| Information Clearing House Digest December 12-16 2004 | |
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Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2004 === Evildoers, here we come The road to Damascus is the key node in the Bush/neo-con roadmap for a new Middle East. by Pepe Escobar Washington is faced with two options. It could restore the draft – provoking
a minor social earthquake in the US. Or it could develop – and
deploy – tactical nuclear weapons, mini-nukes. Fallujah – flattened
by “conventional” means – was just a test. On the
road to Damascus, the road to Tehran, the road to Riyadh, the neo-cons
would be much more tempted to go nuclear. === Selling Out The Uyghurs: Why 8,000,000 People You’ve Never Heard Of Hate Us: ByTed Rall Today Chinese-occupied Central Asia is a case study in how American
foreign policy turns pro-American Muslims into deadly enemies. === Eyewitness Interview: This is a must listen / read “Iraq Is An Absolute Disaster”: Journalist Michael Ware is the Baghdad Bureau Chief for Time Magazine.
He was embedded in Fallujah during the recent US offensive earlier
this month. He joins us today with his perspective on the situation
in Iraq. Continued: Real Audio Audio & Transcript === Rise of the Amerikan Nazis Democracy at Death‚s Doorstep By Manuel Valenzuela We have been tamed, like a wild stallion, broken, saddled and corralled,
robbed of the freedom to roam America‚s plains, now faithful
and obedient to our wicked masters, unwilling to take action, unwilling
to resist and revolt, much like the Declaration of Independence asks
us to do in times of tyranny, instead complacent in life, entertained
by bread and circus, uncaring for our future, ignorant to our present,
blind to the destruction of America being perpetrated by those in
power. We are like zoo animals, encaged, depressed, controlled, conditioned,
defeated. === Strikes Across Baghdad Kill Five : Including three paramilitary policemen and a government official ˜ as
anti occupation forces kept up their campaign to derail Iraq’s
upcoming general election. === Death toll rises in Karbala bombing: Ten people were killed and 40 wounded when a powerful bomb exploded
near one of the holiest Shiite shrines in Iraq, according to the
latest toll from hospital officials. === Six found murdered in Iraq: “Six bodies, three men and three women, were found at around
3pm (11pm AEDT) in Mazraa,” outside of Latifiyah, 40km from
the capital, one witness told AFP. === Gunmen Kill Iraqi Telecoms Ministry Official: A senior official in Iraq’s Communications Ministry was shot
dead as he was driving to work in Baghdad on Thursday, a source at
the ministry said. === Group in Iraq claims killing of Italian hostage: : An Italian hostage identified as Salvatore Santoro has been killed
by an Islamist group in Iraq, Al-Jazeera television reported Thursday === Gunmen Overrun Iraqi Police Station in Samarra: Gunmen overran a police station in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra
on Wednesday and seized weapons and ammunition, witnesses said. === Iraq Insurgency Growing ‘More Effective’-US General: A bold, innovative insurgency has become more effective against
U.S. supply lines in Iraq and explosive attacks have slowed military
operations there, a senior American general said on Wednesday. === “Double standard for killing in Iraq,” : Marine Killed Unarmed POW: The majority of this country knows that
if they were in his situation, they would have done the same thing
or maybe even one step further, left no witnesses. === When Mom Goes to War…And Dies: “Even if I come home in a box, you should know that I did
it for (all of) you. Take care of the kids. Stay strong,” Osbourne
told her spouse. === Almost 900 children lost a parent in Iraq; how they cope: “I don’t want to be a daddy because daddies die,” the
child solemnly told his mother after his father, Staff Sgt. Wentz “Baron” Shanaberger,
a military policeman from Fort Pierce, Fla., was killed March 23
in an ambush in Iraq. === Flood of Troubled Soldiers Is in the Offing, Experts Predict: The nation’s hard-pressed health care system for veterans
is facing a potential deluge of tens of thousands of soldiers returning
from Iraq with serious mental health problems brought on by the stress
and carnage of war, veterans’ advocates and military doctors
say. === The pattern of discontent in US ranks: Evidence includes numbers of deserters (reportedly in the thousands),
resignations of reserve officers, lawsuits by those whose duty period
has been involuntarily extended, and a refusal to go on dangerous
missions without proper equipment. === Jack Dalton: The Continued Plight of 1st LT Jennifer Dyer: Raped, then Raped Again: If the Army had honored her original request
for a compassionate transfer after she was raped instead of insisting
she return to Camp Shelby after her convalescent leave none of this
would be happening. === US ‘failed to control’ Iraq oil : A United Nations panel has found that the US-led occupation authority
failed to exercise proper controls over Iraq’s oil industry
and could not say how much oil had gone missing since the fall of
Saddam Hussein. === Terror detainees win Lords appeal : Detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial breaks human
rights laws, the UK’s highest court has ruled. === Analysis: Britain’s Guantanamo: The Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 was speeded through
Parliament, granting the police and security services far wider powers
of search, arrest, questioning, surveillance and detention. === Five Minute Movie: Britain’s War On Islam: “We Will Blow Your Son’s head Off” they say. File may take a moment to lad. Flash presentation. === The struggle is no longer against religion, but within it : For the left not to have stood with Muslims would have been a real
betrayal === Pentagon Tells Detainees About Their Right to Go to Court: Six months after a landmark Supreme Court ruling, the military has
begun to formally notify some detainees held at the U.S. prison at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that they have the right to challenge their
imprisonment in an American court. === U.S. may parole Guantanamo detainees: The panels will decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to hold
a prisoner for additional interrogation, whether he might face possible
trial, and whether he is likely to hurt the United States or Americans
if he is freed. === Ex-military lawyers will oppose Gonzales: Several former high-ranking military lawyers say they are discussing
ways to oppose President Bush’s nomination of Alberto Gonzales
to be attorney general, asserting that Gonzales’ supervision
of legal memorandums that appeared to sanction harsh treatment of
detainees, even torture, showed unsound legal judgment. === Attorney Alleges Bush, Rumsfeld Statements Taint First U.S. Abu Ghraib Trial: “The president and Rumsfeld … had made statements early
on implying that my client was guilty and deserved punishment,” === Iran: The coup that never came off: Alexander Downer should be counting his blessings. If some hardliners
in the Bush Administration have their way, next year the Australian
Foreign Minister could find himself being asked to deliver the rationale
that would justify a pre-emptive military strike against Iran’s
nuclear facilities. === The Revolt Against the Bush Administration’s Nuclear Double Standard There are plenty of signs that people and nations around the globe
believe that what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander === “Bin Ladin” condemns Saudi government: An alleged audiotape message attributed to Al-Qaida leader Usama
bin Ladin and broadcast on an Islamist website on Thursday laid the
blame for the unrest in Saudi Arabia on the kingdom’s ruling
monarchy. === Are we Winning the War on Terror? An Interview with Michael Scheuer: Michael Scheuer served in the CIA for 22 years. He served as the
Chief of the bin Laden Unit at the Counterterrorist Center from 1996
to 1999. === Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 12/15/04: The nation’s only uncensored compilation of daily television
news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime
Video. === Isareli Soldier who shot Briton admits lying : Israeli on trial for manslaughter says peace activist was unarmed
: He said he was under orders to open fire even on unarmed people. === Family reacts to soldier’s confession: The family of a British peace activist shot dead by an Israeli soldier
has said the latest investigation confirms their belief that occupation
forces in Palestine are under orders to shoot unarmed civilians. === Rana‚s blood and her last supper: The last supper 7-year-old Rana Syiam had with her family in Khan
Younis, ended with blood and tears after a bullet fired by Israeli
soldiers entered her head and exited to wound her father in the leg. === U.S. man admits role in smuggling arms to Israel : A New York City businessman admitted Wednesday to participating
in an arms-smuggling ring that shipped missile and fighter jet components
from the United States to Israel and possibly on to Iran. === Israel Sales Of Arms To China: A crisis of confidence has broken out between the Pentagon and the
Israeli Defense Ministry in the wake of U.S. complaints about Israeli
deviations from weapons purchasing and sales rules and an Israeli
report to the U.S. about a weapons sale to China. === FBI steps up AIPAC espionage probe Officials to appear in front of grand jury, but pro-Israel lobby
group says it has done nothing wrong. === Canada won’t fund missile shield: PM: Canada will not put any money into building the missile shield
and it will not allow Washington to station rockets on Canadian soil
as the price of participation in the multibillion-dollar program.
Martin said Canada was prepared to accept U.S. citizens who do not
want to serve in the war in Iraq. === Closer to missiles?: The government is quietly forging ahead with plans to join the U.S.
in missile defence “under the radar screen” of a disapproving
public, New Democrat MP Alexa McDonough warned yesterday. While Prime
Minister Paul Martin insists no decision has yet been made on the
controversial system, McDonough said the six government officials
who briefed the NDP caucus yesterday gave signals talks are pressing
ahead. === Sidney Blumenthal: Different targets, same tactics : Bush’s slash and smear campaign is trying to bring all disparate
elements under US control === New finding in Ukraine poisoning : Dutch experts who have been examining blood samples from Viktor
Yushchenko, the Ukrainian opposition leader, disclosed yesterday
that the politician has staggeringly high levels of dioxin in his
blood, the second highest ever recorded. === A nation demands the right to exist: The Inuit peoples of the Arctic have launched a dramatic legal action
against America. The charge? That US emissions of greenhouse gases
have made their very survival impossible === Kerik kept first wife a secret: Investigators conducting a background check of Bernard Kerik last
week as part of his confirmation hearing uncovered that the then-Secretary
of Homeland Security nominee was married to a woman he has apparently
kept a secret for the past 20 years. === Bush ally used Ground Zero rescue crew flat as a love nest: The murk surrounding Bernard Kerik, whose nomination to be homeland
security chief by President George Bush, thickened yesterday amid
reports he used an apartment that had been donated for use by exhausted
11 September rescue workers for conducting his extra-marital liaisons. === 11-year questioned over “anti-American” remarks: Albaugh, a U.S. citizen, and her husband, an Israeli citizen who
manages a Leesburg moving company, say the investigators’ visit
and the school’s response were a paranoid overreaction in a
charged post-9/11 environment. === JPMorgan, Banks Back Lenders Luring Poor With 780 Percent Rates : Jason Withrow, a petty officer second class in the U.S. Navy, had long ignored the stores with signs in their windows offering ``$500 Instant Cash!’’ that were clustered around his base in Kings Bay, Georgia. Then, on July 4, 2003, he suffered a back injury, had to quit his part-time job and decided to borrow $300 from one of the stores, which are called payday lenders. === Beastly Behavior : Having gained the dazed complicity of a somnolent Congress, U.S.
President George W. Bush calmly signed a death warrant for thousands
upon thousands of innocent victims: a native population whose land
and resources were coveted by a small group of powerful elites seeking
to augment their already vast dominance by any means necessary, including
mass slaughter. === World Tribunal on Iraq: Premeditated Death and Destruction Unleashed Against a Sovereign
Nation and People === Manuel Valenzuela: The Rise of the Amerikan Nazis: Part I of III: Birth of Despotism === Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 === Robert Fisk: Who killed Baha Mousa?: “Kifah looked like half a human, he was so badly beaten,’’ Alaa
said. “When we asked him about Baha, he said he didn’t
know. Then he said: ‘I hope God will not show any human what
I witnessed.’’’ === Bomb Said to Kill 7 at Iraqi Shrine: A bomb exploded at the gate to one of Shia Islam’s holiest
shrines on Wednesday, killing seven people and wounding 31 others,
hospital officials said. === Baghdad: 4 Iraqi police killed: Four Iraqi policemen were killed and another 13 are missing after
an attack on their convoy in a notoriously dangerous area south of
Baghdad on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday. === Marine Shot Dead West of Baghdad — U.S. Military: Unknown gunmen have shot and killed a Marine west of Baghdad, the
U.S. military said on Wednesday. === U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Convoy Mission: A U.S. soldier died from a gunshot wound received on Tuesday during
a convoy mission south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement
on Wednesday. === U.S. Marines used juveniles in a mock execution: Used electric shock on one prisoner and set fire to a puddle of
solvent that burned a prisoner, according to U.S. Navy documents
released Tuesday. === Navy documents detail further torture claims: “This kind of widespread abuse could not have taken place
without a leadership failure of the highest order,‰ said ACLU
Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. === US Army acknowledges eight deaths in military custody in Afghanistan: The US Army acknowleged that eight prisoners have died in US military
custody in Afghanistan since US-led forces toppled the Taliban regime,
two more than previously disclosed === Australian “terror” suspect offered prostitute by US military: An Australian terror suspect was offered the services of a prostitute
by the US military if he agreed to spy on other detainees held at
the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba, according to court documents. === Cloud Over the Constitution: The problem with Gonzales is that he has been deeply involved in
developing some of the most sweeping claims of near-dictatorial presidential
power in our nation’s history. These claims put President George
W. Bush literally above the law, allowing him to imprison and even
(at least in theory) torture anyone in the world, at any time === The US Military is Luring and Brainwashing American Children: From Moral Individuals to Obedient Recruits…If They Survive === Fighters target police stations in Mosul: Unknown attackers have attempted to overrun two police stations
in the northern city of Mosul, in an operation that augurs badly
for the approaching elections, according to a US commander. === This is a must listen interview Eyewitness Interview: “Iraq Is An Absolute Disaster”: Journalist Michael Ware is the Baghdad Bureau Chief for Time Magazine. He was embedded in Fallujah during the recent US offensive earlier this month, and has covered the war in Iraq since February 2003. He joins us today with his perspective on the situation in Iraq. Real Audio This is a must listen interview === With roads perilous, Iraq airlifts increase : Flying cargo is more expensive and less efficient than hauling supplies
over land, but the air force’s decision reflects the judgment
of air and ground commanders that the insurgency will continue to
pose a lethal threat to American supply lines === Bush honours controversial trio : US President George W Bush has given America’s highest civilian
award to three men closely involved in the invasion and occupation
of Iraq. === Balance in the service of falsehood : The media’s failure to challenge official deception over Iraq
was the product of a journalism with built-in bias === Concern over Saddam aides’ trials : Many international legal experts are concerned that, however serious
the charges against them, the conditions have not been created to
enable these people to have anything resembling a fair trial. === Allawi accused of rushing trials for Saddam’s aides: War crimes trials against senior lieutenants of Saddam Hussein will
start in Baghdad next week. The unexpected announcement may be part
of Mr Allawi’s election campaign for the poll on 30 January.
Salem Chalabi, accused Mr Allawi of pushing for show trials before
the election. === In case you missed it: Saddam Could Call CIA in His Defence : Evidence offered by a top CIA man could confirm the testimony given
by Saddam Hussein at the opening of his trial in Baghdad Thursday
that he knew of the Halabja massacre only from the newspapers. === Interim leader Allawi enters election race: Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi joined the race for Iraq’s
Jan. 30 elections at a Wednesday news conference meant to highlight
his appeal to Iraq’s diverse and sometimes fractious ethnic
and religious groups. === Iraqi Election Campaign Opens with Attack on Neighbours : Defence Minister Hazem Shaalann said Iranian and Syrian intelligence
agents, plus former operatives from Saddam Hussein‚s security
forces, are co-operating with Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ‰to
run criminal operations in Iraq.‰ === Thousands of Iraqis Have No Votes: Tens, and may be hundreds of thousands, of Iraqi voters will most
likely be unable to cast their ballots in the general elections slated
for January 30, 2005, either for being homeless or detained by the
US-led forces. === Rabat forum, new U.S.-Europe challenge : The one-day “Forum for the Future‰ wound up in the Moroccan
capital Rabat on Dec. 11. Political pundits termed the conference
as a fiasco for the United States‚ Middle East policies. Pointing
to the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell‚s confession in
the meeting, they said reforms cannot be dictated to regional countries. === $100B more needed for Iraq: Bringing the total cost of operations in Iraq alone to well over
$200 billion since the March 2003 invasion. === UN watchdog finds irregularities in US-administered Iraqi oil sales : A UN oversight board found irregularities in Iraq ‘s oil export
sales under US-led authorities between May 2003 and June 2004, including
inadequate controls of extraction, use of non-competitive bidding
and of barter transactions. === Marine cradled grenade to save lives: Sgt. Rafael Peralta is dead, but the story of his sacrifice to save
fellow Marines will live long in Marine Corps lore. === Coalition encounter leaves 7 suspected Taliban dead : Seven suspected Taliban were killed in Afghanistan’s southeast
Khost province on Monday as the US troops engaged in fire exchange
with militias, a US military spokesman said Wednesday. === Kidnapped Turkish Male Killed in Afghanistan — Witness: A Turkish engineer abducted by a militant gang in eastern Afghanistan
was found dead on Wednesday, a witness who saw the body being carried
down from a mountainside told Reuters. === Retired Army colonel, 70, sent to Afghanistan: Dr. John Caulfield thought it had to be a mistake when the Army
asked him to return to active duty. After all, he’s 70 years
old and had already retired – twice. He left the Army in 1980
and private practice two years ago. === Justin Raimondo : The Yushchenko ‘Poison Plot’ Fraud : The headlines blared: “Doctors Confirm Yushchenko Poison Claim” ˆ and,
yes, even I believed it. But, you know what? It’s a lie. And
now the truth is coming out∑. === ‘If dictators buy votes with fear, we buy them with dollars’: IT was easy to be sceptical of President Vladimir Putin‚s
accusations that the US was meddling in the Ukrainian Presidential
elections. After all Russia was the closest ally of the unsavoury
outgoing president. It pumped huge amounts of money into the campaign
and kept a close eye on its former satellite state. === Castro, Chavez defy US trade pact: Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
have announced an alternative trade bloc to the one proposed by the
US for a free-trade area of the Americas. === Turkey will not apologise for Armenian genocide: Historians believe that Turkish authorities orchestrated the killing
of 1.5 million Armenian Christians, who were indigenous inhabitants
of Turkey, in a brutal attempt to make an ethnically pure nation. === Missile defence shield test fails : The Pentagon is spending $10bn a year on the missile system, which
was meant to be in operation by the end of 2004. === In case you missed it: Lockheed and the Future of Warfare : LOCKHEED MARTIN doesn’t run the United States. But it does
help run a breathtakingly big part of it. === Three Palestinians killed in Rafah; Palestinians blast one Israeli settlement === Israel: Discrimination in life and death: Regrettably, Sunday’s deaths of five soldiers from the Desert
Reconnaissance Battalion in Rafah does not symbolize the common destiny
and integration of Bedouin in Israeli society, but rather the contrary. === Vanunu elected university rector : The 50-year-old was voted by students to become the rector of Glasgow
University and follows in the footsteps of William Gladstone, Benjamin
Disraeli and Winnie Mandela. The main role is to act as their spokesperson. === Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 12/14/04: The nation’s only uncensored compilation of daily television
news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime
Video. === Proof of Ohio Election Fraud Exposed === Police Need Not Say Why Arrest Made: U.S. High Court Overview : Police officers don’t have to give
a reason at the time they arrest someone, the U.S. Supreme Court
said in a ruling that shields officers from false-arrest lawsuits. === Kerik’s Nanny Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Reports Emerge of Links to Mafia, Misuse of Police Power, Affair
with Subordinate, Taser Stock Profits and More === Bush sets out plan to dismantle 30 years of environmental laws: In little over a month since his re-election, they have announced
that they will comprehensively rewrite three of the country’s
most important environmental laws, open up vast new areas for oil
and gas drilling, and reshape the official Environmental Protection
Agency === Hungry, Homeless Figures Increase in U.S. : Requests for food rose by 14 percent, while appeals for shelter
increased by 6 percent, said the annual report by the U.S. Conference
of Mayors, based on surveys of 27 large cities. === What they don’t tell you on Social Security reform === Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 === Living Under Fascism: You may wonder why anyone would try to use the word “fascism‰ in
a serious discussion of where America is today. It sounds like cheap
name-calling, or melodramatic allusion to a slew of old war movies.
But I am serious. I don‚t mean it as name-calling at all. I
mean to persuade you that the style of governing into which America
has slid is most accurately described as fascism. === World Tribunal on Iraq by Niloufer Bhagwat Opening statement before the Iraq tribunal hearings at Tokyo === The Rise of the Amerikan Nazis Part I of III: Birth of Despotism By Manuel Valenzuela Our refusal to let go of years of government brainwashing, implemented
in our educations and through years of ceaseless television watching,
that America can do no wrong, that its leaders are the epitome of
good, that our government is altruistic and honorable, that our military
is only in existence for defensive purposes, that the Almighty always
blesses us and no other, that our nation only helps the world, that
our history is full of noble intentions, has conditioned in us an
inability to ever question the legitimacy of elected leaders or the
foundation of government itself. === We Americans talk of ‘Peace on earth,’ but our actions
speak louder than words === Seven killed, 13 wounded in Baghdad suicide attack: A suicide car bomber killed seven people when he struck a checkpoint
at Baghdad’s Green Zone early Tuesday, the second attack in
two days at the district that houses Iraq’s interim government
and foreign embassies === Eight more bodies found in Mosul, 150 since Nov.: U.S. occupation troops discovered eight more bodies in the restive
northern Iraqi city of Mosul, bringing the number of bodies found
there since Nov. 10 to more than 150, the U.S. military said Tuesday. === At least 4 Iraqi police killed in ambush: Insurgents attacked an Iraqi police convoy travelling from the southern
city of Basra to Baghdad on Tuesday killing at least four police
officers, police sources said. === 2 Marines Killed in Iraq’s Anbar Province : Two U.S. Marines were killed in action in Iraq’s volatile
western Anbar province, the military said Tuesday, taking the number
of Marines reported killed in the region in past three days to 10. === Orlando construction manager killed in Iraq: An Orlando builder who managed construction projects in Iraq for
a Pennsylvania company has died after he and his boss were shot and
killed outside Baghdad, officials said. === U.S. Occupation Forces Face Murder Charges: An Iraqi man cut down near the garbage truck while waving what appeared
to be a white flag; the man Williams allegedly executed at point-blank
range; and another unarmed man allegedly killed by a soldier who
asked Williams excitedly, “Can I shoot this one?” === Iraq’s Christians weigh taking up arms, fleeing into exile: Iraq is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world,
made up largely of ethnic Assyrians, an ancient people who speak
a modern form of Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. But as the turmoil
increases, hundreds of Christian families are leaving each week for
exile in Syria and Turkey. === Poland to cut its military contingent in Iraq by about one-third === Scott Ritter: The risks of the al-Zarqawi myth: A single Jordanian male is suddenly running an organisation that
operates in sophisticated cells throughout Iraq. No one man could
logically accomplish this. But there is an organisation that can – the
Mukhabarat (intelligence) of Saddam Hussein. === Dahr Jamail: Respite “My list is now 32,‰ says Salam as he arrives at the
hotel, “Now 32 of my friends have been killed.‰ He still
has tears in his eyes, even though he‚s being stoic. Another
of his friends has been shot and killed. === Video: A Message In English From “Iraqi Resistance” Movement : Contains Transcript and Video === American Soldiers Getting The Shaft: The wholesale makeover of the returning Bush administration may
find the public in its usual slumber and general torpor over governmental
news, but Dubya took two big news hits over the weekend that — as
they say in the trade — have “legs.” === Dead Iraqi’s Family Wins Demand for UK Abuse Probe: In a test case over British troops’ alleged abuse of Iraqi
civilians, a London court on Tuesday backed demands for an independent
inquiry into claims a Basra hotel worker was beaten to death by UK
soldiers. === McCain Has ‘No Confidence’ in Rumsfeld: U.S. Sen. John McCain said Monday that he has “no confidence” in
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, citing Rumsfeld’s handling
of the war in Iraq and the failure to send more troops. === Rumsfeld’s fig leaf falling: The fig leaves are tumbling from the cover story Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld gave to a soldier’s query on Wednesday about
the lack of armored vehicles available in Iraq. === Al-Sadr wants US withdrawal guarantee: An influential Iraqi Shia Muslim leader has tied his participation
in the country’s 30 January elections to the departure of foreign
forces, dominated by more than 140,000 US troops. === Pentagon Weighs Use of Deception in a Broad Arena: Such missions, if approved, could take the deceptive techniques
endorsed for use on the battlefield to confuse an adversary and adopt
them for covert propaganda campaigns aimed at neutral and even allied
nations. === Pentagon and Bush White House Caught in More Lies: Don’t Depend on Major U.S. Media To Expose the Lies or to
Tell You the Truth === Remind Us: Why did the United States Government Invade and Destabilize Iraq? Flash Presentation – This file may take a moment to load. === Abbas Calls on Palestinians to Drop Armed Struggle: Mahmoud Abbas said his people should drop their weapons in the struggle
for a state, marking out a clear change of strategy for peace with
Israel after Yasser Arafat’s death last month. === Israeli Mossad blamed for Syria blast : Three people were slightly hurt in the explosion which destroyed
the silver sports utility vehicle owned by the unidentified Palestinian,
who escaped unhurt. === Israelis hasten land grab in shadow of wall : Bulldozers go in as expansion of settlements continues === Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 12/13/04: The nation’s only uncensored compilation of daily television
news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime
Video. === A Cult Is Trying to Hijack Our Iran Policy: By all appearances, the march seemed like a protest by concerned
Iranians who supported regime change in Iran. In reality, it was
a meticulously orchestrated political rally in support of a violent,
pseudo-Marxist Iranian religious cult ˜ the People’s Mujahedin
of Iran, also known as the Mujahedin Khalq (MEK) ˜ an organization
that has been on U.S. and European Union terrorist watch lists for
years. === In case you missed it: Attack Iran the day Iraq war ends, demands Israel: ISRAEL‚S Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called on the international
community to target Iran as soon as the imminent conflict with Iraq
is complete. === US unilateral military move concerning Iran will break NATO in pieces: For the Europeans, one thing is certain: any US unilateral military
action against Iran will trigger a major world crisis compare to
which the Iraq crisis would be looking like a drill. === Protests against Saudi monarchy planned: Anti-monarchy protest marches planned for Riyadh and Jedda are expected
to draw tens of thousands of supporters, according to their Saudi
dissident organiser. === UK: Secret £1bn deal to insure Saudi arms contract : The government has secretly agreed to pay the arms firm BAE Systems £1bn
in the event that the Saudi regime, one of the company’s main
military customers, collapses. === Two Palestinian killed in Israeli incursion in Gaza : Two Palestinian were killed by Israeli army fire in the northern
West Bank town of Nablus early on Monday, Palestinian security sources
said. === C.I.A. Order on Detainees Shows Its Role Was Curbed: Concerns about harsh techniques used by Special Operations forces
prompted the Central Intelligence Agency last year to bar its officers
in Iraq from taking part in military interrogations where prisoners
were subjected to duress, intelligence officials said. === U.S. presses poised to print foreign money: The government’s giant printing presses soon could be cranking
out something in addition to the old greenback. The Treasury Department’s
Bureau of Engraving and Printing has received the go-ahead from Congress
to print other countries’ currencies. === US battalion condemned to isolation in Ramadi: Ramadi residents‚ refusal to cooperate, local police‚s
mass resignation leave US army in total isolation. === Listening and Talking to God About Invading Other Countries: Like the Republican who initiated US overseas military expansion,
the current President also talks to God and hears His words. Like
McKinley, Bush understands that the stars and stripes stand for inseparable
US commercial interests and pious purposes. === In case you missed it: Living Under Fascism: You may wonder why anyone would try to use the word “fascism‰ in
a serious discussion of where America is today. It sounds like cheap
name-calling, or melodramatic allusion to a slew of old war movies.
But I am serious. I don‚t mean it as name-calling at all. I
mean to persuade you that the style of governing into which America
has slid is most accurately described as fascism. === Bill Moyers: Battlefield Earth: The environment is in trouble and the religious right doesn’t
care. It’s time to act as if the future depends on us ˆ because
it does. === Audio Interview: John Pilger and Phil Castle: So what is the media’s role? Is it to reveal the truth for
all its guts and glory? Or is it something we can spare our audience
yet still retain the impact? === Aznar ‘purged all records in Madrid bombings cover-up’: Spain’s socialist Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
condemned his conserva- tive predecessors yesterday for carrying
out a “massive deception” in blaming the 11 March train
bombings on Eta Basque separatists. === Why did the capture of Saddam accomplish so little?: They appear to have believed much of their own propaganda about
the resistance being orchestrated by remnants of Saddam’s regime – Donald
Rumsfeld’s notorious “dead-enders.” === Lessons from Wal-Mart and the Wehrmacht: Team Wolfowitz on Administration in the Information Age === 1.6m children killed in conflicts since 1990: Around 1.6 million children have been killed in armed conflict throughout
the world since 1990, said the United Nations International Children‚s
Emergency Fund‚s (UNICEF) report called ŒThe State of
the World‚s Children, 2005‚. === Ukraine Gov’t Aims to Control Poison Probe : Ukraine’s outgoing government sought Monday to control the
inquiry into the poisoning of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko,
with officials close to the government taking charge of both investigations
into who tried to harm or kill the leader of the ``Orange Revolution.’’ === Ralph Nader on the Ohio Recount, Bush’s Cabinet Reshuffle
and the White House “Lowballing” of U.S. Casualties in
Iraq === Dollar Doom : The official rate of inflation is a lie. Look at the expense on
essentials. The price tag of food has gone through the roof. Energy,
medical, insurance and education costs are unbearable. As the rise
in local and state taxes far out pace any minimal reductions on the
federal level. === Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 === Video: A Message In English From “Iraqi Resistance” Movement : “We are simple people who chose principles over fear.” Watch the video online now! Windows media === America has lost its world leadership During the past four years, leading political analysts in Europe
viewed the foreign policy of the United States being conducted by
a small clique of neo-conservative ideologues. They now see the power
of this group just having been reinforced by two other ominous groups:
a corporate oligarchy and mobilized religious fundamentalists. === How Teddy Roosevelt Fathered the “Bush Doctrine” William Marina, David T. Beito December 6, 2004, marked the centennial of one of the landmark statements
in U.S. foreign policy: Theodore Roosevelt‚s so-called “Corollary
to the Monroe Doctrine.‰ It was here, and not in the post-9/11
speeches of George W. Bush, that we first heard the rationalization
for a pre-emptive imperialism coming from the White House. === The oil-for-food ‘scandal’ is a cynical smokescreen By Scott Ritter United States Senators, led by the Republican Norm Coleman, have
launched a crusade of sorts, seeking to “expose” the
oil-for-food programme implemented by the United Nations from 1996
until 2003 as the “greatest scandal in the history of the UN”.
But this posturing is nothing more than a hypocritical charade, designed
to shift attention away from the debacle of George Bush’s self-made
quagmire in Iraq, and legitimise the invasion of Iraq by using Iraqi
corruption, and not the now-missing weapons of mass destruction,
as the excuse. === Moral Victory By Dom Stasi Bush‚s style appeals to what the TV ministers call their “Value
Voters.” So, let the exit polls be damned, the Evangelicals
carried the day for their poster boy. If they didn‚t, they
at least gave the Republican crooks who own this president a plausible
vehicle to which they might attribute the otherwise inexplicable
vote counts in this year‚s national election. They have changed
our country into something its founders never intended it to be,
a virtual theocracy, and they did it through abuse of the very system
first designed to prevent it. === Suicide Car Bombing Kills 13 in Baghdad: A militant in an explosives-laden car waiting in line to enter the
western Harthiyah gate of the heavily fortified Green Zone, which
houses the U.S. Embassy and Iraq’s interim government, detonated
the vehicle as he drove toward the checkpoint, police said. === U.S. warplanes strike Fallujah; 9 U.S. troops killed: American warplanes pounded Fallujah with missiles Sunday as insurgents
fought running battles with coalition forces in the volatile western
Iraqi city. The U.S. military said two soldiers and seven Marines
died in separate incidents. === Three weeks ago : US commander says Fallujah is 100 per cent secure === One American soldier killed, 14 injured; clashes renewed in Falluja: To the west of Baghdad, one American soldier was killed in clashes
with gunmen in al-Anbar governorate where large confrontations are
taking place between the American forces and the gunmen. === Victory will not be won until U.S. leaves Iraq : At this point, the major destabilizing factor in Iraq is the presence
of the United States. We are the lightning rod that brings death
and destruction on a daily basis. === US accused of Afghan jail deaths : One of the new cases refers to a soldier from the US-trained Afghan
army, who reportedly died after being wrongly arrested in the Gardez
area of eastern Afghanistan and repeatedly beaten by American troops. === Death rate for Guard tops that of full-time soldiers : The ‘weekend warriors’ suffer 35% more fatalities in
Iraq than units in the regular Army. === War’s other deaths: “First they walked in with the medals, the War on Terrorism
medals,” Mitchell said, choking back tears as her voice grew
more and more defiant. “They started giving a spiel about (how)
this medal was personally awarded by the president to James Casper.
I go, `I don’t care about medals. I want to know what happened
to my son.’ “ === Amputation Rate for US Troops Twice That of Past Wars: Much attention has focused on the 1,000-plus soldiers killed in
Iraq, but the Pentagon has released little information on the 9,765
soldiers injured as of this week. === A Photo Essay : Caring for the Wounded in Iraq: – Warning – Images depict the reality of war. === Six Reservists Court-Martialed For Scrounging Equipment: At a time when some U.S. troops in Iraq are complaining they have
to scrounge for equipment, six Ohio-based reservists were court-martialed
for taking Army vehicles abandoned in Kuwait by other units so they
could carry out their own unit’s mission to Iraq. === U.S. soldiers’: More talk heard of desertion, disgruntlement.
`Backdoor draft’ adding to worries for some troops === Interview: Patrick Cockburn: ‘When you have an occupation, you have resistance’:
There should be no mystery about the nature of the resistance in
Iraq. The situation is very simple, as it would be in most countries
of the world – when you have an occupation by a foreign power,
you have resistance. And that‚s exactly what’s happened
in Iraq. === “Iraqi Hitler” may emerge say Iraq president: Iraqi President Ghazi Yawar has said in an interview that long-term
instability in his country could give birth to an “Iraqi Hitler” if
citizens continued to feel humiliated and despondent. === Less than 1 percent of eligible Iraqis have responded to a voter-registration drive: Iraqis cite security worries as the main reason for the slow response,
with some expressing fears of continued violence and corruption even
after the Jan. 30 election for a legislative assembly. === Controversial U.S. Groups Operate Behind Scenes on Iraq Vote: Two such groups — the National Democratic Institute for International
Affairs (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) — are
part of a consortium of non-governmental organizations to which the
United States has provided over $80 million for political and electoral
activities in post-Saddam Iraq. === Hicks details US brutality: AUSTRALIAN terror suspect David Hicks says he was forcibly injected
with drugs and had his head smashed into asphalt while blindfolded
as part of his interrogation at Guantanamo Bay. === Guantanamo Briton could go mad from confinement:: The solitary confinement of a British detainee at the US base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is slowly driving him mad, his father warned. === “Contract Meals Disaster” for Iraqi Prisoners: Rotten food crawling with bugs, traces of rats and dirt. Rancid
meats and spoilt food resulting in diarrhea and food poisoning. This
is what detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were regularly
given to eat by a private contractor in late 2003 and early 2004 === U.S. Military Obstructing Medical Care: Iraqi doctors at many hospitals have reported raids by coalition
forces. Some of the more recent raids have been in Amiriyat al-Fallujah,
about 10km to the east of Fallujah, the town to which U.S. forces
have laid bloody siege. Amiriyat al-Fallujah has been the source
of several reported resistance attacks on U.S. forces. === U.S. presses poised to print foreign money: The government’s giant printing presses soon could be cranking
out something in addition to the old greenback. The Treasury Department’s
Bureau of Engraving and Printing has received the go-ahead from Congress
to print other countries’ currencies. === Chilean judge indicts Pinochet : Chile’s former President Augusto Pinochet has been placed
under house arrest on human rights charges. === Action Alert!: Call on the German Federal Prosecutor to Investigate Rumsfeld and
Other U.S. Officials for War Crimes at Abu Ghraib === This web site represents the effort of one person. I need your help to offset the costs associated with site hosting
and bandwidth usage. If you find this site informative please help
by clicking here === Saddam’s Capture ‘Was Illegal’: Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was detained illegally by coalition
forces and should be freed immediately, his legal team insisted on
the eve of the first anniversary of his arrest. === Catholic priest says has legal aid for Tareq Aziz: A Catholic priest says he has put together a five-member Italian
legal team to provide free legal counsel to Tareq Aziz, Saddam Hussein’s
former deputy prime minister. === Chechnya Cancer Gnaws at Russian Society : Ten years of war in Chechnya have bled Russian society like no other
conflict since the Second World War. === U.S. Stages Simulated Attack On Iran : The U.S. Defense Department was said to have completed simulated
war games to determine the feasibility of destroying Iran’s
nuclear weapons program. === Al-Barghuthi quits presidential race: Jailed intifada leader Marwan al-Barghuthi has called off his campaign
to become Palestinian president and has thrown his support behind
PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas. === Israel set to take revenge operations after “tunnel attack” : The operations, set to begin in the near future, was approved after
an emergency meeting of security heads at Mofaz’s Tel-Aviv
headquarters. === Israel will withdraw troops for 72 hours during Palestinian elections: === Four more years of decline : George Bush’s new administration will be filled with mediocrities === Kerry lawyer asks for visual inspection of some Ohio ballots: Democrat John Kerry is asking county elections officials to allow
his witnesses to visually inspect the 92,000 ballots cast in Ohio
in which no vote for president was recorded, a Kerry lawyer said
Sunday night. === Mutual Interests: The Texas story of Veridian Inc. provides a snapshot of the military-industrial-government
complex. If you live in Texas, no matter where you live or what sort
of work you do, you’re profiting from the various wars, armed
interventions, covert actions, and miscellaneous military conflicts
now being pursued worldwide by American armed forces and the U.S.
intelligence community. Here’s how: === School defends slavery booklet: Leaders at Cary Christian School say they are not condoning slavery
by using “Southern Slavery, As It Was,” a booklet that
attempts to provide a biblical justification for slavery and asserts
that slaves weren’t treated as badly as people think. === NEWS For 12/12/04: === US Taps Nuclear Chief’s Phone: The Bush administration is scrutinizing intercepted telephone conversations
that International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei had
with Iranian diplomats in search of ammunition to oust him from his
post === UN: Iran not a nuclear threat: “Iran does not represent an imminent nuclear threat,” ElBaradei
told El Pais newspaper, explaining why the board of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided not to refer Iran to the UN Security
Council for threatened sanctions over its nuclear programme. === War Pimp Alert: Douglas J. Feith: US action against Iran can’t be ruled out: Nobody should rule out the possibility of military action against
Teheran’s nuclear sites if it does not, US Under Secretary
of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith told The Jerusalem Post in
an exclusive interview. === War Pimp Alert: Iranian Missile Could Reach Eastern U.S.: The latest generation of missile technology currently being engineered
by Iranian scientists will be able to reach the continental United
States, former Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Dore Gold said Saturday. === Two Americans killed in Iraq: A U.S. Marine was killed in Iraq’s volatile Anbar province
Sunday and another soldier died in a roadside bombing === Falluja and Mosul bombed amid more violence: US forces have bombed Falluja as well as the northern Iraqi city
of Mosul, where eight US soldiers have been wounded in clashes with
Iraqi fighters. === Iraqi resistance steps up attacks on occupiers, collaborators : Iraqi insurgents pressed their attack on U.S. troops and Iraqi security
forces Saturday, killing five Iraqi police officers, including a
general, and wounding 14 U.S. soldiers in a relentless effort to
derail next month’s election. === Dahr Jamail : Dead And Buried: EYEWITNESS: Iraq‚s civilian body count may go officially undocumented
but the widows and the orphans know the true extent of the toll === Humvees falling prey to war : This is a graveyard for Humvees, the final resting place for the
hulking vehicles felled by insurgents’ roadside bombs. Their
metal carcasses are barely recognizable. Tires have been splayed
to the sides or blown away entirely. Shrapnel has burst holes in
some unprotected parts of the vehicles, as if they were tinfoil. === Saddam’s illicit trade was no secret to U.S. officials: Trade with Syria, Jordan and Turkey was the biggest source of illicit
funds for Saddam, more so than the much-maligned U.N. oil-for-food
program, according to investigations of Saddam’s finances. === Four Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza attack: Palestinian resistance fighters have killed at least four Israeli
soldiers and wounded several more after they blew up an army post
on the Gaza-Egypt border. === FBI steps up AIPAC probe: An FBI investigation into alleged Israeli espionage against the
United States and the possibility a pro-Israel lobby group was involved
in passing classified U.S data to Tel Aviv has intensified because
a confessed Pentagon spy has stopped cooperating with federal law
enforcement officials, U.S. government sources said. === Guantanamo Britons ‘losing sanity’ as fears grow for terror suspects held in UK: US lawyers for the four Britons have told The Independent on Sunday
that the men face at least two more years in Cuba as the US government
blocks every legal move to get them released. === Victim of Latin American torture claims Abu Ghraib abuse was official US policy: FOR many Latin American victims of torture, the infamous pictures
of abuse at Iraq‚s Abu Ghraib prison brought back not only
chilling recollections of their own experiences, but also confirmed
what they have long maintained: that their torturers were following
interrogation guidelines set by the US Army School of the Americas
(SOA). === Lawyer says Saddam on hunger strike: Ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and 11 top leaders of his
regime awaiting trial for crimes against humanity have gone on hunger
strike in their US detention centre, one of their lawyers says. === Eric Margolis: U.S. caught in Kabul: Correction. Afghanistan’s first true national elections were
in 1986 and 1987, under Soviet military occupation. First, the KGB
organized a “loya jirga,” or national assembly in 1985
and, through bribes and intimidation, got its new Afghan “asset,” Najibullah,
positioned to replace the ineffectual Afghan communist puppet then
in office. === A Theologian Asks the Hard Questions About 9/11: So why did this soft-spoken professor from the high-ranking Methodist-rooted
School of Theology at Claremont, Calif., feel it necessary to risk
his hard-earned reputation as a religion scholar to write one of
the most incredible — in all senses of the word — political
books of 2004? === Withdrawn: Bernard Kerik may have a nanny problem. But is that the only reason
he‚s bowed out of the Homeland Security job? === Social Security benefit cuts eyed: President Bush, who has promised that his plan to allow private
investment accounts in Social Security would give workers a ‘’better
rate of return,” is seriously mulling a companion effort that
could cut future promised retirement benefits for millions of workers
by 6 percent, even when potential gains from private accounts are
included, analysts said. === America’s biggest export: anarchy : Having exported anarchy to Iraq, Washington is now seen in Europe
as offering the same treatment to the financial markets. === |
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