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Fourth Quarter of 2003 October 2003 ... November 2003 ... December 2003
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10/4/03 The Heinous: USA In previous issues we mentioned that have not given
our soldiers the
best protection, in a medical sense that we could
have, some have suggested we did not want
a repeat of having hundreds of thousands of "ill" veterans
clogging up the ailing health care system in our
country. President Bush's Inspectors Find No Weapons to
Support
his Claims about Imminent Threat. Then we
hear of an upcoming book by Wesley Clark detailing the next
four or five nations scheduled for attack, Syria,
Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan.
Even the librarians are put under pressure by Ashcroft and
another
Royal Jerk. Reports out that the numbers
of citizens in poverty has increased, but the
calculations
may be off, to the poor's detriment. Welcome to the age of the true "mini
nukes." And G.W. Bush, France, and Drunk
Drivers...there
is a connection. Our upcoming elections, Diebold
paperless, touch screen voting machines and their
vulnerability to tampering. It all makes
me feel SO secure and trusting that everything will be
fairly done. Bush predicted the "Republican
economy" would generate 510,000 jobs in 2003, instead it
lost 437,000, that means Bush is nearly
million off, in his calculations....hmmm...not to good is
it? See the sources below: Sources: 1. "The
President's Jobs and Growth Plan: Creating New
Jobs", White House Fact Sheet.2. "Bush
Wants to Create More Jobs, but How?", New York Times,
9/28/03. 3. "Timken Lowers Sights, Plans to Cut 900 Jobs,"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/19/03, p. B11. 4.
"134,000
Lost Jobs in August 'Mass Layoffs'",
Washington Post, 9/26/03 5. "August
Jobs Miss Administration's Target,"
Economic Policy Institute, 9/5/03. 6. Presidential
Speech, 4/24/03. 7. Presidential
Speech, 9/15/03. 8. Meet the Press,
9/14/03. 9. "Defying
Forecast, Job Losses Mount for a 22nd
Month," New York Times,
9/06/03. Elsewhere G.H.W. Bush, said those who
are..."exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my
view, the most insidious, of traitors, here.
And anyone can see his
son, our White House occupant agrees, it
says so here. But here, in
the Washington Post, we find that White
House person or persons have done just that. What should old
Georgie do? More on that story here
and here
with calls for a special prosecutor. Iraq: Just look at what
our 87 billion for Iraq consists of, a few
hints and rumblings on the hill. More on General Zini's
assessment that we went into Iraq with either
bad intelligence, for misstated reasons
or, dare I suggest it, lies? Further reductions
in UN personnel after second bombing. How
popular are we in Iraq, well,
not much.... How easily
we are targeted in Iraq. Gee, only NOW we find out that an important source
of prewar
intelligence on Iraq, was, shall we say,
useless? And a long awaited report shows,
surprise
surprise, little or no evidence of WMD's. Iran: It may seem that US policy may lead Iran to figure
that the route Korea
has taken is the least of three evils. And
the likelihood of any homegrown dissent obtaining influence?
Well,
read this. According to this story, many,
many, Iranian
agents are entering Iraq and, guess what,
they don't like us as occupiers. The Humor: A not so
subtle piece of humor, in good taste
actually. The Hope: Take Action! Urge
your Senators to fix the problems with the PATRIOT
Act, not give the government even more
invasive and intrusive police powers. Conservatives against
Bush? See
this site. Then some mainstream media are
questioning
Bush's UN speech and the status quo. And
we have some polls showing Democratic
candidates matching or leading Bush in
comparisons. And an unusual paring,
Pelosi with Murtha, and rising discontent on/with capitol
hill presages more possibilities for hope.
And another item, the
White House accused of violating laws by the
CIA? General
Wesley Clark states his views on a wide range of
topics in a brief article for the Rolling
Stone. And here are some more
comments he's made recently Note: I am not
pulling for Wesley, but he may be the one who can dislodge
Bush. A recent poll shows that 7/10ths of Americans want
a
special prosecutor to investigate the outing of a CIA
agent And the trail may lead to
"leading
figures" in the Bush administration. There is always hope. Increasingly it may not seem
that way. I believe, as a dear associate has put it, that
despite appearances, and the extensive use of smoke,
mirrors, and spin, that the truth will out, justice will
prevail, and that somehow, perhaps inexplicably, we are on
the way to a better world. I choose to believe that we will
be in a better place, even in we have to wait 10 years or
more to see it.
The Heinous: USA So here is the quote: Published on Thursday,
October 2, 2003 by TomPaine.com Conscience Before Career by
Ray McGovern Even
though I'm a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I
have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my
view, the most insidious of traitors."
George H. W. Bush, 1999. Meanwhile the two main stories that
concern Bush are, the "outing" of a CIA agent, and the
missing WMD's in Iraq, a
brief overview here. and an
opinion
piece with an overview here Wesley Clark fires on Bush, the Iraq war and the
outing of the CIA agent, looks
like he wants a fight. On American Media: It seems how
incorrectly you understand Iraq depends on what your news
source. American
wants a "currency war" against China and a
few other "job stealing economies? Iraq: Remember being told that
Iraqi oil would "pay for the war, oops, I meant to say,
reconstruction? Looks like a bunch of
people knew that was so much BS. A
humorous look at the man running Iraq.
Turkey is considering sending in troops, one
wonders if it is a good idea, most Turks think it is not, so
do some Iraqis. Well, the news is that the
Turks agree to send in the troops. The Iraqi council does
not want them, Iraqi's don't want to see their old occupiers
either, gee
what might happen? All during another bad
day in Iraq? Or
does this foreshadow even more of the same? Muddle East: We have a new equation in the middle east, vis a
vis Syria
and Israel, what WILL happen next? Afghanistan: Afghanistan has troubles disarming its militias,
establishing a government and now there is open
oposition to the man currently in charge,
such is life. And, hey, California: It seems that the personal issues of "Arnie baby"
might take a back seat to his friendly associates, not the
least of which is good
ol' "Kenny boy" Lay. Will wonders never cease.
Arnie boy doesn't recall meeting Kenny
boy, but
there is a trail, and here it is. The Humor: This is not a joke, but a
summary of how Bush has twisted up the Republican party
platform so much that members of that
party should be having serious second thoughts.
The Heinous: America: Well we get promised full cooperation by the
sitting president select, but then the words
"executive
privilege" start cropping up ... wonder
why that would be? News from Down Under, Australia's
government has taken their leader to task for misleading
them, why are we so slow about it, could it be our
press
won't even mention stories like this one?
Meanwhile our own congressional leaders have, to no avail,
outlined the errors
already made in the "investigation." Our upcoming election: We have Howard
Dean giving Bush hell but is anyone paying
attention. Some think that Wesley
Clark provides hope, but we shall see. Here is an
overview of the controversial results of DU, depleted
uranium, ammunition. It is said that 150
to 200 thousand Gulf War One veterans suffer from conditions
consistent with radiation poisoning. The story under the Californy section having to do
with Diebold voting machines, dovetails nicely, so to speak,
with this one, Bill
Moyers on media concentration. Californy: This in, someone asked again for the article,
Arnold
Schwartzenegger, Kenny Boy Lay, Mike
Milliken, talking all about our energy
problems, waaaaay back in 2001, except the terminator cum
governator "cannot recall" or won't answer questions when
asked... why would that be? And now for the BIG STORY
headline that will not see the light of day:
Diebold
Voting Machines Shift Votes In California Recall
Election! Iraq: Here we see how the situation vis a vis
Turkey
and Iraq is seen in the perspective of the historical
background And here is a good bit of
detail about the financial arrangements being made, it
seems, in essence the
Iraqis themselves will be paying US corporations to buy off
their own assets from them. Might sound
good except for that pesky Geneva Convention expressly says
this is a "big time no no." Muddle East: The "new equation" seems to be taking shape.
What
is the threat of a widening of the Palestinian conflict?
And, of course, the
US begins with sanctions against Syria. A
minor update on Syria
in the news. We hear a report that Al Qaeda will be
"gone
in a year" but that "there are plenty of
replacements. Pakistan: It seems that one has cause to wonder about
Pakistan's stability, take
a brief overview. Then too one reads of
their developing
a nuclear capable missile The Hope: Here is a wonderful story. It demonstrates the best
aspects of foreign policy, aid and scientific research
making life better in Kenya. It
is an example of the good things that are
possible.
The Heinous: America: A well written, if passionate, piece from
Truthout.org is the antidote for Clinton bashers,
the
last line, is of course the best, once you read to
it. More on the Voting Machine Fraud? Hear
the rumblings from Georgia, in the Old
South. An overview of the vulnerability of our many
chemical
facilities, are they protected as much as they
need to be? Cheney
and Fiction, vs Iraq and fact, he keeps on
telling whoppers. The concentration of mass media in fewer
and fewer hands? And
just why this situation continues
unchallenged. If you want to know who owns
what check out NOW
with Bill Moyers.
For a specific area go to the
Center
for Public Integrity, for details search
by zip code. Another "inside" expert speaks out on the "run up
to the war" and how
Powell for one misinformed us. Also you
can hear Pelley's report broadcast on 60 Minutes II,
Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Further: something about the Bush
5 year war plan for seven nations, what is
this all about? Californy: We have lost ground here, but so did
we
loose ground in Texas. Jane Goodall speaks
of the Bush
record on the environment, or would
assault be a better word? Iran: Another nuclear site is exposed by opposition
groups in Iran. Does
it look like they are halting "activity"
to you? And here are a few
reasons why the US wants to do more than talk with
Iran about "terrorists" Al Qaeda, and
more. Iraq: This article, with links, outlines
the progress made, mentions security is
still a risk, but fails to mention the "odd way" we went to
war in the first place. And here is a bit of insight into
the way diverse
groups agree to attack US forces. And one
wonders what our soldiers would think of our "committed"
"president" trying
to short change their children? We heard
that Turkey will send troops, will
they? Here is more on the
"discussion"
that is bogging down, just a bit on Turkish
participation. The "Iraqi Resistance" is getting their explosives
from unguarded
weapons dumps. And here is a brief overview of previous
"occupations/liberations" of Iraq. Is
history repeating itself? The Brits should know. In Australia another intelligence source repeats
that the case
for war was, to say the least, not good. Muddle East: Has the US
helped Israel develop sub launched nukes?
does Israel have more nukes than England? Or
is this story just something for the Iranians to
read? Bolivia: Ah, let us take a view of the Globalization of
trade, we know how we've been screwed, now
let's see how the game is played in
Bolivia. Apparently the Bolivian
capital is under siege. The Hope: It seems that Mr.
Cheney and Haliburton are the subject of an
investigation originating out of France,
but which should originate here... if some one had the balls
that is to do it Being informed better is a good idea in these days
of troubled times. So here is a
website that tells you where office holders and candidates
stand on many of the issues. It is easy to
use. Also
if animals are your concern this website helps you help
them, check it out. Here is a wonderful story. It demonstrates the best
aspects of foreign policy, aid and scientific research
making life better in Kenya. It
is an example of the good things that are
possible.
The Heinous: America: The splashy, huge, media fest of a story, one that
could rival O.J. even the war itself, is passing with
relatively hushed coverage; I am speaking of The
Rush Hour, the 24/7 Rush Limbaugh Story. It's
uncanny the silence out there check out the story. How do we
treat
some of our returning wounded? Perhaps not the
best? And what about those who are
relieved of duty or the suicides? Or the
mother
who wants to know how her son died. Bolivia: The resistance in Bolivia is bolder and bolder,
clashing with police, demanding the president step down, a
very widespread
... "revolt" ... I think would be the right word.
A revolt against an plan for exporting gas seems to have
been the spark for this upheaval. 65 dead and counting.
Well,
it may be a new day in Bolivia. Californy: How about an end to the federal
ban on off shore oil drilling and allowing the
states to decide how they want to handle it. Sound
republican enough for you? And the story concerning
Enron,
Ken Lay, Schwarzenegger et al keeps poppin up,
why is it not in the news? Europe: It seems that there is some reason to suspect that in
the formerly grand western alliance of NATO
schisims are forming but it is nothing
serious. Iraq: The good news just keeps getting better, read what the
International
Institute for Strategic Studies said on Wednesday
in its annual report. Here's a story about Moqtada
Sadr's militia opposing the US occupation, And
this just in some estimate 70% unemployment in Iraq, or some
12 million,
I wonder what some of them might be doing nights?
And how about the morale of our own forces, good?
Well, maybe not so much. The new UN resolution? How
about the phrase "same - o - same - o" But then I
hasten to add that no
one seems to want to send troops or money, why
would that be? And: Will
the Turkish forces come or not? At the upcoming
"chance"
we are giving others to help with money or troops
will we see either? A slew of stories here: Six in Ten Iraqis Unemployed,
but U. S. Subcontractors Hire Cheap Migrant Laborers
Contractors
in Iraq Accused of Importing Labour and Exporting
Profit," Financial Times/UK, 10/14/03.
Presidential
Radio Address, 7/23/03. Interview of Paul Bremer
by Tom Brokaw, NBC Nightly News, 7/14/03. "Iraq: 7 Million
Jobless Persons," Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, InfoProd,
8/27/03. "Contractors
in Iraq Accused of Importing Labour and Exporting
Profit," Financial Times/UK, 10/14/03.
Letter
to OMB Director Joshua Bolten from Rep. Henry
Waxman, 9/30/03 More intel about how we
were let to believe the wrong things about the war in
Iraq Muddle East: A sympathetic slideshow illustrates
the palestinian situation from the New York
Times. Just how many times has the US used its
veto power at the UN security council to aid Israel?
Look
here to find out. Then there is the idea that
some of the
Palestinians and Al Qeada might "work togather" to connect
the wars. But it is just an idea, right? Perhaps,
we think, if
we only take out Syria, everything will be just
fine. Syria: Border
clashes, but with whom? The Humor: Check it out get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. The Hope: There are Clinton
Officials who want to attack Bush on Environment
By Jennifer LeeThe New York Times
The Heinous: America: Say why are our uniformed forces being sent
into
battle without the required pre medical baseline examination
as required by law? Why are they not getting the
post examinations as well?
Look at the report itself. And an original selling point of the Bush Tax Cut was
that it would generate jobs, take a look at an assessment of
that argument from Job Watch, in
this article currently posted. Cheney's
12 unanswered questions from Kucinich. Will we
EVER get an answer? And here we see multiple cases of
stonewalling,
obfuscation, and "trouble" for the investigation into
9/11 Maybe no rules were broken by Boykin
in casting the war on terror as a war with Satan,
but he was in uniform and is an undersecretary of defense,
so how WOULD our middle eastern allies view this kind of
talk? And speaking of the military, why
the blackout on news coverage of the returning
dead? There is some considerable talk about DieBold's voting
machines, their reliability so much so some interior memos
from DieBold have become a hot item on the web,
however
DieBold has been aggressive about preventing ISP's from
hosting those whose sites have links to the places those
controversial memos are published. Wouldn't the
public have a right to know if their voting machines were
not up to snuff? Shouldn't the word be spread far and wide?
One would think. More: the
problems of touch screen voting, and their easy
fixes. Here is some food for thought, concerning
Iraq, Bush's religiosity, public sacrifice, and
what we may be in for. I guess I have not talked about judicial appointments
in some time, here
is the latest on that. England: Some irregularities in the death of Dr.
Kelly over in England, hints at a mystery surrounding his
death. and puts a question mark on the "reasons
given for going to war." Europe: So we have the
EU extracting an agreement, which will last as long as the
Iranians see fit to keep it. Sounds
solid. Iraq: We got a UN resolution, but we
still depend on our soldiers and wealth to do the
job, I guess that's progress? But there is some
evidence for progress, spotty, but its there, LA
Times. An overview
of the current situation from congress, to Rice,
Rummy boy, Shi'as and Sunni's, soldiers, and morale, would
that it was better. Now we hear that Turkey may or may not
send in troops, it depends, they say, if they are wanted or
not. Here
is the scoop on that story. And how about Bush's
election year claim that we'd overextended our military,
well he has out done Clinton in this respect, so
much so that private firms are guarding our bases, sound
secure to you? Read how Dickey Boy Cheney interprets a Zogby
Poll done in Iraq, then read on to see some other
takes on the same data, spin
city to be blunt about it. Related to Iraq is this overview
of the proverbial "Arab street" you can find the
original
source material here or a 13
page pdf file here that illuminates the overview
with detail. Specifics? An alleged interview
with an Iraqi resistance fighter from Time
magazine. Let's go back to the "run up to the war" This article
by Seymore
Hersh gives all the delicious details of that recipe for
Yellow Cake. Speaking of that "marathon" we have
an example of our
"Iraqi Intel" that like so much was not
good Asia Times Online is doing a week-long coverage of the
Third Armored Cavalry in Iraq, check out: "Every
Time the Wind Blows." Iran: Why we cannot
just strike Iran's nuclear program to "kill
it." Korea: As if we needed further rumors, this
"baby killing" that one is given to believe is true, is
sickening. Muddle East: It seems that the rumors continue to surface that
Saudi
Arabia and Pakistan may well be trading nuke technology for
cheap oil, so the rumor has gone. Syria: The Syria
Accountability Act is getting predictable
reactions, this will help us out won't it? It
won't bring
allies to Syria, or has it already done that? The UN: Here is a good article giving a broad overview of
historical
influences on the nature of the UN and how it differs from
that of the US. The Humor: Check it out get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And here are the seven little things Bush needs to
find: 1. The White House Leak 2. WMD's 3. Saddam 4. Osama 5.
The Anthrax killer 6. A way out of Iraq 7. An Economic
Program The Hope: As long as we have people able to speak out like this
there is a chance that the word will get out. Senator
Byrd has a lot to say about Bush and his policies in this
short piece, it is worth reading. A presidential
hopeful, Dean,
also gives the unhappy among us a reason to, perhaps,
hope. And in Australia Labor MP Harry Quick, when asked to
be respectful to Mr. Bush when he addressed Parliament
replied, "Why
should we respect this duplicitous, conniving, and lying
President of the United States?
The headliners: Well, it looks as if the scapegoat has been found. Now
we know who messed up the "Iraq Deal" bigtime, it is,
drumroll, our intelligence services, that's who. According
to Senator Pat Roberts, read
this article it is a detailed account of the blame game and
who is ratting out whom, and why. Take a look at this: None of this will be in a US
paper. 30,000
more troops for Iraq? Personel going AWOL, military families
in on the protests? Then too, a blast from Palast,
Greg that is, pinpoints a touch screen voting fiasco.
My question is why don't we just have the damned
machines print out 2 copies of the results? How hard could
that be? Then follow up, with a handcount system, if need be
using a scanning system would be good. The Heinous: Afghanistan: We are having what kind of effectiveness in this
country? Where
do we stand at this point, a couple years into
it? Further retreats by the
UN, letting go of portions of Afghanistan? America: From the Pew Research Center, comes a large survey
showing, in part, that postive
regard for US and the UN have been evaporating.
And here is a pragmatic
result of that condidtion from PBS. A long
time
Bush supporter talks about poor planning, being
duped by Iraqi's, and, guess what, poor intelligence. And
here's more, from England, the
blame game continues: Bush vs CIA et al. Our media, the pundits so proud, the newsies that
bring us the news. Here we see someone who is fed up with
the
crap being peddled as the credible; check out this Daily
Howler, 10/24/03 Hear a bit of what Bill
Moyers has to say about the war news coverage, how it has
changed in 40 years. And we have not forgotten
Powell, see him get ragged on, in public. Should
Rush Limbaugh, Jeb Bush et al, take their own
advice? Now, wouldn't that be a laugh. Hey, I
don't hear you laughing! If the White House, et al are cooperating,
how
come the 9/11 commission is so unhappy? Ecology: Another story presenting evidence that we
are a "warming world" a situation with wide and unforseeable
consequences, whether or not its human caused. England: The workings of the media
in England why they can "tell it like it is" more than we,
and why some people, R. Murdoch, for one, might want to see
it put to an end. Europe: Inch by inch, step by step, it seems a European Union
military entity is being created. What
is their motivation? It couldn't be related to their
discontent with us could it? Here is a bit
more
from England's Telegraph. Iraq: Rebuilding Iraq: Who
is getting the contracts, where
to go to protest, and how
to get some information from Common Cause. And we
have privately
hired persons, Dyncorp employees, now taking casualties in
the region. Few
nations want to send cash, much less military
assistance to Iraq and here is another view of why
that is so from Asia Times. Some Iraqis see
certain but slow improvements for themselves, but
for coalition forces or hangers on it is more
dangerous. And I guess Turkey
is not sending troops in after all. The fund raising netted a total of some 30 plus
billion, of 55 needed, much of what was given was loans not
dontations, oh
well, it looks good on paper. But then, a slight
brouhaha over what may be some
missing money, 5 billion give or take change. Is
this just some one's rumor? Iran: I have learned not to be hopeful, but the news
concerning Iran
and its nukes seems to be hopeful. In the sense
that they might prevent overt US involvement in their
country. And here is a follow up, Iran says we'll
stop enriching as long as we want to and start if we want to
again, sound like a solid deal to anyone? Muddle East: The story about Pakistan
trading nukes for oil with Saudi Arabia, may well be
false, so says this article from
TalkingPoints. The Humor: Check it out get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. The Hope: I think that anyone opposing Bush is a embodiment of
hope. Clark
and Dean using the internet to organize national
campaigns. Not that I am a fan, but Clark
leads Bush in a recent poll of military persons.
Here is another battle zone, where the fight against all
things Bush is taking place even as we speak, the
US Senate. Then too, here is a bit about Dean, again I do not
endorse him, but offer him up as a sign that there
may be some small reason for hope. Not so much
for him being elected but for him dissenting so markedly
from Bush's views. Another cause for hope in the case of Padilla vs
Ashcroft there is a bit of a row
concerning some of what used to be called inalienable
rights.
10/7/03
10/11/03
10/15/03
10/18/03
10/22/03
10/28/03
11/02/03 The headliners: The Sacramento Bee has had an ongoing look at the
Patriot Act, you can find the set of stories at this link:
Liberty
in the Balance. And here are the hints
on the "grand plan" from Bush and or his pals. The Heinous: America: Walter Reed Hospital, we hear from Cher
who visited troops and talks about conditions, and comments
on overseas news. Other reports indicate that
medical holdovers, and delays
in treatment or release is perhaps common.
Speaking of how we treat wounded what ever happened to the
tradition
of having our president visit the wounded or honor the dead?
It is not happening, and one wonders why. And
speak of that we have some "debate"
about the actual casualty rates. Here we see a nice view of three new changes to the
Patriot Act which limit
bail, extend the death penalty, and the ability to compel
testimony without review by a court or grand
jury, nice. We have
some evidence for economic recovery or do we? It
would be hard not to have some effect from gargantuan tax
cuts, falling interest rates, and huge military spending
which helped Boeing, among others, have a banner
day. One wonders why the 9/11
commission is having such a hard time getting what they need
from Mr. Bush et al. Afghanistan: Under the taliban opium production was nearly wiped
out, today, Afghanistan
accounts for 75% of the worlds production. What's up with
that? What will they do with all that money?
Here
is one hint. Political
donations and Iraq and contracts...interesting
story, but who is reading it? Ecology: And don't forget Bush
has worked wonders for our national park system,
NOT. Then take a look how
election year Republicans will be talking about the
environment. Iraq: Where do Iraqi resistance fighters get their supplies?
Where
ever they can find them. And how can Bush claim
that faulty intelligence led to the problems in post war
Iraq, he had the scoop
on what the post war scene would be like, but it was
shelved, it did not harmonize with his views
perhaps? In
this story GWB expects Iran, "axis of evil", and Syria, "a
terrorist state", both of which he's either
threatened or strong armed, to help us by closing their
borders, anyone out there think they'll quickly and happily
comply? Commanders on the Syria border contradict
administration claims that terrorists are crossing over from
Syria. But then, a few days later I read this:
Jihadis
lured to Iraq. Red
Cross makes a pull back of sorts, security is not
what it needs to be, it seems. You know, one of the things that makes it hard to know
what's going on in Iraq is determining who we're fighting,
is it: Izzat
Ibrahim al-Douri, Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi Ansar
al Islam or, or
just plain folks. Maybe its all of the
above? Two things in this article, it says that they, meaning
the Iraqi resistance are using the "media world" to parley
up some payback to bush, but also has the following quote:
"If
we have to, we just mow the whole place down, see what
happens. You're dealing with insane suicide bombers who are
killing our people, and we need to be very aggressive in
taking them out. If one were to put those two
puzzle pieces together one might reach an interesting
conclusion, eh wot? A small but exemplary story, what
has happened to Iraqi monies confiscated by the
allies? And, why won't this story die? We are told Saddam must go. We are told his is the
number one target. Then we are told he is irrelevant
so
why do we read he is significant? And that brings
up another point, how come we keep hearing that we know he
is moving two or three times a day when we don't even know
where he is? In this article we hear Saddam
is and is not important, is or is not leading a struggle, is
or is not in his hometown. An
overview of the good news from Iraq, construction of
schools, water wells, and more. There is progress
in these areas but will such help stop the attacks? Iran: We have two stories: The good: Iran
"gives" on the nuclear issue; bad: We
don't believe them overmuch, suspect them at least, and are
not content with the status quo. Muddle East: We heard about the rocket attack at the Rashid Hotel
while Wolfowitz was visiting, but did we hear about a
Lebanese
statement hoping that the fire would be more accurate next
time? In
a few months as many as 62,000 Palestinians will have to
have special permission to live in their own
homes, they will be living between the new wall and the old
green line. I think the Road Map to Peace is alive and well,
don't you? See what Pappy Bush said about why he didn't
pursue Saddam when he had the chance. Recently I told someone that part of the problem I
have with the Palestinian/Israeli problem is that I don't
have a solution either, I mean, If I had access to unlimited
money, the world's military might and popular
support,
I don't know what I'd do or what was best for them. So then
this story comes along. The Humor: Check it out get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, look below the books. The Hope: Clark
"blisters" Bush? What about 9/11, the question is being
asked again, only more loudly and with a hint of
menace to it. There is some resistance
to Ashroft and the Patriot Act, which include the
strange bedfellows of both liberal and conservative
elements.
The headliners: The Sacramento Bee has had an ongoing look at the
Patriot Act, you can find the set of stories at this link:
Liberty
in the Balance. And here are the hints
on the "grand plan" from Bush and or his pals. How rare is it that stumble across a news story? Not
often, but here it is: when I was voting today in SF, I
overheard the persons running the polling place say they'd
been told that touchless voting machines will be coming to
SF in the next election. I have heard there is a petition
being circulated against it, anyone know about that? My fall back plan is to request an absentee ballot.
What say? Let city hall know that you can fight city hall!
Just
a minor story tells why. The Heinous: America: Meanwhile, a
voice vote of just six senators passed the 87 Billion
appropriation for Bush's Iraq, Senator
Byrd dissenting, and "going off" about it. And
then, the capper, the
provision to punish profiteering and the like, is
removed. Then how we twist
the poll numbers to have them say what we need them to
say, its OK until someone notices. Newspapers
are deciding to report "total casualties" but
this story does not mention if they will ever begin talking
about the deaths of hired security guards, friendly Iraqi's,
and employees of companies contracted to work over there all
of which we hear little about.
Here is a story, with links to reference articles, that
illuminates more about the "hiding of
casualties." What's up with our air force in motion? It
seems that witnesses in Scotland have been seeing a goodly
number of our planes overflying, reminiscent of
the kind of movement seen prior to other wars. What's up
with that? Meanwhile
a total of over 100,000 troops are being scheduled for
rotations into Iraq. The Post runs
a wire story, deep inside the A Section, on a
U.S.-Russian agreement to recall enriched uranium that
Russia has shipped to civilian reactors in 17 countries. The
retrieval is designed to prevent theft. (The NYT
ran
a wire story on this yesterday.) One wonders why
this flank in the war on terror is not given its
due. And
more Anthrax? This person, who just eludes the
FBI, CIA, police, and everyone else looking for him/them,
strikes again, are we helpless? It would appear. Say, what ever happened to the clean air act anyway?
What
about those coal fired plants which Clinton started
prosecuting? And
the "partial birth abortion? What is the fuss about, check
it out. Afghanistan: No mention of real improvement in this article, in
fact it says ground
is being lost both to our enemies, the Taliban, and to our
allies, I know, but its worth the read. Europe: A poll has caused a stir, somehow the Europeans
are seeing Israel as a threat to world peace.
Israel does not like it, and blames the media coverage of
Israeli/Palestinian issues. This
follows the story from Malaysia's Mahathir and
others from around the Arab world. The implication: that
either two large portions of the world are wrong, or that
Israel's foreign policy is not in its own best
interest. Iraq: Allies US and England disagree on who our enemy is,
intelligence
is lacking and so are Arabic speaking persons.
And another
piece on the lack of intel. And evidence of a
wide range of volunteers
to fight against Iraq's occupation. And then this
to counterpoint that, foreigners
have little role in Iraq, have a hard time
entering. One wonders what the truth is. Iraqi oil? It
does flow, but slow. Rotating
of troops into and out of Iraq. More happy
people. Muddle East: The story surfaces again, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
trading, in essence, cheap oil for nuke technology.
Here
is an article exploring the reasons why such a deal might be
good in their views. Bush's speech of last Thursday has met with
less
than appreciative comments from this region.
The headliners: A quick glance back to 9/11 when we couldn't scramble
anything to stop an airborne attack on the pentagon.
But
is seems the system works fine now. One wonders
why there has not been an investigation as needed? And, as
far as that goes, I am still offering 1000.00 dollars to a
verifiable photograph of the Pentagon on that day showing
any substantial airliner wreckage. I have searched over 900
listed photos on the web and none of them show much of
anything, and I know that the pentagon has live video
coverage of its exterior. Maybe that should be looked into
closer. One wonders why the initial news coverage said it
was a truck bomb, oh well, c'est la vie. I
guess others question how our air defense performed on that
day too as the 9/11 panel subpoena's the pentagon's
records. The Heinous: Americana: Well just a quick overview of the Jessica Lynch story,
mostly
it is a case of the story that wasn't, according to her, the
way it has been portrayed. Here
are some reported witnesses from Iraq. Another
opinion page on this, reports that those
who wanted a hero, did not expect Ms. Lynch to talk much,
speak her own mind, or, god forbid, contradict
those scripting her story. A wonderful overview of the "stories" that led us to
war, their source, gee guess where, and how they came to be.
This
four part story is long, but details US and England's PR
effort to goad their publics into accepting war.
Ex ambassador Joseph Wilson released the information which
had been compiled by USAF Colonel (Ret.) Sam
Gardiner. As if it isn't enough, read
an opinion about who supports our troops. Well, if you want to be really disgusted with the
current situation, global, national, and in California,
and
still harbor hope, please peruse this article, long, but
well worthwhile. And a minor reprise of the Cher/wounded
veterans story, with a couple of questions at its
conclusion which need answering. And here, a hint of
discontent from the military and why it is happening?
Answer, Bush
et al....go figure. Part
of the reason betting people will bet on Bush for a win, in
2004. Then look at this, thankfully much briefer
article on the war's effect on Bush,
not much, his election, some measurable amount. A repeat of a previous story: The media tout
126,000 new
jobs created, well that means a shortfall of 24,000
according to analysts in this article. But
despite that apparent fact, still
news is there are more jobs. But in a related
story we can see how
Bush's policies have cost us jobs and threaten jobs in the
future as a trade war with Europe is
threatening. If you want to know more about the neo-cons who are in
power now, this
overview is a quick study of the persons, their
interrelationships, and how they effect US policy in
Iraq. Recall the story about reinstating the draft? Well it
was reported
Associated
Press,
the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer
, the
Oregonian,
the Toronto
Star,
the BBC,
and London
Guardian
But then the site/pages
disappeared. But through the magic of the internet you can
see the original as it was, right
here.
I wouldn't bother with
this except that "spiking pages" has become a way of
revising history. Iran: Well,
do they or don't they, will they or won't they, what does
"suspend" mean? Iranians and the question of
nukes is there REALLY progress? Iraq: This article describes a
video that outlines intel's disagreements with Bush et
al. Korea: Well,
here is Korea saying "we've got nukes" but the
story misleads about the cause of the crisis, it goes back
to the start of the Bush2 years, see
this story to get to some roots of the matter.
The Heinous: Americana: Jimmy
C. and the Supremes to weigh in on the human
rights of those inmates of Camp X-ray. An
article on the 30 Senate confirmation marathon, sounds like
some resistance to Bush, but the ending of the
article reports that 168 appointees have been approved, now
THAT'S depressing. Are
military voters having a "change of heart" when it comes to
Bush, some evidence that this is so is not really
being covered. Families of 9/11 think that the
9/11 commission has given to much away, why would that
be? Read this article and see if you could find a
way to get the job done, universal
access to the presidential daily briefs relating to 9/11
should be possible for all sides and yet secure.
What is the problem? You go figure it... Some of Bush's advisors have history with Reagan, no
surprise there, but they seem, according to this article, to
assume
that the repressive solutions to Central American insurgents
in the 80's can be applied to Iraq in the new
century, maybe not, eh? Need overtime pay? This
Bush activity may be of interest to
you...indeed! Europe: Granted
it is a small move but we hear more and more about Europe as
separate, distinct, and in disagreement with the
US, but do we care? Does not seem as though we
do. Iran: Well do they or don't they, will they or won't they,
can they? Could they? Would they? What about: have they?
Talkin'
bout Nukes for their dukes. Then we hear that a
top Iraqi
missile scientist has "gone over" to Iran, and
that, just now, we are considering trying to
prevent such events, probably a good idea, probably being
implemented just a few months too late. Iraq: Some say we are having a tough time, thousands of
insurgents, maybe tens of thousands, motivated, "interested"
parties. Might
we, as the article says, "loose it?" Another
version of that same report has it that increasing
numbers of Iraqi's believe that they can defeat
us. More
on that story is here. And also here,
in the England's Guardian. And this story
indicates that until
today Japan was still thinking of troops, I was
surprised, but not by their choice against.
An
update on that story has it that Japan is not sending any
troops. And here we read about the military
casualties, note
that the total includes only US military, not
those of our allies, the Iraqi's allied with us, or
privately hired security, citizens, or those held as enemies
by the resistance who are targeted, such as the UN, and
other aid agencies. I would bet that the "casualty rate" or
better still the causal ratio may be insupportable. Then there is this article from the Jerusalem Post,
which rightly asks: "Those
who want to sound responsible say the US should hand the job
over to an international force &endash; as if any country
that's stayed out of the fighting so far wants to send
thousands of troops to Iraq now." How strange
that I agree with that sentiment, at the same time still
agree with those who say we invaded for insupportable
reasons, rationales and suspect motives. The speculation of this article focuses on the
possibility that the
war we are now fighting in Iraq may be the one Saddam had
planned, others disagree, submitting other ideas,
but the article states that Saddam could not be in charge
since he has to move about so much, again I ask how do we
know that if we don't know where he is? Of course it
mentions we don't know who attacks us, and it just may be
that a lot of people don't like us there, novel thought
that. But
this overview of intel, occurrences, and links to
opinion give a good glimpse into the chaos that is still far
too common. And soon we'll
have our own Iraqi news source, broadcasting directly to the
media. I will be fair and balanced we are
told. And a bit of an overview of the Turkish/Kurdish/Iraqi
situation.
For now we seem to have avoided a problem we almost
created, but what of the future? What's this I read? The
occupation of Iraq to end by June 2004? It seems
silly, awful, about time, dangerous, offers encouragement to
the enemy, is probably to soon, you choose which one you
think fits, I personally say its all of the above, despite
everything I've said in this column. Here
is how the LA Times reported the story. An awful lot of news there, and bleak at that, but
this article touts the successes that
we've had, and it isn't as if they aren't important,
either. Now the question, Iraqification, how many Iraqi's do
we have on hand? The Journal briefly notes that
SecDef Rumsfeld claimed that there are 131,000 Iraqis
working in security forces of one type or another. That's
13,000
more than Rummy said yesterday, 30,000
more than he said last week, and 46,000
more than Bremer said nine days ago. Last week, the
WP explained that these guys, however many there
are, are getting nary
a day of training. Recall how the Iraqi oil was supposed to pay for the
occupation's cost? Crude
is going for 32 dollars a barrel With a shipment
of 600K barrels to Jordan this weekend simple math gives us
19,200,000 of our monthly cost measured, from what we hear,
in the billions. 80,000,000 a day is what we we'd get if we
had the 2.5 million barrels a day, their prewar production.
Simple math shows we'd then be getting 2.4 billion a month,
that would be talking, then, well, but... Israel: The US and Israel now have even more in common,
past
security and intel people telling the current government
that what they are doing is not, can not and will not
work and just like in the US, no one is
listening. Syria: Yes, back in the news, a fresh round of sanctions
and
some threatening patterns reminiscent of our run up to the
war in Iraq, I still assume nothing will happen
before election day, but who knows. United Nations: It seems that the
financiers of terror and the organizations moving money
around are not as troubled as the UN, US, or any
anti-terrorists would like. The Humor: Hear my dulcet tones give Mr. Bush some serious
laugh tracks: Songs
of Bush Get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, but look below the books. The Hope: Oh, yes the PEW research shows how independents and
Democrats
seem to be having more in common with each other than with
Republicans, could be reason for hope, if we
still have real elections by the 04 "happening." Another
poll/research
dovetails nicely with that assessment.
Nevada
may join Vermont, Alaska and Hawaii, in opposing the Patriot
Act, maybe, maybe... we shall see. More
on a "Liberal" channel and Gore?
The Heinous: The "Quote of the Day" What a quotes: these are the words of Big C. Powell
told France TV3 speaking on forming a government of Iraq:
"... it
has to be done in a realistic way and it has to be
sovereignty that is given to a group of leaders, effective,
prominent leaders, who enjoy solid legitimacy with the
people." And that's from Colin Powell, would that
that were true in all nations, that would be something to
struggle for, wouldn't it? So why not sign a petition: I just signed a petition
calling
on President Bush to honor our fallen soldiers and attend at
least one funeral or memorial for our soldiers killed in
Iraq. Afghanistan: News
is that innocents are being targeted, aid agency in
retreat? Americana: The
Jessica Lynch story, movie, adventure, PR scam of the
pentagon, and a woman who is tired of being
played even though the game is not over yet. Pardon me but I still don't get the "value"
of speculating on news events from the Mideast.
The penatgon got out after howling criticism, but bad ideas
just don't die they slink away to be reborn. The leaked Osama/Saddam "memmo" is discussed, from
what I see our press corps should be all over it,
no matter
whether they think there was or was not a connection between
the two, so why isn't there? And, as a just but snide aside, need I say more than
"I
thought we'd seen the last of large scale financial hanky
panky." Silly me. But I am cheered that the
overseers will fix things up in the next few months ... ya'
know I want to believe, but I just cant. Tommy Franks interviewed talks
about scrapping the constitution and military government in
the wake of a WMD event in the US or the "west".
Trial balloon or hint? What
is a "Chicken Hawk?" This is an update on an article
collected long ago the cheerleaders for this war,
are virgins when it comes to war. American Association of Retired People, AARP, has
found out what happens when you take a poll's data to far,
actually
framing questions with suggested answers so as to suggest
support for a Republican Medicare package,
politics as has become usual. Europe: What is in Bush's mind? Apparantly
we want US based multinationals operating in England to
bring those jobs home to the US. This at the same
time that European
"disagreements" over trade are becoming more and more
important, even in Blair's England. And speaking
of "Blair's" England read what the mayor
of that city has to say about Bush, it is not pretty,
indeed. Seems
like Europe disagrees with us about how to handle Iran and
it's nukes. I don't know who is right in this
one, but it is more evidence of a rift between what was once
an allied set of nations. Iraq: A high ranking Italian
working with the Iraqi/American "government" of Iraq quits
and tells why. Do we hear a hint of the
US
giving up complete and total control in Iraq in
favor of "some" international body? Maybe. And some overview
of the Iraqification
of the war. We have heard that border crossing
insurgents were a main cause of the violence in Iraq,
now
we are being told it's all home grown. Apparantly
the White House wants to link the resistance in Iraq to
outsiders so it can firmly link the war there to the global
war on terror, but
it just isn't seeming that way to our military.
In fact, the article seems to find inexplicable that we
"persue terrorists" but give ample warning to people so they
can evacuate the building or ones nearby. I say it is
another version of what the Israeli's are doing in
Palestine, destroying the property of those involved with
attacks, or that of their supportive families. At the rate
of their success, I'd say we'd have a couple few years
before there is an end to the terrorism in Iraq. I mean,
after all, everyone wants in on the turf. Meanwhile our oppostion, Al Qaida, is
changing its tactics...casualties are casualties no matter
where I guess. And dovetailing that story we have
this: the "experts" advising us on Iraq were the same
"professionals"
who gave us the murderous repressions in Guatemala during
the 80's Maybe they'll be kinder and gentler this
time? The article gives one pause before answering. According to a witness a suicide
bomber was dressed as a police officer, either
the uniforms have to be controlled or we have another kind
of problem altogather. Saudi Arabia: Is it strange that Saudi's have spent $4 billion
around the world promoting their radical form of Islam,
Wahhabism, and that, geez, some
of that money may have ended up in the wrong
hands. The Humor: Hear my dulcet tones give Mr. Bush some serious
laugh tracks: Songs
of Bush Get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, but look below the books. The Hope: I do not know how much store to put into online
petitions, but I do send things in.
This petition concerns the use of touchless voting machines.
I do not see why we can't have printouts in triplicate, one
for the voter, one for the locality, and one for an
apolitical watchdog group. This bolstered by
required samplings, exit polling, and mathematical analysis
of any election. Touchless is fine, with printouts, backups
and exit polling. Why, touchless could even allow someone
who made a mistake to start all over again, imagine that!
So
imagine my surprise when I read that California is going to
require printouts on touchless machines. Still
the requirements does not allow receipts for the voters or
storage of copies by an independent security agency. George Soros, a multi-millionaire promises millions to
oust Bush, this
is what he has to say on Bush, 9/11 and what it all
means.
The Heinous: Afghanistan: Oh the complications of dealing in one way with
Afghanistan, another with Pakistan, and playing the
anti-terrorist card. This
article shows how various Pakistani factions are playing for
power, even while we broker and wheel and deal for our own
agenda. Americana: Interesting thought: what would happen if the dollars
value began a serious decline in value? This
article speculates that it could happen and would effect the
export led economies just as it would our exporting
companies as it would our deficit financing.
Ironic is it not that investors just are not buying
"american" as they used to. One can only speculate as to why
that is. This story is followed quickly by this one stating:
"The
US budget is out of control" And, speaking of
mega buck bombshells, much like things recently passed in
the night, check out how Medicare was birthed: but
I don't think the Dems took a dive, more its more like they
were gut punched or bitch slapped what your
take? The campaign is underway, fear
is the essential early on with the Bush ads.
Speaking of the campaign, love those touchless
machines? Well, resistance to them grows. And a
small piece on the disassembling
of the media and free press, how and why it is
done: surprise answer: money. More
leaked documents? In Washington? No Way! It
couldn't happen there. NOT! So much time and so little to show for it, ROTC
getting to be B.M.O.C.? That is what this story implies
anyway, feds
funding tied to ROTC presence? Was gibt es
heir? Perhaps
the neo-cons/hawks in the Bush admin. are loosing influence,
and not at all in part because of their
misleading, lying, and policy failure in Iraq. I do not
expect a turn around, however, but still it is interesting
that our management team has made what appears to be
pragmatic changes. Ya' know embedding rerporters with the Miami PD makes
for strange bedfellows: The
Miami Riots and another view of the
police actions there. So once you read that and
read that of 840
television commentators in the US only four were against the
war, 99.5% to .5%, now that is simply fair
coverage is it not? No bias here, not at all out of touch
with a population far more evenly split, in fact one in
which the war's support is evaporating according to "the
best of polls." Sex,
Money and Brother Bush, some people have
incredible luck; it seems to run in the family. And the 9/11 commission, The Family Steering
Committee, a group of victim advocates, are
dissapointed that a year has gone on and nothing much has
come to light, no one is being held accountable,
what gives? Europe: Well there is a meeting of 180
nations, concerning global warming, will the US
show? Will we, perhaps, change our ways? Maybe
yes to the first, a certain no to the second. Europe
is a source of terrorist recruits, and has its
own problems. Iraq: Well
it looks like Bremmer, is trumped by a Fatwa,
which, according it Iraqi's on the council will now speed up
the formation of an Iraqi government. Just who are we
fighting, as the 4th paragraph from the end of this article
makes clear, we
don't really know. Kyrgyzstan/Üzbekistan: Another
soon to be front on the "clash of civilizations? Only time
will tell. Muddle
East: It seems that Sharon/Israel are making up their own
minds about what their borders are going to be.
The wall is to remain, and some pull backs are
going to happen, so they say. We shall see, shan't
we? Russia: One might have thought that the "Velvet Revolution in
Georgia was democracy "aborning" and finding victory through
righteousness, maybe not. Maybe
it is another power play involving a "peaceful oil
corridor". The illusion was enjoyable. Let us
hope that the peace is also. The Humor: Just a little bit of a laugh: What
you need to believe in if you are a Republican. Hear my dulcet tones give Mr. Bush some serious
laugh tracks: Songs
of Bush Get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, but look below the books. The Hope: I have not heard
the music, but this guy has some good lyrics; it
might be worth checking them out.
11/08/03
11/11/03
11/17/03
11/24/03
11/29/03
12/02/03 Peaceful protesters should not be treated as potential
terrorists nor spied upon by federal government
agents. Not only is this a misuse of public funds that
could be used to find real terrorists, it chills free speech
activities and inhibits the public debate on important
issues. If you agree with this: Take
Action!
Let Attorney General Ashcroft know that you support the
First Amendment and oppose government surveillance of
peaceful protests Afghanistan: If you wonder where the "new" Taliban might be getting
money, look
no further than the poppy fields of their homeland.
Americana: Here is a bit of news, our
"free press" is not allowed to talk to US soldiers before,
during or after a presidential visit to a military base, in
the US itself. Why would that be? The article
speculates. The media capitulates, the war goes on. More on the budget this article, Deficit Disorder,
gives an
overview of the recent debt increases, and speculates on the
consequences 10 and 20 years down the line, not
pretty Let me tear apart this article
on US intelligence leading up to the war.
Paragraph one "conclusions were sound, even though many have
not been validated." So how could conclusions be held as
valid, but not be validated? It goes on to say that all the
evidence we possessed would not allow a reasonable person to
reach a different conclusion that what they did, meaning the
current administrations decision to go to war, excuse me but
a number of nations had the same information and thought we
were wrong. In the 11th paragraph we hear: "Our job is to
fill in the gaps with informed analysis." Which means what?
the use of hard evidence, no, it means speculation,
inference, theorizing, and guesswork. Now, its not as if we NEED more bad news for the
environment, but
here is the latest place where the US again stands alone,
against the world and common sense. And a side note here, for those of you who think the
IRS has abusive tendencies, or has "to much power" and is
not accountable, you will find more evidence in this
article, it
seems if they only "practice" an audit on you, you do not
enjoy many of the protections you, as a citizen, are
entitled to, because, you see, its just a
practice investigation and not the real thing, unless they
find something. And
we return to considering DieBold's touchless voting
machines. Here we hear of stories, abuses, and the potential
for fraud. There is a clammor developing for
requiring a paper trail, I want more than that, a triplicate
print out, one for the voter, one for the government, and
one for a watchdog organization. That would settle anyone's
hash. Any election could be retabulated, even, possibly,
citizen groups. Europe: A while back we noted that the European Union was
considering targeted counter tarrifs which would effect
"border" states vital to bush's reelection in retaliation
for our tarrifs on their imported steel, but
in this standoff we may be the ones to blink
first. Iraq: Just a bit of an overview. Some are saying that we
are, in a sense, spreading our resources to thinly, that
the
Taliban and Al Queda are not a few blinks short of a knock
out, quite the reverse, in some ways they are
resurgent, and even Rummy boy said we have no way to measure
our progress. It seems that South
Korea wants to send 3K troops to Iraq, protests there
coincided with the sending of aid workers and such
like. Part of the reason the author of the
article says they might send troops is because they want the
US to solve the North Korean problem/crisis. As if the US
would care one whit more or less about Korea whether or not
they sent troops, in comparison to the concerns we have
globally taken on. Instances
of US trained Iraqi police coordinating attacks on US
forces? I guess we thought it could happen, and
we were right. And then there is the casualty
rate,
according to this article we've taken nearly 10,000
casualties, dead, wounded, ill, or otherwise rendered unfit
for service, after serving there. What
is the status of our lan for an Iraqi goverment by July
first? Take a look at what is being said,
problems, problems, and, guess what else, problems. On 11/30 reports of 40 to 56 insurgents killed as they
ambushed US convoys, but
witnesses disagree with the body count and the appearance of
who was involved in the attack. Another account
of the
battle is here. Now there is
a book out, concerning the "illusion" of Iraq's WMD
programs, it seems a lot of lying was going on
and not just to the US. Kyrgyzstan/Üzbekistan: Muddle East: Some of the most highly
placed Israeli intelligence officers are critical of their
nation's policy regarding the Palistinians, will
anyone listen? Russia: The Humor: Hear my dulcet tones give Mr. Bush some serious
laugh tracks: Songs
of Bush Get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, but look below the books. The Hope: I don't know if this story belongs in the hope
category,
but Bush et al area being sued under the civil RICO act for
their roles in 9/11 by the wife of one of the
victims on flight 175. The article spells out the case for
the suit and is quite detailed, especially points number 47
and 48. There is some progress on the "Liberal"
media network, but we've yet to see it get on the
air. I have not heard
the music, but this guy has some good lyrics; it
might be worth checking them out.
The Heinous: Click
Here for Current Iraq War Casualty Details
although I have problems with this site because it is
incomplete, this will serve as a counter for mankind'
insupportable behaviors regarding killing, death penalties,
crime and punishment, law, order and justice, and a strike
against the faith, belief and hope that I harbor in my
breast, which will stand against all things in this
world. One additional figure I'd like to include is a match
of these figures with that of the estimated population
growth of the same period for each nation involved. However
upon thinking about it perhaps it is unnecessary since many
might hold that would only allow us to see that we could, in
fact, continue this wasteful and disgraceful behavior for
the foreseeable future, truly incredible and immoral feat
that. The categories I suggest are: US: Killed, Wounded,
disabled, percent disenchanted, then Iraqi/friendlies: same
if the last can be determined. Iraqi/hostiles: same, but
again, only if that last could be determined Iraqi,
neutrals, the proverbial innocent bystander. Children
participating, the both innocent and not. Deaths of
terrorists and Deaths by terrorists, then by nation, and for
each of these a recent poll regarding how the conflict is
being regarded based on any recent poll. Include Israel,
Palestine, and Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir, then add in
deaths by religion. This would be a complete accounting. And
speaking of that someone should be finding out how much all
the nations combined are spending on this "enterprise".
Later, dude. Afghanistan Elections
in this nation may not happen as planned, or may,
but not provide the nation with what it needs, a legitimate,
supported, and secure government. Americana: News coverage is not what we think it is,
see
this story about the "coverage" of the FCC's degregulation
"debate" this year. Interesting an american white supremacist builds a
sodium cyanide bomb, hundreds of other bombs and parts for
more, connections around the country, a large arsenal with a
million rounds of ammuntion be called, and was important
enough to be in a presidential briefing, but not important
enough for the news media...??? First, a story from the NYT
about the DieBold mess. Lest we have a chance to forget DieBold and its
machinating machines, Diebold
decides to stop chasing after voting rights activists
who have exposed problems of the company and its
machines. An
investigation is called for by the U.S. House Judiciary
Committee Part of what started all of this
"consideration" of Diebold, was
some of the events of the Election 2002 Then
Ohio
decides, after finding so many problems with the machines
that they don't want much to use them. And from
the Atlanta
Journal Constitution, comes more, scientists worry about the
"touchless system." California
wants paper trails for its touchless voting machines, and
guess what, Florida doesn't, one wonders
why. Here are a slew of links concerning the DieBold voting
machines, and organizing against them. First, a
nice letter to print out and send, or email in.
Second, information about who
is organizing against it. Then
another more detailed letter to send Groups that protest or demonstrate against the
government, beware, Green
Peace is finding out that the way things were is not the way
they are, how about them apples? And as for all that this story shows how a
news
blackout can be possible with friendlies in the right
places, thank you Mr. Michael Powell And following up the recent "would be trade war" over
steel tarrifs, one sees the follow up,
other nations can decide to penalize the US and others for
not signing on to the Kyoto Accords, will we see
a change in the US policy if they do? Interesting
speculations that. And the
economic "good news" might not be so good upon
investigation, here is a simplified view of what
is happening. Iraq: It might be called the battle of Samarra.
LA times gives voice to US and Iraqi witnesses
This story provides some
admission of error, in body and capture count,
but presents some interesting questions. More
on the "Showdown in Samarra" by a doubter. And just some simple math, this story boasts
Iraqi
oil production is at 2.1 million bbls a day,
Current world prices hover around 30.00/bbl. Go
figure we're getting just a little under 2 billion/month for
that, forgetting about overhead and cost of operations,
would this be enough money to to pay the cost of the
occupation? Israeli lessons being applied in Iraq. I
guess their successes will be duplicated as
well. Then there is the speculation
that Saddam may have billions secreted about
overseas. If this is so he truly coul be anywhere
and direct or finance the resistance from afar. Interesting
thought that. Who is managing our efforts in Iraq? Why are they
proceeding so slowly, what is the problem? This
article illuminates how political appointees are running
programs they don't understand, and creating
others that create chaos instead. It is dangerous. Are
we getting a true casualty count from Iraq, some say we may
not be, Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss. Russia: Suicide
bomber kills 19 in Chechnya, looks like an M.O.
is spreading. Will happy days never cease? Then for the
nation that is not a nation, yet, is,
Transdniester.
We have a report that dozens of make shift "dirty" missiles
have dissappeared from this sliver of a country
known to sell munitions to whomever for whatever
reasons. The Humor: Hear my dulcet tones give Mr. Bush some serious
laugh tracks: Songs
of Bush Get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, but look below the books. The Hope: I don't know if this story belongs in the hope
category,
but Bush et al area being sued under the civil RICO act for
their roles in 9/11 by the wife of one of the
victims on flight 175. The article spells out the case for
the suit and is quite detailed, especially points number 47
and 48. Some reason for guarded
hope in the recent NPR polls. There is some progress on the "Liberal"
media network, but we've yet to see it get on the
air.
The Heinous And check out an interview with Greg
Palast who speaks about the "Floridization" of our voting
systems, the HAVA legislation that might make it happen,
and something more about the Bushes. Al Qeda: Where do they get their bucks? One must realize we
know people by name, its
just, well, we don't have complete buy in from everyone
around the world. Afghanistan: The
UN may want to pull out of this winter wonderland
because of, guess what, security concerns, no way, not
there! Americana: The issue of global warming also will not go away.
The
latest report indicates that we may be near the point where
the Koyoto Accords may only be the start of what is needed.
Meanwhile we give SUV's loads of tax breaks.
And
another story on the same topic, but from India.
Meanwhile number two, is
it any surprise that the Feds prosecute fewer
polluters? I guess not. And this story follows
that one, the EPA
itself is being pressured and politicized as never
before. And then there is this, global
warming seems to be here, and years ahead of
schedule. SUV anyone? Comparing
Clinton and Bush, a bit of an overview, just to
see how much has been and is being undone. And, if you like,
some analysis
by William Rivers Pitt and Sydney Blumenthal Say, if you really don't like Bush, read
this vitriolic little piece by Michael Moore. And
here is just a glimpse into Cheney, this
is how he hunts "game" How about that Diebold company? They
say charge them out the yin-yang if they want to add on
printers. Here is the place to go to if you want
to protest
computerized voting and the HAVA Act. A bit of a follow up on the family
suing bush, et al, under the RICO act. This is
not being covered by the usual news agencies, and one
wonders why... on second thought, one doesn't. And the overview, what are our plans for the "Axis of
Evil" now-a-days? Seems like we aren't ready to duke it out
with either of them, here
are some of the reasons why. Iraq: A
glimpse at Bhagdad....now. Haliburton turns on
the money machine in Iraq, just
fixing the prices a bit here and there. And which
nations are owed money, hint France,
Germany, Russia are owed just less than half the total debt
of 21 billion. We
won't give them contracts and we want them to
forgive these loans. Sounds like a reasonable set of
requests to me. Bush seems to have a habit of making matters
worse, excluding nations from Iraqi contracts and then
asking them to reschedule their debt from that same country.
I call it "Conqueror's Kismet." Here
is an overview of that and of the conflicted policies we
have working against each other in Iraq. Iraq's new army: The first battalion, some
700 strong, has had casualties already, about 33% have
quit. What are the odds of Wesley Clark getting what he
wants: a
transparent trial for Saddam? Muddle East: Compounding the problem is the internationalization of
the conflict. Terrorism
spreads, even to Moscow, governments
around the world condemn Israel including one of
the largest, Indonesia and here we see "a
grand war" perhaps being described even as its
a'borning. What repercussions is the Iraq occupation having on
Israel? Read
this, some there can now think the unthinkable.
And then take a look at the
analysis of that event. It seems there is word
that South Korean engineers are leaving Iraq. I
find it odd that one of our most staunch and historic
allies, they were with us in Vietnam, is pulling out at this
point. Russia: We have better numbers on the
rumored "dirty missiles" from Trans-Dniester maybe there is
only a couple of dozen of them. But we will only
know if they've fallen into the wrong hands when and if they
go off somewhere inappropriate, such as Bhagdad's green
zone, Kabul, Jerusalem, London, or Bin Laden's seeming
favorite, good old New York.
The Heinous: And now, even if you still think we aren't shooting in
the dark in Iraq, it
seems that Washington also has something of a night shift
thing goin' on: government under cloak of darkness, how
poetic. Can you smell it in the air? Funny line of the night: George (Bush), Arnold
(Schwartzenegger) and Gavin (Newsom) spells GAG. How about war crimes that we can be held accountable
fore in Iraq? Some
of them are spelled out here, can you spell "D.U.M." for
depleted uranium munitions. The 2000 and 2002 elections fraught with fraud? This
article names some books and reviews some of the
highlights of the "case against Bush." And how
about felons,
a programmer jailed for falsifying computer records, being
employed by a voting machine company? As a
manager yet already, sounds good enough to trust for me, let
us give him a second chance. We spent $100 million on Whitewater (Clinton's
pre-presidential financial scandal). Only $3 million has
been spent on investigating September 11! It's not about
getting Bush‚ ˜I'm no fan of Bill Clinton either!"
says
this article but the money figure, well, let us just get our
priorities straight. And speaking of 9/11, the
chairman of the independent committee investigating it said:
"This
was not something that had to happen." Americana: A bit of an
overview of the Bush ecological "plan" what ever
that is. Yes, pristine wilderness, set aside as an energy
resource in the event of a real emergency, but putting that
aside, lets
drill there anyway. And another set of scientists
and others who say, "Hey,
the Earth IS getting warmer, and faster than we thought it
would." Obstruction, obfuscation, misdirection? Who
did give the information to "out" a US spy to the
newspapers? We just can't seem to figure that
out, can we, why the list of suspects must be in the , well,
I mean, it's at least a dozen. Let the "show" begin, movie
stars and a general versus the "Bush Machine".
What an image that conjures up, the bush ...
machine? I like this LA Times article it says Saddam is
talking, but it does not say who says he's talking to,
what
he's saying, or where or when. Such a lot of detail, so
specific, and yet not at all verifiable. Now, in the OMG, (Oh My God category), When Diane
Sawyer asked Tuesday whether he still believes that Saddam
had actual "weapons of mass destruction as opposed to the
possibility that he could move to acquire those
weapons,"
Bush replied, "So what's the difference?" Another instance where the public record has been
expunged from view, it is so easy with the internet and
it
happens now a days and little can be done except grin as you
bend over. And could Mr. "I was in the military" Bush get better
the returning wounded better treatment? Veteran
organizations have a hard time, finding out the basics, who
is wounded, where they are, and so forth. For those who are willing to delve, deeply, and
satisfyingly into a bewildering array of stories,
names,
acronyms, and dates this article about Bush, oil, world
economy, politics, and on and on and on and on..
is especially for you. Europe: In merry olde England it seems being a whistle blower
there is as dangerous as blowing it over here. It seems that
we spied, used wire taps, attempted to influence, and
whatever, the members of the UN security council as it
deliberated authorizing war on Iraq. We
went way over the line and the person reporting this crime
is being prosecuted, wonderful how America and England work
together for the common good. Iraq: I guess it is a slow way to build a force when the
"graduation rate" is 50%, but still, in baseball batting 500
is good, no? Iraqi
army has a hard start? And here is an accounting of some of the details of
the capture which were not in the major news and which had
this one investigator speculates on evidence that
Saddam had been captured by someone, and held for the
25M, that the deal went down one way or another
for any one of several reasons on our part, but we'll never
know, no one is going to talk much, least of all Saddam. Do
ya think we'll get a transparent hearing? Do ya? Huh? Well,
punk, do ya? Then contrast that article with the more
mundane,
just how will what he knows, says, and bears witness to
become public knowledge? Surely the families of
those dead, dying, or under threat of same, would have a
right to know. Surely the American and Iraqi people have
common cause here. Wouldn't our WW2 veterans have wanted to
know all that Hitler knew? Well this time, brothers and
sisters, we can hear the deposed dictator himself as he
answers any and all questions put to him. An international
tribunal, to say the least. And
a bit of an update: Just who did capture Saddam
anyway. Hey its a short
article summarizing just how Saddam got chummy with
Rummy, and this is the declassified document from
the National Security Archive, that
spells out the details, disgusting thought they might
be,talk about realpolitik. One thing that I
noticed was that we reassured the Iraqi's that their use of
chemical weapons was not a concern despite any public
commentary to the contrary, see document 53, referenced in
the article. Now that Saddam is toast, maybe we'll hear about the
resistance's patchwork quilt of arabism, Kurd, Shia, Sunni,
Syrian, Iranian, Palestinian, and more, this
article argues that we may be in for another increase in
resistance efforts. Especially if the elections, supposedly
scheduled for this summer are unsatisfying. Pakistan: Talk about the proverbial elephant in the living room.
This week saw a bomb go off less than a minute after this
country's prez left its vicinity. Although it is
speculation, this article opens up the discussion on
what
might happen to the nuclear arsenal of this country if it
wound up in the hands of the faithful. And here,
if you want to see it, is the follow up, developments and
the like in the
shadowy realm consisting of speculation, rumor, and
facts. The Humor: Hear my dulcet tones give Mr. Bush some serious
laugh tracks: Songs
of Bush Get your daily
Doonesbury... right here. And if you want to see
a collection
of Bushisms go here, but look below the books. The Hope: Not that I favor him, but it seems Dean
is drawing fire from the Republocrats and their media
thugs, I mean imagine someone implying that a
Bush strong point is foreign policy, I tell you, whoah baby!
And if Wesley
Clark keeps firing away at Bush like this maybe
we'll have a real set of debates this time around,
NOT. Liberal News Network? LNN? Some
say it could happen by Spring. We shall see,
hmmmm? The courts, All Hail The Courts, they
seem to be challenging the Bush assertion terrorism can be
defined broadly and vaguely.
And now for something fun, go
to this link and vote for the best Anti-Bush 30 second
ad. Some are absolutely great. The Heinous What is it with all the "stans" anyway, could it be
the Oil Game, Pipelineistan, and more? A
great article, full of details, but scroll down to the "big
picture" just for a distasteful taste of what may come to
be. One might think that a decorated Vietnam vet, four
star marine general, former commander of US forces in the
Persian Gulf region, and former special envoy to the middle
east selected by George W. Bush himself, would have his
opinions noted, discussed etc.... in the press, NOT.
Retired General Anthony Zinni believes we are "screwing up"
the occupation. Americana: How we do it here in the USA: 1) A world renown expert
sees a problem developing. 2) The person goes to the proper
federal agency, talks to its chief about it. 3) The expert
is ignored. 4) The expert is proven right. 5) There are no
consequences for the federal official even as peoples lives
are put at risk, Americans loose jobs, money, and export
contracts. See
the Mad Cow Story. How does Tom Delay do it? Say that we've so disrupted
Al Qaeda that they can't do a thing and later, on
the same day, say that they posed such a credible threat
that we had to cancel some transatlantic flights from
France? From
the LA Times, a story about one of our soldiers, their
family, and how they have coped with a great loss.
The guy sounded like the kind of person we say we
wanted to have in Iraq, doing the things we wanted him or
his kind to do, and another reason to question our
leaders. Bush finally makes it for a photo op with wounded
troops, and talks about his commitment to their care,
yeah,
right that's why nearly a quarter million of them are
waiting for care, appointments, and treatment. A
bit of coverage about how the coverage of the war is
covered, guess what? Not well. Surprised? It is not my purview to judge, so I won't. Many took
the governments money as long as they give up the right to
sue, some have decided to fight, to find out more, for, as
one put it, the
people in charge of security today are the same ones on that
day, no one has been demoted, fired, or punished - what
gives? Speaking of security, and the so called
news, why do I have to read from an English source that the
US
has deployed anti aircraft missiles around certain airports?
If you don't know about Clear Channel, the largest
radio network in the US, you should, and
you should hear what its CEO thinks of its listeners. Plus
other media stinkers. Under cover of darkness, I ran this link before,
but
you should read it to see how we passed Medicare reform this
time around. And speaking of unspeakable
darkness, Cheney, what
I want to know is WHO is running this country's policy with
North Korea? Checking in on the "war on terrorism" LA
Times finds inflated bookkeeping. and this story
from the Detroit News dovetails nicely with it, stating that
the
number of convictions for terrorist acts was about the same
for the two year periods before and after 9/11.
Does that sound like progress? Iraq: Just who captured Saddam? There
seems to be hints of Kurdish involvement, and of
course no coverage of that story in US press, and no one of
the press corps here asking any kind of question about it.
So check
out Google for a listing of stories Apparently,
according to Scotland's Sunday Herald, the
Kurds have been quite helpful to the US in finding Iraqi
leaders, however unpaid promised reward monies
may yet be. What of Saddam's trial? Could
he call witnesses such as Rummy baby, and Bush the
first? These people, after all, gave him support
while he gassed, murdered, and invaded Iran. Free and open
trial? I will wait and see. This
story from Juan Cole's website gives some
overview. Speaking of a trial,
our vital assistance to him against Iran, even as we knew
about the gassing of civilians and troops, might prove
embarrassing to our president, his dad, family
and current clutch of assistants. WOW HEADLINE THIS: WE HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY FOR IRAQ!
In fact we've had one all along. It just hasn't looked that
way. This
just in from the Moscow Times, I know, I know, but it is fun
reading anyway. The Muddle East: Here is a nice piece of history,
how the world became aware of Israel's nukes, and the
whistle blower who gave it away, who is still
imprisoned after a very secret trial. Pakistan: Ya'
know a couple of serious assassination attempts on the
leader of this country has the effect of reminding us that
Pakistan has nukes, more than India does,
and
has a Moslem population who would, if allowed to govern
themselves, not be particularly friendly toward the
West, and might
they help Iran with its nukes? as they
have in the past according to statements made?
Here is an overview
of the situation. More than anyone wants on the assassination attempt:
Agence-France Presse reports analysts fear that
Al
Qaeda militants and religious fanatics are behind
an
increasingly organized effort to kill Pakistan's
President Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Musharraf escaped his second
assassination attempt in 11 days Thursday. Suicide bombers
rammed his motorcade with two bomb-laden cars at a gas
station about a mile and a half from his residence in
Rawalpindi. Pakistani authorities say 14
people were killed and 46 injured in the blast.
The Guardian reports that a special electronic
jamming device delayed the blast by crucial
seconds, and this allowed Musharraf to escape with his
life. The Times of India reports that Musharraf
will
shift his residence to Islamabad, a city
considered to be much safer than Rawalpindi. But in a
separate article, the Times notes several media reports have
speculated that the assassination bids could be
"stage-managed,"
while some others have suspected that these could be the
handiwork of people in his inner circle or religious
extremists and their sympathizers in the army. The Washington Times reports that if Musharraf was
killed, it would "create
a crisis in Pakistan possibly of nuclear
proportions." The Humor: Singing this to the tune of "Winter
Wonderland" it's not naughty, it's nice...
12/07/03
12/14/03
12/21/03
12/28/03