Bush For Boys
posted by Christy at 11:48 PM
0 comments
 |
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Welcome To ReBelle Nation
This is the online diary of Kim, Rossi, and Christy. (Oh and Tech Guy but he mostly just lurks.)
Due to the current 'Black-out' in the US media, we are posting our finds here to archive in one place, as many links as we can, before they can be erased. Our own thoughts are added in often and will stand as our testimony to unfolding events. Our personal friendships brought us together, to share with each other what we see, hear, and read.
We came together here to bear witness, as honestly as we can. If you are joining us here, we would like to welcome you and encourage even dissenting opinions.Wide open, rubust debate is a product of a true democracy.
If there is no dissent, there is no democracy. As we share what we know, we hope you find any of it helpful.
Thanks For Visiting. We do appreciate it.
Due to the current 'Black-out' in the US media, we are posting our finds here to archive in one place, as many links as we can, before they can be erased. Our own thoughts are added in often and will stand as our testimony to unfolding events. Our personal friendships brought us together, to share with each other what we see, hear, and read.
We came together here to bear witness, as honestly as we can. If you are joining us here, we would like to welcome you and encourage even dissenting opinions.Wide open, rubust debate is a product of a true democracy.
If there is no dissent, there is no democracy. As we share what we know, we hope you find any of it helpful.
Thanks For Visiting. We do appreciate it.
posted by Christy at 11:11 PM
1 comments
A Full Account of Iraq..
What I Didn't See in Iraq
by JIM MCGOVERN
[from the May 2, 2005 issue]
"Trust me when I tell you things are so much better in Iraq," said one US military official to me on my recent visit to that war-ravaged country. I didn't know whether to scream or pull the remaining two strands of hair out of my head. I was in Iraq as part of a delegation of eight members of Congress, led by House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Everything we have been told about Iraq by the Bush Administration has either been an outright lie or overwhelmingly false. There were no weapons of mass destruction; we have not been greeted as liberators; and the cost in terms of blood and treasure has outpaced even their worst-case scenarios. Trust is something I cannot give to this Administration.
If things in Iraq are so much better, why are we not decreasing the number of US forces there? Why is the insurgency showing no signs of waning? Why are we being told that in a few months the Administration will again ask Congress for billions of dollars more to fight the war? Why, according to the World Food Program, is hunger among the Iraqi people getting worse? It's time for some candor, but candor is hard to come by in Iraq.
We were in Iraq for one day--for security reasons, it is US policy that Congressional delegations are not allowed to spend the night. We spent most of our time in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which serves as coalition headquarters. It's the most heavily guarded encampment I've ever seen--and it still gets attacked. I even had armed guards accompany me to the bathroom. The briefings we received from US military and diplomatic officials were, to say the least, unsatisfying. The Nixonian approach that our military and diplomatic leaders have adopted in dealing with visiting members of Congress is aimed more at saving face than at engaging in an honest dialogue. At first, our briefers wanted to get away with slick slide presentations, but we insisted on asking real questions and attempting to get real answers.
During one such briefing, Lieut. Gen. David Petraeus, tasked with overseeing training of Iraqi security forces, informed us that 147,000 Iraqis had been trained. That sounded good to me. Perhaps we could start reducing the number of American forces, I suggested. But upon further questioning, General Petraeus conceded that less than one-fourth of the 147,000 were actually "combat capable." Why didn't he say that to begin with? I asked--respectfully--our military and diplomatic officials what the gap was between the Iraqis we have trained and the number we needed to train in order to draw down the number of US troops. I could not get a straight answer.
During the morning of our visit, US military officials crowed about a recent operation in which Iraqi security forces had killed eighty-five insurgents. By the afternoon, when more reports came in, it was unclear how many insurgents had actually been killed and whether the Iraqi security forces had exaggerated their own actions.
I asked both General Petraeus and our embassy about US plans to build military bases in Iraq, which in my view would indicate a prolonged US presence. I was told--emphatically--that there are no plans to construct military bases. Yet Congress recently passed a huge supplemental wartime appropriations bill that includes, at the request of the Bush Administration, $500 million for military base construction. In Iraq.
Shortly before we traveled to Iraq we visited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who lamented the mistakes the United States has made post-invasion, including the total dissolution of all the Iraqi security forces. He said, "The army you disbanded is now the army you're fighting." But I couldn't get a single US official to acknowledge any mistakes. The standard line remains, "We're moving in the right direction."
It's hard to believe that after a two-year occupation the average Iraqi isn't getting tired of the overwhelming US presence. We met with several Iraqi women leaders, including members of the National Assembly, who told us that there was more electricity available in Iraq before the invasion than afterward. It's also certain that the insurgency uses our presence as an organizing tool to recruit members and weapons. While we can all be encouraged by the turnout in the recent Iraqi elections, it is impossible for the Iraqi people to truly determine their own fate in a climate where there is no security.
And while US officials point to a declining number of coalition casualties, there is still an unacceptably high level of violence in Iraq. One military leader told us they can tell that things are changing for the better because when US helicopters fly over certain areas of Iraq, Iraqis wave. Well, I took a helicopter ride (it's too dangerous to drive) from the Baghdad airport to the Green Zone wearing an armored vest and sandwiched between two heavily armed American soldiers who were pointing their guns down at the ground. I suggested to the military leader that perhaps he was confusing a wave with a plea not to shoot.
Our young men and women in uniform are performing their difficult duties extraordinarily well. Indeed, the only honest and direct responses I got from any American in Iraq were from the soldiers. They told me they had been instructed by their superiors not to share any complaints with visitors.
What worries me almost as much as our misguided policy in Iraq is that so many of my colleagues and so many citizens have become resigned to the fact that the war will go on. Congress is not being inundated with letters and phone calls and faxes and e-mails and street protests demanding an end to our presence in Iraq. President Bush's re-election seems to have taken much of the energy out of the antiwar movement. My recent visit to Iraq only strengthened my belief that this war is wrong. And only renewed, passionate dissent by the American people can end it.
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20050502&s=mcgovern
--Why can't we just get one honest day?--
by JIM MCGOVERN
[from the May 2, 2005 issue]
"Trust me when I tell you things are so much better in Iraq," said one US military official to me on my recent visit to that war-ravaged country. I didn't know whether to scream or pull the remaining two strands of hair out of my head. I was in Iraq as part of a delegation of eight members of Congress, led by House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Everything we have been told about Iraq by the Bush Administration has either been an outright lie or overwhelmingly false. There were no weapons of mass destruction; we have not been greeted as liberators; and the cost in terms of blood and treasure has outpaced even their worst-case scenarios. Trust is something I cannot give to this Administration.
If things in Iraq are so much better, why are we not decreasing the number of US forces there? Why is the insurgency showing no signs of waning? Why are we being told that in a few months the Administration will again ask Congress for billions of dollars more to fight the war? Why, according to the World Food Program, is hunger among the Iraqi people getting worse? It's time for some candor, but candor is hard to come by in Iraq.
We were in Iraq for one day--for security reasons, it is US policy that Congressional delegations are not allowed to spend the night. We spent most of our time in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which serves as coalition headquarters. It's the most heavily guarded encampment I've ever seen--and it still gets attacked. I even had armed guards accompany me to the bathroom. The briefings we received from US military and diplomatic officials were, to say the least, unsatisfying. The Nixonian approach that our military and diplomatic leaders have adopted in dealing with visiting members of Congress is aimed more at saving face than at engaging in an honest dialogue. At first, our briefers wanted to get away with slick slide presentations, but we insisted on asking real questions and attempting to get real answers.
During one such briefing, Lieut. Gen. David Petraeus, tasked with overseeing training of Iraqi security forces, informed us that 147,000 Iraqis had been trained. That sounded good to me. Perhaps we could start reducing the number of American forces, I suggested. But upon further questioning, General Petraeus conceded that less than one-fourth of the 147,000 were actually "combat capable." Why didn't he say that to begin with? I asked--respectfully--our military and diplomatic officials what the gap was between the Iraqis we have trained and the number we needed to train in order to draw down the number of US troops. I could not get a straight answer.
During the morning of our visit, US military officials crowed about a recent operation in which Iraqi security forces had killed eighty-five insurgents. By the afternoon, when more reports came in, it was unclear how many insurgents had actually been killed and whether the Iraqi security forces had exaggerated their own actions.
I asked both General Petraeus and our embassy about US plans to build military bases in Iraq, which in my view would indicate a prolonged US presence. I was told--emphatically--that there are no plans to construct military bases. Yet Congress recently passed a huge supplemental wartime appropriations bill that includes, at the request of the Bush Administration, $500 million for military base construction. In Iraq.
Shortly before we traveled to Iraq we visited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who lamented the mistakes the United States has made post-invasion, including the total dissolution of all the Iraqi security forces. He said, "The army you disbanded is now the army you're fighting." But I couldn't get a single US official to acknowledge any mistakes. The standard line remains, "We're moving in the right direction."
It's hard to believe that after a two-year occupation the average Iraqi isn't getting tired of the overwhelming US presence. We met with several Iraqi women leaders, including members of the National Assembly, who told us that there was more electricity available in Iraq before the invasion than afterward. It's also certain that the insurgency uses our presence as an organizing tool to recruit members and weapons. While we can all be encouraged by the turnout in the recent Iraqi elections, it is impossible for the Iraqi people to truly determine their own fate in a climate where there is no security.
And while US officials point to a declining number of coalition casualties, there is still an unacceptably high level of violence in Iraq. One military leader told us they can tell that things are changing for the better because when US helicopters fly over certain areas of Iraq, Iraqis wave. Well, I took a helicopter ride (it's too dangerous to drive) from the Baghdad airport to the Green Zone wearing an armored vest and sandwiched between two heavily armed American soldiers who were pointing their guns down at the ground. I suggested to the military leader that perhaps he was confusing a wave with a plea not to shoot.
Our young men and women in uniform are performing their difficult duties extraordinarily well. Indeed, the only honest and direct responses I got from any American in Iraq were from the soldiers. They told me they had been instructed by their superiors not to share any complaints with visitors.
What worries me almost as much as our misguided policy in Iraq is that so many of my colleagues and so many citizens have become resigned to the fact that the war will go on. Congress is not being inundated with letters and phone calls and faxes and e-mails and street protests demanding an end to our presence in Iraq. President Bush's re-election seems to have taken much of the energy out of the antiwar movement. My recent visit to Iraq only strengthened my belief that this war is wrong. And only renewed, passionate dissent by the American people can end it.
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20050502&s=mcgovern
--Why can't we just get one honest day?--
posted by Christy at 11:00 PM
0 comments
Game Over, The Jig Is Up. Fat Lady Singing.
150 hostages and 19 deaths leave US claims of Iraqi 'peace' in tatters
By Patrick Cockburn in Mosul
17 April 2005
Iraqi and United States-led forces were last night preparing to launch a rescue mission for up to 150 Shia hostages held by Sunni insurgents.
The threat by Sunni militants in the town of Madaen, south of Baghdad, to execute the hostages unless Shias leave the area, intensified the growing sectarian fears.
The upsurge in violence across Iraq in the past four days has left claims made by the Pentagon that the tide is turning in Iraq and there are hopeful signs of a return to normality in tatters.
At least 17 Iraqis were killed during the day and two US soldiers were reported dead after a series of attacks.
Ironically, one reason why Washington can persuade the outside world that its venture in Iraq is finally coming right is that it is too dangerous for reporters to travel outside Baghdad or stray far from their hotels in the capital. The threat to all foreigners was underlined last week when an American contractor was snatched by kidnappers.
When I was travelling in the northern city of Mosul this week, my guards Kurdish members of the Iraqi National Guard said it was too dangerous for them to travel with me in uniform in official vehicles. They donned Arab gowns, hid their weapons and drove through the city in a civilian car.
Most violent incidents in Iraq go unreported. We saw one suicide bomb explosion, clouds of smoke and dust erupting into the air, and heard another in the space of an hour. Neither was mentioned in official reports. Last year US soldiers told the IoS that they do not tell their superiors about attacks on them unless they suffer casualties. This avoids bureaucratic hassle and "our generals want to hear about the number of attacks going down not up". This makes the official Pentagon claim that the number of insurgent attacks is down from 140 a day in January to 40 a day this month dubious.
US casualties have fallen to about one dead a day in March compared with four a day in January and five a day in November. But this is the result of a switch in American strategy rather than a sign of a collapse in the insurgency. US military spokesmen make plain that America's military priority has changed from offensive operations to training Iraqi troops and police. More than 2,000 US military advisers are working with Iraqi forces.
With US networks largely confined to their hotels in Baghdad by fear of kidnapping, it is possible to sell the American public the idea that no news is good news. General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, said recently that if all goes well "we shall make fairly substantial reductions in the size of our forces". Other senior US officers say this will be of the order of four brigades, from 17 to 13, or a fall in the number of US troops in Iraq from 142,000 to 105,000 by next year.
The real change leading to the US troop reduction is probably more in the US than in Iraq. The White House finds its military commitment in Iraq politically damaging at home. The easiest way to bring the troops home is, as in Vietnam, to declare a victory and full confidence in US-trained Iraqi forces to win the war. These soldiers and police supposedly number 152,000, but it is not clear who is being counted.
The figure may include the 14,000 blue-uniformed Iraqi police in Nineveh province, the capital of which is Mosul, with a population of 2.7 million. But Khasro Goran, the deputy governor and Kurdistan Democratic Party leader in Mosul, told the IoS that the police had helped insurgents assassinate the previous governor.
Mr Goran said that when guerrillas captured almost all of Mosul on 11 November last year, the police had collaborated, abandoning 30 police stations without a fight. "They didn't fire on terrorists because they were terrorists themselves," he said. Some $40m-worth of arms and equipment was captured by the insurgents. It is a measure of how far the reality of the war in Iraq now differs from the rosy picture presented by the media that the fall of Mosul to the insurgents went almost unreported abroad because most journalists were covering the assault by the US marines on Fallujah.
Despite the elections on 30 January, the US problem in Iraq remains unchanged. It has not been defeated by the Sunni Arab guerrillas but it has not defeated them either. The US army and Iraqi armed forces control islands of territory while much of Iraq is a dangerous no-man's land.
After overthrowing Saddam Hussein in 2003 the US tried direct rule, dissolving the Iraqi army and state. This provoked the Sunni rebellion. By early 2004 there was a danger that part of the Shia community would also rise up. Elections were promised. The victors at the polls in January were Shia parties, mostly militantly Islamic and often sympathetic to Iran. Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, visited Baghdad this week to stop Shia radicals taking over the Interior and Defence Ministries.
Iraq is now more sectarian. Sunnis boycotted the elections. The Kurds and Shias triumphed. The interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, despite heavy US support, got only 14 per cent. If the Shia hostages taken on Friday are executed or Shias are forced to flee, then we are closer to a sectarian civil war.
The Sunni insurgency is not going to go away. US generals say there are only 12,000 to 20,000 guerrillas. But the real lesson of the past two years is that, though many of the groups in the resistance are fanatical or semi-criminal, they will still be sheltered by the Sunni community.
If the new Iraqi government succeeds in establishing itself it will be a largely Shia state with no more interest than the Sunnis in retaining a US presence. Iraqis say they sense that the US wants Iraq to be a weak state, and this they are bound to oppose.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=630159
---Civil war...Wonderful...Can you say 'regional conflict'...?..Can you IMAGINE it...? Don't you see it coming?---
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. Bring Them Home.
By Patrick Cockburn in Mosul
17 April 2005
Iraqi and United States-led forces were last night preparing to launch a rescue mission for up to 150 Shia hostages held by Sunni insurgents.
The threat by Sunni militants in the town of Madaen, south of Baghdad, to execute the hostages unless Shias leave the area, intensified the growing sectarian fears.
The upsurge in violence across Iraq in the past four days has left claims made by the Pentagon that the tide is turning in Iraq and there are hopeful signs of a return to normality in tatters.
At least 17 Iraqis were killed during the day and two US soldiers were reported dead after a series of attacks.
Ironically, one reason why Washington can persuade the outside world that its venture in Iraq is finally coming right is that it is too dangerous for reporters to travel outside Baghdad or stray far from their hotels in the capital. The threat to all foreigners was underlined last week when an American contractor was snatched by kidnappers.
When I was travelling in the northern city of Mosul this week, my guards Kurdish members of the Iraqi National Guard said it was too dangerous for them to travel with me in uniform in official vehicles. They donned Arab gowns, hid their weapons and drove through the city in a civilian car.
Most violent incidents in Iraq go unreported. We saw one suicide bomb explosion, clouds of smoke and dust erupting into the air, and heard another in the space of an hour. Neither was mentioned in official reports. Last year US soldiers told the IoS that they do not tell their superiors about attacks on them unless they suffer casualties. This avoids bureaucratic hassle and "our generals want to hear about the number of attacks going down not up". This makes the official Pentagon claim that the number of insurgent attacks is down from 140 a day in January to 40 a day this month dubious.
US casualties have fallen to about one dead a day in March compared with four a day in January and five a day in November. But this is the result of a switch in American strategy rather than a sign of a collapse in the insurgency. US military spokesmen make plain that America's military priority has changed from offensive operations to training Iraqi troops and police. More than 2,000 US military advisers are working with Iraqi forces.
With US networks largely confined to their hotels in Baghdad by fear of kidnapping, it is possible to sell the American public the idea that no news is good news. General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, said recently that if all goes well "we shall make fairly substantial reductions in the size of our forces". Other senior US officers say this will be of the order of four brigades, from 17 to 13, or a fall in the number of US troops in Iraq from 142,000 to 105,000 by next year.
The real change leading to the US troop reduction is probably more in the US than in Iraq. The White House finds its military commitment in Iraq politically damaging at home. The easiest way to bring the troops home is, as in Vietnam, to declare a victory and full confidence in US-trained Iraqi forces to win the war. These soldiers and police supposedly number 152,000, but it is not clear who is being counted.
The figure may include the 14,000 blue-uniformed Iraqi police in Nineveh province, the capital of which is Mosul, with a population of 2.7 million. But Khasro Goran, the deputy governor and Kurdistan Democratic Party leader in Mosul, told the IoS that the police had helped insurgents assassinate the previous governor.
Mr Goran said that when guerrillas captured almost all of Mosul on 11 November last year, the police had collaborated, abandoning 30 police stations without a fight. "They didn't fire on terrorists because they were terrorists themselves," he said. Some $40m-worth of arms and equipment was captured by the insurgents. It is a measure of how far the reality of the war in Iraq now differs from the rosy picture presented by the media that the fall of Mosul to the insurgents went almost unreported abroad because most journalists were covering the assault by the US marines on Fallujah.
Despite the elections on 30 January, the US problem in Iraq remains unchanged. It has not been defeated by the Sunni Arab guerrillas but it has not defeated them either. The US army and Iraqi armed forces control islands of territory while much of Iraq is a dangerous no-man's land.
After overthrowing Saddam Hussein in 2003 the US tried direct rule, dissolving the Iraqi army and state. This provoked the Sunni rebellion. By early 2004 there was a danger that part of the Shia community would also rise up. Elections were promised. The victors at the polls in January were Shia parties, mostly militantly Islamic and often sympathetic to Iran. Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, visited Baghdad this week to stop Shia radicals taking over the Interior and Defence Ministries.
Iraq is now more sectarian. Sunnis boycotted the elections. The Kurds and Shias triumphed. The interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, despite heavy US support, got only 14 per cent. If the Shia hostages taken on Friday are executed or Shias are forced to flee, then we are closer to a sectarian civil war.
The Sunni insurgency is not going to go away. US generals say there are only 12,000 to 20,000 guerrillas. But the real lesson of the past two years is that, though many of the groups in the resistance are fanatical or semi-criminal, they will still be sheltered by the Sunni community.
If the new Iraqi government succeeds in establishing itself it will be a largely Shia state with no more interest than the Sunnis in retaining a US presence. Iraqis say they sense that the US wants Iraq to be a weak state, and this they are bound to oppose.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=630159
---Civil war...Wonderful...Can you say 'regional conflict'...?..Can you IMAGINE it...? Don't you see it coming?---
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. Bring Them Home.
posted by Christy at 10:21 PM
0 comments
OH WHAT GAMES THEY PLAY
NOW SOMETHING DEFINITELY DOES NOT LOOK RIGHT HERE
I SMELL A HUGE RAT
Iraq wheat contract in doubt
April 16, 2005
From: AAP
DOUBTS are growing over one of Australia's most important wheat markets, with a key Iraqi official claiming it would shun Australia for future contracts.
Khalil Assi, director general of the Iraqi Gain Board, said his country had suspended talks with Australia over a 500,000 tonne contract that would be worth more than $500 million.
He also claimed Australia's monopoly wheat exporter, AWB Ltd, would pay back part of a one million tonne contract that Mr Assi had been contaminated by iron.
But the claims of contaminated wheat were completely rejected by AWB as it said it would seek talks with Iraqi officials to overcome what the company believes is wholescale confusion.
Two ships are set to dock at the port of Umm Qasr within 48 hours, completing the million tonne contract
.But Mr Assi, who earlier in the week said that contract had been put on hold, said tests had shown that at least part of it was contaminated by iron.
He said that contamination meant Australia's involvement with a possible 500,000 tonne contract was now in doubt
."The Australian team have discovered the iron dust. For that, the Australians will pay the $US12 ($15.6) per ton for removing the contamination from the wheat," he said.
But an AWB spokesman said tests on the wheat, conducted in Australia in recent days, had shown it was completely clear of any problems.
"We reject any allegation of contamination," he said
."The wheat was free of contaminants and of a very high quality when it left Australia."
The wheat was also tested by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service before it was sent to Iraq.
Those tests found the wheat clear of any problems.
The AWB spokesman said there appeared to be different messages coming from Mr Assi and out of Iraq on the status of the company's various contracts.
"There seems to be some confusion coming out of Iraq because we believed there would be no new contracts until the new government was in place," he said.
The new government is not expected to take office formally for at least three weeks.
The Iraqi market is a major one, with Australia facing intense competition from the United States.
President of the US Wheat Associates organisation, Alan Tracy, today attacked former AWB chairman Trevor Flugge who this week suggested misinformation about Australia's wheat exports might be coming from America.
Mr Tracy said Mr Flugge was making incendiary and over the top comments.
"We are out to win Iraqi wheat business by providing a good product, reliable export performance and an open exchange of information," he said.
"US Wheat Associates has no knowledge of any problems with Australian wheat and we have said nothing to disparage their product.
"The controversy follows claims by Pakistan last year that a shipment of wheat was contaminated by karnal bunt.
AWB proved the wheat was free of the disease, and since then has exported 600,000 tonnes to Pakistan.
Now I definitely smell something very FISHY HERE
AND I DEFINITELY DONT FRIKIN LIKE IT AT ALL
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12875613-29277,00.html
NOW SOMETHING DEFINITELY DOES NOT LOOK RIGHT HERE
I SMELL A HUGE RAT
Iraq wheat contract in doubt
April 16, 2005
From: AAP
DOUBTS are growing over one of Australia's most important wheat markets, with a key Iraqi official claiming it would shun Australia for future contracts.
Khalil Assi, director general of the Iraqi Gain Board, said his country had suspended talks with Australia over a 500,000 tonne contract that would be worth more than $500 million.
He also claimed Australia's monopoly wheat exporter, AWB Ltd, would pay back part of a one million tonne contract that Mr Assi had been contaminated by iron.
But the claims of contaminated wheat were completely rejected by AWB as it said it would seek talks with Iraqi officials to overcome what the company believes is wholescale confusion.
Two ships are set to dock at the port of Umm Qasr within 48 hours, completing the million tonne contract
.But Mr Assi, who earlier in the week said that contract had been put on hold, said tests had shown that at least part of it was contaminated by iron.
He said that contamination meant Australia's involvement with a possible 500,000 tonne contract was now in doubt
."The Australian team have discovered the iron dust. For that, the Australians will pay the $US12 ($15.6) per ton for removing the contamination from the wheat," he said.
But an AWB spokesman said tests on the wheat, conducted in Australia in recent days, had shown it was completely clear of any problems.
"We reject any allegation of contamination," he said
."The wheat was free of contaminants and of a very high quality when it left Australia."
The wheat was also tested by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service before it was sent to Iraq.
Those tests found the wheat clear of any problems.
The AWB spokesman said there appeared to be different messages coming from Mr Assi and out of Iraq on the status of the company's various contracts.
"There seems to be some confusion coming out of Iraq because we believed there would be no new contracts until the new government was in place," he said.
The new government is not expected to take office formally for at least three weeks.
The Iraqi market is a major one, with Australia facing intense competition from the United States.
President of the US Wheat Associates organisation, Alan Tracy, today attacked former AWB chairman Trevor Flugge who this week suggested misinformation about Australia's wheat exports might be coming from America.
Mr Tracy said Mr Flugge was making incendiary and over the top comments.
"We are out to win Iraqi wheat business by providing a good product, reliable export performance and an open exchange of information," he said.
"US Wheat Associates has no knowledge of any problems with Australian wheat and we have said nothing to disparage their product.
"The controversy follows claims by Pakistan last year that a shipment of wheat was contaminated by karnal bunt.
AWB proved the wheat was free of the disease, and since then has exported 600,000 tonnes to Pakistan.
Now I definitely smell something very FISHY HERE
AND I DEFINITELY DONT FRIKIN LIKE IT AT ALL
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12875613-29277,00.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 9:20 PM
0 comments
Wheat contamination claims rejected
April 16, 2005
AUSTRALIA'S wheat exporter today rejected suggestions it had sent contaminated wheat to Iraq amid claims talks over a major contract had been suspended.AWB Ltd said wheat it had sent to Iraq as part of a one million tonne contract was high quality and unblemished, with tests this week confirming it free of iron.
It follows claims by the director-general of the Iraqi Grain Board, Khalil Assi, who this week said AWB had agreed some of the wheat had been contaminated with iron during transit.
Mr Assi, on a tour through the United States, has now claimed Iraq had suspended talks with Australia for a 500,000 tonne contract because of concerns over future contamination.
Earlier this week Mr Assi said the one million contract had been stopped.
Two ships are due to dock at the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr in the next 48 hours with the remaining part of the one million contract which has already been paid for.
A spokesman for AWB said there appeared to be different messages coming from Mr Assi and out of Iraq on the status of the company's various contracts.
"There seems to be some confusion coming out of Iraq because we believed there would be no new contracts until the new government was in place," he said.
The new government is not expected to take office formally for at least three weeks.
The spokesman said tests on the wheat, conducted in Australia in recent days, had shown it was completely clear of any problems.
"We reject any allegation of contamination," he said.
"The wheat was free of contaminants and of a very high quality when it left Australia."
The wheat was tested by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service before it was sent to Iraq. Those tests found the wheat clear of any problems.
The spokesman said the company was keen to hold further talks with the Iraq trade
department and the grain board to clarify several issues raised by Mr Assi in recent days.
"We will discuss this issue with the customer to find a solution," he said.
Hhhhmmmmm
Now I wonder what kind of wheelin and dealing is going on here,
I will have to keep this covered, I will definitely have to keep my eye on this
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12874014-29277,00.html
April 16, 2005
AUSTRALIA'S wheat exporter today rejected suggestions it had sent contaminated wheat to Iraq amid claims talks over a major contract had been suspended.AWB Ltd said wheat it had sent to Iraq as part of a one million tonne contract was high quality and unblemished, with tests this week confirming it free of iron.
It follows claims by the director-general of the Iraqi Grain Board, Khalil Assi, who this week said AWB had agreed some of the wheat had been contaminated with iron during transit.
Mr Assi, on a tour through the United States, has now claimed Iraq had suspended talks with Australia for a 500,000 tonne contract because of concerns over future contamination.
Earlier this week Mr Assi said the one million contract had been stopped.
Two ships are due to dock at the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr in the next 48 hours with the remaining part of the one million contract which has already been paid for.
A spokesman for AWB said there appeared to be different messages coming from Mr Assi and out of Iraq on the status of the company's various contracts.
"There seems to be some confusion coming out of Iraq because we believed there would be no new contracts until the new government was in place," he said.
The new government is not expected to take office formally for at least three weeks.
The spokesman said tests on the wheat, conducted in Australia in recent days, had shown it was completely clear of any problems.
"We reject any allegation of contamination," he said.
"The wheat was free of contaminants and of a very high quality when it left Australia."
The wheat was tested by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service before it was sent to Iraq. Those tests found the wheat clear of any problems.
The spokesman said the company was keen to hold further talks with the Iraq trade
department and the grain board to clarify several issues raised by Mr Assi in recent days.
"We will discuss this issue with the customer to find a solution," he said.
Hhhhmmmmm
Now I wonder what kind of wheelin and dealing is going on here,
I will have to keep this covered, I will definitely have to keep my eye on this
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12874014-29277,00.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 8:19 PM
1 comments
Hostage grab jolts Iraq
By Mariam KarounyBaghdad
April 17, 2005
Sunni guerillas took at least 60 people hostage in a town near Baghdad on Friday and threatened to kill them unless Shiites left the area, a Shiite official quoted residents as saying.
That incident, and bombings three days in a row that killed at least 34 people, suggest insurgents have regrouped after a lull since Iraq's January 30 national poll.
The official said: "People from the town called me begging the Iraqi Government to save their relatives who are hostages. They told me there are at least 60 hostages."
Insurgents with heavy weapons appeared to have taken control of the mixed Sunni and Shiite town of Madaen, just south of Baghdad, and no police or government forces were in sight, said the official.
"The residents told me the insurgents were wandering the streets in cars and warning people on loudspeakers that if Shiites wanted the hostages to be safe they must leave town," he said.
Guerillas have taken control of cities before, but seizing many hostages in a town so close to the capital will put pressure on Iraq's new leaders to provide the improved security voters have expected since the election.
With politicians continuing to manoeuvre around sectarian minefields, it has not been possible to form a full government
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Iraq/Hostage-grab-jolts-Iraq/2005/04/16/1113509965871.html
By Mariam KarounyBaghdad
April 17, 2005
Sunni guerillas took at least 60 people hostage in a town near Baghdad on Friday and threatened to kill them unless Shiites left the area, a Shiite official quoted residents as saying.
That incident, and bombings three days in a row that killed at least 34 people, suggest insurgents have regrouped after a lull since Iraq's January 30 national poll.
The official said: "People from the town called me begging the Iraqi Government to save their relatives who are hostages. They told me there are at least 60 hostages."
Insurgents with heavy weapons appeared to have taken control of the mixed Sunni and Shiite town of Madaen, just south of Baghdad, and no police or government forces were in sight, said the official.
"The residents told me the insurgents were wandering the streets in cars and warning people on loudspeakers that if Shiites wanted the hostages to be safe they must leave town," he said.
Guerillas have taken control of cities before, but seizing many hostages in a town so close to the capital will put pressure on Iraq's new leaders to provide the improved security voters have expected since the election.
With politicians continuing to manoeuvre around sectarian minefields, it has not been possible to form a full government
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Iraq/Hostage-grab-jolts-Iraq/2005/04/16/1113509965871.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 8:02 PM
0 comments
Australian troops to leave for Iraq
[9:39am] A new deployment of Australian troops leaves for Iraq this week, with the navy's heavy lift ship HMAS Tobruk set to leave Darwin carrying armoured vehicles. more
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Australian-troops-to-leave-for-Iraq/2005/04/17/1113676635625.html
[9:39am] A new deployment of Australian troops leaves for Iraq this week, with the navy's heavy lift ship HMAS Tobruk set to leave Darwin carrying armoured vehicles. more
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Australian-troops-to-leave-for-Iraq/2005/04/17/1113676635625.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 7:57 PM
0 comments
In case you missed it:
Secrets And Lies:
Former Australian Intelligence Officer Goes Public
http://abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20050218/default_2.htm
Secrets And Lies:
Former Australian Intelligence Officer Goes Public
http://abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20050218/default_2.htm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 7:53 PM
0 comments
When do you begins to realise, you are all the Bush Administrations puppets
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 6:57 PM
0 comments
Iraqi refugees in mortal fear at home
Can't get entry into United States
By Gaiutra BahadurKnight Ridder Newspapers
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Alyaa said she was the first woman in her neighborhood to sign up to work with the U.S. government after Saddam Hussein fell.
She used to stand shoulder to shoulder with an American soldier in front of the U.S. military's Camp Scania in the Rashid section of Baghdad. As a translator, Alyaa, 24, talked to Iraqis who lined up at the entrance seeking compensation for dead relatives and destroyed homes.
Now, because of that work, her life is in danger and in limbo.
Alyaa, who asked that her last name be withheld out of fear for her safety, fled to Jordan with her cousin Shaimaa after insurgents killed an uncle and kidnapped Shaimaa and another cousin.
Alyaa hoped to find a haven in the United States but discovered the State Department isn't resettling refugees from Iraq. She's lost her faith in the country she once loved.
"We gave them our friendship," Alyaa said during a recent interview at an Amman restaurant, wearing jeans and smoking cigarettes. "We gave them our hard work. And they don't even help us to have a new life."
Is it so hard, she asked, "for America to give a visa to Iraqis to have a new life that they took from them?"
Refugee aid workers and U.S. and U.N. officials said the United States had turned away Iraqi refugees because it was trying instead to create a democratic society from which no one had to flee, and was sacrificing plenty of American lives in the process. To succeed, it needs the talents of the very people who want to leave.
"The whole purpose of being here is to create an environment of stability and security so that's not an issue," said Joanne Cummings, refugee coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Cummings said the embassy valued people who'd put themselves at risk and it kept a close watch on them.
More than 700,000 Iraqi refugees live in Jordan and Syria; 15,000 of them arrived in Amman after the American invasion two years ago, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
They include religious minorities, doctors and other professionals who fear being kidnapped for ransom, and a growing number of Iraqis who were threatened because of their work with the U.S. government and its contractors.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11385699.htm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 6:49 PM
0 comments
Military Recruiting Slips Among Foreigners
Thursday April 14, 2005 3:38pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The number of foreign nationals enlisting in the U.S. military is dropping, even though service now provides a fast track to American citizenship, an Associated Press review of military data shows.
The decrease in non-citizen enlistees, who hail from countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria and Germany, has hit all branches of the armed services, which already are struggling with recruitment as the U.S. presence in Iraq enters year three.
While U.S. citizen enlistments also have fallen, the drop is more pronounced among non-citizens - legal immigrants the military has long let serve as everything from cooks to front line soldiers, though not generally as officers.![]()
Although the Pentagon has placed a heavy emphasis on recruiting, officials say they're not concerned about the enlistment dip among non-citizens.
The decline surprises immigration and military experts, who expected that green-card holders who might otherwise wait years to become Americans would jump at the citizenship offer President Bush (website - news - bio) extended nearly three years ago.
Instead, the annual number of non-citizen enlistees has fallen nearly 20 percent from fiscal year 2001 - the last full year before the changes - to fiscal year 2004, according to military data. Much of the decline, from 11,829 to 9,477 recruits, came last year alone.By comparison, annual enlistments among citizens dropped 12 percent, from 264,832 to 232,957 recruits.
Although non-citizens represent a fraction of active-duty personnel, every recruit matters as casualties mount and more reserves are being called up than at any time since the Korean War.
One recent study for the Defense Department (website) , using statistics through 2002, found that non-citizens who enlist were less likely than citizens to leave within the first three years; nearly 20 percent of them left in that period, compared with 32 percent of citizens.
Some 142 non-citizen troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Non-citizens' casualty rates represent 8 percent of the total despite being less than 3 percent of active duty military personnel.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0405/220873.html
Thursday April 14, 2005 3:38pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The number of foreign nationals enlisting in the U.S. military is dropping, even though service now provides a fast track to American citizenship, an Associated Press review of military data shows.
The decrease in non-citizen enlistees, who hail from countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria and Germany, has hit all branches of the armed services, which already are struggling with recruitment as the U.S. presence in Iraq enters year three.
While U.S. citizen enlistments also have fallen, the drop is more pronounced among non-citizens - legal immigrants the military has long let serve as everything from cooks to front line soldiers, though not generally as officers.
Although the Pentagon has placed a heavy emphasis on recruiting, officials say they're not concerned about the enlistment dip among non-citizens.
The decline surprises immigration and military experts, who expected that green-card holders who might otherwise wait years to become Americans would jump at the citizenship offer President Bush (website - news - bio) extended nearly three years ago.
Instead, the annual number of non-citizen enlistees has fallen nearly 20 percent from fiscal year 2001 - the last full year before the changes - to fiscal year 2004, according to military data. Much of the decline, from 11,829 to 9,477 recruits, came last year alone.By comparison, annual enlistments among citizens dropped 12 percent, from 264,832 to 232,957 recruits.
Although non-citizens represent a fraction of active-duty personnel, every recruit matters as casualties mount and more reserves are being called up than at any time since the Korean War.
One recent study for the Defense Department (website) , using statistics through 2002, found that non-citizens who enlist were less likely than citizens to leave within the first three years; nearly 20 percent of them left in that period, compared with 32 percent of citizens.
Some 142 non-citizen troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Non-citizens' casualty rates represent 8 percent of the total despite being less than 3 percent of active duty military personnel.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0405/220873.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 6:32 PM
0 comments
Exclusive - Iraqi Resistance Video, Transcript and Documents
Further Evidence Regarding the Killing of ( CIA Director - Iraq )Dale Stoffel
The following video and information is purported to be from the Iraqi Resistance.
Click here to view. Windows Media.
hwww.informationclearinghouse.info/article8545.htmttp://
http://snipurl.com/e1gw
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Exclusive - Iraqi Resistance Video, Transcript and Documents
How The CIA Looted $40 Billion Of Military Equipment From Iraq
The following video and information is purported to be from the Iraqi Resistance
Click here to view Windows Media.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8546.htm
http://snipurl.com/e1gx
Further Evidence Regarding the Killing of ( CIA Director - Iraq )Dale Stoffel
The following video and information is purported to be from the Iraqi Resistance.
Click here to view. Windows Media.
hwww.informationclearinghouse.info/article8545.htmttp://
http://snipurl.com/e1gw
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Exclusive - Iraqi Resistance Video, Transcript and Documents
How The CIA Looted $40 Billion Of Military Equipment From Iraq
The following video and information is purported to be from the Iraqi Resistance
Click here to view Windows Media.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8546.htm
http://snipurl.com/e1gx
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:59 PM
0 comments
Wash. Times spurious claim:
ACLU made campaign contributions to Democrats
The Washington Times falsely claimed that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) made nearly $60,000 in campaign contributions to Democratic candidates in 2004. In fact, federal election law prohibits the ACLU from contributing to political campaigns. The Times apparently tallied contributions made by employees of the ACLU, not the organization itself.
In an April 13 article by assistant national editor Julia Duin titled "Religion under a secular assault," the Times wrote:
With $48 million in annual revenue, the ACLU, now with 400,000 members in 50 state affiliates, counts $125 million in net assets. It gave $57,830 to Democratic candidates last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The largest contribution ($18,730) went to John Kerry. No ACLU money went to Republicans.
But the ACLU made no contributions to any political candidates in the 2004 election cycle, according to the website of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), which compiles disclosure data filed with the Federal Election Commission. Such contributions would violate federal law: The ACLU consists of two non-profit corporate entities, and according to federal election campaign law (2 U.S.C. Sec. 441b), it is "unlawful" for any corporation to contribute to political campaigns.
The numbers published by the Times, however, closely resemble the total contributions that ACLU employees made to Democrats, according to CRP. While the Times claimed that the ACLU contributed $57,830 to Democrats, including $18,730 to Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), CRP documents that ACLU employees contributed a total of $64,980 to Democrats (see here and here) in the 2004 election cycle, including $19,180 to Kerry (see here and here).
http://mediamatters.org/items/200504150004
ACLU made campaign contributions to Democrats
The Washington Times falsely claimed that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) made nearly $60,000 in campaign contributions to Democratic candidates in 2004. In fact, federal election law prohibits the ACLU from contributing to political campaigns. The Times apparently tallied contributions made by employees of the ACLU, not the organization itself.
In an April 13 article by assistant national editor Julia Duin titled "Religion under a secular assault," the Times wrote:
With $48 million in annual revenue, the ACLU, now with 400,000 members in 50 state affiliates, counts $125 million in net assets. It gave $57,830 to Democratic candidates last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The largest contribution ($18,730) went to John Kerry. No ACLU money went to Republicans.
But the ACLU made no contributions to any political candidates in the 2004 election cycle, according to the website of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), which compiles disclosure data filed with the Federal Election Commission. Such contributions would violate federal law: The ACLU consists of two non-profit corporate entities, and according to federal election campaign law (2 U.S.C. Sec. 441b), it is "unlawful" for any corporation to contribute to political campaigns.
The numbers published by the Times, however, closely resemble the total contributions that ACLU employees made to Democrats, according to CRP. While the Times claimed that the ACLU contributed $57,830 to Democrats, including $18,730 to Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), CRP documents that ACLU employees contributed a total of $64,980 to Democrats (see here and here) in the 2004 election cycle, including $19,180 to Kerry (see here and here).
http://mediamatters.org/items/200504150004
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:54 PM
0 comments
The ugly truth about the CATO Institue: this "think tank" is funded and controlled by the same big businessman who are now running our government. So why does the mainstream media present CATO spokesmen as if they're independent experts? Mike talks with Elliot Mincberg, Vice President and Legal Director of People for the American Way.
http://www.airamericaradio.com/shows/ringoffire/
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/
http://www.airamericaradio.com/shows/ringoffire/
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:42 PM
0 comments
China's economic boom has done more than fill Walmarts with made-in-China goods. Chinese ownership of U.S. debt may also cause American housing valuse to plummet and send our gasonline prices even higher. Bobby talks with Jim Willie, a currency and energy analyst on Golden Jackass.com
Go to this guys web site for an analysis Golden Jackass.com Christy incredible all about Euro dollar for oil and Wallmart
http://www.airamericaradio.com/shows/ringoffire/
http://www.financialsense.com/Market/willie/bio.html
Go to this guys web site for an analysis Golden Jackass.com Christy incredible all about Euro dollar for oil and Wallmart
http://www.airamericaradio.com/shows/ringoffire/
http://www.financialsense.com/Market/willie/bio.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:32 PM
0 comments
THE TWO FACES OF COCA-COLA
Isidro Segundo Gil, an employee at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Colombia, was killed at his workplace by paramilitary thugs. His children, now living in hiding with relatives, understand all too well why their homeland is known as "a country where union work is like carrying a tombstone on your back. Learn More
Douglas Daft, former Chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., raked in more than $105 million in compensation for 2001. He owns 3.5 million Coke shares and 9,413 shares of SunTrust, where he sits on the Board of Directors. Learn More
Read "The SunTrust/Coca-Cola $ix-Pack: Getting Away with Murder"
Read "The SunTrust/Coca-Cola $ix-Pack: Getting Away with Murder" — En Español
Dear Coca-Cola Board Members,
I am shocked to learn of your indifference to the safety of workers who bottle your products. There are undisputed reports that Coca-Cola bottling plant managers in Colombia, South America, allowed and encouraged paramilitary death squads to murder, torture and kidnap SINALTRAINAL leaders and members in an effort to crush their union.Download PetitionDownload Petition (ESP)
Download Petition (FRA)
Download Petition (ITA)
Download Petition (GER)
http://www.killercoke.org/
Isidro Segundo Gil, an employee at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Colombia, was killed at his workplace by paramilitary thugs. His children, now living in hiding with relatives, understand all too well why their homeland is known as "a country where union work is like carrying a tombstone on your back. Learn More
Douglas Daft, former Chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., raked in more than $105 million in compensation for 2001. He owns 3.5 million Coke shares and 9,413 shares of SunTrust, where he sits on the Board of Directors. Learn More
Read "The SunTrust/Coca-Cola $ix-Pack: Getting Away with Murder"
Read "The SunTrust/Coca-Cola $ix-Pack: Getting Away with Murder" — En Español
Dear Coca-Cola Board Members,
I am shocked to learn of your indifference to the safety of workers who bottle your products. There are undisputed reports that Coca-Cola bottling plant managers in Colombia, South America, allowed and encouraged paramilitary death squads to murder, torture and kidnap SINALTRAINAL leaders and members in an effort to crush their union.Download PetitionDownload Petition (ESP)
Download Petition (FRA)
Download Petition (ITA)
Download Petition (GER)
http://www.killercoke.org/
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:16 PM
0 comments
Hannity is a lying punk.
Fox News host: Repeat after me
If the conservative guests on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" sound especially on-message, that's because they're being coached by the best:
Sean Hannity himself.
On the March 31 installment of the shouting-head show, the guests included two of the late Terri Schiavo's former nurses, Trudy Capone and Carla Sauer Iyer, arguing that their patient wasn't brain-dead.
Between commercials, according to an off-air audiotape obtained by investigative comedian Harry Shearer for last Sunday's episode of his weekly radio program, "Le Show," Hannity coached the women on exactly how to respond when liberal co-host Alan Colmes cross-examined them.
"Just say, 'I'm here to tell what I saw,'" Hannity can be heard instructing his guests. "No matter what the question, 'I'm here to tell you what I saw. I'm here to tell you what I saw.'"
Hannity adds helpfully: "Say, 'I'm not going to be distracted by silliness.' How's that? Does that help you? Look into that camera. Look at me when I'm talking."
On the air, Iyer performs beautifully. "I don't have any opinions or judgments. I was there," she declares
After the segment ends, Hannity gushes off the air to the nurses: "We got the points out. It's hard, this isn't easy. But you did great, both of you. Thank you, guys. Those nurses are powerful, aren't they?"
On his radio show, Shearer injected: "Yeah, especially when they do what you tell 'em to do. Very powerful when they follow instructions from the host!"
A Fox News flack didn't respond to Lowdown's detailed message yesterday.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/300125p-256914c.html
If the conservative guests on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" sound especially on-message, that's because they're being coached by the best:
Sean Hannity himself.
On the March 31 installment of the shouting-head show, the guests included two of the late Terri Schiavo's former nurses, Trudy Capone and Carla Sauer Iyer, arguing that their patient wasn't brain-dead.
Between commercials, according to an off-air audiotape obtained by investigative comedian Harry Shearer for last Sunday's episode of his weekly radio program, "Le Show," Hannity coached the women on exactly how to respond when liberal co-host Alan Colmes cross-examined them.
"Just say, 'I'm here to tell what I saw,'" Hannity can be heard instructing his guests. "No matter what the question, 'I'm here to tell you what I saw. I'm here to tell you what I saw.'"
Hannity adds helpfully: "Say, 'I'm not going to be distracted by silliness.' How's that? Does that help you? Look into that camera. Look at me when I'm talking."
On the air, Iyer performs beautifully. "I don't have any opinions or judgments. I was there," she declares
After the segment ends, Hannity gushes off the air to the nurses: "We got the points out. It's hard, this isn't easy. But you did great, both of you. Thank you, guys. Those nurses are powerful, aren't they?"
On his radio show, Shearer injected: "Yeah, especially when they do what you tell 'em to do. Very powerful when they follow instructions from the host!"
A Fox News flack didn't respond to Lowdown's detailed message yesterday.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/300125p-256914c.html
posted by Christy at 11:12 AM
4 comments
Ok I am sorry I called you a communist for 6 years of your term...But on the bright side...Your enemies turned me from a life long repellican into the liberal I am...Thank you for getting your dicked sucked and lying about it or I might still be using all those stupid arguments I was taught to use.
posted by Christy at 2:02 AM
4 comments
Thank You Condi You Incompetant Skank.
Bush administration eliminating 19-year-old international terrorism report
By Jonathan S. Landay
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered.
Several U.S. officials defended the abrupt decision, saying the methodology the National Counterterrorism Center used to generate statistics for the report may have been faulty, such as the inclusion of incidents that may not have been terrorism.
Last year, the number of incidents in 2003 was undercounted, forcing a revision of the report, "Patterns of Global Terrorism."
But other current and former officials charged that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's office ordered "Patterns of Global Terrorism" eliminated several weeks ago because the 2004 statistics raised disturbing questions about the Bush's administration's frequent claims of progress in the war against terrorism.
"Instead of dealing with the facts and dealing with them in an intelligent fashion, they try to hide their facts from the American public," charged Larry C. Johnson, a former CIA analyst and State Department terrorism expert who first disclosed the decision to eliminate the report in The Counterterrorism Blog, an online journal.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who was among the leading critics of last year's mix-up, reacted angrily to the decision.
"This is the definitive report on the incidence of terrorism around the world. It should be unthinkable that there would be an effort to withhold it - or any of the key data - from the public. The Bush administration should stop playing politics with this critical report."
A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that the publication was being eliminated, but said the allegation that it was being done for political reasons was "categorically untrue."
According to Johnson and U.S. intelligence officials familiar with the issue, statistics that the National Counterterrorism Center provided to the State Department reported 625 "significant" terrorist attacks in 2004.
That compared with 175 such incidents in 2003, the highest number in two decades.
The statistics didn't include attacks on American troops in Iraq, which President Bush as recently as Tuesday called "a central front in the war on terror."
The intelligence officials requested anonymity because the information is classified and because, they said, they feared White House retribution. Johnson declined to say how he obtained the figures.
Another U.S. official, who also requested anonymity, said analysts from the counterterrorism center were especially careful in amassing and reviewing the data because of the political turmoil created by last year's errors.
Last June, the administration was forced to issue a revised version of the report for 2003 that showed a higher number of significant terrorist attacks and more than twice the number of fatalities than had been presented in the original report two months earlier.
The snafu was embarrassing for the White House, which had used the original version to bolster President Bush's election-campaign claim that the war in Iraq had advanced the fight against terrorism.
U.S. officials blamed last year's mix-up on bureaucratic mistakes involving the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, the forerunner of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Created last year on the recommendation of the independent commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the center is the government's primary organization for analyzing and integrating all U.S. government intelligence on terrorism.
The State Department published "Patterns of Global Terrorism" under a law that requires it to submit to the House of Representatives and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a country-by-country terrorism assessment by April 30 each year.
A declassified version of the report has been made public since 1986 in the form of a glossy booklet, even though there was no legal requirement to produce one.
The senior State Department official said a report on global terrorism would be sent this year to lawmakers and made available to the public in place of "Patterns of Global Terrorism," but that it wouldn't contain statistical data.
He said that decision was taken because the State Department believed that the National Counterterrorism Center "is now the authoritative government agency for the analysis of global terrorism. We believe that the NCTC should compile and publish the relevant data on that subject."
He didn't answer questions about whether the data would be made available to the public, saying, "We will be consulting (with Congress) ... on who should publish and in what form."
Another U.S. official said Rice's office was leery of the methodology the National Counterterrorism Center used to generate the data for 2004, believing that analysts anxious to avoid a repetition of last year's undercount included incidents that may not have been terrorist attacks.
But the U.S. intelligence officials said Rice's office decided to eliminate "Patterns of Global Terrorism" when the counterterrorism center declined to use alternative methodology that would have reported fewer significant attacks.
The officials said they interpreted Rice's action as an attempt to avoid releasing statistics that would contradict the administration's claims that it's winning the war against terrorism.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11407689.htm
---Tangled in your own web Skank...?..Oh Indeed....---
By Jonathan S. Landay
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered.
Several U.S. officials defended the abrupt decision, saying the methodology the National Counterterrorism Center used to generate statistics for the report may have been faulty, such as the inclusion of incidents that may not have been terrorism.
Last year, the number of incidents in 2003 was undercounted, forcing a revision of the report, "Patterns of Global Terrorism."
But other current and former officials charged that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's office ordered "Patterns of Global Terrorism" eliminated several weeks ago because the 2004 statistics raised disturbing questions about the Bush's administration's frequent claims of progress in the war against terrorism.
"Instead of dealing with the facts and dealing with them in an intelligent fashion, they try to hide their facts from the American public," charged Larry C. Johnson, a former CIA analyst and State Department terrorism expert who first disclosed the decision to eliminate the report in The Counterterrorism Blog, an online journal.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who was among the leading critics of last year's mix-up, reacted angrily to the decision.
"This is the definitive report on the incidence of terrorism around the world. It should be unthinkable that there would be an effort to withhold it - or any of the key data - from the public. The Bush administration should stop playing politics with this critical report."
A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that the publication was being eliminated, but said the allegation that it was being done for political reasons was "categorically untrue."
According to Johnson and U.S. intelligence officials familiar with the issue, statistics that the National Counterterrorism Center provided to the State Department reported 625 "significant" terrorist attacks in 2004.
That compared with 175 such incidents in 2003, the highest number in two decades.
The statistics didn't include attacks on American troops in Iraq, which President Bush as recently as Tuesday called "a central front in the war on terror."
The intelligence officials requested anonymity because the information is classified and because, they said, they feared White House retribution. Johnson declined to say how he obtained the figures.
Another U.S. official, who also requested anonymity, said analysts from the counterterrorism center were especially careful in amassing and reviewing the data because of the political turmoil created by last year's errors.
Last June, the administration was forced to issue a revised version of the report for 2003 that showed a higher number of significant terrorist attacks and more than twice the number of fatalities than had been presented in the original report two months earlier.
The snafu was embarrassing for the White House, which had used the original version to bolster President Bush's election-campaign claim that the war in Iraq had advanced the fight against terrorism.
U.S. officials blamed last year's mix-up on bureaucratic mistakes involving the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, the forerunner of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Created last year on the recommendation of the independent commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the center is the government's primary organization for analyzing and integrating all U.S. government intelligence on terrorism.
The State Department published "Patterns of Global Terrorism" under a law that requires it to submit to the House of Representatives and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a country-by-country terrorism assessment by April 30 each year.
A declassified version of the report has been made public since 1986 in the form of a glossy booklet, even though there was no legal requirement to produce one.
The senior State Department official said a report on global terrorism would be sent this year to lawmakers and made available to the public in place of "Patterns of Global Terrorism," but that it wouldn't contain statistical data.
He said that decision was taken because the State Department believed that the National Counterterrorism Center "is now the authoritative government agency for the analysis of global terrorism. We believe that the NCTC should compile and publish the relevant data on that subject."
He didn't answer questions about whether the data would be made available to the public, saying, "We will be consulting (with Congress) ... on who should publish and in what form."
Another U.S. official said Rice's office was leery of the methodology the National Counterterrorism Center used to generate the data for 2004, believing that analysts anxious to avoid a repetition of last year's undercount included incidents that may not have been terrorist attacks.
But the U.S. intelligence officials said Rice's office decided to eliminate "Patterns of Global Terrorism" when the counterterrorism center declined to use alternative methodology that would have reported fewer significant attacks.
The officials said they interpreted Rice's action as an attempt to avoid releasing statistics that would contradict the administration's claims that it's winning the war against terrorism.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11407689.htm
---Tangled in your own web Skank...?..Oh Indeed....---
posted by Christy at 1:45 AM
2 comments
Busted
Armstrong Williams Report Shows Spellings And Bush Lied
"And we didn't know about this in the White House "
--Bush, press conference, January 26, 2005
"During a meeting between the White House and Department officials on July 13, 2004, pertaining to communications strategy, the Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy briefly questioned the Deputy Director of OPA about the status of the Williams’ work request..."
--Page 8 Footnote, Inspector General's Report, Department of Education, today
It's there, buried in a footnote at the bottom of Page 8 in the just-released Department of Education Inspector General's report on the Armstrong Williams propaganda fiasco. Let's recap.
In short, Bush has said that "we didn't know about (the Williams contract) in the White House." Margaret Spellings, Bush's current Education Secretary and former Special Assistant for Domestic Policy, and her deputy then and Chief of Staff now David Dunn both say they didn't know about the contract either. But now we know why the release of the report was held until the Friday afternoon news dump.
Spellings and Dunn did know, and if they did, and given how close Spellings is to Bush, it is likely that Bush did too.
The report in total paints a portrait of a Department of Education that used its existing Ketchum contract to specifically funnel money to Armstrong Williams' company, when Secretary Paige himself says that he didn't have a relationship to Williams prior to the contract. If so, then who was making the decision to use Ketchum to push in essence payola for propaganda to Armstrong Williams, and as the report also notes, to pay him for services that DOE had no idea were ever delivered?
And to cap it off, Bush told the gullible White House press corps in January that not only he, but no one in the White House knew about the Williams' contract, when in fact the report approved and issued by his Special Assistant for Domestic Policy for four years and his associate for a decade before that confirms that she and her subordinate did in fact know about it and asked DOE staff about the status of the payola contract. Does anyone have a transcript of Spellings' confirmation testimony on January 6, 2005 to see if she testified under oath about this matter, because today's report brings responsibility for the payola-for-propaganda scam inside the White House.
And Representative George Miller of California, are you taking notes?
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/004150.php
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
CAUGHT ON TAPE
Republicans making death threats against judges.
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=652
“Death solves all problems: no man, no problem.”
"And we didn't know about this in the White House "
--Bush, press conference, January 26, 2005
"During a meeting between the White House and Department officials on July 13, 2004, pertaining to communications strategy, the Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy briefly questioned the Deputy Director of OPA about the status of the Williams’ work request..."
--Page 8 Footnote, Inspector General's Report, Department of Education, today
It's there, buried in a footnote at the bottom of Page 8 in the just-released Department of Education Inspector General's report on the Armstrong Williams propaganda fiasco. Let's recap.
In short, Bush has said that "we didn't know about (the Williams contract) in the White House." Margaret Spellings, Bush's current Education Secretary and former Special Assistant for Domestic Policy, and her deputy then and Chief of Staff now David Dunn both say they didn't know about the contract either. But now we know why the release of the report was held until the Friday afternoon news dump.
Spellings and Dunn did know, and if they did, and given how close Spellings is to Bush, it is likely that Bush did too.
The report in total paints a portrait of a Department of Education that used its existing Ketchum contract to specifically funnel money to Armstrong Williams' company, when Secretary Paige himself says that he didn't have a relationship to Williams prior to the contract. If so, then who was making the decision to use Ketchum to push in essence payola for propaganda to Armstrong Williams, and as the report also notes, to pay him for services that DOE had no idea were ever delivered?
And to cap it off, Bush told the gullible White House press corps in January that not only he, but no one in the White House knew about the Williams' contract, when in fact the report approved and issued by his Special Assistant for Domestic Policy for four years and his associate for a decade before that confirms that she and her subordinate did in fact know about it and asked DOE staff about the status of the payola contract. Does anyone have a transcript of Spellings' confirmation testimony on January 6, 2005 to see if she testified under oath about this matter, because today's report brings responsibility for the payola-for-propaganda scam inside the White House.
And Representative George Miller of California, are you taking notes?
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/004150.php
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
CAUGHT ON TAPE
Republicans making death threats against judges.
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=652
“Death solves all problems: no man, no problem.”
posted by Christy at 1:08 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 15, 2005
Wall St. Suffers Worst Day in Two Years
2 hours, 14 minutes ago
By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ,
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK - Wall Street suffered its worst single day in nearly two years Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 191 points for its third straight triple-digit loss. Deepening concerns over economic growth and higher prices led to the worst week of trading since August.
An already uneasy market began the biggest one-day selloff since May 19, 2003, after the Federal Reserve reported drops in manufacturing and other industrial production, and a Labor Department report showed higher oil costs driving up import prices.
The selloff was bolstered by lower-than-expected profits from IBM Corp., which led to fears that technology spending would be substantially worse than expected this year.
Strong earnings from General Electric Co. and Citigroup Inc. were overlooked, but analysts said earnings would nonetheless be a key factor in overcoming the recent slump.
"Earnings are really the only hope for this market," said Brian Pears, head equity trader at Victory Capital Management in Cleveland. "If, on the whole, earnings can go up, then we might be able to overcome oil and inflation and all the other things."
According to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 191.24, or 1.86 percent, to 10,087.51, after falling 125 points Thursday and 104 points Wednesday. It was the Dow's lowest close since Nov. 2.
Broader stock indicators also lost considerable ground. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 38.56, or 1.98 percent, to 1,908.15 for its worst showing since Oct. 25.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 19.43, or 1.67 percent, at 1,142.62, its lowest level since Nov. 3.
All three indexes set five-month lows for the second straight session, prompted by disappointing earnings in the tech sector and questions about slowing economic growth. With Friday's losses, it was the first time the Dow lost 100 points three sessions in a row since late January 2003.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050415/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/wall_street
2 hours, 14 minutes ago
By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ,
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK - Wall Street suffered its worst single day in nearly two years Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 191 points for its third straight triple-digit loss. Deepening concerns over economic growth and higher prices led to the worst week of trading since August.
An already uneasy market began the biggest one-day selloff since May 19, 2003, after the Federal Reserve reported drops in manufacturing and other industrial production, and a Labor Department report showed higher oil costs driving up import prices.
The selloff was bolstered by lower-than-expected profits from IBM Corp., which led to fears that technology spending would be substantially worse than expected this year.
Strong earnings from General Electric Co. and Citigroup Inc. were overlooked, but analysts said earnings would nonetheless be a key factor in overcoming the recent slump.
"Earnings are really the only hope for this market," said Brian Pears, head equity trader at Victory Capital Management in Cleveland. "If, on the whole, earnings can go up, then we might be able to overcome oil and inflation and all the other things."
According to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 191.24, or 1.86 percent, to 10,087.51, after falling 125 points Thursday and 104 points Wednesday. It was the Dow's lowest close since Nov. 2.
Broader stock indicators also lost considerable ground. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 38.56, or 1.98 percent, to 1,908.15 for its worst showing since Oct. 25.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 19.43, or 1.67 percent, at 1,142.62, its lowest level since Nov. 3.
All three indexes set five-month lows for the second straight session, prompted by disappointing earnings in the tech sector and questions about slowing economic growth. With Friday's losses, it was the first time the Dow lost 100 points three sessions in a row since late January 2003.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050415/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/wall_street
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 9:04 PM
0 comments
The article that wasn't..
Because of a very late, very UNFUNNY April Fools joke... I apologize for posting an article without checking it first.
It will not happen again.
Thank You Kim, OMG I am going to kill something. Or atleast throw something.
It will not happen again.
Thank You Kim, OMG I am going to kill something. Or atleast throw something.
posted by Christy at 12:47 PM
2 comments
Venezuela Issues Extradition Request for Terrorist in U.S.
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005
By: Venezuelanalysis.com
Caracas, Venezuela, April 13, 2005—Venezuela formally asked U.S. authorities to extradite an escaped prisoner who was responsible for the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976, in which 73 persons were killed. The former prisoner, Luis Posada Carriles, is a Cuban exile who had escaped a Venezuelan prison in 1985. For a while he lived in Panama, where he was also captured for planning an assassination of Cuba’s President Fidel Castro in 2000. He was then pardoned in Panama, though, and entered the U.S. about a month ago.
Venezuela’s Vice-President, José Vicente Rangel, said, “We going to step up our demands for extradition.” “I hope Mr. Bush will take note of his own anti-terrorism policies and hand over Posada Carriles,” added Rangel.
Posada Carriles’ attorney says that the U.S. should deny the extradition request because he was acquitted in Venezuela of the bombing of the Cuban airliner. Also, if deported to Cuba, he would face possible execution.
Rangel pointed out that it is no wonder that Posada Carriles is requesting asylum in the U.S., “because during all of the acts that he participated in he did so while he was an employee of the CIA.”
On Monday, Cuba’s Castro said that if the U.S. denies the extradition request, then it would effectively be backing international terrorism. He also noted that Bush once said that whoever harbors a terrorist is as guilty of terrorism as the terrorist himself.
According to Associated Press, an unidentified U.S. official said that Posada is “excludable” from the U.S. because of his involvement in the plane bombing.
Carriles Posada, who is 77 years old and dual Venezuelan-Cuban citizenship, is a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 and has also been connected to a string of bombings in Cuban tourist locations in 1997. He escaped from a Venezuelan prison in 1985, disguised as a priest, while prosecutors appealed his acquittal.
The extradition request is one of several that Venezuela has pending in the U.S. Two other requests involve Venezuelan citizens who are wanted for the bombing of the Colombian and Spanish consulates in Venezuela in February 2003.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/print.php?newsno=1584
'Bomb-plot' Cuban crosses into US
Tuesday, 12 April, 2005, 10:33 GMT 11:33 UK
A Cuban exile, accused by President Fidel Castro of plotting to kill him, is preparing to apply for asylum in the United States, his lawyer says.
Luis Posada Carriles managed to cross illegally into the US from Mexico, lawyer Eduardo Soto said.
Mr Castro called Mr Carriles, 77, "a monster" comparable to Osama Bin Laden, and demanded to know how he had breached US border security.
He is also wanted in Venezuela over the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976.
Seventy-three people were killed in that attack.
Mr Carriles once boasted of being responsible for a series of bomb attacks of Havana tourist spots in the 1990s.
In hiding
Five years ago he was arrested in Panama and accused of plotting to kill Fidel Castro during a summit there.
He was convicted of a lesser charge, but was later pardoned and freed by the outgoing Panamanian president - causing Cuba to break off diplomatic relations.
Since then he has been in hiding.
Mr Soto said he crossed the US-Mexican border some weeks ago, but would not reveal his whereabouts.
In a three-hour appearance on television on Monday, Mr Castro raged: "It is as if Bin Laden were in the United States and the US president did not know."
Mr Soto says his client will apply for asylum on Wednesday.
He says that his application will be based partly on his claim that he worked "directly and indirectly" for the CIA for years, and has thus helped US interests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/4436079.stm
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005
By: Venezuelanalysis.com
Caracas, Venezuela, April 13, 2005—Venezuela formally asked U.S. authorities to extradite an escaped prisoner who was responsible for the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976, in which 73 persons were killed. The former prisoner, Luis Posada Carriles, is a Cuban exile who had escaped a Venezuelan prison in 1985. For a while he lived in Panama, where he was also captured for planning an assassination of Cuba’s President Fidel Castro in 2000. He was then pardoned in Panama, though, and entered the U.S. about a month ago.
Venezuela’s Vice-President, José Vicente Rangel, said, “We going to step up our demands for extradition.” “I hope Mr. Bush will take note of his own anti-terrorism policies and hand over Posada Carriles,” added Rangel.
Posada Carriles’ attorney says that the U.S. should deny the extradition request because he was acquitted in Venezuela of the bombing of the Cuban airliner. Also, if deported to Cuba, he would face possible execution.
Rangel pointed out that it is no wonder that Posada Carriles is requesting asylum in the U.S., “because during all of the acts that he participated in he did so while he was an employee of the CIA.”
On Monday, Cuba’s Castro said that if the U.S. denies the extradition request, then it would effectively be backing international terrorism. He also noted that Bush once said that whoever harbors a terrorist is as guilty of terrorism as the terrorist himself.
According to Associated Press, an unidentified U.S. official said that Posada is “excludable” from the U.S. because of his involvement in the plane bombing.
Carriles Posada, who is 77 years old and dual Venezuelan-Cuban citizenship, is a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 and has also been connected to a string of bombings in Cuban tourist locations in 1997. He escaped from a Venezuelan prison in 1985, disguised as a priest, while prosecutors appealed his acquittal.
The extradition request is one of several that Venezuela has pending in the U.S. Two other requests involve Venezuelan citizens who are wanted for the bombing of the Colombian and Spanish consulates in Venezuela in February 2003.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/print.php?newsno=1584
'Bomb-plot' Cuban crosses into US
Tuesday, 12 April, 2005, 10:33 GMT 11:33 UK
A Cuban exile, accused by President Fidel Castro of plotting to kill him, is preparing to apply for asylum in the United States, his lawyer says.
Luis Posada Carriles managed to cross illegally into the US from Mexico, lawyer Eduardo Soto said.
Mr Castro called Mr Carriles, 77, "a monster" comparable to Osama Bin Laden, and demanded to know how he had breached US border security.
He is also wanted in Venezuela over the bombing of a Cuban airliner in 1976.
Seventy-three people were killed in that attack.
Mr Carriles once boasted of being responsible for a series of bomb attacks of Havana tourist spots in the 1990s.
In hiding
Five years ago he was arrested in Panama and accused of plotting to kill Fidel Castro during a summit there.
He was convicted of a lesser charge, but was later pardoned and freed by the outgoing Panamanian president - causing Cuba to break off diplomatic relations.
Since then he has been in hiding.
Mr Soto said he crossed the US-Mexican border some weeks ago, but would not reveal his whereabouts.
In a three-hour appearance on television on Monday, Mr Castro raged: "It is as if Bin Laden were in the United States and the US president did not know."
Mr Soto says his client will apply for asylum on Wednesday.
He says that his application will be based partly on his claim that he worked "directly and indirectly" for the CIA for years, and has thus helped US interests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/4436079.stm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 4:47 AM
0 comments
Secret Service visits art show at Columbia
April 12, 2005
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter
Organizers of a politically charged art exhibit at Columbia College's Glass Curtain Gallery thought their show might draw controversy.
But they didn't expect two U.S. Secret Service agents would be among the show's first visitors.
The agents turned up Thursday evening, just before the public opening of "Axis of Evil, the Secret History of Sin," and took pictures of some of the art pieces -- including "Patriot Act," showing President Bush on a mock 37-cent stamp with a revolver pointed at his head.
The agents asked what the artists meant by their work and wanted museum director CarolAnn Brown to turn over the names and phone numbers of all the artists. They wanted to hear from the exhibit's curator, Michael Hernandez deLuna, within 24 hours, she said.
Curator in previous controversy
"They just want to make sure it isn't something more than a statement," Brown said.
This isn't the first time Hernandez has had a brush with the feds over a fake stamp. In 2001, authorities said they suspected he was behind a bogus stamp that bore a black skull and crossbones and the word "Anthrax." It was sent through the mail during the height of the anthrax scare.
The Columbia exhibit features 47 artists from 11 countries and depicts powerful religious and political leaders worldwide on mock postage stamps. One, called "Citizen John Ashcroft," shows Ashcroft's face fashioned from images of naked bodies at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Another piece -- "I saw it in a movie starring Steven Segal" -- shows a series of images of an airplane nearing, then crashing into the Sears Tower, and ends with the Chicago skyline without the skyscraper.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-axis12.html
April 12, 2005
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter
Organizers of a politically charged art exhibit at Columbia College's Glass Curtain Gallery thought their show might draw controversy.
But they didn't expect two U.S. Secret Service agents would be among the show's first visitors.
The agents turned up Thursday evening, just before the public opening of "Axis of Evil, the Secret History of Sin," and took pictures of some of the art pieces -- including "Patriot Act," showing President Bush on a mock 37-cent stamp with a revolver pointed at his head.
The agents asked what the artists meant by their work and wanted museum director CarolAnn Brown to turn over the names and phone numbers of all the artists. They wanted to hear from the exhibit's curator, Michael Hernandez deLuna, within 24 hours, she said.
Curator in previous controversy
"They just want to make sure it isn't something more than a statement," Brown said.
This isn't the first time Hernandez has had a brush with the feds over a fake stamp. In 2001, authorities said they suspected he was behind a bogus stamp that bore a black skull and crossbones and the word "Anthrax." It was sent through the mail during the height of the anthrax scare.
The Columbia exhibit features 47 artists from 11 countries and depicts powerful religious and political leaders worldwide on mock postage stamps. One, called "Citizen John Ashcroft," shows Ashcroft's face fashioned from images of naked bodies at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Another piece -- "I saw it in a movie starring Steven Segal" -- shows a series of images of an airplane nearing, then crashing into the Sears Tower, and ends with the Chicago skyline without the skyscraper.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-axis12.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 4:26 AM
0 comments
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Coffins are no longer coffins, nor caskets...
NEVER FORGET
NEVER STOP ASKING WHY
"The hypocrisy, as MoveOn has noted, is deafening and painful. This nation has a long tradition of honoring the coffins and remains of its fallen soldiers as they arrive in the United States. As coffins were lowered from transport planes a military band would play Taps. But no longer. Instead the Bush Administration has renamed body bags "transport tubes" and banned the public honoring of soldiers' sacrifices."
Atrocious
NEVER STOP ASKING WHY
"The hypocrisy, as MoveOn has noted, is deafening and painful. This nation has a long tradition of honoring the coffins and remains of its fallen soldiers as they arrive in the United States. As coffins were lowered from transport planes a military band would play Taps. But no longer. Instead the Bush Administration has renamed body bags "transport tubes" and banned the public honoring of soldiers' sacrifices."
Atrocious
posted by Christy at 6:48 PM
1 comments
'Bribes' let Bin Laden evade US
Osama Bin Laden gave US forces the slip by bribing the Afghan militias tasked with tracking him down, according to Germany's spy chief, August Hanning
.Mr Hanning told German newspaper Handelsblatt that using Afghans was the key mistake in the hunt for Bin Laden
.He said Bin Laden paid "a lot of money" to buy a safe passage from the Tora Bora caves, which he had retreated to during the US assault in 2001.
The US has said it used Afghan fighters to reduce casualties among its troops.'Buying freedom'US commander Tommy Franks has conceded that some of the Afghan groups nominally allied to the US during the invasion may have allowed Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives to slip away in exchange for money.
He has not said whether Bin Laden was among these fugitives.
Mr Hanning did not directly say US strategy helped Bin Laden get away.
"The principal mistake was made already in 2001, when one wanted Bin Laden to be apprehended by the Afghan militias in Tora Bora," he said.
"There, Bin Laden could buy himself free with a lot of money."Afghan alliesHaving fled the assault on Tora Bora, the al-Qaeda lynchpin was able to create a network of sympathisers among tribes in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mr Hanning said.
Following the US capture of the Afghan capital, Kabul, in November 2001, the pursuit of Bin Laden focussed on the Tora Bora cave complex, near the Afghan border.
While US jets bombed the area from above, its special forces on the ground worked with Afghan allies to corner surviving Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters.
Some experts at the time argued that the Afghan commanders siding with the US were keener to consolidate their position than to aid the hunt for Bin Laden
.NOW REMEMBER WHEN JOHN KERRY TOLD US THIS
THE DEBATES;
HE KNEW THEN AND WE ARE JUST BEING INFORMED NOW
THEY ALL KNEW THE LOT OF THEM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4442045.stm
Osama Bin Laden gave US forces the slip by bribing the Afghan militias tasked with tracking him down, according to Germany's spy chief, August Hanning
.Mr Hanning told German newspaper Handelsblatt that using Afghans was the key mistake in the hunt for Bin Laden
.He said Bin Laden paid "a lot of money" to buy a safe passage from the Tora Bora caves, which he had retreated to during the US assault in 2001.
The US has said it used Afghan fighters to reduce casualties among its troops.'Buying freedom'US commander Tommy Franks has conceded that some of the Afghan groups nominally allied to the US during the invasion may have allowed Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives to slip away in exchange for money.
He has not said whether Bin Laden was among these fugitives.
Mr Hanning did not directly say US strategy helped Bin Laden get away.
"The principal mistake was made already in 2001, when one wanted Bin Laden to be apprehended by the Afghan militias in Tora Bora," he said.
"There, Bin Laden could buy himself free with a lot of money."Afghan alliesHaving fled the assault on Tora Bora, the al-Qaeda lynchpin was able to create a network of sympathisers among tribes in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mr Hanning said.
Following the US capture of the Afghan capital, Kabul, in November 2001, the pursuit of Bin Laden focussed on the Tora Bora cave complex, near the Afghan border.
While US jets bombed the area from above, its special forces on the ground worked with Afghan allies to corner surviving Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters.
Some experts at the time argued that the Afghan commanders siding with the US were keener to consolidate their position than to aid the hunt for Bin Laden
.NOW REMEMBER WHEN JOHN KERRY TOLD US THIS
THE DEBATES;
HE KNEW THEN AND WE ARE JUST BEING INFORMED NOW
THEY ALL KNEW THE LOT OF THEM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4442045.stm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:55 PM
1 comments
And From Cuba...
Cubans Insist That Washington Shields An International Terrorist
The Cuban government contends that at the end of March, the United States admitted a known terrorist into the United States, that there have been reports in the American media about his presence, and that Washington has been silent on the subject.
President Fidel Castro yesterday demanded that U.S. President George W. Bush respond before the world, as to whether his government is sheltering notorious international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles on U.S. territory.
By April 11, Posada Carriles had been in the U.S. for 19 days, but top officials in that country had not said a single word on the subject; the news had spread via press reports like one published in The Miami Herald, in which a federal official confirmed the terrorist's presence.
All indications are that the assassin's rigged, silent and conspiratorial entry into the U.S. is in line with Washington's wish to let time pass. Given that Washington is now trying to condemn Cuba in the U.N. Human Rights Commission, it would not be convenient for the world to learn of the empire's hypocritical attitude, the revolutionary leader said.
"We call on them to say something, to express some kind of opinion regarding something that is like a creature about to be born. The truth is, at this moment, the honorable president of the United States is like a pregnant woman with a monster in her belly, and she has to give birth, and soon, because it would be too hard to backtrack; they have to present it," Fidel affirmed during a special appearance at [Cuba's] International Conference Center.
The president of the Council of State reminded the U.S. president of the latter's comment on August 26, 2003, when Bush affirmed that he was sending a message that could be understood by the whole world: if someone protects a terrorist, if someone feeds a terrorist, then that person is just as guilty as the terrorists.
Therefore, how to understand the protection being afforded Posada Carriles? In Fidel's opinion, doing so is an outrage to the U.S. citizens who died in the Twin Towers in New York; not forgetting that thousands of relatives of those who have been sacrificed in atrocious terrorist acts are living there -- and here.
http://www.watchingamerica.com/granma000001.html
---Imagine..Fidel is more outraged than Bush....These ARE INDEED strange times.---
The Cuban government contends that at the end of March, the United States admitted a known terrorist into the United States, that there have been reports in the American media about his presence, and that Washington has been silent on the subject.
President Fidel Castro yesterday demanded that U.S. President George W. Bush respond before the world, as to whether his government is sheltering notorious international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles on U.S. territory.
By April 11, Posada Carriles had been in the U.S. for 19 days, but top officials in that country had not said a single word on the subject; the news had spread via press reports like one published in The Miami Herald, in which a federal official confirmed the terrorist's presence.
All indications are that the assassin's rigged, silent and conspiratorial entry into the U.S. is in line with Washington's wish to let time pass. Given that Washington is now trying to condemn Cuba in the U.N. Human Rights Commission, it would not be convenient for the world to learn of the empire's hypocritical attitude, the revolutionary leader said.
"We call on them to say something, to express some kind of opinion regarding something that is like a creature about to be born. The truth is, at this moment, the honorable president of the United States is like a pregnant woman with a monster in her belly, and she has to give birth, and soon, because it would be too hard to backtrack; they have to present it," Fidel affirmed during a special appearance at [Cuba's] International Conference Center.
The president of the Council of State reminded the U.S. president of the latter's comment on August 26, 2003, when Bush affirmed that he was sending a message that could be understood by the whole world: if someone protects a terrorist, if someone feeds a terrorist, then that person is just as guilty as the terrorists.
Therefore, how to understand the protection being afforded Posada Carriles? In Fidel's opinion, doing so is an outrage to the U.S. citizens who died in the Twin Towers in New York; not forgetting that thousands of relatives of those who have been sacrificed in atrocious terrorist acts are living there -- and here.
http://www.watchingamerica.com/granma000001.html
---Imagine..Fidel is more outraged than Bush....These ARE INDEED strange times.---
posted by Christy at 5:21 PM
0 comments
DISPATCH FROM DOWN UNDER
Scott Ritter: Semper Fraud, Senator Roberts :
"Semper Fi," Senator. "Always Faithful." The words roll out easily; but faithful to what? You are the epitome of faithfulness to your party – less so to the Constitution
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/ritter.php?articleid=5537
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Guantanamo detainees tortured:
Lawyers for six men arrested in Bosnia and detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp sued the federal government Wednesday, leveling new allegations of abuse and torture by U.S. forces.
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/041405/AP__B64NBNFO.050.shtml
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Pentagon's war spending hard to track: watchdog:
The department "doesn't have a system to be able to determine with any degree of reliability and specificity how we spent" tens of millions in war-related emergency funds set aside by Congress
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1344998.htm
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US: Iran is years from nuclear arms
: US officials confirmed on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear ambitions were discussed by President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at their Texas summit on Monday.
TWO OF THE WORST WAR CRIMINALS AND LIARS ARE AT IT AGAIN
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8275292F-9EAC-4FE7-AEFA-60AF6EE8FB3C.htm
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Robert Fisk: Lebanon delays its election despite US demands
: This is far more serious than it might appear. While the country remains leaderless, the possibility of further provocations to restart the 1975-90 civil war grows.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8540.htm
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Texan, 2 Others Charged in Iraq Oil Kickback Scheme:
A Texas businessman and two of his companies were charged with paying secret kickbacks to Iraq in a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday as part of an investigation into the scandal-plagued U.N. oil-for-food program
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8183308
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Complaints Greet Rice Deputy in Fallujah :
Zoellick, the top deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was confined to a caravan of armored transport vehicles - except for a meeting with civic leaders at a fortified military compound. Marines said the security situation in Fallujah remained tenuous, although daily attacks were down.
WINNING THE WAR FOR DEMOCRACY NAHHHHHHHH
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4934156,00.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Don't be fooled by the spin on Iraq :
The US is failing - and hatred of the occupation greater than ever
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8527.htm
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Major media ignoring Gingrich rejection of DeLay defense:
"DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats. DeLay's problem is with thecountry"
CBS Evening News broadcast an interview on April 12 with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), who bluntly dismissed House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's (R-TX) attempts to blame Democrats for his ethics problems. Gingrich said that "DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats. DeLay's problem is with the country," adding that the Texas Republican needs to "get everything out in the open" and that the burden "is on him to prove [his case]." But morning TV news shows and major newspapers all failed to note Gingrich's comments on DeLay. And, as of this posting, the wire services Associated Press and Reuters have both failed to report the comments. Read more...
http://mediamatters.org/items/200504130004
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Reports: Italy, U.S. clash over probe
ROME (AP)
— Reluctance by Italian investigators to accept the U.S. version of the killing of an Italian security agent by American troops in Iraq last month is holding up the conclusion of a joint inquiry into the shooting, Italian newspapers said Thursday. Full Story
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/04/14/997352.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We ignore internet at our peril, Murdoch warns
Rupert Murdoch today admitted he 'didn't do as much as [he] should have' to confront the digital challenges faced by his newspaper business. Full text: Murdoch's speechMediaGuardian.co.uk
HE WANTS THE INTERNET NOW ; HE WANT FULL CONTROL IF WE LET HIM
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1459697,00.html
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"Semper Fi," Senator. "Always Faithful." The words roll out easily; but faithful to what? You are the epitome of faithfulness to your party – less so to the Constitution
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/ritter.php?articleid=5537
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Guantanamo detainees tortured:
Lawyers for six men arrested in Bosnia and detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp sued the federal government Wednesday, leveling new allegations of abuse and torture by U.S. forces.
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/041405/AP__B64NBNFO.050.shtml
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Pentagon's war spending hard to track: watchdog:
The department "doesn't have a system to be able to determine with any degree of reliability and specificity how we spent" tens of millions in war-related emergency funds set aside by Congress
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1344998.htm
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US: Iran is years from nuclear arms
: US officials confirmed on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear ambitions were discussed by President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at their Texas summit on Monday.
TWO OF THE WORST WAR CRIMINALS AND LIARS ARE AT IT AGAIN
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8275292F-9EAC-4FE7-AEFA-60AF6EE8FB3C.htm
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Robert Fisk: Lebanon delays its election despite US demands
: This is far more serious than it might appear. While the country remains leaderless, the possibility of further provocations to restart the 1975-90 civil war grows.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8540.htm
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Texan, 2 Others Charged in Iraq Oil Kickback Scheme:
A Texas businessman and two of his companies were charged with paying secret kickbacks to Iraq in a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday as part of an investigation into the scandal-plagued U.N. oil-for-food program
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8183308
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Complaints Greet Rice Deputy in Fallujah :
Zoellick, the top deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was confined to a caravan of armored transport vehicles - except for a meeting with civic leaders at a fortified military compound. Marines said the security situation in Fallujah remained tenuous, although daily attacks were down.
WINNING THE WAR FOR DEMOCRACY NAHHHHHHHH
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4934156,00.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Don't be fooled by the spin on Iraq :
The US is failing - and hatred of the occupation greater than ever
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8527.htm
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Major media ignoring Gingrich rejection of DeLay defense:
"DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats. DeLay's problem is with thecountry"
CBS Evening News broadcast an interview on April 12 with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), who bluntly dismissed House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's (R-TX) attempts to blame Democrats for his ethics problems. Gingrich said that "DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats. DeLay's problem is with the country," adding that the Texas Republican needs to "get everything out in the open" and that the burden "is on him to prove [his case]." But morning TV news shows and major newspapers all failed to note Gingrich's comments on DeLay. And, as of this posting, the wire services Associated Press and Reuters have both failed to report the comments. Read more...
http://mediamatters.org/items/200504130004
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Reports: Italy, U.S. clash over probe
ROME (AP)
— Reluctance by Italian investigators to accept the U.S. version of the killing of an Italian security agent by American troops in Iraq last month is holding up the conclusion of a joint inquiry into the shooting, Italian newspapers said Thursday. Full Story
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/04/14/997352.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We ignore internet at our peril, Murdoch warns
Rupert Murdoch today admitted he 'didn't do as much as [he] should have' to confront the digital challenges faced by his newspaper business. Full text: Murdoch's speechMediaGuardian.co.uk
HE WANTS THE INTERNET NOW ; HE WANT FULL CONTROL IF WE LET HIM
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1459697,00.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 3:00 PM
0 comments
Court unseals Passaro papers
Tenet, Gonzales on witness list
By ANDREA WEIGL, Staff WriterRALEIGH -- A former CIA contractor accused of beating an Afghan prisoner plans to call former agency Director George Tenet and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as witnesses to aid his defense that he was acting under government authority.
David Passaro's witness list was made public for the first time Tuesday along with a score of other documents after The News & Observer, The Associated Press and The Washington Post asked a court to release them. The news organizations had complained that the federal government's prosecution of Passaro, the first U.S. civilian charged under the Patriot Act, was secret because so many documents were under seal.
A beating, a death
Passaro, 38, of Lillington, is charged with assault in connection with the death of Abdul Wali.
In June 2003, Wali was suspected of being involved with sporadic rocket attacks upon the Asadabad military outpost near the Pakistani border. Passaro, a former Green Beret who had most recently worked as a civilian for Special Forces, was a CIA contractor doing paramilitary activities in support of U.S. troops at that base.>>>more">>>>>more
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/2307781p-8686608c.html
Tenet, Gonzales on witness list
By ANDREA WEIGL, Staff WriterRALEIGH -- A former CIA contractor accused of beating an Afghan prisoner plans to call former agency Director George Tenet and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as witnesses to aid his defense that he was acting under government authority.
David Passaro's witness list was made public for the first time Tuesday along with a score of other documents after The News & Observer, The Associated Press and The Washington Post asked a court to release them. The news organizations had complained that the federal government's prosecution of Passaro, the first U.S. civilian charged under the Patriot Act, was secret because so many documents were under seal.
A beating, a death
Passaro, 38, of Lillington, is charged with assault in connection with the death of Abdul Wali.
In June 2003, Wali was suspected of being involved with sporadic rocket attacks upon the Asadabad military outpost near the Pakistani border. Passaro, a former Green Beret who had most recently worked as a civilian for Special Forces, was a CIA contractor doing paramilitary activities in support of U.S. troops at that base.>>>more">>>>>more
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/2307781p-8686608c.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 2:47 PM
2 comments
Jeffery Ake, 47, God watch over you, Bush and his Administration certainly wont, doest give a fig collatoral damage I think they refer to you as
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 2:41 PM
0 comments
American businessman held hostage in Iraq
Posted on : 2005-04-14
Author : Philip GreenNews Category : World
As a distressed and helpless American businessman taken hostage by Iraqis showed up on television on Wednesday with weapons directed at his head, murky episodes of the rebellion in Iraq sprang back to life all over again.
Jeffrey J. Ake, 47 years old, from La Porte, Indiana, appeared on Al-Jazeera television, beseeching the US government to withdraw troops from Iraq and save his life. Ake was abducted while working on a water treatment plant in Baghdad, by eight masked men.
Ake seemed to be quite liked by his community, both for his business skills as well as his personal traits. Having started out of his home garage, Ake had remarkably taken his small bottle-machinery garage business into becoming a global export company with a sales figure of about $US5 million ($A6.4 million) annually. His company now manufactured and labelled water and other liquid containers for rebuilding Iraq.
Ake was seen in the videotape pressing his passport against his chest and holding his family photograph. The terrifying video sent shivers down Ake’s family and friends from his society in Indiana.
Ake’s kidnapping followed a series of other attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq which killed about 14 Iraqis and included bombings of a fuel tanker and a US convoy. No terrorist group has so far taken any responsibility of the abduction.
While Ake’s family is just hoping and praying for his return and have tied a yellow ribbon on the tree outside their lakeside house, the US government said that they were examining the situation but were clear on the fact that no negotiations would take place with the kidnappers for Ake’s release as it would only ‘encourage them’. US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice said, "Obviously, the United States continues to hold to a policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists. It only encourages them."
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/2407.html
Posted on : 2005-04-14
Author : Philip GreenNews Category : World
As a distressed and helpless American businessman taken hostage by Iraqis showed up on television on Wednesday with weapons directed at his head, murky episodes of the rebellion in Iraq sprang back to life all over again.
Jeffrey J. Ake, 47 years old, from La Porte, Indiana, appeared on Al-Jazeera television, beseeching the US government to withdraw troops from Iraq and save his life. Ake was abducted while working on a water treatment plant in Baghdad, by eight masked men.
Ake seemed to be quite liked by his community, both for his business skills as well as his personal traits. Having started out of his home garage, Ake had remarkably taken his small bottle-machinery garage business into becoming a global export company with a sales figure of about $US5 million ($A6.4 million) annually. His company now manufactured and labelled water and other liquid containers for rebuilding Iraq.
Ake was seen in the videotape pressing his passport against his chest and holding his family photograph. The terrifying video sent shivers down Ake’s family and friends from his society in Indiana.
Ake’s kidnapping followed a series of other attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq which killed about 14 Iraqis and included bombings of a fuel tanker and a US convoy. No terrorist group has so far taken any responsibility of the abduction.
While Ake’s family is just hoping and praying for his return and have tied a yellow ribbon on the tree outside their lakeside house, the US government said that they were examining the situation but were clear on the fact that no negotiations would take place with the kidnappers for Ake’s release as it would only ‘encourage them’. US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice said, "Obviously, the United States continues to hold to a policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists. It only encourages them."
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/2407.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 2:29 PM
0 comments
MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT
Alan - Aberdeen, SD
This is a story about my own family. In January 2003, my wife was called to active duty with her Army National Guard unit. She was inactive status and a mere 7 days from being completely out of the military when she was mobilized. She went from being a civilian attorney to a Sergeant/E-5 administrative clerk at a significant loss of pay. At that time, I became a single parent to four young children for one full year. In August 2004, I too was called to active duty with my Army Reserve unit. I went from being a university professor to being a Sergeant First Class/E-7. Once again, our four children were without one of their parents during their critical stages of development. We've done our part, now it's time for others to do their part. The burden placed on the National Guard and Reserve forces seems extreme. The morale among more seasoned soldiers, those with 10 to 20 years of service, is not good. Many are getting out of the military at the first available moment.-----------
Jack - Corpus Christi, TX
This is a story about a young couple in Austin, Texas. The husband works for Home Depot and was called up in the Marine reserves. There are two young children, both girls. One of the girls has Job's Syndrome. Home Depot did not continue the family's insurance.
They had to go out and pay ridiculous rates for additional health insurance to cover the child. That was money they could not afford because Home Depot did not pay his salary while he was gone. The child was in the hospital for much of the time the father was in Iraq. The mother had to take off from teaching to stay with the child in the hospital. She used up all vacation and sick time, and then was docked pay for lost time. We are not taking care of our soldiers or their families.-----------
Doris - Albuquerque, NM
I just lost my husband on February 11. He was a navy pilot for 28 years. He paid on my SBP for years, and now I can hardly get by, and waiting for the increase in October is going to be difficult. I will have to sell my house to survive. It appears they are waiting for us to die to....
Not enough is being done for the active duty veteran. I don't see how the administration can be so tight with the veterans and their loved ones while we wage war in a foreign country and pour in millions of millions of dollars.
http://www.johnkerry.com/features/militaryfamilies
Alan - Aberdeen, SD
This is a story about my own family. In January 2003, my wife was called to active duty with her Army National Guard unit. She was inactive status and a mere 7 days from being completely out of the military when she was mobilized. She went from being a civilian attorney to a Sergeant/E-5 administrative clerk at a significant loss of pay. At that time, I became a single parent to four young children for one full year. In August 2004, I too was called to active duty with my Army Reserve unit. I went from being a university professor to being a Sergeant First Class/E-7. Once again, our four children were without one of their parents during their critical stages of development. We've done our part, now it's time for others to do their part. The burden placed on the National Guard and Reserve forces seems extreme. The morale among more seasoned soldiers, those with 10 to 20 years of service, is not good. Many are getting out of the military at the first available moment.-----------
Jack - Corpus Christi, TX
This is a story about a young couple in Austin, Texas. The husband works for Home Depot and was called up in the Marine reserves. There are two young children, both girls. One of the girls has Job's Syndrome. Home Depot did not continue the family's insurance.
They had to go out and pay ridiculous rates for additional health insurance to cover the child. That was money they could not afford because Home Depot did not pay his salary while he was gone. The child was in the hospital for much of the time the father was in Iraq. The mother had to take off from teaching to stay with the child in the hospital. She used up all vacation and sick time, and then was docked pay for lost time. We are not taking care of our soldiers or their families.-----------
Doris - Albuquerque, NM
I just lost my husband on February 11. He was a navy pilot for 28 years. He paid on my SBP for years, and now I can hardly get by, and waiting for the increase in October is going to be difficult. I will have to sell my house to survive. It appears they are waiting for us to die to....
Not enough is being done for the active duty veteran. I don't see how the administration can be so tight with the veterans and their loved ones while we wage war in a foreign country and pour in millions of millions of dollars.
http://www.johnkerry.com/features/militaryfamilies
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 2:18 PM
0 comments
MY God. Now we know what the Gates Of Hell looks like. This was YESTERDAY in Iraq.
posted by Christy at 1:42 PM
1 comments
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- 07/26/2009 - 08/02/2009
- 08/02/2009 - 08/09/2009
- 08/09/2009 - 08/16/2009
- 08/16/2009 - 08/23/2009
- 08/23/2009 - 08/30/2009
- 08/30/2009 - 09/06/2009
- 09/06/2009 - 09/13/2009
- 09/13/2009 - 09/20/2009
- 09/20/2009 - 09/27/2009
- 09/27/2009 - 10/04/2009
- 10/04/2009 - 10/11/2009
- 10/11/2009 - 10/18/2009
- 10/18/2009 - 10/25/2009
- 10/25/2009 - 11/01/2009
- 11/01/2009 - 11/08/2009
- 11/08/2009 - 11/15/2009
- 11/15/2009 - 11/22/2009
- 11/22/2009 - 11/29/2009
- 11/29/2009 - 12/06/2009
- 12/06/2009 - 12/13/2009
- 12/13/2009 - 12/20/2009
- 12/20/2009 - 12/27/2009
- 12/27/2009 - 01/03/2010
- 01/03/2010 - 01/10/2010
- 01/10/2010 - 01/17/2010
- 01/17/2010 - 01/24/2010
- 01/24/2010 - 01/31/2010
- 01/31/2010 - 02/07/2010
- 02/07/2010 - 02/14/2010
- 02/14/2010 - 02/21/2010
- 02/21/2010 - 02/28/2010
- 02/28/2010 - 03/07/2010
- 03/07/2010 - 03/14/2010
- 03/14/2010 - 03/21/2010
- 03/21/2010 - 03/28/2010
- 03/28/2010 - 04/04/2010
- 04/04/2010 - 04/11/2010
- 04/11/2010 - 04/18/2010
- 04/18/2010 - 04/25/2010
- 04/25/2010 - 05/02/2010
- 05/02/2010 - 05/09/2010
- 05/09/2010 - 05/16/2010
- 05/16/2010 - 05/23/2010
- 05/23/2010 - 05/30/2010
- 05/30/2010 - 06/06/2010
- 06/06/2010 - 06/13/2010
- 06/13/2010 - 06/20/2010
- 06/20/2010 - 06/27/2010
- 06/27/2010 - 07/04/2010
- 07/04/2010 - 07/11/2010
- 07/11/2010 - 07/18/2010
- 07/18/2010 - 07/25/2010
- 07/25/2010 - 08/01/2010
- 08/22/2010 - 08/29/2010
- 08/29/2010 - 09/05/2010
- 09/05/2010 - 09/12/2010
- 10/17/2010 - 10/24/2010
- 10/31/2010 - 11/07/2010
- 11/07/2010 - 11/14/2010
- 12/05/2010 - 12/12/2010
- 01/09/2011 - 01/16/2011
