States,' the mission assumed when one is sworn into military service."
They are happy to take the risks of being a firefighter but they don't want to go to Iraq.
AlterNet: War on Iraq: The Military Recruiter's Lament: "When one examines the employment picture in America today, firefighting is listed as one of the most dangerous vocations. And yet America's youth are lining up to compete for firefighting jobs, despite the dangers. The reason for this is that danger aside, firefighting is seen as an honorable profession, one worthy of the sacrifice entailed.
Americans aren't afraid to put their lives on the line for a worthy cause. It is not military service that is being rejected, but rather military service in support of a cause not deemed worthy of the sacrifice expected. The military today has degenerated into an entity that is viewed by many in the American public as no longer serving the larger interests of the American people, but rather the play toy of a political elite who use the U.S. military as a tool to impose their ideology on others around the world, as opposed to 'upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States,' the mission assumed when one is sworn into military service."
AlterNet: Whistling in the Wind
It seems there is no one left to blow the whistle to in Bushland.
The agency designed to help whistleblowers is needing whistleblowers of its own
AlterNet: Whistling in the Wind: "The silencing of Gabe Bruno and the whitewashing of FAA corruption is far from an aberration; under the tenure of Scott Bloch, such treatment has become standard practice. According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), whistleblowers are coming forward in record numbers, yet the number of whistleblowers who have been helped by the OSC has plummeted.
Since Bloch took office, over 1,000 whistleblower complaints -- many leveling serious charges of government corruption and incompetence, including allegations of misconduct within FEMA before the Katrina disaster -- have been summarily dismissed. In the words of Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, the OSC has become 'a plumber's unit for the Bush administration, plugging leaks, blocking investigations, and discrediting sources.'"
The agency designed to help whistleblowers is needing whistleblowers of its own
AlterNet: Whistling in the Wind: "The silencing of Gabe Bruno and the whitewashing of FAA corruption is far from an aberration; under the tenure of Scott Bloch, such treatment has become standard practice. According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), whistleblowers are coming forward in record numbers, yet the number of whistleblowers who have been helped by the OSC has plummeted.
Since Bloch took office, over 1,000 whistleblower complaints -- many leveling serious charges of government corruption and incompetence, including allegations of misconduct within FEMA before the Katrina disaster -- have been summarily dismissed. In the words of Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, the OSC has become 'a plumber's unit for the Bush administration, plugging leaks, blocking investigations, and discrediting sources.'"
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Bush OK'd illegal spying before 9/11
More evidence comes in to show Bushco keeping spy records on Americans pre 911.
No doubt the Bushco could argue that it was necessary to defend the country then too.
After all, they knew 911 was about to happen.
AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Bush OK'd illegal spying before 9/11: "Jason Leopold of Truthout reports that Bush authorized illegal spying before 9/11, according to a recently declassified document. In early 2001 the National Security Agency requested permission to undertake data mining operations that might bring up the names of American citizens.
The Agency requested that the administration delete those names, should they crop up. Keeping them would be illegal domestic spying. The administration ignored the NSA's request and used the names to compile an illegal enemies list.
Leopold writes:
What had long been understood to be protocol in the event that the NSA spied on average Americans was that the agency would black out the identities of those individuals or immediately destroy the information.
But according to people who worked at the NSA as encryption specialists during this time, that's not what happened. On orders from Defense Department officials and President Bush, the agency kept a running list of the names of Americans in its system and made it readily available to a number of senior officials in the Bush administration, these sources said, which in essence meant the NSA was conducting a covert domestic surveillance operation in violation of the law."
No doubt the Bushco could argue that it was necessary to defend the country then too.
After all, they knew 911 was about to happen.
AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Bush OK'd illegal spying before 9/11: "Jason Leopold of Truthout reports that Bush authorized illegal spying before 9/11, according to a recently declassified document. In early 2001 the National Security Agency requested permission to undertake data mining operations that might bring up the names of American citizens.
The Agency requested that the administration delete those names, should they crop up. Keeping them would be illegal domestic spying. The administration ignored the NSA's request and used the names to compile an illegal enemies list.
Leopold writes:
What had long been understood to be protocol in the event that the NSA spied on average Americans was that the agency would black out the identities of those individuals or immediately destroy the information.
But according to people who worked at the NSA as encryption specialists during this time, that's not what happened. On orders from Defense Department officials and President Bush, the agency kept a running list of the names of Americans in its system and made it readily available to a number of senior officials in the Bush administration, these sources said, which in essence meant the NSA was conducting a covert domestic surveillance operation in violation of the law."
t r u t h o u t - Juan Cole | 10 Things King Would Have Done about Iraq
Martin Luther King had more than one dream. But the craven media will not tell you this one. It is a great dream.
What a pity the good stuff in America has been squashed by Bushco etc.
t r u t h o u t - Juan Cole | 10 Things King Would Have Done about Iraq: " 9. A revolution in American values away from consumer materialism and militarism is needed if we are not to go on having one Vietnam after another:
'The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality [applause], and if we ignore this sobering reality, we will find ourselves organizing 'clergy and laymen concerned' committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy . . .
Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin [applause], we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered . "
What a pity the good stuff in America has been squashed by Bushco etc.
t r u t h o u t - Juan Cole | 10 Things King Would Have Done about Iraq: " 9. A revolution in American values away from consumer materialism and militarism is needed if we are not to go on having one Vietnam after another:
'The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality [applause], and if we ignore this sobering reality, we will find ourselves organizing 'clergy and laymen concerned' committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy . . .
Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin [applause], we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered . "
Cronkite: Time for U.S. to Leave Iraq - Yahoo! News
Roll back the clocks for 89 year old Walter Cronkite, he is a bot flatulant these days, repeating on us.
He wants to tell you Americans again that it is time to go.
Home that is.
Go home Americans, you have nothing to add to improve the world.
How about a return to splendid or maybe flacid isolation.
Cronkite: Time for U.S. to Leave Iraq - Yahoo! News: "PASADENA, Calif. - Former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, whose 1968 conclusion that the Vietnam War was unwinnable keenly influenced public opinion then, said Sunday he'd say the same thing today about
Iraq.
'It's my belief that we should get out now,' Cronkite said in a meeting with reporters.
Now 89, the television journalist once known as 'the most trusted man in America' has been off the 'CBS Evening News' for nearly a quarter-century. He's still a CBS News employee, although he does little for them"
He wants to tell you Americans again that it is time to go.
Home that is.
Go home Americans, you have nothing to add to improve the world.
How about a return to splendid or maybe flacid isolation.
Cronkite: Time for U.S. to Leave Iraq - Yahoo! News: "PASADENA, Calif. - Former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, whose 1968 conclusion that the Vietnam War was unwinnable keenly influenced public opinion then, said Sunday he'd say the same thing today about
Iraq.
'It's my belief that we should get out now,' Cronkite said in a meeting with reporters.
Now 89, the television journalist once known as 'the most trusted man in America' has been off the 'CBS Evening News' for nearly a quarter-century. He's still a CBS News employee, although he does little for them"
t r u t h o u t - Global Warming to Speed Up as Carbon Levels Show Sharp Rise
In the Independent yesterday Lovelock told us it is already too late. We face 10,000 years of overheated earth.
I guess that legitimises everyone grabbing everything they can now before our children or grand children have nothing left.
Three cheers for Blair and Bush
t r u t h o u t - Global Warming to Speed Up as Carbon Levels Show Sharp Rise: "Global Warming to Speed Up as Carbon Levels Show Sharp Rise
By Geoffrey Lean
The Independent UK
Sunday 15 January 2006
Global warming is set to accelerate alarmingly because of a sharp jump in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Preliminary figures, exclusively obtained by The Independent on Sunday, show that levels of the gas - the main cause of climate change - have risen abruptly in the past four years. Scientists fear that warming is entering a new phase, and may accelerate further.
But a summit of the most polluting countries, convened by the Bush administration, last week refused to set targets for reducing their carbon dioxide emissions. Set up in competition to the Kyoto Protocol, the summit, held in Sydney and attended by Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea as well as the United States, instead pledged to develop cleaner technologies - which some experts believe will not arrive in time."
I guess that legitimises everyone grabbing everything they can now before our children or grand children have nothing left.
Three cheers for Blair and Bush
t r u t h o u t - Global Warming to Speed Up as Carbon Levels Show Sharp Rise: "Global Warming to Speed Up as Carbon Levels Show Sharp Rise
By Geoffrey Lean
The Independent UK
Sunday 15 January 2006
Global warming is set to accelerate alarmingly because of a sharp jump in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Preliminary figures, exclusively obtained by The Independent on Sunday, show that levels of the gas - the main cause of climate change - have risen abruptly in the past four years. Scientists fear that warming is entering a new phase, and may accelerate further.
But a summit of the most polluting countries, convened by the Bush administration, last week refused to set targets for reducing their carbon dioxide emissions. Set up in competition to the Kyoto Protocol, the summit, held in Sydney and attended by Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea as well as the United States, instead pledged to develop cleaner technologies - which some experts believe will not arrive in time."
The Pacifist `Threat'
"Peace and opposition to war". Yes, sir, the quakers are under surveillance again. They are the wrong kind of Christians. They don't like crusades, murder, torture, rape, and pillage.
The Pacifist `Threat': "Published on Monday, January 16, 2006 by the Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
The Pacifist `Threat'
Disclosure Of Recent Government Surveillance Of Quaker Activities Doesn't Surprise Members
by Francis Grandy Taylor
A group of Quakers who were protesting military recruitment efforts at a Florida high school recently learned their meeting was included on a secret Pentagon database of 'suspicious incidents.' When that news broke last month, it had a familiar ring for many American Quakers.
'With the restriction of civil liberties goes surveillance,' says Don Weinholtz, a Quaker who lives in Windsor. 'It just seems to be a very unfortunate natural course of events.'
The Religious Society of Friends is one of the largest groups of Quakers in the United States, with about 600,000 members worldwide. They embrace beliefs, called testimonies, that include peace, equality and rejection of war in all its forms."
The Pacifist `Threat': "Published on Monday, January 16, 2006 by the Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
The Pacifist `Threat'
Disclosure Of Recent Government Surveillance Of Quaker Activities Doesn't Surprise Members
by Francis Grandy Taylor
A group of Quakers who were protesting military recruitment efforts at a Florida high school recently learned their meeting was included on a secret Pentagon database of 'suspicious incidents.' When that news broke last month, it had a familiar ring for many American Quakers.
'With the restriction of civil liberties goes surveillance,' says Don Weinholtz, a Quaker who lives in Windsor. 'It just seems to be a very unfortunate natural course of events.'
The Religious Society of Friends is one of the largest groups of Quakers in the United States, with about 600,000 members worldwide. They embrace beliefs, called testimonies, that include peace, equality and rejection of war in all its forms."
Gore: Bush 'Repeatedly and Persistently' Broke the Law
While Gore does his bull impersonation the Republicans reply with a kind of "Oh how can you criticise big daddy Bush who alone knows how threatened we are" Hitler would have been proud.
Gore: Bush 'Repeatedly and Persistently' Broke the Law: "Published on Monday, January 16, 2006 by the Associated Press
Gore: Bush 'Repeatedly and Persistently' Broke the Law
by Larry Margasak
WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Al Gore called Monday for an independent investigation of President Bush's domestic spying program, contending the president 'repeatedly and persistently' broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval.
Also See Full Text of Prepared Remarks:
Al Gore 1/16/2006:
'We the People' Must Save Our Constitution
GORE: BUSH 'REPEATEDLY AND PERSISTENTLY' BROKE THE LAW
Former Vice President Al Gore gestures while addressing the American Constitution Society on the threat to the Constitution from President Bush's domestic wiretap policy, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washigton. Gore asserted Monday that President Bush 'repeatedly and persistently' broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without a court warrant. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Speaking on Martin Luther King Jr.'s national holiday, the man who lost the 2000 presidential election to Bush was interrupted repeatedly by applause as he called the anti-terrorism program 'a threat to the very structure of our government.'
Gore charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a 'direct assault' on a special federal court that authorizes requests to eavesdrop on Americans. One judge on the court resigned last month, voicing concerns about the National Security Agency's surveillance of e-mails and phone calls."
Gore: Bush 'Repeatedly and Persistently' Broke the Law: "Published on Monday, January 16, 2006 by the Associated Press
Gore: Bush 'Repeatedly and Persistently' Broke the Law
by Larry Margasak
WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Al Gore called Monday for an independent investigation of President Bush's domestic spying program, contending the president 'repeatedly and persistently' broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval.
Also See Full Text of Prepared Remarks:
Al Gore 1/16/2006:
'We the People' Must Save Our Constitution
GORE: BUSH 'REPEATEDLY AND PERSISTENTLY' BROKE THE LAW
Former Vice President Al Gore gestures while addressing the American Constitution Society on the threat to the Constitution from President Bush's domestic wiretap policy, Monday, Jan. 16, 2006 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washigton. Gore asserted Monday that President Bush 'repeatedly and persistently' broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without a court warrant. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Speaking on Martin Luther King Jr.'s national holiday, the man who lost the 2000 presidential election to Bush was interrupted repeatedly by applause as he called the anti-terrorism program 'a threat to the very structure of our government.'
Gore charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a 'direct assault' on a special federal court that authorizes requests to eavesdrop on Americans. One judge on the court resigned last month, voicing concerns about the National Security Agency's surveillance of e-mails and phone calls."
Monday, January 16, 2006
t r u t h o u t - Al Gore: 'America's Constitution is in Grave Danger'
Gore has spoken
But are people listening
and if they listen can they do anything?
Over here Blair announces breathtaking changes to our system of law, taking a giant leap down the road to a police state
No outrage
No complaints
Nothing
Nada
The silence is deafening.
t r u t h o u t - Al Gore: 'America's Constitution is in Grave Danger': "US Constitution in Grave Danger
By Albert Gore Jr.
t r u t h o u t | Speech
Monday 16 January 2006
The following is the transcript as prepared for delivery.
Congressman Barr and I have disagreed many times over the years, but we have joined together today with thousands of our fellow citizens-Democrats and Republicans alike-to express our shared concern that America's Constitution is in grave danger.
In spite of our differences over ideology and politics, we are in strong agreement that the American values we hold most dear have been placed at serious risk by the unprecedented claims of the Administration to a truly breathtaking expansion of executive power.
As we begin this new year, the Executive Branch of our government has been caught eavesdropping on huge numbers of American citizens and has brazenly declared that it has the unilateral right to continue without regard to the established law enacted by Congress to prevent such abuses.
It is imperative that respect for the rule of law be restored.
So, many of us have come here to Constitution Hall to sound an alarm and call upon our fellow citizens to put aside partisan differences and join with us in demanding that our Constitution be defended and preserved.
It is appropriate that we make this appeal on the day our nation has set aside to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who challenged America to breathe new life into our oldest values by extending its promise to all our people."
But are people listening
and if they listen can they do anything?
Over here Blair announces breathtaking changes to our system of law, taking a giant leap down the road to a police state
No outrage
No complaints
Nothing
Nada
The silence is deafening.
t r u t h o u t - Al Gore: 'America's Constitution is in Grave Danger': "US Constitution in Grave Danger
By Albert Gore Jr.
t r u t h o u t | Speech
Monday 16 January 2006
The following is the transcript as prepared for delivery.
Congressman Barr and I have disagreed many times over the years, but we have joined together today with thousands of our fellow citizens-Democrats and Republicans alike-to express our shared concern that America's Constitution is in grave danger.
In spite of our differences over ideology and politics, we are in strong agreement that the American values we hold most dear have been placed at serious risk by the unprecedented claims of the Administration to a truly breathtaking expansion of executive power.
As we begin this new year, the Executive Branch of our government has been caught eavesdropping on huge numbers of American citizens and has brazenly declared that it has the unilateral right to continue without regard to the established law enacted by Congress to prevent such abuses.
It is imperative that respect for the rule of law be restored.
So, many of us have come here to Constitution Hall to sound an alarm and call upon our fellow citizens to put aside partisan differences and join with us in demanding that our Constitution be defended and preserved.
It is appropriate that we make this appeal on the day our nation has set aside to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who challenged America to breathe new life into our oldest values by extending its promise to all our people."
Iran not a nuclear threat!?
Some people, see below, think all the talk of Iranian nuclear weapons is just western propaganda.
I don't know enough. I am pretty sure of one thing, if the Iranians came anywhere close to having a nuclear bomb the Israelis would destroy it just as they did with Saddam's nuclear site.
Maybe you forgot about that.
Saddam abandoned his nuclear ambitions after the Israelis bombed his sites.
The rest of the wmd story was just western propaganda to justify the second gulf war.
"More Lies about Iran
By Mike Whitney
01/15/06 'ICH' -- -- There’s been a lot of rubbish written about Iran’s “removing the seals” from its uranium enrichment equipment.
The fear-mongering western media have exploited the expression for all its worth. Even those who are normally skeptical of the Bush-propaganda machine are taken aback by this ominous-sounding phrase.
What gibberish!
How else does one make nuclear fuel for electric power plants if the fuel-producing mechanism is under lock and key?
The fear-engendering description provided in the news would have the reader believe that “diabolical” Iranians are ripping off the seals with crowbars so they can quickly assemble their secret nuclear stockpile to bomb Tel Aviv.
This is the worse type of demagoguery.
The fuel that is produced from these uranium enrichment reactors DOES NOT PRODUCE WEAPONS-GRADE MATERIAL. That requires thousands of centrifuges which Iran does not have. "
I don't know enough. I am pretty sure of one thing, if the Iranians came anywhere close to having a nuclear bomb the Israelis would destroy it just as they did with Saddam's nuclear site.
Maybe you forgot about that.
Saddam abandoned his nuclear ambitions after the Israelis bombed his sites.
The rest of the wmd story was just western propaganda to justify the second gulf war.
"More Lies about Iran
By Mike Whitney
01/15/06 'ICH' -- -- There’s been a lot of rubbish written about Iran’s “removing the seals” from its uranium enrichment equipment.
The fear-mongering western media have exploited the expression for all its worth. Even those who are normally skeptical of the Bush-propaganda machine are taken aback by this ominous-sounding phrase.
What gibberish!
How else does one make nuclear fuel for electric power plants if the fuel-producing mechanism is under lock and key?
The fear-engendering description provided in the news would have the reader believe that “diabolical” Iranians are ripping off the seals with crowbars so they can quickly assemble their secret nuclear stockpile to bomb Tel Aviv.
This is the worse type of demagoguery.
The fuel that is produced from these uranium enrichment reactors DOES NOT PRODUCE WEAPONS-GRADE MATERIAL. That requires thousands of centrifuges which Iran does not have. "
t r u t h o u t - Airstrike by US Draws Protests from Pakistanis
Blairy england looks forward to a time when Bushco will feel free not only to kidnap our nationals as it is already doing but to bomb villages in Wales or Scotland oe even this one, thought to be a threat to the Emperor.
Doubtless Mr Blair and his government would not oppose such developments. The Americans already claim the right to shoot our nationals if they seem threatening outside American bases.
t r u t h o u t - Airstrike by US Draws Protests from Pakistanis: " In a speech he gave to townspeople in Sawabi, President Musharraf warned that aiding militants was dangerous.
'If we harbor foreign terrorists, those who carry out bomb blasts throughout the world, then remember that our future is not good,' he said. 'People should not side with foreign militants,' he said. 'They should tell us about them so we take action against them,' he said.
He did not directly criticize the United States for the attack, and it was left to the Foreign Ministry to protest the infringement of sovereignty. 'Our armed forces have undertaken large-scale operations against the foreign militants, and it remains our responsibility to protect our people and territory from outside intrusion,' the ministry said.
The statement was the second in two weeks in which the Pakistani government has condemned what was thought to be an American attack on its soil. Eight people, including women and children, were reported killed Jan. 7 when missiles destroyed the house of a local cleric in North Waziristan close to the Afghan border. Pakistan lodged a strong protest with coalition forces on Monday, but said it was still investigating whether the missiles had been fired from Pakistani airspace or from Afghan territory."
Doubtless Mr Blair and his government would not oppose such developments. The Americans already claim the right to shoot our nationals if they seem threatening outside American bases.
t r u t h o u t - Airstrike by US Draws Protests from Pakistanis: " In a speech he gave to townspeople in Sawabi, President Musharraf warned that aiding militants was dangerous.
'If we harbor foreign terrorists, those who carry out bomb blasts throughout the world, then remember that our future is not good,' he said. 'People should not side with foreign militants,' he said. 'They should tell us about them so we take action against them,' he said.
He did not directly criticize the United States for the attack, and it was left to the Foreign Ministry to protest the infringement of sovereignty. 'Our armed forces have undertaken large-scale operations against the foreign militants, and it remains our responsibility to protect our people and territory from outside intrusion,' the ministry said.
The statement was the second in two weeks in which the Pakistani government has condemned what was thought to be an American attack on its soil. Eight people, including women and children, were reported killed Jan. 7 when missiles destroyed the house of a local cleric in North Waziristan close to the Afghan border. Pakistan lodged a strong protest with coalition forces on Monday, but said it was still investigating whether the missiles had been fired from Pakistani airspace or from Afghan territory."
t r u t h o u t - Court: Bush Can Be Sued on Faith Based Initiative
Bush has been putting state money into backing christian groups of neo-cons for some time.
Now a court is challenging it.
That's good then.
t r u t h o u t - Court: Bush Can Be Sued on Faith Based Initiative: " Challenge to Bush Initiative Reinstated
The Associated Press
Saturday 14 January 2006
Madison, Wis. - A group can sue the federal government over claims that President Bush's faith-based initiative is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion, a federal appeals court ruled.
A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reinstated the lawsuit brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group claims Bush's program, which helps religious organizations get government funding to provide social services, violates the separation of church and state.
'Bush says this is constitutional, but it's never been tried by the courts. So we're pleased,' said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation, said Saturday.
Bush sidestepped Congress by issuing executive orders to create the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and similar centers in 10 federal agencies during his first term. He said the goal was to help religious and community groups compete for federal funding to fight poverty, substance abuse and other social problems."
Now a court is challenging it.
That's good then.
t r u t h o u t - Court: Bush Can Be Sued on Faith Based Initiative: " Challenge to Bush Initiative Reinstated
The Associated Press
Saturday 14 January 2006
Madison, Wis. - A group can sue the federal government over claims that President Bush's faith-based initiative is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion, a federal appeals court ruled.
A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reinstated the lawsuit brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group claims Bush's program, which helps religious organizations get government funding to provide social services, violates the separation of church and state.
'Bush says this is constitutional, but it's never been tried by the courts. So we're pleased,' said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation, said Saturday.
Bush sidestepped Congress by issuing executive orders to create the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and similar centers in 10 federal agencies during his first term. He said the goal was to help religious and community groups compete for federal funding to fight poverty, substance abuse and other social problems."
t r u t h o u t - Murtha Says Elections Could End War
Not quite sure if this is worth blogging
Sometimes we need to record the obvious just to confirm that others have noticed it too.
t r u t h o u t - Murtha Says Elections Could End War: "Murtha Says Elections Could End War
Reuters
Friday 13 January 2006
New York - U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an outspoken Democratic critic of the Iraq war, said in remarks to be aired on Sunday that voter pressure in the November congressional election could force President George W. Bush to pull U.S. forces from Iraq.
'I think the vast majority will be out by the end of the year and I'm hopeful it will be sooner than that,' Murtha, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who retired as a colonel after 37 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, told the CBS '60 Minutes' show.
The Pennsylvania Democrat said mounting pressure from voters tired of the war could affect this year's midterm election and force Bush to devise a plan to pull U.S. troops from Iraq.
'You're going to see a plan for withdrawal,' said Murtha, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending.
'I think the political people who give (Bush) advice will say to him, 'You don't want a Democratic (controlled) Congress. You want to keep a Republican majority, and the only way you're going to keep it is by reducing substantially the troops in Iraq.''
All 435 seats of the House are up for election in November."
Sometimes we need to record the obvious just to confirm that others have noticed it too.
t r u t h o u t - Murtha Says Elections Could End War: "Murtha Says Elections Could End War
Reuters
Friday 13 January 2006
New York - U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an outspoken Democratic critic of the Iraq war, said in remarks to be aired on Sunday that voter pressure in the November congressional election could force President George W. Bush to pull U.S. forces from Iraq.
'I think the vast majority will be out by the end of the year and I'm hopeful it will be sooner than that,' Murtha, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who retired as a colonel after 37 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, told the CBS '60 Minutes' show.
The Pennsylvania Democrat said mounting pressure from voters tired of the war could affect this year's midterm election and force Bush to devise a plan to pull U.S. troops from Iraq.
'You're going to see a plan for withdrawal,' said Murtha, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending.
'I think the political people who give (Bush) advice will say to him, 'You don't want a Democratic (controlled) Congress. You want to keep a Republican majority, and the only way you're going to keep it is by reducing substantially the troops in Iraq.''
All 435 seats of the House are up for election in November."
Sunday, January 15, 2006
t r u t h o u t - NYT Warns of Unrestrained Bush Powers
Why can't you Americans understand it.
Your land of the free is being taken from you.
Do you care?
t r u t h o u t - NYT Warns of Unrestrained Bush Powers: "Mr. Bush made a grand show of inviting Mr. McCain into the Oval Office last month to announce his support for a bill to require humane treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay and other prisons run by the American military and intelligence agencies. He seemed to have managed to get Vice President Dick Cheney to stop trying to kill the proposed Congressional ban on torture of prisoners.
The White House also endorsed a bargain between Mr. Levin and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, which tempered somewhat a noxious proposal by Mr. Graham to deny a court hearing to anyone the president declares to be an 'unlawful enemy combatant.' The bargain with Mr. Levin removed language that stripped away cases already before the courts, which would have been an egregious usurpation of power by one branch of government, and it made clear that those cases should remain in the courts.
Mr. Bush, however, seems to see no limit to his imperial presidency. First, he issued a constitutionally ludicrous 'signing statement' on the McCain bill. The message: Whatever Congress intended the law to say, he intended to ignore it on the pretext the commander in chief is above the law. That twisted reasoning is what led to the legalized torture policies, not to mention the domestic spying program.
Then Mr. Bush went after the judiciary, scrapping the Levin-Graham bargain. The solicitor general informed the Supreme Court last week that it no longer had jurisdiction over detainee cases. It said the court should drop an existing case in which a Yemeni national is challenging the military tribunals invented by Mr. Bush's morally challenged lawyers after 9/11. The administration is seeking to eliminate all other lawsuits filed by some of the approximately 500 men at Gitmo, the vast majority of whom have not been shown to pose any threat.
Both of the offensive theories at work here - that a president's intent in sig"
Your land of the free is being taken from you.
Do you care?
t r u t h o u t - NYT Warns of Unrestrained Bush Powers: "Mr. Bush made a grand show of inviting Mr. McCain into the Oval Office last month to announce his support for a bill to require humane treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay and other prisons run by the American military and intelligence agencies. He seemed to have managed to get Vice President Dick Cheney to stop trying to kill the proposed Congressional ban on torture of prisoners.
The White House also endorsed a bargain between Mr. Levin and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, which tempered somewhat a noxious proposal by Mr. Graham to deny a court hearing to anyone the president declares to be an 'unlawful enemy combatant.' The bargain with Mr. Levin removed language that stripped away cases already before the courts, which would have been an egregious usurpation of power by one branch of government, and it made clear that those cases should remain in the courts.
Mr. Bush, however, seems to see no limit to his imperial presidency. First, he issued a constitutionally ludicrous 'signing statement' on the McCain bill. The message: Whatever Congress intended the law to say, he intended to ignore it on the pretext the commander in chief is above the law. That twisted reasoning is what led to the legalized torture policies, not to mention the domestic spying program.
Then Mr. Bush went after the judiciary, scrapping the Levin-Graham bargain. The solicitor general informed the Supreme Court last week that it no longer had jurisdiction over detainee cases. It said the court should drop an existing case in which a Yemeni national is challenging the military tribunals invented by Mr. Bush's morally challenged lawyers after 9/11. The administration is seeking to eliminate all other lawsuits filed by some of the approximately 500 men at Gitmo, the vast majority of whom have not been shown to pose any threat.
Both of the offensive theories at work here - that a president's intent in sig"
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Bishops Urge U.S. to Transition Out of Iraq - Los Angeles Times
The bishops are saying get out of Iraq.
So it will soon happen then!?
Who listens to bishops when there are so many raving lunatic pastors telling you to kill anyone who isn't Christian?
Bishops Urge U.S. to Transition Out of Iraq - Los Angeles Times: "Declaring that the United States was at a crossroads in Iraq, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops said Thursday the time had come to withdraw U.S. troops as fast as responsibly possible and to hand control of the country to Iraqis."
So it will soon happen then!?
Who listens to bishops when there are so many raving lunatic pastors telling you to kill anyone who isn't Christian?
Bishops Urge U.S. to Transition Out of Iraq - Los Angeles Times: "Declaring that the United States was at a crossroads in Iraq, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops said Thursday the time had come to withdraw U.S. troops as fast as responsibly possible and to hand control of the country to Iraqis."
AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Commanding Responsibility from the Pentagon
A law case has just opened the door to Bushco being convicted for torture.
Whistleblowers have confirmed that this regime authorised torture under US and International Law.
Sooner or later these people will have to lose power.
Then they will be up for prosecution
Unless of course permanent state terror has been established.
AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Commanding Responsibility from the Pentagon: "Rumsfeld and Cheney are staring down the possibility they could be held accountable for crimes at Abu Ghraib, Falluja and Guantanamo.
A jury verdict in Memphis late last year caused little stir among the general public, but it may have caught the attention of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other high officials of the Bush administration. The jury found Colonel Nicolas Carranza, former Vice Minister of Defense of El Salvador and now a U.S. citizen living in Memphis, responsible for overseeing the torture and killing in that country 25 years ago. Could similar charges be brought against high U.S. officials for the actions of their subordinates in Abu Ghraib, Falluja, and Guantanamo?"
Whistleblowers have confirmed that this regime authorised torture under US and International Law.
Sooner or later these people will have to lose power.
Then they will be up for prosecution
Unless of course permanent state terror has been established.
AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Commanding Responsibility from the Pentagon: "Rumsfeld and Cheney are staring down the possibility they could be held accountable for crimes at Abu Ghraib, Falluja and Guantanamo.
A jury verdict in Memphis late last year caused little stir among the general public, but it may have caught the attention of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other high officials of the Bush administration. The jury found Colonel Nicolas Carranza, former Vice Minister of Defense of El Salvador and now a U.S. citizen living in Memphis, responsible for overseeing the torture and killing in that country 25 years ago. Could similar charges be brought against high U.S. officials for the actions of their subordinates in Abu Ghraib, Falluja, and Guantanamo?"
AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Commanding Responsibility from the Pentagon
A law case has just opened the door to Bushco being convicted for torture.
Whistleblowers have confirmed that this regime authorised torture under US and International Law.
Sooner or later these people will have to lose power.
Then they will be up for prosecution
Unless of course permanent state terror has been established.
AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Commanding Responsibility from the Pentagon: "Rumsfeld and Cheney are staring down the possibility they could be held accountable for crimes at Abu Ghraib, Falluja and Guantanamo.
A jury verdict in Memphis late last year caused little stir among the general public, but it may have caught the attention of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other high officials of the Bush administration. The jury found Colonel Nicolas Carranza, former Vice Minister of Defense of El Salvador and now a U.S. citizen living in Memphis, responsible for overseeing the torture and killing in that country 25 years ago. Could similar charges be brought against high U.S. officials for the actions of their subordinates in Abu Ghraib, Falluja, and Guantanamo?"
Whistleblowers have confirmed that this regime authorised torture under US and International Law.
Sooner or later these people will have to lose power.
Then they will be up for prosecution
Unless of course permanent state terror has been established.
AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Commanding Responsibility from the Pentagon: "Rumsfeld and Cheney are staring down the possibility they could be held accountable for crimes at Abu Ghraib, Falluja and Guantanamo.
A jury verdict in Memphis late last year caused little stir among the general public, but it may have caught the attention of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and other high officials of the Bush administration. The jury found Colonel Nicolas Carranza, former Vice Minister of Defense of El Salvador and now a U.S. citizen living in Memphis, responsible for overseeing the torture and killing in that country 25 years ago. Could similar charges be brought against high U.S. officials for the actions of their subordinates in Abu Ghraib, Falluja, and Guantanamo?"
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