I was sitting in my hospital room at about 6 pm when the nurse came in to say that the doctor was calling me with good news. For the life of me I could not imagine what good news the doctor could have for me. Shortly thereafter, a Doctor Forester called and said that they had found a donor who was an excellent match and did I want the lungs. I was stunned. I had thought I was too far down the list to be transplanted. I asked if they were really a match and he said "an excellent match." I asked if I could have fifteen minutes and he said "Yes."

I immediately called Kelly to tell her the news and ask her input. She was also stunned, but ecstatic, and said "Of course." I was still just stunned. We spoke a few minutes more and I got off the phone. Kathi (Kelly's sister and my dear Sister-Out-Law who had come with me on this trip to Stanford) had come with me for the Stanford check up to get the lay of the land in case she came down to help me when I had a transplant. Little did we know how soon that would happen. So it was truly a gift when Kathi promised to stay with me. This was a huge comfort as I was scared of going through all of this alone. However, it was above and beyond the call of family for her to set her life aside for almost a month to stay with me and then to help Kelly get oriented and settled in. Meanwhile Kelly was doing a whirlwind preparation to move us to Stanford and leave the house in some decent condition for Cory and Conrad - all while being desperately worried about me and sick as all get out from an abscessed tooth.

I could not believe the energy in the hospital room. It was palpable ... a vortex of energy that was undeniable and left me little time to be afraid of what was coming. The doctor called back and I said that I indeed wanted the lungs. That set in motion a whirlwind of activity between getting me scrubbed down for surgery to calling family and Kelly again and celebrating with Kathi in between. Kelly and Kathi were willing to learn my spirit song and promise to sing me back from the surgery. Before I knew it, or had too much time to think ahead, I was being wheeled out to surgery with Kathi at my side.

There were a few final health questions (of which I have no recall) from the surgeons and I was wheeled into the surgery.

There were several times I came to in extreme pain - two of which I swear were in the surgery. And several that I came to in the ICU and saw the clock, but even with the clock I did not know day from night or day from day. It was a disorienting time which I soon found was less than a day after the surgery. I later learned that it was common for folks to remain out 3 - 4 days. However, I had asked Kelly and Kathi to sing me back and they had done so. My concern had been that if I was out there too long I would not (or would not be able) to come back, and also that it was very possible that I might need to fight to stay alive. I believe that both were true.

That first week was ... difficult. Starting with the intubation which left me unable to communicate and still leaves me with difficulty swallowing. I really needed to communicate. I tried everything I could think of to communicate including signing the manual alphabet and pantomiming paper, pencil, and writing. The nurses just kept telling me to "quit waving my hands around." It was not until Kathi showed up and understood that I wanted to write that any progress was made. Of course, I was so shaky that nobody could read what I wrote. Finally the tube was removed, but it would be a couple of days before I could really say much.

I could not believe how little I could breathe. The respiratory therapists and others kept telling me to cough. I told them that you had to be able to get breath in your lungs in order to cough. The breathing did not improve. They tried a nasal pharyngeal vacuuming of my lungs. While unpleasant, it helped some. They placed me on a Bi-Pap machine. This is a piece of equipment that forces air into your lungs every time you breathe. My experience of it was that it was "pushing" me. The pattern of the Bi-Pap was just that - puff puff on each breath. When I got off the machine, my lungs had picked up that pattern - filling one at a time. It drove me crazy and sent my nascent claustrophobia off the scale. By the evening of day three, I was losing ground again. Late night 3 or early day 4 I went into respiratory crisis. Alarms were ringing and I was gasping like a fish out of water. My pain level was off the chart. At that point I thought I was going to die and the pain was bad enough that if that was the case I hoped it would be soon.

It was decided to vacuum my lungs out again. They asked me if I would do that. I had no air to answer and just nodded. I didn't see any other possibilities. So up my nose and into my lungs and they vacuumed what little breath I had right out of me. I am sure it was just a few seconds, but it seemed an endless stretch of time. Then the hose was back out and I continued choking, but I could get small gasps of breath. They wanted to put me back on the Bi-Pap and I resisted. They said I really needed to do it - even if just for an hour. I negotiated down to 30 minutes. So the time started and I tried to not watch the clock. However, you had better believe that at 30:01 I was waving and pounding to get the damn thing off of me. Two more times they got me onto the Bi-Pap (never for more than thirty minutes) before I refused to let it anywhere near me. My claustrophobia had set up residence.

That was the crisis point for me, and successfully moving past it meant a relatively steady progress in my breathing. I was still struggling, but little by little I was getting enough breath to start coughing the "packing material" out of my lungs. There is some solution they put the lungs in (or in the lungs) and I am still coughing up remnants of it. Either that, or my donor lived some place with sky high pollution because I have coughed up two lungs of an icky grey/green/brown crud that you definitely do not want in your lungs.

Ultimately I was moved to the floor (I believe it was day 7) and there continued my respiratory therapy and breathing exercises and slowly increased breathing capacity. What became increasingly clear was that my heart was not settling down. It was galloping along at a resting rate of about 135 and going up from there. The doctors said that it was due to the surgery and also that my heart needed to "remodel" after pumping against the high pressure in my lungs due to the pulmonary hypertension. They started me on a low dose of metoprolol and have increased it up to 50 mg twice a day. It is helping, though my heart rate is still too high and I get easily winded.

I have had various problems with the medications from unstoppable diarrhea and nausea, to neurological problems and a drop foot. So I have gone through several medication changes to address the digestive issues. The neurological issues they hope will resolve with time and therapy.

I am exercising daily and getting stronger day by day. However, I am having a hell of a time gaining back the 27 pounds I lost during the process. It is down right frightening how much weight and muscle I have lost. By the time I got out of the ICU, I had lost about 20 pounds. The other I lost because I wasn't able to get enough food in me to do any good even maintaining my weight.

I take a ton of pills a day and they still upset my stomach and they still "fill me up." They also make virtually everything taste like various flavours of cardboard. So eating enough is still an issue. I am told that my taste buds will recover with time.

Kelly and I are currently living in a "studio" apartment, though that is a generous interpretation. It measures under 280 square feet - including bath and kitchen. We are sitting in each other's laps and the place is very difficult to live in. We are supposed to be moving August 8th to a 1 bedroom. YAY!!! That should make life more comfortable, and give each of us a little privacy.

Meanwhile, "recovery" is both time and energy demanding and keeps both of us occupied. Dealing with the Kaiser pharmacy has become the bane of Kelly's normally calm and loving nature (along with trying to keep everything in its place in this closet that is our current "home"). Thankfully, Kelly and Kathi discovered the Goodwill. Kelly has had great luck getting things we need cheaply and also in getting some well deserved "hunting and gathering" therapy.

Kelly has succeeded in making this closet into a slice of home. Her efforts have made me feel connected to our home where we hope to return in October. I can't believe how wise she was in her selection of what to bring from home to meet the needs of soul and psyche. She also does an amazing job keeping this place livable and feeding me despite my lacklustre response to almost any food. It makes me feel guilty how little help I am. I have started doing dishes and cooking a bit. Unfortunately, I can't even get the food out of the refrigerator (it is a dinky thing with low shelves and I cannot bend over or lift anything over 4 pounds).

I want to give a huge thank you to Kathi who stayed with me through the surgery and helped Kelly get oriented to the area. She has drawn numerous pictures which have captured her experience of this process, as well as to help us all deal with the challenges of this mighty transition.

I also want to thank Cory and Conrad who have uprooted their lives and moved into our house (deep cleaning and clearing all in their path) and are caring for the dogs. This is a huge gift and we (and the dogs) would be in tremendous upheaval without them. Thanks to Gail who has generously stepped in to stay with the dogs when Cory and Conrad cannot. As most of you know, our four legged family members are truly members of the family. I was terrified of what would happen to them in the event of a transplant. How and who would take care of them over such a long period of time? Who would love them and provide safety and security? Cory and Conrad offered to move into our house, and Gail and Kathi offered their support as well. I could not be blessed with better family and friends, and I know few who would make such sacrifices - even for family.

Thank you brothers Ed and Robert (wink) who provide so much support to both Kelly and myself. The nurses at Stanford were tremendously impressed with my brothers. That made me smile and I told them I was truly blessed. Thanks also to my PCC family who have contributed so generously to my NTAF campaign, and to Powell Boulevard Veterinary Clinic who has been raising funds and had a car wash to help me out.

Thanks to all of you who with your love, healing thoughts, and generosity, have contributed to the healing energy which is so critical to this process of returning to health. Thank you for being a support upon which I draw on a daily basis.

Six weeks ago I was wondering if I would survive the summer. Things were looking pretty grim. I was in such bad shape that I couldn't figure out how I would get home from Stanford as I couldn't breathe at the altitude to either drive or fly. I figured the trip home would finish off what the trip down had started - high altitude heart failure. If I made it home it likely would have been on my last breaths. Then the miracle of new lungs based on the generous gift from some poor soul I will never know. New lungs that now offer me beginnings rather than endings. New horizons instead of sunset. Now I will have two birthdays to celebrate. The one that my mother gave me and the one some generous stranger has gifted me with.

The healing is mine to accomplish. Paying the price of the medication issues and recovery from the insult to the body of surgery is mine. Dealing with a life of anti-rejection medications is the price of living with this gift. But I believe that this gift came to me for a reason. There are apparently things I am yet meant to do. So I will follow that small voice inside that directs one's heart on the right path and bless the spirits which have made it possible for me to walk it.

My love and gratitude to you all,
rowan

In the free world there are always going to be those people that were on the inside that had a hidden problem and when I happen to cross paths with them I move with caution because ex-cons generally like to sabotage other people's opportunities. After going through the hundreds of job interviews and the discrimination I know I have learned the one thing no one can teach, I learned how to live by standards that are not just my own, but I now live by societies standards as well. After six and a half years one would think resorting to violence is the last way after you have already called the cops. Yet I still find myself at times wondering should I make that call to 911 when life happens, because when we do the right thing it is more of an instinct to keep the community safe. I have become a person chasing this thing called normality and now I'm learning there is no normal, it all seems to depend on what group people hang out with on what they consider to be normal. I wasn't able to write about group pressure I have personally got to be a part of during discussion because the truth behind some of what I'm going to discuss is not society's norm. However, my prison experience stretches nearly two decades so bare with me for I have run into dead ends with all other subjects.
I have been able to contrast a lot from the institutions to the free world, any police man/woman would probably say no way those people don't work like that and that is completely understandable because they really do see the worst side of most criminals. Back to group pressure. Around Christmas time on the inside there is a lot of tension with everyone missing their families and every jail/prison has some amount of corrections officers walking around commenting reminding the inmates about their personal losses of freedom which really does cause defiance to take root and in turn there is more fights among the population. When an 18 year old youngster gets sentenced to a ten year measure 11 and walks the unit no matter where it is there will be some level of uncertainty considering how most of society views prison which is understandably so. It is quite common for the new younger inmates to be tested, some close bonds are made in this primitive head bashing way because if one stands up for themselves against the odds they earn a title as someone that isn't to be messed with and in there that in its self is enough to make the predators back off. I mean after all they want to extort someone that is scared so they can get paid not try to do it to someone that will stand up for what is right. I witnessed a situation many years ago where a teenager was sentenced to 70 months and being that young I'm close to sure that Joey Peterson, the teenager, didn't see any future after his projected release date and quite possibly couldn't even imagine being released. I say this for reasons that he has since 1999 made some poor choices like assaulting staff members and other corrections staff. I have thought long and hard as to why some people when sentenced to something like 70 months choose to do things like assault staff members. After asking around through many letters written through other people so they couldn't trace it to me because having info like that on the inside can be very dangerous I have to say I wasn't surprised to find out that Joey had joined a gang called the Aryan Death Squad and had made a pact to attack officers on sight. Although cases like the one with Joey Peterson are not by any means the norm I have seen an influx of inmates over the last fifteen years get caught up in acquiring more time on their sentences which leads me to believe that the level of group pressure is ever increasing whether gang activity or just more violence It is quite apparent just how strong group influence is inside our State and Federal institutions.
One might be a person that abhors violence within a primitive group setting, however, when people really are put in that very situation and survival instincts take over it makes some capable of going to extremes over group pressures they weren't aware they could go to before they were forced to. As bad as it sounds there is this general acceptance they experience and the measures are set apart in terms of an emotional understanding. If an inmate gets 24 months for burglary and a year and a half into his sentence he starts hanging out with someone that is in for assault and has four more years, the only thing to do is be understanding. Acting any other way could be interpreted as an insult and although some go the insulting route most prefer the non confrontational route. I know especially how people think in the free world about racism. Most jump to conclusions that one person or group of people can actually change the way we view race on the inside. Truth being said it is not even about race directly. It's about the strong ruling the weak, and prisoners testing their closest friends on the inside all the time for reasons like needing that assurance the people around you have your back just in case stuff happens. If someone doesn't follow suite upon arrival there will be a whole lot of people after that one person that won't conform to something bigger than itself. I would add group pressure is heavy in those settings.
Degradation as stated in the text sounded horrid but objectively speaking don't they have to focus on the safety and security of the jail/institution first. Let me talk a little about why those places have such strict policy. First It is a game for someone that is doing five plus years because there isn't any good time to lose so they learn to break as many rules as humanly possible while receiving encouraging nods and signals from those in their group that except the violent way. With much of the ways on the inside being like living in medieval times it is no wonder that over the years those places are becoming more and more violent with longer sentences that generally are given without the option for good time and earned time credits. I have felt the hopelessness at the beginning of a long sentence and it can be overwhelming in a way that is very hard to describe; but all hope being gone and having nothing to live for is pretty close to putting it in words. After a while all we have is our dreams to keep us going every day and believe me when I say they try to take all one holds close to their heart. There isn't any program they have that can teach a person how not to let them take what is important in life as we lose touch with the outside world we dream of living in.
I'm not even sure I'm supposed to be talking about the harsh realities of real life; however, what I say consumes me daily especially in the community I live in. I am not someone that is ever going beg for forgiveness over what was and that alone makes it harder because almost everyone likes an ex-con that accepts his/her wrongs. I look at it like this - I personally had goals that I worked toward with my old life style and now that is behind me I don't look for easy ways to make money and I'm not putting myself in the middle of any unwelcome situations. Please let me elaborate on my unwillingness to just go through their programs. I am a body builder with unbelievable strength and speed and living the life style I use to I kind of ran over the top of many people on the other side of the law. At the time I was under the impression I could smash anyone as long as they were on the other side of the law Boy was I wrong. I didn't realize at the time those people that were making illegal money have rights just like anyone else and because I'm not a cop I know now that I caused more harm than good. I know now that my fight against the law has been misguided and wrong, and I refuse to stand in front of many and lie about how sorry I am. After twenty some years in and out of prison I will be the first to say I wasn't always wrong for doing what I have" assaults". I live in the same community I have always lived in and I'm safe because people still remember how far I'm willing to go when protecting my family. They also know the "bad-boy" peer pressure can't touch me now.

There is no doubt about who Walker serves - and those interests want the unions dead. This is the Republican plan for America. Wisconsin is just part of the attack as it is occurring in states across the country.

Push back. Spread the word.
There are rallies being scheduled across the country on Saturday. Find a Rally near you.

This follows last weekend's limited opening in New York and L.A. where "Capitalism" set the box office record for the highest per screen average of ANY movie released so far this year. Not just any documentary -- any MOVIE! It was, as the studio said, a good indicator of just how well the movie may do when it goes wide this weekend. I sincerely hope they're right because I believe deeply in this film.

To kick off the national release of "Capitalism: A Love Story," I've asked the studio to offer a number of screenings in the nation's hardest hit cities -- the ones with the highest unemployment rates and highest foreclosure rates -- where those who've lost their jobs or who are in foreclosure (or have already been evicted) may attend my film free of charge. They've agreed, and so tonight (Thursday), the night before our opening day, ten cities will grant you free admission if you have fallen on hard times. The list of theaters and cities is below. You don't need to bring any "proof" of your situation -- just show up -- it's the honor system, no questions asked.

Of course, a free movie ain't much when what you really need is a job or a place to live. And that's not going to change until the party that controls both the Congress and the White House wakes up and realizes the American people put them in charge to fix the mess created by the previous administration. For that to happen requires the active involvement of each of us. And, as I show in this movie, it's going to also require us to challenge some fundamental assumptions about an economic system that currently allows the wealthiest ONE PERCENT in this country to have more financial wealth than the bottom 95% combined. That concentration of money and power in the hands of so few people is, I believe, at the core of so many of our problems.

So, if you're going through tough times and you live in one of the areas below, please be my guest tonight, on the eve of my new film's opening. Seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

Also, in another five cities tonight, I have made the film available to local groups to hold benefit screenings to raise money for their local organizations -- organizations which are working toward a day when a filmmaker doesn't have to offer free screenings to people who've been put through the wringer. If you live in any of these areas (see below for the list of benefit premieres tonight), please come out and support the good work of these grassroots groups.

So, until tomorrow, thanks for your support, and I'll see ya at the movies!

Yours,
Michael Moore
[email protected]
MichaelMoore.com
Twitter.com/MMFlint
Facebook.com/MMFlint
MySpace.com/MMFlint

"CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY" FREE SCREENINGS:

Las Vegas, Nevada
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:00 p.m.
Cinemark Orleans
4600 W Tropicana Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103

Phoenix, Arizona
Thursday, Oct.1st, 7:00 p.m.
Harkins Christown
1620 W Monte Bello
Phoenix, AZ 85015

Fresno, California
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Edwards Stadium
250 Paseo Del Centro
Fresno, CA 93720

Saginaw, Michigan
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:00 p.m.
Goodrich Saginaw 8 Theater
3250 Kabobel Dr.
Saginaw, MI 48604

Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Regal North Hills Stadium 14
4150 Main at North Hills St.
Raleigh, NC 27609

Tampa / St. Petersburg, Florida
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Muvico Starlight
1800 Highwood Preserve Parkway
Tampa, FL 33647

Elkhart, Indiana
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:00 p.m.
Carmike Encore Park 14
2701 Cassopolis Street
Elkhart, IN 46514

Baltimore, Maryland
Thursday, October 1st, 7:30 p.m.
The Charles Theatre
1711 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Cleveland, Ohio Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
AMC Westwood Town Center
21653 Center Ridge Road
Rocky River, OH 44116

Peoria, Illinois
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:00PM
Willow Knolls 14 Theatre
4100 W Willow Knolls Drive
Peoria, IL 61615

"CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY" BENEFIT SCREENINGS:

Miami, Florida
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Sunrise Intracoastal
3701 NE 163rd Street
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
Benefiting: Take Back the Land

Madison, Wisconsin
Thursday, October 1st, 7:00 p.m.
Sundance Cinemas 608
430 N. Midvale Blvd.
Madison, WI 53705
Benefiting: Madison Association of Worker Cooperatives / Union Cab / Isthmus Engineering

San Francisco, California
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Embarcadero Center Cinema
One Embarcadero Center, Promenade
San Francisco, CA 94111
Benefiting: US Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Chicago, Illinois
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 8:00 p.m.
Kerasotes City North
2600 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
Benefiting: United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America

Grass Valley, California
Thursday, Oct. 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Del Oro Theatre
165 Mill Street
Grass Valley, CA 95945
Benefiting: KVMR-FM

Among the luminaries arrested are:

A New Jersey assemblyman and the mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus were among public officials arrested this morning by FBI agents in an international money laundering and corruption probe that includes rabbis in the Syrian Jewish communities of Deal and Brooklyn.

Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt (R-Ocean), Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega are among those already brought to the FBI building in Newark. Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini has also been arrested.

The NJ.com article has several video clips for those who are interested.

According to the article at Forbes, the roundup included five rabbis from NJ and NY and the FBI raided a synagogue in Deal, NJ:

In rounding up the defendants, FBI and IRS agents raided a synagogue Thursday morning in Deal, a wealthy oceanfront city of Mediterranean-style mansions, with a large population of Syrian Jews.

Those arrested include Levy Izhak Rosenbaum of Brooklyn, who was charged with conspiring to arrange the sale of an Israeli citizen's kidney for $160,000 for a transplant for the informant's fictitious uncle. Rosenbaum was quoted as saying he had been arranging the sale of kidneys for 10 years.

The politicians arrested were not accused of any involvement in the money laundering or the trafficking in human organs and counterfeit handbags.

Also rounded up were a number of government employees (inspectors and others) who participated in the corruption, but were not part of the money laundering activities.

The money laundering ring stretched from the U.S. to Switzerland and Israel, with charities and non-profits being used.

From the Wall Street Journal:

In 2007, for example, Eliahu Ben Haim, the principal rabbi of Congregation Ohel Yaacob, a synagogue in the shore community of Deal, accepted a $50,000 check from the cooperating witness, which was drawn from an account held by a fictitious company set up by the FBI "for the purpose of enabling [the cooperating witness] to launder money represented to be the proceeds of illegal activities," according to one criminal complaint. Mr. Ben Haim was named as a co-conspirator in court documents. The check was made payable to one of Mr. Ben Haim's charitable organisations "with the expectation that the proceeds would be returned to the [cooperating witness] at a later date, minus a ten percent fee to be retained by Co-conspirator Ben Haim."

Besides Mr. Ben Haim, the charged rabbis include Edmond Nahum, the principal rabbi of Deal Synagogue; Saul Kassin, a rabbi at Shaare Zion Congregation in the New York borough of Brooklyn; Mordchai Fish, a rabbi at a Brooklyn synagogue, Congregation Sheves Achim; and his brother, Lavel Schwartz, also a rabbi.

So we have a sordid tale of politicians, commissioners, government employees, and rabbis variously engaged in money laundering, selling counterfeit pursues, and trafficking in human organs. What is not clear at all is where that money was going and for what purpose.

Here is the link to the criminal complaint filed against current Mayor Cammarano and Utilities Commissioner Peter Schaffer

I attempted to talk to Chase about this (good luck trying to figure out how to get to their mortgage folks - try this number 1-800-848-9136). I was informed that they could not find my mortgage in their system, but I should not worry about the date change.

When I asked what would happen on 6/1, the representative said "I don't know." I asked what would happen if the automatic payment of the mortgage from my account overdrew my account. She said "I wouldn't worry." I asked if I would be charged an over draft fee, and she said "I don't think so." I asked, Why wouldn't I be charged and overdraft fee, Her response, "I don't know."

So I tried a different approach. I asked her WHO would get the mortgage payment on 6/1. Get this "I don't know."

Failing there, I tried my Wamu branch again. (I had originally asked there and they sent me to Chase). The tried to find my mortgage. They couldn't find it either. After explaining the situation, the branch Rep said she would try to find out and call me back. I am still waiting.

I figure a lot of folks could get their tails caught in a ringer on this one. Late fees, overdraft fees, and the various consequences thereof.

Another possible complication. I also have an Amazon credit card - which is issued through Chase. Guess what. It is now showing up on my BANKING accounts. Since all of that is in the same system now, there is a potential for folks who have mortgages and credit accounts with Chase that a late mortgage payment could directly result in a change to your credit card interest. Realistically, that rate hike could happen with non-Chase accounts.

I will update this when and if I get any further information.

Admittedly, this is likely the most complex machine ever built by human beings.

First, the collider was shut down due to a transformer problem. However, that news was suppressed for almost a week.

While happening after the above, we first found out that the computers at the facility were hacked. Further, this was not outside attack. The hackers were allowed access to the site by posing as a security team. After gaining access to the facility, they were able to hack into the control software of the collider. Since a machine this complex also requires complex programming, this could have been (or could be) a significant event.

Now we find there are two other little problems. First, from the BBC, we learn that there is a magnet problem which may shut down operations for months. And we learn from al Jazeera, that a helium leak has cropped up.

The collider is credited with being the most complex machine ever built, and the energy generated to be as powerful as the sun, which may be why it was built almost 300 yards underground. As CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) notes:

Starting up a major new particle accelerator takes much more than flipping a switch. Thousands of individual elements have to work in harmony, timings have to be synchronized to under a billionth of a second, and beams finer than a human hair have to be brought into head-on collision.

Well, it seems like things are less than "harmonious" with the project.

On the brighter side, it seems like they are shutting down to address issues - even if they are being less than forthcoming about the problems that are arising.

Dedicated to dialogue, democratic discourse and the availability and viability of such values in today's media, the project characterizes itself as the facilitator of productive communication between a large array of experts who represent diverse views - especially those often overlooked or discounted entirely by the media - and existing media channels.

With board members including a diverse range of internationally-renowned intellectuals and activists - such as Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Vandana Shiva and Arun Gandhi - this project aspires to become the largest and most influential of its kind anywhere.

It will utilize the proficiency of hundreds of people in many fields - democracy, human rights, politics, health, the environment, and much more - to make possible a wider and more informative discourse about such issues.

The database on our website JUSTmedia.net will provide a conduit that enables scholars, experts and activists to present their profiles to media producers worldwide.

This would give them access to the media in times where their particular expertise and knowledge in specific areas are needed. Media producers would be able to find these individual profiles through JUSTMedia.net, and we would also circulate daily press releases to worldwide media networks and channels, passing on to them the profiles of individuals who may be able to comment on current events.

By subscribing to JUSTMedia.net, media producers will gain access to scores of scholars, activists and experts, while the latter would find opportunity to regularly share their views on crucial issues to broad audiences around the world.

Please visit our website - www.JustMedia.net for further details on how to become involved.

Contact us: [email protected]

Perhaps you remember the "little embarrassment" known as the Iran-Contra Affair? Reagan wanted to fund the rebel Contras in Nicaragua and the Congress told him "No." Not being satisfied with Constitutional constraints, he authorized a little covert deal whereby the U.S. sold weapons to Iran and used the proceeds to fund the Contra rebels.

[There was also the business of drug deals and shipping cocaine into the United States for sale in poor and predominantly African American neighborhoods in Los Angeles, but that is another story for another day (see Gary Webb's Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion).]

So here we are in 2007 with Iran and Nicaragua formally establishing relations with each other. After all, in 1987 they didn't know that they were in business with each other. Of course, Saddam Hussein likely didn't know that while he was receiving support from the U.S. for keeping Iran in "check," that the U.S. was also arming his (and supposedly the United States') sworn enemy.

One has to wonder whose U.S. "interests" will prevail in 2007. Dèjá vu with a bit of a twist?

Other Pertinent Resources
Nicaragua U.S. State Department

Nicaragua. Barry & Honey. FPIF. Vol 2:32, 1997.

A Country Study: Nicaragua. Library of Congress. Library of Congress Call Number F1523 .N569 1994

Since tons of pet food is now under recall, or questionable, it is critical that people not dump their contaminated food. That could cause an even larger environmental issue. Melamine is a significant danger in water supplies.

The possibility is being floated that the gluten was intentionally contaminated. Apparently, melamine can artificially increase the protein readings and so there is an economic benefit in adding it. If this is the case, then it has become a standard process in China as we are dealing with multiple manufacturers and multiple grains (wheat, rice, and corn). By this logic, it would make sense that the same thing be done with foods destined for human consumption.

Corn is also a big feed for poultry and beef. One assumes that if it ended up in pig feed, it is likely to also show up in other animal feed. Since those animals are slaughtered, especially if they seem to be possibly failing, then these animals may enter the food stream before they are diagnosed. [To the best of my knowledge, there are still downed cattle entering the food chain.] If those meat and meat products pose a threat to human food, then that is yet another problem.

This is a story that is going to continue to grow. I am dumbfounded that it is not being better covered by the corporate press. One assumes that it is ti avoid a "panic," but given the risks involved, lack of information could quite literally be deadly.

No cases of contaminated gluten or concentrated vegetable protein has yet been reported in human foods directly.

As was pointed out in an April 3rd article by Christie Keith in the SF Gate - Bigger than you think: The story behind the pet food recall - it is possible that the contamination may be in the human food supply as well.

What we have happening here is a growing number of companies in China which have supplied and array of grain glutens, powders, and concentrated vegetable proteins on the international market. What this would seem to indicate is that this is not a "contamination" issue. "Contamination" is an accident. It might happen at one processor for one or two processing runs. However, the exact same "contaminant" showing up in products from multiple producers points to a broader source than a contaminant would indicate. Also, melamine as a chemical is not a "cheap" filler - wood dust maybe, but not melamine.

This takes my thoughts to something within the growing, harvesting or storage of crops. So if melamine is not being deliberately added, how is it showing up in wheat, rice, and corn from different processors. I went on a hunt for information about melamine. I did not have to hunt for long.

Caution to Readers: Let me preface what I am about to say with the caveat that I am not a chemist, a biologist, or a toxicologist. I have absolutely no proof, but this is a scenario that makes sense of the (sketchy) information that has been released to the public. The scenario below is pure speculation on my part.

I looked up "melamine" and an interesting result popped up at Wikipedia. According to that source:

"Melamine is a metabolite of cyromazine, a pesticide. It is formed in the body of mammals who have ingested cyromazine. It was also reported that cyromazine is converted to melamine in plants.

Light bulbs went off and bells started ringing. A pesticide that metabolizes to melamine in animals and possibly plants.

Another quick search on cyromazine found me at the PAN Pesticide Database for cyromazine. The toxicity information for this pesticide indicates that it is "highly toxic" as a "PAN Bad Actor." The explanation at the site states: "PAN Bad Actors are chemicals that are one or more of the following: highly acutely toxic, cholinesterase inhibitor, known/probable carcinogen, known groundwater pollutant or known reproductive or developmental toxicant. NOTE! Because there are no authoritative lists of Endocrine Disrupting (ED) chemicals, EDs are not yet considered PAN Bad Actor chemicals." It is also shown as a highly toxic groundwater contaminant.

Cyromazine is also listed as used as an acaricide and insecticide - "mite growth regulators" and "chitin synthesis inhibitors" (Alan Wood's site - is the source for this information and his credentials lend credibility to the pesticide information he provides).

If a pesticide is the source, then the contamination could indeed be much broader than is currently reported.

Melamine is also used in resin products as a flame retardant/inhibitor. It seems possible (though less likely than the pesticide hypothesis) that such a usage in storage facilities could be the culprit. The use of a melamine precursor as a (common) pesticide in storage facilities is another thought. Or if all the grains involved were grown in the same area that the culprit could be ground water contamination by cyromazine - or something in that family - or melamine.

What still remains troublesome with the word that melamine is the what is causing the illness and death in pets, it has also been widely reported that melamine is not generally toxic in this manner. So the question remains whether melamine is the actual culprit, or if there is some variant of melamine being found in these grain products which is more acutely toxic than melamine itself.

As noted earlier, all of the above is speculation on my part. But it seems clear to me at this point that the problem is not a "contaminant" in the usual sense of the word. Anything this widespread has to have a broader source - perhaps even a general practice source. If that is the case, then it could also be a much larger issue than pet food, and it would be global in impact (wherever China exports those products).

Note: The cyromazine link was also brought up in a Forbes article April, 6, 2007, but China denies any contamination on its part.

Information on Pet Food Recall from Dog Aware. This article has some very interesting information.

However, although 71 people were hospitalized there have been no fatalities.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection.

The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most recover without treatment, however, in some people the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are particularly vulnerable.

The Salmonella strain was found by FDA investigators in the Con Agra plant in Georgia, and food safety authorities have now extended a recall of peanut butter linked to the salmonella outbreak to include products bought as early as October 2004; it is unclear at present why the recall has been extended.

Initially, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said all Peter Pan peanut butter bought since May 2006, and all of Wal-Mart Inc.'s Great Value peanut butter with the batch code 2111 should be discarded.

ConAgra Foods Inc. makes both, and has recalled all potentially contaminated batches; the majority of the reported 425 cases began after December 1, 2006.

Public health officials from several states have isolated Salmonella from open jars of peanut butter of both Peter Pan and Great Value brand.

Go here for the rest of the article: Throw out peanut butter from 2004!

Nov. 6, 2006

SUBJECT: Iraq -- Illustrative New Courses of Action

The situation in Iraq has been evolving, and U.S. forces have adjusted, over time, from major combat operations to counterterrorism, to counterinsurgency, to dealing with death squads and sectarian violence. In my view it is time for a major adjustment. Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough. Following is a range of options:

ILLUSTRATIVE OPTIONS

Above the Line: (Many of these options could and, in a number of cases, should be done in combination with others)

-Publicly announce a set of benchmarks agreed to by the Iraqi Government and the U.S. -- political, economic and security goals -- to chart a path ahead for the Iraqi government and Iraqi people (to get them moving) and for the U.S. public (to reassure them that progress can and is being made).

-Significantly increase U.S. trainers and embeds, and transfer more U.S. equipment to Iraqi Security forces (ISF), to further accelerate their capabilities by refocusing the assignment of some significant portion of the U.S. troops currently in Iraq.

-Initiate a reverse embeds program, like the Korean Katusas, by putting one or more Iraqi soldiers with every U.S. and possibly Coalition squad, to improve our units' language capabilities and cultural awareness and to give the Iraqis experience and training with professional U.S. troops.

-Aggressively beef up the Iraqi MOD and MOI, and other Iraqi ministries critical to the success of the ISF -- the Iraqi Ministries of Finance, Planning, Health, Criminal Justice, Prisons, etc. -- by reaching out to U.S. military retirees and Reserve/National Guard volunteers (i.e., give up on trying to get other USG Departments to do it.)

-Conduct an accelerated draw-down of U.S. bases. We have already reduced from 110 to 55 bases. Plan to get down to 10 to 15 bases by April 2007, and to 5 bases by July 2007.

-Retain high-end SOF capability and necessary support structure to target Al Qaeda, death squads, and Iranians in Iraq, while drawing down all other Coalition forces, except those necessary to provide certain key enablers for the ISF.

-Initiate an approach where U.S. forces provide security only for those provinces or cities that openly request U.S. help and that actively cooperate, with the stipulation being that unless they cooperate fully, U.S. forces would leave their province.

-Stop rewarding bad behavior, as was done in Fallujah when they pushed in reconstruction funds, and start rewarding good behavior. Put our reconstruction efforts in those parts of Iraq that are behaving, and invest and create havens of opportunity to reward them for their good behavior. As the old saying goes, "If you want more of something, reward it; if you want less of something, penalize it." No more reconstruction assistance in areas where there is violence.

-Position substantial U.S. forces near the Iranian and Syrian borders to reduce infiltration and, importantly, reduce Iranian influence on the Iraqi Government.

-Withdraw U.S. forces from vulnerable positions -- cities, patrolling, etc. -- and move U.S. forces to a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) status, operating from within Iraq and Kuwait, to be available when Iraqi security forces need assistance.

-Begin modest withdrawals of U.S. and Coalition forces (start "taking our hand off the bicycle seat"), so Iraqis know they have to pull up their socks, step up and take responsibility for their country.

-Provide money to key political and religious leaders (as Saddam Hussein did), to get them to help us get through this difficult period.

-Initiate a massive program for unemployed youth. It would have to be run by U.S. forces, since no other organization could do it.

-Announce that whatever new approach the U.S. decides on, the U.S. is doing so on a trial basis. This will give us the ability to readjust and move to another course, if necessary, and therefore not "lose."

-Recast the U.S. military mission and the U.S. goals (how we talk about them) -- go minimalist.

Below the Line (less attractive options):

-Continue on the current path.

-Move a large fraction of all U.S. Forces into Baghdad to attempt to control it.

-Increase Brigade Combat Teams and U.S. forces in Iraq substantially.

-Set a firm withdrawal date to leave. Declare that with Saddam gone and Iraq a sovereign nation, the Iraqi people can govern themselves. Tell Iran and Syria to stay out.

-Assist in accelerating an aggressive federalism plan, moving towards three separate states -- Sunni, Shia, and Kurd.

-Try a Dayton-like process.

copy obtained from the NY Times - 12/03/06

Note: Here is how the "Dayton Process" worked in Bosnia.

Perhaps, like me, you had never heard of polonium 210. It is a manufactured radioactive element that is most commonly utilized in thermo-electric generators. It is intensely radioactive, but has a relatively short half-life. The Los Alamos website informs us that it can be commercially purchased from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (see note).

Polonium 210 has a half-life of roughly 140 days, and could be used as the "initiator" for a nuclear bomb (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists)

Some fingers are pointing at China, as "It is one of the few countries - the United States is another - with the specialist laboratory to produce Polonium 210 as a deadly weapon." It is used in China's space program. However, according to Wikipedia, both the US and Russia have regularly used it in space operations as well. Britain also produces weapons grade polonium (Britain's Nuclear Weapons), and reportedly weaponized polonium is one of Russia's contributions to Iran's nuclear program.

ITAR-TASS reports that the "Cobra Committee" (Scotland Yard's emergency group for a national security crisis) has taken the lead in the investigation into Litvinenko's assassination. The Cobra committee membership varies depending on the national emergency. The fact that a national emergency committee has been called is very significant considering that any collateral contamination would almost certainly be localized to those who came in direct contact with bodily fluids from Litvinenko. It makes perfect sense if the concern is that someone has acquired a significant quantity of weapons grade polonium that could be used as a nuclear reaction initiator.

Further, the clock might be running given the 140 day half life of polonium 210. Anyone planning an explosion would have that long to do it. The other scenario is that someone has access to an ongoing supply, which raises the specter of an ongoing radioactive threat.

So, the question remains of who poisoned Litvinenko? How did they track the poisoning back to a Sushi bar, and why that location? Polonium is a weapon with fingerprints. But whose?

Apparently Litvinenko had an "extensive" article in Chechenpress (no longer a viable site) on the use of terrorism as a method of controlling populations (article is also missing on the web). From the quoted article at McDuff's site, the gist of the article was that states might (are) use terrorism as reason for increasing militaristic control measures on the general population. Further, that Russia was doing exactly that.

[Litvinenko wrote a a book titled "BLOWING UP RUSSIA: Acts of terror, abductions, and contract killings organized by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation." Available here as an English Word file.]

So we have a tangled picture here. Terrorist, or a state acting as terrorist? Regardless, there is much more potentially at stake here than collateral radiation exposure from the assassination of Litvinenko.

[Note: ORNL is a government (DoE) facility managed by UT-Battelle which is a "non-profit" 50/50 partnership between the University of Tennessee (UT) and Battelle, "a global science and technology enterprise that develops and commercializes technology and manages laboratories for customers.]

The security measures are dramatically slowing air traffic out of the UK, and increased security is dramatically slowing passenger movement in the US. Similar measures in terms of not allowing liquids and gels in carry-on luggage is being enforced in both countries. At this time, no flights within the US have been canceled, but the UK has had some cancellations, and is requesting that if people do not have to fly that they not do so at this time.

Bush is continuing his vacation schedule while the crisis continues.

PP2. Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hizbollah's attack on Israel on 12 July 2006, which has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons,

PP3. Emphasizing the need for an end of violence, but at the same time emphasizing the need to address urgently the causes that have given rise to the current crisis, including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers,

PP4: Mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of prisoners and encouraging the efforts aimed at settling the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel,

OP1. Calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hizbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations;

OP2. Reiterates its strong support for full respect for the Blue Line;

OP3. Also reiterates its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949;

OP4. Calls on the international community to take immediate steps to extend its financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, including through facilitating the safe return of displaced persons and, under the authority of the Government of Lebanon, reopening airports and harbours for verifiably and purely civilian purposes, and calls on it also to consider further assistance in the future to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Lebanon;

OP5. Emphasizes the importance of the extension of the control of the Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1559 (2004) and resolution 1680 (2006), and of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, for it to exercise its full sovereignty and authority;

OP6. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:

· strict respect by all parties for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Israel and Lebanon;

· full respect for the Blue Line by both parties;

· delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including in the Shebaa farms area;

· security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Lebanese armed and security forces and of UN mandated international forces deployed in this area;

· full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006) that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state;

· deployment of an international force in Lebanon, consistent with paragraph 10 below;

· establishment of an international embargo on the sale or supply of arms and related material to Lebanon except as authorized by its government;

· elimination of foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government;

· provision to the United Nations of remaining maps of land mines in Lebanon in Israel's possession;

OP7. Invites the Secretary General to support efforts to secure agreements in principle from the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 6 above;

OP8. Requests the Secretary General to develop, in liaison with key international actors and the concerned parties, proposals to implement the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), including disarmament, and for delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa farms, and to present those proposals to the Security Council within thirty days;

OP9. Calls on all parties to cooperate during this period with the Security Council and to refrain from any action contrary to paragraph 1 above that might adversely affect the search for a long-term solution, humanitarian access to civilian populations, or the safe return of displaced persons, and requests the Secretary General to keep the Council informed in this regard;

OP10. Expresses its intention, upon confirmation to the Security Council that the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel have agreed in principle to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 6 above, and subject to their approval, to authorize in a further resolution under Chapter VII of the Charter the deployment of a UN mandated international force to support the Lebanese armed forces and government in providing a secure environment and contribute to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution;

OP11. Requests UNIFIL, upon cessation of hostilities, to monitor its implementation and to extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the safe return of displaced persons;

OP12. Calls upon the Government of Lebanon to ensure arms or related materiel are not imported into Lebanon without its consent and requests UNIFIL, conditions permitting, to assist the Government of Lebanon at its request;

OP13. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council within one week on the implementation of this resolution and to provide any relevant information in light of the Council's intention to adopt, consistent with paragraph 10 above, a further resolution;

OP14. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

In Iraq
More dead - U.S. troops and Iraqis. It is clear that there is no slowing of chaos. In fact, things seem to be getting worse. The Senate respond with lots of rhetoric, and no agreement on a way out. Meanwhile, the Iraqi "government" mulls offering amnesty to insurgent groups. And reportedly, Iran is funding extremist Shiite militias in Iraq.

Presidential Power Plays
Oh, where to start? How about the House approving the line item veto for Bush Co. "Republicans said it would help him slash wasteful spending and delete expenditures for specific projects from bills." Just what Bush needs - more power to rewrite legislation. They also voted to cut the estate tax to "relieve thousands of heirs from paying tax collectors beginning next decade." And that's all who will be "relieved" - thousands - though it will cost the rest of us billions.

Then we have the latest violation of our right to privacy. The newest invasion is the massive searches of banking records. Working with a Belgian company named SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), the government has been gathering up global banking data - including that of U.S. citizens. Like the other snooping that has now slipped by without oversight, we likely will not know how pervasive or deep the data being gathered actually is.

And while we are on the gathering and losing of data, the Data for 28,000 sailors, families found online. Here is the link to the Navy's press release. There is no word yet, about how the personal data found its way to an "open" web site. This is a different data loss than the one from Veterans Affairs.

Home Grown "Terrorists"
Seven men were arrested in Miami, purportedly a domestic "Islamic," "al Qaeda" linked terrorist cell. They were reportedly ready to blow up the Miami FBI office, the Sear Tower in Chicago, and "other" targets." In Alberto Gonzales press conference on June 23rd (transcript), he stated:

"As has been reported, seven men were arrested yesterday in Miami on charges of conspiring to support the Al Qaida terrorist organization by planning attacks on numerous targets, including bombing the Sears Tower in Chicago, the FBI building in North Miami Beach, Florida, and other government buildings in Miami-Dade County.

Fortunately, because of the fine work of law enforcement, these men were unable to advance their deadly plot beyond the initial planning phase.

The seven men who were arrested -- Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin and Rotschild Augustine -- were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami."

However, the information coming to light paints a highly questionable picture. Reports from family members paint a far different picture. On the whole, it seems that these men were neither terrorists, nor even violent in orientation. At least some of them were not Muslims - in fact one is Catholic. The did belong to a karate group and called each other "brother." The primary "terrorist," seems to be the FBI informant who was trying to push the group towards violence, and reportedly offered to fund the attacks and provide the materials for them. In other words, the "informant" was apparently trying to create a "terrorist" cell. This is not the first time that such charges have been raised.

One of the alleged "terrorists" is nicknamed "Sunny." According to his sister, he has been called this since birth. However, on CNN (and assumedly from the FBI) he was being listed as "Sunni." This is remarkably similar to all those "Arab" sounding names that couldn't be differentiated by the powers that be.

There is no information at this time that would make this group any kind of threat whatsoever. In fact, the picture emerging is quite to the contrary. However, it does put African Americans in the "profiling" for "anti-American," "terrorist" profile. Just what we need, more racism.

Enough already!

This is an absolutely outrageous situation. First, that they utilized this device for four years and didn't catch the problem, and then that it took them another five years to figure it out. This is beyond negligence.

In searching for news reports on this, it is coming out in local news with no overall figures of Veterans possibly impacted. What numbers I could find were:

Portland, Or. 2200
Contra Costa 30,000
Tennessee 413
Rochester NY no number given.

According to the ContraCosta Times (the most informative article I found) the problem period could stretch from 1985 to April 2006. Twenty-one VA hospitals used the device. There is no single number for Veterans to call for more information. If you are possibly impacted by this, then I would recommend calling your closest Veterans Hospital , or the VA where you had the prostate biopsy done. VA officials quoted in the various articles state that the risk of infection is low but possible.

"Well, gentlemen," he said to me and another journalist who had just been blasted out of our hotel rooms by suicide bombers, "this is what happens when terrorists carry out terrorism - a lot of people dead, a lot of people hurt. Now you can see what we are up against."

The general was savouring his moment. His special forces have been accused by the media and others of carrying out the worst human rights abuses against "suspected insurgents" in what is becoming an ever more savage and dirty war.

Behind the daily reports of suicide bombings and attacks on coalition forces is a far more shadowy struggle, one that involves tortured prisoners huddled in dungeons, death-squad victims with their hands tied behind their backs, often mutilated with knives and electric drills, and distraught families searching for relations who have been "disappeared".

This hidden struggle surfaced last week when US forces and Iraqi police raided an Interior Ministry bunker only a couple of hundred yards from where we were standing. They found 169 tortured and starving captives, who looked like Holocaust victims. The "disappeared" prisoners were being held, it is claimed, by the Shia Muslim Badr militia, which controls part of the ministry. Bayan Jabr, the Minister of the Interior, is himself a former Badr commander, but the ministry's involvement does not end there: General Adnan's commandos come under its control. So does the Wolf Brigade, which vies with the commandos for the title of most feared.

Baghdad is now a city in the shadow of gunmen. As I left the Hamra to replace what was lost in my bombed room, I had to negotiate checkpoints of the Badr militia, their Shia enemies, the Mehdi Army of the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Kurdish peshmerga. The Iraqi police and the government paramilitaries have their own roadblocks.

And there are others: the Shia Defenders of Khadamiya - set up under Hussein al-Sadr, a cousin of Muqtada, who is an ally of the former prime minister Iyad Allawi - and the government-backed Tiger and Scorpion brigades. They all have similar looks: balaclavas or wraparound sunglasses and headbands, black leather gloves with fingers cut off, and a variety of weapons. When not manning checkpoints, they hurtle through the streets in four-wheel drives, scattering the traffic by firing in the air. Out of sight they are accused of arbitrary arrests, intimidation and extrajudicial killings.

The US and Britain, which trained many of the forces involved, and which still have ultimate responsibility for them, are implicated. But the pattern of illegality is also the continuation of a process that began with the questionable justification for the invasion. American and British forces have played their own part, from the abuses of Abu Ghraib to deaths in British military custody, from the deployment of white phosphorus as a chemical weapon in the assault on Fallujah to the wild use of overwhelming American firepower, which some have called almost as indiscriminate as the killings caused by Sunni insurgents' car bombings.

But more than two years after President George Bush officially declared a victorious conclusion to the war in Iraq, the body count continues to rise. Faced with an insurgency that shows no signs of abating, the US and Iraqi government rely more and more on the paramilitaries. Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, has said units such as General Adnan's commandos are among "forces that are going to have the greatest leverage on suppressing and eliminating the insurgency".

Those on the receiving end of some of this "leverage", however, describe terrifying experiences. Ahmed Sadoun (not his full name) was arrested in the middle of the night at his home in Mosul by government paramilitaries accompanied by American soldiers. He was held for seven months before being released without charge and left Iraq as soon as he could.

Speaking from Amman, Mr Sadoun, a 38-year-old engineer, said: "They kicked down our door and asked about a neighbour. When I said I did not know where the man was, they started kicking me and beating me. The soldiers had paint on their faces and did not have same uniforms as other troops. The Americans did not take part, but they saw what was happening.

"But this was nothing. When they took me to their base I was blindfolded and beaten very, very badly with metal rods. They then hung me up on hooks by my wrists until I thought they would tear off. I think that stopped because one of the Americans said something. I could hear English spoken in an angry voice. But this happened again later.

"I was in a room which was so small that not all the prisoners could even lie down properly. All night we could hear people screaming, people being hit. One day they said I could go, but after what happened to me I know they could do this to me again. So I left."

At one roadblock I met the Wolf Brigade, which was widely involved in suppressing disturbances in Mosul around the time Mr Sadoun was being held, though he does not know which paramilitaries seized him. One of them took off his balaclava and turned out to be in his late teens, belying the ferocity of the snarling wolf badges on his arms.

The young man shook his head about what happened at the Hamra. "That is bad, very bad," he said. "But you are alive, that is good - too many dead people in Baghdad." He was keen to make the point that "the people like us because we kill the people who try to kill them. Listen, mister, we are fighting bad people, you cannot treat them like normal persons."

But what about the innocent who get caught and end up being abused in detention centres? "Mister, those are just lies, you must not believe them. These people are terrorists. We are here because the police cannot do the job by themselves."

The paramilitary influence on the police is particularly overt in the British-controlled south of Iraq, where the British invited the militias to join the security forces, and then saw them take over. Nothing was done by the British authorities when police in plain clothes, along with their militia colleagues, killed Christians, claiming they sold alcohol, or Sunnis for being supposedly Baathists.

Action was only belatedly taken when a particularly menacing faction, a "force within a force" based at the Jamiat police station on the outskirts of Basra, captured two SAS soldiers who were gathering information on their mistreatment of prisoners.

British troops smashed into a police station to rescue the two soldiers and later arrested more than a dozen others. But now they more or less stay out of Basra, leaving Iraq's second city at the mercy of a police force that even its commanders say they barely control. There have been dozens of assassinations, including that of at least one foreign journalist.

Even families of fellow policemen are not exempt. Ammar Muthar, a member of the border police, knew his father, Muthar Abadi, was on the Shia militia hit list, because he had acted as a missile engineer in the war against Shia Iran. Ammar brought his father from Al-Amarah to Basra for safety. But while he was out one day, six policemen, in uniform but wearing black masks, dragged Abadi away. His body was later found, shot five times, three in the face.

"The neighbours could do nothing because it was the police who took him away," said Ammar. "They wanted to kill him, and no one could stop them."

One British officer said: "You hear about the militias infiltrating the police. But they did not have to. We invited them to join."

THE CHARGE SHEET

Endemic torture of prisoners

The discovery last week of starved and tortured prisoners in an Interior Ministry bunker emphasised that detention without due process remains endemic in Iraq, echoing the Saddam era. In Basra, militia elements in the police used cells to imprison and torture their enemies. When the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal broke, it emerged that among the prisoners being maltreated by US soldiers were "undocumented" detainees who had been kept hidden from the Red Cross. And Britain was shamed by the death of Baha Mousa, a Basra hotel clerk, in British military custody.

Use of napalm and phosphorus

Last week the Pentagon admitted using white phosporus as an offensive weapon in last year's assault on Fallujah. Its official use is to create smokescreens to shield troop movements, but if fired into trenches or foxholes it can burn victims to the bone. The legality of this use is debatable. Last year the US also admitted, after previous denials, that it had used napalm - which Britain has banned - against Iraqi forces during the invasion. There is also controversy over the deployment of cluster munitions, which Britain has said should not be used in or near civilian areas.

Extra-judicial killings

Early in the insurgency, it appeared that Sunnis loyal to Saddam were attacking defenceless Shias - an impression the coalition authorities sought to reinforce. Extra-judicial killings by Shias in the paramilitary groups operated by the Interior Ministry, or in party militias, have become increasingly open. Victims are rounded up in house-to-house raids at night and their bodies, frequently handcuffed, are found dumped later. Sunni civilians are the main target, but Shias seen as collaborators under Saddam, or connected with rival militias, have also "disappeared".

Indiscriminate 'spray and slay'

Heavy-handed tactics against the insurgency, dubbed "spray and slay", have attracted much criticism. The current American offensive in the west and north-west appears to replicate the methods used in Fallujah: the population is ordered to leave before the town is sealed off and subjected to an air and ground assault. Those killed are invariably described as insurgent fighters, even in incidents where there is strong evidence that groups of civilians, including women and children, have been caught up in airstrikes.

"Secret" Global Energy Plan
The Bush administration has been under both domestic and international heat about global warming and withdrawing the U.S. from the Kyoto Protocol. Now we discover that the U.S. has been in secret negotiations with Australia for the last year to come up with a joint Asia plan (China, India, and South Korea) to reduce greenhouse gases. While the "agreement" is not yet public, it is assumed that it has no targets or timetables. Sure sounds like a Bush administration plan. The BBC is saying that the new climate plan "rivals" Kyoto. Does that mean too little, too late, and they will "talk" about it?

Apparently, "the deal" allows participating nations to set their own emissions standards with no enforcement mechanism. How is that any different than the current state of affairs? And why is this being pushed a "movement" on the issue? Beat the heck out of me. Purportedly, part of the agreement is to participate in the transfer of "clean" technologies. It would be nice if the U.S. would implement a few of those itself.

Oil flows green
According to the St. Petersburg Times, part of the vaunted energy bill was to redraw the Florida coastal boundaries just long enough to allow off shore drilling. As you may recall, Jeb and George had agreed to "preserve" Florida from off-shore drilling. Whoops.

CAFTA is in
Despite the resistance Bush twisted enough arms to get CAFTA passed last night. CAFTA "eliminate most tariffs and import restrictions between the United States and five Central American nations -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua -- as well as the Dominican Republic." If the NAFTA experience proves anything, this will been a boon for multinationals and a boondoggle for U.S. (and Central American) workers.

Dear Karl
For his long suffering effort on behalf of the President, Karl Rove got a raise. Yep, the head man up for leaking an NOC identity (Plame) got a raise the beginning of July to $161,000 a year. Bush does reward "loyalty."

I'm sure we do it too
MI5 attempted to recruit Abu Qatada - an assumed top al Qaeda operative. This is the "don't bite the hand that feeds you" strategy.

The most complete reports on the events that I have found is posted at the BBC site.

Three explosions occurred in the subway system - Russell Square, Kings Cross, and Edgeware Road - and one on a double-decker bus. At least one of the bombs was a package apparently detonated by a timing device.

The press and British authorities are pointing to the bombings being timed to coincide with the G8 summit. However, that seems pure speculation since they don't even know who did it.

The fact is, that at this point there is little that has been released other than the explosions themselves. Even the full scope of the damage to London's subway station is not known.

Urban Legends paid for a report, and this is (partially) what they got back:

Upon submitting my payment, I was presented with a "satellite photograph" of my residence (actually an overhead view of a portion of the apartment complex where I lived several years ago) and a message telling me that I would receive a full report within one day.

The 15-page "Comprehensive Report" I was e-mailed the next day looked like it had been compiled from some publicly-available sources and some automated guesswork. It contained some valid information mixed in with a lot of bad and outdated information.

The report did correctly list my full name (no big deal, since I had to supply my name to run the report) and birthdate (month and year only). It did not include a current phone number for me, only an outdated one. Although it included my current residential address, it also listed two outdated former addresses, two private mailbox addresses, and a former work address. It didn't seem to know the difference between these various types of addresses (it considered them all to be residence addresses), nor did it know which one was current.

The report also correctly identified my ex-wife as a "possible relative" and listed her name, phone number, and several (former and current) addresses. It didn't include any of my blood relatives, however, even though my parents live just a few miles away.

I emailed zabasearch and asked them to remove me from their database. I'll see if they actually do so.

Here is the email address for them [email protected]

The virus that was shipped was H2N2 which was a virulent flu (Asian Flu) that killed an estimated 1 to 4 million people in 1957 and 1958, and hasn't been seen since 1968. Anyone born after 1968 has no antibodies against the virus at all.

One might wonder how a virus that should be under heavy security and stored separately from other viruses ended up being shipped around the world.

Articles
4/13/05 Stein & Vedantam, Wa. Post, Deadly Flu Strain Shipped Worldwide

4/13/05 BBC, Labs race to destroy deadly virus

BOXER: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Dr. Rice, for agreeing to stay as long as it takes, because some of us do have a lot of questions. And, Senator Lugar, you are a very fair chairman. And I wanted to say to the new members, also, welcome. And you'll enjoy this committee, because we have such a great chairman and such terrific ranking member. And we really do a lot of things in a bipartisan way, unlike other committees. And I think you're going to enjoy your time here. Dr. Rice, before I get to my formal remarks, you no doubt will be confirmed. That's at least what we think.

BOXER: And if you're going to become the voice of diplomacy, this is just a helpful point. When Senator Voinovich mentioned the issue of tsunami relief, you said -- your first words were The tsunami was a wonderful opportunity for us. Now, the tsunami was one of the worst tragedies of our lifetime, one of the worst, and it's going to have a 10-year impact on rebuilding that area. I was very disappointed in your statement. I think you blew the opportunity. You mentioned it as part of one sentence. And I would hope to work with you on this, because children are suffering; we're worried they're going to get in the sex trade. This thing is a disaster -- a true natural disaster and a human disaster of great proportions. And I hope that the State Department will take a huge lead under your leadership in helping those folks in the long range. Mr. Chairman, again, I thank you. Dr. Rice, I was glad you mentioned Martin Luther King -- was very appropriate, given everything. And he also said -- Martin Luther King -- quote, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter. And one of the things that matters most to my people in California and the people of America is this war in Iraq. Now, it took you to page three of your testimony to mention the word Iraq. You said very little, really, about it, and only in this questioning have you been able to get into some areas. Perhaps you agree with President Bush who said, All that's been resolved -- I'm quoting today's Post. Bush said in an interview last week with The Washington Post that the '04 election was a moment of accountability for the decisions he made in Iraq. But today's Washington Post-ABC poll found that 58 percent disapprove of his handling of the situation to 40 percent who approve and only 44 percent said the war was worth fighting.

BOXER: So in your statement, it takes you to page three to mention the word Iraq. Then you mention it in the context of elections, which is fine. But you never even mentioned indirectly the 1,366 American troops that have died or the 10,372 who have been wounded, many mentally. There's a report that I read over the weekend that maybe a third will come home and need help because of what they saw. It's been so traumatic to them. And 25 percent of those dead are from my home state. This from a war that was based on what everyone now says, including your own administration, were falsehoods about WMDs, weapons of mass destruction. And I've had tens of thousands of people from all over the country say that they disagree -- although they respect the president, they disagree that this administration and the people in it shouldn't be held accountable. I don't know if you saw the movie The Fog of War. War is a nightmare. You know that. Colin Powell, I think, was the most eloquent I've heard on it, because he's seen it himself. He's been there and done it. And I don't want to have you in a circumstance where you're writing something, years later, about the fog of war. And I'm fearful, if we don't see some changes here, we're going to have trouble. And I think the way we should start is by trying to set the record straight on some of the things you said going into this war. Now, since 9/11, we've been engaged in a just fight against terror. And I, like Senator Feingold and everyone here who was in the Senate at the time, voted to go after Osama bin Laden and to go after the Taliban and to defeat Al Qaida.

BOXER: And you say they have less territory; that's not true. Your own documents show that Al Qaida has expanded from 45 countries in '01 to more than 60 countries today. Well, with you in the lead role, Dr. Rice, we went into Iraq. I want to read you a paragraph that best expresses my views -- and ask my staff if they would hold this up -- and I believe the views of millions of Californians and Americans. It was written by one of the world's experts on terrorism, Peter Bergen, five months ago. He wrote: What we've done in Iraq is what bin Laden could not have hoped for in his wildest dreams. We invaded an oil-rich Muslim nation in the heart of the Middle East, the very type of imperial adventure bin Laden has long predicted was the U.S. long-term goal in the region. We deposed the secular socialist Saddam, whom bin Laden has long despised, ignited Sunni and Shia fundamentalist fervor in Iraq, and have now provoked a defensive jihad that has galvanized jihad-minded Muslims around the world. It's hard to imagine a set of policies better designed to sabotage the war on terror. This conclusion was reiterated last Thursday by the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director's think tank, which released a report saying that Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for the next generation of professionalized terrorists. That's your own administration's CIA. NIC Chairman Robert Hutchings said Iraq is, quote, a magnet for international terrorist activity. And this was not the case in '01. And I have great proof of it, including a State Department document that lists every country in which Al Qaida operated prior to 9/11, and you can see the countries. No mention of Iraq. And this booklet was signed off on by the president of the United States, George W. Bush -- was put out by George Bush's State Department and he signed it. There was no Al Qaida activity there. No cells. Now, the war was sold to the American people, as chief of staff to President Bush Andy Card said, like a new product. Those are his words. Remember, he said, You don't roll out a new product in the summer. Now, you rolled out the idea and then you had to convince the people as you made your case with the president. And I personally believe -- this is my personal view -- that your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth. And I don't say it lightly. And I'm going to go into the documents that show your statements and the facts at the time. Now, I don't want the families of those 1,366 troops that were killed or the 10,372 that were wounded to believe for a minute that their lives and their bodies were given in vain. Because when your commander in chief asks you to sacrifice yourself for your country, it is the most noble thing you can do to answer that call. I am giving their families, as we all are here, all the support they want and need. But I also will not shrink from questioning a war that was not built on the truth. Now, perhaps the most well-known statement you've made was the one about Saddam Hussein launching a nuclear weapon on America with the image of quote, quoting you, a mushroom cloud. That image had to frighten every American into believing that Saddam Hussein was on the verge of annihilating them if he was not stopped. And I will be placing into the record a number of such statements you made which have not been consistent with the facts. As the nominee for secretary of state, you must answer to the American people and you are doing that now through this confirmation process. And I continue to stand in awe of our founders, who understood that ultimately those of us in the highest positions of our government must be held accountable to the people we serve. So I want to show you some statements that you made regarding the nuclear threat and the ability of Saddam to attack us. Now, on July 30th, 2003, you were asked by PBS NewsHour's Gwen Ifill, if you continue to stand by the claims you made about Saddam's nuclear program in the days and months leading up to the war. In what appears to be an effort to downplay the nuclear weapons scare tactics you used before the war, your answer was, and I quote: It was a case that said he was trying to reconstitute. He's trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Nobody ever said that it was going to be the next year. So that's what you said to the American people on television: Nobody ever said it was going to be the next year. Well, that wasn't true. Because nine months before you said this to the American people, what had George Bush said? President Bush at his speech at the Cincinnati Museum Center: If the Iraqi regime is able to produce, buy or steal an amount of highly enriched uranium a little longer than a single softball, it could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year. So the president tells the people there could be a weapon. Nine months later, you said no one ever said he could have a weapon in a year, when, in fact, the president said it. And here's the real kicker: On October 10th, '04, on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, three months ago, you were asked about CIA Director Tenet's remark that prior to the war he had, quote, made it clear to the White House that he thought the nuclear weapons program was much weaker than the program to develop other WMDs. Your response was this: The intelligence assessment was that he was reconstituting his nuclear programs; that left unchecked he would have a nuclear weapon by the end of the year. So here you are, first contradicting the president and then contradicting yourself. So it's hard to even ask you a question about this, because you are on the record basically taking two sides of an issue. And this does not serve the American people. If it served your purpose to downplay the threat of nuclear weapons, you said, No one said he's going to have it in a year. But then later, when you thought perhaps you were on more solid ground with the American people, because at the time the war was probably popular, or more popular, you say, We thought he was going to have a weapon within a year. And this is -- the question is, this is a pattern here of what I see from you on this issue, on the issue of the aluminum tubes, on the issue of whether Al Qaida was actually involved in Iraq, which you've said many times. And in my rounds -- I don't have any questions on this round because I'm just laying this out -- I do have questions on further rounds about similar contradictions. It's very troubling. You know, if you were rolling out a new product like a can opener, who would care about what we said? But this product is a war. And people are dead and dying. And people are now saying they're not going to go back because of what they experienced there.
And it's very serious. And as much as I want to look ahead -- and we will work together on a myriad of issues -- it's hard for me to let go of this war because people are still dying. And you have not laid out an exit strategy. You've not set up a timetable. And you don't seem to be willing to, A, admit a mistake, or give any indication of what you're going to do to forcefully involve others. As a matter of fact, you've said more misstatements: that the territory of the terrorists has been shrinking when your own administration says it's now expanded to 60 countries. So I am deeply troubled. Thank you.

RICE: Senator, may I respond?

LUGAR: Yes. Let me just say that I appreciate the importance of Senator Boxer's statement, that's why we allowed the statement to continue for several more minutes (inaudible) time.

BOXER: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I lost track of the time.

LUGAR: But, clearly, you ought to have the right to respond. And then, at that point, we're going to have a recess. But will you please give your response?

RICE: Yes. Senator, I am more than aware of the stakes that we face in Iraq, and I was more than aware of the stakes of going to war in Iraq. I mourn the dead and honor their service. Because we have asked American men and women in uniform to do the hardest thing, which is to go and defend freedom and to give others an opportunity to build a free society which will make us safer. Senator, I have to say that I have never, ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character. And I would hope that we can have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said, without impugning my credibility or my integrity. The fact is that we did face a very difficult intelligence challenge in trying to understand what Saddam Hussein had in terms of weapons of mass destruction. We knew something about him. We knew that we had gone to war with him twice in the past, in 1991 and in 1998. We knew that he continued to shoot at American aircraft in the no-fly zone as we tried to enforce the resolutions that the U.N. Security Council had passed. We knew that he continued to threaten his neighbors. We knew that he was an implacable enemy of the United States, who did cavort with terrorists. We knew that he was the world's most dangerous man in the world's most dangerous region. And we knew that in terms of weapons of mass destruction, he had sought them before, tried to build them before, that he had an undetected biological weapons program that we didn't learn of until 1995, that he was closer to a nuclear weapon in 1991 than anybody thought. And we knew, most importantly, that he had used weapons of mass destruction. That was a context that, frankly, made us awfully suspicious when he refused to account for his weapons of mass destruction programs, despite repeated Security Council resolutions and despite the fact that he was given one last chance to comply with Resolution 1441. Now, there were lots of data points about his weapons of mass destruction programs. Some were right and some were not. But what was right was that there was an unbreakable link between Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction. That is something that Charlie Duelfer, in his report of the Iraq Survey Group, has made very clear: that Saddam Hussein intended to continue his weapons of mass destruction activities, that he had laboratories that were run by his security services. I could go on and on. But, Senator Boxer, we went to war, not because of aluminum tubes. We went to war because this was the threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a man against whom we had gone to war before, who threatened his neighbors, who threatened our interests, who was one of the world's most brutal dictators and it was high time to get rid of him. And I'm glad that we're rid of him. Now, as to the statement about territory and the terrorist groups, I was referring to the fact that the Al Qaida organization of Osama bin Laden, which once trained openly in Afghanistan, which once ran with impunity in places like Pakistan, can no longer count on hospitable territory from which to carry out their activities. In the places where they are, they are being sought and run down and arrested and pursued in ways that they never were before.

RICE: So we can have a semantic discussion about what it means to take or lose territory. But I don't think it's a matter of misstatement to say that the loss of Afghanistan, the loss of the northwest frontier of Pakistan, the loss of running with impunity in places like Saudi Arabia, the fact that now intelligence networks and law enforcement networks pursue them worldwide means that they have lost territory where they can operate with immunity.

BOXER: Mr. Chairman, I'm going to take 30 seconds, with your permission. First of all, Charles Duelfer said, and I quote -- here it is. I ask unanimous consent to place in the record Charlie Duelfer's report.

LUGAR: It will be placed in the record.

BOXER: Which he says, Although Saddam clearly assigned a high value to the nuclear progress and talent that had been developed up to '91, the program ended and the intellectual capital decayed in the succeeding years. Here's the point: You and I could sit here and go back and forth and present our arguments, and maybe somebody watching the debate would pick one or the other depending on their own views. But I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in the facts. So when I ask you these questions, I'm going to show you your words not my words. And, if I might say, again you said you're aware of the stakes in Iraq. We sent our beautiful people -- and thank you, thank you so much for your comments about them -- to defend freedom. You sent them in there because of weapons of mass destruction. Later, the mission changed when there were none. I have your quotes on it. I have the president's quotes on it. And everybody admits it but you that that was the reason for the war. And then once we're in there, now it moved to a different mission. Which is great, we all want to give democracy and freedom everywhere we can possibly do it, but let's not rewrite history. It's too soon to do that.

RICE: Senator Boxer, I would refer you to the president's speech before the American Enterprise Institute in February prior to the war, in which he talked about the fact that, yes, there was the threat of weapons of mass destruction but he also talked to the strategic threat that Saddam Hussein was to the region. Saddam Hussein was a threat, yes, because he was trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction. And, yes, we thought that he was -- that he had stockpiles, which he did not have. We had problems with the intelligence. We are all, as a collective polity of the United States, trying to deal with ways to get better intelligence. But it wasn't just weapons of mass destruction. He was also a place -- his territory was a place where terrorists were welcomed, where he paid suicide bombers to bomb Israel, where he had used Scuds against Israel in the past, and so we knew what his intentions were in the region, where he had attacked his neighbors before and, in fact, tried to annex Kuwait, where we'd gone to war against him twice in the past. It was the total picture, Senator, not just weapons of mass destruction, that caused us to decide that post-September 11th, it was finally time to deal with Saddam Hussein.

BOXER: Well, you should you read what we voted on when we voted to support the war, which I did not, but most of my colleagues did. It was WMD, period. That was the reason and the causation for that particular vote. But again, I just feel, you quote President Bush when it suits you, but you contradicted him when he said, Yes, Saddam could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year. You go on television, nine months later, and said, Nobody ever said it was going to be.

RICE: Senator, that was just a question of pointing out to people that there was an uncertainty, that no one was saying that he would have to have a weapon within a year for it to be worth it to go to war.

BOXER: Well, if you can't admit to this mistake, I hope that you will rethink it.

RICE: Senator, we can have this discussion in any way that you would like. But I really hope that you will reframe from impugning my integrity. Thank you very much.

BOXER: I'm not. I'm just quoting what you said. You contradicted the president and you contradicted yourself.

RICE: Senator, I'm happy to continue the discussion. But I really hope that you will not imply that I take the truth lightly.

LUGAR: Let me intervene, at this point now. We've had four hours of good hearing. And we thank all members for their constancy. And we're going to recess. And I going to suggest that we come back at 2:30. Is that convenient for you, Dr. Rice?

RICE: Perfect.

LUGAR: Very well, we recess until 2:30. (RECESS)

On the health front, the Guardian is reporting that Parkinson's 'could be linked to pesticides'. The warning comes to us from the UK's independent scientific pesticide committee. They identified a correlation between pesticides and Parkinson's, but have not yet identified a particular chemical as the culprit.

Also from the UK (one might ask if the US even does such studies), five percent of children in the UK are diagnosed with ADHD. Their concern is that there may be over-diagnosis of the condition, and that a junk food diet and "poor parenting" may be resulting in increased "hyperactive" behavior. While Ritalin seems to be the drug of choice for treating ADHD, there are concerns about the long term effects of that drug and its application given concerns about misdiagnosis. They also note (though do not elaborate) that the drug is being sold illegally for some children in the United States.

There is $170 million down the tubes as the FBI is deciding to scrap its "new" computer system. Yes, that system that was so critical to protecting the US from "terrorism" is unworkable, and now outdated. Before throwing in the towel however, the FBI has issued a $2 million contract for an outside consultant to evaluate whether the system is salvageable. The Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission is quoted as saying that the failure is "immensely disappointing." Oh duh, not to mention expensive and the problem of a false sense of security.

There has been a modest furor in the news about people "blinding" pilots with laser lights. The reported concern is that terrorists might use lasers (available on the internet) to target or blind pilots. There may be another side to the story however as the military is testing lasers to warn off aircraft. If there is concern that pilots may be blinded by commercial lasers, wouldn't that same concern exist for military quality lasers used to "warn off" planes?

The ever-humanitarian Monsanto Corporation is filing charges against farmers for saving seed. Yes, that time honored practice of reserving seed from one harvest for the next year's planting is "piracy" according to Monsanto's "seed police." "Since 1997, Monsanto has filed similar lawsuits 90 times in 25 states against 147 farmers and 39 agriculture companies, according to a report issued Thursday by The Center for Food Safety, a biotechnology foe."

In a similar vein, the ever compassionate George W. Bush has announced that along with cutting funds for Medicare, he is also slashing $8 billion from HUD's budget. The cuts will eliminate a number of economic development programs and totally eliminate the rural poverty housing program. But hold onto your hats because the "Education President" is going to increase financial aid by $500. Yep, $500 - $100 each year for the next five years. Excuse me, but that doesn't even cover the cost of tuition increases. He is going to accomplish this by "reforming" financial aid to make it "more efficient." I can hardly wait to see the perverted changes that come out of this package deal.

On the interesting morality front ... While Bush vows to "protect marriage" through amending the constitution, and 11 states also voted to discriminate against same-sex couples, the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy gets a whole new look. Since homosexuality is so dreaded and feared then let's use it as a weapon. In the new arsenal for the "war on terrorism" is the attempts to make a "gay" bomb. I wish this were a joke, but it's US tax dollars working hard to make you safe. The project was kicked around in 1994 (yes under that card-carrying liberal President Clinton) with an initial budget of about $4 million (pounds), but supposedly scrapped. Why don't I trust and organization that has an office of disinformation (excuse me, propaganda)?

If you are looking for someone who was at a resort in Ko Lanta, Lantainfo.com has a list of the phone numbers for the resorts, and suggests you call the resort directly. They also have several pages of pictures from the island.

mythicaldude is a blogger from a dive school on Ko Lanta, and reports that many of the resorts are now reopened.

There are a number of sites attempting to reconnect people, and provide information.

South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog

A bulletin board to find missing people from Phuket has been started called Phuket Tsunami Disaster Forum - Phuket Information, Search, News & Links

The BBC has set up missing person contacts from various areas:
Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and Maldives.

Torture:
Over the past few weeks the torture of detainees and prisoners by US forces have been back in the news - including new allegations of the practice. In interestingly contrasting articles we get the news that fresh details emerge on harsh methods at Guantanamo which fly in the face of the claim that torture is not part of policy. However, even more interesting is that the Department of Justice has new rules on torture. How can you issue new rules on a policy that doesn't exist?

The new "memo" can be found at the Department of Justice website under the title "Memorandum for James B. Comey, Deputy Attorney General, Regarding Legal Standards Applicable Under 18 U.S.C. § § 2340-2340A," or at this UTJ link. The "memo" is seventeen pages long (which kind of stretches the usual understanding of the word "memo"), and is in Adobe Acrobat format. Also an article from the San Francisco Gate - Justice issues rewritten memo on torture following Iraqi abuse scandal (12/30/04).

The Legislative Challenges Ahead:
Capital Hill Blues provides a synopsis of the legislative "initiatives" likely to be pushed this year: Social Security, taxes, medical liability caps, judges, the deficit, trade, and energy policies. Nothing that we didn't know was coming, but there are some interesting developments along the sidelines. Pushing an agenda, Evangelical leader James Dobson has announced he is going after liberal Democrats in Congress. The pressure towards a very narrow conservatism is internal as well as external. The Christian Science Monitor (12/30/04) reports on five new conservative Senators with an aggressive plan to move legislation and appointments to the far right. Meanwhile, the party who paints itself as "moral" is continuing to undermine Congressional ethics standards

While Bush has clearly signaled his intentions to privatize Social Security, but plans to cut social programs to fund the proposal. And of course we can't leave out medical insurance companies as Bush renews his attempts to medical malpractice awards.

Last, but not least, the changes to the intelligence community are turning into the expected hydra as consolidation and coordination seem beyond the capability of conflicting power bases in Washington.

In retrospect, it was incredibly surreal that both of us were sitting there at the net café, enjoying the soothing sounds of the rolling waves. Western tourists could be seen browsing for traditional souvenirs. Others were flocking to the famous Calangute-Baga beach yards away for another round of sunshine. A tsunami had already claimed tens of thousands that morning, a large number of them in Chennai, situated right across on the Southeastern coast of India. No one we spoke to in Goa was aware of the incident yet. One of the net operators was confident that the patron saint of Goa, St Francis Xavier, whose mummified body I had peered at on Christmas day, would save Goa yet again.

There was one problem. There was no patron saint for Chennai, where I had pitched camp since early December and was returning to my host's apartment within 36 hours. Ashwin was worried and called up his relatives there. They were ok. We went back to our usual topics of how well we haggled with the traders, his biotech project and my occupation - best termed as "dreamer."

There was no further thought about the matter till we reached Ashwin's home in Bangalore. That night, only when we watched the Tamil language Sun TV did we realize the magnitude of the mayhem. The images were horrific. We were shown image after image of little bodies, housewives and men wailing hysterically, mass burials with bulldozers, and a resort in Thailand or Malaysia that was being enveloped by a giant wave in a manner that was morbidly aesthetic, if only it was Hollywood. Villages were flattened, little bodies dangled unclaimed. Debris and body were in a deathly embrace.

Aswin's mother was livid. "They shouldn't show such images on TV. They are just kolandegele (children)! Earlier that day, we were treated to a different sight - exotic saris of every silken hue at a store located in Bangalore's trendiest shopping enclave. I purchased four of them.

If there is another dimension to this tragedy, that was it. Silk saris, and people who never had, or will ever again have a chance to don one. Those tourists in Goa must have still been sunbathing, even after the news broke out.

The full reality -- if there is indeed such a thing -- sunk in at night. Emails were pouring in, particularly from fellow writer Rowan Wolf enquiring whether I was safe. My Chennai host, an American expat back in Texas for Christmas, forwarded the following alert issued by the American Consulate.

WARDEN MESSAGE ON TSUNAMI

FROM THE AMERICAN CONSULATE IN CHENNAI:

The east coast of southern India was hit by a tidal wave the morning of 26 December 2004 as a result of the major earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. Government of India is reporting several hundred deaths and injuries. At this time there are no reports of any U.S. citizens among the dead or injured.

The Consulate advises U.S. citizens in southern India to avoid coastal areas for the next few days. Authorities advise there may be aftershocks which could generate additional waves. Additionally, the full moon will cause higher than normal high tides which could contribute to additional flooding. U.S. citizens visiting or living in beach or other coastal regions should seek higher ground for the next few days.

The American Consulate General in Chennai expects to be open for business as normal on Monday, December 27. All U.S. citizens living in or visiting India are encouraged to register at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi or at one of the U.S. consulates in India. They may now also use the Department of States new Internet Based Registration System...

The quoting of "hundreds of deaths" clearly showed that the warning was issued immediately, no one knowing that close to 2,000 shoreline residents in southern Indian had died within minutes of the tidal surge.

I expected the Chennai apartment to be, at the very least, splintered with glass. It was only 400 meters from the sea.

When I reached there, after a sleepless night, I was surprised to find it in perfect order. The lawn below had a few scattered leaves, mildly redolent of an English autumn. Relieved, I collapsed into bed.

Later in the evening, I accosted two policemen at the beach. They were armed with the characteristic rattan sticks. I accosted one and asked a few questions in a strange blend of Tamil, English and Malayalam. He could make out my queries. He had nothing much to report.

By some miracle, Valmiki Nagar was spared. The debris on the beach was the usual type associated with a mild storm. They were pretty much amorphous, except for one Nike sandal I noticed. The elevated road right in front of the beach was packed with the usual joggers and elderly folk out for their evening brisk walk. Some would be undoubtedly discussing the Malthusian benefits of such tragedies. I have heard this too many times before among elderly Indians. For them, the huge population was a national problem.

There was only one death here; an unfortunate student who had to make a sudden jump over an embankment that turned out to be the weakest rampart along the shore. It was breached and his body was discovered 12 hours later. His motorbike, still there, indicated his final whereabouts after futile searches were conducted elsewhere. Further along that same stretch thousands had perished. My mind went back to the amorphous debris -- they were definitely strands of textile washed ashore. It will now be a rather eerie sight when I jog there again.

Valmiki Nagar is considered a posh locality, with a good share of expatriates. It's more known among Chennai residents for its 24-hour water supply -- sometimes from two sources -- than its beach. In the evening, the beach is animated by children playing football or cricket. Lovers huddle there by the biggest wall. With its ramparts and elevation, it was a natural choice of residence for the moneyed class; the architects had ensured adequate safety for contingencies like this. But what struck me most were the fishermen's huts nearby. They were unbelievably intact. I figured that the tidal energy repulsed here had to find an outlet elsewhere, intent only on wanton destruction. Much like how a stream of molten lava finds the least path of resistance.

Bodies are still being found along the coast and inland areas of Chennai. The government is doing its best to prevent outbreaks of typhoid, diarrhea, cholera and a multitude of others that form the second deadly wave in this seismic tragedy.

The Indian government to its credit is doing its best. There seems to be no hint of denial, something I had always associated with the style of the Mahathir era back home. The Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee was down. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deliberately stayed away to avoid diverting badly-needed manpower from devastated areas. Atypically for a politician, he had forfeited the political mileage. Or was that idea a shrewd necessity?

Indian waters are not known for tsunamis. Many fishermen never even heard of it in their native language. Here is an excerpt from the Chicago Tribune: "We have been here for generations," said Kandasamy, 32, in Koonimedu Kuppam. "We had no idea this could happen, not from our fathers, not from our grandfathers."

The same paper describes this scene:

Children playing cricket were swept away. Fishermen were lost. Women were crushed under houses. All day, new bodies washed onto beaches. Others were found under debris. Many of the dead were children.

Children were the most obvious victims. They were too small to outrun the surging tides and out of this pan-regional tragedy, they will constitute between one-third and half of the victims. Nearly 60,000 deaths have been registered, and the numbers keep rising each time one logs on to a news site, making this the greatest natural disaster in the last 100 years.

Here is another depiction from the Tribune:

Fishing nets were tangled in palm trees and colorful silk saris. Catamarans and fiberglass boats were thrown like children's toys into the middle of villages. A boat named after a Hindu god crashed into one fisherman's living room. The water ripped palm trees out of the ground and threw at least one horse to its death, hundreds of feet away. (Chicago Tribune, Dec 28).

And yes, so were people. Their bodies are still being found beneath muddied soil, wrecked homes, tattered huts and those mundane structures, perhaps a drain, perhaps a well. Among the vigil, there are vultures.

In an article headlined "How can religious people explain this?" Guardian's Martin Kettle wrote that Sunday's earthquake "inevitably poses that challenge afresh in dramatic terms....Voltaire" -- when referring to the Lisbon quake of 1755 -- "asked what kind of God could permit such a thing to occur." Certainly the giant waves generated by the quake made no attempt to differentiate between the religions of those whom it made its victims. Hindus were swept away in India, Muslims were carried off in Indonesia, Buddhists in Thailand."

The answer can be found in the embankments and cell phones of this upper middles class Chennai neighborhood. It lies with fallible human systems. Not one man, woman or child here conspired to let others die in their stead. They all worked hard and like everyone else wanted and got better homes and better social security. They didn't conspire to have embankments that probably saved their lives. They didn't conspire to elevate their ground a little higher. But others may have paid the price. You cannot blame those who had some cash for vacationing in Goa while poor fishermen were swept away by the thousands, at the other end.

I had long given up on human systems. They reek of victims, often corpses, intentional or not. No Voltaire, Rousseau or Robespierre, inspirational or quotable they may be, will stick their necks out for another, though they did play a role, sometimes indirectly, to sever the necks of many.

When I look out of my balcony, Chennai seems normal. People are driving to work and shoppers go about as usual. Their expressions, right down to the security guards, are back to normal. Here in Valmiki Nagar, children have begun to play again but not too close to the beach. Not now. Here you won't find the mass wailing and hysteria that has accompanied the destruction of entire families.

It is possible to live in one city and two worlds at the same time. Or "Multiple Universes" (Foucault)

The fate of those in the Andaman Islands is still unknown. "New Delhi has carried out little development in the islands, known for their pristine beaches, to leave indigenous tribespeople in peace. The lack of infrastructure left communities incommunicado after the waves struck." (AFP, Dec 28).

Without communications, and developed facilities, thousands more may have surely died. The next time Indian "intellectuals" fly over to the US -- first class --to lecture Americans on how rotten Uncle Sam, their own nation or their own mothers are, take a closer look at their motives, their homes, and whether they themselves live in a place and condition vulnerable to such things. Watch out for moral thunderings against a corrupt Indian government that had neglected its "poor citizens by not building 'tsunameters' earlier." Or blah, blah, blah! Surely tsunameters would benefit the Americans as well, with their strategically located Diego Garcia nearby.

Sometimes they want things built, after a tragedy strikes; sometimes they work overtime to stop it, after building has started. All the time, they crave for the attention. That's the intellectual anarchist's story.

A few would admit that its easy to do so when you write from a Chennai apartment that boasts, among other items inside, an antique 200-year-old French dining table.

Chennai, Dec 28 2004 4.20pm

Copyright@Mathew Maavak 2004
Founder, Panoptic World: Tracking Trends in Our Evolving Society

What I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to swallow at first. But if you're like most of us, once you start looking at the evidence, you'll scrape yourself off the ceiling, put your eyeballs back in their sockets, and you'll try to figure out what to do. So here it is.

The highest crime in the history of our country took place on November 2nd. The evidence is now mounting (into a HUGE mountain) that the election was stolen. There is already a congressional investigation underway and a consumer investigation (headed by Ralph Nader).

Electronic voting machines that were manufactured by supporters of the Republican Party were used to alter the will of the people.

The internet message boards and chat rooms are bursting with talk about this. You can wait another couple days to hear about it in the mainstream media, or you can read on. Just remember where you heard it first.

I will outline the key points in this email and provide a link with much more information at the bottom. More information is coming out literally by the minute.

The election was stolen with not just one tactic, but with several.

KEY POINTS:

"Black Box" Electronic Voting Machines The key to it all was the use of electronic voting machines, that produce no paper trail. These were manufactured mainly by the two companies ESS and Diebold. Both of these companies are big supporters of the Republican Party. Walden O'Dell, the owner of Diebold, said in a 2003 fundraising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year." Similarly, Chuck Hagel, the owner of ESS used his own machines to get elected to the United States Senate in Nebraska.

A bill was introduced in the House and Senate to outlaw these machines and require a paper printout of each vote so that they could be verified and/or recounted. The bill was stalled by the Republican Party, led by Senate Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and it was not allowed to come to vote.

Shortly after the November 2rd election, countless stories of problems with the machines began to surface. Many people tried to vote for Kerry and said that when the final confirmation screen came up it said they voted for Bush.

In one precinct in Ohio, 4,258 votes were given to Bush were there were only 638 registered voters. Many more stories about the black box voting machines, their problems, and the investigation into their tampering are circulating. Blackboxvoting.org is leading the way in the investigation to proving the results were tampered with.

EXIT POLLS:

Exit polls were taken in every state. In those states that had verifiable paper trails for their ballots, the exit polls were virtually the same as the real results. However, in the states where electronic voting machines were used, the exit polls were mysteriously very different from the final reported totals. You can view the exit poll data directly yourself with the link at the bottom of this email.

Unusual Results In the areas where computers were used to cast votes or tally them, some very strange results have surfaced. Here is just one example. In Baker County, Florida, there are 12,887 registered voters, 69.3% of them registered Democrats and 24.3% of them Republicans. The vote was only 2,180 for Kerry and 7,738 for Bush. Are we supposed to believe that 5 out of every 7 registered Democrats voted for Bush?

This pattern repeats itself in many Florida counties. You can view all the raw data for every Florida county at the link at the bottom of this email.

SHENANAGANS:

In addition to the electronic voting machines, there was widespread voter intimidation and disenfranchisement on election day. In many democratic areas, people waited hours to vote, while Republicans "challenged" voters' rights to vote, forcing them to fill out a provisional ballot instead of a real ballot.

The provisional ballots were not counted on election day and we may never know how many of them there were, or what rules will be used to qualify them. Flyers were sent to democratic areas with an array of false information on them. People were told their voting precinct had changed, that their voter registration was not valid, or that they would go to jail of they tried to vote. The list of shenanigans goes on and on.

You can see the some of the flyers that were sent out and read about more of the shenanigans at the link at the bottom of this email.

INVESTIGATIONS:

This is not conspiracy theory.
This is not hearsay.
There is evidence.
There are witnesses.
There are investigations underway.

Three Congressmen have sent a letter to the General Accountability Office requesting urgent action and an investigation. Ralph Nader is leading a consumer investigation into voter fraud countrywide, and has already filed an official challenge to the voting results in New
Hampshire.

You can read the letter to the GAO and more about Nader's efforts at the link below. They will call us sore losers. They will have their lawyers and computer experts too. They will refute the evidence. But the truth is on our side and we will prevail.

Here is the link to the information, if you would like to look into the details and become more aware of the biggest story about to break.

http://www.solarbus.org/stealyourelection

What we need now is for the information to get out to more people. The mainstream media will bury this until it's shoved down their throat.

So please forward this email to your friends and family. If every person tells 3 other people, everyone will know before the media decides to wake up.

Peace,
Gary Beckwith

What I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to swallow at first. But if you're like most of us, once you start looking at the evidence, you'll scrape yourself off the ceiling, put your eyeballs back in their sockets, and you'll try to figure out what to do. So here it is.

The highest crime in the history of our country took place on November 2nd. The evidence is now mounting (into a HUGE mountain) that the election was stolen. There is already a congressional investigation underway and a consumer investigation (headed by Ralph Nader).

Electronic voting machines that were manufactured by supporters of the Republican Party were used to alter the will of the people.

The internet message boards and chat rooms are bursting with talk about this. You can wait another couple days to hear about it in the mainstream media, or you can read on. Just remember where you heard it first.

I will outline the key points in this email and provide a link with much more information at the bottom. More information is coming out literally by the minute.

The election was stolen with not just one tactic, but with several.

KEY POINTS:

"Black Box" Electronic Voting Machines The key to it all was the use of electronic voting machines, that produce no paper trail. These were manufactured mainly by the two companies ESS and Diebold. Both of these companies are big supporters of the Republican Party. Walden O'Dell, the owner of Diebold, said in a 2003 fundraising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year." Similarly, Chuck Hagel, the owner of ESS used his own machines to get elected to the United States Senate in Nebraska.

A bill was introduced in the House and Senate to outlaw these machines and require a paper printout of each vote so that they could be verified and/or recounted. The bill was stalled by the Republican Party, led by Senate Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and it was not allowed to come to vote.

Shortly after the November 2rd election, countless stories of problems with the machines began to surface. Many people tried to vote for Kerry and said that when the final confirmation screen came up it said they voted for Bush.

In one precinct in Ohio, 4,258 votes were given to Bush were there were only 638 registered voters. Many more stories about the black box voting machines, their problems, and the investigation into their tampering are circulating. Blackboxvoting.org is leading the way in the investigation to proving the results were tampered with.

EXIT POLLS:

Exit polls were taken in every state. In those states that had verifiable paper trails for their ballots, the exit polls were virtually the same as the real results. However, in the states where electronic voting machines were used, the exit polls were mysteriously very different from the final reported totals. You can view the exit poll data directly yourself with the link at the bottom of this email.

Unusual Results In the areas where computers were used to cast votes or tally them, some very strange results have surfaced. Here is just one example. In Baker County, Florida, there are 12,887 registered voters, 69.3% of them registered Democrats and 24.3% of them Republicans. The vote was only 2,180 for Kerry and 7,738 for Bush. Are we supposed to believe that 5 out of every 7 registered Democrats voted for Bush?

This pattern repeats itself in many Florida counties. You can view all the raw data for every Florida county at the link at the bottom of this email.

SHENANAGANS:

In addition to the electronic voting machines, there was widespread voter intimidation and disenfranchisement on election day. In many democratic areas, people waited hours to vote, while Republicans "challenged" voters' rights to vote, forcing them to fill out a provisional ballot instead of a real ballot.

The provisional ballots were not counted on election day and we may never know how many of them there were, or what rules will be used to qualify them. Flyers were sent to democratic areas with an array of false information on them. People were told their voting precinct had changed, that their voter registration was not valid, or that they would go to jail of they tried to vote. The list of shenanigans goes on and on.

You can see the some of the flyers that were sent out and read about more of the shenanigans at the link at the bottom of this email.

INVESTIGATIONS:

This is not conspiracy theory.
This is not hearsay.
There is evidence.
There are witnesses.
There are investigations underway.

Three Congressmen have sent a letter to the General Accountability Office requesting urgent action and an investigation. Ralph Nader is leading a consumer investigation into voter fraud countrywide, and has already filed an official challenge to the voting results in New
Hampshire.

You can read the letter to the GAO and more about Nader's efforts at the link below. They will call us sore losers. They will have their lawyers and computer experts too. They will refute the evidence. But the truth is on our side and we will prevail.

Here is the link to the information, if you would like to look into the details and become more aware of the biggest story about to break.

http://www.solarbus.org/stealyourelection

What we need now is for the information to get out to more people. The mainstream media will bury this until it's shoved down their throat.

So please forward this email to your friends and family. If every person tells 3 other people, everyone will know before the media decides to wake up.

Peace,
Gary Beckwith

Instead, sources quoted by the paper said the Pentagon is considering strikes in support of regime change, including attacks on the leadership, as well as on political and security targets . The new "modeling" at the Pentagon, with its shift in emphasis from suspected nuclear sites to political target lists, is said to be causing deep anxiety among officials in Britain, France, and Germany, who last week appeared to have negotiated a deal with Teheran to cease work that could contribute to a nuclear weapons program. But Washington is said to be skeptical about the deal.

The second bit of not-so-broadcast news is that the US has another possible (likely) case of "Mad Cow" disease. You can read another take on this from the Independent/UK - US tries to prevent panic over BSE scare.

Last and not least is Indian tribes 'fleeced in $66m lobbying scandal'. This was also covered at length on the 11/19/04 edition of NOW and a synopsis is available at Investigating the Indian Gaming Scandal. The short version is that the Tigua tribe (in Texas) and other tribes across the country, utilized Jack Abramoff (a highly connected lobbyist - read Tom DeLay among others) and a PR consultant Michael Scanlon (former aid to DeLay), deliberately stole over $4 million from the Tigua. The Tigua had retained Abramoff to lobby on behalf of their casino. Abramoff said he would do it "pro-bono." However, he was already working to get the Tigua casino closed. There have been committee hearings all week over this debacle where Abramoff and Scanlon stole $66 million from six tribes while lining the coffers of the Republican National Committee, Texas legislators, and other candidates election coffers.

The Abramoff fiasco is a great case study into how corrupt the entire political process has become, and not surprisingly "The Hammer" is in it up to his elbows.

Note: NY Times articles can be accessed by using the user name and password of bugmenot if you aren't already a registered user.

Christopher Bollyn has written a startling article on the use of depleted uranium in commercial aircraft. This is a critical article and a critical piece of information.

The release of up to 6,600 pounds of oxidized depleted uranium in the middle of NY City is BIG news. While it has been reported that most of the thousands of workers at "Ground Zero" were sick (and well they might from inhaling toxic chemicals), many are still sick. How far did those clouds of dust and ash go? How would such a dispersion of DU affect a broader population? Is anybody monitoring the overall health of New Yorkers? Probably not since funds for tracking those at ground zero are virtually non-existent.

Cheney keeps running around talking about "dirty bombs" in population centers. Well, isn't 3,330 pounds of depleted uranium exploded on impact a form of "dirty bomb?" We already know the longer term effects of the DU arsenal - cancer and birth defects due to ongoing exposure to radiation. True, the Pentagon refuses to admit the danger of depleted uranium which it uses extensively.

The Bollyn article could easily slip totally unnoticed. I encourage you to read it, and pass it on.

The Executive Summary states in regard to Saudi Arabia:

Freedom of religion does not exist. Freedom of religion is not recognized or protected under the country's laws, and basic religious freedoms are denied to all but those who adhere to the state-sanctioned version of Sunni Islam. Citizens are denied the freedom to choose or change their beliefs. Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. Muslims who do not adhere to the officially sanctioned Salafi (commonly called "Wahhabi") tradition can face severe repercussions at the hands of Mutawwa'in (religious police). Members of the Shi'a minority continue to face political and economic discrimination, including limited employment opportunities, little representation in official institutions, and restrictions on the practice of their faith and on the building of mosques and community centers. Religious discrimination and sectarian tension in society continued during the period covered by this report, including ongoing denunciations of non-Muslim religions from government-sanctioned pulpits. There were frequent instances in which mosque preachers, whose salaries were paid by the government, used violent anti-Jewish and anti-Christian language in their sermons. The Government prohibits public non-Muslim religious activities. Non-Muslim worshippers risk arrest, imprisonment, lashing, deportation, and sometimes torture for engaging in religious activity that attracts official attention. Proselytizing by non-Muslims, including the distribution of non-Muslim religious materials such as Bibles, is illegal.

The inclusion of the Saudis is interesting given the long term protective stance of the US towards that nation. One has to wonder what the inclusion means. Is it a response to the ongoing criticism of this favored "friend"? Is it Powell widening the divide in the Administration?

Even reading the Executive Summary points to the totalitarian nature of the Saudi regime. This is hardly an open society on the path to democracy. It points to a nation utilizing religion to control the population as "mosque preachers" are on the government payroll.

The report also includes a number of pertinent documents in the appendices which you might want to save for future reference:
-- Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

-- Appendix B: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief

-- Appendix C: Training at the Foreign Service Institute Related to the International Religious Freedom Act

-- Appendix D: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)

-- Appendix E: Overview of U.S. Refugee Policy

Then, after all the furor about the EPA suppressing the health risk information about the burning of the World Trade Center, we get 9/11 Pollution 'Could Cause More Deaths Than Attack'. Reports are that virtually all of the workers and volunteers who cleaned up at the site have been effected by respiratory problems, and 380 fire fighters have had to retire because the condition was so severe. It is estimated that 250,000 to 400,000 people are potentially impacted but a review of the problems finds there is a Lack of Data on Health Effects of 9/11 Dust. Why am I not surprised?

We are also told that the public doesn't hear the "good" news out of Iraq. Possibly true, but when reporters get killed on camera by US troops it does discourage reporting. However, the US military is saying that the "anti-Iraq" forces control more territory than a year ago. Yep, that is certainly "good" news.

So I guess that it is no surprise that today's youth are "more anxious, depressed, and anti-social" than youth of 25 years ago. I imagine that it is not only "youth" who are facing these challenges.

Alfred McCoy has an excellent article on torture at Mother Jones - America's Road to Abu Ghraib . He takes both a historical and ideological approach to look at torture in general and Abu Ghraib in particular. Well worth the read.

Yet another victim of globalization - the great white shark. Joining the great white is the napoleon wrasse. "The shark is hunted for mementoes such as teeth and jaw bones, while the napoleon wrasse - also known as the humphead or Maori wrasse - is being over-fished for its lips and eyes, as well as its flesh." Trophies and magical cures gone international.

Surprise, surprise. The Army is blaming the CIA for torture - Army Says C.I.A. Hid More Iraqis Than It Claimed. The "ghost detainees" at Abu Ghraib were held by the CIA and by some reports could have numbered 100 . Let's be honest folks, in other areas, with other actors, people are called "disappeared." "Ghost detainees" is nothing more than a euphemism.

And while we are on Iraq, the count of US soldiers dead in Iraq has officially gone over the 1,000 mark. Here is still no official count of Iraqi dead, but More Than 10,000 Iraqis Die Violently in Baghdad Region Alone . Renewed US offensives and bombing in Falluja and Tal Afar, Samarrah, and Sadr City will only increase those numbers - on all sides.

Please hold positive thoughts for all those across the Atlantic who seem to be in hurricane alley as Ivan is the third major hurricane in three weeks to take that path. Looks indicative of an effect of global warming to me, but no one is saying so.

Many in the world waited with mounting concern as the hostage situation evolved. Russian forces have a history of heavy-handed response to earlier hostage situations. At this time, it is not known what triggered the explosions and final conflict. Nor is it known who the hostage takers were. Putin, blames it on Al Qaeda. It could be "Chechyn rebels." It could be some other group.

It seems that whoever the group was, they were somehow able to enter the school with large amounts of munitions - including explosives. How could that happen? There were enough of them to take an entire school hostage.

Beslan is a relatively small town of 30,000 people. The events at the school most likely effected almost everyone in the town personally. It is likely that everyone had family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers at the school. This is the kind of terrorism that those in the US fear the most. It is not the strike at a high profile target in a major city, but the random attack on people in small town America going about their daily lives. It is the fear of an ordinary target that lurks in the heart. I am sure that many are asking "Could it happen here?" (wherever "here" is.

The US government has responded relatively slowly to preparing for just such a situation. Even major cities and targets are not much more prepared than they were on 9/11/01. Small towns and cities have fared even worse (on the whole). Neither nuclear plants, hazardous waste sites, nor industrial chemical facilities have dramatically improved security. To be fair, it is impossible to "harden" every target. It is impossible to root out all those with intent and means to carry out such attacks, and the situation in Russia points that out clearly. Putin is blaming police corruption and the collapse of the Soviet Union for the terrorism. What might the US blame it on? Perhaps our "values" and "way of life." Perhaps it comes down to the same thing.

The events in Beslan are heart rending regardless of who or why. I will keep the population of that town in mind as they struggle with this tremendous loss. I think all of our souls wear thin with the ongoing killing and suffering.

Articles
9/04/04 Baker, Wa. Post, 'All of a Sudden, the Big Bomb Blew Up'

9/04/04 Chivers & Myers, NYT, Hundreds Die as Siege at a Russian School Ends in Chaos

9/04/04 Reuters, Despair and Anger in Small Russian Town After Siege

Not surprisingly, the Pentagon opposes independent abuse probe. And while there is blame to go around, few are being held accountable. However, if the public won't accept no leadership accountability, Lt. General Sanchez is being floated as a fall guy. The CIA came up as a culprit in the various investigations - Agency Is Faulted On Practices in Iraq, Secrecy Amid Probe, but it is a secret agency remember, so whatever is found out we aren't likely to hear about.

One of the irritating things about all this is that it seems the administration, and the press, is largely trying to confine abuse and torture to Abu Ghraib, and if that fails, to Iraq. The problems is that it is not localized, but systemic. While they may sacrifice Sanchez for torture in Iraq, what about, Afghanistan? What about Guantanamo? Will we start at the beginning again with a "few bad apples?" Surely I'm not the only one looking askance at this.

Of course, the GAO is going to get on somebody's xxxxlist with the their new report that the government spent $6.5 billion to keep the public in the dark in 2003. But wait, that doesn't count the CIA because even their budget is secret. We may never know how much we are paying to not know what the CIA is up to.

I'm sure you were not too surprised by the news that that there were more people in poverty and uninsured in 2003. Yep, for the third straight year the numbers grew and the gap between the top and the rest of the population grew. The official poverty rate was up to 12.5% last year, while those who are uninsured grew to 16%. Of course, both numbers are significant under counts.

In yet more switch and bait techniques, since the CAPPS II datamining and security program has come under fire, we are now going to get a program called "Secure Flight". The new program will compare airline passengers identity against government databases to generate the "no fly lists." Hmm. As I understood the CAPPSII program, the government created a list and supplied it to the airlines so when a customer came to check in they would be run against "the list." Now when someone checks in it will be run against the government database. I'm sure there is something I'm missing here, because it seems hauntingly the same thing to me.

And boy do the databases grow like kudzu these days. MATRIX, the interlinked police/FBI/DOJ database is growing rapidly - Mining the Matrix: Government Still Salivates Over Big Brother Database Created by a Cocaine Smuggler, and the question is being raised whether the Pentagon is keeping tabs on political websites (not a doubt in my mind). And with political decisions on who and what is sane or represents a "threat," we can all look forward to Compulsory Mental Health Screening For Adults and Children Preschool and Up. I'm sure that I probably won't pass that screening (along with many others) and Glaxo-Kline will laugh all the way to the bank.

We won't even go to the NY City Parks Department decision that demonstrators can't gather in Central Park. Why? It might damage the grass. Now I am a big supporter of green spaces in urban environments, but this seems a bit of a false excuses to me. Now I might have banned the entire protest on public health grounds. After all, where are the estimated 250,000 demonstrators going to relieve themselves hmm? Oh, I get it, maybe that is the concern about Central Park's grass.

And one last thing, just because it irks me. As costs for college have sky rocketed, and the availability of financial aid has decreased, it really irks me that the private companies are raking in about $1 billion a year in government interest rate guarantees. Yes fellow student loan holders and student loan receivers, a "loophole" is allowing private student loan lenders to charge the government the difference between current loan rates and a 9.5% interest guarantee. I was ticked when the student loan program was privatized, but this is truly galling. You just have to wonder who crafted the legislation loophole. I don't know, but my guess is it was the banking lobby.

Please feel free to share your news leads. I know that I missed a bunch.

The SEC suit is a result of the scandal that first hit the news in November 2003, and which I wrote about in the article Freddie Mac scandal (11/22/04). Freddie Mac is the largest mortgage guarantor in the nation, and as mentioned above is a GSE. For those unfamiliar with Government Sponsored Enterprises (or should that be prizes):

According to Investopedia.com (a sub-site of the Wall Street Journal) GSEs are:

Privately held corporations with public purposes created by the U.S. Congress to reduce the cost of capital for certain borrowing sectors of the economy. Members of these sectors include students, farmers, and homeowners.

GSEs carry the implicit backing of the U.S. Government, but they are not direct obligations of the U.S. Government. For this reason, these securities will offer a yield premium over Treasuries. Some consider GSEs to be stealth recipients of corporate welfare.

Examples of GSEs include: Federal Home Loan Bank, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal Farm Credit Bank, Resolution Funding Corporation, and The Student Loan Marketing Association. Investopedia.com

The short version of a long explanation is that the U.S. government stands as the guarantor for GSEs, and what that means is that the U.S. taxpayer promises to meet the financial obligations and debts of GSEs. And what this means in the current SEC action is that the U.S. taxpayer is not only liable for the $5 billion that Freddie Mac "manipulated," but whatever penalties the SEC decides to assess.

What a racket.

For more information on GSEs check out Back to Government Sponsored Enterprizes, Wolf 11/23/04.

For some information on how this scandal and the GSEs relate to the economic crisis see Economic Recovery, or Heading for Another Crash?, Wolf, 5/30/04

In the wake of the 9/11 Commission Report, I am seeing a lot of articles about how the terrorists exploited the weaknesses of our intelligence and security (such as 'The system was blinking red'). Does anyone wonder how it is that Osama bin Laden (and crew) knew so much about what those weaknesses were? Seems like an obvious question to me. How did they know that the FAA's phone "secure" system wouldn't work. How did they know that the FBI wouldn't seek warrants for that computer hard drive? How would they know that the CIA wouldn't "connect the dots?" How would they know that US air defense wouldn't scramble as they are supposed to? There is a litany of "failures." It sounds like smokescreen to me.

On the health front, Superbug measures will fail, doctors say. The UK papers are keeping up a fairly constant drum beat on "superbugs" in hospitals (and their escape out of them). Very little is being said in the US, but you know it has to be an issue. Why aren't we being informed of this. Sitting at a hospital day after day - a hospital full to overflowing I might add - I am thinking about this quite a bit. I am watching sterile and clean practices, and I am not particularly impressed. Oxygen tubes dropped on the floor are wiped with "special rags" and put back on patient's faces. The paper "clean suits" are discarded in hallway on the floor. "Cleaning crews" seem scanty to me. I see a lot of evidence of under-staffing (welcome to the for-profit medical environment of the US medical system). However, they did not scant on marble tiled hallways, and lots of art work. Oh well, I'm on a rant.

On the "back news" I see that the Army investigators have released more information about US prisoner abuse. We certainly wouldn't want more on that coming out. Excuse me, the Bush administration hopes that stays safely ensconced in the back pages. In yet another bit of distraction, Army Report Says Flaws in Detention Didn't Cause Abuse. Of course it wasn't "flaws," it is already clear that the "abuse" was policy from the top.

Here's an interesting switch of focus. A 7/23/04 article in the NY Times posted on 7/22 read "Leading Indicators Drop 0.2 Percent." That link now takes you to Leading Indicators, Jobless Claims Drop. Seems to be a twist to me. However, this is not the first time I have caught the Times in one of these "little" changes of story.

On to biotechnology and ethics. While the debate "rages" in the US over stem cell research, Britain has given a Green light for 'designer babies' to save siblings . Hmm.

And guess what? While the 9/11 Commission Report throws a feint in the direction of Iran in relation to 9/11, we find out that Halliburton in the person of Cheney was there too - Grand Jury Probes Cheney's Role in 'Illegal' Iran Trade. You may remember that he was also dealing with Iraq in contravention of the UN sanctions. Of course, business is business and government is government. Meaning, that while a CEO it is one's job to flaunt to laws and contraventions of US (and international) law, and when you are in government you use those same laws as a reason to invade and destroy.

From the hype from Bush and the Republicans and numerous fundamentalist groups, you would think there was a mandate for Congress to amend the constitution to protect the "sanctity" of marriage. Most of polls show more of a split, and depending on the question asked, a wide split in the population. Even among the hard core protectors of marriage for heterosexuals, only 37% would vote against a candidate for the sole reason they did not support an amendment (CBS polling at previous link). The majority (53%) think this should be a state - not a federal issue. Interestingly, the 55% "state's rights" Republicans believe there should be a federal amendment, while 47% of the "big government" Democrats feel it should be up to the states and 49% of Independents.

Like so much else these days, we seem to be a nation split. There is no "mandate" to amend the Constitution to protect heterosexual marriage. There clearly is a mandate for the society to discuss the issue - which a very different that actions which would mute all discussion. It is too bad that some politicians can't tell the difference.

Those of you contemplating moving way south in the event of climate catastrophe might think again. If the warming portion continues for very long, Climate Change Worse for the South

We have two environmental wins (at least temporarily) from the courts. First, the courts have temporarily blocked the feds plans to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, NV.. The basis of the rejection was that the government plans to adequately address the life span of the material to be stored.

The West Virginia Federal District Court blocked the Army Corps of Engineers nation-wide permit system on mountain top removal for mining saying that environmental damage needed to be determined before mining occurred - not after (Duh). The Corps was giving companies national permits to remove tops of mountains for mining on a national - rather than site by site basis. While I'm sure such a permit process might be more "efficient," it definitely creates a blank check for mining corporations. Mountain top mining has been found to be environmentally destructive, and in particular it buries streams that are important parts of our fresh water supply.

While we are on the environment, scientists are experimenting with using spinach's power of photosynthesis to generate electricity.

With the awareness of the US using torture in its "war on terrorism," and the questionable dodge of using private contractors for the dirty work, another consequence of the US policies have escaped notice - the bounty system. ""Soldiers of fortune" are descending on Afghanistan in hopes of picking up the large bounties the US is offering on al Qaedi and Taliban leaders. According to an Independent/UK report, the bounty hunters are using both terror and torture in their quest for rewards.

Florida is under a reading light for a plan to use

Suspicions are still emerging that Cheney will be replaced as the VP running mate. And the concerns are rising about the possible of the elections in November.

Last, but not least, the Annexes to the Taguba torture investigation have been released (though I haven't found them yet). The US News report says that they provide more insight and detail into the events at Abu Ghraib.

Moving on, bet you thought with all the Mad Cow stuff that there was an immediate response to change the feed laws. No way, on 7/7/04 the FDA to Announce New Rules on Cattle Feed. Yes, this did start (in the US) in December of 2003. We certainly wouldn't want to rush in to announcing the policy - I have no idea when it might actually get implemented.

It is the season of polls, and someone polled 34,000 Hungarian school children aged 16-18 and found they liked Bush Less Than Saddam, or Bin Laden. Hitler ranked first (in most dislike with 25%, then Bush with 23%, then bin Laden with 16%. The report didn't say how negatively Hussein was rated. On the positive side, Bush was ranked ahead of the Pope with 8% saying he was the "most liked foreigner." Is Hungary part of the Coalition of the willing? That might explain the negative response - these kids are almost service age. But who cares really what high school students in Hungary think of George Bush? They can't vote here.

And surprise surprise, Tom Ridge is talking about unspecified terrorist threats again today on the news. Kerry/Edwards must be getting too much attention. Or maybe Homeland Security really did get a spike in "chatter" last night to lead them to warn us to keep our eyes open for anything suspicious. Oh yeah, that is not supposed to included announcements of increased terrorist chatter from Homeland Security. The problem I really have with the timing of our alerts (and Ridge is not moving us up the color code), is that the timing and lack of specificity both undermine credibility. It's very similar to yelling "wolf!" People just don't believe it when they hear the warning. That undermines our national security in my opinion.

The Bush Administration, which just finished backing down from how successful their "war on terrorism" had been in reducing terrorist activity, will now have to back down from the wonderful economic recovery. Apparently, the growth was much slower than thought. Production was down to 3.9 from the initial estimate of 4.4, inflation doubled over last quarter, and consumption was down. Take that and spin it.

In what might be a Bush Administration movie called "Desperately Seeking the bin Laden - Hussein Connection," Americans in Iraq have found the smoking gun. According to the NYT article, Iraqi intelligence agents met with bin Laden in the Sudan in the mid 1990s with joint interests in undermining the Saudi government. Iraq agreed to support al Qaeda by broadcasting the sermons of an anti-House of Saud cleric. Yes sermons. This is pointed to as a "propaganda" connection. We all know that the Saudi ruling family is above reproach and loved by the people. We might take this "discovery" with a grain of salt as it was provided by none other than the Iraqi National Congress - aka Ahmad Chalabi (or Chalabi the Liar, who was thrown into doubt and disfavor recently by the US). Of course, if the US is going to put forward that kind of supporting link with bin Laden they better start shredding documents about US support for that organization as well. After all, the US trained and armed the al Qaeda in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets (as US proxies). In fact, we brought some of them to the US to train.

Yesterday, a voter registration group known as "America Coming Together" was accused of hiring felons to do door-to-door voter registrations. The "scoop" was an attempt by the Republican National Committee to attack what they see as a Democrat sponsored anti-Bush group. ACT did nothing to try and hide the fact that some ex-cons were working as canvassers, and argued that they deserve a second chance, but will initiate background checks. For once, the RNC and Bush seem to not be on the same page because Bush (trying to project a kinder image) had said earlier in Cincinnati that ex-cons deserve a second chance. He also urged supports at the campaign fundraiser to join the army of compassion - now there's an oxymoron for you.

End of sound bite.

Sources

6/25/04 O'Farrell, BBC, Celibacy and the city

6/25/04 Reuters, Economy Grew More Slowly in 1st Quarter Than First Thought

6/25/04 Shanker, NYT, Iraqis, Seeking Foes of Saudis, Contacted bin Laden, File Says

6/25/04 Hunter, CNS, Liberal Group Defends Sending Ex-Cons Door to Door

6/22/04 Horstman, The Cincinnati Post, Bush collects $2.5M in campaign visit here

The second piece is related to the first "Economic Pressure." It looks at the economic impact of the ongoing high cost of oil. Peter Beutel (President of Cameron Hanover) believes that we will see "inflationary creep followed by a fed reaction folowed I am almost certain by a recession."

The final clip relates to the new attack on environmentalists as "terrorists." The clip is called "A Question of Civil Rights." Artist Arthur Robbins was "fingered" by a woman as hanging an illegal art work at the NY Met. At 11:00 at night, Detectives from the NY Anti-terrorism Task Force showed up to interrogate. He captured the interrogation on videotape.

5/17/04 Update - Finally found these tidbits:
5/12/04 McHugh, Army Times, Army screens 118,000 inactive reservists for possible call-up

The Army has begun screening members of the Individual Ready Reserve to determine who would be available to be called to active duty if needed, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The soldiers are not formally attached to any specific reserve unit but would be assigned to an active or reserve unit if needed.

5/14/04 Bend.com, Army Reserve policy change triggers Guard issues - Many inactive soldiers face involuntary assignment unless they re-enlist

May 14 - SALEM - A quietly released change in the way the Army tracks and controls Army Reserve soldiers in inactive status has led to a recruiting spike over the past several days for both the U.S. Army Reserve and the Oregon Army National Guard, officials said Friday.

5/13/04 Army Public Affairs, Screening of Obligated Individual Ready Reserve Soldiers for Possible Assignment to Army Reserve Units

The Army's Human Resources Command - St. Louis (HRC-STL), is identifying Individual Ready Reserve Soldiers with a statutory Military Service Obligation (MSO) remaining for possible assignment to an Army Reserve unit. These Soldiers may be assigned to position vacancy requirements within designated Reserve units based upon the needs of the Army.
At this time, there have been no involuntary assignments of IRR Soldiers to any Army Reserve units. The HRC-STL is identifying IRR Soldiers for possible assignment. HRC-STL is responsible for the management of all Army IRR soldiers and has standard business processes in place.

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) consists of over 118,000 trained Soldiers who may be called upon to fill vacancies in Army Reserve units and may replace Soldiers in Active and Reserve Units. Part of the Army's Ready Reserve, the IRR involves individuals who have had training, served previously in the Active Component or the Selected Reserve (such as a member of an Army Reserve unit), and may have some period of military service obligation remaining. Unlike new recruits, these are seasoned, experienced Soldiers who can contribute significantly to Army readiness. All Soldiers have a statutory eight-year military service obligation (MSO), which is established at the time of entry into military service (Active or Reserve).

The IRR, as it exists, is mandated by Congress under Title 10 of the U.S. Code. In accordance with implementing instructions contained in Army Regulation 135-91, members of the IRR can be required to join an Army Reserve unit if they are statutorily obligated and have a skill needed by the Army.

If a member of the IRR desires to volunteer to join a Reserve unit, they may call the Army's Human Resources Command - St Louis at 1(800) 318-5298, or send an email to the appropriate office. More information on volunteering for mobilization is available within the Mobilization area of our site.

Additional questions and answers regarding this will be placed at a later date on the HRC-STL Web site: www.hrc.army.mil.

In news of the obscene, the Pentagon has stooped to a new low - Bodies donated to New Orleans medical school were sold to army for landmine tests (Independent, 3/12/04). Yes, the Army did indeed use the bodies for landmine test:

the distribution company, sold seven of the bodies to the army for up to $30,000 (£16,700). Chuck Dasey, a spokesman for the Army Medical Research and Material Command in Fort Detrick, Maryland, said the bodies were blown up in tests on protective footwear against land mines. He said: "There is a legitimate need for medical research, and cadavers are one of the models that help medical researchers find out valuable information."

Apparently it is illegal to make a profit selling bodies. I would imagine it is also illegal to buy human remains. So will charges be filed? Will families be notified of their deceased "contribution" to the war effort?

Then there is the report from Japanese sources that Iran and North Korea have a joint project to build a uranium processing facility - U.S. said probing reported Iran-N.Korea project (Reuters, 3/12/04). Thus far there is no substantiation of the story though the US is "investigating." There is a line of reasoning that could put Pakistan's nuclear black market right in the middle of this. Apparently both nations were involved in obtaining nuclear weapons technology and (perhaps) equipment from Pakistan. Or to believe that Pakistan's nuclear program was somehow separate from Dr. Kahn's activities, from Dr. Kahn's network. Nations joining together to share development costs would certainly be "cost efficient." Of course, this is pure speculation on my part, and thus far there is no (known) corroboration of the Sanskei Shimbui report.

I see a disturbing trend as I read the news on Haiti. First, the US supported the Duvalier dictatoriships. Haiti was a link in the Iran-Contra covert action with roughly $200 million a year going to the Haitian army. The US also assisted Aristede - the democratically elected President of Haiti back into power after a military coup. The assistance of the US was heavily conditioned and led to a massively increased debt load on that nation.

Fast forward --------->>>>

The US funds the political opposition to remove Aristide. The US supports the armed rebellion at the very least by pressuring Aristide to sit down with them by blocking humanitarian aid to Haiti. The US removes Aristed, and Aristide claims he was removed at gun point. The US stands aside while the armed rebels enter the city, claim leadership of the police and military and release those in prison. Much of this leadership are convicted murders from the death squads of Duvalier.

The US denies they forcibly removed Aristede and that he was denied asylum in South Africa. However, South Africa denies that claim (U.S. Psy-Ops Exposed, South Africa Rejects Washington's Claim Aristide Was Denied Asylum, DemocracyNow!, 3/03/04).

The question that immediately arises is "Why?"

Some argue that it is to maintain Haiti as one of the cheapest global labor forces. Perhaps.

Some would speculate that it is to provide the excuse to place a significant US military presence in Haiti - and very close to Cuba. Perhaps.

If we look historically, then one might speculate that the reinstated Haitian Army is needed once again to funnel cocaine to fund CIA covert operations. Perhaps.

What is clear is that the human cost of these machinations is tremendously high.

While it is clear that the US has been at least passively involved in the overthrow of the Aristide government, I have felt that there was much more active involvement. The breaking news at DemocracyNow! seems to confirm these suspicions.

The interview on DemocracyNow! is with Congresswoman Maxine Walters who was contacted by Aristide at 9am EST. She says that Aristide feels he is a cptive, he has been abducted, and the US has completed the coup of his government. The following actions are recommended by Congresswoman Waters (emphases mine):

MAXINE WATERS: First of all I think the people in this country should be outraged that our government led a coup de'tat against a democratically elected President. They should call, write. Fax with their outrage, not only to the State Dept. but to all of their elected officials and to the press. We have to keep the information flying in the air so people will get it and understand what is taking place. And for those of us who are elected officials we must not only get to the President, we must demand that he is returned to claim his presidency if that is what he wants. If you can recall what happened in Venezuela when Mr. Chavez was...they tried to force him out and they had someone step into the presidency and he had not resigned his presidency and he got it back. I did not have that conversation with President Aristide but we must meet with him and we must talk with him and be prepared to protect him.

The US seems to be involved in another illegal regime change right under our noses. This should definitiely not be swept under the rug, or passed off as chaos as usual for the people of Haiti. I would reinforce Congresswoman Waters' call to action.

Update with news reports
3/01/04 14:24PST There is a very nice analysis (More on Haiti at Body and Soul. Thanks to Emily for the lead.

Here is the link to Statement by the Press Secretaryon Haiti 2/28/04

3/01/04 Elsner, Reuters, U.S. Top Aim in Haiti Seen as Halting Refugees

03/02/04 The Advertiser/AU, US denies Aristide kidnap claims

3/01/04 Ben-Ari & Weinberg, AlterNet, U.S.-Sponsored Regime Change in Haiti

3/02/04 LaFranchi, CSM, Round 2 for US nation-building in Haiti

3/02/04 LaFranchi, CSM, Round 2 for US nation-building in Haiti

3/01/04 Elliott, PrisonPlanet, USAID, the CIA, and the Coup in Haiti

3/01/04 Rense.com, Oppose Bush's Coup In Haiti

3/01/04 News/AU, US troops 'made Aristide leave'

3/01/04 Reuters, Reuters World News Highlights 1900 GMT March 1 - Haiti

WASHINGTON - Jean-Bertrand Aristide, ousted as Haitian president on Sunday, told U.S. lawmakers and other contacts by telephone that he was abducted by U.S. soldiers and left his homeland against his will.

Washington immediately denied this, saying Aristide had agreed to step down and leave his country. "It's complete nonsense," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

George W. was not alone in his membership in the Skulls - both his father and grandfather (Prescott Sheldon Bush) were also members. The connection obviously means something to Jr. as among his first social gatherings at the White House was with his bonesman cronies (School Ties -Can Yale Bring Back Bush??, New Yorker, 4/23/01).

When the word came out about George belonging to the Skull & Bones, it was dealt with as "just another fraternity" and "no big deal." However, S&B is not just another fraternity - even a well placed one.

The history of the Skull & Bones secret society goes back to 1832 when it was founded by General William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft as a secret society for children of the banking elite. Members of the society have been "movers & shakers" in the US government for the last two centuries. The Skull & Bones is found only at Yale. A limited number of people (reportedly 15) are selected each year to join. There are both symbolic and actual links between S&B, the intelligence community, and the highest positions of power in the US government. On the symbolic level, a statue of Nathan Hale (the first US "spy" captured) stands in three locations - Yale, Andover (a prep school feeding Yale and also shared by a number of "bonesman"), and CIA headquarters. (The Order of the Skull and Bones - Everything you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask, Millegan).

The Skull & Bones has connections to other infamous organizations that have seemingly extreme influence over both US and global policies - The Council on Foreign Relations, The Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission. John Kerry is a member of both the Skulls and the CFR (Beyond Bush II, Ruppert), as was Bush Sr. as Ruppert notes:

Many of these same (Bush) advisors are members of either the Council on Foreign Relations (C), The Trilateral Commission (T), or the Bilderberger Group (B). They include: George Herbert Walker Bush (C,T), George Tenet (C), Dick Cheney (C,T), Colin Powell (C,B), UN Ambassador John Negroponte (C) and Paul Wolfowitz (C,T,B). Many senior career bureaucrats at the so-called "supergrade" levels in the Bush administration are members of the Rockefeller/J.P. Morgan-founded CFR.

Ruppert also notes that "Bill Clinton is a member of the Bilderberg Group, The Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations. Clark is a member of the CFR." Cheney is on both the CFR and the Trilateral Commission (The Political Graveyard

Resources of Interest
There is a relatively good list of the Skull and Bones membership list at Yale's Skull & Bones Society Members.

Michael Ruppert has some recommendations at From the Wilderness that are pertinent to the topic discussed here. I have found Ruppert's recommendations are generally sound. The two books (available through FTW) are:

"INSIDE THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT Investigations Into America's Most Powerful Society" by Harry Helms

"FLESHING OUT SKULL & BONES:
Investigations Into America's Most Powerful Society" by Antony Sutton, Kris Millegan, Anton Chaitkin, Ralph Bunch, Howard Altman, Jedidiah McClure

and "Who's Who of the Elite" by Robert Gaylon Ross, Sr.

Other
At Skull and Bones, Bush's Secret Club Initiates Ream Gore

The Order of Skull and Bones

Skull & Bones

Other Western Élites - The Skull and Bones - Yale University

The Order of the Skull and Bones Illuminati Conspiracy

YALE'S SKULL & BONES SOCIETY MEMBERS

Prescott BUSH, THE UNION BANKING CORPORATION AND THE STORY

The Bilderberg Group: Planning the world's future behind closed doors, Overbeck.

A War in the Planning for Four Years , Ruppert.

The Rules of Power

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

The Power Elite & George W., Bonta.

The Bilderberg Group - The Invisible Power House

Trilateral Commission - Official Site

The Brits have lost their dog - Radio dish seeks signal from Mars lander. The radio silence from the British Mars probe Beagle 2 is still silent.

The Brits have confirmed that the suspect Washington cow indeed had BSE. British Lab Confirms Case of Mad Cow Disease

It wasn't George Tenet's fault that the President include the Iraq uranium story in the 2003 Presidential Address: Source: Fact-checkers blamed for Bush's uranium 'goof'

A gas well explosion in China kills both with the explosion and with toxic gas. Apparently there had been safety concerns at the facility in the past. China gas well accident kills nearly 200.

And as usual, violence takes no holiday. In IsraelSuicide bomber kills 3 in Tel Aviv and another 13 are wounded. While the attacks in Iraq also continue (and seem to be increasing ... again) Iraqi insurgents hit hotel, embassy. As usual, the Pentagon calls the attacks "weak and ineffective." The most recent series of attacks have come the same week that the US launched it's new campaighn against insurgents called "Operation Iron Grip." I guess that all the OPeration "ivy" this and that just didn't sound particularly "strong." How about "Operation Titanium Grip?" I've heard that titanium is both strong and flexible. Might need a little flexibility. It sounds so much better than false start.

Well, that's today's news - though the day is not over.

BSE is transmissable to humans as vCJD - variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease. There are several variants of the disease: BSE that occurs in cows, scrapies in sheep and goats, transmissable mink encephalopathy, feline spongiform encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease of deer and elk, and in humans, kuru, Classical Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), USDA site.

So far, Japan and Chile, and South Korea have banned US beef; the EU is tightening import restrictions, and Canada is meeting to decide what to do. Japan halts U.S. beef imports after mad cow case, rEUTERS, 12/24/03; Canadian farmers caution against banning U.S. beef; Mad Cow Causes Beef Bans, Stocks Drop , Reuters; Chile Suspends Imports of U.S. Beef , Reuters.

The best lay person's discussion about BSE and vCJD is at How Stuff Works and the article is How Mad Cow Disease Works.

OK, that's the news, but what about the implications?

Well, this is a big issue. It was when it happened in Britain, it was in Canada, and it is in the US - despite the fact that we have consistently been told that there is no possibility that it could occur here.

In my opinion, the basic problems with BSE (and other TSE's) in the food supply lies in feeding dead animals to herbivores. In other words, since the 1930s in the US, animal feed has contained slaughtered animals. This is fed to cows, sheep, and others. Specific issues with BSE arose after the 1980s when processing requirements decreased the temperature and disinfectants used to process meat.

Obviously there is the concern about vCJD in humans, though the immediate death toll from that is statistically limited - at this time. The larger concerns are that 1) it's spread in the food supply which increases the probability of human infection, 2) it is basically untreatable; 3) you can't kill the damn prion that causes it. Yeah, you can't kill it. Those who died in Britain could not be buried. They, and every instrustment that was used on them or their samples, are stored as toxic waste.

From How Mad Cow Disease Works

# The agent must be small - The agent's size must be as small or smaller than a virus.
# You can't kill it by cooking or freezing - Much higher temperatures than those used in cooking or sterilizing are required to kill it.
# Disinfectants don't work - Normal chemicals that you would use to disinfect surfaces for bacteria and viruses (Lysol, Betadine) are not effective.
# It does not appear to have genetic information (nucleic acids) - This finding has been questioned.

Of course there is the question of why obviously sick animals are ending up being processed for food (human or animal) in the first place. As with the suspect cow from Washington, the animal could not even walk at the time it was slaughtered. Yet proceed they did. They took their sample as required, and sent the cow on to other processing plants. Thereby enhancing rhe probability that it would 1) end up in the food supply, and 2) contaminate other creatures being processed and the facilities they were being processed at.

While the claims are that human contamination is relatively rare, there is speculation that it is not. Diagnosing CJD in humans is expensive and testing is relatively rare. vCJD symptoms are similar to a number of other neurological and brain disorders (such as Alzheimers) and so the possibility of lack of diagnosis is high.

There is an excellent and extensive article at Organic Consumers Association called U.S. Violates World Health Organization Guidelines for Mad Cow Disease: A Comparison of North American and European Safeguards. It discusses both the guidelines and why they are in place.

There is a lot of information on this issue out there - much of it way over my head technically. The implications of BSE in the US are huge, both from a health and economic perspective. The ongoing denials about the possibility of BSE in the US have been reflected in the so-called safety measures put in place. Currently, the sample from the suspected cow is on its way to Britain for confirmation. My guess is that this will be in the news for a while.

Resources
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) APHIS USDA site

Consumer Questions and Answers About BSE US HSHS, US FDA, Center for Food Safety

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) FDA information page

BSE - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
"Mad Cow Disease" University of Illinois information center

Organic Consumers - Mad Cow

Organic Consumers Association - Mad cow page

How Mad Cow Disease Works How Stuff Works

The spread of mad cow disease, CNN.Intl - Asia.

Mad Cow Disease: The Rampage of an Illness, Purdue University.

Full archive links to the Guardian/UK on BSE and CJD Great resource!

Note of interest: Last year Oregon agreed to extend elk ranches in the state even though the risk of chronic wasting disease skyrockets in confined elk. The evidence of this was from deer and elk farms in Colorado. There has been some evidence that chronic wasting disease in deer and elk is transmissable to humans. Certainly it is closely related to BSE. Some of us were against this expansion for this very reason.

House Republicans bend rules, press for votes during wee hours to escape the light of accountability.

Never before has the House of Representatives operated in such secrecy:

At 2:54 a.m. on a Friday in March, the House cut veterans benefits by three votes.

At 2:39 a.m. on a Friday in April, the House slashed education and health care by five votes.

At 1:56 a.m. on a Friday in May, the House passed the Leave No Millionaire Behind tax-cut bill by a handful of votes.

At 2:33 a.m. on a Friday in June, the House passed the Medicare privatization and prescription drug bill by one vote.

At 12:57 a.m. on a Friday in July, the House eviscerated Head Start by one vote.
And then, after returning from summer recess, at 12:12 a.m. on a Friday in October, the House voted $87 billion for Iraq.

Always in the middle of the night. Always after the press had passed their deadlines. Always after the American people had turned off the news and gone to bed.

Hussein is being held at a secret location, where I am sure that US interrogators hope to extract significant information. It would be nice if Saddam would admit to having a nuclear weapons program, and tell interrogators where those pesky biological and chemical weapons are stored. One thing I might mention, is that information gathered under harsh interrogation is frequently questionable. Remember all the raising and lowering of the Homeland Security threat level in response to such "information?"

Hopefully, US forces will be a little more careful with Hussein than they have been with other captives. According to a report today in Aljazeera, three Arabs were disabled in occupation custody. They were found in a British military hospital in southern Iraq by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC suggested that they might intervene with occupation authorities as maltreatment of prisoners is against international law.

Iraqi's are not getting rich on these settlements as they average only a "few hundred dollars," and "in some cases families have been asked to sign forms waiving their right to press for further compensation."

Iraqi courts are forbidden to hear cases against AMerican or other foreign troops. This leaves families little recourse except to file claims with the US military. It also allows US troops to act with relative impunity in Iraq. This appears to be increasing the negative feelings towards the US troops occupying the country. According to the article, "In some cases relatives have spoken of their plans to join the growing guerrilla resistance movement to avenge the deaths of their relatives. "

Certainly there are good reasons for not wanting the reports of mutilation of troops by folks on the streets of Iraq. THat would show a level of public opposition to the US occupation that would not play well in the US.

Even without the alleged "mutilation" of the soldiers' bodies, the incident is worrisome. This was not "terrorist" attack. By all accounts, those who killed and robbed the soldiers were just folks on the street. This was obviously a spontaneous act of opportunity. It is alarming that the soldiers were robbed - not just killed. THis means something very different to me than just the fact they were killed. While difficult to determine exactly what the message is, none of the possibilities are positive. Among the explanation that I see are
- anger and frustration with US presence;
- extreme lack of basic necessities among at least some of those in Mosul;
- lack of respect for dead Americans (I've heard nothing about such things occuring to dead Iraqi's though it may not have made the news);
- blaming of random troops for the conditions people are experiencing.

This also indicates an increasing level of risk to US troops in Iraq. While the General may minimize the attacks that are happening by saying they are "increasingly militarily insignificant," I doubt that US soldiers on the streets see it the same way. If it is so "militarily insignificant" why are we back to a massive bombing campaign? More double-talk, and not any closer to a resolution - in my opinion.

This admission by Perle, a member of the US Defense Policy Board and advisor to Dick Rumsfeld, sheds light on a totally different issue - the Administratration pushing repeatedly for immunity from prosecution under international war criminal laws. In fact, compliance with granting this immunity has become the basis of access to US international aid.

It is clear that the Administration knows that it is on the wrong side of international law, wants immunity from prosecution under that law, and therefore the invisibility contributes to the perception of the US acting "morally and legally" against Iraq.

This pretty much confirms (if there was any doubt before) that the US is a rogue nation. It is interesting that the US legitimated "regime change" in Iraq for the very reason that they were a "rogue nation." Therefore, the calls for US "regime change" take on more than political appeal - it might be the only thing that saves us from the rest of the world "eliminating the threat" that we pose.

First, the Sunshine Report.

Techniques to translate genetic sequence into a weapons effect The development of ethnic weapons with very specific effects would be easiest with techniques that use a genomic marker as a trigger for an activity that is unrelated to the location of the marker, i.e. the effect would be triggered even if the sequence is in a non-coding or non-translated region of the genome. As far as we are aware, this kind of technology does not yet exist.

There are, however, techniques available that can inhibit genes with a specific sequence. They target mRNA, the molecule that transmits information from the DNA to the place of protein synthesis within a cell. One of these techniques, called RNA interference (RNAi), uses a mechanism by which a specific RNA sequence is degraded by the cell if an externally applied RNA molecule of the same sequence is entering the cell (for review, see Cerutti 2003). A similar approach called antisense technology inhibits further mRNA processing by binding endogenously produced mRNA to an externally applied DNA molecule with the corresponding sequence. The latter technology is currently under development by the US company Ibis Therapeutics. [39]

Both technologies lead to the inhibition of a specific target gene with a specific sequence. If the sequence of the target gene varies from one population to another, this can be used to interrupt the gene in one population and not in the other. Military abuse of this technology would require the identification of population specific sequences in genes that are active and vital for the body function.

...

A systematic search in two databases revealed that genetic sequences that fulfill these specifications not only exist, but they do so in unexpectedly high numbers. Our analysis focussed on so called single nucleotide polymorphisms - SNPs - that are by far the most common source of genetic variation. SNPs are basically single-letter variations in the human DNA sequence. In the past years, several million SNPs have been identified by private and public entities. The SNP Consortium (TSC), representing a group of large pharmaceutical companies and not-for-profit organisations, keeps a public database on a many SNPs. Another SNP database, the SNP500 Cancer database, is maintained by the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project of the US National Institutes of Health. [42]

Both databases provide data on allelic frequencies in different populations. We analysed a total of nearly 300 SNPs, all in coding regions or genes,[43] from both databases. An unexpectedly high number of these SNPs are indeed population specific: 6.7% of the SNPs in one database (see table 1 below) and 1.6% of the SNPs in the other include one allele that is not present at all in one population while it has a frequency of more than 20% in another population.

You can bet that the US military is on top of the development of bioweapons - including genetically engineered bugs, and ethnic targeting of such weapons. In the National Security Strategy of the US 2002, are the following statements (page 49) emphases are mine:

Dissuading Future Military Competition. Through its strategy and actions, the United States influences the nature of future military competitions, channels threats in certain directions, and complicates military planning for potential adversaries in the future. Well targeted strategy and policy can therefore dissuade other countries from initiating future military competitions. The United States can exert such influence through the conduct of its research, development, test, and demonstration programs. It can do so by maintaining or enhancing advantages in key areas of military capability. Given the availability of advanced technology and systems to potential adversaries, dissuasion will also require the United States to experiment with revolutionary operational concepts, capabilities, and organizational arrangements and to encourage the development of a culture within the military that embraces innovation and risk-taking. To have a dissuasive effect, this combination of technical, experimental, and operational activity has to have a clear strategic focus. New processes and organizations are needed within the defense establishment to provide this focus. ...

During the Cold War, U.S. government programs were a primary impetus for research into new technologies, particularly in areas such as computers and materials. Today and well into the foreseeable future, however, DoD will rely on the private sector to provide much of the leadership in developing new technologies. Thus, the Department has embarked on an effort (a) to turn to private enterprise for new ways to move ideas from the laboratory to the operating forces, (b) to tap the results of innovations developed in the private sector, and (c) to blend government and private research where appropriate. This "quiet revolution" will take advantage of science and technology and continue to provide U.S. forces with technological superiority

So not only will we work on these emerging technologies, but we will demonstrate them to show their deterent effect.

GlobalSecurity.org has a link to a chapter from a book called "Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare." It is MEDICAL CHALLENGES IN CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. From the pdf version page 4 comes the following:

For the military, knowledge of man's specific genetic defects or vulnerabilities (or ways to create such defects) and the ability to modify microorganisms or toxins that would increase pathogenicity take on added concern. Biotechnology theoretically provides opportunities for adversaries to modify existing organisms with specific characteristics, such as increased virulence, infectivity, or stability. Modern advances also allow for the inexpensive production of large quantities of replicating microorganisms for weaponization through recombinant methodologies, and the possibility to create "new" agents for future warfare that bypass current preventive or therapeutic interventions. These could be accomplished through secretive research programs that are superimposed on open biomedical research efforts in pharmaceutical firms or government laboratories. Ironically, while such possibilities continue to generate fear, the same technological advances can and do contribute to the development of new medical countermeasures, such as new vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests.

Splicing genes for virulence, infectivity, stability, or other factors into the genome of an existing organism is one possibility for manipulating potential biological warfare agents.

The chapter goes on to note, that due to the ethnic mixing in the US, that such targeted genetic weapons would probably not be a threat. If that is the case, then the development of these weapons by the US would be for offensive purposes only, and not for supposed "deterent" purposes.

The Sunshine Project report makes some recommendations that are certainly sane, but also highlight already existing capabilities emphases mine:

All projects that violate the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions must be immediately abandoned. In the United States, such projects include the development of material degrading microbes, development of so-called "non-lethal" (bio)chemical weapons (including delivery devices), and continued development of biological agents to eradicate narcotic crops. Other countries that are engaged in similar projects - such as Russia, which maintains stockpiles of incapacitating chemical weapons and, likely, an R & D program on them - must also halt such research. These agents undermine the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions, are lowering the political threshold for use of biological weapons, and are likely to have tremendous environmental and health impacts. Pursuit of these agents as weapons would be a step down a slippery slope, that, following the same logic, could easily lead to the use of other biochemical and biological warfare agents in conflict. Failure to stop these projects will encourage other countries to follow suit with R & D projects on biotechnological weapons, leading to an unravelling of key disarmament treaties.

There is an urgent need to ensure that governments restrict themselves and ensure maximum transparency in their biodefense programs, to prevent a race for offensive capabilities under cover of defense. We call on all governments to adopt the 'Government Undertaking on Biodefense Program', which has recently been brought forward by the Sunshine Project. It contains, among others, a provision that "biodefense programs will not, for any purpose, utilize or construct, including single-gene changes, novel biological agents with an enhanced offensive potential" such as treatment resistance, environmental stability, or enhanced pathogenicity.

Research restrictions are necessary in certain situations, for example, in cases where a military abuse appears to be imminent, where no effective multilateral arms control or non-proliferation efforts are presently feasible, and where other technical avenues to reach the same scientific goal are (potentially) available. These criteria apply specifically to the production of bioactive compounds (pharmaceuticals, vaccines) in edible crops, but may also be relevant for some aspects of pharmacogenetics, were the generation of huge amounts of ethnic specific genetic data may be avoided by choosing other techniques that serve the same research purpose. The current 'bioterrorism' discussion in the scientific community focuses entirely on restricting the publication of certain research results. This is shortsighted, and may easily be abused to conceal illicit research, particularly since it may be better not to generate dangerous information in the first place. Full transparency in all aspects of biomedical research and development should be guaranteed.

The documents from the Pentagon, the White House, and even a cursory look at the kinds of work DARPA is sponsoring make it clear that the US strategy at this point is to go to the most dedly extremes possible in the pursuit of "preparedness" and "deterence." They have no ethical controls that I can determine. In fact, they have a whole suite of projects on using biotechnology to enhance the fighting forces (please note that the use of the term "warfighters" is DARPA's terminology) for example:

Continuous Assisted Performance (CAP) Allow "warfighters" to for up to 24 hours a day for 7 contiuous days.

Metabolic Engineering for Cellular Stasis Increase cellular repair and regeneration rate of winjured "warfighters."

Unconventional Pathogen Countermeasures Stopping contamination of soldiers through use of bioengineering.

Persistence in Combat (PIC) Allows soldiers to "self-repair" injuries and acute pain responses.

Brain Machine Interfaces Aimed at "augmenting human performance" by direct brain to machine interface - particularly for remote controlled activities.

The question that begs asking here is who the test subjects and "warfighters" will be. Will it be the children of Congress, or the White House, or the corporate moguls, or the richest 1%? Somehow I doubt it. Will the test subjects be taken from the millions the US places in prison, or those we ferret away for the duration of the unending "war on terrorism?" Will they be easily "disappeared" people in remote locations around the globe? Will they be the same composition of those serving and being recruited today - the poor and working class, the African, Latin, and Native Americans? Will the "army of one" truly be an army of one?

Does anybody remember the sci-fi movie "Universal Soldier?" I think that is what it was called. Runsfeld want's smaller strike forces for rapid insertion and response. Certainly a few batallions of "modified" troops would fit the bill. They won't need to sleep, they can interface directly with other devices (or perhaps the generals will interface with the modified troops), they self heal and don't feel pain. What more could you ask of a super grunt?

It is important to note, that the Pentagon's plan is to move outside the walls of usual military development and into the private sector. It is much more difficult to monitor and control things out there in private business - especially if you don't set up significant control systems. This approach makes the weapons race on in a big way. Not just on across national boundaries, but on in corporations to get those lucrative DoD contracts.

The Sunshine Project recommends "transparency." We have seen how "transparent" the government is under the best of times, but we are in an environment where the White House won't even release the list of who was consulted on the "energy" plan. What is the liklihood of transparency in biotech and high tech weapons development? My guess is not too likely.

Purportedly, the DoD is in this rush to lethality as a deterent measure. They claim that this demonstration of US might will not lead to an arms race. However, if we look at say the anthrax attacks in the US, that anthrax came from DoD labs. If we look at Hussein's bio-chem weapons (before they were apparently destroyed) they too came from the US (primarily). It seems logical that if we create it (even if no one else does) it will "get out." Certainly by utilizing competitive business strategies, the US will not be the only "buyer." This is a classic case of the snake swallowing its own tail. No one else even needs to be in the race - we will be racing against ourselves.

Back on Sept 10, 2003, I posted a piece Stretched Thin discussing some of the problems with our overstretched military. At that point, I speculated that reinstating the draft seemed to be a likely scenario. Well, it now looks more than "likely." On today's Salon.com, David Lindorff discusses whether the Pentagon is Oiling up the draft machine. He states that the Bush Administration has started the campaign already. Indeed, at the Defense Departments new site "Defend America," a recruitment posting Serve Your Community and the Nation - Become a Selective Service System Local Board Member. The notice states in part:

" If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men, who submit a claim, receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service, based on Federal guidelines.

Positions are available in many communities across the Nation. If you believe you meet the standards for Selective Service Board Membership, and wish to be considered for appointment please visit our web site..."

One might argue that this would be an "opportune time" to restart the draft. Afterall, employment certainly isn't picking up dramatically. In fact, one of the sadest things that I've heard on the news lately were Reservists requesting to go to Iraq because they had lost their jobs.

I feel, that if our "leaders" can't show any better judgement and honesty than they've been showing, then why in the world would we let them reinstate the draft to continue the current policies? Troops are continuing to be sent out in growing numbers, while purportedly we are worried about "homeland security." If we strip the nation of all the troops, (and because many Reservists are police and medical personnel) how prepared are we to address an emergency on our own shores? Not just a terrorist attack, but a natural disaster? For crying out loud, the military is using Rent-A-Cops to guard US military bases - see the 10/22/03 Daily Mislead With U. S. Troops Still in the Mideast, Private Firms Must Guard Military Bases at Home. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they started hiring Rent-A-Soldiers as well. Or maybe Wackenhaut can get a policing contract for Iraq and Afghanistan. THat would fit the overall privatization plan.

Back to the topic at hand. Parents, friends, concerned citizens, and those of draft age (male and female), better start thinking about how to respond should the draft be reinstated. It is starting to look more likely every day.

You can duplicate my process and find out other information by going to the US Department of Education and looking at their reports. Or, you can use their data extraction tool the CCD build a table - which is what I did.

The results are not totally accurate, because selecting different options seems to give different totals, but here is what I found.

Comparing the number of students who received free or reduced cost lunches as an indicator of "economic disadvantage," and comparing that to total student enrollment for 1998 and 2001, I found that alost 5 million more children are receiving free or reduced cost lunches in 2001 than in 1998 - an increase of roughly 8.5 %. [Free/Reduced 1998 - 12,598,056, 2001 - 17,387,793; Total Students 1998 - 46,538,585, 2001 - 47,687,871] These numbers are interesting in themselves because while there was only about a 2.5% increase in the total number of students in PK-12 education, there was roughly a 27.5% increase in those in economic need.

However, the above information was really not getting at what I was looking for so I tried the Nation's Report Card. This site has a map that you can click on and get the following type of information:

The information below is for the state of Texas.
Student Characteristics
Number enrolled: 4,163,447
Percent in Title I schools: 57.7%
With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 11.9%
Percent in limited-English proficiency programs: 14.5%
Percent eligible for free/reduced lunch: 45.4%

Racial/Ethnic Background
White: 40.9%
Black: 14.4%
Hispanic: 41.7%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 2.8%
American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.3%

School/District Characteristics
Number of school districts: 1,254
Number of schools: 7,761
Number of charter schools: 243
Per-pupil expenditures: $6,5391
Pupil/teacher ratio: 14.7
Number of FTE teachers: 282,846

So, the number of disadvantaged students has gone up, and there is a claim of 85% in the Houston schools (which I couldn't verify).

One might ask what the big deal is. Well, the 25% increase nationally could be a relflection of the economy going down. Or it could be a reflection of something perhaps more significant - the flight of those who can afford to take their children out of public schools. I deeply suspect that this is driving the increasing numbers of "economically disadvantaged" schools.

Back to the NOW report and how this relates.
It seems almost certain that the Texas schools cooked the books to get their figures. They "disappeared" students who dropped out, and they switched students to special programs (special education, english as a second language, remedial classes, etc) to take them out of the standardized testing mix. This obviously has dramatic negative impacts on students as well as presenting a totally false impression of the effectiveness of standardized testing and accountability. Further, as these students have effectively "disappeared," then programs to help them (such as tutoring or GED classes) are also no longer needed or the demand is significantly under estimated and under funded.

The other issue that Bush supports is essentially ending public education through "voucher" programs. Voucher programs are not going to serve poor families and the money for vouchers comes out of the public education budget. This leaves even fewer resources for those who are trapped in an organized effort to defund public education.

The seemingly increasing numbers of economically disadvantaged schools also become part of another downward spiral. As those with resources remove their children from public schools, they may no longer feel inclined to bear the cost of supporting schools that their children do not attend. Therefore, public support for education funding goes down at the same time that structured efforts undermine the education system.

The social and personal costs of this trend are significant and increase inequality and disadvantage at the same time it makes the problem seemingly "disappear."

I am not arguing that the public education system is perfect. There is no way that it could be with the historical structured inequality and the current policies that are driving it into the ground. I do believe that public education is critical in the US, and that to decimate it will cost us dearly. It also cruelly writes off those children and families for whom the public system is the one hope to improve their lives economically.

The Texas debacle points to the mechanisms of contriving data to say what you want - regardless of the impacts of that contriving.

With this context in mind, Resolution 1511 essentially says (once again) that Iraq is a sovereign nation whose sovereignty rests with the people of Iraq. It gives interrim recognition to the Governing Council of Iraq, and reinforces that the "Coalition Provisional Authority" is temporary, and will cease to exist when an internationally recognized government is sworn in (item 1).

Calls on the Coalition Governing Authority to turn over governnance to the people of Iraq as soon as possible (item 6).

Asks for a transition timetable no later that 12/15/03 (item 7).

Reinforces the desire to see a larger UN role in Iraq (item 8).

It authorizes a multi-national force under "unified command" to help in peacekeeping (item 13)

"Urges" member nations to participate in peacekeeping and aid to Iraq (item 14).

And sets the resoultion for review no later than 10/16/04.

This is not the resolution that the US wanted, but its passage does reflect a desire on the part of the Council to not be endlessly split and the desire to tell the people of Iraq that the UN is deeply interested in seeing authority return to their hands, and their nation rebuilt.

There are two very good discussions of the Resolution and what it means at Foreign Policy in Focus: A Fig Leaf to Cover Occupation by Phyllis Bennis 10/16/03, and Threading the Needle: UN Resolution 1511 and the Iraqi Occupation by Ian Williams, 10/16/03.

Summary of the study:

The united States (and UK) conducted a strategic influence campaign that:
- ... distorted perceptions of the situation both before and during the conflict.
- ... caused misdirection of portions of the military operation.
- ... was irresponsible in parts.
- ... might have been illegal in some ways.
- ... cost big bucks.
- ... will be even more serious in the future.

For all the information packed within Gardiner's report, perhaps the most concerning is that the powers that be see these activities as so successful, that they will do more of them in the future.

As is already known, the spin doctors are out with the PR campaign to convince the US public that the lies are truth - even going so far as to repeat stories that have already been disproven. Information can uundermine lies and misdirections. So, my recommendations? Look over the report. Save it to disk. Share it with others.

While this report is not the only compilation of information surfacing, it does have credibility behind it. We seem to be living in a time of lies and outright fairy tales where the bluring of reality and fantasy is becoming increasingly difficult to determine. My guess is that this process will become more artful rather than less.

I have also placed the link under "Featured Articles" for easy access.

A General Accounting Office investigation last fall found that the rate of side effects from anthrax vaccine was hundreds, sometimes thousands, of times higher than what the military claimed. (Questions Mount Over Anthrax Shot, Attkisson, CBS News, 8/20/03)

Now Bush is redirecting research funds for a new anthrax vaccine (Bush: Get Anthrax Vaccine Garrett, Newsday, 7/28/03). The implications for research on drugs for other diseases (both immune and infectious) are significant as the money to research an anthrax vaccine is coming from research funds already approved by Congress.

"More than 500 scientists working on AIDS and other infectious diseases learned recently that their federal grants are being reduced so that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases can meet a White House mandate to come up with a new anthrax vaccine.

The move is unprecedented in the 116-year history of the National Institutes of Health, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as the collection of 27 research institutes has never been ordered to carry out a major applied science program - in this case, making a vaccine. And, Fauci said, the NIH has never been told to come up with funds to pay for a White House-mandated effort in lieu of additional funding." (Garrett)

As with most things Washington and Bush, the course of activity laid out here serves multiple purposes. First, the Pentagon avoids responsibility (and expense) for the health of service people. Second, pharmaceutical companies get big bucks flowing their way. Bush, and others, get to line their pockets at tax payer expense. For example, the current holder of the patent on the anthrax vaccine is BioPort. BioPort is a holding of The Carlyle Group ((Horowitz). The Carlyle Group is a private investment group that is way inside the beltway with both big names and Daddy Bush as active shareholders, management, and promoters (The Big Guys Work For the Carlyle Group Warner, Fortune, 3/18/02).

There are those who would argue that no one, and certainly not our elected leaders and their appointed staffs, would put the health and lives of the population at risk for their own (and their friends and supporters) gain. Oh yeah? What do you think the concern of big money and big business impact on our government is about? It is about receiving "friendly" legislation and policies, lucrative government contracts, and protection of their interests both nationally and internationally. Who underwrites this? Tax payers. Who bears the (in the US) consequences? We do, our communities do. We pay at every level of our existence from the quality of our environment, to our social services and education systems, to our health, to dying in international conflicts for the those "interests."

It is clear that there are ongoing and increasing levels of violence in Iraq, The Gaza Strip, and in Afghanistan. At the center of the conflict are two things. First, US support of Israel in regards to Palestine has been an ongoing flash point. Second is US protection and furthering of its interests (primarily oil and oil movement routes) in both the Middle East and Southern Asia.

The US "war on terrorism" which has led to the preemtptive invasion of two sovereign nations (Afghanistan and Iraq) and the current occupation force in Iraq, is not settling the region, but inflaming it. It is likely that the US is going to point the finger at Al Qaeda in the most recent bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq -- or conversely, Hussein loyalists (backed by Al Qaeda).

I am not in any way trying to minimize the horror of these ongoing acts of war. Yes, I am calling them acts of war -- not terrorism. I am not trying to legitimate the violence in anyway. I am saying that US policy in relationship to Israel's position, the Middle East in general, and Southern Asia are exacerbating and expanding the violence -- not bringing "peace and democracy." Further, we have so undermined the credibility of the US at this point that no one is going to believe a word we say or a promise we make. That "no one" certainly extends beyond Iraq.

People may be asking why the UN headquarters was targeted. I can't answer that. Some pundits are saying that the message was for the US -- not the UN. Regardless, the mess in Iraq seems to be getting rapidly deeper. Regardless of the apparent US popularity of George Bush, or support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq, a CNN online poll on Wolf Blitzer's program (8/19/03 3pm PST) showed that 94% thought that Iraq is becoming a "quagmire." That is certainly a shift, though it is impossible to interpret what that means in terms of support for Bush and his policies.

As we mourn the deaths in the latest violence, let us also send our thoughts and prayers for a miracle of wisdom and courage to the nation's leaders. The wisdom and courage to take a different course as this one is obviously not working.

As I listen to Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, (etc, ad nauseum) the message seems to be, we told you the truth you just weren't hearing us right. The we have Bush doing his dance of "I beleive" and "the world is more peaceful since we've gotten rid of Saddam." Well, my memory isn't that bad, and my reading of world events doesn't match a "peaceful" reality either.

Ask the (approx) 150,000 US troops in Iraq how peaceful things are. For that matter, ask the people of Iraq. Ask the Palestinians, Afghans, Pakistanis, Indians, Jordanians, Syrians, and Iranians how peaceful things are. Ask the people of Liberia, Uganda, and the Congo how peaceful things are. Or how about those folks in Colombia -- they're at "peace" as well.

The human conflagrations happening this summer remind me hauntingly of the global forest fires of last summer. I remember seeing a map that showed all the forest fires around the world last year. It looked like most of the earth was on fire. When I visualize the human conflicts happening now it evokes the same feeling.

Does anyone really believe that we live in a safer and more peaceful world with Saddam Hussein out of power (not "gone" as the regime asserts)? There is not one of those nations listed above where we do not have our "finger in the pie." Think about that.

Our "interests" our imperial designs. This process did not start with the Bush regime, but certainly the regime has strong hopes of being the Presidency to take the ring ... to capture the ultimate prize .. no matter the cost to the world ... and to the profit of those who have more than they know what to do with.

And what about us - here in the USA? What is our gain from empire? Safety? Prosperity? Acclaim? No. It has been said that we are in a "jobless" recovery. I finally heard someone say the other day that we are in a "job loss" recovery. We have lost approximately 83,000 jobs per month for every month that GW has been in office. Efforts to "stimulate" the economy through massive tax cuts aren't working, and won't work for two very good reasons: 1) the lion's share is going to the wealthiest tax payers and to major corporations who are certainly not letting that "trickle down" nor engaing in investment that generates US jobs; and 2) because we are in a global economy where the overwhelming majority of production ocurrs outside the US. Giving people "more money" so that we can spend our way out of a recession won't work because that money (if spent that way) largely leaves the US without creating any jobs at all. All of the globalizing king pins are suffering from the same problem.

So watch the lies and spins. Look very carefully at the framing of peace and prosperity. We, and the world, are in for a very rough ride.

According to a Brandli ("Vietnam veteran as a pioneer in satellite meteorology") who makes a hobby of meterology and satellite photos, there has been a new development in Iraq. The is now a "line of lights" stretching along the border from Kuwait to the oil fields in southeastern Iraq. Brandli, thinks that we may be taking oil out that way to help "pay for the war" because Kuwait's oil infrstructure is still intact.

He discovered the anomaly by comparing one satelite photograph to one he had downloaded 3 weeks earlier.

I'll have to hunt around on this one. I wopuld not be surprised that this is happening, but there may be other interests at play than paying for the war. The US is certainly desperate to get that oil flowing -- we know that. Sabotage of pipelines has significantly set back those plans.

If anybody comes across anything, please send it along.

Synopsis:

GEMS is an electronic vote tallying system based on Microsoft Access (a popular PC database program). When GEMS receives votes (via a modem) it creates 3 copies of that data (1, 2, and 3 to keep it easy). The original file is 1, the copies are 2 and 3. All monitoring reports are run off copy 2 which is wide open to changing and manipulation. The person monitoring system reports never knows what is going on and the activity monitoring file is easily purged of traces of tampering. Further, the password program is a total farce from all I can tell.

Copy 2 is never compared against the original - no reports to verify data between the two so you can't easily see that any tampering has occurred beyond whether the total number of votes match. How those votes are divided within that restriction is totally open to change.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO GET THIS INFORMATION AS WIDELY DISSEMINATED AS POSSIBLE?

1) Many states across the country are moving to computer-based voting - no more "hanging chads" oh no.

2) Others have discussed the potential voter disenfranchisement and fraud possibilities of computer-based voting (Palast in particular).

3) For our next national election cycle many voters will be voting electronically, many are likely to use the GEMS program.

4) The questionable and fraudulent activities of the last Presidential election are still coming to light, but most people haven't a clue -- even if they are concerned about the role of the Supreme Court in the election.

5) Regardless of what the will of the people is in the next election, it could be easily misrepresented by this type of system.

Curious, I clicked. It took me to Patients Action Network Medical Liability Reform Campaign. But whose site is it???? The American Medical Association. It is an email your legislators campaign and it says:

Dear Member of Congress
I am deeply concerned about the status of the United States healthcare system. Costs are escalating rapidly. At the same time, it’s getting more and more difficult for patients like me to get an appointment with a doctor near home. .

I support President Bush’s approach to solving this problem—medical liability reform. The fact is, thousands of frivolous medical lawsuits are filed each year by individuals hoping to “hit the lottery” with a big court award. Even though fewer than 10% ever make trial, the costs of defending against these suits are high—and are ultimately passed down to patients. What’s worse, when physicians can no longer afford the rising cost of liability insurance, they simply retire, leave the area, or limit the treatment they offer—leaving patients in many areas without adequate access to medical care..

The great thing about liability reform is that there are no losers—except the trial lawyers. Patients with legitimate suits will be able to recover unlimited economic damages to cover future medical expenses, lost wages, etc. Non-economic damages, like “pain and suffering,” would be capped at $250,000..

This is a reasonable proposal that will have a positive impact on our healthcare system, and I encourage you, as my elected representative in Congress, to do everything in your power to get it passed. Thank you for your time.

Now we know that companies fake "green" campaigns, but this is the AMA. Apparently all their money to legislators isn't carrying the day. I guess this is a sign of strength for us, but it does tick me off.

Consider this finding from the recently released NPR poll. Likely voters were asked whether: (1) the Iraq war was a success and was worth the cost in lives and dollars; (2) the Iraq war was a success but was not worth the cost; or (3) the Iraq war was not a success. The replies were split down the middle between boosters and doubters of the Iraq war. Forty-eight percent said that the Iraq war was a success and worth the cost, while 48 percent said either that the war was a success but not worth the cost (33 percent), or that the war was not a success (15 percent).

Moreover, if you look at swing-voting independents, doubts about the worthwhileness of the Iraq war are even stronger: 43 percent of this group said that the Iraq war was a success and worth the cost, compared to 55 percent who said either that its success was not worth the cost, or that it was not a success. The data also show a wide gender gap on this issue. While 57 percent of men said that the Iraq war was a success and worth the cost, just 40 percent of women felt this way (55 percent of women thought that either the war's success wasn't worth the cost, or that the war wasn't a success).

Other findings from a CBS poll:
53% Iraq was a threat that required immediate action,
35% Iraq was a threat that could have been contained
10% Iraq was not a threat at all
58% believe finding the WMDs is important
44% believe administration overestimated WMDs (up 5% from 2 wks ago)

Other polls show decreasing certainty about both Iraq's bio-chem weapons and nuclear arsenal.

Maybe there's a chance people will get really skeptical.

The source told Asia Times Online that four conditions were put to the Taliban before any form of reconciliation can take place that could potentially lead to them having a role in the Kabul government, whose present authority is in essence limited to the capital: # Mullah Omar must be removed as supreme leader of the Taliban. # All Pakistani, Arab and other foreign fighters currently engaged in operations against international troops in Afghanistan must be thrown out of the country. # Any US or allied soldiers held captive must be released. # Afghans currently living abroad, notably in the United States and England, must be given a part in the government - through being allowed to contest elections - even though many do not even speak their mother tongue, such as Dari or Pashtu.

At present, Kabul is divided into two main factions. The first is pro-US, which is represented by the US and allied troops and those loyal to President Hamid Karzai. The second is pro-Russian and pro-Iranian, represented by Defense Minister General Qasim Fahim and his Northern Alliance forces. Although the camps are cooperating at present, they are silently building their support bases to make a grab for full power once the present interim administration runs its course, a process that is due to begin in October with a loya jirga (grand council).

I recommend looking at the full article.

Here are two articles:
5/8/03 Doyle, Reuters, Bush, Blair Nominated for Nobel Prize for Iraq War
5/8/03 Northern Ireland on the Internet, Nobel peace prize nomination for Bush and Blair.

There is a petition against the nomination at The Petition Site. I do not know the validity of the site as the news reports say Simonsen nominated them and this site said that Nesvik nominated them.

Interestingly it also ends diplomatic immunity for UN delegates and staff. This might have some rather far reaching effects on our own diplomats around the world.

I guess that we have already demonstrated that we are a rogue nation, so it's not too surprising that this legislation might come forward. I wonder if it will get out of committee.

We'll just have to keep an eye on it and see.

Oh Yeah, the Bill does have co-sponsors
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. - 3/12/2003 [MD-6]
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. - 3/12/2003 [TN-2]
Rep Everett, Terry - 3/11/2003 [AL-2]
Rep Hefley, Joel - 3/12/2003 [CO-5]
Rep Johnson, Sam - 3/18/2003 [TX-3]
Rep Lucas, Frank D. - 5/8/2003 [OK-3]
Rep Miller, Jeff - 4/8/2003 [FL-1]
Rep Ney, Robert W. - 5/8/2003 [OH-18]
Rep Norwood, Charlie - 4/29/2003 [GA-9]
Rep Pombo, Richard W. - 4/29/2003 [CA-11]
Rep Sessions, Pete - 3/18/2003 [TX-32]
Rep Tancredo, Thomas G. - 4/11/2003 [CO-6]

Apparently, the US can will be able to try, convict and execute prisoners at the base without any jury or right of appeal. This should be of broad concern, especially since one of the plans for PATRIOT II is to strip US citizens of their citizenship and send them off US soil (such as Guantanamo Bay). It should be of concern no matter the nationality of who the US is holding there, but that doesn't mean much to some people.

Currently, there are approximately 680 people held at Camp Delta, most having been there for a year and a half without being charged (Courier Mail). One wonders if the prisoners now held in Iraq will meet the same fate at Guananamo Bay.

According to Skelton, the DoD has a 200 page draft "transformation bill" for a major reorg of the military. Skelton characterizes the draft as a sweeping overhaul that dramatically aims at freeing the military from oversight. "The only thing that is obvious and consistent throughout the 50 provisions included in this bill is the aggregation of power sought for the Department of Defense, removing the legal restrictions and congressional oversight that should safeguard against any abuses, however unintentional. "

Skelton states that the current defense authoration bill ($400 billion) under consideration by the House, contains large pieces of the draft and that there has been inadequate time to consider the implications of the changes.

From the article:
"The proposed legislation makes sweeping changes to both military and civilian personnel systems. On the civilian side, the Defense Department wants unfettered freedom to hire and fire its nearly 700,000 employees."... "The Defense Department wants changes that are even more dramatic, including, just
as one example, the repeal of laws preventing nepotism. "

"The department also is requesting extensive exemptions from a host of
environmental laws that have helped safeguard the long-term health of our communities and of the global environment."

Looks to me like the push towards secrecy and concentration of power continues. It also looks like a setup for the overthrow of the legitimate elected government of the US.

From the discussion board at CRG for those of you still keeping track of what the government knew and had on the shelf with 9/11 Quotes which show US military planning before 911. Or perhaps An interesting day: President Bush's movements and actions on 9/11.

And just to show that world domination was on the table prior to the baby Bush regime Strategic Assessment 1999. For those interested in copies of other "security legislation" and policy documents, you can check out Federal Policy and Legislation which is a separate page on my site.

Of course being a sociologist I can't pass upThe science and sociology of SARS.
Then we have a cast of characters being placed to run Iraq Do you want to know who the Americans running Iraq really are?.

And for those of you who have a niggling concern that everything is scripted to some nefarious end (myself included) The perfect enemy: terrorists who can't be caught because they don't really exist or because they are CIA assets.

And lastly, a short and interesting editorial The United States and the Nature of Power by Alfredo Toro Hardy in Venezuela's Electronic News.

I don't know if this kind of entry is useful or not, but perhaps there is something of interest listed here for you to follow up on. Or maybe I just want others to join me in the land of lost sleep. ;)

Human and environmental rights activists have been pursuing law suits against US-based corporations (primarily in Latin America) recently. They have been using a law (ACTA) that allows international rights abuses to be pursued in US courts.

Quote:"The law, the 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA), has been used with increasing frequency over the past 24 years by victims of serious rights abuses committed overseas by foreign government leaders and senior military officials, as well as U.S. and foreign-owned corporations, to get a hearing before U.S. federal courts. " (Villagers) End Quote

Now Ashcroft has petitioned the court to throw out ACTA as it is "outdated" and may effect our "war on terrorism."

Obviously getting rid of ACTA serves a number of purposes. It protects abusive corporations from prosecution. It protects the US from the consequences of our funding of militaries that protect corporations. Lastly, it serves to protect the regime from prosecution as it engages in internationally illegal activities in its violent pursuit of "our safety." Activities such as invading Iraq, bombing and firing on civilians, holding captives (including children) at Guantanamo Bay, reinitiating the construction of nuclear weapons, etc. Just "little" violations, but what the heck - let's err on the side of safety.

Quote Continued: "Specifically, the bill provides the funding necessary to establish a single government-wide terrorist watch list. It also provides increased funding to standardize databases to facilitate access to information."

There are a number of problems (or potential problems if you are an optimist) with this bill.

First is the decreasing oversight provided by Congress of "intelligence community" activities. We wouldn't want them "burdened" by reporting to Congress.

Second is the "terrorist watch list" issue given the broad interpretation of "terrorist" under existing law which essentially amounts to: "you are a terrorist if we say you are." Of courrse, the creation of this "watch list" requires more "fusion" of information [In order to achieve all source fusion of data, the bill requires the Director of Central Intelligence to conduct a pilot program to determine the feasibility and advisability of permitting intelligence analysts access to raw intelligence from the databases of other elements of the community."] I hate to say it, but this ounds like TIA (Total Information Awareness) all over again to me.

Of course the appropriation also includes the tidy sum of $8 million to "establish an ROTC like program to encourage college students to pursue careers as intelligence analysts". Wonder what they'll call the ROTC like program - FRISC perhaps (Future Reserve Intelligence and Security Corps). Hey maybe I should go work in Washington.

Some of the issues around this appropriation are also discussed at the World Socialist Web Site in an article by Patrick Martin (5/5/03) Bush administration expands the infrastructure of a police state.

Bush loses budget chief
Agence France Presse 6/5/03
WASHINGTON (AFP) US President George W. Bush lost another seasoned economic adviser as budget chief Mitch Daniels announced he was quitting even as the White House fought for the life of its tax cut plan.

"Mitch told me that he wants to go back home to the state of Indiana and perhaps pursue a run for political office," Bush told reporters. "This administration's loss is the gain of the people of Indiana."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Daniels would serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget another 30 days and refused to confirm word that Clay Johnson, a long-time Bush friend, might replace him.

"Of course, the president does think highly of Clay," said the spokesman.

Over the past six months, former treasury secretary Paul O'Neill and chief White House economic advisers Larry Lindsey and Glenn Hubbard have all left the Bush team.

"I told him, I said, 'Mitch, we're going to miss you a lot in this administration.' He has served us well, he has been a really good, you know, watchdog of the taxpayers' money," said Bush.

Bush said that Daniels' departure would not hurt effort to win passage of at least 550 billion dollars in tax cuts over 10 years, a package the president claims will help create one million jobs by 2004, when he faces reelection.

"We're going to get a tax package through because it's the right thing to do, and I hope Congress acts decisively and boldly," the president told reporters in the White House Oval Office.

Earlier, in a speech to cheering members of the "Tax Relief Coalition," he stepped up his efforts to bring pressure to bear on lawmakers reluctant, in the face of massive and mounting deficits, to embrace another tax cut.

"I'm concerned about the deficit, but not as concerned about the deficit as I am about people trying to find work. I'm more worried about the person looking for work," he said.

Bush, who won approval of a 10-year, 1.65 trillion dollar tax cut in 2001, urged the assembled business owners to bring a "loud voice" to the halls of Congress in an effort to sway the skeptics.

"There's unmet potential in this economy. It's not growing fast enough. In spite of the strengths, there's still people looking for work, and we've got to do more. And that's the message I want you to take to the halls of the United States Congress," he said.

Some moderate Republicans have joined with the opposition Democrats in opposing the tax cuts, which Bush has called his "package for growth" to rejuvenate the sluggish economy.

With the unemployment rate now at six percent of the working population, Bush said: "The United States Congress must not only listen to your voice but listen to the voice of somebody looking for work. We need aggressive action out of the United States Congress now."

Bush has said his package would help create one million jobs by the end of next year if his proposed tax cuts are implemented straight away instead of over 10 years.

Critics have scoffed at the claim, saying that the economy will create those jobs even without Bush's plan.

The letter, along with requesting information, presents significant information about Halliburton's contracts with Iraq, Libya, and Iran. It is actually quite the little expose. It is documented with cites to a variety of sources -- including Congressional Hearings.

I encourage you to download and save the letter. My experience is that things like this have a tendency to "disappear."

My sense is that Senator Minnis is determined to get some form of this bill through. He stated that SB742 was an effort to create omnibus terrorism legislation to cover eco-terrorism as well as terrorism of a political nature. Chairman Minnis seemed to be interested in speaking primarily to lawyers - particularly those who were (or had been) prosecutors. He seemed to be relatively dismissive of ordinary citizens and representatives of citizen groups.

There were several ammendments added to the bill to "tighten up" the language, but these did not seem to substantively change the nature or scope of the bill.

Generally speaking, Senator Minnis' protestations to the intent of the bill only confirmed my concerns. What kept running through my head was "following the letter, not the spirit of the law." Courts and juries have a very difficult (if not impossible task) of trying to determine what the "intent" of specific legislation is. And like it or not, this bill opens a laundry list of crimes (including misdemeanors) into felonies punishable by 25 years to life, and undermines the protections of the "181" laws.

It's intent to be "umbrella legislation" also opens it up to being appilied in a discriminatory manner. In other words, it might be invoked in some cases and not others, against some groups and individuals and not others. It is prone to being applied when prosecutors want to "pile on" charges.

This is potentially very threatening legislation. Please keep yourself informed on SB742 and its progress.

Quoting from the article:
"It will fall silently and unseen from the distant sky, a cigar-shaped steel capsule hurtling down at 300 mph with a single deadly purpose. In the final moments, there might come a brief, chilling whir as tiny gears adjust its tail fins to nudge it closer to its target.

On the ground, however, the work of the 2,000-pound Mark-84 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bomb, the new workhorse of the U.S. military, is just beginning. In nanoseconds it will release a crushing shock wave and shower jagged, white-hot metal fragments at supersonic speed, shredding flesh, crushing cells, rupturing lungs, bursting sinus cavities and ripping away limbs in a maelstrom of destruction." end quote

So the military has taken a "dumb" bomb and made it "smart" by strapping a GPS with remote control to it. That's nice. I'm glad that this deadly little bomb can be guided more precisely - aren't you?

But WAIT, is it more precise? According to an earlier article by Wood (2/23/03) Causes of bombing mishaps remain hard to pin down precision does not seem to be the rule.

Quote:"It is well after dark in Kuwait but still warm out on the desert floor. In the constellations of stars overhead on March 12, 2001, are the faint, winking navigation lights of three jets, circling high.

Six were dead, in fact. And 11 wounded. " end quote

And further down the article:
Quote"The mounting death toll -- of U.S. soldiers, allied troops, innocent civilians and simply "unknowns" -- is bloody evidence that despite the best pilots, the best forward air controllers and indeed the best technology, "The system is out of control," as a strike fighter pilot phrases it. " end quote

In fact, none of our "precision" "surgical strike" capabilites seem to work as well as advertized. Some estimates run below a 20% success rate. Yet we are constantly reassured by the corporate media and Pentagon news releases, and Administration spokes peolple, that these "smart" technologies work; that they will lessen civilian casualities; that we will only hit "military targets" (of course, bomb shelters, water supplies, and even NGO distribution centers -- ie Red Cross facilities in Afghanistan).

Obviously, such statements may be comforting, but they are hardly accurate, and those who believe them and support the use of them in Iraq and elsewhere should pay more attention - in my not so humble opinion.

US Senator Robert Byrd

Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003

To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war. Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt too lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.

We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.

And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world.

This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self-defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's - hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq.

What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.

Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.

This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal.

In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.

In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.

Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may hhave massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.

The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.

Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace?

And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein?

Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?

Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?

In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.

One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.

But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.

Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.

We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.

To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not necessary at this time.

Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.

How the Coming War Stacks Up
Blood, Stats, and Tears
by Ward Harkavy
February 5 - 11, 2003

Number of precision-guided missiles and bombs that the United States plans to launch per hour at Baghdad during the war's first 48 hours: 63

Number of days it is expected to take for Baghdad residents to become "physically, emotionally, and psychologically exhausted": 2 to 5

Percentage of U.S. bombs and missiles dropped during the first Gulf War that were precision-guided: 9

Percentage of U.S. bombs and missiles ready to be dropped during the coming war that are precision-guided: 75

Number of U.S. satellite-guided bombs stockpiled in the Gulf region: 6700

Number of U.S. laser-guided bombs stockpiled in the Gulf region: 3000

Number of Americans killed during the first Gulf War: 148

Proportion of Americans killed by "friendly fire" during the first Gulf War: 1 in 3

Number of Iraqis killed during the first Gulf War: 100,000

Number of Americans killed during the "Black Hawk Down" episode in Mogadishu in 1993: 18

Number of Somalis killed during the "Black Hawk Down" episode in Mogadishu in 1993: 500 to 1000

Number of Americans killed during the Vietnam War: 58,000

Number of Vietnamese killed during the Vietnam War: 5.1 million

Number of American soldiers poised for attack at the borders of Iraq: 100,000

Number of Iraqis and Americans who, doctors say, might die in the next war: 48,000 to 260,000

Number of additional deaths expected from the civil war within Iraq following an invasion: 20,000

Number of additional deaths expected from "post-war adverse health effects": 200,000

Number of total deaths if nuclear weapons are used: 3,900,000

Percentage of Americans who believe that oil best explains why the U.S. would use military force against Iraq: 22

Ranking of Iraq among countries with proven reserves of oil: 2

Number of barrels of oil in Iraq's proven reserves: 112,000,000,000

Year that Iraq nationalized all foreign oil holdings: 1972

Year that U.S. oil companies were prohibited from investing in, or buying, Iraqi oil: 1991

Year that Dick Cheney, as head of oil field equipment manufacturer Halliburton, called for the end to sanctions against Iraq: 2000

Number of U.S. Army soldiers ready to decontaminate corpses and send them back home for burial: 700

Ranking of Iraq on the U.N. Human Development Index in 1990: 50th out of 130 nations

Ranking of Iraq on the U.N. Human Development Index in 2000: 126th out of 174 nations

Number of Iraqi children who have died as a direct result of sanctions, according to UNICEF: 500,000

U.S. military spending, in billions of dollars per day: 1.08

Ratio of U.S. military spending to the combined military budgets of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria: 26 to 1

Percentage of U.S. share of total global military spending in 1985: 31

Percentage of U.S. share of total global military spending in 2000: 36

Number of U.S. states used in 1998 for the staging of mock nuclear attacks on North Korea: 2 (North Carolina and Florida)

Date that the Nuclear Posture Review (signed by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld), describing contingency plans to use nuclear weapons against China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Libya, and Syria, was delivered to Congress: January 8, 2002

Sources: Harper's, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Agence France Presse, Parameters, Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You, Policy Analysis, Denver Post, Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, Sierra Club

Body of the Action Alert from FAIR

FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and activism

ACTION ALERT:
GE, Microsoft Bring Bigotry to Life
Hate-talk host Michael Savage hired by MSNBC

February 12, 2003

The latest hire by the cable news network MSNBC-- co-owned by General
Electric/NBC and Microsoft-- is Michael Savage, a radio talkshow host
noted for his unabashed bigotry. Savage is scheduled to have his own
weekly one-hour show on MSNBC beginning in March.

Savage routinely refers to non-white countries as "turd world nations" and
charges that the U.S. "is being taken over by the freaks, the cripples,
the perverts and the mental defectives" (San Francisco Bay Guardian,
9/20/00). In a recent broadcast he justified ethnic slurs as a national
security tool: "We need racist stereotypes right now of our enemy in order
to encourage our warriors to kill the enemy," he explained (San Francisco
Chronicle, 2/6/03).

"Turd world" immigrants are a frequent target of Savage's anger: "You open
the door to them, and the next thing you know, they are defecating on your
country and breeding out of control" (Oregonian, 4/24/02).

At times Savage's arguments echo the conspiratorial scapegoating of the
white supremacist movement: "With the [Latino] population that has
emerged, since they breed like rabbits, in many cases the whites will
become a minority in their own nation... The white people don't breed as
often for whatever reason. I guess many homosexuals are involved. That is
also part of the grand plan, to push homosexuality to cut down on the
white race" (San Francisco Bay Guardian, 9/20/00).

Commenting on the "Million Mom March" in favor of gun control (which he
dubbed the "Million Dyke March"), he dismissed organizers' reference to
American children killed by guns (5/15/00): "They’re not kids, they’re
ghetto slime... they’re the same kids that are in Sierra Leone toting
AK47s."

Misogyny and homophobia are staples of Savage's show as well as racism. In
his book Savage Nation, he argues that Sen. Hillary Clinton and Supreme
Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor have "feminized
and homosexualized much of America, to the point where the nation has
become passive, receptive and masochistic."

Discussing student volunteers distributing food to the homeless in San
Francisco, Savage declared that "the girls from Branson [school] can go in
and maybe get raped... because they seem to like the excitement of it.
There's always the thrill and possibility they'll be raped in a dumpster
while giving out a turkey sandwich" (San Francisco Bay Guardian, 9/20/00).

In announcing the hire, MSNBC president Erik Sorenson described Savage as
"brash, passionate and smart," and promised that he would provide
"compelling opinion and analysis with an edge."

A recent episode of the channel's Donahue program (2/10/03) featured a
full-hour, one-on-one interview with white supremacist Jared Taylor. Does
MSNBC believe that promoting hatred is a way for the struggling channel to
build an audience?

ACTION: If you'd like to express your opinion on Michael Savage hosting a
show on MSNBC, you can write to the cable channel directly.

CONTACT:

MSNBC Feedback
[email protected]

Erik Sorenson, MSNBC President
[email protected]

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc [email protected] with your
correspondence.