| 02.Oct.2006 Jesus Didn't Exist! A Controversial New Non-Fiction Proves that Jesus Christ Never Existed as a Historical Person Press release.posted by Prof. Hex
02.Oct.2006 Oxford Archeologists to Study the Salt Men in Iran With Salty Man pic.posted by Prof. Hex
02.Oct.2006 Diana crash witness: I saw a dozen 'shady figures' in tunnel A key eyewitness to the car crash that killed Princess Diana has broken his silence to tell how he saw a dozen people at the scene moments before her death. posted by Prof. Hex
02.Oct.2006 Mass Media, Foreign Policy and International Security View as HTML Army Headquarters + “Psychological Operations Media Subcourse PO-0816”. (1983) by The Army Institute for Professional Development.
www.du.edu/gsis/course_descriptions/course_syllabi/INTS4558.pdf
02.Oct.2006 FBI opens “preliminary investigation” of Foley. - Judd - “It’s possible Foley could be prosecuted under laws he helped to enact, as the co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.” The Blotter has more.
02.Oct.2006 Gingrich: House Leadership Would Have Been Accused Of ‘Gay Bashing’ If They Investigated Foley ‘Overly Aggressively’ - Nico - This morning on Fox News Sunday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich excused the House leadership for their apparent cover-up of Mark Foley’s predatory behavior. Gingrich said the emails seen by House leadership were “relatively innocuous, there was nothing sexual in those notes.” Asked if there should be “second thoughts” about the leadership’s conduct, Gingrinch responded: Well, you could have second thoughts about it, but I think had they overly aggressively reacted to the initial round, they would have also been accused of gay bashing. Watch it: Full transcript: WALLACE: Speaker Gingrich, did House Republican leaders do all they should have? GINGRICH: Well, I think if you look at what they actually knew, which was that the family did not want anyone involved + the actual notes were relatively innocuous, there was nothing sexual in those notes. They had him counseled. They had the head of the page program, Congressman Shimkus, talk to him very directly. And I think they thought it was over. The newest incident only surfaced when ABC News interviewed Foley and he resigned within two hours, or I think the House leaders would have moved to expel him. WALLACE: But, during all those months, they left Foley in the House Republican leadership. They left him as the head of the congressional caucus dealing with exploited children. No second thoughts about that? GINGRICH: Well, you could have second thoughts about it, but I think had they overly aggressively reacted to the initial round, they would have also been accused of gay bashing. I mean, the original notes had no sexual innuendo and the parents did not want any action taken. WALLACE: Well, how would it have been gay bashing? GINGRICH: Because it was a male-male relationship. And it had no — there was no proof, there was nothing that I know of in that initial round that would have led you to say in a normal circumstance that this is a predatory person.
02.Oct.2006 ‘Slumping’ Fox News celebrates 10th anniversary. - Nico - The AP reports, “Fox News Channel will mark its 10th anniversary this week in an unusual position: knocked back on its heels. The network is in the midst of its first-ever ratings slump.”
02.Oct.2006 Reynolds accepted $100k from Foley in July. - Nico - According to our Foley coverup timeline, Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY) was informed of Foley’s actions towards House pages 00.Feb.2006 or 00.Mar.2006 . The New York Daily News reports: 1) “Reynolds’s personal PAC, TOMPAC, wrote Foley a check for $5,000 on May 10, 2006 .” 2) “On 27.Jul.2006 the [National Republican Congressional Committee], which Reynolds chairs, accepted an unusually large contribution of $100,000 from Foley. Hard to imagine something of that size just slipping past the chairman.” 02.Oct.2006 Barlett: White House Opposes Independent Probe of Foley Scandal, Praises House Leadership As ‘Very Aggressive’ - Nico - House leadership “knew for months about e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley + a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret + allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children’s issues.” Nevertheless, this morning on ABC, top White House aide Dan Bartlett praised the House leadership’s handling of the Foley scandal as “very aggressive,” + said the White House opposes an independent investigation of the issue. Watch it: Digg It! Full transcript: STEPHANOPOULOS: Number one, was the President aware of any of these allegations. Number two, the Washington Post is calling for an independent investigation. Do you think that’s appropriate? BARTLETT: The president was not aware of this. It is a shocking revelation to see this type of allegation. The members of the House of Representatives, the leadership, appear to be very aggressive in pursuing this investigation + I think that’s the best place is for the leadership to determine the way forward .
02.Oct.2006 Hume Compares Mark Foley To President Clinton - Nico - This morning on Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume compared Mark Foley’s predatory behavior towards underage pages to President Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Hume said that while Foley is now “in total disgrace in his party,” Clinton’s “inappropriate behavior toward a subordinate [didn’t] even cost Bill Clinton his standing in his party.” Watch it: There is zero comparison between Foley’s behavior + Clinton’s. Foley made unwanted advances towards underage boys which one page described as “sick” and reported to authorities. The leadership of Foley’s party covered up his behavior for months. President Clinton had a consensual relationship with an adult. The fact that it was an extramarital affair was virtually unanimously condemned by members of both parties. Digg It! Full transcript: HUME: It is very serious misbehavior on the part of Congressman Foley, whether it stems from arrogance or just weakness of the human flesh is another question. It’s probably worth noting that there’s a difference between the two parties on these issues. Inappropriate behavior towards subordinates didn’t cost Gerry Studds his Democratic seat in Massachussetts, nor Barney Frank his. Nor did inappropriate behavior toward a subordinate even cost Bill Clinton his standing within the Democratic Party, even though indirectly he was impeached for it. Mark Foley found out about this, was found out to have done this + he’s out of office and in total disgrace in his party. WILLIAMS: It took him long enough, don’t you think? HUME: What do you mean? WILLIAMS: Well, gee, they knew about it way back. No action was taken. That’s the question. HUME: What we don’t know — LIASON: Barney Frank was not with a subordinate. We should correct that. We should correct that. WALLACE: Yeah, I think we should point that out. I don’t think Barney Frank was involved with a page. WILLIAMS: Yeah. HUME: It is worth noting that we don’t yet know exactly what they knew and when they knew it. This — obviously, we’ll find out this week. WILLIAMS: Well, it’s an argument among Republicans who have a very different time record here for what Hastert is saying. WALLACE: Alright, guys. You can take it outside afterwards.
02.Oct.2006 Bartlett Blasts Woodward, Claims He ‘Formulated Some Conclusions’ Before He Began New Book - Think Progress - In 2004, Bob Woodward wrote a book, Plan of Attack, that was largely positive about the Bush administration. White House Counselor Dan Bartlett and other top officials were singing Bob Woodward’s praises: CONDOLEEZZA RICE: He is terrific. He’s a great journalist + I look forward to reading it. He’s talking about a pretty complex set of discussions about military issues + diplomatic issues + I’m sure it will be — be fantastic. [CNN, 4/25/04] DAN BARTLETT: I think Bob Woodward has done a pretty — particularly good job of describing how complicated of a process it is for a commander in chief to do two real important but sometimes conflicting responsibilities. [CNN, 4/25/04] BARTLETT: We’re urging people to buy the book. What this book does is show a president who was asking the right questions and showing prudence as well as resolve during very difficult times. This book undermines a lot of the critics’ charges. [Washington Post, 4/21/04] JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: But what is most striking is that, here at the White House, they say read the book. They believe it shows — it paints the picture of a president who asks the right questions, the tough questions , before going to war and then decided that he was right in launching that war. [CNN, 4/19/04] Woodward has a new book, State of Denial, that is critical of the Bush administration. In particular, it alleges that President Bush and other top officials are misleading the public about Iraq. Now, Bartlett claims that Woodward had “formulated some conclusions before the interviewing began.” Watch it: Transcript: STEPHANOPOULOS: Now, in 2004, Bob Woodward wrote a book, Plan of Attack. You went out publicly, urged people to go buy it and read it. I take it you’re not going to do that with State of Denial? BARTLETT: Well, George, it is a book that we participated at various levels within the administration, both in the White House + other parts of the administration, Department of Defense and State. But I must say, George, I think as we worked with Bob on this project from the very outset, it was unfortunate that we felt he had already formulated some conclusions even before the interviewing began. STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s a pretty stiff charge. You’re saying he is a biased reporter on this? BARTLETT: Well, we’ve had a lot of experience with Bob + I think — in the first two books, as you did mention — and what we found in those books is that he came in very much with an open mind, very much wanting the facts to lead him to a conclusion. And after reading this book over the weekend, I was really struck by the fact that the central thesis of this book, the claim that the president was in a state of denial, that he was misleading the American people about what was happening in Iraq, quite frankly, is not backed up with the own facts that are in the book. STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to get there in one second, but before we get there — because you’re making a pretty, pretty serious charge here. You’re saying that Bob Woodward, been around Washington for an awful long time, went into this with an agenda and basically wasn’t an honest reporter.
02.Oct.2006 Pentagons ?Blutgrenzen? in Nahost (Teil 1) - Proteste gegen US-Pläne für Neuordnung... - sfux Malte Olschewski - Das Pentagon verrät der Welt ein ?schmutziges Geheimnis aus 5000 Jahren Geschichte?: Dass nämlich ethnische Säuberung funktioniert. Wörtlich schreibt der US-Militärtheoretiker Ralph Peters in seiner Grenzfantasie im ?Armed Forces Journal?: ?Oh + one other dirty secret from 5000 years of history: Ethnic cleansing works.? Seit Amtsantritt von Präsident Bush...
02.Oct.2006 k-notes - sfux Lukas Vogelsang - Was für ein September. Der Herbst zieht gerade seine schönsten Kreise. Gut so, denn wir brauchen viel Kraft für den Winter. Manchmal vergessen wir, dass noch vor 150 Jahren die Schweiz eines der ärmsten Länder in Europa gewesen ist. Es waren "AusländerInnen", die uns die Industrie aufgebaut haben, nicht wir. Wir haben sie danach zum Teufel gejagt und das Bankengeheimnis eingeführt, um den erworbenen...
02.Oct.2006 Steroids 'kill off brain cells' Using steroids to build bulging muscles can also trigger "catastrophic" loss of brain cells, research suggests.
02.Oct.2006 Gene found that helps combat MS A gene that helps to stave off the effects of multiple sclerosis has been discovered by scientists.
02.Oct.2006 Cold 'only a fingertip away' Many everyday objects touched by dirty hands are harbouring and spreading the common cold virus, say scientists.
02.Oct.2006 Fears over delay to flu vaccines The elderly and those with chronic conditions may be put at risk because of delays in delivering flu jabs, GPs say.
02.Oct.2006 Early Alzheimer's signs detected A new analysis may help detect the earliest signs of cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease.
02.Oct.2006 US sex e-mail scandal deepens Key US officials call for a full probe into sexually suggestive e-mails former Congressman Mark Foley sent to aides.
02.Oct.2006 Arms traders 'beat embargoes' The lack of a legal framework for the global arms trade is allowing weapons to reach states under embargo, a report says.
02.Oct.2006 Al-Qaeda HQ 'based in Pakistan' A 2005 letter found after the death of al-Qaeda's chief in Iraq says its leaders were in Pakistan, a US paper reports.
02.Oct.2006 Gaming firms face US pressure Shares in online gaming firms tumble after the US Congress passes a bill cracking down on internet gambling.
02.Oct.2006 Brazil set for election run-off Brazil's presidential election is to go to a second round after incumbent Lula misses out on outright victory.
02.Oct.2006 NZ rules out new Greenpeace probe New Zealand is unlikely to act over claims linking the 1985 Rainbow Warrior sinking to a French presidential hopeful.
02.Oct.2006 Victory for Austrian opposition Austria's opposition Social Democrats win a surprise poll victory, defeating Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel.
02.Oct.2006 Q&A: EU passenger data row Why EU-US talks on renewing a deal on the transfer of air passenger data collapsed.
02.Oct.2006 Pakistan to be given bomb evidence Pakistan will be given evidence that its spy agency was behind the train blasts in Mumbai, India says.
02.Oct.2006 Cloning without stem cells works Scientists prove stem cells are not necessary for cloning and find other cells may even be better candidates.
02.Oct.2006 How To: Dismantle?an A-Bomb Not that you'd ever need to do it, but if you had to disarm an atomic bomb, wouldn't you like to be prepared? By Patrick Di Justo from Wired magazine.
02.Oct.2006 Anthrax Dispute, Bioshield Woes
A government program designed to build a national stockpile of biodefense drugs after the 2001 anthrax attacks has a bad reputation among drug companies. Pharmas and the feds trade blame.
02.Oct.2006 Time to Buy Brazilian Biofuel Our South American neighbor expands its production of ethanol and biodiesel. Partnering with Brazil would benefit the economy of a democracy and clean our skies. In Autopia.
02.Oct.2006 A building lighted by cosmic rays Blog: A new commercial building in Japan has taken a leap past solar-powered lighting: It's harnessing cosmic rays.Pink Tentacle reports...
02.Oct.2006 Photos: With solar energy, it's silicon vs. CIGS As demand for alternative energy grows, so does the debate over what material is best for solar panels.
02.Oct.2006 U.S. loosens control over Net oversight body Experts called the move by the Commerce Department a big step toward private-sector control.
The New York Times 02.Oct.2006 Globalization Decimating US I.T. Jobs - kdawson 352 - mrraven writes, "According to Ronald Reagan's former deputy secretary of the treasury in this article in Counterpunch, globalization is destroying US I.T. jobs. From the article: 'During the past five years (January 01 – January 06), the information sector of the US economy lost 644,000 jobs, or 17.4 % of its work force. Computer systems design and related work lost 105,000 jobs, or 8.5 % of its work force. Clearly, jobs offshoring is not creating jobs in computers and information technology.'" Paul Craig Roberts quotes a number of formerly pro-globalization economists who are now seeing the light of the harrowing of the US middle class. It's not limited to I.T. Roberts quotes one recanting economist, Alan Blinder, as saying that 42–56 million American service-sector jobs are susceptible to offshoring.
02.Oct.2006 Will the Next Election Be Hacked? - kdawson 549 - plasmacutter writes to let us know about the new article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Rolling Stone, following up on his "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?" (slashdotted here). Kennedy recounts the sorry history of electronic voting so far in this country — and some of the incidents will be new even to this clued-in crowd. (Had you heard about the CERT advisory on an undocumented backdoor account in a Diebold vote-tabulating database — crediting Black Box Voting?) Kennedy's reporting is bolstered by the accounts of a Diebold insider who has gone on record with his concerns. From the article: 'Chris Hood remembers the day in August 2002 that he began to question what was really going on in Georgia... "It was an unauthorized patch + they were trying to keep it secret from the state," Hood told me. "We were told not to talk to county personnel about it. I received instructions directly from [president of Diebold election unit Bob] Urosevich...' According to Hood, Diebold employees altered software in some 5,000 machines in DeKalb and Fulton counties, the state's largest Democratic strongholds. The tally in Georgia that November surprised even the most seasoned political observers. (Hint: Republicans won.)
02.Oct.2006 US–EU Flight Talks Collapse - kdawson 311 - fantomas writes, "The BBC is reporting that the current US-EU talks over data collected from people flying to the USA collapsed last night. US Customs and Border Protection is insisting on access to the airlines' records and 34 pieces of data to be collected from each passenger. This data has been gathered since 2004, but only as a temporary measure. The European Court of Justice threw out the temporary agreement and set a deadline of Sept. 30 to arrive at a new one. Airlines that refuse to hand over information to US authorities may be fined up to $6,000 per passenger + the passengers themselves held up in immigration for hours. Good for the EU on protecting the privacy of their citizens? Or are they hindering the War on Terror?" An EU official said that the EU wanted to give away less data, while the US wanted more.
02.Oct.2006 Soft Tissue Discovered In T-Rex Bone - kdawson 276 - kubla2000 writes, "Paleontologists have discovered soft tissue inside the fossilized thigh bone of a T-Rex. The tissue included blood vessels, bone cells + perhaps even blood cells." From the article: "When paleontologists find fossilized dinosaur bones during a dig, they usually do everything in their power to protect them, using tools like toothbrushes to carefully unearth the bones without inflicting any damage. However, when scientists found a massive Tyrannosaurus rex thigh bone in a remote region of Montana a few months ago, they were forced to break the bone in two in order to fit it into the transport helicopter. This act of necessity revealed a startling surprise: soft tissue that had seemingly resisted fossilization still existed inside the bone. This tissue... was so well preserved that it was still stretchy and flexible."
02.Oct.2006 Administration Ignored Bin Laden Intel - CmdrTaco 630 - gettin-bored noted a nice article running in very high priority on the Washington Post, right up there on page 17 of the print edition, where it's revealed that the CIA Director warned Rice about Bin Laden two months before 9/11. And strangely, the meeting was never mentioned during all the 9/11 commission reports making you really question what exactly they were actually hearing that was more important than the CIA director telling the National Security Advisor that Bin Laden was going to attack Americans.
02.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ Don't forget that 00.000.1962 the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff made a recommendation to then Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. The plan was called, "Operation Northwoods". It recommended false-flag attacks on U.S. ships, military personnel and civilian targets in order to justify a military response against Cuba. Luckily, McNamara turned it down, but the mere thought that our military leaders would suggest such a course of action should chill all of us, even if it nearly 45 years ago.
Read more about it here: https://tinyurl.com/zoa7k # posted by DrewL : 9:04
02.Oct.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-440347,00.html Die USA sind der "Washington Post" zufolge bei der Verfolgung Osama bin Ladens einen Schritt weiter gekommen. Demnach sind sie im Irak auf Informationen gestoßen, die Hinweise auf den Aufenthaltsort des al-Qaida-Chefs geben. Er soll in Pakistan sein. Allerdings bestehen Zweifel an der Quelle.
02.Oct.2006 US- Regierung: Rumsfeld schließt Rücktritt aus
02.Oct.2006 "Rainbow Warrior": Neuseeland will Affäre um Greenpeace- Schiff nicht neu aufrollen
02.Oct.2006 Börse: Dax hält sich über 6000 Punkten
02.Oct.2006 Ayaan Hirsi Ali in Berlin: "Mohammed wird Liebe bedeuten" 02.Oct.2006 Spionage- Streit: Russland kappt alle Verbindungen nach Georgien
02.Oct.2006 Stillstand auf der Straße: Von Deutschland bis Australien im Stau
02.Oct.2006 Medizin- Nobelpreis: Die Preisträger der letzten 10 Jahre 02.Oct.2006 Schweden: Medizin- Nobelpreis geht an US- Genforscher
02.Oct.2006 Terrorismus: Bericht über neue Hinweise auf Bin Ladens Versteck 02.Oct.2006 Kein Geld für Reisen: Immer mehr Deutsche sparen sich den Urlaub
02.Oct.2006 Iran: Ahmadinedschad will Atomprogramm ausweiten 02.Oct.2006 Verhütung: Mit Pfeil und Hormonen gegen die Koala- Schwemme
02.Oct.2006 Enthüllung: Woodward bezichtigt Bush- Regierung der Lüge
02.Oct.2006 Ungeliebte Satire: Britischer Komiker fliegt aus Weißem Haus
02.Oct.2006 The Republican Leadership Can't Protect Us from Terrorists. The Members of the Republican Leadership are Armchair Warriors with No Combat Experience Who Lose Wars. The Members of the Republican Leadership Can't Protect Our Young People from One of Their Own Congressman Stalking House Pages on the Internet. They are a Threat to Our Security and The Safety of Our Children. 02.Oct.2006 Members of the Sept. 11 commission said today that they were alarmed that they were told nothing about a White House meeting in July 2001 at which George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, warned Condoleezza Rice about an imminent Al Qaeda attack
"Watch out for Foley"...in 2001 !? 10/2 02.Oct.2006 "State of Denial": The BuzzFlash Review of a Book We Haven't Been Able to Read Yet. We Wouldn't Dare Offer Woodward's First Two Bush Books, But We Are Offering This One. Buy "State of Denial" from the Buzz and Do Some Good! Buy Progressive and Make a Difference.
Watch "9/11: Press for Truth." All They've Told Us are Lies. Available from BuzzFlash.com. Buy Progressive and Make a Difference!
GOP's Rep. John Shimkus let Foley spend "a lot of time" with pages he "cruised" around with 10/2 02.Oct.2006 Brent Budowksy -- Independent Investigation Needed: Did Congressional Republicans Cover Up Page Abuse Scandal?
House Speaker asks Justice Department to probe Foley letters 10/2 02.Oct.2006 Elliot D. Cohen: Bush's Chilling New Definition of "Unlawful Enemy Combatant"
MSNBC: Turns out Powell was fired 10/2
02.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ On the vote front... Although I consider USA Today mediocre, I have always scoffed at the proposition that this periodical functions as nothing more than a propaganda organ. You hear that accusation often from the 9/11 Turthiness types, because eyewtnesses to the Pentagon crash included many USA Today employees.
The paper employs at least one top-flight writer: Andrew Kantor. Yesterday, he came out with a blistering attack on our unfavorite election machine company, Diebold: And as for election and elected officials who insist that there is no danger in using Diebold machines, here's an important question: What will it take to convince them that these machines are not safe?
And I mean that. There has to be some threshold of evidence that will cause them to de-certify these machines. What is it? Does the San Diego Chicken have to be elected governor before you admit there's something wrong? Permalink
02.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ The comment about the put options scares the bejesus out of me, any way to verify? The links didn't work for me, maybe it is a hoax-worth verifying for certain!
# posted by Anonymous : 12:50 PM Go here for more complete URL's. Sorry. # posted by sunny
02.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ Posted at RI forum by MASONIC PLOT:
Saturday, September 30, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com
A faithfull reader and commentator, "A. Magnus" has written the following email, posted to FMNN General Feedback:
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Ditto for the S&P Depository Receipts (SPY):
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And the NASDAQ (QQQQ):
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Even the Market Vectors Gold Miners has significant puts for October 6th:
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Make no mistake - something wicked this way comes + the smart money has already taken preventative steps." # posted by sunny : 10:43 AM
02.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ "Remember the Eisenhower!" A "strike group" led by the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower is heading to the Persian Gulf today. Many observers presume that Bush plans to hit Iran. I think the strategy could be more devious.
As noted in earlier posts, the Iranians possess a new class of cruise missiles which can easily destroy any ship in the Gulf. I believe that the neocons are placing the Eisnhower in harm's way precisely because they know that sunken ships justify wars. Any number of covert tactics (faked signals intelligence, bogus information fed to Iranian agents) could lead the Iranians to believe that they are under attack and must hit first or be hit.
Would the necons sacrifice an aircraft carrier to get their war? In my opinion, yes .
Not only will that oil-rich nation be reduced to nuclear rubble, neocon ideology will experience a resurgence within the U.S. -- where the law now allows Bush to kidnap and torture all progressive activists and writers. Alas, the distraction of the pageboy scandal will keep most progressives from seeing the real danger.
The strike group includes a submarine, probably equipped with nuclear missiles, which will handle the response after the Eisenhower goes down. That's an apt name for the sacrificial ship: The general who led our crusade against Hitler represented a form of responsible Republicanism which the neocons have murdered.
If this prediction proves wrong -- well, thank god. That'll be the most satsifying plate of crow anyone ever ate. Permalink
02.Oct.2006 https://www.prprofits.com/24/publicity1195.html
Bernays, Edward L. impact -public relations in America- ... that in a democratic society the masses were getting too much power? ...
02.Oct.2006 Gabriel Kolko: Bankers Fear World Economic Meltdown America's Best Political Newsletter. ... Maher Osseiran . Beirut, 1982. Paul Craig Roberts. Israel's Criminal Accomplice. Patrick Cockburn ... www.counterpunch.org/kolko07262006.html
02.Oct.2006 Wahlnacht in Österreich: Die Sozialisten im Freudenrausch
02.Oct.2006 Kommunalwahl in Ungarn: Konservative mit massiven Gewinnen
02.Oct.2006 Gaza: Feuergefechte zwischen Hamas und Fatah 02.Oct.2006 20:40) Niederlage für Kanzler Schüssel: Österreichs Sozialdemokraten bejubeln ihren Wahlsieg
02.Oct.2006 Überraschender Wahlausgang: Sozialdemokraten gewinnen in Österreich
01.Oct.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-440249,00.html Inzwischen aber prangern die Demokraten die Versäumnisse im Irak offensiv an - da kommt das Woodward-Buch gerade recht. Der Senator Carl Levin und die Fraktionschefin der Demokraten im Repräsentantenhaus, Nancy Pelosi, warfen Bush am Freitag vor, er "erkenne die Realität nicht". Der Senator Charles Schumer zeigte sich genüsslich neben einem Plakat, auf dem ein Zitat aus dem dem Woodward-Buch abgedruckt war: "Ich finde er hat einen guten Job gemacht", stand da - laut Woodwards Recherchen lobte Bush mit diesen Worten die Arbeit des unbeliebten Verteidungsministers Rumsfeld.
01.Oct.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-440249,00.html
Bush selbst nutzte seine wöchentliche Radioansprache, um seine Kritiker anzugreifen. Es stimme nicht, sagt er, dass der Krieg im Irak das Risiko von Terror-Angriffen auf die USA gesteigert habe. Wer so etwas behaupte, mache sich "Feindespropaganda" zu eigen.
01.Oct.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-440249,00.html
Der Ton ist bitter geworden.
01.Oct.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-440249,00.html Woodward wirft dem Weißen Haus darin vor, das Ausmaß des Widerstandes gegen die US-Truppen im Irak geheim gehalten zu haben. "Es gibt öffentliche Informationen darüber und nicht öffentliche", sagte der leitende "Washington Post"-Redakteur zu CBS. "Was haben sie (die Regierung) mit der nicht öffentlichen gemacht? Sie haben sie als 'geheim' klassifiziert. Niemand soll davon wissen." "Enormer Unterschied" zwischen internem Berichten und öffentlichen Reden Zugleich veröffentlichte Woodward in der "Washington Post" vom Sonntag eine Art Destillat seiner Recherche-Ergebnisse. Der Titel des umfangreichen Artikels: "Geheimberichte widersprechen dem Optimismus des Weißen Hauses". Woodward zeichnet darin detailreich nach, dass interne Memoranden der Bush-Regierung die Sicherheitslage im Irak sehr viel kritischer darstellten als Bush bei öffentlichen Auftritten. So zitiert Woodward aus einem geheimen Bericht, den die Stabschefs der US-Armee am 24. Mai 2006 dem Weißen Haus zukommen ließen. Darin heißt es, das Problem dauernder Terror-Anschläge und Angriffe auf die US-Truppen im Irak könne sich im Jahr 2007 weiter vergrößern. "Aufständische und Terroristen haben die Ressourcen und die Fähigkeit erhalten, die Intensität der Gewalt im kommenden Jahr aufrechtzuerhalten und sogar zu steigern." AP Buchautor und "Watergate"-Enthüller Woodward: "Niemand soll davon wissen" Nur zwei Tage zuvor hatte Bush die Lage bei einem Auftritt in Chicago die Lage um ein Vielfaches positiver dargestellt: "In kommenden Jahren wird man die Gründung einer Einheitsregierung im Irak als entscheidenden Augenblick in der Geschichte der Freiheit sehen", sagte der Präsident. Bush sprach von einem historischen Moment, "in dem die Kräfte des Terrors ihren langen Rückzug begannen". Woodward folgert: "Es gab einen enormen Unterschied zwischen dem, was das Weiße Haus und das Pentagon über die Lage im Irak wussten und dem, was sie öffentlich sagten."
01.Oct.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-440249,00.html
Über Woodwards vorherige Bücher "Bush at War" (2002) und "Plan of Attack" (2004) hatten Gegner und Neider noch gespöttelt, sie stellten die Regierung in einem positiven Licht dar. Diesen Vorwurf macht Woodward nun niemand mehr. Die Sprengkraft des Buches, das just fünf Wochen vor den Kongresswahlen erscheint, ist nicht zu unterschätzen. "Präsident Bush steht vor einem der härtesten Kämpfe seiner politische Karriere", kommentiert das britische Blatt "The Observer". Im Kern geht es um die Frage: Haben Bush, sein Vizepräsident Dick Cheney und andere Mitglieder der Regierung die US-Bevölkerung wissentlich über die angespannte Lage im Irak hinweg getäuscht, haben sie die Stärke der Terroristen heruntergespielt? Hat Bush gelogen?
01.Oct.2006 Hakenkreuz- Urteil: Zypries erwägt Gesetzesänderung 01.Oct.2006 Hirsi Ali in Kassel: "Immer mehr Frauen verhüllen sich wie Eulen"
01.Oct.2006 Hochrechnungen: Kanzler- Partei in Österreich verliert deutlich
01.Oct.2006 "Xangsane": Tropensturm verwüstet Vietnams Küste
01.Oct.2006 Spionage- Vorwürfe: Putin wirft Georgien Staatsterrorismus vor
01.Oct.2006 Geruchs- Design: Unbemerkt mit Düften verführt 01.Oct.2006 "Irak- Lügen"- Debatte: Woodward- Buch bringt Bush in Bedrängnis
01.Oct.2006 Kampf dem Benzinwucher: Glos erwägt niedrigere Mineralölsteuer
01.Oct.2006 Nazi als tierqueler entanrnt ! - Der Schein Neo-Nazi als Tierquäler enttarnt, wie krank der braune Rand wirklich ist!!
01.Oct.2006 In 2005, - Amanda - two senior national security officials pressed the administration to get congressional approval for its terrorist detention policies. But their memo was rejected and “so angered Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that his aides gathered up copies of the document and had at least some of them shredded.”
01.Oct.2006 The Foley Coverup Timeline - Think Progress - On Friday, Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned from Congress, after ABC News published inappropriate emails and sexually explicit instant messages that Foley sent to underage boys. Subsequently, it’s become clear that Congressional leadership “knew for months about e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children’s issues.” Here is a timeline of the coverup, based on published reports: 2003 — Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) has sexually explicit IM exchanges with an underage boy who worked as a Congressional page. [ABC News, 9/29/06] 2005 — Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) sends inappropriate emails to another former Congressional page. [CREW] SEPTEMBER 2005 — Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), who sponsored the page, learns “of the e-mails from a reporter.” [AP, 9/29/06; CQ, 9/30/06] FALL 2005 — “Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the [Speaker J. Denis Hastert’s] Office, received a telephone call from Congressman Rodney Alexander’s Chief of Staff who indicated that he had an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House page…[Mike] Stokke [Deputy Chief of Staff for Speaker Hastert] called the Clerk and asked him to come to the Speaker’s Office so that he could put him together with Congressman Alexander’s Chief of Staff.” [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06] LATE 2005 — Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), Chairman of the House Page Board, “was notified by the then Clerk of the House, who manages the Page Program, that he had been told by Congressman Rodney Alexander (R-LA) about an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House Page.” Shimkus interviewed Foley and told him “to cease all contact with this former house page.” He did not inform Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), the only Democrat on the House page Board. [Roll Call, 9/29/06] FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006 — Alexander tells NRCC chairman Tom Reynolds about “the existence of e-mails between Mark Foley and a former page of Mr. Alexander’s.” Reynolds tells Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) about the emails and his conversation with Alexander. [Reynolds Statement, 9/30/06; Roll Call, 9/30/06; Hastert Statement, 9/30/06] SPRING 2006 — House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) learns of “inappropriate ‘contact’ between Foley and a 16-year-old page.” After leaning about Foley’s conduct, Boehner told Speaker of the House J. Denis Hastert who assured Boehner he would “take care of it.” Later, Boehner changed his story and told the Washington Post he didn’t remember whether he talked to Hastert. [Washington Post, 9/30/06; New York Times, 10/1/06] JULY 27, 2006 — Foley, still co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus, attends a signing ceremony at the White House for the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. [White House, 9/27/06; Talkingpointsmemo, 9/30/06; Washington Post, 10/1/06] SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 — ABC publishes emails between Foley and former page. [ABC, 9/28/06] SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 — Foley resigns. [ABC, 9/29/06] SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 — ABC publishes sexually explict Instant Messages between Foley and several former pages. [ABC, 9/29/06] SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 — “Aides to the speaker [Hastert] say he was not aware until last week of inappropriate behavior by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., who resigned on Friday after portions of racy e-mail exchanges between him and current and former underage congressional pages became public.” [Chicago Tribune, 9/30/06] SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 — Hastert admits he was told about the emails by Reynolds in the spring. [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06] This is a rapidly developing story. Let us know what we missed in the comments section. Digg It!
01.Oct.2006 President Bush fired Colin Powell. - Nico - “On Wednesday, November 10, 2004, eight days after the president he served was elected to a second term, Secretary of State Colin Powell received a telephone call from the White House at his State Department office. The caller was not President Bush but Chief of Staff Andrew Card + he got right to the point. ‘The president would like to make a change,’ Card said, using a time-honored formulation that avoided the words ‘resign’ or ‘fire.’ … Bush wanted Powell’s resignation letter dated two days hence, on Friday, November 12, Card said, although the White House expected him to stay at the State Department until his successor was confirmed by the Senate.”
01.Oct.2006 Thailand prime minister sworn in General Surayud Chulanont is sworn in as Thailand's interim prime minister, vowing to focus on "people's happiness".
01.Oct.2006 Brazil votes in presidential poll Brazilians are voting in presidential elections with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeking a second term in office.
01.Oct.2006 Al-Qaeda fugitive killed in Yemen Yemeni security forces kill a convicted al-Qaeda fugitive who escaped from jail earlier this year, officials say.
01.Oct.2006 SA crime 'deters foreign firms' South Africa's high levels of crime are continuing to deter foreign investors, a business group warns.
01.Oct.2006 EU-US airline data talks collapse Talks on sharing airline passenger data between the US and EU states have broken down, the EU says.
01.Oct.2006 Austria votes in general election Austrians go to the polls for what is expected to be one of the country's closest-run election in decades.
01.Oct.2006 Hungary votes amid PM lies anger Hungarians vote in local polls two weeks after protests over the prime minister's admission that he lied.
01.Oct.2006 Pakistan 'role in Mumbai attacks' Pakistan's intelligence agency helped to plan the Mumbai train attacks which killed 186 people, Indian police say.
01.Oct.2006 German minister bullish on growth Germany's economy minister gives an upbeat assessment of the economy, forecasting growth of up 2.5%.
01.Oct.2006 Delving deep into Britain's past Scientists are to begin work on the second phase of a project aimed at piecing together the history of human colonisation in Britain.
01.Oct.2006 The Third-Party Patching Conundrum - kdawson 8 -
- "The Zero Day Emergency Response Team, or ZERT, stepped out of the shadows a week ago to offer a quick patch for the Microsoft VML vulnerability. eWeek reports that reactions to third-party patches have been mixed. Jesper Johansson, a former Microsoft security consultant, said 'I will not use the unofficial patch, nor can I think of anyone I would recommend it to.' ZERT has enrolled former White House IT security expert Marcus Sachs as a spokesman of sorts. He told eWeek, 'This patch is just another arrow in the quiver. These guys are some of the best-known reverse engineers and security researchers. It's a tight-knit group that has worked for years to make the Internet a safer place. This isn't a patch created by some guy in a basement.' And while MS did release an out-of-band patch this week for XP, ZERT releases updates for operating systems that are out of MS support: Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 SP3."
01.Oct.2006 Television For an Audience 45 Light Years Away - kdawson 82 - beebopdebop writes, "The Irish Times notes that Europe goes intergalactic tonight with the broadcast of a program conceived for aliens and broadcast towards a point 45 light years away in the direction of the Big Dipper. The two naked hosts will present their own unclothed bodies as examples of our physical embodiments + will tell about daily human existence. Music, art + our own personal messages will be transmitted as well as discussions from sociologists, scientists + space experts. This project is the brainchild of the French-based Centre National D'etudes Spatiales and is rooted in seriousness as a natural extension of the gold-plated ambassador disks of Pioneer 10. Those of us wishing to be included can still post messages to be sent into space via a CNES antenna. We will have to wait 90 years to learn whether or not some lifeform was listening."
01.Oct.2006 Computer Analysis Sets NASA History Straight - kdawson 224 - Ellis D. Tripp writes, "A computer analysis has upheld Neil Armstrong's version of the first words spoken on the lunar surface. The word 'a' was dropped due to a communications glitch + Armstrong has been accused of flubbing his words since the historic 1969 landing. The corrected statement was 'That's one small step for *A* man, One giant leap for mankind.'"
01.Oct.2006 Google Denies Data In Brazil Orkut Case - kdawson 144 - mikesd81 writes, "The AP reports that Google filed a motion in response to a Brazilian judge's deadline to turn over information on users of the company's social networking service Orkut. An earlier AP story gives the background: 'On 22.Aug.2006 Federal Judge Jose Marcos Lunardelli gave Google's Brazilian affiliate until 28.Sep.2006 to release information needed to identify individuals accused of using Orkut to spread child pornography and engage in hate speech against blacks, Jews and homosexuals. Google claims that its Brazilian affiliate cannot provide the information because all the data about Orkut users is stored outside Brazil at the company's U.S.-based headquarters. Google maintains that it is open to requests for information from foreign governments as long as the requests comply with U.S. laws and that they are issued within the country where the information is stored.'" Eight million Brazilians, about a quarter of the country's Internet-using population, are members of Orkut.
01.Oct.2006 New Data Transmission Record — 14 Tbps - kdawson 167 - deejne writes to alert us to a new bandwidth record: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone has announced data transmission at a rate of 14 terabits per second over a single optical fiber. The paper claims the previous record was "about 10 Tbps." In the new experiment, NTT sent data over 160 kilometers (nearly 100 miles) of optical fiber, in 140 channels of 111 Gbps each.
01.Oct.2006 The Physics of a Good Store Location - kdawson 60 - Roland Piquepaille writes, "In 'Atomic Physics Predicts Successful Store Location,' LiveScience reports that a French physicist has applied methods used to study atomic interactions for another task: to 'help business owners find the best places to locate their stores.' Pablo Jensen has used his method for the city of Lyon and is now developing software with the local Chamber of Commerce to help future business owners. Read more for additional references and maps of the city of Lyon showing for example the best locations to open a bakery, according to atomic physics." Jensen says that more research is needed to know if this method would work in other cities.
01.Oct.2006 How Steve Jobs Got Green Overnight - CowboyNeal 167 - Francois writes "At Apple's last special event, Steve Jobs insisted on how environment friendly Apple's new iPod packagings are supposed to be. I don't think he's ever gone that route before. 'We've got some new packagings for the new Nano as well. And it's 52% less volume. This turns out to be an environmentally great thing. Because it dramatically reduces the amount of fossil fuels we have to spend to move these things around the planet.' Not only is it obvious they shrank the packaging to reduce the cost of shipping around the planet + sell lower than the Zune, but furthermore: there's a reason why he insisted that much + it's not so very nice."
01.Oct.2006 NY Times: "Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret."
01.Oct.2006 Newsweek has a lengthy excerpt from Bob Woodward's new book on the war in Iraq.
01.Oct.2006 Michael Markman: "History asks, 'Where were the good Germans?' I don't want future history to ask, 'Where were the good Americans?'"
01.Oct.2006 Bush Officials May Have Covered Up Rice-Tenet Meeting From 9/11 Commission - Guest - [Our guest blogger, Peter Rundlet, was a Counsel to the 9/11 Commission.] Most of the world has now seen the infamous picture of President Bush tending to his ranch on 06.Aug.2001 -the day he received the ultra-classified Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) that included a report entitled “Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US.” And most Americans have also heard of the so-called “Phoenix Memo” that an FBI agent in Phoenix sent to FBI headquarters on 10.Jul.2001 which advised of the “possibility of a coordinated effort” by bin Laden to send students to the USA to attend civil aviation schools. As a Counsel to the 9/11 Commission, I became very familiar with both the PDB and the Phoenix Memo, as well as the tragic consequences of the failure to detect and stop the plot. A mixture of shock, anger + sadness overcame me when I read about revelations in Bob Woodward’s new book about a special surprise visit that George Tenet + his counterterrorism chief Cofer Black made to Condi Rice, also on 10.Jul.2001 : They went over top-secret intelligence pointing to an impending attack and “sounded the loudest warning” to the White House of a likely attack on the U.S. by Bin Laden. Woodward writes that Rice was polite, but, “They felt the brushoff.” If true, it is shocking that the administration failed to heed such an overwhelming alert from the two officials in the best position to know. Many, many questions need to be asked and answered about this revelation — questions that the 9/11 Commission would have asked, had the Commission been told about this significant meeting. Suspiciously, the Commissioners and the staff investigating the administration’s actions prior to 9/11 were never informed of the meeting. As Commissioner Jamie Gorelick pointed out, “We didn’t know about the meeting itself. I can assure you it would have been in our report if we had known to ask about it.” The Commission interviewed Condoleezza Rice privately and during public testimony; it interviewed George Tenet three times privately and during public testimony; and Cofer Black was also interviewed privately and publicly. All of them were obligated to tell the truth. Apparently, none of them described this meeting, the purpose of which clearly was central to the Commission’s investigation. Moreover, document requests to both the White House and to the CIA should have revealed the fact that this meeting took place. Now, more than two years after the release of the Commission’s report, we learn of this meeting from Bob Woodward. Was it covered up? It is hard to come to a different conclusion. If one could suspend disbelief to accept that all three officials forgot about the meeting when they were interviewed, then one possibility is that the memory of one of them was later jogged by notes or documents that describe the meeting. If such documents exist, the 9/11 Commission should have seen them. According to Woodward’s book, Cofer Black exonerates them all this way: “Though the investigators had access to all the paperwork about the meeting, Black felt there were things the commissions wanted to know about and things they didn’t want to know about.” The notion that both the 9/11 Commission and the Congressional Joint Inquiry that investigated the intelligence prior to 9/11 did not want to know about such essential information is simply absurd. At a minimum, the withholding of information about this meeting is an outrage. Very possibly, someone committed a crime. And worst of all, they failed to stop the plot. – Peter Rundlet Bush_Officials_May_Have_Covered_Up_Rice_Tenet_Meeting_From_9_11_Commission">Digg It!
01.Oct.2006 Rep. Reynolds confirms: Hastert knew. - Nico - Roll Call reports that Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY) issued a statement today in which he said that he informed Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) in early 2006 of allegations of improper contacts between then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and at least one former male page. “Hastert’s response to Reynolds’ warning remains unclear. Hastert’s staff insisted Friday night that he was not told of the Foley allegations and are scrambling to respond to Reynolds’ statement.”
01.Oct.2006 September 30, 2006 — ‘State of Denial’ Edition - Think Progress - Woodward quotes Iraq war commander Gen. John Abizaid telling two retired generals in 2005, “ We’ve got to get the [expletive] out. ” In March 2006, Abizaid visited Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and “indicated he wanted to speak frankly. According to Murtha, Abizaid raised his hand for emphasis, held his thumb and forefinger a quarter of an inch from each other and said, ‘We’re that far apart.’” In February 2005, two weeks after Condi Rice became secretary of state, her top aide Phillip Zelikow “presented her with a 15-page, single-spaced secret memo” summing up his fact-finding trip to Iraq. “At this point Iraq remains a failed state shadowed by constant violence and undergoing revolutionary political change,” Zelikow wrote. Woodward writes, in those moments “where Bush had someone from the field there in the chair beside him [in the Oval Office], he did not press, did not try to open the door himself and ask what the visitor had seen and thought. The whole atmosphere too often resembled a royal court, with Cheney and Rice in attendance , some upbeat stories, exaggerated good news and a good time had by all.” In a seven-page memo in July 2004, a “longtime friend” of Donald Rumsfeld, Steve Herbits, described Rumsfeld’s “style of operation” : “Indecisive, contrary to popular image. Would not accept that some people in some areas were smarter than he. . . . Trusts very few people. Very, very cautious. Rubber glove syndrome — a tendency not to leave his fingerprints on decisions.” “Woodward said he pushed repeatedly to interview Bush ,” Howie Kurtz writes. “But White House counselor Dan Bartlett and national security adviser Stephen Hadley, after a period of cooperation, told him an interview was unlikely and then stopped returning his calls,” which Woodward attributes “to Bush’s declining popularity.”
01.Oct.2006 White House Falsely Claimed Rove Only Had A ‘Casual Relationship’ With Abramoff - Faiz - A House Government Reform Committee report documents at least 82 contacts between Karl Rove’s office and Jack Abramoff’s lobbying team. The Committee describes at least ten “direct contacts” between Abramoff and Rove, seven of which were instances of lobbying. And yet, Karl Rove told Scott McClellan that his relationship with Abramoff was “more of a casual relationship” than a business one. MCCLELLAN: Yes [Rove] knows Mr. Abramoff. They are both former heads of the College Republicans. That’s how they got to know each other way back — I think it was in the early ’80s. And my understanding is that Karl would describe it as more of a casual relationship than a business relationship. That’s what he has said. [White House Press Briefing, 1/17/06] But excerpts from the House report indicate that there was an extensive business relationship between Rove and Abramoff: On March 6, 2001, Abramoff wrote in an e-mail to Dennis Stephens that he had a “great meeting” with Karl Rove to discuss an appointment to the Department of Interior. (p. 33) On April 5, 2002, Abramoff sent an e-mail to his assistant asking the assistant to add to his schedule “a Karl Rove/SagChip breakfast on the 16th at 8 am. Location tbd.” According to the documents, this was an event with Karl Rove and “tribal representatives and leaders” from the Saginaw Chippewa tribe. (p. 37) In one e-mail to a client, Abramoff expressed the view that Rove did not want to be perceived publicly as taking actions that benefited Abramoff. … “It gives me a lot of cover, which is one of the things Karl was worried about. It does not benefit them to be doing stuff on this publicly for me, as you can imagine + he was really worried that we would cause a NYT like piece.” (p. 38)
01.Oct.2006 Russia suspends Georgia pullout Russia suspends the withdrawal of its forces from Georgia, as tensions between the two countries escalate.
01.Oct.2006 Kurdish rebels 'announce truce' The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) declares a unilateral ceasefire with Turkey, a pro-Kurdish news agency says.
01.Oct.2006 France urges immigration curbs French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy urges tough, EU-wide rules on dealing with illegal immigration.
01.Oct.2006 Hurricane Research: Get It On The National Science Board urges the feds to bolster efforts to understand hurricanes. Despite huge storm-related losses, NOAA staffing is down 30 percent and the focus is on short-term forecasting, according to the report.
01.Oct.2006 Explicit E-Mails, Foley Quits A Florida Republican congressman resigns after a series of raunchy e-mails and instant messages to high-school-age congressional pages was made public. Rep. Mark Foley is the author of legislation to protect children from predatory adults on the internet.
01.Oct.2006 Berlin May Be Hydrogen Hub Some European automakers and energy companies say Berlin is the best place to establish a network of hydrogen filling stations within the next few years. In Autopia.
01.Oct.2006 UNIFIL confronts Israeli troops : U.N. peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon intervened for the first time Thursday with Israeli forces who arrested journalists in violation of Resolution 1701
01.Oct.2006 Ex-Prez Carter: Bush has brought U.S. "international disgrace": Former President Carter is urging northern Nevadans to elect his son, Jack, to the Senate to help combat a Bush administration he says has brought "international disgrace" to the country. 01.Oct.2006 Majority of Baptists Support Bush: The head of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention says an overwhelming majority of Baptists still support President Bush and his handling of the Iraq war.
01.Oct.2006 Nato unable to find Afghanistan reinforcements: NATO yesterday failed to find any volunteers to contribute 2,500 reinforcements that are needed for combat duty in Afghanistan. 01.Oct.2006 Two Months Before 9/11, an Urgent Warning to Rice : Black laid out the case, consisting of communications intercepts and other top-secret intelligence showing the increasing likelihood that al-Qaeda would soon attack the USA 01.Oct.2006 Focus: Chilling message of the 9/11 pilots: A video shows two of the world’s most infamous terrorists joking and laughing while filming their ‘death wills’ at Osama Bin Laden’s lair in Afghanistan. The journalist and author Yosri Fouda explains the terrible significance of the new find 01.Oct.2006 CIA abandoned plan to snatch Bin Laden from Afghan farm : US intelligence knew Bin Laden, already a wanted terrorist, used Tarnak as his base + in spring 1998 the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center began working on a plan to capture him at the compound, partly with the help of Afghan tribal fighters. 01.Oct.2006 Losing a War, Winning a Police State: The New York Times disclosure of an official National Intelligence Estimate, which states that the Iraq invasion has worsened the global terrorist threat, carries an unspoken subtext – that the Bush administration is either woefully ignorant of how to combat terrorism or finds the terrorist threat a useful tool for managing the American public. 01.Oct.2006 Americans should scrutinize government actions, says Zinn: “If you know history – that is, orthodox history – you'd know how many times presidents have lied to the public,” he told the audience that packed the Student Union Ballroom. 01.Oct.2006 Syria threat over Golan puts Israel on war alert :Israel has gone on heightened alert over a possible war with Syria amid reports that President Bashar Assad may be considering military strikes to regain the Golan Heights 01.Oct.2006 Precious clarity: With the roadmap dead in the water, Israel faces its most critical moment of decision ever: opt for lasting peace, or embark on perpetual war 01.Oct.2006 Egypt, Jordan want Hamas gov't toppled: Report: In secret meeting between intelligence heads of moderate Arab states and Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin, Jordan, Egypt and unnamed Gulf state ask Abbas to oppose Hamas premiership 01.Oct.2006 Audio Interview: Jonathan Cook: Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing Operation: An inside look at the ethnic cleansing of Palestine with author and journalist Jonathan Cook 01.Oct.2006 UN says Israel blocked inquiry into fatal bombing of peacekeepers in Lebanon: Israel refused to let UN investigators contact Israeli commanders responsible for the mistaken bombing that killed four unarmed peacekeepers in Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah fighting there in July, a UN official said Friday. 01.Oct.2006 Ben-Eliezer: Israel should kill Nasrallah at first opportunity : Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said on Saturday Israel should assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah when an opportunity arises, but to do so without causing many casualties among bystanders. 01.Oct.2006 Lebanon accuses Israel of stealing Wazzani river water : - Mohammad Ghamlush, the engineer heading the Wazzani river pumping systems, told AFP the Israeli army sabotaged the water pumps on the river last week and installed a pipe to pump hundreds of cubic meters to Israel. 01.Oct.2006 Congress okays joint project funding: The US Congress approved an increase of $460 million in funding for joint Israeli-American defense programs over the weekend, including $20 million for the development of a short-range ballistic missile defense system which will provide protection from Katyusha rockets. 01.Oct.2006 Senate passes Iran sanctions bill : The Senate, with no debate Saturday, passed and sent to the president legislation that would impose mandatory sanctions on entities that provide goods or services for Iran's weapons programs. 01.Oct.2006 Why did the Iranians hate the Shah?: 8 minute video: A Short History Of U.S. / Iranian Relationship 01.Oct.2006 Venezuela's Chavez says assassination attempt against him foiled : President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that an attempt was made to assassinate him recently and that those responsible fled to Colombia. 01.Oct.2006 Stephen Lendman: Diplomatic Jousting Over Venezuela's Bid for UN Security Council Seat Heats Up - : Standing against Venezuela is Guatemala that the US supports despite its decades-long history of oppression and brutality against its majority indigenous people (still ongoing) that killed over 200,000 of them over the past half century. 01.Oct.2006 Ex-Firebrand Ortega on the Comeback Trail: The prospect has stirred deep anxiety in the Bush administration, which envisions him as a new ally for President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela in challenging USA policy. Mr. Chávez has lent his support to Mr. Ortega, while Washington has sent word in no uncertain terms that aid will be re-evaluated if Mr. Ortega is elected. 01.Oct.2006 Mickey Z.: U.S. boots step on a Caribbean flea : Near the end of October, we will mark the twenty-third anniversary of a momentous American victory...a military operation that not only warmed Ronald Raygun's cold, cold heart but was also deemed film-worthy by the former mayor of Carmel, California. Yes, of course, I'm talking about the October 25, 1983 "liberation" of Grenada. 01.Oct.2006 "The Panama Deception" : This film shows how the U.S. attacked Panama and killed 3 or 4 thousand people in an invasion that the rest of the world was against. (Sound familiar?) It won the Academy Award for best documentary. 01.Oct.2006 British-brokered deal has rekindled war : In Darfur's refugee camps, survivors tell of attacks by rebel groups that used to protect them 01.Oct.2006 Uncomfortably Numb to Torture: As America's politicians, media and citizens get used to wartime abuses, Bush's horrific policies get a pass. 01.Oct.2006 Most Democrats Voting For Bush Torture Bill Silent : The 12 Democrats who checked their consciences at the Senate cloakroom and voted in favor of the Bush Administration's torture bill, have almost nothing to say about their votes. In case you haven't seen the roster of who voted with Republicans on this, here they are: 01.Oct.2006 Detainee Bill Shifts Power to President : Rather than reining in the formidable presidential powers Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have asserted since Sept. 11, 2001, the law gives some of those powers a solid statutory foundation. In effect it allows the president to identify enemies, imprison them indefinitely 01.Oct.2006 US Congress gives green light to human rights violations in the 'war on terror' : By passing the Military Commissions Act, the US Congress has given its stamp of approval to human rights violations committed by the USA in the "war on terror" + has turned bad executive policy into bad domestic law. 01.Oct.2006 US violated world's privacy with secret SWIFT checks: The US Treasury's Terrorist Finance Tracking programme had violated the privacy of up to 7,800 international financial institutions in its secret trawl through financial records held by the Belgian firm SWIFT. 09.Sep.2006 Habeas Corpus, R.I.P. (1215 - 2006) By Molly Ivins
I’d like those supporting this evil bill to spare me one affliction: Do not, please, pretend to be shocked by the consequences of this legislation. And do not pretend to be shocked when the world begins comparing us to the Nazis. Continue 01.Oct.2006 “ A Total Rollback Of Everything This Country Has Stood For ” Sen. Patrick Leahy Blasts Congressional Approval of Detainee Bill This is a must listen interview The Senate has agreed to give President Bush extraordinary power to detain and try prisoners in the so-called war on terror. The legislation strips detainees of the right to challenge their own detention and gives the President the power to detain them indefinitely. Click to listen. Audio and transcript 01.Oct.2006 A Personal Declaration of Independence -By William A. Cook
As a citizen of these USA for 70 years, I refuse to be ruled by a tyrant who imposes despotic, autocratic control on the citizens of these USA through a series of clandestine actions that usurp the rights of the people. Continue 01.Oct.2006 The Breaking Point -More than a half trillion dollars in 3 years.-By Mike Whitney -The war is bankrupting the nation while grooming the next generation’s terrorists. This is the very definition of failure. Continue 01.Oct.2006 Bad faith and the destruction of Palestine -By Jonathan Cook
A mistake too often made by those examining Israel’s behaviour in the occupied territories -- or when analysing its treatment of Arabs in general, or interpreting its view of Iran -- is to assume that Israel is acting in good faith. Even its most trenchant critics can fall into this trap. Continue
01.Oct.2006 Kurdish guerrilla group PKK declares cease-fire: A Senior commander in the PKK Kurdish guerrilla group declared a unilateral cease-fire Saturday beginning on Oct. 1, but the group fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey said it would not give up its weapons. 01.Oct.2006 Terrorist Or Freedom Fighter?: If I were an Iraqi, as I am an American, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I never would lay down my arms ! - Never! Never! Never! : Allen L Roland
01.Oct.2006 Does anyone have information regarding Riverbend - Iraqi girl blog: Baghdad Burning: Her blog has not been updated since Aug 5th and many of us who admire her are worried about her safety. If you have information regarding her well being please email me at shoutout@informationclearinghouse.info 01.Oct.2006 Attack On Iran Inevitable - Nuke Use In White House Plan Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner (ret.) says U.S. forces will assassinate Iran's leadership. A Must Watch Interview Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner on the probability of air strikes on Iran and the likely consequences. Click here to view. Real video and windows media. 01.Oct.2006 Secret Reports Dispute White House Optimism-By Bob Woodward
Instead of a "long retreat," the report forecast a more violent 2007: "Insurgents and terrorists retain the resources and capabilities to sustain and even increase current level of violence through the next year." Continue Bush calls for 'world offensive' -By Maxim Kniazkov in Washington
STUNG by criticism, US President George W. Bush has called for fighting America's enemies "across the world" as he stepped up his counter-offensive following charges that his policies were breeding a new generation of Islamic terrorists. Continue 01.Oct.2006 The anatomy of a massacre -A special report by Robert Fisk
Wissam talks slowly but without tears as he describes what happened next. "I lost sight of Myrna. I just couldn't see her any more for the dust flying around. Then the helicopter came back and started firing its guns at the children, at any of them who moved. I ran away behind a tel [a small hill] and lay there and pretended to be dead because I knew the pilot would kill me if I moved. Some of the children were in bits." Continue 01.Oct.2006 Appeasement Driven by Oil
The Bush Administration and Darfur-By David Morse
Appeasement driven by oil is surely as reprehensible as any. When confronted with reality, this President is clearly reluctant to confront the genuine "Islamo-terrorists" of his nightmares. Continue 01.Oct.2006 The New Face of Class War -By Paul Craig Roberts
The USA is the first country in history to destroy the prospects and living standards of its labor force. It is amazing to watch freedom-loving libertarians and free-market economists serve as apologists for the dismantling of the ladders of upward mobility that made the America of old an opportunity society. Continue
01.Oct.2006 Brent Budowksy -- Independent Investigation Needed: Did Congressional Republicans Cover Up Page Abuse Scandal?
Frank Rich: "When they talk about staying the course, what they are really talking about is protecting their spin and their reputations. They?ll leave it to the 140,000-plus American troops staying the course in a quagmire to face the facts."
"State of Denial": The BuzzFlash Review of a Book We Haven't Been Able to Read Yet. We Wouldn't Dare Offer Woodward's First Two Bush Books, But We Are Offering This One. Buy "State of Denial" from the Buzz and Do Some Good! 01.Oct.2006 America Increasingly In Peril as Bush Goes Completely Bonkers! Bush calls for offensive 'across the world.' He Still Says the Iraqis are Behind Us, When a Poll in the Washington Post Indicates 60 Percent of the Iraqis SUPPORT Attacks on American Soldiers! Bush is in a State of Denial That Endangers All of Us, Especially Our Troops. 01.Oct.2006 Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children?s issues, Republican lawmakers said Saturday. Hastert Appears to be Lying Through His Teeth, Saying He Wasn't Personally Aware of the "GOP Internet Pedophile Stalker in Charge of a Republican Committee to Protect Children from Internet Pedophile Stalkers Issue." In Fact, the Majority Leader, Boehner, First Told the WP That Several Months Ago Hastert Assured Him, "We're Taking Care of It." Several Hours Later, Boehner Changed His Story, One Can Assume After Consultation with Hastert's Office.
Paper reveals behind-the-scenes rift over torture -- furious Rumsfeld ripped up detainee memo 10/1
Humiliation at 30,000 feet: Jewish architect assaulted on New York flight as a potential bomber, while passengers cheer 10/1
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) knew of and tolerated forced abortions, sex slavery and sweatshop conditions in the Northern Marianas Islands, says his challenger 10/1
White House in Turmoil About How to Lie About Its Previous Lies, As Revealed in "State of Denial." They are Hoping that Lies About Lies Become the Truth. 10/1 01.Oct.2006 Read Hastert's CYA press release addressing protection of GOP child predator 10/1
01.Oct.2006 https://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2006/09/foley-cover-up-update.html While we probably should not make much (or anything) of the fact, you may be amused to learn that Foley's defend-to-the-end spokesman, Jason Kello, used to work for racist senator George Allen. What a resume!
01.Oct.2006 https://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2006/09/foley-cover-up-update.html ABC reports that the page boys were warned about Foley by their overseers in the program. AmericaBlog, which often does the best reporting in these areas, notes that when Shimkus learned about the emails in 2005, he discussed them with Foley. Yet Shimkus did not mention the matter to Dale Kildee, a Democrat on the board. That's the telling detail.
Last spring, House Majority Leader John Boehner learned of Foley's problem. Boehner has recently told two directly conflicting stories about whether or not he told Hastert.
You know the axiom: It's not the crime; it's the cover-up . In this case, the real crime is the cover-up.
01.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ See, I also believe that the untimely deaths of Mel Carnahan before the 2000 election (John Ashcroft's opponent); of Sen. Paul Wellstone and Rep. Patsy Mink in 2002; and Rep. Robert Matsui in 2004 -- were possibly political assassinations to support the GOP.
All of these deaths, except Matsui's, occurred just days before their respective elections and forced the Democratic Party to scramble to get a replacement candidate on the ballot or lose by default. I know personally living in Hawaii that there was a window of just a matter of hours or a couple days in the case of Mink. Matsui's death actually occurred a few weeks after his re-election. However, Matsui was reportedly expert in the Social Security System and a very strong advocate + just a few weeks after Matsui's death, Bush rolled out his infamous SSS "reform" program.
My suspicions about the cause of death for Carnahan, Wellstone + Mink are admittedly speculative and based mostly on the circumstantial evidence of the extraordinary timing of their deaths and the fact that a pattern seems to have emerged with multiple coincidences just at election time. However, in the case of Matsui, I have kin in the journalism field with CIA sources who was tipped off that Matsui died of "Yassar Arafat" disease -- meaning an assassination using a biological or chemical agent. Both Matusi and Arafat died within a few weeks of each other from apparently some rare blood disease. The precise nature of Arafat's blood disease was never conclusively determined officially, although Matsui's was. However, my second-hand, family source says it was actually benzene poisoning. If properly applied, benzene supposedly can create such an appearance without leaving a trace of the true cause, according to my source.
I am naturally concerned whether there will be another Democrat up for election or re-election in 2006 who will die suddenly just days for weeks before this election. I hope readers remember this prognostication if such an unfortunate event happens + don't write it off as just another "untimely coincidence."# posted by ewastud : 3:52 AM
01.Oct.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ For years, I've discussed a "war" between the current administration and one faction of our intelligence services. Many in the CIA despise Bush + top military leaders have turned against him. This White House has weathered leaks that would have destroyed previous presidencies, because nothing can touch Bush as long as Congress remains controlled by programmed party bots. The only way to stop W is to change Congress.
I think I need say no more. Permalink
01.Oct.2006 Bush Clan American Money Plot 1933 - 1949 , "the government smothered everything during and ... www.propagandamatrix.com/archivebushclan.html
01.Oct.2006 Car Connection Trading with the Enemy -The Nazi - American Money Plot 1933 - 1949 ... 06.Oct.1933, to New York telling reporters that Germany was ''the miracle of ... www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Fascism/Car_Connection_TWE.html
01.Oct.2006 Video- Premiere: Der letzte Wille von Mohammed Atta
01.Oct.2006 NPD Sachsen: Verdacht auf Mißbrauch von Fraktionsgeldern
01.Oct.2006 Flüchtlingsdebatte: Geschlossene Gesellschaft Europa
01.Oct.2006 Kampf gegen Terror: EU und USA streiten über Passagierdaten
01.Oct.2006 Flugpassagier- Daten: Verzweifelte Suche nach neuen Regeln
01.Oct.2006 30. SEPTEMBER 2006
30.Sep.2006 Vietnam: Zehntausende fliehen vor "Xangsane"
30.Sep.2006 Anti- Terror- Kampf: Musharraf verteidigt Pakistans Rolle
30.Sep.2006 Mächtige Souffleure: Der unbekannte Überkanzler
30.Sep.2006 Wirtschaftsbund: Merkel für Freihandelszone mit den USA
30.Sep.2006 Konflikt mit Georgien: Russische Diplomaten ziehen ab - Soldaten bleiben
30.Sep.2006 Derivate: Produkt der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten 30.Sep.2006 Leitkultur: Lammert will Deutsch als Landessprache im Grundgesetz 30.Sep.2006 Der Wüstentreck: Warten, gehen, sterben
30.Sep.2006 Bombenserie in Bombay: Indische Ermittler beschuldigen pakistanischen Geheimdienst
30.Sep.2006 Heute in den Feuilletons: "Glatzköpfe grölen schöne Städte hässlich"
30.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ Permalink
Curiouser and curiouser.... dr. elsewhere here
Further down the rabbit hole we go.
Wayne Madsen has a remarkably (for him, anyway) lucid and disturbingly believable piece up from yesterday that asserts Valerie Plame’s cover was blown in 2001, not by Rove or Scooter, but by Marc Grossman, then Under-Secretary of State for Public Affairs. And not for political revenge against Joe Wilson, but to protect a tangled espionage web that included arms and drug dealing with Eastern European and Turkish governments, as well as AIPAC and the American Turkish Council (ATC), criminal activities that Plame’s cover company was monitoring and investigating.
30.Sep.2006 https://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=368 Microreactors change propane into hydrogen
30.Sep.2006 Hastert knew. - Judd - From the the Washington Post: The resignation rocked the Capitol + especially Foley’s GOP colleagues, as lawmakers were rushing to adjourn for at least six weeks. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of some “contact” between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) + that Hastert assured him “we’re taking care of it.” It was not immediately clear what actions Hastert took. His spokesman had said earlier that the speaker did not know of the sexually charged e-mails between Foley and the boy. Josh Marshall has much more on this story.
30.Sep.2006 Hair pulling disorder gene found Scientists find the gene behind a psychiatric disorder that causes compulsive hair pulling.
30.Sep.2006 Pakistan 'the West's main ally' Pakistan's President Musharraf warns the West would be "brought to its knees" without his country's support.
30.Sep.2006 US Senate backs border fence The US Senate approves the building of a fence along the Mexican border designed to keep out illegal migrants.
30.Sep.2006 Bush 'concealing Iraq violence' Washington Post writer Bob Woodward says, in a new book, that the true extent of the Iraq war is being hidden.
30.Sep.2006 First UN council debate on Burma The UN Security Council hold its first discussion of Burma, which has been under military rule for decades.
30.Sep.2006 Mars rover takes in crater view Nasa's robotic rover Opportunity sends back more images as it edges towards Victoria Crater.
30.Sep.2006 Crime details 'should be shared' Information about potentially dangerous people should be shared among those who protect the public, Acpo says.
30.Sep.2006 Rise of the web's social network BBC Click examines how sites are allowing like-minded users to find and interact with one another.
30.Sep.2006 HP warned on leak probe's legality In August report, outside lawyers said using Social Security numbers to get phone records "more likely than not" violated law.
30.Sep.2006 A Buckyegg Breaks Pentagon Rules - Zonk 57 - Roland Piquepaille writes "Chemists from Virginia and California have cooked a soup of fullerenes which produced an improbable buckyegg. The egg-shaped structure of their 'buckyballs' was a complete surprise for the researchers. In fact, they wanted to trap some atoms of terbium in a buckyball "to make compounds that could be both medically useful and well-tolerated in the body." And they obtained a buckyegg which both violates some chemistry laws and the FIFA soccer laws which were used until the last World Cup. Read more for additional references and a picture of this buckyegg carrying metal molecules."
30.Sep.2006 High Temperature Bose-Einstein Condensation Observed - Zonk 55 - ultracool writes "Two separate research groups claim to have observed Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in quasiparticles at much higher temperatures than atomic BEC — one at 19 Kelvin and the other at room temperature. The 19 K BEC was composed of half-matter, half-light quasi-particles called polaritons + the room temperature condensate was composed of 'magnons' (packets of magnetic energy). There is some skepticism among physicists as to whether these really are BECs. If they are true BECs, these experiments are the first evidence of them in the solid state." Just in case you need a brush up on BEC, like I did, check out the Wikipedia article on Bose-Einstein condensation.
30.Sep.2006 Would You Hire a Former Black Hat? - Cliff 215 - Mark Zenson asks: "Understanding the mindset of a hacker and the likes of one may be useful to counter security attacks, but apparently companies still object to hiring former, or even reformed, black hats." The article asks this question of several executives in the industry and for various reasons, many of them were skeptical to the idea of hiring such people. Would you give black hats a second chance if you were in their position?
30.Sep.2006 Only a 'Moron' Would Buy YouTube - Zonk 136 - ColinPL writes to mention a News.com article about some harsh words from Mark Cuban, on the possible purchase of video-sharing site YouTube. According to Mr. Cuban only a 'moron' would buy the site, because of the obvious possibility of lawsuits over intellectual property. From the article: "Cuban, co-founder of HDNet and owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, also said YouTube would eventually be 'sued into oblivion' because of copyright violations. 'They are just breaking the law,' Cuban told a group of advertisers in New York. 'The only reason it hasn't been sued yet is because there is nobody with big money to sue ... There is a reason they haven't yet gone public, they haven't sold. It's because they are going to be toasted,'"
30.Sep.2006 BushGoes">How Bush goes I seriously think my country has lost its mind. We're getting the best wakeup call possible with the torture bill. We're getting the warning, if we re-elect the Republican Congress, we deserve what we get. However, it's not up to me, it's up to the Republicans. That's the basic truth. If you love the Constitution, if you love this country, how can you support what Congress just did. I struggle to find something to say, but then there really is nothing left. If the Republican voters can't figure this one out, we're totally screwed. I wonder if Bush will leave office at the end of his term. Someone should ask him that question and listen carefully to the answer. An unequivocal "yes" is the only acceptable answer. I don't think he's planning to leave. That's what all this maneuvering is about. The next step will be they'll find some American citizens who are terrorists + Congress will vote that in time of war the President doesn't need to charge them with anything to imprison them until the war is over. They can already put non-citizens, legal or illegal, in prison, indefinitely without charging them. What's next? How far is "economic terrorism" from Islamofascists? Not really very far at all. When McCain runs for President the immigration issue will be front and center. Use your imagination if you want to understand what the final solution will be. And you should worry. I don't believe U.S. citizenship is any kind of protection. We may be in the last moments of free speech in this country, unless we do something about it. It seems we still have a vote. I will vote against the Republicans, take that as a given. But that isn't enough. We need people who voted Republican in past elections to stand with us, to vote them out, now, so we can begin the process of unwinding the mess we're in. I heard a talk by Joseph Biden earlier today. I think he's got some interesting ideas. Might want to take a look at that, for something positive and constructive we can focus on. And yes, once there's a new Congress, we can begin the impeachment process. That's how Bush goes. We can't wait for him to decide whether he wants to leave or not. It's time for him to go.
30.Sep.2006 https://www.relfe.com/history_3.html
1994 Greenpeace reports the US has illegally exported plutonium processing technology to Japan. (AP 9/13/94).
30.Sep.2006 https://www.relfe.com/history_3.html
1994 Clinton Administration pushes the US Congress to pass a Health Bill. Both House and Senate versions are written in secret closed committees (similar to Hillary Clinton's closed secret (illegal) meetings), preventing the US population from knowing content in order to address their legislators. The legislators must by law and ethic know how the people feel before a Congressional vote can be taken, making the whole secretive process illegal and unlawful .
30.Sep.2006 meehawl - all that is solid melts into air meehawl - all that is solid melts into air ... Simone Ledeen is serving her country. She is the daughter of Michael Ledeen , the Iran-Contra luminary, AEI scholar, ... www.meehawl.com/Blogfiles/2003_12_07_WeekArchive.php
30.Sep.2006 LinkedIn: Ledeen Simone ... that helps users like Ledeen Simone discover inside connections to recommended ... to Ledeen Simone . View Ledeen's full profile. See who you and Ledeen know in ... www.linkedin.com/pub/0/66b/b40
30.Sep.2006 Simone Ledeen - SourceWatch Simone Ledeen is the daughter of neo-conservative commentator Michael Ledeen . In October 2003, Simone Ledeen was posted to the Coalition Provisional Authority ... www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Simone_Ledeen
30.Sep.2006 https://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2006/09/curiouser-and-curiouser_29.html
Curiouser and curiouser.... dr. elsewhere here
Further down the rabbit hole we go.
Wayne Madsen has a remarkably (for him, anyway) lucid and disturbingly believable piece up from yesterday that asserts Valerie Plame’s cover was blown in 2001, not by Rove or Scooter, but by Marc Grossman, then Under-Secretary of State for Public Affairs. And not for political revenge against Joe Wilson, but to protect a tangled espionage web that included arms and drug dealing with Eastern European and Turkish governments, as well as AIPAC and the American Turkish Council (ATC), criminal activities that Plame’s cover company was monitoring and investigating.
30.Sep.2006 Grenze zu Mexiko: US- Senat stimmt für 1000- Kilometer- Sperrzaun
30.Sep.2006 Pflanze mit Riecher: Parasit ortet Duft seines Opfers 30.Sep.2006 Anonym im Netz: Welchen Diensten kann man vertrauen? 30.Sep.2006 USA: Schüler erschießt Direktor
30.Sep.2006 Videobotschaft: Qaida- Vize bezeichnet Bush als "Lügner" und "Scharlatan"
30.Sep.2006 Freundschaftsbesuch: Bush dankt und lobt Nasarbajew
30.Sep.2006 Torture Bill States Non-Allegiance To Bush Is Terrorism - Paul Joseph Watson -Is Terrorism Legislation tolls the bell for the day America died, birth of the dictatorship
30.Sep.2006 Bush Given Authority To Sexually Torture American Children - Paul Joseph Watson -The "horror of the shrieking boys" gets a rubber stamp from the boot-licking U.S. Congress & Senate
30.Sep.2006 Documents Reveal Bush/CFR "Administrative Coup D'etat" of America - Paul Joseph Watson Bush 'super-state' agenda to create American Union is now official
30.Sep.2006 Hastert: Liberals Want To Take ‘The 130 Most Treacherous People In The World’ and ‘Release Them Out In The Public’ - Judd - House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) said earlier this week that liberals wanted to “coddle” terrorists. Asked about his comments today on Fox News, Hastert expanded his criticisms. According to Hastert, liberals want to take “the 130 most treacherous people, probably in the world…and release them out in the public eventually.” Watch it: Transcripts: ASMAN: More on terrorism, though, Speaker Hastert. The president has taken his gloves off, using some pretty tough language with the democrats with regards to security. And you certainly have. You said terrorists would be coddled if we followed the Democrats’ game plan. Do you think the Democrats are coddling terrorists? HASTERT: I think what they do is, they are so bent on protecting criminals and going through the process and not expediting these people who really want to take our lives, to murder us + you know, we’ve seen it time and time again. We just saw it just now with the ms-13 gangs, trying to stop them from coming into the country and the liberal Democrats in the Senate blocked it. ASMAN: But again “coddling terrorists.” You say democrats are doing that. That’s really tough language. HASTERT: I’m saying what they’re doing is they’re not allowing us to prosecute these people. They’re not allowing us to — the 130 most treacherous people, probably in the world + they want to put them and release them out in the public eventually.
30.Sep.2006 REPORT: Rep. Mark Foley Resigns From Congress, Fears More Emails Exist - Think Progress - CNN’s Dana Bash reported just now: CNN has learned, according to GOP sources, that as you said, Republican Congressman Mark Foley of Florida has decided not to seek reelection. … Foley did admit to a spokesperson that he had that e-mail exchange with the boy, but absolutely flatly denied that that was an inappropriate e-mail exchange. Now, a GOP source tells us now that essentially Foley is worried that there are other potentially politically damaging e-mail or other messages that may be out there and he has concluded that it’s probably best for him not to seek reelection from Florida . That is what we’re told. Yesterday, ABC News, AmericaBlog + Raw Story released a series of questionable emails between Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and a 16-year-old male page. In the emails, sent from Foley’s personal account, Foley “asks the young man how old he is, what he wants for his birthday and requests a photo of him.” Foley is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus. ABC News reported earlier today: ABC News had read excerpts of instant messages provided by former pages who said the congressman, under the AOL Instant Messenger screen name Maf54, made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.
30.Sep.2006 “Afraid not.” - Faiz - In answer to an inquiry on whether he had accepted gifts from Jack Abramoff, White House political adviser Karl Rove simply replied, “afraid not.” The NYT reported this morning, “Rove and his aides sought Mr. Abramoff’s help in obtaining seats at sporting events + that Mr. Rove sat with Mr. Abramoff in the lobbyist’s box seats for an N.C.A.A. basketball playoff game in 2002.”
30.Sep.2006 GM Hires Fox News Mouthpiece Sean Hannity As Spokesman - Think Progress - General Motors has hired right-wing talk show host Sean Hannity to be the lead spokesman for a car giveaway campaign called “You’re a Great American“: To stimulate consumer interest in its line of American-built cars, General Motors has turned to radio and Sean Hannity. … Hannity will serve as the spokesperson for GM’s You’re A Great American Car Give-Away, offering radio listeners the chance to pick and win one of five GM vehicles. Hannity’s hiring comes as GM launches a new patriotic-themed ad campaign. The ads for GM’s Chevrolet Silverado include the slogan “Our country, our truck” and feature images of Rosa Parks and hurricane-damaged houses: Hannity has a long history of divisive remarks and has repeatedly questioned the patriotism of his political opponents: – Hannity said a Democratic victory in the midterm elections could be a “victory for the terrorists” – Hannity said that “making sure Nancy Pelosi doesn’t become the [House] speaker” is “worth … dying for.” – Hannity defended Ann Coulter’s attack on the widows of 9/11 victims, whom Coulter described as “broads” who were “enjoying their husbands’ deaths.” – Hannity compared voting for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to voting for terrorist groups Hamas or Hezbollah. GM should not make Sean Hannity the face of its promotions. Contact CEO Rick Wagoner now and tell him to drop Hannity.
30.Sep.2006 HUD Spokeswoman Admits Making Stuff Up To Spin Alphonso Jackson Controversy - Amanda - Housing and Urban Development (HUD) spokeswoman Dustee Tucker repeatedly misled the press about HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson’s April 28 speech in Dallas, where he admitted canceling a government contract with a business because the CEO was critical of President Bush. In the HUD Inspector General’s (IG) report, which has not been made publicly available, Tucker admits to misleading the press by making up statements, as well as stating things as “fact” that were actually assumptions. Some examples from the report reviewed by ThinkProgress: – On May 2 or May 3, the Dallas Business Journal (DBJ) called Tucker and inquired whether the contractor incident in Jackson’s story actually happened. Tucker replied, “I can’t speak to a hypothetical, you know. You’re speaking about a verbal agreement.” But according to p. 17 of the HUD report, when asked if she had “made up” the “concept of a verbal agreement,” Tucker acknowledged she had: “Yes. I probably did when I responded to her.” – On May 9, Tucker told the DBJ that Jackson’s story was “not a true story. It’s a made-up story.” But Tucker didn’t know it was made up. In her testimony to investigators (p. 20), “ Tucker acknowledged that, in her meeting with JACKSON, JACKSON ‘never said the entire thing is made up.’ Tucker further acknowledged, ‘that was my assumption.’ ” – On May 9, Tucker told the Dallas Morning News that the contractor who criticized Bush in Jackson’s story “was aggressive and combative.” But according to the HUD report (p. 18), Tucker later admitted that “ she did not know if there was, in fact, a real person who was ‘aggressive and combative,’ but ‘assumed’ there was .” Tucker’s actions don’t seem out of the ordinary in HUD communciations department. Cathy MacFarlane, Assistant Secretary in the Office of Public Affairs, also testified, “And with all I have to do, I am not really interested in finding out the facts. I don’t have enough time to get into contracting facts” (p. 23). Digg It!
30.Sep.2006 “The CIA’S top counterterrorism officials - Nico - felt they could have killed Osama Bin Laden in the months before 9/11, but got the ‘brushoff’ when they went to the Bush White House seeking the money and authorization,” Bob Woodward reports in his new book. In an “urgent” July 2001 meeting with Condi Rice, CIA Director George Tenet and his counterterrorism head Cofer Black “went over top-secret intelligence pointing to an impending attack and ’sounded the loudest warning’ to the White House of a likely attack on the U.S. by Bin Laden. Woodward writes that Rice was polite, but, ‘They felt the brushoff.’“
30.Sep.2006 FACT CHECK: White House Falsely Claimed Abramoff Had ‘Very Few’ Meetings With Staff - Faiz - A House Government Reform Committee report establishes — based on e-mail messages and other records subpoenaed from criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s lobbying firm — that at least 485 contacts occurred between Abramoff’s lobbying team and White House officials between 2001 to 2004. The Committee documents 13 instances of Abramoff personally meeting with White House staff. Abramoff billed his clients for 32.3 hours for time spent with White House staff. Last January, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan repeatedly misled the public as to the extent of the relationship between the White House and Abramoff, suggesting there had only been “a few staff-level meetings.” QUESTION: How about the logs of the people, how many times he came into the White House?
MCCLELLAN: I’m checking into that. I said he’d check into that. I think someone asked that question the other day. I think it is very few times that he has been here in addition to any holiday receptions. [White House Press Briefing, 1/4/06] QUESTION: Do you have an update for us on the Abramoff visits to the White House beyond the three parties that he attended?
MCCLELLAN: Well, I indicated yesterday that I think there were a few staff-level meetings. But, no, I’m making sure that I have a thorough report back to you on that. And I’ll get that to you, hopefully, very soon. [White House Press Briefing, 1/5/06] QUESTION: Can you be more specific about the contacts with the senior staff? You said you were going to get back to us on that.
MCCLELLAN: No, I did check. There were a few staff-level meetings. I think I previously indicated that he attended three Hanukkah receptions at the White House. It is actually one two Hanukkah receptions that he attended. … My understanding from the check that we did was that there are just a few staff-level meetings in addition to those. [White House Press Briefing, 1/17/06] QUESTION: Why not — why are you guys resistant to open this here? What is there to hide, or why not just say, here are the contacts he had, here are the issues he talked about when he came to the White House, here are the people…
MCCLELLAN: Well, I did do a check + I indicated to you exactly what I just told you. I indicated to you that there were a few staff-level meetings that he attended at least — he attended two holiday receptions, in 2001 and 2002. [White House Press Briefing, 1/23/06]
30.Sep.2006 Sen. James Inhofe Lashes Out At CNN, Grossly Distorts Global Warming Science - Judd - Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has responded angrily to yesterday’s CNN segment debunking his diatribe against global warming science. His rebuttal is shockingly dishonest. Here’s a sample: [CNN’s Miles] O’Brien also claimed that the “Hockey Stick” temperature graph was supported by most climate scientists despite the fact that the National Academy of Sciences and many independent experts have made it clear that the Hockey Stick’s claim that the 1990’s was the hottest decade of the last 1000 years was unsupportable. Actually, that National Academy of Sciences just released a study supporting the so-called “Hockey Stick” study (by Mann et. al). Here’s an excerpt from the report: The basic conclusion of Mann et al. (1998, 1999) was that the late 20th century warmth in the Northern Hemisphere was unprecedented during at least the last 1,000 years. This conclusion has subsequently been supported by an array of evidence …Based on the analyses presented in the original papers by Mann et al. and this newer supporting evidence, the committee finds it plausible that the Northern Hemisphere was warmer during the last few decades of the 20th century than during any comparable period over the preceding millennium. [pg. 3-4] The National Academy of Sciences did note that “less confidence” can be placed in the conclusion that “the 1990s are likely the warmest decade” because “not all of the available proxies record temperature information on such short timescales.” This is a scientific reality. But, unmistakably, the NAS study bolsters the “hockey stick” and, more importantly, the fact that global warming is real and caused by human activity. Inhofe protested that, contrary to O’Brien’s report, he did agree to be interviewed by CNN about his global warming claims. What he didn’t mention was that he agreed to be interviewed by right-wing CNN host Glenn Beck, who said of An Inconvenient Truth, “It’s like Hitler. Hitler said a little bit of truth + then he mixed in ‘and it’s the Jews’ fault.’” Digg It!
30.Sep.2006 September 29, 2006 - Think Progress - “ The White House ignored an urgent warning in September 2003 from a top Iraq adviser who said that thousands of additional American troops were desperately needed to quell the insurgency there,” according to Bob Woodward’s new book. Woodward also claims “ Bush’s top advisers were often at odds among themselves + sometimes were barely on speaking terms,” and that Bush said as recently as November 2003, “I don’t want anyone in the cabinet to say it is an insurgency. I don’t think we are there yet.” Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev , the authoritarian Central Asian ruler who has cracked down on human rights and quashed other political freedoms in his country, will meet with President Bush at the White House today. Nazarbayev also was hosted at the Kennebunkport estate of former President George H.W. Bush. “Nazarbayev has suffered no consequences for his rejection of the democracy agenda.” “Under a broad new set of laws criminalizing speech that ridicules the government or its officials, some resurrected verbatim from Saddam Hussein’s penal code, roughly a dozen Iraqi journalists have been charged with offending public officials in the past year.” $16 billion: The amount Iraq has lost in potential foreign oil sales “over two years to insurgent attacks, criminals and bad equipment.” Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen found “Iraq also is paying billions of dollars to import refined petroleum products it needs.” “The Belgian-based consortium known as Swift… violated European privacy regulations when it turned over confidential transaction information to the Central Intelligence Agency and other American agencies,” Belgium’s privacy protection commission has concluded. A federal judge ruled that “ Halliburton employees working in Iraq and Kuwait are not entitled to overtime pay, even though a contract between the company and the U.S. Army called for it.” Between 20,000 and 40,000 overseas truck drivers, cooks, mechanics and others were promised the overtime pay. The ruling said “federal wage-and-hour laws don’t extend to work done outside the U.S.” Forty-one percent of National Guardsmen and reservists “raised concerns about their mental health ” three to six months after combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, compared to 32 percent of active-duty soldiers. Meanwhile, a new GAO report found the Veteran Affairs Department “failed to fully spend a promised $300 million since 2005 to fill critical gaps in mental health services for returning troops and others.” “A quarter of a million Iraqis have fled sectarian violence and registered as refugees in the past seven months, data released on Thursday showed, amid an upsurge in attacks that has accompanied the Ramadan holy month.”
30.Sep.2006 65 percent. - Amanda - Number of Americans who believe Iraq is in a civil war, up from 56 percent in April, according to a new CNN poll.
30.Sep.2006 McCain’s macaca moment. - Nico - Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who recently mended fences with that “agent of intolerance” Rev. Jerry Falwell, appears in and narrates a new ad for Sen. George Allen (R-VA).
30.Sep.2006 Rice’s Strategy on Genocide: Stay The Course - Guest - The genocide in Darfur has killed at least 255,000 people — the equivalent of nearly two times the number of U.S. forces now in Iraq. Yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a major speech on the issue to the Africa Society. Rice announced no new commitments or policy proposals to end the violence. Instead, she bragged that Bush officials are “bend[ing] every fiber of our being to ease the suffering of people of Darfur.” That is flatly false. As Darfur expert John Prendergast has detailed, the administration “has made some noise about Darfur over the last two years,” but has repeatedly failed to act. Some key instances: No real funding for peacekeepers: The USA, along with the Europeans, “have left the African Union force in Darfur in a state of limbo, not giving it the requisite resources and political support needed to protect the people of Darfur.” No targeted sanctions on genocide leaders: The USA “crafted a U.N. Security Council resolution that authorized targeted sanctions in early 2005, but has since imposed sanctions on only one regime official, a retired air force commander . This leaves Khartoum with the correct impression that there will be no accountability.” No special envoy for four months: “After the senior U.S. official who helped negotiate the partial peace took a job on Wall Street, almost his entire team departed.” For four critical months, State Department officials “opposed the naming of a presidential envoy to clean up the mess and make Darfur a genuine priority.” No intelligence on war criminals: The USA “has not provided information and intelligence to the International Criminal Court as the latter conducts its investigation of the war crimes committed in Darfur. Sharing such material could be a critical part of leverage on Khartoum as it would face the prospect of accelerated indictments of senior officials.” There are simple effective steps that can be taken immediately to curb the violence in Darfur, like enforcing targeted sanctions and travel bans + establishing a no-fly zone. Instead, the Bush administration has chosen a familiar strategy: stay the course. – Caroline Andreson
30.Sep.2006 Hundreds of White House/Abramoff contacts revealed. - Nico - A draft bipartisan House committee report has found “hundreds of contacts between top White House officials and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates” which “raise serious questions about the legality and actions” of those officials. “Bush administration officials repeatedly intervened on behalf of Abramoff’s clients,” Roll Call reports. UPDATE: Watch ABC’s report on the new contacts from World News Tonight.
30.Sep.2006 onald Rumsfeld said today - Nico - “there was no way to measure if more Islamic extremists were being created than killed in American-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Reuters reports. “Asked about a U.S. intelligence report that concluded the Iraq war had spread Islamic radicalism, Rumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes ‘flat wrong.’“
30.Sep.2006 Lott On Iraq: ‘Why Do Sunnis Kill Shiites? … They All Look The Same To Me’ - Faiz - Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), who famously suggested the U.S. wouldn’t have “all these problems” had Strom Thurmond been elected President, said today that the religious differences among Iraqis makes the conflict very difficult for him to understand: “It’s hard for Americans, all of us, including me, to understand what’s wrong with these people,” he said. “Why do they kill people of other religions because of religion? Why do they hate the Israeli’s and despise their right to exist? Why do they hate each other? Why do Sunnis kill Shiites? How do they tell the difference? They all look the same to me. “ Speaking shortly after a meeting with President Bush and Vice President Cheney, Lott added that Iraq wasn’t among the White House’s priorities. “No, none of that,” Lott told reporters after the session when asked if the Iraq war was discussed. “You’re [the media] the only ones who obsess on that. We don’t and the real people out in the real world don’t for the most part. “ Digg It!
30.Sep.2006 Rep. Foley’s (R-FL) emails to young page raise questions. - Nico - “A 16-year-old male congressional page concerned about the appropriateness of an e-mail exchange with a congressman alerted Capitol Hill staffers to the communication,” ABC News reports. “In the series of e-mails, obtained by ABC News, between the page and Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), Foley asks the page how old he is, what he wants for his birthday and requests a photo of him.” UPDATE: AmericaBlog and Raw Story have more.
30.Sep.2006 Over 100 Whistleblowers and Organizations Urge the House Chairman against S.494 - sfux
National Security Whistleblowers Coalition - In a letter sent today the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, together with a Consortium of over one hundred whistleblowers and organizations, urged Congressman Duncan Hunter, Chairman of the House Committee...
30.Sep.2006 Promisgate: World's longest spy scandal still glossed over /Part III - sfux A Spy in the White House?
David Dastych - In September 2005, the FBI arrested one of its own intelligence analysts for computer-based espionage. The arrest of Leandro Aragoncillo, an...
30.Sep.2006 Die USA am Scheideweg - Inner- oder außerhalb der zivilisierten Welt? - sfux Karl Weiss - Präsident Bush hat vor kurzem eine Gesetzgebung vorgeschlagen, die es dem Obersten Gerichtshof der Vereinigten Staaten in Zukunft unmöglich machen soll, gegen die Foltertechniken, die vom CIA und auch von US-Militär angewandt werden, per Gerichtsbeschluß vorzugehen. Diese Techniken sollen vielmehr per offiziellem Gesetz erlaubt werden. Damit droht sich die USA außerhalb der zivilisierten Welt zu stellen....
30.Sep.2006 DIE FALSCHMELDUNG ? Muslime wollen sich integrieren - sfux KURZ/VERTICKERT ? Alltagsprobleme der Integration - Ausländerhass oder der Kopftuch-Streit sind für Muslime in Deutschland kein Thema mehr. Sie informieren sich nicht mehr nur einseitig über Hass-Propaganda der Imane und schotten sich nicht ab, indem sie die deutsche Sprache ablehnen. Sie lesen täglich Zeitung und verfolgen politische Debatten im Fernsehen. So sind sie alle bestens über die große Islamkonferenz in Berlin informiert und begrüßen den Vorschlag des Bundesinnenminsters,...
29.Sep.2006 Al-Qaeda brands Bush 'a failure' Al-Qaeda's number two calls George W Bush a "liar" who has failed in his war against the group.
29.Sep.2006 Bush nurtures Kazakh ties
US President George W Bush holds talks with the Kazakh president, boosting ties with the oil-producing nation.
29.Sep.2006 Internet control 'nears autonomy' The US government says it will maintain oversight of the internet but with far less hands-on involvement.
29.Sep.2006 US Senate backs terror trial bill The US Senate endorses President Bush's plans to interrogate and prosecute foreign terror suspects.
29.Sep.2006 Priests 'took US church millions' A Catholic priest is held in Florida and another is on the run after stealing millions from parishioners, police say.
29.Sep.2006 Pakistan rapped over detentions Pakistan is accused of detaining hundreds of alleged terror suspects without legal process.
29.Sep.2006 Portugal raps Chavez over poster Venezuela apologises after President Chavez uses an image of Portugal's premier in a poll campaign poster.
29.Sep.2006 Mental health services 'failing' People suffering mental health problems are being failed by poor access to key community services, a watchdog says.
29.Sep.2006 The Green Room GM crops are still more of a liability than an asset, argues GeneWatch UK director Sue Mayer in the Green Room.
29.Sep.2006 Blogs afire over Foley e-mail scandal Blog: It doesn't take much to create a buzz in the blogosphere, as we all know, so you can imagine what happens when a veteran congressmen,...
29.Sep.2006 Pretexting hearing turns to wireless execs Six major carriers are on board with a congressional committee's desire to criminalize the controversial practice.
29.Sep.2006 Politicos reflect on HP hearing Blog: WASHINGTON--Members of Congress tasked with playing watchdog to Hewlett-Packard's boardroom woes couldn't resist getting in a...
29.Sep.2006 Advocacy groups to Congress: Forget HP. What about NSA? Blog: WASHINGTON--The spying scandal that rocked Hewlett-Packard's boardroom may be disconcerting to many onlookers, but Congress would...
29.Sep.2006 U.S. Government Retains ICANN Oversight - Zonk 50 - narramissic writes "ITworld reports that the U.S. Commerce Department will retain ICANN oversight for three more years, although there will be a review in 18 months of ICANN's progress toward becoming a more stable, transparent and accountable organization. The decision comes despite international pressure advocating for the U.S. government to bow out and make ICANN a totally autonomous entity."
29.Sep.2006 Is String Theory Really a Scientific Theory? - kdawson 225 - vk38 writes, "The New Yorker is running a story on whether String Theory is really a scientific theory or just an abstract exercise in math designed to churn out papers and Ph.Ds for the established academics. The article reviews two current books, by Lee Smolin and Peter Woit, laying out the case against string theory." From the article: "Dozens of string-theory conferences have been held, hundreds of new Ph.D.s have been minted + thousands of papers have been written. Yet... not a single new testable prediction has been made, not a single theoretical puzzle has been solved. In fact, there is no theory so far — just a set of hunches and calculations suggesting that a theory might exist. And, even if it does, this theory will come in such a bewildering number of versions that it will be of no practical use: a Theory of Nothing... String theory has always had a few vocal skeptics... Sheldon Glashow, who won a Nobel Prize for making one of the last great advances in physics before the beginning of the string-theory era, has likened string theory to a 'new version of medieval theology,' and campaigned to keep string theorists out of his own department at Harvard. (He failed.)"
29.Sep.2006 Your 'Clickprint' Gives Away Your Identity Online - Zonk 58 - Krishna Dagli writes to mention an article at the Guardian site about an increasing interest in the possibility of identifying users by their 'clickprint', or online access habits. The article discusses a new paper on online identification written by two American professors. The piece posits that not only is nailing down individual users by their habits useful for advertisers looking to sell products, it may be possible to use this information to flag stolen identities. From the article: "'Our main finding is that even trivial features in an internet session can distinguish users,' Padmanabhan told the Wharton Review. 'People do seem to have individual browsing behaviors.' The duo found that anywhere from three to 16 sessions are needed to identify an individual's clickprint ... In one example, they found that from just seven aggregated sessions they could distinguish between two different surfers with a confidence of 86.7%. Given 51 sessions, the confidence level rose to 99.4%."
29.Sep.2006 House Approves Warrantless Wiretapping - Zonk 573 - inKubus writes to mention an AP article about the approval of a warrantless wiretapping bill by the house. The legislation's goal would be to legitimize the wiretapping program President Bush previously authorized, with a few new restrictions. Despite this victory for the President, "Leaders concede that differences between the versions are so significant they cannot reconcile them into a final bill that can be delivered to Bush before the Nov. 7 congressional elections. The Senate also could vote on a similar bill before Congress recesses at the end of the week. For its part, the White House announced it strongly supported passage of the House version but wasn't satisfied with it, adding that the administration 'looks forward to working with Congress to strengthen the bill as it moves through the legislative process.'"
29.Sep.2006 Mars Rover Reaches Victoria Crater - kdawson 51+ - gevmage writes, "CNN reports that the 'Opportunity' rover on Mars has reached the Victoria crater. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity arrived on Mars three years ago with planned mission lifetime of 90 days. The rover Spirit is wounded, having only 5 of 6 wheels functioning + so it's moving quite slowly. However, Opportunity is still going strong and has been trucking towards the massive crater Victoria for almost the past year. Scientists have been hoping that Opportunity would get there so they can have a look at geologically older areas — and it's finally made it!" See the NASA press release for links to photos of the Victoria crater.
29.Sep.2006 China Claims Successful Fusion Power Test - kdawson 175+ - SeaDour writes, "China claims to have carried out a successful test of its experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor. But what exactly made this test 'successful' is not clear. From the article: 'Xinhua cited the scientists as saying that deuterium and tritium atoms had been fused together at a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for nearly three seconds. The report did not specify whether the device... had succeeded at producing more energy than it consumed, the main obstacle to making fusion commercially viable.'" China is a participant in the 10-nation ITER project to build a fusion reactor in the south of France by 2015. The article quotes the research head of ITER as saying, "It was important for China to show that it is part of the club. Here are English language versions of the Chinese news release: announcement, background.
29.Sep.2006 I don't believe in War On Terror I don't believe in "War on Terror." It's a Republican code-phrase which is used to change the US from a republic with a strong foundation for freedom, into a Christian terrorocracy. The irony is of course that the terrorists are the ones who always invoke this idea of "War on Terror." After the latest fiasco in Congress, we're once again dependent on the courts to uphold our basic values. We've lost two branches of government. For now the executive appears to be respecting the courts. Key word there is "appears." I have no idea what they plan next. Daniel Conover: "Shame on us."
29.Sep.2006 On Friday, September 29, It's Mourning in America -- A BuzzFlash Editorial
Republican Hypocrisy Role Model Resigns. Get This One! "Saying he was ?deeply sorry,? Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned from Congress today, hours after ABC News questioned him about sexually explicit internet messages with current and former congressional pages under the age of 18. A spokesman for Foley, the chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and a GOP deputy whip, said the congressman submitted his resignation in a letter late this afternoon to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert."
Latest Bushevik Tyrannical Power Play is to Bully and Intimidate the Judicial Branch of Government: Flush with Arrogance over their Senate-Approved Torture Powers, AG Gonzales tells Judges they Better Be Careful, Because Herr Wartime President Can Do What He Damn Well Pleases and Judges Shouldn't Disagree on the Moral or Ethical Issues of the Human Rights Abuses of the Bush Administration. 9/30
GOP Sen. DeWine Knew About NIE Report Proving Iraq Promotes Terrorism, but Just Didn't Care. Is he Stupid or Just Stubborn? -- A BuzzFlash News Analysis
Brent Budowsky -- Battle Royale: Democrats Have Shot At Senate and House Control
The BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week: The succinct headline of a Chicago Tribune article encapsulates the entire mindboggling, incomprehensible scale of Bush's hypocrisy: "Bush Denies War Incites Terrorists." Never mind that it was the unanimous finding of all top 16 intelligence agencies 6 years into the Bush administration who found that the Iraq war is creating more terrorists and increasing the threat of terrorism. Never mind that the conclusion came from the newly "restructured" spy agency apparatus under Bush appointee John Negroponte.
Holy Hypocrisy! The House in 2005 passed Foley-sponsored legislation that would subject child sex offenders to stringent monitoring requirements and tough penalties for failing to comply with registration requirements. "We track library books better than we do sexual predators," Foley said. 9/30
The BuzzFlash Mailbag -- Uncensored and Unvarnished Truth from BuzzFlash Readers.
If You're Not Getting Buzzed 24 Hours a Day, You're Missing Something Big! A Little Bit of Buzz in Your E-mail
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ More thoughts on the end of habeus corpus 1. Many presume that the atrocious new legislation will immediately encounter legal challenge. But -- to repeat a question Randi Rhodes asked just now -- who has standing to bring a case? Detainees are disallowed from challenging their detention. The Supreme Court cannot intervene unless a case comes before them + a case requires a plaintiff. The new law forbids plaintiffs from bringing cases. Catch 22
29.Sep.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-439958,00.html Geheimdiensthinweise vor dem 11. September ignoriert Rumsfeld stand allerdings weiter in der Kritik, auch im Militär. Woodward zitiert John Abizaid, Kommandat des Irak-Einsatzes: Im Herbst 2005 soll er gesagt haben, Rumsfeld habe "keinerlei Glaubwürdigkeit mehr", eine Siegesstrategie für das Land zu entwerfen. In dem Buch weist Woodward auch nach, dass es an der Spitze der Regierung Bush schon bald nach ihrem Amtsantritt Spannungen gab - und gerade auch vor dem 11. September 2001. CIA-Chef Tenet soll damals zu der Überzeugung gekommen sein, dass Rumsfeld bei der Entwicklung einer Strategie für die Jagd auf Osama Bin Laden bremse. Rumsfeld soll Geheimdiensthinweise als mögliche Täuschungsversuche der al-Qaida abgetan haben. Im Juli 2001 hätten Tenet und sein Anti-Terror-Chef J. Cofer Black Rice getroffen, um sie zu überzeugen, dass es ernsthafte Hinweise auf einen bevorstehenden Anschlag gebe. Beide hätten das Treffen mit dem Gefühl verlassen, dass Rice die Warnung nicht ernst nahm
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ Reverend Moon, Koreagate, The Washington Times, Political Blackmail Oh My!!!
https://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/moon4.html
https://www.allentwood.com/articles/tedsampley.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Hi_Pak
https://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/061406.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Myung_Moon
http:
Wakeup America! # posted by Anonymous
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ 3. Republican congressman Ralph Hall of Texas has defended the rape and sexual exploitation of a 15 year-old Taiwanese girl sold into sexual slavery. A Kos poster code-named Zaphod Beeblebrox, who keeps at least two eyes focused on Republican hypocrisy, offers all the grisly details, by way of TPM Muckraker: In November of 1997, Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) publicly questioned the credibility of a teenage girl's claims that she'd been the victim of the sex trade in the Northern Mariana Islands. The statement, which Rep. Hall entered into the Congressional Record, was prepared by Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist for the islands.
"[S]he wanted to do nude dancing," Hall's statement said of the fifteen-year-old girl.
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ 1. 53 year-old Randall Casseday, Human Resources Director of the Reverend Moon's Washington Times , was nabbed in an internet sting as he tried to arrange sex with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. The best coverage comes from Max Blumenthal: He sent several graphic photographs of himself and in return, received pictures of a young girl in a bathing suit, according to an affidavit filed in US District Court. When Casseday appeared to rendezvous with someone he reportedly thought would be his young prey, he was immediately cuffed by DC cops. Blumenthal goes on to reveal that Casseday has quite a history at the Times : According to two sources who have dealt directly with Casseday, the accused sex criminal has played a central role in stonewalling internal investigations into the racist and sexually predatory behavior of Times managing editor Fran Coombs + did so on orders from Joo and Pruden.
"Whatever Joo, Pruden and Coombs wanted, Casseday did," a senior staffer in the Times newsroom told me today. "Casseday literally was their hatchet man, the hit man for Pruden, Coombs and Joo. 2. 50-something Florida GOP congressman Mark Foley, we learn, developed a yen for a 16 year-old page boy (and his pal "will"). Americablog has acquired some damning emails. Foley's supporters claim that these texts reveal only that the congressman was "overly friendly" to the young man.
Oh really ? Judge for yourself. This comes from Foley: I just emailed will...hes such a nice guy...acts much older than his age...and hes in really great shape...i am just finished riding my bike on a 25 mile journey now heading for the gym...whats school like for you this year? How are you weathering the hurricane...are you safe...send me a pic of you as well... did you have fun at your conferences...what do you want for your birthday coming up...what stuff do you like to do These emails are all the evidence any reasonable person needs to state uncategorically that Mark Foley has a sexual interest in young males. But have we exposed the full measure of this man's hypocrisy? No, we have not. The Smashed Frog blog argues that Foley's email could amount to a "third degree felony": Let this Floridian tell you what kind of man Mark Foley is.
Mark Foley was one of 12 Republican Congressmen who stood up under suspension of the rules and voted in the Adam Walsh Act, which "W" signed into law on the anniversary of the boy's death.
The AWA carries the harshest federal sentencing guidelines for persons convicted of sex related crimes, including Foley's little email, which can certainly be interpreted any way law enforcement chooses.
With the signing into law of the AWA, Prom Night now carries a 10 year mandatory minimum should an 18 year old high school senior cross a state line with his 17 year old girlfriend. Or vice versa, ladies.
You can read about the "Adam Walsh Act" here and here
29.Sep.2006 Mohammed- Karikaturen: Kultur- Chef würde Zeichnungen wieder drucken
29.Sep.2006 Anti- Terror- Kampf: Amnesty wirft Pakistan Verletzung von Menschenrechten vor
29.Sep.2006 US- Starreporter Woodward: Bush ignorierte frühe Warnung vor Irak- Kollaps 29.Sep.2006 Neue Enthüllungen: Grass forderte Wirtschaftsminister Schiller zur NS- Beichte auf 29.Sep.2006 Prozesse: Wie der Verkauf von Anti- Nazi- Symbolen zur Straftat wird
29.Sep.2006 CO2- Messnetz: Ein Eiffelturm in der Taiga
29.Sep.2006 Bushs Anti- Terror- Gesetz: Grünes Licht für Militärtribunale
29.Sep.2006 Frankreich: Pflanze verdaut Maus
29.Sep.2006 Politbarometer: Union sinkt auf niedrigsten Wert seit 1989
29.Sep.2006 Sudan- Krise: Darfur ist Ruanda in Zeitlupe 29.Sep.2006 Grelle Exoten: Diebische Zuckerschnecken
29.Sep.2006 HipHop- Star Jan Delay: "Kritik muss tanzen"
29.Sep.2006 Palestinian agricultural losses top US $1 billion: An ongoing economic boycott and intermittent border closures have created humanitarian problems for Gaza's residents, including a deteriorating agricultural sector, the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority (PA) said. 29.Sep.2006 Uri Avnery: Political Corruption in Israel: HAD HAMLET been a reserve soldier in the Israeli army, he might now declare: "Something is rotten in the State of Israel!" 29.Sep.2006 Why Hamas Resists Recognizing Israel : The West is betting that continued Palestinian misery will force Hamas leaders to recognize Israel. But the strategy is as misguided as it is cruel . 29.Sep.2006 Christians: We'll fight for Israel: Millions of Evangelical Christians around the world support and constantly pray for the State of Israel , representatives at a meeting of the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus said Wednesday. 29.Sep.2006 James Petras: Challenging the Power of the Israel Lobby: What Should Be Done?: The image of a near-omniscient and omnipotent Jewish lobby overlooks its vulnerability and significant issues around which an opposition or counter-hegemonic movement can be organized in the USA. 29.Sep.2006 Fundamentalist Camp Trains God's Little Army: They have billions in media holdings, the ear of the president + the ability to make or break a Republican candidacy. To Becky Fischer, however, former manager of a custom sign business and current children's minister, evangelicals are in danger of losing the next generation. 29.Sep.2006 War pimp alert: House approves Iran Freedom Support Act: : The House voted Thursday to impose mandatory sanctions on entities that provide goods or services for Iran's weapons programs. The vote came as U.S diplomats continued to press the U.N. Security Council to penalize Tehran if it fails to end its uranium enrichment program. 29.Sep.2006 Americans favor diplomacy on Iran: Reuters poll: A majority of Americans want the USA to increase diplomatic efforts over Iran's nuclear ambitions, while 70 percent oppose the use of U.S. troops to thwart Iran, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Thursday. 29.Sep.2006 Let's bolster this subterranean shift in US foreign policy while we can : Even in the Pentagon, there are hints of a move away from over-reliance on the military. But Iran will be the test 29.Sep.2006 S Africa is losing its way - Tutu: Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu has warned that South Africa is in danger of losing its moral direction. He said it had failed to sustain the idealism that ended apartheid and warned of growing ethnic divisions. 29.Sep.2006 House OKs terrorism detainee bill in victory for Bush: Democrats opposed the bill by about a five-to-one margin, with many wanting to tone down the powers it would give to Bush and the limits it would impose on terror-war suspects' abilities to defend themselves during trials. 29.Sep.2006 Chris Floyd : Thunder on the Mountain: The Murderers of Democracy : Who are these people? Who are these useless hanks of bone and fat that call themselves Senators of the USA? Let’s call them what they really are, let’s speak the truth about what they’ve done today with their votes on the bill to enshrine Bush's gulag of torture and endless detention into American law. 29.Sep.2006 Sen. Russell Feingold: Even Timothy McVeigh Was Afforded Constitutional Rights: The Flaws in the Military Commissions Act 29.Sep.2006 Rice versus Clinton on January 2001 Clarke Memo: "A Comprehensive Strategy to Fight Al-Qaeda"?: 29.Sep.2006 Lawyer: officer at Guantánamo threatened me : A British lawyer who represents detainees at Guantánamo Bay yesterday claimed he was threatened with internment at the notorious camp by a US military officer. 29.Sep.2006 Driving While Muslim: Five years after 9/11, Muslim-American men are still being arrested on flimsy charges and accused of being terrorists. 29.Sep.2006 House Passes Measure on Religion Suits: The House passed a bill yesterday that would bar judges from awarding legal fees to the American Civil Liberties Union and similar groups that sue municipalities for violating the Constitution's ban on government establishment of religion.
29.Sep.2006 NATO agrees early takeover of all Afghan peacekeeping: NATO nations agreed on Thursday to assume command of peacekeeping across all of insurgency-hit Afghanistan in the next few weeks, a NATO spokesman said 29.Sep.2006 The Taliban have `time on their side,' senior officer says: `The enemy is becoming more tenacious' 29.Sep.2006 Stephen Lendman : Afghanistan: The Other Lost War : The US Plan to Pacify Afghanistan and Control It As A Neocolonial State 29.Sep.2006 Musharraf Defends Pakistani Intel Agency: A leaked document accuses Pakistan's intelligence agency of indirectly supporting terrorist groups including al-Qaida and calls on Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to disband the agency. 29.Sep.2006 Angry Musharraf to raise ISI collusion claims with Blair: General Pervez Musharraf will hold talks with Tony Blair today amid controversy over a British government-commissioned report that claims Pakistan's spy network is too close to Muslim terrorists. 29.Sep.2006 Liberals condemn Musharraf's comments : Interim Liberal leader Bill Graham condemned on Wednesday comments made by the President of Pakistan, who said Tuesday that Canadians should stop complaining about the number of casualties in the war in Afghanistan. 29.Sep.2006 War pimp alert: Israeli Military Intelligence: Syrian Front Now Cause for Concern : Changing its long-time assessment regarding the Syrian threat, military intelligence now believes Damascus might launch a military action against Israel.
29.Sep.2006 Carter: U.S. in more danger of terrorism: "So there's no doubt that our country is in much more danger now from terrorism than it would have been if we would have done what we should have done and stayed in Afghanistan," he said on the campaign trail with his son, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jack Carter. 29.Sep.2006 Reporter Bob Woodward Says Bush Misleads on Iraq: Veteran Washington reporter Bob Woodward tells Mike Wallace that the Bush administration has not told the truth regarding the level of violence, especially against U.S. troops, in Iraq. He also reveals key intelligence that predicts the insurgency will grow worse next year. 29.Sep.2006 Confidence in Iraq Policies Drops to 20% in U.S.: Fewer adults in the USA believe their government’s handling of the coalition effort has been adequate, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. Only 20 % of respondents are confident that U.S. policies in Iraq will be successful, down nine points in two years. 29.Sep.2006 Cindy Sheehan: Lift Your Head: It is now the time to stand up and be counted and tell this out of control government of ours that we are withdrawing our consent to be governed by them. 29.Sep.2006 In case you missed it: Operation Hollywood : The inside story of the cozy relationship between big box office American war movies and the Pentagon 29.Sep.2006 Poll: Majority Of Iraqis support attacks on U.S. occupation forces-By Associated Press
About six in 10 Iraqis say they approve of attacks on U.S.-led forces + slightly more than that want their government to ask U.S. troops to leave within a year, according to a poll in that country. Continue 29.Sep.2006 How did we sink so low in just 6 years? - By Mike Whitney
In a 253 to 168 “party-line” vote, the congress repealed habeas corpus and approved the torturing of prisoners in American custody. It is breathtaking assault on human rights and personal liberty + puts the USA well-outside the community of civilized nations. Continue 29.Sep.2006 Twilight Struggle: Finally Standing Up as the Republic Crashes Down -By Chris Floyd
Bush's "War on Terror" is coming to the Homeland + its target is the American people. Bush and his handlers want to destroy the ability of anyone to oppose their hard-right – and overwhelmingly unpopular – agenda. It's the only way the Faction can maintain its domination – and avoid prosecution for its many crimes. Continue 29.Sep.2006 Dumb and Dumber -By Sheila Samples- It's difficult to determine who's dumb and dumber here -- the American people or our foolish president . Continue 29.Sep.2006 Wars and Debts and Taxes, Oh My! -By Michael Boldin
War is not the fault of just Bush and the Republican Party, but the Democratic Party as well; they are equally responsible for starting, fueling + funding the war machine. Continue
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ That "what if" scenario no longer has any braking power. Obviously, the neo-conspirators intend to inhabit the White House now and forevermore, through fair means and foul -- mostly foul. The Murdochized red hordes have intuited this fact + they give it sanction. Permalink
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ 2. When the Americans first entered Afghanistan, they offered a substantial reward to any local who would point out any "Al Qaeda" members. Since the reward was enough to set someone up for life in that part of the world, fingers pointed toward anyone who was unpopular for any reason. Thus, many innocent people -- including the very elderly -- now reside in Gitmo.
You know this. I know this. But at least a hundred million people in this country do not know this and will hold their hands over their ears if you try to tell them. What form of verbal surgery can insert the facts into these hardened craniums?
3. Torture created Islamic Jihadism. Osama Bin Laden derived his beliefs from Ayman al-Zawahiri, who derived his beliefs from Sayid Qutb. Both Qutb and Zawahiri were tortured during imprisonment + the experience intensified their radicalism. As this 2003 Guardian expose explains: "Torturing radical Islamists makes them more violent," Dr Fayad maintains. "Islamists don't believe too much in psychiatry and rehabilitation. They believe God will help them.
"In the early 1990s, the government began to torture Islamists. People said, 'Don't torture them; you will make them seek revenge, especially in upper Egypt where there is a culture of revenge killings.'
"It's torture that makes them angry and take up terrorism."
Hafiz Abu Sa'eda, the head of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, supports Dr Fayad's claim. He believes the main reason that another Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, became more extreme was the torture inflicted on its members. Which leads us to our next point:
4. Why is the Cheney administration doing this? Granted, they have established the legal groundwork for the crushing of dissent in the USA; the long-range goal is clear. But that day has not yet dawned. Heretofore, they have detained and tortured Muslims, even though not one actionable piece of intelligence has resulted. Why? Why is torture in Iraq now worse than it was in the days of Saddam Hussein?
I posit that the administration knows what it is doing. They understand full well that torture breeds radicals. I believe that the Cheney administration wants these radicalized Muslims released back into the civilian population.
An increased number of Islamic extremists means increased power for the neoconservatives. Cheney and Bush need terrorism the way Dracula needs blood.
29.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ The end of the rule of law "I'll be judge, I'll be jury" said cunning old Fury.
"I'll try the whole cause and condemn you to death."
You've probably read many condemnations of the new bill which grants the president extraordinary powers to detain and torture American citizens without trail and without any show of evidence. Here is the reaction of Mimikatz at The Next Hurrah: This is a terrible, terrible + unnecesssary precedent. We didn't need to do this in the Cold War even though the Soviets had the power to annihilate us. We didn't need to do this in WWII, even though we faced massed armies in the millions on the battlefield, plus navies and bombers. We need to do this now, when we face a small but determined group of extreme fanatics, only because we are led by power-hungry, delusional people who see this as a way to maintain their hold on power. But so-called "leaders" who would stampede Congress into passing such an abomination in order to gain an advantage in the mid-term elections surely would not stop at using these measures against their enemies if they faced even greater threats to their powers.
29.Sep.2006 Ausweise: Innenministerium plant elektronische "Ausländerkarte" 29.Sep.2006 Heute in den Feuilletons: "Eigentlich ist es hier ganz ruhig"
29.Sep.2006 Guatemala: Häftlinge regieren jahrelang über Gefängnis 29.Sep.2006 Spionageskandal bei HP: "Abschaum und Halunken"
29.Sep.2006 USA: Kongress billigt Bushs umstrittenes Anti- Terrorgesetz 29.Sep.2006 Star- Geigerin Julia Fischer: Deutschlands jüngste Professorin 29.Sep.2006 Dopinghormon: Überdosis Testosteron gefährdet Hirn
28.Sep.2006 Datensammler: Kultusminister wollen gläserne Schüler
28.Sep.2006 Rep. Joe Barton (R) of Texas angry at pretexting
Video: Rep. Joe Barton (R) of Texas angry at pretexting. Rep. Barton and Michael Burgess (R), his fellow Texan, both lashed out at HP's use of spying and deception to obtain phone records. This, as the hearing into HP's business practices began in Washington on 28.Sep.2006.
28.Sep.2006 Light bulbs from carbon nanotubes? Blog: Applied Nanotech, one of the people trying to bring you a nanotube TV, has signed a license with Shimane Masuda Electronics under...
28.Sep.2006 EXCLUSIVE: HUD Secretary Admitted Professional ‘Bias’ Against Bush Critics, Ignored Warnings From Lawyers - Judd - An investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General reportedly revealed that HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson instructed staff to award HUD contracts to President Bush’s political allies and withhold them from his political opponents. The HUD IG, however, has refused to make the full 340-page report public. ThinkProgress — which has previously published the executive summary — has obtained access to the entire report. Testimony from Jackson, his top deputies + HUD legal counsel, none of which has previously been reported, show that the agency set aside the rules, assisted its political allies + made life difficult for its political opponents. Here are some key excerpts: 1. Against the advice of HUD legal counsel, Jackson regularly met with potential HUD contractors . From page 110 of the report: Regarding JACKSON’s involvement with contracting matters, [former Acting HUD General Counsel Kathleen] Koch advised JACKSON would meet with individuals who were either contractors or who wanted to obtain contracts at HUD. Koch stated, “We warned him against it.” Koch and her staff used to review the daily schedule for the previous HUD Secretary, Mel Martinez, to advise if there were potential problems, but that practice “just petered out” after JACKSON became Secretary. When potential HUD contractors wanted to meet with Martinez, they would be kept away from Martinez… On page 156 of the report, Jackson himself admits regularly meeting with potential contractors: JACKSON acknowledged that he does meet with individuals seeking contracts with HUD, stating “I’ve met with a lot of them…They come over to me…I say to them sure, we’d love to do business with you…” 2. Jackson explicitly acknowledged that he would not assist people who are critical of President Bush. From page 153: [W]ell my position is if you’re going to castigate me, castigate our President, I’m not going to sit here and lie to you, I’m not going out of the way to call Norm Mineta and say see Officer Medici and make sure that he does X-Y-Z. I’m not going to do it. I will not do it + I’m not going to say that I will…So I’m not going to go out of my way to help somebody who’s castigating the President…Now, if that’s my bias, I have it. 3. Jackson’s deputies attempted to circumvent competition rules to secure a contract for a Republican PR firm. From page 216: Cathy MacFarlane, Assistant Secretary, Public Affairs, acknowledged requesting a contract for Spaeth Communications. Spaeth had done previous public relations work for MacFarlane, Baylor and JACKSON, as well as various Republican-affiliated organizations , cited in the contract application documentation. The contract was initially to be awarded under the “Unusual and Compelling Urgency Exemption to the Competition in Contracting Act.” The request for the extraordinary procedures was blocked by Associate Counsel John Opitz. He elaborated on the Spaeth contract on page 218: There is a “facial” concern in Spaeth’s references to her firm’s prior politically related work. In retrospect, it does raise questions. Was the award based on her ability to do work or her prior connections, including her connection to JACKSON? I do not know the answer to that. The HUD IG report also documents that Jackson obstructed a contract for Abt Associates because they supported Democrats, according to Jackson’s Chief of Staff. Nevertheless, throughout the report Jackson repeatedly denies that he has ever improperly influenced any HUD contract. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Rep. Henry Waxman and Rep. John Olver have all called on Secretary Jackson to resign.
28.Sep.2006 $2 billion: - Amanda - Cost of war in Iraq to U.S. taxpayers each week, according to a new congressional analysis. The cost is “twice as much as in the first year of the conflict three years ago and 20 percent more than last year.” The report predicts war costs to reach 808 billion by 2016.
28.Sep.2006 Jesse Ventura Highlights Government Plan To Attack U.S. Cities & Kill Amerikans- Paul Joseph Watson -Video Interview: Cites Northwoods, Gulf of Tonkin, JFK assassination, NORAD
28.Sep.2006 Ground Zero Hero David Miller - Paul Joseph Watson- was a first responder in his as part of a national guard unit that helped the victims of the September 11 attack.
28.Sep.2006 O’Reilly Blasts Think Progress As ‘Hired Guns’ Who Are ‘Paid to Smear People’ - Payson - During a joint appearance on The Factor, Paul Begala and James Carville cited information from Think Progress that confirmed Chris Wallace never asked Bush officials about their response to the USS Cole bombing. Rather than deal with the facts, O’Reilly attacked Think Progress and Media Matters as “hired guns” who practice “smear” tactics. He has resorted to name-calling before; in his new book, Culture Warrior, O’Reilly calls us “vile.” Watch it: Transcript: O’REILLY: This is ridiculous. There were legitimate questions. Wallace grills Rumsfeld. I grilled Rumsfeld. And come on. CARVILLE: First of all, I don’t think that FOX has been fair to Bill Clinton. I like you. I like Chris Wallace. I like Sean Hannity. I don’t think in any way, shape or form that… O’REILLY: Give me an example of unfairness. CARVILLE: You know, just like Bill Clinton said, you never asked him — how many times was Rice on that show? BEGALA: Twenty-three. CARVILLE: How many times was Rumsfeld on that show? BEGALA: Nine. O’REILLY: What are you talking about? CARVILLE: Chris Wallace’s show. BEGALA: Chris Wallace, this is what the President said… O’REILLY: Does this come from Media Matters? Is that where this comes from? BEGALA: They’re a great website. Do you ever read them? CARVILLE: They’re totally documented. O’REILLY: Hired guns. BEGALA: Actually, that didn’t. That came from the Center from American Progress, ThinkProgress. O’REILLY: These far left web sites you guys take this information off, these are paid to smear people they disagree with. Do your own research.
28.Sep.2006 New Woodward Book Details Multiple Bush Cover-Ups Over Iraq - Nico - The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward is set to release “State of Denial,” the third in his series of books documenting the inner workings of the Bush administration. Woodward will discuss some notable revelations in the book this Sunday on 60 Minutes. Key highlights: Bush is covering up the extent of violence against U.S. troops in Iraq: According to Woodward, insurgent attacks against coalition troops occur, on average, every 15 minutes, a shocking fact the administration has kept secret. “It’s getting to the point now where there are eight-, nine-hundred attacks a week. That’s more than 100 a day. That is four an hour attacking our forces,” says Woodward. Intelligence shows Iraq violence will worsen in 2007: The situation is getting much worse, says Woodward, despite what the White House and the Pentagon are saying in public. “The truth is that the assessment by intelligence experts is that next year, 2007, is going to get worse and, in public, you have the president and you have the Pentagon [saying], ‘Oh, no, things are going to get better, ‘” he tells Wallace. “Now there’s public + then there’s private. But what did they do with the private? They stamp it secret. No one is supposed to know,” says Woodward. Bush will not support withdrawing from Iraq under any circumstances: President Bush is absolutely certain that he has the U.S. and Iraq on the right course, says Woodward. So certain is the president on this matter, Woodward says, that when Mr. Bush had key Republicans to the White House to discuss Iraq, he told them, “I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me.” Henry Kissinger regularly advises Bush and Cheney: Woodward also reports that the president and vice president often meet with Henry Kissinger, who was President Richard Nixon’s secretary of state, as an adviser . Says Woodward, “Now what’s Kissinger’s advice? In Iraq, he declared very simply, ‘Victory is the only meaningful exit strategy.’” Woodward adds. “This is so fascinating. Kissinger’s fighting the Vietnam War again because, in his view, the problem in Vietnam was we lost our will.”
28.Sep.2006 CNN Fact Checks Inhofe’s Diatribe Against Global Warming Science - Judd - On Monday, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) took to the Senate floor and launched into a 45-minute diatribe on global warming science. Repeating his claim that global warming is a hoax, Inhofe said, “The American people know…when they are being used and when they are being duped by the hysterical left.” In particular, he attacked the news media. According to Inhofe, “During the past year, the American people have been served up an unprecedented parade of environmental alarmism by the media and entertainment industry.” This morning, CNN hit back with a segment documenting that virtually everything Inhofe said was flatly contradicted by the facts. Watch it The CNN segment concluded: “Inhofe challenged the media to get this story straight in that speech, but when we asked for an interview with him we were told he’s just too busy to speak with us this week.” Read another debunk of Inhofe’s speech at Gristmill. Transcript: O’BRIEN: But some Republicans are fighting a different battle. Listen to the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment. INHOFE: I’m going to speak today about the most media-hyped environmental issue of all time, is the word that gets everybody upset when you say it and the word that many or the phrase that many politicians are afraid to say and that is global warming. O’BRIEN: It’s not new ground for Oklahoma’s senior senator. Jim Inhofe has repeatedly called global warming a hoax. Despite a steady stream of stark evidence, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, the warmest temperatures in 12,000 years, the senator is not convinced. INHOFE: During the past year, the American people have been served up an unprecedented parade of environmental alarmism by the media. O’BREIN: In a 45-minutes speech on the Senate floor, he voiced skepticism over this graph called the hockey stick. Despite some flaws, most climate scientists consider it the best t depiction of Global Warming. Inhofe says there’s evidence that the an arctic is actually cooling, even though most scientific findings suggest the contrary and point to the loss of major chunks of ice sheets and shelves. And he says the polar bears of the arctic are thriving, even though two of the most influential wildlife agencies say they are veering toward endangered status. Inhofe is all but alone on capitol hill these days. Most Republicans believe the scientific juror is in. REP. CHRIS SHAYS (R-CT): We have seen too much documentation to know that the world is getting warmer. We know that the ice shelves are melting. And for him to say otherwise just is like putting a bag over his head and not seeing it. O’BRIEN: Undaunted, Inhofe also took on Al Gore. INHOFE: In May our nation was exposed to one of the slickest science propaganda films of all time, former Vice President Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. O’BREIN: Inhofe offers a 12-point indictment of Gore’s documentary on climate change. He says the list might have been longer if he had actually seen the movie. [snip] O’BRIEN: We should point out in the recent five-year period, Senator Inhofe received more than $850,000 in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry. Inhofe challenged the media to get this story straight in that speech, but when we asked for an interview with him we were told he’s too busy to speak with us this week.
28.Sep.2006 Fox News chief Roger Ailes - Nico - said Wednesday that President Clinton’s response to Chris Wallace’s question about going after bin Laden represents “an assault on all journalists.” “If you can’t sit there and answer a question from a professional, mild-mannered, respectful reporter like Chris Wallace, then the hatred for journalists is showing,” Ailes said.
28.Sep.2006 In Farewell Address, Jeffords Urges U.S. Foreign Policy To Be ‘Less Haughty And More Humble’ - Faiz - Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), who became best known for his defection from the Republican Party in 2001 because he said he could not support President Bush’s agenda, delivered his farewell address to the Senate yesterday. Culminating a 32-year career in Congress that included voting against the Oct. 2002 Iraq war resolution, Jeffords struck a cautionary tone, warning: “We would be better served in world affairs today by being less haughty and more humble. I regret that my departure from Congress, like my arrival, finds our country at war. Young and even not-so-young Americans are sacrificing life and limb, while the rest of us are making little or no sacrifice.” Watch it: Transcript of his remarks HERE.
28.Sep.2006 September 28, 2006 - Think Progress - The New York Times calls the “compromise” military commissions legislation about to be approved by Congress “a tyrannical law that will be ranked with the low points in American democracy, our generation’s version of the Alien and Sedition Acts.” “A $75 million project to build the largest police academy in Iraq has been so grossly mismanaged” and “poorly constructed that feces and urine rained from the ceilings in student barracks.” U.S. construction giant Parsons Corp., which oversaw the project, received $1 billion in federal conctracts in Iraq and managed the Big Dig “disaster” in Boston. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said yesterday, “The idea of trying to cast blame on President Clinton [for 9/11] is just wrong for many, many reasons, not the least of which is I don’t think he deserves it.” “Most of the 9 million uninsured children in the U.S. live in homes where at least one parent works full time,” a new Families USA report finds. “In more than one-quarter of the cases, there are two working parents.” 70: The percentage of Americans who oppose the use of U.S. ground troops in Iran. Only nine percent favored U.S. air strikes on selected targets in Iran, while 45 percent said the U.S. should increase diplomatic our efforts with allies. A report from the UK Ministry of Defense says the Iraq war has acted as a “recruiting sergeant” for Islamic extremists + describes the west as being “in a fix.” “Scientists have uncovered evidence that levels of the greenhouse gas methane will rise sharply in the next few years, warming the planet faster than previously expected.” John E. Jones III, the district judge who “struck down a Dover, Penn., school board’s decision to teach intelligent design in public schools said he was stunned by the reaction, which included death threats and a week of protection from federal marshals.” “New explosive devices are now used in Afghanistan within a month of their first appearing in Iraq,” concludes a new United Nations report on Iraq , which “echoe[s] many of the dire predictions in an American assessment.”
28.Sep.2006 Congress moves to authorize torture. - Nico - The House voted 253-168 to approve legislation on military commissions that authorizes torture and strips detainees of the right to challenge their detention. Also voted down was a measure by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) which called for an expedited judicial review of the constitutionality of the commissions + required the bill to be reauthorized in three years to ensure congressional oversight in evaluating the effectiveness of the commissions. The Senate is expected to approve nearly identical legislation tomorrow.
28.Sep.2006 As Dow Nears All-Time High From 2000, Fox News Declares Bush Tax Cuts A Success - Amanda - The Dow Jones is currently at 11,689 points. Today on Fox News, Neil Cavuto featured a segment on whether the Dow’s strength is the result of President Bush’s tax cuts. Bush’s tax cuts don’t have anything to do with the strength of the Dow. Here are the facts: – A 2005 study by four Federal Reserve Board economists “fail[ed] to find much, if any, imprint of the dividend tax cut news on the value of the aggregate stock market.” According to a Wall Street Journal article, the study concluded that Bush’s tax cuts were “a dud when it came to boosting the stock market.” – Analysts at the Tax Policy Center found that the link between capital gains tax rates and stock market growth is “weak” and capital gains have historically risen with “little apparent effect on the stock market.” Bush_Tax_Cuts_A_Success_Studies_Say_Otherwise">Digg It!
28.Sep.2006 New Pentagon Office Pushes For More Hardline Broadcasts In Iran - Guest - McClatchy news service reports today that the Pentagon has drafted a report “charging that U.S. international broadcasts into Iran aren’t tough enough on the Islamic regime,” an indication that elements within the administration continue to push for a more confrontational policy toward Iran: The report appears to be a gambit by some officials in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s office and elsewhere to gain sway over television and radio broadcasts into Iran , one of the few direct tools the USA has to reach the Iranian people. These efforts are being coordinated out of a new “Iran Directorate,” which has been compared to the Office of Special Plans, the controversial intelligence analysis unit established before the war in Iraq that provided cherry-picked intelligence to Rumsfeld and the White House. U.S. broadcasting officials who have read the Iran Directorate’s report say it is “riddled with errors” and a “thinly veiled” attack on Voice of America and its charter, which states that “VOA news will be accurate, objective + comprehensive.” McClatchy notes that veterans of government broadcasting “say that not even during the Cold War - with the exception of the 1956 uprising in Hungary - did such news organizations as the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty call for the overthrow of adversary governments. Rather, they said, they serve as sources of objective news and models of how democracies operate.” Kevin Drum has more. – Kindra Wilson
28.Sep.2006 Inhofe called global warming - Payson - the “most media-hyped environmental issue of all time” in a speech yesterday on the Senate floor. Gristmill writes that Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) “comes off like nothing so much as an assiduous right-wing blogger who’s spent hours in his Cheeto-scattered basement combing the net for every rumor, half-truth + slander he can find.” Read more about the speech’s inaccuracies here.
28.Sep.2006 Rep. J.D. Hayworth: ‘Our Enemies Utilize The Blogosphere To Their Own Advantage’ - Amanda - Monday on Fox News’s Your World With Neil Cavuto, Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) said that Sunday’s New York Times story on the new National Intelligence Estimate and the ensuing public discussion are “putting lives in danger” because terrorists are monitoring “these satellite broadcasts.” Additionally, terrorists are monitoring and utilizing “political posturing” and “cheap shots” in the blogosphere “to their own advantage.” Watch it: Hayworth’s comments reflect similar statements that the right-wing has repeatedly used to discourage media criticism. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recently stated that the terrorists are “manipulating the media” to turn Americans against the war in Iraq. Digg It! Full transcript below: HAYWORTH: We’re fighting the wrong war at the wrong time. The public discussion has moved from thoughtful criticism to just political gotcha. That is harmful, but the bottom line is I believe we’re putting lives in danger by exposing sources and methods. And let’s understand this doesn’t occur in a vacuum, Neil. Our enemies monitor these satellite broadcasts. Our enemies utilize the blogosphere to their own advantage. Let’s not forget a few years ago, al-Zarqawi and al-Zawahiri saying the Americans will wear down with the Vietnam Syndrome. Thoughtful criticism is always welcome. Political posturing and cheap shots are not. CAVUTO: Congressman, thank you very much.
28.Sep.2006 “I sometimes use flowery language to make a point,” - Amanda - said Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who described torture at Abu Ghraib as “hazing.”
28.Sep.2006 Tony Snow’s Challenge: ‘Please Show Me’ Where The NIE Says ‘We’re Not Winning’ - Amanda - In today’s briefing, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow challenged a reporter who said the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concluded that we’re not safer. Snow retorted, “Look for, ‘We’re not winning.’ Please show me. Well, the President says we’re winning.” Watch it: We looked through the NIE for Snow. Some examples of “We’re not winning”: “[A] large body of all-source reporting indicates that activists identifying themselves as jihadists , although a small percentage of Muslims, are increasing in both number and geographic dispersion .” [p. 1] “If this trend continues, threats to US interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide .” [p. 1] “We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives .” [p. 2] “ The Iraq conflict has become the ?cause celebre? for jihadists , breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.” [p. 2] “ Anti-US and anti-globalization sentiment is on the rise and fueling other radical ideologies . This could prompt some leftist, nationalist, or separatist groups to adopt terrorist methods to attack US interests .” [pp. 3-4] Full transcript below: REPORTER: Thanks. You said first of all that Al Qaeda has been degraded. Actually, the report said the leadership has degraded, but its ranks have increased. You also just - SNOW: Ok. REPORTER: You also said that you were talking about things the administration has done + yet the intelligence estimate is taking this into account and coming up with this conclusion that the factors fueling this growth of the movement, that they report, outweigh the vulnerabilities and will do so for some time. That’s not, we’re safer. SNOW: No, it talks about jihadism. REPORTER: It’s not, “We’re winning.” SNOW: Well– It doesn’t draw judgements like that. You’ve read National Intelligence Estimates — REPORTER: I’m practically quoting verbatim. SNOW: I know, but look for, “We’re not winning.” Please show me. Well, the President says we’re winning.
28.Sep.2006 Harman to Negroponte: Deliver the NIE Before November - Nico - Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, has sent a letter to intelligence director John Negroponte demanding that he complete the second NIE on Iraq quickly + release a declassified version before the elections in November. An excerpt: NIEs have been produced in as little as several weeks, as in the case of the 2002 report on Iraqi WMD. While I understand the desire to be thorough, events in Iraq make it urgent that the Intelligence Community produce this NIE immediately. If your intention is to delay this report until after the November elections, I do not think that is appropriate given that U.S. troops are at risk at this moment. … I urge you to expedite completion of the NIE and to release it in both classified and publicly releasable unclassified forms . White House advisor Fran Townsend said yesterday, “My understanding is the planned release date, given the work that must be done to have it be comprehensive and complete, is January of ‘07.” UPDATE: A reader tips us off to the following tidbit from the Council on Foreign Relations: How long does it take to write an NIE? NIE drafting guidelines included in the July 9 Senate report describe three rough timeframes: a “fast track” of two to three weeks, a “normal track” of four to eight weeks + a “long track” of two months or more. The vice chairman of the NIC told Senate investigators that an NIE prepared in 60 days would be considered a very fast schedule and that NIEs typically take three to six months to complete. Digg it! Read the full letter:
28.Sep.2006 President Bush is more to blame - Amanda - than former President Bill Clinton for the fact that Osama bin Laden has not been captured, according to a new Gallup poll.
28.Sep.2006 New Poll: 71 Percent Of Iraqis Want U.S. Forces To Withdraw Within A Year - Faiz - The Program on International Policy Attitudes released a new poll on Iraqi public opinion today which finds that seven in ten Iraqis want US-led forces to commit to withdraw within a year. Moreover, an overwhelming majority believes that the US military presence in Iraq is provoking more conflict than it is preventing. The poll was conducted during the first week of September. Here are some of its key findings: – A large majority of Iraqis–71%–say they would like the Iraqi government to ask for US-led forces to be withdrawn from Iraq within a year or less. Given four options, 37 percent take the position that they would like US-led forces withdrawn “within six months,” while another 34 percent opt for “gradually withdraw[ing] US-led forces according to a one-year timeline.” – Support for attacks against US-led forces has increased sharply to 61 percent (27% strongly, 34% somewhat). This represents a 14-point increase from January 2006, when only 47 percent of Iraqis supported attacks. – More broadly, 79 percent of Iraqis say that the US is having a negative influence on the situation in Iraq , with just 14 percent saying that it is having a positive influence. – Asked “If the US made a commitment to withdraw from Iraq according to a timeline, do you think this would strengthen the Iraqi government, weaken it, or have no effect either way?” 53 percent said that it would strengthen the government , while just 24 percent said it would weaken the government. – Asked what effect it would have “if US-led forces withdraw from Iraq in the next six months,” 58 percent overall say that violence would decrease (35% a lot, 23% a little). Read the full report HERE. Digg It!
28.Sep.2006 White House: New Iraq NIE Won’t Be Released Until After Elections - Judd - Yesterday, Jane Harman revealed the existence of a second National Intelligence Estimate, focusing exclusively on Iraq. TPM Muckraker reports: At an event this morning, Harman disclosed the existence of a classified intelligence community report that gives a grim assessment of the situation in Iraq + called for it to be shared with the American public — before the November elections . …Dr. Lawrence Korb, a former senior Defense Department official now with the liberal-progressive Center for American Progress, hasn’t seen the report but has discussed it with those who have. “ It’s a very bleak picture of what’s going on in Iraq ,” he said. In a conference call with reporters last night, White House Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend acknowledged the existence of the report, but said it wouldn’t be available until January 2007: My understanding is the planned release date, given the work that must be done to have it be comprehensive + complete, is January of ‘07. But I will tell you, that’s still quicker than most NIEs get done. The timing has got nothing to do with the election. Very convenient. Digg It!
28.Sep.2006 September 27, 2006 - Think Progress - “Congress is on the verge of barring the construction of permanent bases for U.S. forces in Iraq .” The ban, which was inserted into the annual defense spending bill, won House approval last night with the passage of the defense appropriations bill. Bush terrorism adviser Fran Townsend acknowledged yesterday that a second intelligence estimate on Iraq exists + will be released in January 2007. Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), ranking member on the intel committee, said yesterday the White House is deliberately withholding the second NIE until after November’s elections. Since 2000, “ workers’ health insurance premiums have risen a total of 84 percent, while their wages have increased 20 percent and inflation has risen 18 percent.” The journal Nature reports that Bush administration officials “ blocked release of a report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes,” the third such cover-up accusation in the last two weeks. Afghan President Hamid Karzai tried to persuade oil-giant Chevron to invest in Afghanistan . “The rules are simple: Just come and look for oil + then we’ll see what we can do with you,” Karzai said. “Are security threats a factor? No. You won’t even know about them until you turn on CNN.” Meanwhile, attacks in Afghanistan are growing more frequent and lethal. “Three Senate Democrats proposed emergency legislation on Tuesday to reimburse states for printing paper ballots in case of problems with electronic voting machines on Nov. 7,” but “Republican leadership aides were skeptical about [its] prospects.” The House yesterday passed a bill making it a federal crime to accompany a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without parental consent . “This law will put those teenagers at risk who live in abusive and dysfunctional homes and would not dare disclose a pregnancy to a parent for fear of further abuse,” noted the Center for Reproductive Rights. $1.4 million: The amount Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has spent on the CIA leak investigation. The relatively low cost “establishes him as remarkably frugal in the ranks of recent special investigators.” (Ken Starr spent $71.5 million over eight years.) And finally: Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) was “diggin’ la vida loca” during pop star Ricky Martin’s testimony to the House International Relations Committee on human trafficking. “Let me just say that while my wife of 56 years considers you devastatingly handsome, I think your true beauty lies inside,” Lantos said.
28.Sep.2006 Bin Laden doch aus Pakistan geflohen? - sfux Harald Haack - Pervez Musharraf, der Präsident Pakistans, widersprach in einem Interview der britischen Tageszeitung ?The Times? dem französischen Geheimdienstbericht, wonach Bin Laden vor einigen Tagen in Pakistan an Typhus gestorben sei. Der Terroristenchef halte sich vermutlich in der afghanischen Provinz Kunar an der Grenze zu Pakistan auf.
28.Sep.2006 Promisgate: World's longest spy scandal still glossed over /Part II - sfux PROMIS sold to bin Laden -David Dastych - There were also two reported connections between the U.S. intelligence failure relating to the terrorist attacks on 9-11 and unauthorized derivatives...
28.Sep.2006 Survival International, Leonardo diCaprio and the Bushmen - sfux Dr. Alexander von Paleske - Survival International and it's recent questionable international campaign to get the Basarwa relocated into the Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana
28.Sep.2006 Lung cancer drug 'extends life' An experimental lung cancer drug has extended patients' life expectancy by more than 50% in preliminary trials.
28.Sep.2006 US shares go above record high The New York Stock Exchange's benchmark Dow Jones share index trades above its record closing high.
28.Sep.2006 Fear for lost 'Dirty War' witness Tens of thousands march through the Argentine capital after a key "Dirty War" trial witness goes missing.
28.Sep.2006 US imposes sanctions on Thailand The US cancels military assistance to Thailand in response to last week's military coup.
28.Sep.2006 China corruption scandal widens Another senior Communist Party official is implicated in Shanghai's financial scandal, a city official says.
28.Sep.2006 No nuclear deal at EU-Iran talks Talks in Berlin between Iran and the EU end without agreement on resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute.
28.Sep.2006 Bush seeks truce in leaders' spat The US president appeals to the Afghan and Pakistani leaders to put aside their differences to fight terrorism.
28.Sep.2006 1918 flu virus's secrets revealed An experiment to reconstruct the deadly 1918 influenza virus has given a new insight into how the infection took hold of its victims.
28.Sep.2006 Organ sales 'thriving' in China The sale of organs taken from executed prisoners appears to be thriving in China, a BBC investigation has found.
28.Sep.2006 US House passes terror trial bill The US House of Representatives passes a bill allowing military tribunals for foreign terrorism suspects.
28.Sep.2006 Bush aides reject Iraq report calls The Bush administration rejects calls for the release in full of a report linking the Iraq conflict to terrorism.
28.Sep.2006 Germany opens major Islam summit Germany holds an Islam conference to tackle integration problems amid a row about self-censorship.
28.Sep.2006 Dow moves closer to all-time high The Dow Jones index moves closer to hitting a record high as worries about US inflation ease.
28.Sep.2006 NY Mafia son's third trial folds US prosecutors fail yet again to convict John "Junior" Gotti, son of New York Mafia boss John Gotti.
28.Sep.2006 Europe diary: Political lies BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell on the Hungarian prime minister's admission of lying and the difficulty of selling painful reforms to voters.
28.Sep.2006 Turning Up Heat on Global Warming Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a comprehensive initiative putting California at the forefront of the battle to bring global warming under control.
28.Sep.2006 ERs Dangerously Deficient A report from the CDC says U.S. emergency units are overcrowded, understaffed and turning away trauma patients. In Bodyhack.
28.Sep.2006 Group Fights Politicizing Science and Engineering - kdawson 4 - smooth wombat writes, "Several prominent scientists said yesterday that they had formed an organization dedicated to electing politicians 'who respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific and engineering advice in making public policy.' The group will be a 527 organization and will focus its efforts on races in which science plays a part." From the article: "In what it described as a Bill of Rights for scientists and engineers, the group said that researchers who receive federal funds should be free to discuss their work publicly + that appointments to federal scientific advisory committees should be based on scientific qualifications, not political beliefs. It said the government should not support science education programs that 'include concepts that are derived from ideology,' an apparent reference to creationism and its ideological cousin, intelligent design."
28.Sep.2006 RFID-Reading Passport Scanners Installed - kdawson 56 - Kozar_The_Malignant writes, "Electronic passport scanners have been installed at SFO. Ten of the scanners were received last week and have now been put in service. Various creative responses have been discussed here before."
28.Sep.2006 Chinese Lasers Blind US Satelites - kdawson 507 - SniperClops writes, "China has fired high-power lasers at U.S. spy satellites flying over its territory in what experts see as a test of Chinese ability to blind the spacecraft, according to sources." The article mentions the reluctance of the U.S. administration to talk about this "asymmetric" effort by the Chinese military.
28.Sep.2006 Traveler Detained for Anti-TSA Message - samzenpus 773 - scifience writes "A traveler frustrated with recent changes to airport security procedures found himself detained in Milwaukee after writing a message critical of the TSA's leader on a plastic bag presented for screening. The message, which read "Kip Hawley is an Idiot," resulted in a confrontation with law enforcement, the traveler being told that his right to freedom of speech applied only "out there (pointing past the id checkers) not while in here [the checkpoint]." The story, which is detailed in a rapidly-growing thread on a discussion forum catering to frequent flyers, has attracted the interest of the ACLU, an AP reporter + many others. The incident raises a number of interesting questions and concerns regarding just where our rights end."
28.Sep.2006 First Zero-Gravity Surgery a Success - CmdrTaco 69+ - MattSparkes writes "Slashdot reported earlier this week that the first ever zero gravity surgery was to take place. Today the team of doctors successfully carried out the operation, removing a benign tumour from the forearm of a 46-year-old volunteer. "Now we know that a human being can be operated on in space without too many difficulties," team leader Dominique Martin said after the flight. The studies show that minor surgery is possible even during long-term inhabitation of space."
28.Sep.2006 Kletter- Trick: Spinnen spazieren mit Klebseide senkrecht
28.Sep.2006 Bücher- Giftschrank: Was US- Schüler nicht lesen sollen
28.Sep.2006 CSU- Politiker attackiert Mozart- Inszenierung: "Psychische Gewalt gegenüber vielen Gläubigen"
28.Sep.2006 Ehrungen: Alternativer Nobelpreis für den legendären Whistleblower
28.Sep.2006 "Opportunity": Mars- Roboter am Abgrund 28.Sep.2006 Folterprozess in Argentinien: Hauptbelastungszeuge spurlos verschwunden 28.Sep.2006 Terrorismus: Musharraf ist überzeugt, dass Bin Laden lebt 28.Sep.2006 Ende eines Rätsels: Flüchtiger Comverse- Gründer in Afrika gefasst
28.Sep.2006 3D- Atlas: Per Web durchs Mäusehirn
28.Sep.2006 Anti- Terrormaßnahme: Saudi- Arabien plant Grenzzaun zu Irak
28.Sep.2006 US- Kongress: Washington fürchtet Wut der Wähler 28.Sep.2006 Wasser- Notlage: Alle 15 Sekunden stirbt ein Kind 28.Sep.2006 Islamkonferenz: Schäuble schwört Deutschland auf "steinigen Weg" ein
28.Sep.2006 Ein Teraflop Rechenleistung: Intel stellt 80- Kern- Prozessor vor
28.Sep.2006 Nach Cali- Prozess: Kolumbien fordert Drogengeld von den USA
28.Sep.2006 Muslime: Stoiber fordert deutsche Predigten in Moscheen 28.Sep.2006 Streit über Atomkraftwerk: Trittin wirft RWE Erpressung vor
28.Sep.2006 Palestinian deputy PM returns occupied W. Bank after release by Israeli court : El-Sha'er's lawyer Osama al-Saadi said that his client was released after being held for more than five weeks without charge. "The court admitted there was not enough evidence to keep him in jail," al-Saadi said 28.Sep.2006 Criminal charges recommended against Olmert : State report implicates Israeli leader in bribe scandals, questionable real estate deals 28.Sep.2006 Hi-tech firm boycotts Israel over 'war crimes': Belgian hi-tech company specializing in development consulting notifies manager of Israeli company seeking cooperation that 'your country has conducted war crimes and is an apartheid regime' 28.Sep.2006 U.S., Syria spar and Rice calls for sanctions: The USA and Syria locked horns on Tuesday, with Washington urging others to join it in imposing sanctions on Damascus and Syria telling America to stop trying to impose its will on Arabs. 28.Sep.2006 World Can't Wait : Drive Out The Bush Regime!: On October 5, people everywhere will walk out of school, take off work + come to the downtowns & townsquares and set out from there, going through the streets and calling on many more to join us - making a powerful statement: "NO! THIS REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT OUT!" 28.Sep.2006 Guantanamo Prisoner Brings Suit in European Court of Human Rights: Boumediene has been tortured and abused at the hands of U.S. forces throughout the course of his imprisonment at Guantanamo. He has been severely beaten and short-shackled, placed in solitary confinement + deprived of sleep for extended periods of time. 28.Sep.2006 Does America torture? : When Bush refuses to call his "alternative" methods torture, when he wants to clarify "cruel" and "degrading" as allowing waterboarding, he reminds me of what Humpty Dumpty told Alice in Wonderland: "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." 28.Sep.2006 US slides down competition league : The USA has lost its top slot in a global ranking of economic competitiveness published yesterday because of mounting concern among businesses over its budget deficit and crumbling faith in its institutions. 28.Sep.2006 3 Minute Video: Real Big Brother: Over 4 million cameras, being retro-fitted w/speaker systems. Yelling out orders to people like a concentration camp.
28.Sep.2006 Combative Bush Releases Parts of Terror Study : Portions of a National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism that the White House released under pressure on Tuesday said that Muslim jihadists were “increasing in both number and geographic dispersion” and that current trends could lead to increasing attacks around the globe. 28.Sep.2006 White House refuses to release full NIE: The White House refused Wednesday to release the rest of a secret intelligence assessment that depicts a growing terrorist threat, as the Bush administration tried to quell election-season criticism that its anti-terror policies are seriously off track. 28.Sep.2006 Declassified : Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate . Trends in Global Terrorism: 28.Sep.2006 New Iranian Reactor Online By Nov. '07: The Russian nuclear plant being built in Bushehr, Iran, is on track to begin receiving Russian uranium next March, Russian officials said. 28.Sep.2006 Israel Won't Allow Iran To Produce Nuclear Weapons - PM : "Israel can't accept the possibility of Iranians having nuclear weapons and we will act together with the international forces, starting with the Americans, in order to prevent it," Olmert told The Jerusalem Post daily in an interview. 28.Sep.2006 Report: Bombing of Gaza power plant war crime: Human rights group B'Tselem determines bombing of power plant in Gaza constitutes war crime and was carried out as 'vengeance' 28.Sep.2006 Gaza a prison, says UN envoy: Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a prison for Palestinians where life is intolerable, a human rights envoy has told the United Nations Human Rights Council. 28.Sep.2006 Shooting Hizbullah rock hurlers allowed: "IOF troops currently stationed in Lebanon have permission to open fire on stone-throwing Hizbullah supporters," IOF Chief of General Staff Lt.- Gen. Dan Halutz said at Wednesday's cabinet meeting. 28.Sep.2006 Poll: 67% of Israelis want talks with PA gov't including Hamas : A majority of Israelis would support holding negotiations with a Palestinian unity government that includes the Islamic Hamas movement, according to the results of a joint Palestinian-Israeli poll released on Tuesday
28.Sep.2006 Andrew Bacevich : Chickens are home to roost in Iraq: The Bush administration is running out of troops, money and ideas 28.Sep.2006 Controversial group wins U.S. propaganda contract in Iraq: A public relations company known for its role in a controversial U.S. military program that paid Iraqi newspapers for stories favourable to coalition forces has been awarded another multi-million dollar media contract with American forces in Iraq.
28.Sep.2006 'Not enough cash for war' : George Bush received a serious rebuke about his wartime leadership this week when his army chief said he did not have enough money to fight the war in Iraq.
28.Sep.2006 Most Iraqis Favor Immediate U.S. Pullout, Polls Show-By Amit R. Paley
A strong majority of Iraqis want U.S.-led occupation forces to immediately withdraw from the country, saying their swift departure would make Iraq more secure and decrease sectarian violence, according to new polls by the State Department and independent researchers. Continue 28.Sep.2006 Revolution just Ain't what it used to be -By Mickey Z.
Thomas Jefferson can pronounce: "Every generation needs a new revolution." But that doesn't mean I can. Honest Abe once declared: "Any people anywhere being inclined and having the power have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government + force a new one that suits them better." Hey, I'd love a government that suits me-and most humans-better, but making plans to "shake off the existing government and force a new one" would just about guarantee you a place on that secret no-fly list. Continue 28.Sep.2006 For God's Sake -By Philip J. Rappa
It’s been said the world has changed since 911. That’s true for our government is indiscernible. It’s unrecognizable. It no longer adheres to the principles of our founding papers. It no longer accepts The Bill of Rights as the law of the land. No longer does it recognize treaties, proclamations or conventions. Continue 28.Sep.2006 "Thank you for not putting a bomb in your luggage." -By William Blum
The Bush and Blair administrations can not admit to the correlation of terrorism with their policies, but those opposed to their wars should never allow them to avoid the issue. Continue 28.Sep.2006 The USA Of Torture-By Matthew Yglesias
The USA now presents itself as what amounts to the globe's largest and most powerful rogue state—a nuclear-armed superpower capable of projecting military force to the furthest corners of the earth, acting utterly without legal or moral constraint whenever the president proclaims it necessary. Continue 28.Sep.2006 Reading the Gas Pump Numbers-What Do Falling Oil Prices Tell Us about War with Iran, the Elections + Peak-Oil Theory-By Michael T. Klare
What the hell is going on here? Just six weeks ago, gasoline prices at the pump were hovering at the $3 per gallon mark; today, they're inching down toward $2 -- and some analysts predict even lower numbers before the November elections. Continue
28.Sep.2006 https://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2006/09/al-qaeda-pay-no-attention-to-that-man.html
04.Sep.2001-11.Sep.2001 ISI Director Lt. Gen. Mahmood Ahmed visits Washington for the second time (see April 4, 2000). On September 10, a Pakistani newspaper reports on his trip so far. It says his visit has "triggered speculation about the agenda of his mysterious meetings at the Pentagon and National Security Council" as well as meetings with CIA Director Tenet, unspecified officials at the White House and the Pentagon + his "most important meeting" with Mark Grossman, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Pay special attention to the meeting with Grossman, who figures into various "deep readings" of the Sibel Edmonds story. See here and here: In an interview with Chris Deliso of antiwar.com, Edmonds hinted at key roles played by some powerful unelected officials -- important neconservatives like Marc Grossman of the State Department and Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, formerly of the Defense Department. If we hit the rewind button and go back to a CBS 60 Minutes’ interview in October, 2002, we remember the ex-contract linguist stated that Turkish targets of FBI investigation spy inside the U.S. State Department and at the Pentagon in order to “obtain the USA military and intelligence secrets.” It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that Grossman, Feith and Perle might have been the persons to whom she was referring in 2002. Furthermore, the language specialist has repeatedly stated in past interviews that investigations into pre-9/11 terrorist financing activities were blocked “per State Department request”, leaving open the question whether it was Mr. Grossman, then Undersecretary of State for European Affairs, who actively hindered investigations into the Turkey-Bin Laden link. Some observers have toyed with the belief that Mehmood Ahmad Mehmood could be the "real" leader of Al Qaeda. And just as the spotlight has shifted his way once more, we have this story: The former Inter Services Intelligence chief who conveyed USA Secretary Richard Armitage's reported threat to "bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age" if it failed to crackdown on Taliban after 9/11 to President Pervez Musharraf has "vanished" to escape attempts by the media to get his version.
ISI chief General Mehmood Ahmad Mehmood, who prematurely retired from the army after he was sidelined by Musharraf following disclosures that he tried to persuade Taliban chief Mullah Omar to not to give in to US pressure after 9/11, has since settled in Lahore and was not available for comment, The News reported. So. Now the former ISI head has pulled a Keyser Sose: "..and poof , he's gone." Perhaps he's vacationing with Khaled Sheik Mohammed?
Another Al Qaeda figure who "disappeared" in an interesting fashion recently is Omar al-Faruq. We'll have a few words to say about him soon.
28.Sep.2006 Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the Republicans Betray Our Military: It is a National Disgrace and a Peril to America -- A BuzzFlash Editorial
Second Report Indicates Bush is Increasing Terrorism, Not Reducing It: "In a second blow to the president, a new U.N. report said the Iraq war was providing al Qaeda with a training center and fresh recruits + was inspiring a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan hundreds of miles away." 28.Sep.2006 Six in ten Iraqis back attacks on US troops. Apparently they didn't get the memo about the bang-up job we're doing over there. 9/28 28.Sep.2006 House and Senate now likely to pass pro-torture bill, but not pro-Domestic-spying bill. So that would make us only half as bad as the Soviet Union. Feeling better? 9/28
House Approves Law That Puts America on Record as a Nation that Officially Sanctions Torture, Eliminates Constitutional Rights, Gives Bush Administration a Get Out of Jail Free Card + Apparently Applies (In Last Minute Changes) Detainee Inquisition Trial Rules to Anyone the Busheviks Believe are "Assisting" Terrorists, Which is What They Claim the Democrats are Doing. This is Appalling Beyond Belief. 9/28 28.Sep.2006 It's Official. By an Overwhelming Majority, the Iraqis Want the White House to Withdraw American Forces. We are Now Officially an Occupying Force. If Bush Believes in Democracy, We Will be Out of There. But He Doesn't Really At All, Does He? New Iraqi Poll. 28.Sep.2006 Second source comes forward to corroborate allegation that Virginia Republican Senator George Allen committed a racist hate crime. 9/28
Robert Parry: "But a Republican defeat in the Nov. 7 elections could at least limit Bush?s ability to interfere with initiatives by other international players who might want to step back from the brink of World War III. Conversely, another Republican victory might well lock in a future of near-endless war abroad and ever-increasing political repression at home." 9/28
Aussie Defense Chief: 10+ Years More Needed in Afghanistan Just to Make War "Winnable." Likens to Vietnam. Attacks Way Up -- A BuzzFlash News Analysis
Lamont spends $750G to fund Senate race. 9/28
28.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ Poll this. Michael Collins reports on a Zogby poll which indicates that only 45% of the American citizenry feels "very confident" that George Bush won the 2004 vote fair and square. The bad news: 20% still feel "somewhat confident."
When you consider the average person's traditional unwillingness to confess the emperor's nudity, these are remarkable numbers. Zogby's findings indicate that the efforts of numerous writers and activists have borne fruit.
But not enough fruit. We need to get the truth into more noggins. How to accomplish that goal? Publicize the following story...
Amazing news from Ohio! Let's let Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman tell it: Ohio election protection activists have won a landmark court battle to preserve the ballots from 2004’s disputed presidential election + researchers studying those ballots continue to find new evidence that the election was, indeed, stolen. Among other things, large numbers of consecutive votes in different precincts for George W. Bush make it appear ever more likely that the real winner in 2004 should have been John Kerry. Meanwhile, indictments and prison terms are mounting among key players in that tainted contest. That's just the teaser. Dig: So far, even the limited inspection of ballots has yielded astonishing results. Three precincts in two counties have shown consecutive runs of Bush votes that qualify as “virtual statistical impossibilities.”
* In Delaware County, Precinct Genoa I, researcher Stuart Wright viewed and recounted 3 separate bundles of ballots. In the second bundle, there were 274 consecutive ballots for Bush. In the third bundle there were 359 consecutive ballots for Bush. Genoa I was not one of the four precincts recounted as part of a required official recount, conducted on December 15, 2004.
* In Delaware County, BOE officials told Phillips that after the votes were cast on Election Day, ballots were unloaded by a team of teenage volunteers including the Boy Scouts who carried them into the BOE building where they were then given to a "mentally retarded man" who scraped the chads off the punch card ballots. Dr. Phillips estimates that the "mentally retarded man" would have had to scrape four or five ballots per second on election night in order to comply with the posting of the results at 12:40am for the nearly 80,000 ballots cast there.
* In Delaware County, Ross Township precinct, Philips has discovered that the BOE certified that 70% of the ballots cast for C. Ellen Connally, an African-American woman from Cleveland running for the Ohio Supreme Court, were also counted for Bush. The implausibility of this outcome in a white, Republican suburb is underscored by the fact that Connally trailed both Bush + Kerry very substantially throughout the rest of the state. Some 60% of the Township’s ballots opposing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage (which passed substantially) also were punched for Bush, an extremely implausible outcome widely branded as the “Gays for Bush” anomaly.
* In Butler County, Phillips found that in Monroe City precinct 4CA, Bush received 52 consecutive votes near the start of voting + then another run of 212 consecutive votes. Folks, we've just begun. Ponder this anomaly: In Clermont County, which contributed significantly to Bush’s margin of victory, researcher Dr. Ronald Baiman discovered a suspicious use of replacement ballots, that are meant to be issued only if a regular ballot is somehow spoiled by a voter. In a random draw of one ballot from each of the 192 precincts, against huge odds, Baiman found a replacement ballot. Baiman asked that the next ballot from the precinct be drawn and it, too, was a replacement ballot. Continuing pulling ballots from that same precinct, Baiman witnessed 36 straight replacement ballots in a row, a virtual statistical impossibility. Dr. Philips recorded only five spoiled ballots in this same precinct, raising the question of where the other 31 replacement ballots came from. There much more; go here.
28.Sep.2006 https://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/ The former head of Pakistan's ISI (that nation's CIA) was Mehmood Ahmad Mehmood, who has now pulled a mysterious vanishing act. (I gave his name somewhat differently in a previous post; apologies, but the difficulties of transliteration are well-known.) According to various accounts:
1. He wired money to Mohammed Atta shortly before the World Trade Center attacks.
2. He employed R.G. Abbas, a Pakistani agent who -- while pointing toward the WTC complex -- told an undercover FBI informant that "those towers are coming down."
3. He arranged the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
4. He sent fighters against India to be trained in Al Qaeda camps -- essentially using Osama Bin Laden's jihadist movement as a cut-out.
5. He helped arrange the escape of thousands of Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters into Pakistan.
6. He is said to have have arranged -- or so runs a widely-held belief -- the fake arrest of WTC attack mastermind Khaled Sheihk Mohammed.
All in all, Mehmood Ahmed Mehmood seems an interesting fellow. Indeed, I have hardly covered all of the points of interest; see the timeline here, where he is described as "quite possibly the most taboo suspect of all 9/11 suspects." Note in particular this entry:
(To read the rest, click "Permalink" below)
04.Sep.2001-11.Sep.2001 : ISI Director Lt. Gen. Mahmood Ahmed visits Washington for the second time (see April 4, 2000). 10.Sep.2001 a Pakistani newspaper reports on his trip so far. It says his visit has "triggered speculation about the agenda of his mysterious meetings at the Pentagon + National Security Council" as well as meetings with CIA Director Tenet, unspecified officials at the White House + the Pentagon + his "most important meeting" with Mark Grossman, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Pay special attention to the meeting with Grossman, who figures into various "deep readings" of the Sibel Edmonds story. See here and here: In an interview with Chris Deliso of antiwar.com, Edmonds hinted at key roles played by some powerful unelected officials -- important neconservatives like Marc Grossman of the State Department + Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, formerly of the Defense Department. If we hit the rewind button and go back to a CBS 60 Minutes’ interview in October, 2002, we remember the ex-contract linguist stated that Turkish targets of FBI investigation spy inside the U.S. State Department and at the Pentagon in order to “obtain the USA military and intelligence secrets.” It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that Grossman, Feith and Perle might have been the persons to whom she was referring in 2002. Furthermore, the language specialist has repeatedly stated in past interviews that investigations into pre-9/11 terrorist financing activities were blocked “per State Department request”, leaving open the question whether it was Mr. Grossman, then Undersecretary of State for European Affairs, who actively hindered investigations into the Turkey-Bin Laden link. Some observers have toyed with the belief that Mehmood Ahmad Mehmood could be the "real" leader of Al Qaeda. And just as the spotlight has shifted his way once more, we have this story: The former Inter Services Intelligence chief who conveyed USA Secretary Richard Armitage's reported threat to "bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age" if it failed to crackdown on Taliban after 9/11 to President Pervez Musharraf has "vanished" to escape attempts by the media to get his version.
ISI chief General Mehmood Ahmad Mehmood, who prematurely retired from the army after he was sidelined by Musharraf following disclosures that he tried to persuade Taliban chief Mullah Omar to not to give in to US pressure after 9/11, has since settled in Lahore and was not available for comment, The News reported. So. Now the former ISI head has pulled a Keyser Sose: "..and poof , he's gone." Perhaps he's vacationing with Khaled Sheik Mohammed?
Another Al Qaeda figure who "disappeared" in an interesting fashion recently is Omar al-Faruq. We'll have a few words to say about him soon. Permalink
28.Sep.2006 USA: Bushs umstrittenes Terrorgesetz nimmt weitere Hürde
28.Sep.2006 Satelliten- Navigation: Sonne kann GPS- Empfänger stören 28.Sep.2006 Afghanistan- Einsatz: Deutscher Botschafter warnt vor drohender Katastrophe
28.Sep.2006 27. SEPTEMBER 2006
28.Sep.2006 Berlin: Linkspartei- Vorstand bereit für Rot- Rot 28.Sep.2006 Neue EU- Regeln in Sicht: 100 Milliliter dürfen mit an Bord
28.Sep.2006 Islamkonferenz: Lob für Schäuble - erste Konflikte zwischen den Muslimen
27.Sep.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-439670,00.html
"Die Politik dieser Regierung ist gescheitert + dafür wird ein politischer Preis zu zahlen sein", drohte der demokratische Senator Joe Biden.
27.Sep.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-439670,00.html
Doch nehme die "Anti-US- und Anti-Globalisierungsstimmung zu und facht neue radikale Ideologien an". Diese Bewegung sei zugleich längst so diffus, dass es "schwerer wird, Dschihadistengruppen zu finden und zu unterminieren" - vor allem die "selbstradikalisierten Zellen", die neuerdings überall aufkeimten, namentlich in Europa.
27.Sep.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-439670,00.html Diesmal geht es um viel weitreichendere Worte Bushs: "Amerika gewinnt den Krieg gegen den Terror." REUTERS Bush: "Lesen Sie selbst" Mitnichten, hatte nun die Opposition behauptet und sich dabei auf ein angeblich düsteres NIE vom April dieses Jahres berufen, in Auszügen lanciert von der "New York Times" unter der Überschrift: "Irak-Krieg verschlimmert Terror-Bedrohung." Eine solche Einschätzung, hatte Bush daraufhin gestern erbost erwidert, sei "naiv", und ließ schließlich einen Auszug aus besagtem NIE veröffentlichen. "Lesen Sie selbst", ermunterte er die Amerikaner forsch. Flucht nach vorn also. Und, wie die Amerikaner nun beim Nachlesen merken, ein Schuss, der leider nach hinten losging. Gut drei Seiten gab Bush frei, die Zusammenfassung eines über 30-seitigen Berichts aller 16 US-Geheimdienstbehörden. Und diese drei Seiten bestätigen Bushs optimistische Sicht der Dinge keineswegs - sondern eher die seiner Kritiker.
27.Sep.2006 Terror- Geheimbericht: Bushs Flucht nach vorn schlägt fehl
27.Sep.2006 Atomstreit: Ahmadinedschad schließt Stopp der Uran- Anreicherung aus
27.Sep.2006 Opernstreit und Islamkonferenz: "Bitte nicht die Bodenhaftung verlieren" 27.Sep.2006 Opern- Drama: Berlin will "Idomeneo" wieder aufführen
27.Sep.2006 Opern- Absetzung: Innensenator Körting gerät unter Druck
27.Sep.2006 Medizin- Experiment: Patient übersteht OP in Schwerelosigkeit
27.Sep.2006 Cholesterin und Fast Food: New York will Transfette verbieten
27.Sep.2006 https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/0,1518,druck-439531,00.html "Wir können nun sagen, dass das Gemälde von Leonardo da Vinci zum Anlass der Geburt des zweiten Sohnes von Mona Lisa gefertigt wurde", sagte Kunsthistoriker Bruno Mottin vom französischen Zentrum für Forschung und Restauration am gestrigen Dienstag auf einer Pressekonferenz im kanadischen Ottawa. Dank der neuen Erkenntnis könne das Kunstwerk nun auch besser datiert werden und zwar auf etwa 1503.
27.Sep.2006 Cholesterin und Transfette: Todesbad fürs Fast Food
27.Sep.2006 Opern- Absetzung: "Etappensieg für Islamisten"
27.Sep.2006 Russische Energiequellen: Putin droht West- Konzernen
27.Sep.2006 Abhörskandal: Italienischer Verband soll bespitzelt worden sein 27.Sep.2006 Schuldbekenntnis vor Gericht: Der letzte Deal der Drogenbosse 27.Sep.2006 Nach der Ära Blair: Was Labour von der Queen lernen muss 27.Sep.2006 Abgesetzte Mozart- Oper: Islamkonferenz will gemeinsam "Idomeneo" sehen 27.Sep.2006 Dokumentation: Auszüge aus dem US- Geheimdienstbericht 27.Sep.2006 Polen: Stimmenkauf gefilmt - Premier in Erklärungsnot
27.Sep.2006 Ägäis: Griechen sollen Flüchtlinge ins Meer geworfen haben
27.Sep.2006 Hedgefonds: Die Billionen- Bombe
27.Sep.2006 Rätselhaftes Lächeln: Mutterglück soll Lisas Gesicht formen
27.Sep.2006 Clash of presidents: Bush und Clinton streiten sich um Terror- Fehler
27.Sep.2006 Abgesetzte Oper: Weltweites Kopfschütteln über Berliner Selbstzensur | 