tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114055752009-03-01T00:22:25.571-08:00Monitoring what the American Media Prints, Misses, and OmitsDevlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1149140463420269302006-05-31T22:36:00.000-07:002006-06-01T01:57:42.816-07:00This blog has been destroyed by an html error that I am unable to locate, let alone fix.<br /><br />Go <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://americanmonitor06.blogspot.com/">here</a> for the new site.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114914046342026930?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1148947302402776572006-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:002006-06-01T10:31:09.113-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Media Watch<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article621189.ece"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV'</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Independent</span><br /><h1> </h1> </li><li><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200605260017"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the wake of Skilling, Lay verdicts, news outlets ignored Bush's ties to Enron</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Media Matters</span><br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002874.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MSNBC Covers, Downplays America's E-Voting Mess</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Brad Blog</span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Warfare</u></span><br /><ul> <li><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060529cbssly,1,7237607.story?coll=chi-news-hed"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carbomb kills CBS crew, injures reporter</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Chicago Tribune</span></li> </ul> <ul><li><span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/05/29/ap2778843.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Afghans Riot After U.S. Truck Accident</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP<br /><br /></span></span></span></li> <li><a href="http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nDAH931505&amp;imageid=2006-05-28T134231Z_01_BAG51D_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ.jpg&cap=Iraqi%20Prime%20Minister%20Nuri%20al-Maliki%20%283rd%20L%29%20presides%20over%20a%20cabinet%20meeting%20at%20the%20fortified%20green%20zone%20in%20Baghdad%20May%2028,%202006.%20%20REUTERS/Ceerwan%20Aziz"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bombs kill dozens in Iraq, leaders wrangle</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Reuters</span><br /><span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></li><li><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/14685601.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iranian-backed militia groups take control of much of southern Iraq</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Knight Ridder<br /><br /></span></li><li><a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C05%5C29%5Cstory_29-5-2006_pg1_2"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dadullah claims control of southwestern Afghanistan </span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">--The Daily Times<br /><br /></span></li><li><font><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5020804.stm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iraqis Shot "for Wearing Shorts"</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--BBC</span></span></li><font><font><font><font><font><font> </span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Haditha<br /></u></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <li><a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/28.html#a8479"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Murtha: Who ordered the cover-up?</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--ABC, Crooks & Liars<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.crooksandliars.com/images/abc_tw_mutha_haditha_060528c1.jpg" /></div> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/26/world/middleeast/26haditha.html?_r=1&hp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ex=1148616000&en=a36b890ecbd52750&amp;ei=5094&partner=homepage&amp;oref=slogin"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/26/world/middleeast/26haditha.html?_r=1&hp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ex=1148616000&en=a36b890ecbd52750&amp;ei=5094&partner=homepage&amp;oref=slogin"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Military to Report Marines Killed Iraqi Civilians</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> --The New York Times</span><br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-marines27may27,1,1672056.story?ctrack=1&cset=true"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photos Indicate Civilians Slain Execution-Style</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Los Angeles Times</span><br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/29/world/middleeast/29haditha.html?hp&ex=1148875200&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;en=76854c985dc60d9e&ei=5094&amp;partner=homepage"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iraqis' Accounts Link Marines to the Mass Killing of Civilians</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The New York Times<br /><br /></span></li><li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/28/AR2006052800766.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baghdad Numb to Reports of Massacre</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Washington Post<br /></span></li> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Geopolitics<br /></u></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><a href="http://www.energybulletin.net/16393.html"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">ENERGY GEOPOLITICS 2006</span> --Richard Heinberg<br /><br /><li><br /></li><a href="http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901060522-1193987,00.html"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nigeria's Deadly Days</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> --Time Magazine Europe<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><li><br /></li><strong class="NewHeadline"></strong><a href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060522/48434383.html">RTS Bourse to Start Trading Oil, Oil Products, Gold on June 8</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--</span><span style="font-style: italic;">RIA Novosti<br /><br /></span><li><br /></li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ></span><strong></strong><a href="http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HE26Ag01.html">The Gazprom nation</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--The Asia Times</span><br /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></sp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</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><u>Energy Sustainability</u><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><a href="http://www.fcnp.com/612/peakoil.htm"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ethanol and Peak Food</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Falls Church News-Press</span><br /><br /><a href="http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2006/05/newest-guest-at-your-dinner-table-your.html"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><li><br /></li><a href="http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2006/05/newest-guest-at-your-dinner-table-your.html"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Newest Guest at Your Dinner Table: Your Car</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Resource Insights<br /></span><br /><li><br /></li><a href="http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/05/26/the_suburban_fantasy.php"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Suburban Fantasy</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">--James Howard Kunstler</span><br /><br /><li><br /></li><a href="http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/interviews/709"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Goodell on </span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><a href="http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/interviews/709"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Coal</span> --Global Public Media<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Audio:</span> <a href="http://media.globalpublicmedia.com/RM/2006/05/20060521JeffGoodell.mp3">Author and journalist Jeff Goodell discusses his upcoming book </a><i>Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future</i> with GPM correspondent Jason Brenno.<a href="http://media.globalpublicmedia.com/RM/2006/05/20060521JeffGoodell.mp3"><br /></a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114894730240277657?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1149139178520310642006-05-30T16:51:00.000-07:002006-05-31T22:25:42.833-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Election Reform<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002891.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EXCLUSIVE: BOBBY KENNEDY JR. TO QUESTION 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN MAJOR ROLLING STONE FEATURE ARTICLE!</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Brad Blog</span><br /> </li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Warfare<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2021321"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Relentless Violence Kills 54 in Iraq</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/31.html#a8507"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iraqi Ambassador: Marines killed my cousin</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--CNN, Crooks & Liars<br /><br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 240px; height: 178px;" src="http://www.crooksandliars.com/images/TSR-Iraq-ambassador.jpg" /><br /> <a href="http://movies.crooksandliars.com/TSR_IraqiAmbassa.mov"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Video</span></a><br /> </div> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /> </span></li> <li><span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/ap/2006/05/31/ap2783489.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iraq Declares State of Emergency in Basra</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/dea2ecbf6e9baf0ea2b6e647df0ee401.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFGHANISTAN: Seven aid workers killed</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--IRIN<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2017565"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marine at Haditha: 'I can still smell the blood'</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> --ABC News<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"></span><a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/30.html#a8501"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Video: Murtha on Wolf</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Crooks & Liars<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/30/murtha-haditha/">Video: Murtha on ABC</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Think Progress<br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"> <p><a href="http://images1.americanprogress.org/il80web20037/ThinkProgress/2006/murthairaq.320.240.mov"><center><img style="width: 255px; height: 194px;" src="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/murtha1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> <a style="font-weight: bold;">Video</a><br /></center></a> </p> </div> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></li> <li><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Different Take:</span> </span><a href="http://www.iava.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&amp;id=1607&Itemid=142"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Charges of Marines Killing Innocent Iraqi Civilians Requires Healthy Skepticism</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--IAVA</span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u></u></span> <ul><span class="itemTitle"><a href="http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7390"></a></span><li><span class="itemTitle"><a href="http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7390"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EU lawmakers condemn Iran’s “terror attack” in Iraq</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Iran Focus</span><br /><br /> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">"... On Monday, a bus transporting Iraqi workers from the town of al-Khalis, northeast of Baghdad, to Ashraf City, the main base of </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">the Iranian opposition People Mojahedin (PMOI/MeK), was targeted by a roadside explosive device killing 13 people and wounding 15 others, according to a statement by the Friends of a Free Iran.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> “This terrorist attack comes in the wake of </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">several threats made by the Iranian regime on the Iraqi authorities regarding the presence of the PMOI in Iraq and has all the characteristics of the recurrent terrorist attacks masterminded by the Iranian regime in Iraq”, the statement said, highlighting that the attack was carried out just one day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki visited Iraq.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> ..." </span><br /> <br /> <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://juancole.com/2006/05/iran-cleans-up-in-iraq-iran-is-perhaps.html">Juan Cole</a><span style="font-style: italic;">: "Issues the Iraqis brought up with the Iranian official included the need for better border control to stop unauthorized entry of Iranians, as well as combatting weapons smuggling and drug smuggling. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Iranians in turn complained about the infiltration of Iran from Iraq of terrorists from the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) guerrilla movement.</span><span style="font-style: italic;">"<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nN31241432"><span style="font-weight: bold;">U.S.-Iran mistrust bodes ill for talks success</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Reuters<br /> </span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Geopolitics<br /></u></span> <ul style="font-style: italic;"> <li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1781100,00.html"><strong>China Extends its Reach into Africa with $1bn Deal for Nigeria's Railways</strong></a> --The Guardian<br /> <br /> </li> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aW9UfHj_vugQ&amp;refer=latin_america">Chavez says US working for coup in Bolivia</a> </span><span class="style5">--Bloomberg<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/053106H.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Taliban Become Pakistan's Instrument to Control Afghanistan Once Again</span></a> --Le Figaro<br /> <br /> </li> <li><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5018664.stm"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Russia looks at oil control move</span></a> --BBC News<br /> </li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Energy Crisis<br /></u></span> <ul style="font-weight: bold;"> <li><a href="http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=ae8a9ee4-6f94-4db3-abe2-64bd2dd8c690&k=78756">Hurricane watch for portfolios</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--The National Post</span><br /> <br /> </li> <li> <div class="storyHeadlines"><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?dist=newsfinder&siteid=google&amp;guid=%7BF1592B85-FD1F-428C-96C4-C5EC72B49646%7D&keyword=">Energy sector braces for 2006 hurricane season, Industry sees shut-in production, price spikes likely</a> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;">--Market Watch<br /> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /> </span></div> </li> <li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-05-28T165222Z_01_L28526784_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-ENERGY-OIL-FORUM-DC.XML"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oil could top $105 in major supply outage: expert</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Reuters<br /> </span></span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Sustainability<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0530-24.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Forget Gas; We Need A Plan to Keep Passenger Trains Rolling</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Seattle Times</span><br /> </li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Corruption<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/31/jefferson.raid.tm/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Congress takes on the feds</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Time<br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"> <p><img style="width: 242px; height: 184px;" src="http://www.crooksandliars.com/images/SensenB.jpg" /><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/31.html#a8515">Sensenbrenner</a>:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"I think that we want to make sure that when the next Congressman is investigated for illegal activity that the procedure done by the Justice Department is right..."</span><br /> <br /> </p> <p> </p> </div> </li> <li><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/30/bush-snow-lie/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bush Lies, Tony Snow says Lying</span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="itemtitle"> is Necessary <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">to Protect Markets</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Think Progress</span><br /> <br /> <span class="general_text"><span class="article_text"><span class="article_title"><a href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_850.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></span></span></span></li> <li><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/31/ap/national/mainD8HV0KPO2.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coin Dealer Admits Illegal Donations</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP</span><br /><br /> </li> <li><span class="general_text"><span class="article_text"><span class="article_title"><a href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_850.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part 1 of 3 parts; Off-label prescribing of prescription drugs: Profits for big pharma and risk to patients</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Online Journal, Evelyn Pringle<br /> <a href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_855.shtml"><br /> </a></span></span></span></span><a href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_855.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="general_text"><span class="article_text"><span class="article_title">Part 2 of 3 parts; Off-label prescribing of prescription drugs: Tactics Pfizer used in promoting off-label use of Neurontin</span></span></span></a><span class="general_text"><span class="article_text"><span class="article_title"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /> </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Constitutional Rights<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/31/justices_limit_whistle_blower_rights/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Justices limit whistle-blower rights</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Washington Post</span><br /> </li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Media Watch</u></span><br /><ul> <li><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200605300005"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fox News on Afghan Riots: "Afghan Ingrates?"</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Media Matters</span><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002888.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></li> <li><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/FCC_plans_relaxation_of_media_ownership_0531.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FCC plans relaxation of media ownership rules, watchdogs says</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Raw Story</span><br /> <br /> </li> <li><a href="http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002888.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Washington Post 'Fox News-izes' the Diebold E-Voting Threat to Democracy</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Brad Blog<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2006/5/31/14334/4610"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bush's Greatness and This Commercial Break</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Allie Deger, TruthOut forum</span><br /> <br /> </li> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200605300001">Media overstated amount of oil that ANWR drilling could produce</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Media Matters</span></li> </ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114913917852031064?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1149027288489337932006-05-30T15:15:00.000-07:002006-05-30T16:10:53.853-07:00<p class="MsoNormal">Despite the Bush Administration’s adamant and continual denunciation of terrorism, the Department of Defense—under <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld’s orders—is</span></strong> using a terrorist organization to orchestrate attacks and collect intelligence inside Iran, according to numerous former and current military, intelligence, administration, and United Nations officials. </p> <o:p></o:p>Government sources—according to <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_outsourcing_special_operations_intelligence_gathering_0413.html">reports</a> by <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_military_seen_ready_for_Iran_0511.html">Raw Story</a>, <a href="http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050126-045615-4690r">UPI</a>, and others—say the militant group is being “run” by the Pentagon in Iran’s oil-rich province of Khuzestan—which has been the subject of numerous attacks and terrorist bombings over the past year—and in the opium-smuggling border province of Sistan-Baluchistan, where suspected US operatives attacked and killed several Iranian officials just this March. <span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">Based in <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>, the group carrying out the reported operations is an Iranian rebel organization that aims to overthrow and replace <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s clerical regime. Known as the <a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/mek.htm">Mujahedeen-e Khalq</a> (MEK or MKO), the group has been officially designated by the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> government as a terrorist organization. </p> <o:p></o:p>Widely regarded as an extremist cult, the MEK has a long history of violence: they murdered several Americans during the 1970s; they were involved with the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran; they killed 70 high ranking officials by bombing the Premier’s office and the head office of the Islamic Republic Party in 1981; they helped the Iraqi government violently suppress Shia and Kurdish uprisings during the 1990s; they executed near-simultaneous bombings against Iranian interests in 13 separate countries in 1992; and they have carried out several attacks and assassinations inside Iran over the past decade. <p class="MsoNormal" style="">During the first stages of the 2003 invasion, US forces destroyed two MEK bases and confiscated a considerable stockpile of the group’s weaponry, by one <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1231/p10s01-woiq.html">count</a>: <span class="text">300 tanks, 250 armored personnel carriers, 250 artillery pieces, and 10,000 small arms. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The MEK was officially <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1231/p10s01-woiq.html">expelled</a> from <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place> by the Iraqi Governing Council in 2003, but approximately 3,800 members of the group remained in the country under the watch of US forces. [1] </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In 2004, they became the first terrorist organization to be granted “<a href="http://scoop.agonist.org/story/2004/7/26/114323/017">protected</a>” status by the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> government. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The MEK captives were supposedly being confined to a <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> military-run compound northeast of <st1:city st="on">Baghdad</st1:city>, but according to several sources, the Bush Administration and the Department of Defense have been using the group against <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Tehran</st1:place></st1:city>. [2]</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">According to <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_military_seen_ready_for_Iran_0511.html">Raw Story</a>, “Although the specifics of what the MEK is being used for remain unclear, a UN official close to the Security Council explained that the newly renamed MEK soldiers are being run instead of military advance teams, committing acts of violence in hopes of staging an insurgency of the Iranian Sunni population.”</p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4084908.stm">Suspected</a> US-sponsored MEK operations include the <a href="http://publicbroadcast.net/wyso/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=783165">string</a> of terrorist <a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/152380/1/.html">bombings</a> that <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GF15Ak01.html">killed</a> at least 12 people and injured 90 others in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> just prior to the country’s elections in 2005. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><img style="width: 267px; height: 198px;" alt="The image “http://www.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20050612/169_ap_iran_blast_050612.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20050612/169_ap_iran_blast_050612.jpg" /><br /><i style="">The vehicle pictured above was destroyed during the pre-election attacks<br />(<a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1118578260304_2/?hub=CTVNewsAt11">Photo: AP / Iran TV</a>)<o:p></o:p></i></p></div>US-sponsored MEK militants also attacked and <a href="http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6379">killed 22 Iranian officials</a> in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan this March, according to US government officials who spoke to <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_military_seen_ready_for_Iran_0511.html">Raw Story</a>. <p class="MsoNormal" style="">As early as January of 2005 the MEK were “<a href="http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050126-045615-4690r">launching raids</a>” from <st1:placetype st="on">Camp</st1:placetype> <st1:placename st="on">Habib</st1:placename> in <st1:city st="on">Basra</st1:city> on behalf of the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region>, and had also been given permission by Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff to operate from <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s Baluchi area, according to US officials who spoke to UPI. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“[Undersecretary of Defense Intelligence Stephen] Cambone and those guys made MEK members swear an oath to Democracy and resign from the MEK and then our guys incorporated them into their unit and trained them,” one intelligence official told Raw Story. “These guys are nuts,” he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In addition to carrying out attacks, US-trained MEK units are also <a href="http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050126-045615-4690r">reportedly</a> being sent into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> to collect information and targeting data on the country’s alleged nuclear weapons program. [3]</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">According to former and current intelligence officials interviewed by UPI, the MEK units are entering <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> from the south while Israeli-trained Kurds are carrying out parallel operations from the north. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“Both covert groups are tasked by the Bush administration with planting sensors or ‘sniffers’ close to suspected Iran nuclear weapons development sites that will enable the Bush administration to monitor the progress of the program and develop targeting data, these sources said,” according to UPI.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“There is an urgent need to obtain this information, at least in the minds of administration hawks,” one administration official reportedly said. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">While ‘gathering’ intelligence in the past, the MEK has been known to use deception to advance their own agenda—in some cases conspiring with their American supporters. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">According to <i style=""><a href="http://www.nci.org/04nci/11/pbs/ExilesAdd.htm">The New York Times</a></i>, for instance, the MEK “rattled the Iranian government and the arms control community in 2002 when it revealed the existence of two secret Iranian nuclear facilities.” The MEK’s<i style=""> </i><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">information, however, </span></strong>according to a CIA official interviewed by <i style=""><a href="http://www.iran-press-service.com/cgi-bin/moxiebin/bm_tools.cgi?print=382;s=9_8;site=1">Iran Press Service</a> </i>(IPS), <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">was actually given to the group by sources within the Pentagon that were seeking to legitimize the MEK.<span style=""> </span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In October of 2004 the MEK once again falsely took credit for <a href="http://www.iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2005&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;m=01&d=24&amp;a=11">exposing</a> a ‘secret’ Iranian uranium processing plant. Far from being secret, the plant had been disclosed to the IAEA two years earlier.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Current and former senior national-security officials told <i style=""><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7902719/site/newsweek/page/2/">Newsweek</a></i> that “all the major revelations MEK publicly claims to have made regarding nuclear advances in <st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> were reported in classified form—and from other sources—to <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> policymakers before MEK made them public.”<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">“Except the information...given to them by the Americans, all other material the Mojahedeen gave to the media are open secrets,” said a former MEK leader, according to <a href="http://www.iran-press-service.com/cgi-bin/moxiebin/bm_tools.cgi?print=382;s=9_8;site=1"><span style="">IPS</span></a>.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">“All the information the Mojahedeen provides the western media is pure lies and fabricated to discredit the Iranian regime and help the <st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> to put more pressures on <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>,” another former MEK leader <a href="http://www.iran-press-service.com/cgi-bin/moxiebin/bm_tools.cgi?print=382;s=9_8;site=1"><span style="">reportedly</span></a> said.<span style=""> </span></span></strong><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">‘Covert infrastructure’<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">A “long-time CIA operator” interviewed by UPI <a href="http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050126-045615-4690r">revealed</a> even more regarding the US-sponsored operations inside <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“The <st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region> is also attempting to erect a covert infrastructure in <st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> able to support <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> efforts, this source said. It consists of Israelis and other <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> assets, using third country passports, who have created a network of front companies that they own and staff.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“It's a covert infrastructure for material support,” one administration official said, according to UPI. This official said the “network would be able to move money, weapons and personnel around inside <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">A former CIA officer interviewed by <i style=""><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1392687,00.html">The Guardian</a></i> commented, “They are bringing a lot of the old war-horses from the Reagan and Iran-contra days into a sort of kitchen cabinet outside the government to write up policy papers on <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>.”<i style=""> </i>This former officer, who reportedly refused a request to oversee “MEK cross-border operations,” called the plans “delusional”. <i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Saddam’s ‘crimes’<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The Pentagon and the Bush Administration’s use of the MEK is ironically similar to the tactics once used by the regime of Saddam Hussein—tactics the administration actually condemned while attempting to build support for war against Iraq. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In fact, the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020912.html">White House</a> pointed to Saddam Hussein’s support for the MEK as evidence that <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place> was violating UN Security Council Resolutions. Specifically, the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect5.html">background paper</a> for President Bush’s September 2002 speech before the UN General Assembly accused Iraq of “supporting terrorism” and “allowing terrorist organizations to operate in Iraq,”<span style=""> </span>citing the following example:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“<st1:country-region st="on"><i style="">Iraq</i></st1:country-region><i style=""> shelters terrorist groups including the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO<span style="">)</span>, which has used terrorist violence against <st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> and in the 1970s was responsible for killing several <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> military personnel and <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> civilians.</i>”<i style=""> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Legality<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The Bush Administration’s reported use of the MEK for special operations—in addition to being hypocritical—may also be illegal. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">As the Associated Press <a href="http://www.iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2005&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;m=02&d=24&amp;a=9">reported</a> in February of 2005, <span class="story-body">“as soon as the State Department created a list of terror organizations in 1997, it named the MEK, putting it in a club that includes al-Qaida and <i style="">barring anyone in the United States from providing material support [to the group].</i>”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Moreover, in August of 2003, the <a href="http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/js664.htm">US Treasury Department</a> officially designated the MEK and its affiliates as “<span style="">Specially Designated Global Terrorist”</span> entities, “effectively freezing all [of their] assets and properties and <i><span style="">prohibiting transactions between <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> persons and these organizations</span>.</i>” </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s reported plan to “convert” the MEK fighters and make them swear an oath to democracy was apparently implemented in order to give the Pentagon a legal justification for using the group against <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Tehran</st1:city></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">Even if such a justification were to hold up in court, military and intelligence officials, according to Raw Story, say the operations <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_military_seen_ready_for_Iran_0511.html">bypass</a> congressional oversights. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">An <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?050124fa_fact">article</a> by </span>Pulitzer Prize winning journalist <span style="">Seymour Hersh</span> from January of last year suggests how the Pentagon may be avoiding such standard legal restrictions:<span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">“The President has signed a series of findings and executive orders authorizing secret commando groups and other Special Forces units to conduct covert operations against suspected terrorist targets in as many as ten nations in the Middle East and <st1:place st="on">South Asia</st1:place>. ... The President’s decision enables Rumsfeld to run the operations off the book—free from legal restrictions imposed on the C.I.A. Under current law, all C.I.A. covert activities overseas must be authorized by a Presidential finding and reported to the Senate and House intelligence committees.” [4]<span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">Military and intelligence sources, as <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_military_seen_ready_for_Iran_0511.html">Raw Story</a> reported, “say no Presidential finding exists on MEK ops. Without a presidential finding, the operation circumvents the oversight of the House and Senate Intelligence committees.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">“The Pentagon doesn’t feel obligated to report any of this to Congress,” a former high-level intelligence official said, according to Hersh. “They’re not even going to tell the cincs,” he said, referring to the American military commanders-in-chief. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">“They are doing whatever they want, no oversight at all,” another intelligence official told Raw Story. <b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">According to Raw Story, “Congressional aides for the relevant oversight committees would not confirm or deny allegations that no Presidential finding had been done. One Democratic aide, however, wishing to remain anonymous for this article, did say that any use of the MEK would be illegal.”<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">Speaking with <i style=""><a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HD25Ak02.html">The Asia Times</a></i> about the reported operations<i style="">,</i> retired Air Force colonel Sam Gardiner said, “The president hasn't notified the Congress that American troops are operating inside <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>. ... So it's a very serious question about the constitutional framework under which we are now conducting military operations.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;"><b style="">Pentagon’s priorities</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In 2003 the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> reportedly <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37953-2004Jul8.html">rejected</a> a deal with <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> to exchange MEK captives for several top al-Qaeda leaders. <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2004/08/newsweek-franklin-confesses-aipac.html">According to NBC</a>, among those in <st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>’s custody at the time was Abu Mussab al Zarqawi, who is now supposedly leading al-Qaeda in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In exchange for the MEK captives, Iran was reportedly willing to hand over Zarqawi, along with al-Qaeda spokesman Suleiman abu Gaith and Osama bin Laden’s third oldest son Saad bin Laden, but according to <i style="">Washington Post</i> columnist David Ignatius, “the Bush administration ultimately rejected this exchange, bowing to neoconservatives at the Pentagon who hoped to use the Mujaheddin-e Khalq against Tehran.” [5]</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">In an article published by antiwar.com in August of 2004, <a href="http://www.antiwar.com/cole/?articleid=3467">Juan Cole</a>, president of the US Middle East Studies Association (MESA), wrote that “[Larry] Franklin, [Harold] Rhode and [Michael] Ledeen conspired with [Manucher] Ghorbanifar and [the Italian intelligence agency] SISMI to stop that trade.” [6]</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Cole commented, “Since high al-Qaeda operatives like Saif al-Adil and possibly even Saad bin Laden might know about future operations, or the whereabouts of bin Laden, for Franklin and Rhode to stop the trade grossly endangered the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>.”</p> <p><b style="">Lobbying<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p>The MEK, in addition to gaining the support of the Bush Administration and the Department of Defense, has conducted a fairly successful lobbying campaign in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Washington</st1:city> <st1:state st="on">DC</st1:state></st1:place>, garnering support from influential foreign policy groups and several members of Congress.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.iranpolicy.org/">Iran Policy Committee</a> (IPC), which has been described as a “<a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE18Ak01.html">spin off</a>” of the highly influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), serves as the MEK’s primary support group in Washington. [7]</p> <p><span style="">The MEK’s lobbying ability is actually “</span>very weak and would be completely ineffectual were it not for the support of the pro-Israel lobby,” a former MEK leader recently told <i><a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE18Ak01.html">The Asia Times</a></i>. He said “if you need 1,000 lobbying units to influence <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place> policy in the US Congress, 999 of these are provided by the pro-Israel lobby or the American administration, and the remainder by the weak and fragmented exiled opposition.”</p> <p><span style=""> </span>“We knew which members of Congress were influenced by AIPAC, so when we needed signatures we'd go to these congressmen first,” the former MEK leader revealed.</p> <p>According to <i style=""><a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20972">Front Page Magazine</a></i>, “MEK supporters roam the halls of Congress asking unsuspecting twenty-something aides if their Member will sign a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter calling for freedom and democracy in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>.” [8]</p> <p>Coincidently, in 2002 150 members of Congress reportedly signed a letter advocating the group’s removal from the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations. </p> <p>House <span style="color:black;">Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Co), </span>according to <a href="http://daneshjoo.org/cgi-bin/publishers/currentnews/exec/view.cgi?archive=9885&num=2030&amp;printer=1"><i>The New York Sun</i></a>, has compared the <span style="color:black;">MEK to “America’s Founding Fathers,” while </span>Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) told <i style="">The Hill</i> that the MEK “loves the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>.” “They’re assisting us in the war on terrorism; they’re pro-U.S.,” she said.<span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p>“In fairness to those on the Hill, I don’t think they have any idea who these people are,” State Department spokesman Greg Sullivan said, according to <a href="http://www.hillnews.com/news/040203/terrorist.aspx"><i style="">The Hill</i></a>. He said the MEK’s <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> representatives “conceal [the group’s nature] by covering it in an anti-Iranian message.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I don't give a shit if they are undemocratic,” Representative Gary Ackerman (D-NY) told the <i style=""><a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0149,fard,30476,6.html">The Village <span style="">Voice</span></a><span style=""> </span></i><span style="">in December of 2001</span>. He said, “OK, so the [MEK] is a terrorist organization based in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>, which is a terrorist state. They are fighting <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>, which is another terrorist state. I say let's help them fight each other as much as they want. Once they all are destroyed, I can celebrate twice over.”<br /><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style="">ADDITIONAL NOTES:</i></b> <b style=""><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">1. This is not the only example of the Pentagon’s support for the MEK undermining the Iraqi government’s attempts at sovereignty.</span></strong> In the summer of 2005, for example, <span class="detailednewsfulldetailsstyle">as part of a new <a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/156775/1/.html">cooperative counterterrorism effort</a> between Iraq and Iran,</span> <span class="detailednewsfulldetailsstyle">the Iraqi government <a href="http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:Fk3dLWcFusQJ:www.almanar.com.lb/story.aspx%3FLanguage%3Den%26DSNO%3D635230+%22Iraqi+prime+Minister+Ibrahim+al-Jaafari+continues+his+historical+visit+to+Iran,+aimed+at+strengthening+ties+and+is+expected+to+sign+with+Iran+">promised</a> to prevent MEK from attacking Iranian interests. Such attacks, however, reportedly were, and still are, being launched on behalf of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">2. While most reports have placed the Department of Defense in charge of the MEK operations, former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7896BBD4-28AB-48BA-A949-2096A02F864D.htm">reported</a> in June 2005 that the MEK units were working for the <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">CIA's Directorate of Operations. </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">3. Philip Giraldi, a former CIA counterterrorism official, has <a href="http://weekendinterviewshow.com/audio/giraldi.mp3">corroborated</a> the reports of the MEK being used for intelligence gathering purposes. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">4. This April, Hersh <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060417fa_fact">reported</a> that “American combat troops have been ordered into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. ... If the order were to be given for an attack, the American combat troops now operating in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> would be in position to mark the critical targets with laser beams, to insure bombing accuracy and to minimize civilian casualties. As of early winter, I was told by the government consultant with close ties to civilians in the Pentagon, the units were also working with minority groups in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>, including the Azeris, in the north, the Baluchis, in the southeast, and the Kurds, in the northeast. The troops “are studying the terrain, and giving away walking-around money to ethnic tribes, and recruiting scouts from local tribes and shepherds,” the consultant said. ...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in;">“‘Force protection’ is the new buzzword,” one former senior intelligence official <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060417fa_fact">told</a> Hersh. This former official, as Hersh notes, was referring to the fact that these clandestine activities are being broadly classified as “military, not intelligence, operations, and are therefore not subject to congressional oversight.”<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">5. Ignatius’ account of the botched MEK/al-Qaeda deal has been corroborated by Flynt Leverett, a former senior CIA official who recently discussed the issue with <i style=""><a href="http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1194031,00.html">Time</a></i> magazine and <i style=""><a href="http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&amp;articleId=11539">The American Prospect</a></i>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">6. Ghorbanifar, a central figure in the Iran-contra affair along with Ledeen, has <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3706341&p1=0">admitted</a> to having secret discussions with Rhode and Franklin regarding regime change in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Furthermore, an <a href="http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;name=ViewPrint&amp;articleId=11539">article</a> from the upcoming June 2006 issue of <i style="">The American Prospect</i> places MEK representatives at one of the meetings.</p> <p style="">7. The IPC consists of former military and intelligence officials, most of whom now work in the private sector and four of whom also work as military analysts for Fox News. In addition, the MEK’s former <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> representative is also <a href="http://regimechangeiran.blogspot.com/2005/02/iranian-terrorist-group-seeks.html">working</a> for Fox News as a foreign affairs analyst. </p> <p style="">Interestingly, in December of 2004, Sasan Fayazmanesh, a professor of economics at Fresno State University, wrote an <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/sasan12032004.html">article</a> for Counterpunch in which he commented on the MEK’s activities: “Every few weeks these Chalabi-like, men-in-black characters-and also Fox News commentators-come up with some ‘top secret satellite photos’ showing non-existent nuclear weapons sites in Iran (how a US designated terrorist organization gets top secret satellite photos is, of course, beyond one's imagination).”</p> <p>8. The MEK’s supporters, operating under a number of fronts, have funneled out more than $204,000 in campaign contributions in an attempt to get their terrorist designation lifted, <i style=""><a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20972">Front Page Magazine</a></i> reported. </p> <p>It should be noted that the <a href="http://www.kentimmerman.com/2006_01_19fp-mek.htm">article’s author</a>, Kenneth R. Timmerman, is the founder of the <span style="">Foundation for Democracy </span>in Iran (FDI), which <a href="http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/jacobs010206.html">shares</a> the goal of “revolution” in <st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> with many hawks in <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place>. Timmerman, however, disagrees with supporting the MEK. “When making a revolution, it is critical to choose one's allies well,” he wrote for the conservative magazine.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114902728848933793?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1149026853561963482006-05-30T15:06:00.000-07:002006-05-30T18:53:19.020-07:00<p class="MsoNormal">I have yet to receive a direct response from STRATCOM regarding my FOIA request for information pertaining to the 9/11 Global Guardian exercise, so I have started inquiring with other groups, agencies, and commands.</p>Last week I received a response from Mr. Robert W. Hay, the FOIA officer of the 55^th Wing, based at Offutt Air Force Base. He asked for a clarification regarding my request, to which I responded: <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><span style="color:navy;">“... I am unfamiliar with how STRATCOM categorizes exercise records, so I would appreciate your assistance identifying the specific documents relevant to my research and the agencies and/or commands from which they may be obtained. </span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><span style="color:navy;">I am predominantly interested in the following:</span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><span style="color:black;"> </span><b><span style="color:navy;">1. Scheduling of the exercise.</span></b><span style="color:navy;"> At some point during 2001, the exercise was rescheduled from October to September. I am requesting a schedule of the exercise dates and the exercise activities scheduled for each specific date, preferably as they were scheduled before <i>and </i>after the change. I am also requesting documentation of the proposals that initiated the schedule change.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><span style=";font-size:12;color:navy;" >2. Exercise participants.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;color:navy;" > Who was actively engaged in the exercise on September 11, 2001? Who was in the STRATCOM command center, who was in charge, which fighters and bombers were in the sky, which missile crews were on alert, what type of equipment was being tested, what role did the private sector play, what other agencies and commands were involved, etc? I am requesting any and all available records containing this type of information. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;color:black;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><b><span style="color:navy;">3. Description of exercise scenarios.</span></b><span style="color:navy;"> I am seeking descriptions of the exercise scenarios underway on the morning of September 11, 2001, and the role played by each of the participants. This includes descriptions of all simulated threats, how these threats were projected to the participants, and the (desired) responses of the participants to these threats. </span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><b><span style="color:navy;">4.</span></b><span style="color:navy;"> <b>Detailed records of the exercise.</b> I am seeking a complete record of the Global Guardian exercise as it was carried out on September 11, 2001. This includes timelines, command decisions, force movements, personnel/shift changes, evaluations of decisions, scenario commencements/terminations, etc. </span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><b><span style="color:navy;">5. Additional exercises</span></b><span style="color:navy;">. I am seeking similar records of other exercise activities that were underway on September 11, 2001, most of which were being run in conjunction with the Global Guardian exercise. These exercises include Vigilant Guardian, Northern Guardian, Apollo Guardian, Amalgam/Vigilant Warrior, Crown Vigilance, Timely Alert II, and Ellipse Alpha. <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">(Note: Not all of these exercises have been confirmed)</span> </span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in;"><b><span style="color:navy;">6.</span></b><span style="color:navy;"> <b>Additional information.</b> I am seeking all available records regarding activities at STRATCOM on the morning of September 11, 2001. This includes activities outside of the exercises, such as STRATCOM's transition from exercise to real-world events, STRATCOM's response to the terrorist attacks, the communications between agencies and the direction of strategic forces, the organization of the STRATCOM battle staff, etc. Basically, I would like every available record of significant events at STRATCOM from the date in question. ...”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday I received a response thanking me for my clarification. Mr. Hay stated that although the 55^th Wing does not own the records, he has forwarded the request to the relevant parties at STRATCOM.</p>I expect the majority of the records to be classified, but I intend to get my hands on whatever I can.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114902685356196348?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1148603119408584342006-05-25T12:01:00.000-07:002006-05-25T20:06:36.323-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Leak Investigation<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2006/5/21/115826/135">Information Sharing on the Rove Indictment Story</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--TruthOut<br /><br />See also: </span><a href="http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2006/5/17/125248/099"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update on the Rove Indictment Story</span></a></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Warfare</u></span><br /><ul> <li><a href="http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052406C.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Armed Groups Propel Iraq Toward Chaos</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The New York Times</span><br /></li> </ul> <ul><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"The headlong, American-backed effort to arm tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and officers, coupled with a failure to curb a nearly equal number of militia gunmen, has created a galaxy of armed groups, each with its own loyalty and agenda, which are accelerating the country's slide into chaos."<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060524-104300-8042r.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zarqawi backers lay down Shariah rules</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Washington Times<br /> <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-05-25-somalia_x.htm"><br /> </a></span></li> <li><span class="inside-head"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-05-25-somalia_x.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">38 people killed in renewed fighting in Somali capital</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP </span><br /> </span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Geopolitics<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/members/052506_Evolutions_Devolutions.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Evolutions and Devolutions</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Stan Goff, From the Wilderness</span> (members only)<br /> <br /></li><li><a href="http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060524-102732-9499r"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moscow pans pro-West alliance</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--UPI</span><br /></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Corruption<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.madcowprod.com/05252006.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">DC 9 Carrying 5.5 Tons of Cocaine was CIA Plane</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Mad Cow Morning News</span><br /><br /> <span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/05/25/ap2773906.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></span></span></li> <li><span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/05/25/ap2773906.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Enron Jury Finds Lay, Skilling Guilty</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP</span></span></span><br /><br /> <a href="http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-05-25T183224Z_01_N25186270_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENRON-TRIAL-REACTION.xml&amp;amp;amp;amp;pageNumber=0&imageid=&amp;cap=&sz=13&amp;WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></li> <li><a href="http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-05-25T183224Z_01_N25186270_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENRON-TRIAL-REACTION.xml&amp;amp;amp;amp;pageNumber=0&imageid=&amp;cap=&sz=13&amp;WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lay turns to God and family after guilty verdict</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Reuters<br /><br /> </span></li><li><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/execs-paid-bonuses-on-rigged-accounts/2006/05/24/1148150327701.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fannie Mae Execs paid bonuses on rigged accounts</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Washington Post<br /><br /> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">US HOME loan organisation Fannie Mae engaged in "extensive financial fraud" over six years by doctoring earnings so executives could collect hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, federal officials confirmed on Tuesday in a report that portrayed a company determined to play by its own rules."<br /><br /> </span></span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/05/22/daily6.html">Fannie Mae to pay $400M</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Washington Business Journal<br /><br /> </span></li> <li style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/05/25/ap2774609.html">Bush Orders FBI-Congress Documents Sealed</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--AP<br /><br /> </span></span></span></li> <li style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blog-title"><span class="body-headline"><a href="http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2006/05/crooks-dont-represent-me.html"> Crooks don't represent me</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--The News Blog<br /><br /> </span></span></span></li> <li style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/federal_officia.html">Officials: Hastert "In the Mix" of Congressional Bribery Investigation</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--ABC News<br /><br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"> <center><a href="http://images1.americanprogress.org/il80web20037/ThinkProgress/2006/ross.320.240.mov"><img style="width: 284px; height: 214px;" src="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/ross2.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />Video via <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/25/ross-defends-hastert-report/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Think Progress</span></a><br /> </center> <br /> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;"></span></div> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;"></span></li> <li style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002871.htm">FLASHBACK: An Earlier Chapter in the Hastert Bribery Allegations</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--Brad Blog</span><br /></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Constitutional Rights<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><span class="inside-head"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-23-fcc-nsa_x.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">NSA secrecy makes investigation impossible, FCC says</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--USA Today</span><br /> </span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Media Watch<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/wl_canada_nm/canada_iran_paper_ca_col;_ylt=AtMKWtSFdykD.9x0q9uXHWZvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--">National Post apologizes for false anti-Iran article</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Reuters<br /><br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/2295/No_Peaking_The_Hubbert_Humbug"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Greg Palast attacks Peak Oil, takes a beating</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> --GNN </span>(Read comments)<br /><br /></li> <li><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200605250002"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wall Street Journal editorial board member Robert Pollock braindead on prewar intelligence</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Media Matters<br /><br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/25/national-review-warming/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">National Review's Cover Story Distorts Facts On Global Warming</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Think Progress</span><br /></li> </ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114860311940858434?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1148430478638821022006-05-21T09:50:00.000-07:002006-05-23T20:04:26.260-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Warfare</u></span><br /><ul> <li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060523/wl_mideast_afp/iranunrestmediaazeris">Iran arrests 54 after ethnic Azeri riots</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AFP </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">(Covert ops?)<br /><br /> </span></li> <li><a href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_822.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">US covert operations underway in Somalia; resource conflict escalates over Horn of Africa</span></a> --Online Journal, Larry Chin<br /></li> </ul> <ul><span class="general_text"><span class="article_text"><span class="article_title"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span> <li><a href="http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/14648243.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">American efforts in Somalia stir a debate</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP<br /><br /></span></li><li><a href="http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/nation/14627469.htm?source=rss&channel=duluthsuperior_nation"><span style="font-weight: bold;">U.S. influence may hamper Somalia's peace process</span></a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">LA Times<br /></span><br /></li> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=272567">Iraq: 2,500 killed, 85,000 displaced in two months</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Mail & Guardian</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/23/news/iraq.php"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></li> <li><a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/23/news/iraq.php"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wave of sectarian vioence leaves 41 dead across Iraq</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP</span><br /><br /></li> <li><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article549507.ece"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Afghanistan gripped by worst fighting since 2001</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Independent<br /><br /></span><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article549523.ece"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></li> <li><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article549523.ece"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bloody day heralds birth of Iraq's new unity government</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Independent</span><br /></li><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"...</span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Underlining how far security has declined since the parliament was elected five months ago, a series of attacks killed 27 people and wounded dozens more yesterday. Police also found the bodies of 21 Iraqis who had been kidnapped and tortured by death squads in and around Baghdad. ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Baghdad and central Iraq, where Shia, Sunni and Kurd are mixed, is in the grip of a civil war fought by assassins and death squads. As in Bosnia in 1992, each community is pulling back into enclaves where it is the overwhelming majority and able to defend itself. ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Former interior minister Bayan Jabr was openly accused by the US of running Shia death squads. He has lost his old job, but has been appointed Finance Minister."<br /></span> </ul> <div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 161px; height: 187px;" alt="The image “http://photos1.blogger.com/img/224/1358/480/hospital.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/224/1358/480/hospital.jpg" /></div> <ul style="font-weight: bold;"> <li><a href="http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/entertainment/14630192.htm">'Baghdad ER' shows medics on front lines</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--AP</span><br /><br /></li> <li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/20/AR2006052001044_pf.html">Violence Invades Baghdad's Emergency Rooms</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--The Washington Post<br /><br /></span></li> <li><span class="bigHeadline"><a href="http://news.ft.com/cms/s/3d56aa60-ea7c-11da-9566-0000779e2340.html">Iraq faces clash with Kurds over oil deals</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--Financial Times<br /><br /></span></span></li> <li><span class="headline"><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/23/060523172030.sh3ef6zc.html">China military upgrades a potential threat to US: Pentagon</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--AFP</span><br /></span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Constitutional Rights<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><span class="bighed"><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_22/b3986068.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Snooping Goes Beyond Phone Calls</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Business Week<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"The Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security spend millions annually to buy commercial databases that track Americans' finances, phone numbers, and biographical information, according to a report last month by the the U.S. Government Accountability Office..."<br /><br /></span></span></span></li> <li><a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114808152438358490-d2afgc_Jjqve_55Tj_bHj_iNCu4_20070519.html?mod=rss_free"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Requests for Corporate Data Multiply</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Wall Street Journal<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, law enforcement efforts to secure corporate information about clients and suppliers have reached such levels that some companies have had to create special units that do nothing but deal with these demands, a process often called "subpoena management."</span> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="times">Banks, Internet-service providers and other companies that possess large amounts of data on their customers say that police and intelligence agencies have been increasingly coming to them looking for tidbits of information that could help them stop everything from money launderers to pedophiles and terrorists. ..."</p></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70944-0.html">Whistle-Blower's Evidence, Uncut</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Wired<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"In 2003 AT&T built "secret rooms" hidden deep in the bowels of its central offices in various cities, housing computer gear for a government spy operation which taps into the company's popular WorldNet service and the entire internet. These installations enable the government to look at every individual message on the internet and analyze exactly what people are doing. Documents showing the hardwire installation in San Francisco suggest that there are similar locations being installed in numerous other cities. ..."</span><br /></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Sustainability<br /></u></span> <ul><span class="marron_titulo_big"><a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33268"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Global Food Supply Near the Breaking Point</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Inter Press Service<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="texto1">"..."The food production system is designed to generate profits, not produce food or nutrition for people," [research director of Canada's National Farmers Union Darrin] Qualman told IPS. ...<br /><br />"It's a system that's perfectly happy to leave hundreds of millions of people unfed," he said. ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="texto1"> "North America's industrial-style agricultural system is a really bad idea and maybe the worst on the planet," Qualman concluded."</span><span class="marron_titulo_big"><br /></span> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Corruption<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/05/19/congress_bribery_probe_could_deepen/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Congress bribery probe could deepen, Records detail contractor's sway</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Boston Globe</span><br /><br /></li> <li><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&amp;cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftoday.reuters.com%2Fnews%2FnewsArticle.aspx%3Ftype%3DtopNews%26storyID%3D2006-05-21T030412Z_01_N20360276_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-RAID.xml&amp;ei=RXJzROWlHZvwqALo6p2LDA&sig2=v-3V-9DqCHDF647uZ7jVlg"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FBI Raids US House of Representatives Office</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> --Reuters</span><br /></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Media Watch<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33322">Iran Target of Apparent Disinformation Ploy</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Iran Press Service<br /><br /></span></li><li><a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/23.html#a8406"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lou Dobb's and the White Supremacist source</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Crooks & Liars<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><img src="http://www.crooksandliars.com/images/AL-Gore-Smear.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></li> <li><a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/23.html#a8404"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fox News gives the Competitive Enterprise Institute a hand</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> --Crooks & Liars<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200605230011">...as does The Wall Street Journal and Rush Limbaugh</a> </span>--Media Matters<br /><br /></span></li> <li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/22.html#a8384">More hard hitting questions from Fox News:</a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.crooksandliars.com/images/Condi-Cream.jpg" /><br /> <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://movies.crooksandliars.com/fox_fns_rice_loves_cream_060521a_320x240.mov">Ahhh....good times.</a><br /> </div> </li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Public Opinion<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Less_than_half_of_Americans_satisfied_0523.html">Less than half of Americans satisfied with 9/11 investigations</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Zogby, Raw Story, 9/11 Truth<br /><br /></span><strong></strong></li><li><strong><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/051906_timing_film.shtml">New Frames from Pentagon Crash Video Show Langley Embarrassing the 9/11 Truth Movement</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--From the Wilderness</span></strong><br /></li> </ul> <ul> </ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114843047863882102?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1147993528039328612006-05-18T12:56:00.000-07:002006-05-19T08:22:49.853-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Corruption</u></span><br /><ul> <li><a href="http://www.madcowprod.com/05172006.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">WORLD EXCLUSIVE: 5.5 TON COCAINE BUST REVEALS NEW DETAILS OF 9/11 ATTACK</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Mad Cow Morning News<br /> <br /></span></li><li><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060517/bs_nm/crime_china_usa_dc"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ex-Lockheed agent pleads guilty to China arms plot</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Reuters<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Ko-Suen Moo, of Taipei, Taiwan, also pleaded guilty in federal court in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to being a covert agent for China, U.S. law enforcement officials said."</span></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Warfare<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/16/AR2006051601625_pf.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">U.S. Secretly Backing Warlords in Somalia</span></a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">The Washington Post<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">"...some reportedly fought against the United States in 1993 during street battles that culminated in an attack that downed two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and left 18 Army Rangers dead."</span></span><br /> <br /></li><li><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003001827_iraqdead18.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Murtha says report will show Marines massacred Iraqis</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Knight Ridder<br /><br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 227px; height: 191px;" src="http://www.crooksandliars.com/images/HB_Murtha--5-19-06.jpg" /><br /> <a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/17.html#a8330"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Murtha on Hardball via C&L:</span></a><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br />"They were so stressed out, they went into houses and killed children...killed women and children...24 people they killed."</span><br /> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://stangoff.com/?p=294">Stan Goff covers Murtha<br /></a></span><br /> </div> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"></span></div> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"></span></div> </li> <li><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/members/051806_tillman_files2.shtml"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Tillman Files: Part Two</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--From the Wilderness </span>(subscribers only)<br /><br /> <a href="http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/World/2006/05/18/1585838-sun.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></li> <li><a href="http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/World/2006/05/18/1585838-sun.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kidnapping toll hits 439 in Iraq</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP</span><br /><br /> <span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/business/services/feeds/ap/2006/05/18/ap2756655.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a></span></span></li> <li><span class="mainarttitle"><span class="mainarttitle"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/business/services/feeds/ap/2006/05/18/ap2756655.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Up to 105 Die in Fierce Afghan Violence</span></a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">AP<br /><br /> </span></span></span></li> <li><span class="inside-head"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-05-18-iraq-violence_x.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">At least 22 killed in Iraq attacks</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--AP<br /> <br /></span></span></li><li><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article485489.ece"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Basra Carnage Escalates as One Person Killed Every Hour</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--The Independent</span><br /> </li> </ul><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Constitutional Rights<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/16/145201"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brain Ross discusses NSA spying on journalists</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Democracy Now!<br /><br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 230px; height: 167px;" alt="The image “http://www.edwardsdavid.com/media/indy/images/link_dn_domestic_spying_on_journalists_060516a1.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.edwardsdavid.com/media/indy/images/link_dn_domestic_spying_on_journalists_060516a1.jpg" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2006/may/video/dnB20060516a.rm&proto=rtsp&amp;start=9:26">VIDEO</a></div> </li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Declining Dollar<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><strong class="NewHeadline"><a href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060511/48003539.html">Ruble Dominated oil exchange could launch in 2007 - expert</a> </strong><span style="font-style: italic;">--RIA Novosti<br /> <br /> </span></li> <li><strong><a href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060510/47915635.html">Putin proposes creation of ruble dominated oil, gas exchange</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--RIA Novosti<br /> <br /> </span><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/members/T17/051706_world_stories.shtml#0">Michael Ruppert comments</a>: </strong><em>The war on the dollar has begun. Now we have Norway, Iran, and other countries proposing exchanges to trade oil and gas in Euros. Asia is taking preliminary steps towards the creation of an Asian currency and now Vladimir Putin has made clear his serious intent to sell oil for Rubles. The second story from a Russian official commenting is a clear message that Putin is serious. In the last eight weeks the dollar has lost seven cents against the Euro and the dollar is sliding to a near all-time low against the dollar of $1.30:1. More ominous warnings for a potentially devastating summer.</em></li> </ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Media Watch<br /></u></span> <ul> <li><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/18/new-ads-funded-by-big-oil-portray-global-warming-science-as-smear-campaign-against-carbon-dioxide/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Oil uses front group to launch a RIDICULOUS ad campaign: "We don't call it pollution, we call it life."</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--Think Progress<br /> <br /> </span> <div style="text-align: center;"> <center><a href="http://interface.audiovideoweb.com/lnk/avwebdsquick2235/eresources/cei/Global_Warming_Energy-low.mov/play.qtl"><img style="width: 250px; height: 191px;" src="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/cei_ad.JPG" alt="" /></a></center> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Must watch</span><br /> </div> </li> </ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114799352803932861?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1147779453697900022006-05-15T23:29:00.000-07:002006-05-24T20:18:10.376-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Leak Investigation</u></span><br /><ul> <li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051306W.shtml">Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators</a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">TruthOut</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, Jason Leopold</span><br /> </li> </ul> <ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2006/05/15/national/w113824D60.DTL&type=printable">Rove Said Unfazed by Chance of Charges</a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">Associated Press</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <center><a href="http://images1.americanprogress.org/il80web20037/ThinkProgress/2006/rove2.320.240.mov"><img style="width: 230px; height: 175px;" src="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/rove2.jpg" alt="" /><br /></a><a><span style="font-style: italic;">Video -- Think Progress</span><br /></a></center> </div> </li> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Constitutional Rights</u></span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/federal_source_.html">Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling</a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">ABC's Brian Ross and Richard Esposito</span><br /></li> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <span style="font-style: italic;">"A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> "It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Follow up: </span> <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/fbi_acknowledge.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FBI Acknowledges:</span> Journalists Phone Records are Fair Game</a>, <a href="http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wayne Madsen:</span> Been there, done that<br /></a><br /><li><span class="headline"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/05/telephone_records_are_just_the.html">Telephone Records are just the Tip of NSA's Iceberg</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">--</span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Washington Post's</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">William M. Arkin</span><br /></span></li> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Election Reform<br /></u></span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><img alt="The image “http://www.bradblog.com/Images/DieboldMan_Mississippi_Screenshot1.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.bradblog.com/Images/DieboldMan_Mississippi_Screenshot1.jpg" 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</span><li><br /></li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002831.htm">BRAD BLOG EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: 'The Diebold Man' Makes the Pitch in Mississippi</a><br /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><span class="general_text"></span><span class="article_text"></span><span class="article_title"></span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_804.shtml">Will the major media finally cover the electronic election fraud issue?</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span class="general_text"></span><span class="article_text"></span><span class="article_title"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">--Online Journal</span><span class="general_text"></span><span class="article_text"></span><span class="article_title"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Video flashback:</span> <a href="http://www.edwardsdavid.com/BushVideos/2004-12-13_Conyers_Clint_Curtis01.ram">Clint Curtis Congressional testimony regarding "vote rigging" software</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><u>Warfare<br /></u> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul style="font-weight: bold;"><li><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L15767399.htm">Iraqi Sunnis accuse US of attacking and killing 25 civilians</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--Reuters<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"... "American and Iraqi forces on Saturday evening carried out a severe air strike in the area of Latifiya against houses with civilians," the statement said. It said people ran away from their houses to seek protection but that U.S. forces followed them and killed them. ..."<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><span class="storyhead"></span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/15/wirq15.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/15/ixnews.html">Basra's police chief is linked to terrorists</a> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">--The Daily Telegraph </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span> <li><br /></li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/15/MNGE4IRVSD1.DTL&type=printable">Explosions in Baghdad kill 35 Iraqi, 2 Americans / 2 Britons die in blast near Basra; 5 Shiite shrines also bombed</a> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">--The Washington Post</span><br /><br /><li><br /></li><span class="mainarttitle"></span><span class="mainarttitle"></span><a href="http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/05/16/ap2748721.html">6 Civilians, U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq</a> <span style="font-weight: normal;">--</span><span style="font-style: italic;">Associated Press<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">In other violence, according to police:</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">-Suspected insurgents attacked a police patrol at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, killing two policeman.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">-A drive-by shooting killed an Iraqi man in Kut city, 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad, who had served as a secret agent in Saddam Hussein's government.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">-A roadside bomb exploded at 8:30 a.m. near a police patrol in western Baghdad, wounding one policeman.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">-Gunmen in eastern Baghdad killed police 1st Sgt. Latif Abdullah, who worked in Interior Ministry intelligence.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">-Amir Latif Ali Yahya, the Electoral Commission director in Diyala province, escaped unharmed when a roadside bomb exploded near his car in Buhriz, 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Baghdad.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="mainarttxt">-Gunmen killed Nazar Abdel-Zahra, a manager of a local soccer team, near his home in the southern city of Basra on Monday night. Suspected insurgents also fired rockets at the Shat al-Arab Hotel, headquarters of the British army in Basra, causing no casualties. </span><span class="mainarttitle"></span><span class="mainarttitle"><br /></span> 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style="text-align: 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style="width: 301px; height: 214px;" src="http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2006/05/15/mn_iraq_baghdad_bomb_3.jpg" /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:geneva,arial,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> A policeman stands guard near a bus after it struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad.</span> <span class="storyhead"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br 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font> 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t></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><a href="http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ga04_mckinney/defenseauthznbilldissent.html"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mckinney Makes Dissenting Floor Speech on Defense Authorization Bill</span><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span class="style9"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span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style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=a_xnCQzbleAs">U.S. Suspends Arms Sales to Venezuela Over Terrorism</a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">Bloomberg</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></spa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</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><fo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</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><u>Corruption</u><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><span class="text"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><a href="rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/wj051006_sirota.rm">C-SPAN VIDEO</a>: David Sirota, author of "Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government and How We Take It Back," appears on Washington Journal. Also see <span class="text">this Center for American Progress </span><a href="rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/e050806_corruption.rm">discussion on how corruption affects average Americans</a>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><u>Energy Sustainability</u><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.energybulletin.net/15955.html">Triage for the post-peak oil age</a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">Energy Bulletin</span><br /><br /><li><br /></li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Crop-Report.html"></a><span style="">Crop Report: Ethanol Boosts Corn Prices</span> --<span style="font-style: italic;">Associated Press</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/members/051506_creating_maintaining2.shtml"></a><span class="NewHeadline"></span><li><br /></li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/members/051506_creating_maintaining2.shtml"></a><span class="NewHeadline">CREATING AND MAINTAINING HARMONIOUS COMMUNITY:</span><span class="subheading"> Is It Possible? Part Two</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> --From the Wilderness</span> (subscribers only)<br /><br /><li><br /></li><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.energybulletin.net/15747.html">Community survival during the coming energy decline</a> --<span style="font-style: italic;">Communities Magazine</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><fon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</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><u>Media Watch<br /></u> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font> </span><li><br /></li><span style="font-weight: bold;">World Net Daily rationalizes a massive deportation program using </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50198">Nazi logic</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">"Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of 6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society, it couldn't possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English and are not integrated into American society."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Georgia,Times;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:webdings;" ></span><br /><a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_digbysblog_archive.html#114773136464356381">As Digby notes</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Rid themsleves" is an interesting way of putting it, don't you think?</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><font></span><f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class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114777945369790002?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1145353855854596432006-04-18T02:48:00.000-07:002006-04-18T17:25:21.946-07:00<p class="MsoNormal">Due to financial difficulties, the <a href="http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/">Center for Cooperative Research</a> (CCR) is in jeopardy, and absent immediate intervention they will be forced to discontinue operations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The small but dedicated group at CCR has tirelessly contributed their time and money to develop a revolutionary information resource, but now, because of a lack of public support, they may be forced to shut down. Over the past three weeks they have been running a <a href="http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/fundraiser.jsp">desperately-needed fundraiser</a>, but the drive, which ends today, has failed to raise the funds necessary to continue CCR’s operations. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In debt nearly $15,000 from last year, and needing an additional $29,000 for this year, the site’s goal was to raise about $44,000 in 21 days. Ending today, the drive has raised less than $9,000, which doesn’t even cover past expenses.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is extremely disappointing to say the least.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cooperativeresearch.org is more than a website; it is a crucial public tool with the potential to change information-sharing forever. <a href="http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/fundraiser.jsp">They put it best</a>:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;">Imagine an online database that people can use to get every single detail about every single important event relating to issues like the weaponization of space, depleted uranium, Venezuela, Bolivia, 911, the US and Iraq, peak oil, US development of non-lethal weapons for crowd control, genetically engineered crops, neoliberalism, the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, the ports scandal, the Bush administration's assault on the environment, suppression of renewable energy technologies, the IMF, the World Bank, the credit bubble, US covert activity in Central Asia, the derivative bubble, war profiteering in Iraq and elsewhere, and so-on. Now imagine, that this same database contains detailed information on thousands of powerful individuals, corporations, and organizations. Now stretch your imagination even further and envision that this database has information about all the relationships that exist between these entities and events. Finally, imagine that all of the data can be rendered as highly readable chronologies capable of being filtered according to topic, person, organization, corporation, keyword, and other types of criteria—and—that the website has the capability to generate customizable, scalable "context" timelines on any event with the click of a link. How significant would it be to have such a tool? Think about it for a second. It would essentially be an intelligence database maintained by members of civil society to monitor the activities of powerful interests—corporations, government officials, and the like. </p> <p style="margin: 5pt 0.4in;">With this capability, people such as ourselves—dedicated to the cause of providing accurate information about the affairs of the world—will become a force to reckon with. Having this resource will dramatically improve the productivity of independent journalists, researchers, and alternative media organizations. It will be politically and economically significant because it will enable grassroots efforts to compete on a near equal footing with private industry while contributing to and enriching the intellectual commons.<o:p></o:p></p> <br />If you have benefited from CCR’s work and if you recognize the site’s potential, then please visit their fundraiser page and make a donation. If anybody deserves our support, it is them.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114535385585459643?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1141653145589561952006-03-06T05:42:00.000-08:002006-03-24T07:20:50.636-08:00<p> While Congress and the media focus on the potential dangers of a UAE-owned company running American port operations, any possible threat is dwarfed by the current insecurity of the US government's computer infrastructure, which has been compromised by a company with multiple connections to terrorist financing.</p> <p>The company, once known as Ptech (now GoAgile), has been contracted to provide sophisticated computer software to <a href="http://wbz4.com/iteam/local_story_343143121.html" target="_blank">several government agencies</a>, including the Army, the Air Force, Naval Air Command, Congress, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, Customs, the FAA, the IRS, NATO, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the White House. </p> <p>Shortly after 9/11, the company's primary investor, Yassin al-Qadi (al-Kadi), was identified by the US government as a specially designated global terrorist. Officials describe al-Qadi as one of Osama bin Laden's "<a href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200205/NAT20020530d.html" target="_blank">chief money launderers</a>," and say he transferred as much as $3 billion to al-Qaeda during the 1990s.</p> <p>Al-Qadi is a wealthy Saudi with connections to banking, diamonds, chemicals, construction, transportation, and real estate. He once headed Muwafaq, an Islamic charity the US Treasury Department <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1019/p1s2-wogi.html" target="_blank">described</a> as an "al Qaeda front that receives funding from wealthy Saudi businessmen." </p> <p>Al-Qadi also maintained an unusually close relationship with notable US politicians. While attempting to defend Ptech, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Massachusetts (ADCMA) <a href="http://www.adcma.org/campaigns/fleetbank-fax-march-2003.html" target="_blank">revealed</a> the fact that al-Qadi "was prominent in Washington circles and even showed President Jimmy Carter and Dick Cheney around during their visits to Saudi Arabia."<br /></p> <p>Al-Qadi <a href="http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5008" target="_blank">told</a> an Arab newspaper in October of 2001 that he "spoke to [Dick Cheney] at length" and they "even became friends." Similarly, while speaking with <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,77682,00.html" target="_blank">Computer World Magazine</a>, Ptech cofounder Oussama Ziade said that al-Qadi "talked very highly of his relationship with [former President] Jimmy Carter and [Vice President] Dick Cheney." </p> <p>Ptech, under al-Qadi's ownership, supplied the US government with what is known as <i> enterprise architecture</i>. According to<a href="http://wbz4.com/iteam/local_story_343143121.html" target="_blank"> Glenn Watt</a> of Backbone Security, "enterprise architecture is really the design, the layout, the blueprint if you will for the computer networks and computer systems that are going to go into an organization." In regards to Ptech, he said, "the software they put on your system could be collecting every key stroke that you type while you are on the computer. It could be establishing a connection to the outside terrorist organization through all of your security measures."</p> <p>John Zachman, who is considered the "father" of enterprise architecture, <a href="http://wbz4.com/iteam/local_story_343143121.html" target="_blank">said</a>, "You would know where the access points are, you'd know how to get in, you would know where the weaknesses are, you'd know how to destroy it."</p> <p>Former FBI counterterrorism analyst Matthew Levitt has <a href="http://wbz4.com/iteam/local_story_343143121.html" target="_blank">said</a>, "for someone like [al-Qadi] to be involved in a capacity in an organization, a company that has access to classified information, that has access to government open or classified computer systems would be of grave concern."</p> <p>While trying to play down such fears, Ptech cofounder <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,77682,00.html" target="_blank">Oussama Ziade</a>, along with Ptech's vice president of professional services, <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,56758,00.html" target="_blank">Joseph Johnson</a>, have claimed many times to the press that al-Qadi had little to do with the company and did not give any money to Ptech after 1994. </p> <p>Other Ptech employees, however, <a href="http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/Northeast/12/06/ptech.raid/" target="_blank">told the FBI</a> that al-Qadi was introduced to them as "the owner" of the company. </p> <p>Confirming this, Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, who is <a href="http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/authors.asp?ID=579" target="_blank">described</a> by the conservative <i> Front Page Magazine</i> as "the world's leading expert on Narco-Terrorism and a noteworthy authority on international terrorism, political corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, and organized crime," <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17730" target="_blank">reported</a> that al-Qadi made a $14 million investment in Ptech in 1998, making him the company's major investor. </p> <p>In total, <a href="http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18450" target="_blank">according</a> to Ehrenfeld, al-Qadi "invested at least $18 million directly in Ptech, $5 million through the Isle of Man, and $9 million indirectly through BMI, a now-defunct New Jersey-based Islamic investment firm with connections to other members on Ptech's management and investors. ... Al-Kadi also transferred $2 million USD to Ptech from Switzerland between 1997 and 2000, according to Swiss investigators." </p> <p>Adding further concerns, al-Qadi was only one of many Ptech investors and managers with connections to terrorist financing.</p> <p>Former Ptech board member Soliman Biheiri, who was <a href="http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/1096301.html" target="_blank">recently convicted</a> of lying to investigators regarding his affiliations with known terrorists, was in charge of the above-mentioned New Jersey Investment bank-BMI, which according to court documents was used as a <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-epstein-schmidt090403.asp" target="_blank">financial conduit</a> for al-Qaeda and Hamas supporters. The FBI discovered the true principals behind BMI were actually Yassin al-Qadi and Hamas leader Musa abu Marzook. </p> <p>Investigators also <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18450" target="_blank">accuse</a> Ptech's Biheiri of using BMI to funnel $3.7 million from an Islamic charity, entitled the SAAR Foundation, to Islamist terrorists. The President and CEO of the SAAR Foundation was Yakub Mirza, who was also on Ptech's board of directors, and who is said to have contacts <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-katz-devon052703.asp" target="_blank">high within the FBI</a>. </p> <p>Furthermore, Ptech's Vice President and Chief Scientist, Hussein Ibrahim, was the founder and President of the aforementioned BMI. In fact, Ptech, al-Qadi, Biheiri, Ibrahim, BMI, Mirza, and SAAR, all maintained financial connections with one another, as well as with other organizations and fronts connected to money laundering and terrorist financing, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Taqwa, the Safa Foundation, the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), and others. Below is a crude diagram illustrating just a fraction of this financial network, its complexity, and its affiliations with Ptech.</p> <center><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0603/91137ff2b3b7fffa0687.jpeg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0603/a28fd820d4e01bd600ff.jpeg" border="0" height="252" width="398" /><br /><small>Click for big version</small></a></center> <p>Ptech's chief architect, Suheil Laher, headed yet another Islamic charity entitled Care International, which the FBI and IRS <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-12-2005/0003597663&amp;EDATE=" target="_blank">claim</a> was "engaged in the solicitation and expenditure of funds to support the mujahideen and promote jihad." </p> <p>Top Ptech investor and manager, Muhamed Mubayyid, served as Care's treasurer, and has since been indicted for lying on tax returns and concealing the charity's true activities. Mubayyid also <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/daily/03/ptech.htm" target="_blank">donated</a> money to the Alkifah Refugees Center, which maintained the same corporate office as Care, and from where the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was launched. </p> <p>Also part of this financial nexus was Ptech founder Abdurahman Muhammad Alamoudi, who, according to the <a href="http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/js2632.htm" target="_blank">US Treasury Department</a>, "had a close relationship with al Qaida and had raised money for al Qaida in the United States." He has since been sentenced to a maximum of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36718-2004Oct15.html" target="_blank">23-years</a> in prison for illegal dealings with Libya, including his admitted involvement in a plot to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. </p> <p>Alamoudi also founded a US Army chaplain program for which he served as a consultant for <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3341720/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>. A former Justice Department official has <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/984616.asp" target="_blank">described</a> the program as a "spy service for al-Qaeda." </p> <p>Like al-Qadi, Alamoudi was also influential in elite Washington circles. According to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36718-2004Oct15.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, as head of the American Muslim Council, Alamoudi "met with senior Clinton and Bush administration officials in his efforts to bolster Muslim political prominence." </p> <center><img src="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0603/e196d37b9387f9b7fb6d.jpeg" height="358" width="398" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Photo taken from the December 1997 issue of the American Muslim Council Newsletter.</span></center> <p> In February 2003, Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby <a href="http://www.bigeye.com/jj022703.htm" target="_blank">wrote</a>:</p> <blockquote><i>"[In 2000] Alamoudi was one of several Muslims invited to meet with candidate [George W.] Bush in Austin, Texas. Alamoudi is certainly influential -- but he is also an open backer of terrorism. In October 2000, he was cheered at a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, DC, when he declared: "We are all supporters of Hamas. . . . I am also a supporter of Hezbollah." Three months later he was in Beirut for a terrorist summit, along with leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda."</i></blockquote> <center><img src="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0603/f93c4553f8feef9b1843.jpeg" height="318" width="400" /></center> <p>Amazingly, Alamoudi -- who has <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3129938/" target="_blank">direct connections</a> to the 9/11 conspirators - was <a href="http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:FzA_1ShVsAAJ:www.insightmag.com/global_user_elements/printpage.cfm%3Fstoryid%3D113675+%22Fox+News+was+the+first+to+report+that+three+days+after+the+attack+Abdurahaman+Alamoudi,+president+of+the+American+Muslim+Coun" target="_blank"> invited to prayer service with President Bush three days after the 9/11 attacks.</a></p> <p>There are indications that al-Qadi, Alamoudi, and other suspected terrorists were protected from prosecution by high-ranking US officials, effectively preventing the FBI from stopping 9/11.</p> <p>FBI Agent Robert Wright, who was in charge of pursuing al-Qadi and his associates during the 1990s, said <a href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200205/NAT20020530d.html" target="_blank">the FBI "intentionally and repeatedly thwarted and obstructed"</a> his attempts to arrest terrorists, seize assets, and expand his investigation into the financial network of which al-Qadi was a part.</p> <p>After his investigation into al-Qadi was shut down entirely in 1999, Wright completed a manuscript, entitled "Fatal Betrayals of the Intelligence Mission," which, he said, "outlines, in very specific detail, what I believe allowed September 11th to happen." The government has banned the manuscript from being released. </p> <p>Approximately three months prior to the 9/11 attacks, agent Wright wrote a memo warning that American citizens would die as a result of the FBI's incompetence. He said there was virtually no effort on the part of the FBI's International Terrorism Unit to neutralize known and suspected international terrorists living in the United States."</p> <p>According to former Justice Department prosecutor <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/984616.asp" target="_blank">John Loftus</a> , even after 9/11 "people in the intelligence community came and said-guys like Alamoudi...and other terrorists weren't being touched because they'd been ordered not to investigate the cases, not to prosecute them, because they were being funded by the Saudis and a political decision was being made at the highest levels, don't do anything that would embarrass the Saudi government." He went on to say:</p> <blockquote><i>"[W]ho was it that fixed the cases? How could these guys operate for more than a decade immune from prosecution? And, the answer is coming out in a very strange place. What Alamoudi and al-Arian have in common is a guy named Grover Norquist. He's the super lobbyist. ...Grover Norquist's best friend is Karl Rove, the White House chief of staff, and apparently Norquist was able to fix things."</i></blockquote> <p>Norquist started an Islamic lobbying group, founded with seed money from Alamoudi. The group, according to <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20487" target="_blank">Front Page Magazine</a>, "has placed a number of questionable Muslim activists -- including the son of a Wahhabi preacher who helped Osama bin Laden's second in command raise money -- inside the Bush administration, including the White House, the Transportation Department and the Homeland Security Department, as well as other sensitive agencies."</p> <p>Shortly after 9/11, several Ptech employees -- upon hearing reports of Yassin al-Qadi's connections to terrorist financing - began <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-katz-devon052703.asp" target="_blank">pleading</a> with the FBI to investigate the company. However, as reported by the <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-katz-devon052703.asp" target="_blank">National Review Online</a>, "the bureau did nothing, despite knowing that Qadi was a primary financier of Ptech. ... Frighteningly, when an employee told the President of Ptech he felt he had to contact the FBI regarding Qadi's involvement in the company, the president allegedly told him not to worry because [Ptech board member] Yaqub Mirza...had contacts high within the FBI. ... After months of the FBI refusing to do anything substantive, it took the efforts of U.S. Customs, now a part of Homeland Security, to raid the business in December 2002 and jumpstart the investigation into the alleged terrorist financial network."</p> <p>At this point, the FBI and Justice Department, backed by Michael Chertoff, stepped in and attempted to remove Customs from the case. In effect, according to sources who spoke to <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3068377/site/newsweek/">Newsweek</a>, the investigation into the financial network was turned into a "train wreck," botching leads into al-Qadi, Ptech, and their affiliates. No charges were ever filed. </p> <p>Company cofounder Ziade, who has gone to great lengths to profess Ptech's innocence, said all the "innuendo" made it impossible to attract new clients, forcing Ptech to become a "<a href="http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2004/05/14/news/news04.txt" target="_blank">virtual company</a>" and market its software through an unidentified third party. </p> <p>According to <a href="http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2004/05/14/news/news04.txt" target="_blank"><i>The Patriot Ledger</i></a> of Boston, despite the forced transition, "most of the company's clients, including several federal agencies, did not drop Ptech as a vendor." In May of 2004, Ziade told <i> The Ledger</i>, ''We still have government agencies as customers, including the White House." </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-114165314558956195?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1139594866603492032006-02-10T09:08:00.000-08:002006-03-06T08:40:27.780-08:00Influential evangelical groups, such as the National Association of Evangelicals, Focus on the Family, and New Life Church, have <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/09/AR2006020902211.html">successfully pressured</a> the Air Force into reversing newly-released guidelines that restrict military officials from promoting their religion while on duty.<br /><br />The guidelines were originally enacted after it became public that military officials at the Air Force Academy were encouraging religious conformity on campus, discriminating against non-evangelical cadets, and integrating evangelical Christianity with military training.<br /><br />The Air Force has never acknowledged the true scope of the problems, which are purely the result of an unusually close relationship between the Air Force Academy and the powerful para-religious groups that surround it. As I have <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&amp;cd=1&url=http%3A//www.onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_363.shtml&amp;ei=qs3sQ_GNIqX-qAKIpMibDA&sig2=IppHWwVk5FU_Cksk59JJQg">previously</a> <a href="http://www.insider-magazine.com/Devil-USAF.html">written</a>, this relationship has resulted in the following abuses of power:<br /><ul> <li>When the evangelical Focus on the Family headquarters opened in 1993, the academy's parachute team, the Wings of Blue, participated in the <a href="http://afa.gazette.com/fullstory.php?id=5122">opening ceremony</a> by delivering "<a href="http://www.newsweek.co.uk/id/8044760/">the keys of heaven</a>" to James Dobson's new facility -- directly from the sky.<br /><br /></li> <li>During official Air Force Academy reunions, graduates are <a href="http://afa.gazette.com/fullstory.php?id=4109">invited</a> to the Focus on the Family headquarters for a tour that promotes James Dobson's religious/political views and encompasses a video portraying Dobson as a hero <a href="http://www.space4peace.org/reports/trip_report_colorado_05.htm">receiving accolades</a> from such figures as Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.<br /><br /></li> <li>In order to motivate the players of the football team, the coach <a href="http://afa.gazette.com/fullstory.php?id=3996">hung a banner</a> in the locker room <a href="http://fca.org/TEAMFCA/CompetitorsCreed.lsp">stating</a><span style="font-style: italic;">: </span><i>"I am a Christian first and last . . . I am a member of team Jesus Christ. I wear the colors of the cross . . . I am a Christian Competitor and as such, I face my challenger with the face of Christ . . . I rely solely on the power of God. I compete for the pleasure of my Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ and the reputation of the Holy Spirit."<br /><br /> </i></li> <li>According to a Yale Divinity School <a href="http://www.yale.edu/divinity/notes/050516/AFA_Report.7.04.pdf">report</a>, during one worship service led by Major Warren Watties:<i> "Protestant Basic Cadets were encouraged to pray for the salvation of fellow BCT members who chose not to attend worship. . . . Cadets were encouraged to return to tents, proselytize fellow BCT members, and remind them of the consequences of apostasy." </i>According to the report, Major Watties told the cadets the penalty for refusing to accept his encouraged proselytizing would be to "burn in the fires of hell."<br /> <i><br /> </i></li> <li>Protestant cadets were commonly told that Jesus had "called" them to the academy as part of God's plan for their lives.<br /><br /> </li> <li>Cadets who chose not to attend after-dinner chapel services were made to suffer humiliation by being marched back to their dormitories in what was called the "Heathen Flight."<br /><br /> </li> <li>Commission ceremonies for graduating officers have been held at off-campus churches.<br /><br /> </li> <li>In December of 2003, in the academy's newspaper, hundreds of staff members -- including the then-dean of the faculty, the current dean of faculty, and 16 department heads or deputy department heads -- expressed their belief that "Jesus Christ is the only real hope for the world" and directed students to contact them so they could "discuss Jesus."<br /><br /></li> <li>The academy commandant, Brigadier General Johnny Weida, a self-proclaimed born-again Christian who incorporates religion with military training on a regular basis, uses a call-and-response chant based on a Biblical metaphor to inspire religious nationalism and proselytizing amongst cadets.<br /><br /> </li> <li>General Weida also said in a statement to cadets in June 2003 that their first responsibility was to their God, and strongly endorsed National Prayer Day, an event <a href="http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/coordinators.php">sponsored by</a> Focus on the Family and chaired by James Dobson's wife, Shirley.<br /><br /> </li> <li>The academy has provided passes for Christian cadets who wish to attend church services and activities off campus, such as at New Life Church. They, however, have denied Jewish, Seven-Day Adventist, and those with other beliefs, the right to leave the campus for non-evangelical religious services.<br /><br /> </li> <li>Several faculty members have introduced themselves to their classes as born-again Christians and encouraged non-evangelical students to convert to evangelical Christianity throughout the course of the term.<br /><br /> </li> <li>Staff and faculty members have led prayer sessions at several mandatory school activities, such as academic exams, meals at the dining hall, awards ceremonies, military-training-event dinners, and basic training cadet cadre meetings.</li> </ul> The evangelical groups and military officials responsible for these First Amendment violations are the same people responsible for getting the Air Force's new guidelines partially reversed. The probability of the guidelines correcting the long-term problems was already low, but now, it is virtually nonexistent.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113959486660349203?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1139591212811708142006-02-10T09:02:00.000-08:002006-02-10T09:20:07.723-08:00<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><i style="">“The <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> is a nation engaged in what will be a long war.”</i></b><i style=""> </i></span><span style="font-size:85%;">–<a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/qdr/report/Report20060203.pdf">2006 Quadrennial Defense Review</a><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><i style="">“Long wars are usually strategic disasters...”</i></b><i style=""> </i></span><span style="font-size:85%;">–<a href="http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,87402,00.html">The Long War</a>, <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">William Sturgiss Lind</span></strong><span class="nstext2"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br />The Department of Defense’s recently updated <a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/qdr/report/Report20060203.pdf">Quadrennial Defense Review</a> (QDR) -- adapted from a neoconservative fairy tail -- illustrates the treacherously defective reasoning of an empire in denial. Using the threat of terrorism as a pretext for imperial mobilization, the 113-page 20-year defense strategy is designed to fail. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />The preface of the document opens with the following:<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">The <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a nation engaged in what will be a long war.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, our Nation has fought a global war against violent extremists...who seek to destroy our free way of life.</i><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Incredibly, the DoD is still asserting that terrorists hate our freedom – a blatantly false premise propagated in order to</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">rationalize the true cause of terrorism: our foreign policy, which the QDR goes on to describe:<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">Currently, the struggle is centered in <st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> and <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region></st1:place>, but we will need to be prepared and arranged to successfully defend our Nation and its interests around the globe for years to come.</i><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In the language of publicly-released foreign policy, “defending our interests around the globe” -- a phrase repeated in several ways throughout the QDR -- usually translates to: <i style="">securing <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s global dominance by force.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p>Similar language, although sometimes far more straightforward, has often been used by members of the Bush Administration as well as influential policy groups and think tanks, such as the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). The infamous PNAC document, <a href="http://newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf">Rebuilding America’s Defenses</a>, for instance, states:<br /><br /><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>The Defense Policy Guidance (DPG) drafted in the early months of 1992 provided a blueprint for maintaining U.S. preeminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests. </i></span><span style="font-size:85%;">[1]<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Written by Paul Wolfowitz and I. Lewis Libby for then Defense Secretary Richard Cheney, the <a href="http://work.colum.edu/%7Eamiller/wolfowitz1992.htm">Defense Policy Guidance</a> (DPG) mentioned above clearly states:<br /><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><b face="georgia"><o:p><br /></o:p></b></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">Various types of <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> interests may be involved in such instances: access to vital raw materials, primarily <st1:place st="on">Persian Gulf</st1:place> oil...<br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the region and preserve <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> and Western access to the region’s oil.</i><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">According to the Project for the New American Century, this provided them with a “blueprint” for <a href="http://newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf">Rebuilding America’s Defenses</a> -- a venture they began in the spring of 1998 in order <span style="">to “examine the country’s defense plans and resource requirements.” PNAC completed the document in 2000, just prior to transferring over a dozen of its members to the incoming Bush Administration. At the time, they wrote that “the unresolved conflict with <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place> provides the immediate justification” for establishing a “permanent” and “substantial American force presence in the Gulf,” which they even admitted, “transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.” They went on say:<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b face="georgia"><o:p><br /></o:p></b></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Over the long term, <st1:country-region st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> may well prove as large a threat to <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> interests in the Gulf as <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> has. And even should U.S.-Iranian relations improve, retaining forward-based forces in the region would still be an essential element in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> security strategy given the longstanding American interests in the region.</i><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">The QDR uses more discreet and familiar rhetoric:<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><o:p><br /></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>The pursuit of weapons of mass destruction by <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a destabilizing factor in the region. Terrorist networks remain active in many states and could threaten regional energy supplies in an attempt to cripple the global economy.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br />As shown above, the “global war on terror” is really a global war for resources and territory -- and consequently -- a war to remain the world’s one and only superpower. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br /><i style=""><br />Washington Post</i></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> columnist William M. Arkin <a href="http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/02/is_china_the_ne.html">writes</a>, “buried in the [QDR’s] hard-to-penetrate bureaucratize is a clear message: The United States will seek to ensure that "no foreign power" will develop "regional hegemony" or "disruptive" capabilities -- and <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place> is the only nation with the capacity to do both.” [2]<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br />As the principal author of Rebuilding America’s Defenses openly <a href="http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.16999,filter./pub_detail.asp">explains</a> below:<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><o:p><br /></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">In a nutshell, the practical application of the Bush Doctrine amounts to "rolling back" radical Islamism while "containing" the People's Republic of China, that is, hedging against its rise to great-power status. ...<br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><br /><span class="bodytext" style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">The pre-9/11 international status quo is not a realistic option in <st1:city st="on">Beijing</st1:city> any more than in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Baghdad</st1:place></st1:city>. The Chinese Communist Party prides itself on its patience and its long view of history, but a five-thousand-year past may prove to be just excessive baggage as the world realigns itself.</i></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">The DoD and Bush Administration publicly justify this strategy by perpetuating the myth that terrorism is inspired by an absence of democracy – a problem they insist can be solved using force, such as they “accomplished” in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br />Most experts agree, however, that it is this very foreign policy that inspires terrorism, not some oxymoronic feeling of freedom-hating election-envy as the DoD would have us believe. Yet, despite a wide-ranging consensus on this issue, the myth is allowed to continue.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Last summer, for example, the following story was widely <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/07/17/study_cites_seeds_of_terror_in_iraq?mode=PF">reported</a>:<br /><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><b face="georgia"><o:p><br /></o:p></b></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">New investigations by the Saudi Arabian government and an Israeli think tank -- both of which painstakingly analyzed the backgrounds and motivations of hundreds of foreigners entering Iraq to fight the United States -- have found that the vast majority of these foreign fighters are not former terrorists and became radicalized by the war itself. ...<br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">...interrogations of nearly 300 Saudis captured while trying to sneak into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> and case studies of more than three dozen others who blew themselves up in suicide attacks show that most were heeding the calls from clerics and activists to drive infidels out of Arab land...<br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">A separate Israeli analysis of 154 foreign fighters compiled by a leading terrorism researcher found that despite the presence of some senior Al Qaeda operatives who are organizing the volunteers, ''the vast majority of [non-Iraqi] Arabs killed in Iraq have never taken part in any terrorist activity prior to their arrival in Iraq."</i><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">The CIA’s <a href="http://www.cia.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2020_s4.html">National Intelligence Council</a> (NIC) has similarly stated that “Foreign jihadists—individuals ready to fight anywhere they believe Muslim lands are under attack by what they see as ‘infidel invaders’—enjoy a growing sense of support from Muslims who are not necessarily supporters of terrorism.” Last year they reported:<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">Iraq and other possible conflicts in the future could provide recruitment, training grounds, technical skills and language proficiency for a new class of terrorists who are “professionalized” and for whom political violence becomes an end in itself.</i><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">The NIC has concluded that al-Qaeda will “be replaced in part by the dispersion of the experienced survivors of the conflict in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>."</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />According to official <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> government <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR2005042601623.html">statistics</a>, in 2003 the number of "significant" international terrorist attacks hit a 20-year high of 175. That number more than tripled in 2004 to 655, with terrorist attacks doubling in <st1:country-region st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region>, and rising to nine times the previous year's total in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The figures from 2005, which have yet to be released, are expected to be worse.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />A “war on terror” that creates terrorism is by definition: an infinite war.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />But none of this slows Rumsfeld and his boys down a bit. As mentioned earlier, the DoD has recently released a 20-year strategy filled with fantasies about sedating terrorist activity by <a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/qdr/report/Report20060203.pdf">spreading US forces around the world</a>. [3]</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />It appears our leaders our willing to use any excuse to justify continued military expansion, regardless of the hazardous consequences.<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" > </span><span class="textnew" style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><o:p></o:p><br /><br />Additional notes:<o:p></o:p></b></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" > </span><br /><br /><span class="textnew" style="font-size:85%;">1. The principal author of Rebuilding America’s Defenses, Thomas Donnelly, has <a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20020701fareviewessay8529/thomas-donnelly/the-past-as-prologue-an-imperial-manual.html">said</a> “the fact of American empire is hardly debated these days,” but regrettably, </span><span style="font-size:85%;">“<span class="textnew">it is still inflammatory to speak openly of empire -- hence the prevalence of euphemisms such as hegemony, preeminence, primacy, sole superpower, or, a la the French, hyperpuissance.”<o:p></o:p></span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />2. The QDR states that although “China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States,” the US “will work to ensure that all major and emerging powers are integrated as constructive actors and stakeholders into the international system.” This, of course, is the DoD’s candy-coated way of saying force won’t be necessary <a href="http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.16999,filter./pub_detail.asp">because</a>:<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><o:p><br /></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style="">It is...<span class="bodytext">reasonable to believe that the United States and its allies can ‘contain’ China's ambitions, helping it make the transition from communism to democracy, from international outsider to a state satisfied by living within a liberal international order.</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size:85%;">3. Ironically, the DoD has also established a new initiative that, according to <i style=""><a href="http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060205/NEWS06/602050483/1012">The New York Times</a></i>, will attempt to “determine whether more terrorists are being captured, killed or persuaded to give up their violent struggle than are being created,” – a question that, as previously illustrated, has already been answered in spades. The results of this program should still be interesting considering the DoD’s entire policy is at odds with their stated objectives.</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113959121281170814?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1137970625599985782006-01-22T12:04:00.000-08:002006-01-23T08:55:04.406-08:00<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In order to meet increasing energy demands, ethanol production is now in competition with food production for the world’s farming resources. As a result, the cost of the crops used to produce ethanol, such as sugar and corn, as well as the prices of crops unrelated to ethanol production, are becoming increasingly linked with escalating energy costs. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ethanol production and industrial agriculture are both extremely energy-intensive processes that require fixed amounts of oil and natural gas – amounts that will no longer be affordable as world oil production goes into decline. If the current unsustainable trend in food production, and now ethanol production, continues, energy and food prices will most-likely be locked together until famine forces a systematic change. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On January 22, 2005, <i style=""><a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-sbsugarfiller22jan22,0,5552573.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines">Bloomberg</a></i> reported:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Sugar prices surged to a 24-year high as more supplies are used for fuel because of soaring energy costs. ...<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Sugar has jumped <b style="">92 percent</b> in the past year as <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>, the world's biggest producer and exporter, converted more of its crop into ethanol fuel to cope with record gasoline prices. ...<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.4in; margin-left: 0.4in; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"Sugar is going ballistic because of the oil price," Sam Tilley, head of research at London-based commodities brokers Sucden (U.K.) Ltd., said.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On January 16, 2005, <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/16/business/corn.php"><i>The New York Times</i></a> reported:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 12pt; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Early every winter here [in Sioux, Iowa], farmers make their best guesses about how much food the world will demand in the coming year, and then decide how many acres of corn to plant, and how many of soybeans.</span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">But this year is different. Now it is not just the demand for food that is driving the decision, it is also the demand for ethanol, which is made from corn. ...</span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /><br /><i>High oil prices are dragging corn prices up with them, as the value of ethanol is pushed up by the value of the fuel it replaces. ...</i><br /><br /><i>"We're putting the supermarket in competition with the corner filling station for the output of the farm," said Lester Brown, an agriculture expert in Washington and president of the Earth Policy Institute. Farms cannot feed all the world's people and its motor vehicles as well, he said, and the result is that more people will go hungry.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Times'</span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> article concluded with a satirically ignorant quote from Joe Jobe, executive director of the National Biodiesel Board:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"I think there's a historical shift under way, not to grow more crops for energy and less for food, but to grow more for both,"<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">He sounds just like "<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/05/20010503-4.html">W</a>":<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt; font-family: times new roman;"><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"...we can't conserve our way to energy independence; nor can we conserve our way to having enough energy available. So we've got to do both."<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It might be funny if it wasn't so scary. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">There is no alternative, or combination of alternatives, that can match the efficiency and former abundance of fossil-fuel energy. Therefore, the only way to effectively reduce oil-dependency is to reduce overall </span><i style="font-family: times new roman;">energy</i><span style="font-family: times new roman;">-dependency. Alone, supply-side solutions, only offer more problems. Growing ethanol to feed trucks instead of growing food to feed people is just one example.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""></span> </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113797062559998578?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1135832319086179832005-12-28T20:54:00.000-08:002005-12-28T20:59:45.533-08:00My article regarding the influence of right-wing evangelical activists at the Air Force Academy is now available at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.insider-magazine.com/Devil-USAF.html">Insider Magazine</a> and <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_363.shtml">Online Journal</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113583231908617983?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1135831933633146432005-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:002005-12-29T17:02:24.010-08:00It is unfortunate that James Howard Kunstler, a leading advocate of Peak Oil, has decided to judge a book without knowing the first thing about it. In his most recent “<a href="http://www.kunstler.com/mags_diary15.html">Clusterfuck Nation Chronicle</a>” entry, Kunstler writes:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“I regard the 9/11 conspiracy theories as a fantasy and a distraction from the real problems we face. It is especially unfortunate that they became associated with the Peak Oil issue, and that was obviously a result of Mike Ruppert's elaboration of them in his book Across the Rubicon, which brought discredit to his otherwise good reporting on the global oil situation,”</blockquote>It is a shame that Kunstler has decided to ridicule a book that he doesn’t even know the title of. I will not attempt to counter Kunstler’s argument because when he calls "Across" the Rubicon a “fantasy,” he obviously doesn’t know what he is talking about.<br /><br />As someone who has spoken with Kunstler and watched him speak, I can say he is a stubborn man who is very antagonistic to those who disagree with him. So I’m not holding my breath for him to change his opinion. That being said, I would encourage him, as I would anyone looking for evidence of complicity, to follow the money. General Mahmood and Yassin al-Qadi are the first two names that always come to mind.<br /><br />I will also mention the fact that Ruppert has probably educated more people on Peak Oil than James Howard Kunstler and every other Peak Oil advocate combined, so it really makes no sense to say Ruppert has discredited himself by evaluating the attacks of September 11th.<br /><br />Kunstler also discusses the wiretapping issue:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“I rather admired George W. Bush's hard-boiled remarks Saturday about the secret snooping carried out by the National Security Agency. As if we could afford to do otherwise.”</blockquote>And...<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“Unlike the Nixon years, no evidence has emerged yet that this spying was directed widely at critics of government policy. If we are listening in on phone conversations and Internet chatter involving jihadists, then that is okay with me. If this spying were to swing over to critics of the war and the news media on a wholesale basis -- as in the Nixon / Vietnam years -- I'd feel differently about it.”</blockquote>A few reasons for Mr. Kunstler to feel differently:<br /><br />1. The program was illegal, and the only reasonable explanation for the Administration going around the law is that they thought the wiretap requests were likely to be denied or had already been denied by the FISA court, which has very few limitations.<br /><br />2. Bush’s lies:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." --<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040420-2.html">Bush two years after he started circumventing the court</a><br /><br />“For years, law enforcement used so-called roving wire taps to investigate organized crime. You see, what that meant is if you got a wire tap by court order -- and, by the way, everything you hear about requires court order, requires there to be permission from a FISA court, for example.” –<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040419-4.html">Bush, April 19, 2004</a><br /><br />“...any action that takes place by law enforcement requires a court order. In other words, the government can't move on wiretaps or roving wiretaps without getting a court order. --<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/07/20040714-11.html%5B/url">Bush, July 14, 2004</a><br /><br />"...roving wiretaps allow investigators to follow suspects who frequently change their means of communications. These wiretaps must be approved by a judge,”--<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050609-2.html">Bush, June 9, 2005</a></blockquote><br />3. FBI counterterrorism agents have <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/politics/20fbi.html?ei=5065&en=0384c4fe8724565d&amp;amp;ex=1135746000&adxnnl=1&amp;partner=MYWAY&adxnnlx=1135091028-3n4ZOjc6hXMb">conducted</a> surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations on environmental, animal cruelty and poverty relief groups. Green Peace, for example, is considered "a serious domestic terrorist threat."<br /><br />4. The Pentagon has labeled antiwar and counter-recruiting demonstrations as "<a href="http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Antiwar_protests_monitored_by_U.S._Military_1214.html">threats</a>" to National Security.<br /><br />5. <a href="http://rawstory.com/news/2005/After_domestic_spying_reports_U.S._spying_1227.html">The Bush Administration has spied</a> <a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,905899,00.html">on UN Security Council members</a>:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“President Bush and other top officials in his administration used the National Security Agency to secretly wiretap the home and office telephones and monitor private email accounts of members of the United Nations Security Council in early 2003 to determine how foreign delegates would vote on a U.N. resolution that paved the way for the U.S.-led war in Iraq,”</blockquote>6. According to Wayne Madsen -- a former Naval Intelligence officer who was once assigned to the NSA -- the Administration has used the NSA to spy on its own employees, as well as other U.S. intelligence personnel, and their journalist and congressional contacts. Today he <a href="http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/">reported</a> the following:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">“WMR (<a href="http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/">Wayne Madsen Report</a>) has learned that the National Security Agency (NSA), on the orders of the Bush administration, eavesdropped on the private conversations and e-mail of its own employees, employees of other U.S. intelligence agencies -- including the CIA and DIA -- and their contacts in the media, Congress, and oversight agencies and offices.</span><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" ><br /><br />The journalist surveillance program, code named "Firstfruits," was part of a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) program that was </span><span style="color:blue;"><a href="http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/firstfruits.htm"><span style="font-weight: normal;">maintained at least until October 2004</span></a></span></strong><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" > and was authorized by then-DCI Porter Goss. ...<o:p></o:p></span></strong><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" ><br /><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">Firstfruits was a database that contained both the articles and the transcripts of telephone and other communications of particular Washington journalists known to report on sensitive U.S. intelligence activities, particularly those involving NSA. According to NSA sources, the targeted journalists included author James Bamford, the </span></span></strong><em style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: normal;color:black;" >New York Times'</span></em><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" > James Risen, the </span></strong><em style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: normal;color:black;" >Washington Post's</span></em><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" > Vernon Loeb, the </span></strong><em style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: normal;color:black;" >New Yorker's</span></em><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" > Seymour Hersh, the </span></strong><em style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: normal;color:black;" >Washington Times'<b> </b></span></em><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" >Bill Gertz, UPI's John C. K. Daly, and this editor [Wayne Madsen], who has written about NSA for </span></strong><em style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: normal;color:black;" >The Village Voice, CAQ</span></em><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color:black;">,</span></strong><strong style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" > Intelligence Online, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).”<br /> </span></strong><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113583193363314643?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1135029203076031172005-12-19T13:24:00.000-08:002005-12-19T13:53:23.093-08:00At today's <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/19/bush.transcript/index.html">press conference</a>, Bush said:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"It wasn't a mistake to go into Iraq. It was the right decision to make.</span> <p style="font-style: italic;">I think that there's going to be a lot of analysis done on the decisions on the ground in Iraq. For example, I'm fully aware that some have said it was a mistake not to put enough troops there immediately -- or more troops.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">I made my decision based upon the recommendations of Tommy Frank. And I still think it was the right decision to make. But history will judge."</p> </blockquote> <p style="font-style: italic;"></p> According to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/18/AR2005111802397.html">Senator Bob Graham</a>:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"In February 2002, after a briefing on the status of the war in Afghanistan, the commanding officer, Gen. Tommy Franks, told me the war was being compromised as specialized personnel and equipment were being shifted from Afghanistan to prepare for the war in Iraq -- a war more than a year away."</blockquote>Sen. Graham also <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5921259/">said</a> that General Franks "laid out a very precise strategy for fighting the war on terror. First, we should win the war in Afghanistan; second move to Somalia, which as he described was almost anarchy but with substantial number of al-Qaeda cells, then to Yemen, and that we should be very careful about Iraq because our intelligence was so weak that we didn't know what we were getting into."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113502920307603117?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1134471036762094072005-12-13T02:44:00.000-08:002005-12-19T15:33:37.616-08:00<span style="color:black;">Jerome Corsi’s latest article, entitled “<a href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47757">Profitable new natural-gas technologies</a>,” -- like all of his recent articles -- is dedicated to debunking Peak Oil. Using the usual misleading argument, Corsi summarizes his article by writing:<o:p></o:p></span><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color:black;"><br /></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color:black;">“</span>Devon's story defies "Peak-Production" theorists, such as M. King Hubbert, famous for the bell-shaped "Hubbert's Peak," a chart that predicted the United States would eventually <u>run out of</u> oil and natural gas reserves. Hubbert, a Shell Oil employee, drew his famous "peak" in 1956, decades before the Barnett Shale's potential for producing natural gas was discovered.”<o:p></o:p> </blockquote><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p>Hubbert did not inaccurately predict that the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> would run out of oil, he <i style="">accurately</i> predicted that we would reach a point of peak production and then go into decline. Peak Oil is when approximately <i style="">half</i> the oil is gone, not all of it. The <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> peaked in the 1970s, just as Hubbert predicted. Since then domestic production has declined, but we’ve continued to increase consumption by importing more every year. When the world peaks, there will be no place to import from. <o:p></o:p></span> <span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />The rest of Corsi’s arguments are equally flawed. The article is based around </span>Devon Energy Corporation’s <span style="color:black;">success</span> at the Barnett Shale field in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state>, which has been based on the use of “water frac” technology. Of course, Corsi failed to mention the <a href="http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/12445062.htm">following</a>:<span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span> <o:p></o:p><i style=""><br /></i><blockquote><i style="">“<span class="body-content">Statewide production of both crude oil and natural gas declined during the first six months of 2005 from the previous year, despite a 17 percent increase in production in the burgeoning Barnett Shale. ...<o:p></o:p></span></i> <span class="body-content"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="body-content"><i style=""><br /><br />Texas</i></span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="body-content"><i style=""> annually is the largest single producer of both oil and gas among the 50 states. But production has declined steadily for three decades. The state's peak production for both crude oil and natural gas was 1972, when <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state> produced 1.26 billion barrels of crude oil and 9.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Last year, <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state> produced 349.2 million barrels of crude oil and 5.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.”<o:p></o:p></i></span> </blockquote><span class="body-content">This trend has <a href="http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/13290997.htm">continued</a>, and <i style="">will</i> continue, despite Corsi’s dreams of debunking Peak Oil.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">--Update Dec. 19th-- </span>In Corsi's newest article, he argues that "By opening ANWR for oil exploration, we would make an important step to reversing the danger that every day we are becoming more dependent on foreign oil." What ever you say, Jerome.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-out;" alt="The image “http://www.columbia.edu/~sp2023/scienceandsociety/web-pages/POLICY.GIF” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.columbia.edu/%7Esp2023/scienceandsociety/web-pages/POLICY.GIF" /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113447103676209407?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1133562577606256002005-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:002005-12-02T21:40:32.903-08:00<span style="font-style: italic;">The Associated Press</span> is running a story today entitled "<a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_Iraq_News_Stories.html">Senator, general defend Iraq propagada plan</a>". A few quick excerpts:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">A key senator and the country's top military commander said Friday that a Pentagon propaganda program was part of an effort to "<span style="font-weight: bold;">get the truth out</span>" in Iraq. ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that, "We want to <span style="font-weight: bold;">get the facts out</span>. We want to <span style="font-weight: bold;">get the truth out</span>." ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The purpose of this program is to ensure <span style="font-weight: bold;">factual information</span> is provided to the Iraqi public," Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. military spokesman, said in Iraq.</span></blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal">To illustrate the ridiculousness of this explanation, let's not forget (as the AP apparently did) that the Department of Defense did not just pay press outlets to run stories without disclosing the military's role; the stories also contained LIES about who was writing them. For <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/politics/01propaganda.html?ei=5089&en=15a816ae2c304281&amp;ex=1291093200&partner=rssyahoo&amp;emc=rss&pagewanted=print">example</a>:</p> <blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Titled "The Sands Are Blowing Toward a Democratic Iraq," an article written this week for publication in the Iraqi press was scornful of outsiders' pessimism about the country's future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> "Western press and frequently those self-styled 'objective' observers of Iraq are often critics of how <span style="font-weight: bold;">we, the people of Iraq,</span> are proceeding down the path in determining what is best for <span style="font-weight: bold;">our </span>nation," the article began. Quoting the Prophet Muhammad, it pleaded for unity and nonviolence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> But far from being the heartfelt opinion of an Iraqi writer, as its language implied, the article was prepared by the United States military as part of a multimillion-dollar covert campaign to plant paid propaganda in the Iraqi news media and pay friendly Iraqi journalists monthly stipends, military contractors and officials said.</span></blockquote>So this is how the DoD gets the truth out? By lying!?<br /><br />Since the Pentagon is so eager to spread the truth, maybe they should start telling the Iraqi people about their efforts to manipulate them into believing they live in a democracy, while destroying freedom of the press in the process.<br /><br />And despite the ongoing propaganda campaign, a recent <a href="http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/23/wirq23.xml">Ministry of Defence poll</a> showed that 82% of the Iraqi population is "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops, which raises an obvious question: If Iraq is a democracy, then who represents the 82% who want us out?<br /><br />And of course, instead of doing some actual investigating, all the US news networks are sitting around waiting for the DoD to get their story straight so they can report their own propaganda. In the meantime, they're running segments about insurgent propaganda, basically trying to give the Pentagon partial justification for their actions...as if our standards should be determined by the "evil-doers."<br /><br />In other Iraq news, the white phosphorous issue seems to be tip-toeing its way out of the public spotlight. <span style="color:black;">The “not a chemical weapon” excuse seems to have pacified the press. However this doesn’t play. As noted on page 42 of this <a href="http://sill-www.army.mil/famag/Previous_Editions/01/MAY-JUN01.pdf">military bulletin</a>:<o:p></o:p></span><i style=""><span style="color:black;"><br /><blockquote>Incendiaries, which include napalm, flame throwers, tracer rounds and white phosphorus, are not illegal, <span style="">per se</span>, but must be monitored for their use to prevent “unnecessary suffering.” For instance white phosphorus is not banned as a method for marking targets or for igniting flammable targets, but it <span style="font-weight: bold;">should not be used as an anti-personnel munition unless other types of conventional anti-personnel ordnance are unavailable.</span> Air-delivered incendiaries have been banned in areas of civilian concentration under a protocol to the 1980 Conventional, Weapons Treaty, but the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> has not ratified this protocol. The <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> position is that air-delivered incendiaries <span style="font-weight: bold;">may be proper against targets in areas of civilian concentration if their usage would reduce civilian deaths,</span> e.g., to destroy a chemical weapons factory in which the incendiary device burns the chemicals rather than disperses them.</blockquote></span></i><span style="color:black;">This certainly indicates that the use of white phosphorous in Fallujah was not justified.<o:p></o:p></span> <span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p><br /><br />Furthermore, as <em><span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2005/11/21/phosphorus-chemical/"><i style="">Think Progress</i></a></span></em> pointed out, the Pentagon described white phosphorous as a chemical weapon in a 1995 document regarding Iraqi weapons during the first Gulf War. The military has also described white phosphorous as a chemical weapon <a href="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/postwar/postwar_refs/n33en016/950727_23402929_91r.html" title="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/postwar/postwar_refs/n33en016/950727_23402929_91r.html">here</a>, <a href="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/al_muth/al_muth_refs/n58en047/961031_950925_081bda_91p.htm" title="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/al_muth/al_muth_refs/n58en047/961031_950925_081bda_91p.htm">here</a>, <a href="http://www.pmrma.army.mil/cleanup/facts/brf_hist.html">here</a>, <a href="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/an_nasiriyah_sw/nasiriyah_s02.htm" title="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/an_nasiriyah_sw/nasiriyah_s02.htm">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/postwar/postwar_s03.htm" title="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/postwar/postwar_s03.htm">here</a>. Of course these are just words, but as <i style="">Think Progress</i> stated, this is an issue of right and wrong; and as pointed out above, by the military's own standards, the use of WP was not justified in Fallujah. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113356257760625600?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1130985774031514042005-11-02T18:33:00.000-08:002005-11-07T10:51:50.656-08:00I'm currently working on a new 9/11 article.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="blueLead"><br /></span><span class="blueLead">In the meantime, </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.rockrivertimes.com/index.pl?cmd=viewstory&cat=4&amp;id=11528">The Rock River Times</a> asks: <span class="blueLead"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Would you rather drive or eat?"</span><font><br /><br /><a href="http://thedaily.washington.edu/news.lasso?-database=DailyWebSQL&-table=Articles&amp;-response=wnpage.lasso&-keyField=__Record_ID__&amp;-keyValue=14252&-search"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Washington Post</span></a></span></span><font><font><font><font><font> picks up on the Christian fundamentalist groups currently trying to reverse the Air Force Academy's new religious guidelines.<br /><br />The Academy's football coach, Fisher Deberry, continues to openly expose his...eh...'personality traits' to the media, embarrassing the military school and America in general. From <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/ESPNSports/story?id=1251805"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">ABC News</span></a>...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, expressing frustration Tuesday with the Falcons' slumping performance, attributed the latest loss in part to No. 20 TCU's having more black players who 'can run very, very well.'"<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span> It is now being reported that four officers -- all graduates of the Academy's class of 2004 -- have joined Mikey Weinstein's lawsuit claiming senior officers and cadets at the Air Force Academy illegally imposed Christianity on others at the school, according to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110203140.html"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Washington Post</span></a>.<br /><br />I have decided to put together an article that covers the true scope of the problems at the Academy. It should be complete by the end of the week.<br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://americanmonitor.blogspot.com/2005/10/update-religion-at-air-force-academy.html"></a></span></span></span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-113098577403151404?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1129959986777568772005-10-21T22:36:00.000-07:002005-10-22T00:56:37.583-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="The image “http://filebox.vt.edu/users/daosbor3/beef/beefweb_files/image010.gif” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://filebox.vt.edu/users/daosbor3/beef/beefweb_files/image010.gif" /><br /></div>From the <a href="http://www.vafb.com/news/2005/oct/102005_4.htm">Virginia Farm Bureau</a>:<br /><blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Farmers won’t reap benefits of higher food prices</span><br /></p> <p>WASHINGTON—Hang onto your wallet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts an upward bump in average retail food prices this year, thanks to the recent surge in crude oil prices. </p> <p>After a relatively low rate of growth averaging 2.5 percent a year over the past decade, 2004 retail food prices rose 3.4 percent, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. The government now projects that the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and a tight world market for oil will boost overall food prices as much as 3.5 percent this year.</p> <p>Since the U.S. food supply is heavily dependent on fuel for the processing and transportation, a boost in oil prices is bound to increase upward pressure for consumer prices, said Ephraim Leibtag, USDA food-price analyst.</p> <p>Sadly, the coming increase in food prices will just further squeeze American farmers already caught between the traditional jaws of higher production costs and relatively flat wholesale prices. </p> <p>This fall’s huge increase in fuel prices will dramatically increase the cost of running farm equipment, buying chemicals and fertilizers, explained Tony Banks, a commodity and marketing specialist for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.</p> <p>Yet the farmers’ share of retail food prices remains low, less than 25 percent of the total average food dollar, according to Terry Francl, a senior economist with American Farm Bureau Federation. “Looking back 30 years, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures in the 1970s,” Francl said. “That figure has dropped steadily over time and is now just 22 percent, according to USDA statistics.”</p> <p>Ironically, food prices were trending lower than predicted earlier this year. The USDA reported that as of September, prices for food consumed at home were rising an average of 2 percent to 3 percent, a half-percentage point lower than expected.</p> <p>And the September AFBF Marketbasket Survey found a 1-percent drop from the previous quarter in the average price of the contents of a 16-item shopping cart. The marketbasket survey checks the price of sirloin tip roast, Cheddar cheese, whole fryer chickens, bacon, white bread, vegetable oil, ground chuck, pork chops, corn oil, toasted oat cereal, potatoes, mayonnaise, a dozen large eggs, flour, a gallon of whole milk and a pound of apples.</p> <p>The average national price for those goods was $39.96, 55 cents less than at the end of June. “Unfortunately, we can look for prices to head back upward in our next survey,” Francl said.</p> </blockquote><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/102105_world_stories.shtml#0"><span style="font-style: italic;">From the Wilderness</span></a> recently pointed out the following <a href="http://www.txfb.org/TexasAgriculture/2005/102105/102105opinions.htm">article</a> by <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Jimmy Westerfeld, President of </strong><strong style="font-weight: normal;">the McLennan County Farm Bureau in Texas.<br /><blockquote><span class="news">Agriculture today is facing a major catastrophe not experienced since the Dust Bowl days of the Great Depression. Based on expert economic projections, for the first time in decades, many U.S. farmers cannot possibly "cash flow" a crop or crops for the year 2006. Bankers are saying "No." Many of us will not be able to farm this year or the next. The doubling and tripling of fuel and petrochemical prices are the last link in a chain of bad economic events.<br /> <br />Since Aug. 29, the entire world has been focused on the aftermath of the terrible destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Then, to make a terrible tragedy even worse, Hurricane Rita slammed into Southeast Texas and Western Louisiana on Sept. 24.<br /> <br />These two storms had an impact on the nation's fuel refining capacity, increasing prices beyond an already dismal situation. In agriculture, we cannot pass these prices along as other industries do. Ultimately, it means the numbers don't add up. If we can't show positive cash flow, we won't get our operating loans.<br /> <br />For farmers, a Katrina-like disaster is building. It will soon swamp many family farming operations. Astronomical fuel prices, fertilizer and chemical costs have reached the point that even a modest profit is impossible.<br /> <br />Farmers are receiving the lowest price for commodities that myself or most farmers can remember. Farmers are a proud group, usually not willing to protest. This time, I hope someone is listening. We are literally at the end of the turn row. That's a metaphor for desperation. Agriculture is in serious trouble.<br /> <br />A friend of mine and long-time Central Texas farmer sums up the current crisis in a unique way: "It's a lot easier to do nothin' for nothin' than somethin' for nothin'." Why invest huge amounts, work from daylight to dark and struggle for a profit when you know you have no chance?<br /> <br />What if, one by one, many farmers are forced into the painful decision that they can't afford to plant this year and the next? How many such decisions will it take to produce, nation-wide, the bare grocery shelves brought about by Katrina and Rita?<br /> <br />Granted, food can and will be imported. If we allow American agriculture to wither and die, that will be our only choice. If this sounds familiar, it's exactly what we did with energy. Does anyone like what they are paying at the pump now? Do we really want our food supply at the mercy of producers outside our own borders?<br /> <br />With this dismal prospect in mind, we can begin to view the federal farm program as an investment in keeping farmers on the land and preserving the ability to feed our own people at a reasonable cost. Congress and the Bush administration have proposed drastic spending cuts in the federal farm program, while preserving lavish pork barrel spending. Are our priorities really that far out of whack?<br /> <br />U.S. agriculture can feed the world if the profit is there. The federal farm program is a safety net that equally protects U.S. farmers and consumers. Under the current protectionist trade policies in the world, there is no way to farm without it. Drastic cuts would take us down a policy path that is dangerous for our food security. I don't believe we really want to go there.</span></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote></strong><blockquote></blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-112995998677756877?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1129684715526027662005-10-18T18:10:00.000-07:002005-10-18T18:18:44.143-07:00I never really had a chance to get the <span style="font-style: italic;">American Monitor </span>moving, but now, after a few months, I've decided to give it another shot. I'll be posting with increased frequency as I find a way to work this site into my daily routine. Keep watch.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-112968471552602766?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1116396811415766932005-05-17T22:41:00.000-07:002005-05-21T10:02:00.433-07:00<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13;">CALLING ALL CORPORATE MEDIA DRONES -- IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP FROM YOUR COMAS...</span><br /><br /></b><a href="http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/Archive/2005/May/12-273892.html?chanlid=washfile"><b>The following</b></a> is for every irresponsible newspaper and television station in the country that got their stories wrong when blaming <i>Newsweek</i> for starting the riots in Afghanistan and elsewhere. <b><br /><i><br />The chairman of the <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> Joint Chiefs of Staff says a report from <st1:country-region st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> suggests that rioting in Jalalabad on May 11 was not necessarily connected to press reports that the Quran might have been desecrated in the presence of Muslim prisoners held in <st1:country-region st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> custody at <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Guantanamo Bay</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region></st1:place>. ...<br /><br />...Myers said an after-action report provided by U.S. Army Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, commander of the Combined Forces in Afghanistan, indicated that the political violence was not, in fact, connected to the magazine report.<br /><br /></i></b>Every story claiming Newsweek "sparked" the riots uses quotes from Richard Myers while completely leaving out what he said above. Too bad they didn't get confirmation.<br /><br />Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be nothing more than a machine operated by the White House? If so, contact your local newspaper and ask them. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-111639681141576693?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1115699313497856872005-05-09T21:20:00.000-07:002005-05-09T21:28:33.516-07:00From <a href="http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/11574258.htm"><b><span style="font-size:-1;"><span class="creditline">Knight Ridder:</span></span></b></a><br /><br />A highly classified British memo, leaked in the midst of Britain's just-concluded election campaign, indicates that President Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by summer 2002 and was determined to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policy.<br /><br />The document, which summarizes a July 23, 2002, meeting of British Prime Minister Tony Blair with his top security advisers, reports on a visit to Washington by the head of Britain's MI-6 intelligence service. ...<br /><br />"There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable," the MI-6 chief said at the meeting, according to the memo. "Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD," weapons of mass destruction.<br /><br />The memo said <span style="font-weight: bold;">"the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."</span> ...<br /><br />A former senior U.S. official called it "an absolutely accurate description of what transpired" during the senior British intelligence officer's visit to Washington. He spoke on condition of anonymity. ...<br /><br />Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is circulating a letter among fellow Democrats asking Bush for an explanation of the document's charges, an aide said.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-111569931349785687?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11405575.post-1114623216756211932005-04-27T10:06:00.000-07:002005-04-27T10:33:36.760-07:00<nitf></nitf>From <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content//article/2005/04/26/AR2005042601623.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Washington Post</span></a>:<br /><blockquote>The number of serious international terrorist incidents more than tripled last year, according to U.S. government figures, a sharp upswing in deadly attacks that the State Department has decided not to make public in its annual report on terrorism due to Congress this week.<br /><br />Overall, the number of what the U.S. government considers "significant" attacks grew to about 655 last year, up from the record of around 175 in 2003, according to congressional aides who were briefed on statistics covering incidents...<br /><br />Terrorist incidents in Iraq also dramatically increased, from 22 attacks to 198, or nine times the previous year's total...<br /><br />The State Department announced last week that it was breaking with tradition in withholding the statistics on terrorist attacks from its congressionally mandated annual report. ...<br /><br />The controversy comes a year after the State Department retracted its annual terrorism report and admitted that its initial version vastly understated the number of incidents. ...<br /><br />"Last year was bad. This year is worse. They are deliberately trying to withhold data because it shows that as far as the war on terrorism internationally, we're losing," said Larry C. Johnson, a former senior State Department counterterrorism official, who first revealed the decision not to publish the data. ...<br /><br />[Karen] Aguilar (State Department acting counterterrorism chief), according to Hill aides, told them that Rice decided to withhold the statistics on the recommendation of her counselor, Philip D. Zelikow. He was executive director of the Sept. 11 commission that investigated the terrorist attacks on the United States. ...<br /><br />Under the standards used by the government, "significant" terrorist attacks are defined as those that cause civilian casualties or fatalities or substantial damage to property. Attacks on uniformed military personnel such as the large number of U.S. troops stationed in Iraq are not included.<br /><br />The data provided to the congressional aides also showed terrorist attacks doubling over the previous year in Afghanistan, to 27 significant incidents, and in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, where attacks rose to about 45, from 19 the year before. Also occurring last year were such deadly attacks as the seizure of a school in Beslan, Russia, by Chechen militants that resulted in at least 330 dead, and the Madrid train bombings that left nearly 200 dead.</blockquote><br /></><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"It is not the lack of democracy that produced jihadist movements, nor will the creation of democracies quell them. … The president is right that resentment is growing and that it is breeding terrorism, but it is chiefly resentment of us, not of the absence of democracy."</span></><br /></><br />--<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/magazine/06ADVISER.html?ex=1114747200&en=970db1eaf7d1606d&amp;ei=5070&oref=login"><span style="font-style: italic;">Richard Clarke, New York Times Magazine</span></a></></div> <blockquote> <p><nitf></nitf></p> </blockquote> <p><nitf></nitf></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11405575-111462321675621193?l=americanmonitor.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Devlin Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01258437031836327148noreply@blogger.com0