FT.com / Industries / Drugs & healthcare - Eli Lilly in storm over Prozac evidence: "Eli Lilly in storm over Prozac evidence | By Clive Cookson in London | Published: December 30 2004 19:38 | Last updated: December 30 2004 19:38
Eli Lilly, the US drug company, suppressed evidence that Prozac, its best-selling antidepressant, could cause behavioural disturbances, according to allegations published on Thursday in the British Medical Journal.
The US Food and Drug Administration says it would review confidential Lilly documents handed over by the BMJ, which received them this month from an anonymous source. The reports and memos appear to suggest Lilly officials knew in the 1980s that Prozac had troubling side-effects and sought to minimise their likely adverse effect on prescribing.
The journal says the documents “went missing” 10 years ago during a controversial product liability lawsuit filed on behalf of victims of Joseph Wesbecker, who shot eight colleagues dead, wounded 12 more and then killed himself. Mr Wesbecker had a history of depression and was prescribed Prozac a month before the shootings.
One document, a clinical trial review dated November 1988, stated that 38 per cent of patients treated with Prozac but only 19 per cent of those given a placebo “reported new activation”. ...
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Ousting the Umpire: DeLay-Hastert to oust Ethics Chairman: payback for ethics violation rulings
Ousting the Umpire (washingtonpost.com): "Thursday, December 30, 2004; Page A26
WHEN IT STARTED to look as though House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) might be indicted by a prosecutor in his home state, the House GOP rule requiring indicted members to relinquish their leadership positions became rather inconvenient. House Republicans responded by junking the rule. During the last Congress, Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), chairman of the House Ethics Committee, proved himself something of an inconvenience as well when it came to Mr. DeLay: Under his leadership, the all-too-often slumbering committee bestirred itself to admonish the majority leader for an array of ethical missteps. Now Mr. Hefley risks meeting the same fate as the discarded rule. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is poised to decide whether to let Mr. Hefley continue in the thankless task of heading the committee. According to The Post's Mike Allen, Mr. Hastert is leaning toward removing Mr. Hefley.
Mr. Hastert's spokesman, John Feehery, says that no decision has been made about Mr. Hefley's continued tenure and that, if he were to be removed from the committee, it would be for "no other reason" than that he has served as chairman since 2001. "That's a pretty long time," Mr. Feehery told us. "It's tough duty being an ethics chairman." Mr. Feehery said later that House rules would bar Mr. Hefley from remaining on the committee -- a tortured reading of clear rules that in any event could be waived by the speaker.
The speaker's respect for the rules and his solicitude for his colleague is touching but misplaced. From all indications, Mr. Hefley would like to remain on the ethics job. So it's hard to see his ouster, if it occurs, as anything other than payback for calling Mr. DeLay's fouls -- and as a means of avoiding other tough judgments in the future. That's not merely a theoretical possibility. The committee already has some sensitive matters on its plate, including Ohio Republican Robert W. Ney's dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and it could find itself again delving into Mr. DeLay, once the Texas prosecutor has completed his probe. Junking the umpire because you don't like his calls is no more attractive than changing the rules of the game when they turn out not to be to your advantage. If this is indeed the speaker's inclination, we hope he reconsiders.
WHEN IT STARTED to look as though House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) might be indicted by a prosecutor in his home state, the House GOP rule requiring indicted members to relinquish their leadership positions became rather inconvenient. House Republicans responded by junking the rule. During the last Congress, Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), chairman of the House Ethics Committee, proved himself something of an inconvenience as well when it came to Mr. DeLay: Under his leadership, the all-too-often slumbering committee bestirred itself to admonish the majority leader for an array of ethical missteps. Now Mr. Hefley risks meeting the same fate as the discarded rule. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is poised to decide whether to let Mr. Hefley continue in the thankless task of heading the committee. According to The Post's Mike Allen, Mr. Hastert is leaning toward removing Mr. Hefley.
Mr. Hastert's spokesman, John Feehery, says that no decision has been made about Mr. Hefley's continued tenure and that, if he were to be removed from the committee, it would be for "no other reason" than that he has served as chairman since 2001. "That's a pretty long time," Mr. Feehery told us. "It's tough duty being an ethics chairman." Mr. Feehery said later that House rules would bar Mr. Hefley from remaining on the committee -- a tortured reading of clear rules that in any event could be waived by the speaker.
The speaker's respect for the rules and his solicitude for his colleague is touching but misplaced. From all indications, Mr. Hefley would like to remain on the ethics job. So it's hard to see his ouster, if it occurs, as anything other than payback for calling Mr. DeLay's fouls -- and as a means of avoiding other tough judgments in the future. That's not merely a theoretical possibility. The committee already has some sensitive matters on its plate, including Ohio Republican Robert W. Ney's dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and it could find itself again delving into Mr. DeLay, once the Texas prosecutor has completed his probe. Junking the umpire because you don't like his calls is no more attractive than changing the rules of the game when they turn out not to be to your advantage. If this is indeed the speaker's inclination, we hope he reconsiders.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
TIME magazines Canadian Newsmaker of the Year: Abused detainee from US 9-11 detentions
TIME canada.com: "December 27 2004 | CANADIAN NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR | Seeking the Truth | How one man’s quest for justice is quietly reshaping a nation’s values and law
Who is Maher Arar? We all know the basic contours of his story. In 2002, U.S. officials detained the Canadian software engineer at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. They alleged that he was linked to al-Qaeda and secretly deported him to Syria, where he says he was tortured. When Arar was freed more than a year later and the public got a glimpse of him, he seemed to be a likable, hard-working family man caught up in a monstrous international screwup. Was there more? Simultaneously, officials, most of them anonymous, were leaking information and dropping hints suggesting that Arar was a security risk with something to hide.
...
Arar ended up in a dark, 1-m by 2-m cell he calls the “grave” in the Syrian military intelligence agency’s Palestine branch in Damascus. He was held there without charge for 10 months and 10 days. During his first two weeks, he claims, he was interrogated about people he had known in Canada, sometimes for 18 hours at a time, and tortured. One punishment, he says, was repeated lashings with a 5-cm black metal cable on his palms, wrists, lower back and hips. The mental ordeal was also brutal, he said in November 2003 at one of the most dramatic press conferences ever televised in Canada. “The second and third days were the worst,” he told the world that day. “I could hear other prisoners being tortured, and screaming.” During his first week in prison, he says, he falsely confessed that he had received military training in Afghanistan.
...
Arar’s case points to the risks inherent in America’s dominant role in the post-9/11 world. It appears that U.S. officials triggered the entire episode, but they have offered little in the way of explanation and refuse to participate in the Canadian inquiry. Arar may get some answers if his U.S. lawsuit survives its first major challenge—a motion to dismiss the case on technical grounds. If the case moves to the discovery phase, says Steven Watt, one of Arar’s U.S. attorneys, “that should enable us to get our hands on documentation that would definitively show what the U.S. involvement was in his removal to Syria, and the extent of it, as well as that of Canada.”
Who is Maher Arar? We all know the basic contours of his story. In 2002, U.S. officials detained the Canadian software engineer at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. They alleged that he was linked to al-Qaeda and secretly deported him to Syria, where he says he was tortured. When Arar was freed more than a year later and the public got a glimpse of him, he seemed to be a likable, hard-working family man caught up in a monstrous international screwup. Was there more? Simultaneously, officials, most of them anonymous, were leaking information and dropping hints suggesting that Arar was a security risk with something to hide.
...
Arar ended up in a dark, 1-m by 2-m cell he calls the “grave” in the Syrian military intelligence agency’s Palestine branch in Damascus. He was held there without charge for 10 months and 10 days. During his first two weeks, he claims, he was interrogated about people he had known in Canada, sometimes for 18 hours at a time, and tortured. One punishment, he says, was repeated lashings with a 5-cm black metal cable on his palms, wrists, lower back and hips. The mental ordeal was also brutal, he said in November 2003 at one of the most dramatic press conferences ever televised in Canada. “The second and third days were the worst,” he told the world that day. “I could hear other prisoners being tortured, and screaming.” During his first week in prison, he says, he falsely confessed that he had received military training in Afghanistan.
...
Arar’s case points to the risks inherent in America’s dominant role in the post-9/11 world. It appears that U.S. officials triggered the entire episode, but they have offered little in the way of explanation and refuse to participate in the Canadian inquiry. Arar may get some answers if his U.S. lawsuit survives its first major challenge—a motion to dismiss the case on technical grounds. If the case moves to the discovery phase, says Steven Watt, one of Arar’s U.S. attorneys, “that should enable us to get our hands on documentation that would definitively show what the U.S. involvement was in his removal to Syria, and the extent of it, as well as that of Canada.”
FBI reports said to back claims of Guant'namo Bay detainees [about torture and abuse]
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: FBI reports said to back claims of Guant�namo Bay detainees: "Saturday, December 25, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. | By Carol D. Leonnig | The Washington Post
At least 10 current and former detainees at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have lodged allegations of abuse similar to incidents described by FBI agents in newly released documents. The detainees' claims were denied by the government but gained credibility with the reports from the agents, their attorneys say.
In public statements after their release and in documents filed with federal courts, the detainees have said they were beaten before and during interrogations, "short-shackled" to the floor and otherwise mistreated as part of the effort to persuade them to confess to being members of al-Qaida or the Taliban.
Some of the detainees' attorneys acknowledged they initially were skeptical, mainly because there's been little evidence that captors at Guantánamo Bay engaged in the kind of abuse discovered at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. But the American Civil Liberties Union on Monday released FBI memos it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in which agents describe seeing or learning of serious mistreatment of detainees.
...
Brent Mickum, a Washington, D.C., attorney for one detainee, said that "now there's no question these guys have been tortured. When we first got involved in this case, I wondered whether this could all be true. But every allegation that I've heard has now come to pass and been confirmed by the government's own papers."
...
More than 60 of the 550 men who are detained have filed claims. Some have been held for nearly three years.
At least 10 current and former detainees at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have lodged allegations of abuse similar to incidents described by FBI agents in newly released documents. The detainees' claims were denied by the government but gained credibility with the reports from the agents, their attorneys say.
In public statements after their release and in documents filed with federal courts, the detainees have said they were beaten before and during interrogations, "short-shackled" to the floor and otherwise mistreated as part of the effort to persuade them to confess to being members of al-Qaida or the Taliban.
Some of the detainees' attorneys acknowledged they initially were skeptical, mainly because there's been little evidence that captors at Guantánamo Bay engaged in the kind of abuse discovered at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. But the American Civil Liberties Union on Monday released FBI memos it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in which agents describe seeing or learning of serious mistreatment of detainees.
...
Brent Mickum, a Washington, D.C., attorney for one detainee, said that "now there's no question these guys have been tortured. When we first got involved in this case, I wondered whether this could all be true. But every allegation that I've heard has now come to pass and been confirmed by the government's own papers."
...
More than 60 of the 550 men who are detained have filed claims. Some have been held for nearly three years.
Tribal Money Linked to GOP Fundraising (washingtonpost.com)
Tribal Money Linked to GOP Fundraising (washingtonpost.com): "Skybox Events Were Not Always Reported to FEC | By Susan Schmidt and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page A01
For most politicians, fundraising is a dreaded chore. But until recently, Rep. John T. Doolittle of California and other members of the House Republican leadership had adopted a painless solution: fundraising events in luxury sports boxes leased largely with the money of Indian gaming tribes, where supporters snacked on catered fare in plush surroundings as they watched the Wizards, Caps, Redskins or Orioles.
Doolittle, a Mormon, is an ardent opponent of casino gambling, so it is somewhat ironic that he would invite supporters to watch the Wizards play the Sacramento Kings from an MCI Center suite paid for by casino-rich Indian tribes. But the plaque at the door to Suite 204 did not say Chitimacha or Choctaw. It said "Jack Abramoff," a name synonymous with largesse and influence in the GOP-controlled Congress.
Until the power lobbyist's downfall this year, Abramoff spent about $1 million annually in funds largely provided by his tribal clients to lease four skyboxes -- two at FedEx Field and one each at MCI Center and Camden Yards. Season after season, he kept them brimming with lawmakers, staffers and their guests, part of a multimillion-dollar congressional care and feeding project that even the brashest K Street lobbyists could only watch with awe or envy.
...
The Agua Caliente also paid $300,000 toward the cost of the skyboxes one year, tribal Chairman Richard Milanovich said.
...
Federal investigators are examining tens of millions of dollars in lobbying and public relations fees Abramoff obtained from the tribes. They are also looking into his dealings with members of Congress and their staffs, lawyers involved in the inquiry said. Senior prosecutors in the Justice Department's fraud and public integrity sections are poring over hundreds of thousands of e-mails, computer files and bank records subpoenaed from Abramoff and former associates, including records of campaign contributions and trips, meals and gifts such as the use of skyboxes that Abramoff lavished on members of Congress. ...
For most politicians, fundraising is a dreaded chore. But until recently, Rep. John T. Doolittle of California and other members of the House Republican leadership had adopted a painless solution: fundraising events in luxury sports boxes leased largely with the money of Indian gaming tribes, where supporters snacked on catered fare in plush surroundings as they watched the Wizards, Caps, Redskins or Orioles.
Doolittle, a Mormon, is an ardent opponent of casino gambling, so it is somewhat ironic that he would invite supporters to watch the Wizards play the Sacramento Kings from an MCI Center suite paid for by casino-rich Indian tribes. But the plaque at the door to Suite 204 did not say Chitimacha or Choctaw. It said "Jack Abramoff," a name synonymous with largesse and influence in the GOP-controlled Congress.
Until the power lobbyist's downfall this year, Abramoff spent about $1 million annually in funds largely provided by his tribal clients to lease four skyboxes -- two at FedEx Field and one each at MCI Center and Camden Yards. Season after season, he kept them brimming with lawmakers, staffers and their guests, part of a multimillion-dollar congressional care and feeding project that even the brashest K Street lobbyists could only watch with awe or envy.
...
The Agua Caliente also paid $300,000 toward the cost of the skyboxes one year, tribal Chairman Richard Milanovich said.
...
Federal investigators are examining tens of millions of dollars in lobbying and public relations fees Abramoff obtained from the tribes. They are also looking into his dealings with members of Congress and their staffs, lawyers involved in the inquiry said. Senior prosecutors in the Justice Department's fraud and public integrity sections are poring over hundreds of thousands of e-mails, computer files and bank records subpoenaed from Abramoff and former associates, including records of campaign contributions and trips, meals and gifts such as the use of skyboxes that Abramoff lavished on members of Congress. ...
College Republicans' Fundraising Criticized (washingtonpost.com)
College Republicans' Fundraising Criticized (washingtonpost.com): "College Republicans' Fundraising Criticized
Front Organizations Were Used in Direct-Mail Campaign That Collected Millions | By Thomas B. Edsall | Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page A05
The College Republican National Committee is under fire for using front organizations to collect millions of dollars in contributions, including money from elderly people with dementia.
...
Many donors complained that they thought the money was going directly to the Republican Party, and not to the college group, which is no longer affiliated with the GOP. The controversy over the letters has produced angry responses from leaders of state College Republican chapters, including those in Washington state, North Carolina and New York.
...
The University of Washington College Republicans approved a resolution calling on Eric Hoplin, chairman of the national committee, "to take full responsibility for his actions," acknowledge that those actions have substantially harmed the College Republicans grass-roots organization and "promptly resign."
Front Organizations Were Used in Direct-Mail Campaign That Collected Millions | By Thomas B. Edsall | Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page A05
The College Republican National Committee is under fire for using front organizations to collect millions of dollars in contributions, including money from elderly people with dementia.
...
Many donors complained that they thought the money was going directly to the Republican Party, and not to the college group, which is no longer affiliated with the GOP. The controversy over the letters has produced angry responses from leaders of state College Republican chapters, including those in Washington state, North Carolina and New York.
...
The University of Washington College Republicans approved a resolution calling on Eric Hoplin, chairman of the national committee, "to take full responsibility for his actions," acknowledge that those actions have substantially harmed the College Republicans grass-roots organization and "promptly resign."
Friday, December 24, 2004
War Crimes: not limited to few low-ranking reservists ... every part of [Bush] cover story is false
War Crimes (washingtonpost.com): "War Crimes | Thursday, December 23, 2004; Page A22
THANKS TO a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups, thousands of pages of government documents released this month have confirmed some of the painful truths about the abuse of foreign detainees by the U.S. military and the CIA -- truths the Bush administration implacably has refused to acknowledge. Since the publication of photographs of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the spring the administration's whitewashers -- led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld -- have contended that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantanamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held. The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false.
...
The Bush administration refused to release these records to the human rights groups under the Freedom of Information Act until it was ordered to do so by a judge. Now it has responded to their publication with bland promises by spokesmen that any wrongdoing will be investigated. The record of the past few months suggests that the administration will neither hold any senior official accountable nor change the policies that have produced this shameful record. Congress, too, has abdicated its responsibility under its Republican leadership: It has been nearly four months since the last hearing on prisoner abuse. Perhaps intervention by the courts will eventually stem the violations of human rights that appear to be ongoing in Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. For now the appalling truth is that there has been no remedy for the documented torture and killing of foreign prisoners by this American government.
THANKS TO a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups, thousands of pages of government documents released this month have confirmed some of the painful truths about the abuse of foreign detainees by the U.S. military and the CIA -- truths the Bush administration implacably has refused to acknowledge. Since the publication of photographs of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the spring the administration's whitewashers -- led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld -- have contended that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantanamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held. The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false.
...
The Bush administration refused to release these records to the human rights groups under the Freedom of Information Act until it was ordered to do so by a judge. Now it has responded to their publication with bland promises by spokesmen that any wrongdoing will be investigated. The record of the past few months suggests that the administration will neither hold any senior official accountable nor change the policies that have produced this shameful record. Congress, too, has abdicated its responsibility under its Republican leadership: It has been nearly four months since the last hearing on prisoner abuse. Perhaps intervention by the courts will eventually stem the violations of human rights that appear to be ongoing in Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. For now the appalling truth is that there has been no remedy for the documented torture and killing of foreign prisoners by this American government.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
LIBERTY VS. SECURITY: Justice's new image: loss of individual rights, elevation of president above the law, America no longer beacon for freedom
STLtoday.com - Printer friendly - LIBERTY VS. SECURITY: Justice's new image: "Sunday, Dec. 19 2004
First of three editorials ONE OF THE CASUALTIES of the war on terrorism was the American ideal of justice. Much of that damage was inflicted by two men: Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and his proposed successor, White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales. The confirmation hearings for Mr. Gonzales next month will give the U.S. Senate and the nation an opportunity to assess the war on terrorism and the damage it has done to the liberties we cherish.
Three ideas about justice are fundamentally American: Every person is born with rights the government cannot take away unfairly; no one, not even the president, is above the law; America is a beacon for freedom and the rule of law throughout the world.
...
As President George W. Bush's two most important legal strategists in the war on terrorism, Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Ashcroft have compromised and weakened these bedrock rights.
...
In 2003, Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Ashcroft engineered the legal defense of Mr. Bush's imperial claim that he could unilaterally classify citizens as "enemy combatants" and hold them without trial. Mr. Ashcroft also instructed FBI agents to spy on antiwar rallies for possible links to terrorism.
Due process, jury trials, open court proceedings, humane treatment of prisoners, international norms of justice, the right to protest - all these were undermined with breathtaking hubris.
But perhaps the most disturbing assumption of the Bush administration's legal response to 9/11 was the elevation of the powers of the president beyond the reach of the other branches of government. ...
First of three editorials ONE OF THE CASUALTIES of the war on terrorism was the American ideal of justice. Much of that damage was inflicted by two men: Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and his proposed successor, White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales. The confirmation hearings for Mr. Gonzales next month will give the U.S. Senate and the nation an opportunity to assess the war on terrorism and the damage it has done to the liberties we cherish.
Three ideas about justice are fundamentally American: Every person is born with rights the government cannot take away unfairly; no one, not even the president, is above the law; America is a beacon for freedom and the rule of law throughout the world.
...
As President George W. Bush's two most important legal strategists in the war on terrorism, Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Ashcroft have compromised and weakened these bedrock rights.
...
In 2003, Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Ashcroft engineered the legal defense of Mr. Bush's imperial claim that he could unilaterally classify citizens as "enemy combatants" and hold them without trial. Mr. Ashcroft also instructed FBI agents to spy on antiwar rallies for possible links to terrorism.
Due process, jury trials, open court proceedings, humane treatment of prisoners, international norms of justice, the right to protest - all these were undermined with breathtaking hubris.
But perhaps the most disturbing assumption of the Bush administration's legal response to 9/11 was the elevation of the powers of the president beyond the reach of the other branches of government. ...
US threatens UN agency funds over report [... surely US support for "freedom of speech" doesn't have has limits? ed.]
Reuters AlertNet - US threatens UN agency funds over report - writer: "18 Dec 2004 11:34:25 GMT | Source: Reuters | By Jonathan Wright
CAIRO, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The lead writer of a U.N. report on freedom and governance in the Arab world said on Saturday the United States was threatening to cut off funds to a U.N. agency if the United Nations releases it.
Nader Fergani, the Egyptian social scientist who has worked on the last three Arab Human Development Reports, told Reuters defying the United States could cost the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) about $100 million a year.
U.S. officials have denied trying to delay or suppress the report, which was originally due to come out in October. But U.N. officials said parts are being rewritten after the United States and some Arab governments asked for changes.
Fergani said the United States had already penalised UNDP by $12 million because it did not like the previous report.
"My understanding is that this time they are threatening a much heavier penalty -- the entire U.S. contribution to the UNDP budget, or $100 million," Fergani told Reuters.
Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories.
Asked what evidence he had, he said: "Of course there are no official documents. In cases like this, you don't give your opponents something with which to fight back." ...
CAIRO, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The lead writer of a U.N. report on freedom and governance in the Arab world said on Saturday the United States was threatening to cut off funds to a U.N. agency if the United Nations releases it.
Nader Fergani, the Egyptian social scientist who has worked on the last three Arab Human Development Reports, told Reuters defying the United States could cost the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) about $100 million a year.
U.S. officials have denied trying to delay or suppress the report, which was originally due to come out in October. But U.N. officials said parts are being rewritten after the United States and some Arab governments asked for changes.
Fergani said the United States had already penalised UNDP by $12 million because it did not like the previous report.
"My understanding is that this time they are threatening a much heavier penalty -- the entire U.S. contribution to the UNDP budget, or $100 million," Fergani told Reuters.
Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories.
Asked what evidence he had, he said: "Of course there are no official documents. In cases like this, you don't give your opponents something with which to fight back." ...
US threatens UN agency funds over report [... surely US support for "freedom of speech" doesn't have has limits? ed.]
Reuters AlertNet - US threatens UN agency funds over report - writer: "18 Dec 2004 11:34:25 GMT | Source: Reuters | By Jonathan Wright
CAIRO, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The lead writer of a U.N. report on freedom and governance in the Arab world said on Saturday the United States was threatening to cut off funds to a U.N. agency if the United Nations releases it.
Nader Fergani, the Egyptian social scientist who has worked on the last three Arab Human Development Reports, told Reuters defying the United States could cost the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) about $100 million a year.
U.S. officials have denied trying to delay or suppress the report, which was originally due to come out in October. But U.N. officials said parts are being rewritten after the United States and some Arab governments asked for changes.
Fergani said the United States had already penalised UNDP by $12 million because it did not like the previous report.
"My understanding is that this time they are threatening a much heavier penalty -- the entire U.S. contribution to the UNDP budget, or $100 million," Fergani told Reuters.
Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories.
Asked what evidence he had, he said: "Of course there are no official documents. In cases like this, you don't give your opponents something with which to fight back." ...
CAIRO, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The lead writer of a U.N. report on freedom and governance in the Arab world said on Saturday the United States was threatening to cut off funds to a U.N. agency if the United Nations releases it.
Nader Fergani, the Egyptian social scientist who has worked on the last three Arab Human Development Reports, told Reuters defying the United States could cost the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) about $100 million a year.
U.S. officials have denied trying to delay or suppress the report, which was originally due to come out in October. But U.N. officials said parts are being rewritten after the United States and some Arab governments asked for changes.
Fergani said the United States had already penalised UNDP by $12 million because it did not like the previous report.
"My understanding is that this time they are threatening a much heavier penalty -- the entire U.S. contribution to the UNDP budget, or $100 million," Fergani told Reuters.
Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories.
Asked what evidence he had, he said: "Of course there are no official documents. In cases like this, you don't give your opponents something with which to fight back." ...
Records Released in Response to Torture FOIA Request
Records Released in Response to Torture FOIA Request: "(released by the ACLU 12/21/04) "
references to Executive Order authorizing military dogs, hoods, "environmental manipulation" ... http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/FBI.121504.4940_4941.pdf
references to Executive Order authorizing military dogs, hoods, "environmental manipulation" ... http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/FBI.121504.4940_4941.pdf
US prevents $2.5 billion in US foreign aid from reaching countries who join the International Criminal Court but don't exempt US soldiers
The Nation | Blog | The Daily Outrage | Axing the ICC | Ari Berman: "Outrageous details of Congress's bloated spending bill for next year keep surfacing. The latest: An amendment on page 219 that prevents $2.5 billion in US foreign aid from reaching countries who have joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), but refused to specifically exempt US soldiers from the court's jurisdiction.
A host of US allies will now be deprived of critical aid: Jordan loses $250 million in funds for economic growth and governance reform; Northern Ireland and Cyprus lose $12 million and $13.5 million for their respective peace processes; Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela sacrifice $32.5 million to strengthen democracy and the rule of law; four Caribbean states lose $9 million designed to impede the international drug trade; South Africa--which has already forfeited $7.6 million--loses an additional $1 million destined to combat counterfeiting; eight East African democracies, including Niger--the world's poorest Muslim country--lose $11 million in counter-terrorism assistance. The list goes on.
The Bush Administration has approached the world's first international war crimes tribunal with hostility since its inception. After much browbeating, the Administration famously "unsigned" Bill Clinton's earlier agreement to join the ICC in 2002. Claiming US soldiers would be unfairly targeted, the new position put the US at odds with many of its key allies, including the entire EU. Tellingly, the three-sentence "unsigning" letter was penned by hawkish Under Secretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton.
...
... As of October 2004, the Administration had convinced 92 countries to sign bilateral agreements insulating US troops (only 80 of which were publicly announced). Fifty-seven countries refused to sign after claiming the concession violated international law and undercut the ICC's effectiveness.
A host of US allies will now be deprived of critical aid: Jordan loses $250 million in funds for economic growth and governance reform; Northern Ireland and Cyprus lose $12 million and $13.5 million for their respective peace processes; Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela sacrifice $32.5 million to strengthen democracy and the rule of law; four Caribbean states lose $9 million designed to impede the international drug trade; South Africa--which has already forfeited $7.6 million--loses an additional $1 million destined to combat counterfeiting; eight East African democracies, including Niger--the world's poorest Muslim country--lose $11 million in counter-terrorism assistance. The list goes on.
The Bush Administration has approached the world's first international war crimes tribunal with hostility since its inception. After much browbeating, the Administration famously "unsigned" Bill Clinton's earlier agreement to join the ICC in 2002. Claiming US soldiers would be unfairly targeted, the new position put the US at odds with many of its key allies, including the entire EU. Tellingly, the three-sentence "unsigning" letter was penned by hawkish Under Secretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton.
...
... As of October 2004, the Administration had convinced 92 countries to sign bilateral agreements insulating US troops (only 80 of which were publicly announced). Fifty-seven countries refused to sign after claiming the concession violated international law and undercut the ICC's effectiveness.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Guantanamo Detainee Wrongly Held: classified wrongly as an enemy combatant
Newsday.com: Review: Guantanamo Detainee Wrongly Held: "By JOHN J. LUMPKIN | Associated Press Writer | December 20, 2004, 11:05 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- A military review has determined a second prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is classified wrongly as an enemy combatant and will be released to his home country soon, the Navy's top civilian said Monday. "
WASHINGTON -- A military review has determined a second prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is classified wrongly as an enemy combatant and will be released to his home country soon, the Navy's top civilian said Monday. "
Sunday, December 19, 2004
One year wait for lobbying relaxed ... Xmas bonus for recently leaving Bush administration officials !
Blog for America: "Friday, December 17, 2004
...and Don't Let the Golden Parachute Hit You on the Way Out
Until now, senior officials at Cabinet departments and agencies had not been allowed to lobby former colleagues for a full year after leaving office — a rule designed to prevent an obvious conflict of interest. But, in a notice in the Federal Register, the ethics office issued a new rule invoking its power to declare that "a former senior employee who served in a 'parent' department or agency is not barred . . . from making communications to or appearances before any employee of any designated component of that parent."
...and Don't Let the Golden Parachute Hit You on the Way Out
Until now, senior officials at Cabinet departments and agencies had not been allowed to lobby former colleagues for a full year after leaving office — a rule designed to prevent an obvious conflict of interest. But, in a notice in the Federal Register, the ethics office issued a new rule invoking its power to declare that "a former senior employee who served in a 'parent' department or agency is not barred . . . from making communications to or appearances before any employee of any designated component of that parent."
After Outcry, Rumsfeld Says He Will Sign Condolence Letters (washingtonpost.com)
After Outcry, Rumsfeld Says He Will Sign Condolence Letters (washingtonpost.com): "By Dana Milbank| The Washington Post | Sunday, December 19, 2004; Page A05
The Pentagon has acknowledged that Donald H. Rumsfeld did not sign condolence letters to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq, but it said that from now on the embattled defense secretary would stop the use of signing machines and would pick up the pen himself. "
The Pentagon has acknowledged that Donald H. Rumsfeld did not sign condolence letters to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq, but it said that from now on the embattled defense secretary would stop the use of signing machines and would pick up the pen himself. "
Thursday, December 16, 2004
House's Author of Drug Benefit Joins Lobbyists: "classic example of the revolving door' with lobbyists and government
The New York Times > Washington > House's Author of Drug Benefit Joins Lobbyists: "By ROBERT PEAR | Published: December 16, 2004
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday.
...
Mr. Tauzin, a onetime Democrat who became a Republican in 1995, has a wealth of connections in Congress, where he has served for 24 years.
Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group.
Mr. Tauzin, 61, is the latest policy maker to move from government to industry. "It's a classic example of the revolving door," said Lawrence M. Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that tracks the influence of money on politics and government policy.
Thomas A. Scully, the administration's main negotiator with Congress on the drug bill, got a waiver of federal ethics rules that permitted him to negotiate with potential employers while he was still running the Medicare program. Since he joined a law firm last December, Mr. Scully has registered as a lobbyist for drug companies, including Abbott and Aventis.
...
The law steers clear of price controls and price regulation, which are anathema to drug companies. The law forbids the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries.
Federal law prohibits a former member of Congress from lobbying the House or the Senate for one year after the lawmaker leaves office. In that "cooling off period," Mr. Tauzin cannot directly lobby Congress himself, but can legally tell other people how to lobby. In addition, he can make campaign contributions, attend fund-raisers and "interact socially" with people in Congress.
Representative Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat who has focused on health policy for 30 years, did not question the legality of Mr. Tauzin's move. But Mr. Waxman said: "The appearance is terrible. A chief architect of the Medicare prescription drug legislation is now going to represent the chief beneficiary of the bill. This will only reinforce the public's disillusionment with Congress."
...
In his last election campaign, Mr. Tauzin received $174,000 in contributions from health professionals and $119,750 from makers of drugs and other health products.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday.
...
Mr. Tauzin, a onetime Democrat who became a Republican in 1995, has a wealth of connections in Congress, where he has served for 24 years.
Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group.
Mr. Tauzin, 61, is the latest policy maker to move from government to industry. "It's a classic example of the revolving door," said Lawrence M. Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that tracks the influence of money on politics and government policy.
Thomas A. Scully, the administration's main negotiator with Congress on the drug bill, got a waiver of federal ethics rules that permitted him to negotiate with potential employers while he was still running the Medicare program. Since he joined a law firm last December, Mr. Scully has registered as a lobbyist for drug companies, including Abbott and Aventis.
...
The law steers clear of price controls and price regulation, which are anathema to drug companies. The law forbids the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries.
Federal law prohibits a former member of Congress from lobbying the House or the Senate for one year after the lawmaker leaves office. In that "cooling off period," Mr. Tauzin cannot directly lobby Congress himself, but can legally tell other people how to lobby. In addition, he can make campaign contributions, attend fund-raisers and "interact socially" with people in Congress.
Representative Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat who has focused on health policy for 30 years, did not question the legality of Mr. Tauzin's move. But Mr. Waxman said: "The appearance is terrible. A chief architect of the Medicare prescription drug legislation is now going to represent the chief beneficiary of the bill. This will only reinforce the public's disillusionment with Congress."
...
In his last election campaign, Mr. Tauzin received $174,000 in contributions from health professionals and $119,750 from makers of drugs and other health products.
House's Author of Drug Benefit Joins Lobbyists: "classic example of the revolving door' with lobbyists and government
The New York Times > Washington > House's Author of Drug Benefit Joins Lobbyists: "By ROBERT PEAR | Published: December 16, 2004
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday.
...
Mr. Tauzin, a onetime Democrat who became a Republican in 1995, has a wealth of connections in Congress, where he has served for 24 years.
Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group.
Mr. Tauzin, 61, is the latest policy maker to move from government to industry. "It's a classic example of the revolving door," said Lawrence M. Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that tracks the influence of money on politics and government policy.
Thomas A. Scully, the administration's main negotiator with Congress on the drug bill, got a waiver of federal ethics rules that permitted him to negotiate with potential employers while he was still running the Medicare program. Since he joined a law firm last December, Mr. Scully has registered as a lobbyist for drug companies, including Abbott and Aventis.
...
The law steers clear of price controls and price regulation, which are anathema to drug companies. The law forbids the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries.
Federal law prohibits a former member of Congress from lobbying the House or the Senate for one year after the lawmaker leaves office. In that "cooling off period," Mr. Tauzin cannot directly lobby Congress himself, but can legally tell other people how to lobby. In addition, he can make campaign contributions, attend fund-raisers and "interact socially" with people in Congress.
Representative Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat who has focused on health policy for 30 years, did not question the legality of Mr. Tauzin's move. But Mr. Waxman said: "The appearance is terrible. A chief architect of the Medicare prescription drug legislation is now going to represent the chief beneficiary of the bill. This will only reinforce the public's disillusionment with Congress."
...
In his last election campaign, Mr. Tauzin received $174,000 in contributions from health professionals and $119,750 from makers of drugs and other health products.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday.
...
Mr. Tauzin, a onetime Democrat who became a Republican in 1995, has a wealth of connections in Congress, where he has served for 24 years.
Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group.
Mr. Tauzin, 61, is the latest policy maker to move from government to industry. "It's a classic example of the revolving door," said Lawrence M. Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that tracks the influence of money on politics and government policy.
Thomas A. Scully, the administration's main negotiator with Congress on the drug bill, got a waiver of federal ethics rules that permitted him to negotiate with potential employers while he was still running the Medicare program. Since he joined a law firm last December, Mr. Scully has registered as a lobbyist for drug companies, including Abbott and Aventis.
...
The law steers clear of price controls and price regulation, which are anathema to drug companies. The law forbids the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries.
Federal law prohibits a former member of Congress from lobbying the House or the Senate for one year after the lawmaker leaves office. In that "cooling off period," Mr. Tauzin cannot directly lobby Congress himself, but can legally tell other people how to lobby. In addition, he can make campaign contributions, attend fund-raisers and "interact socially" with people in Congress.
Representative Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat who has focused on health policy for 30 years, did not question the legality of Mr. Tauzin's move. But Mr. Waxman said: "The appearance is terrible. A chief architect of the Medicare prescription drug legislation is now going to represent the chief beneficiary of the bill. This will only reinforce the public's disillusionment with Congress."
...
In his last election campaign, Mr. Tauzin received $174,000 in contributions from health professionals and $119,750 from makers of drugs and other health products.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
CULTURE OF ABUSE: Do we really believe that these common practices are the result of completely spontaneous imagination by soldiers ?
www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish: "Thursday, December 16, 2004
A CULTURE OF ABUSE: Let's review. We have the horrors of Abu Ghraib; we have several murders and rapes of inmates in Iraq and in Afghanistan; we have separate abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib after the scandal broke; we have the use of electric shocks, beating to unconsciousness, scarring chemicals, one instance of 'water-boarding,' using dogs to terrorize and sometimes bite inmates, forced sodomy, and any number of bizarre pieces of sexual humiliation, designed specifically to abuse Arabs. Got all that? We have at least 130 convictions. Now we have this:
In Karbala in May 2003, one Marine held a 9mm pistol to the back of a bound detainee's head while another took a photograph. Two months later, in Diwaniyah, four Marines ordered teenage Iraqi looters to kneel alongside holes and then fired a pistol "to conduct a mock execution." In April of this year, shortly before the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal shook the U.S. military, three Marines in Mahmudiya shocked a detainee with an electric transformer, forcing him to "dance" as the electricity hit him, according to a witness, one document states.
...
It's also increasingly clear that these kinds of abuses - the use of nakedness, exposure to extreme heat and cold, hooding, sexual abuse, real and faked electric torture - are themes across these disparate acts. In other words, there seems to be an informal methodology for the abuse and humiliation of prisoners. Do we really believe that these common practices are the result of completely spontaneous imagination by soldiers with no idea of what they were doing and no culture of acceptance from their superiors? These were not just some untrained grunts, coping with Rumsfeld-engineered chaos. These were elite Navy SEALs and Special Forces. And we have no idea how many incidents have gone unreported or have been covered up. ...
A CULTURE OF ABUSE: Let's review. We have the horrors of Abu Ghraib; we have several murders and rapes of inmates in Iraq and in Afghanistan; we have separate abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib after the scandal broke; we have the use of electric shocks, beating to unconsciousness, scarring chemicals, one instance of 'water-boarding,' using dogs to terrorize and sometimes bite inmates, forced sodomy, and any number of bizarre pieces of sexual humiliation, designed specifically to abuse Arabs. Got all that? We have at least 130 convictions. Now we have this:
In Karbala in May 2003, one Marine held a 9mm pistol to the back of a bound detainee's head while another took a photograph. Two months later, in Diwaniyah, four Marines ordered teenage Iraqi looters to kneel alongside holes and then fired a pistol "to conduct a mock execution." In April of this year, shortly before the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal shook the U.S. military, three Marines in Mahmudiya shocked a detainee with an electric transformer, forcing him to "dance" as the electricity hit him, according to a witness, one document states.
...
It's also increasingly clear that these kinds of abuses - the use of nakedness, exposure to extreme heat and cold, hooding, sexual abuse, real and faked electric torture - are themes across these disparate acts. In other words, there seems to be an informal methodology for the abuse and humiliation of prisoners. Do we really believe that these common practices are the result of completely spontaneous imagination by soldiers with no idea of what they were doing and no culture of acceptance from their superiors? These were not just some untrained grunts, coping with Rumsfeld-engineered chaos. These were elite Navy SEALs and Special Forces. And we have no idea how many incidents have gone unreported or have been covered up. ...
Poor planning ... or voter suppression? "You really hope this wasn't intentional": "Does it make any sense to purchase more machines ... NO" {?!}
Several Factors Contributed to 'Lost' Voters in Ohio (washingtonpost.com): "By Michael Powell and Peter Slevin | Washington Post Staff Writers | Wednesday, December 15, 2004; Page A01
Tanya Thivener's is a tale of two voting precincts in Franklin County. In her city neighborhood, which is vastly Democratic and majority black, the 38-year-old mortgage broker found a line snaking out of the precinct door.
She stood in line for four hours -- one hour in the rain -- and watched dozens of potential voters mutter in disgust and walk away without casting a ballot. Afterward, Thivener hopped in her car and drove to her mother's house, in the vastly Republican and majority white suburb of Harrisburg. How long, she asked, did it take her to vote?
Fifteen minutes, her mother replied.
"It was . . . poor planning," Thivener said. "County officials knew they had this huge increase in registrations, and yet there weren't enough machines in the city. You really hope this wasn't intentional."
...
In Columbus, bipartisan estimates say that 5,000 to 15,000 frustrated voters turned away without casting ballots ...
...
The foul-ups appeared particularly acute in Democratic-leaning districts ...
...
In Cleveland, poorly trained poll workers apparently gave faulty instructions to voters that led to the disqualification of thousands of provisional ballots ...
...
In Youngstown, 25 electronic machines transferred an unknown number of votes for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to the Bush column
...
Franklin County election officials ...acknowledge having too few machines to cope with an additional 102,000 registered voters
...
professors and graduate students from the University of California at Berkeley ... that irregularities ... in southern Florida may have delivered at least 130,000 excess votes for Bush in a state the president won by about 381,000 votes ... Stewart of MIT ... he ran the numbers and came up with the same result. "You can't break it; I've tried," ...
...
Earlier this year, state officials also decided to delay the purchase of touch-screen machines, citing worries about the security of the vote. That left many Ohio counties with too few machines ...
...
... In voter-rich Franklin County, which encompasses the state capital of Columbus, election officials decided to make do with 2,866 machines, even though their analysis showed that the county needed 5,000 machines.
"Does it make any sense to purchase more machines just for one election?" asked Michael R. Hackett, deputy director of the Board of Elections. "I'll give you the answer: no."
...
... They found that 27 of the 30 wards with the most machines per registered voter showed majorities for Bush. At the other end of the spectrum, six of the seven wards with the fewest machines delivered large margins for Kerry.
...
... "I don't know if it's by accident or design, but I counted a dozen people walking away from the line in my precinct in Columbus," said Robert Fitrakis, a professor at Columbus State Community College and a lawyer involved in a legal challenge to certifying the vote.
..
... Jeanne White, a veteran voter and manager at the Buckeye Review, ... pushed the button for Kerry -- and watched her vote jump to the Bush column. "I saw what happened; I started screaming: 'They're cheating again and they're starting early!'
It was not her imagination. Twenty-five machines in Youngstown experienced what election officials called "calibration problems." ...
...
... 1,110 provisional ballots got tossed out because people voted in the wrong precinct. In about 40 percent of those cases, voters found the right polling place -- which contained multiple precincts -- but workers directed them to the wrong table
...
... Vu, the election board chief, said that some poll workers may have also mixed up their punch-card styluses -- that would account for why a few overwhelmingly Democratic precincts recorded large numbers of votes for conservative third-party candidates.
...
But that official view contrasts sharply with the bubbling anger heard among rank-and-file Democrats. While some promote conspiratorial theories, most have a straightforward bottom line. "A lot of people left in the four hours I waited," recalled Thivener, the mortgage broker from Columbus. "A lot of them were young black men who were saying over and over: 'We knew this would happen.'
"How," she asked, "is that good for democracy?"
Tanya Thivener's is a tale of two voting precincts in Franklin County. In her city neighborhood, which is vastly Democratic and majority black, the 38-year-old mortgage broker found a line snaking out of the precinct door.
She stood in line for four hours -- one hour in the rain -- and watched dozens of potential voters mutter in disgust and walk away without casting a ballot. Afterward, Thivener hopped in her car and drove to her mother's house, in the vastly Republican and majority white suburb of Harrisburg. How long, she asked, did it take her to vote?
Fifteen minutes, her mother replied.
"It was . . . poor planning," Thivener said. "County officials knew they had this huge increase in registrations, and yet there weren't enough machines in the city. You really hope this wasn't intentional."
...
In Columbus, bipartisan estimates say that 5,000 to 15,000 frustrated voters turned away without casting ballots ...
...
The foul-ups appeared particularly acute in Democratic-leaning districts ...
...
In Cleveland, poorly trained poll workers apparently gave faulty instructions to voters that led to the disqualification of thousands of provisional ballots ...
...
In Youngstown, 25 electronic machines transferred an unknown number of votes for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to the Bush column
...
Franklin County election officials ...acknowledge having too few machines to cope with an additional 102,000 registered voters
...
professors and graduate students from the University of California at Berkeley ... that irregularities ... in southern Florida may have delivered at least 130,000 excess votes for Bush in a state the president won by about 381,000 votes ... Stewart of MIT ... he ran the numbers and came up with the same result. "You can't break it; I've tried," ...
...
Earlier this year, state officials also decided to delay the purchase of touch-screen machines, citing worries about the security of the vote. That left many Ohio counties with too few machines ...
...
... In voter-rich Franklin County, which encompasses the state capital of Columbus, election officials decided to make do with 2,866 machines, even though their analysis showed that the county needed 5,000 machines.
"Does it make any sense to purchase more machines just for one election?" asked Michael R. Hackett, deputy director of the Board of Elections. "I'll give you the answer: no."
...
... They found that 27 of the 30 wards with the most machines per registered voter showed majorities for Bush. At the other end of the spectrum, six of the seven wards with the fewest machines delivered large margins for Kerry.
...
... "I don't know if it's by accident or design, but I counted a dozen people walking away from the line in my precinct in Columbus," said Robert Fitrakis, a professor at Columbus State Community College and a lawyer involved in a legal challenge to certifying the vote.
..
... Jeanne White, a veteran voter and manager at the Buckeye Review, ... pushed the button for Kerry -- and watched her vote jump to the Bush column. "I saw what happened; I started screaming: 'They're cheating again and they're starting early!'
It was not her imagination. Twenty-five machines in Youngstown experienced what election officials called "calibration problems." ...
...
... 1,110 provisional ballots got tossed out because people voted in the wrong precinct. In about 40 percent of those cases, voters found the right polling place -- which contained multiple precincts -- but workers directed them to the wrong table
...
... Vu, the election board chief, said that some poll workers may have also mixed up their punch-card styluses -- that would account for why a few overwhelmingly Democratic precincts recorded large numbers of votes for conservative third-party candidates.
...
But that official view contrasts sharply with the bubbling anger heard among rank-and-file Democrats. While some promote conspiratorial theories, most have a straightforward bottom line. "A lot of people left in the four hours I waited," recalled Thivener, the mortgage broker from Columbus. "A lot of them were young black men who were saying over and over: 'We knew this would happen.'
"How," she asked, "is that good for democracy?"
Monday, December 13, 2004
The New York Times > New York Region > The Nominee's Past: Beyond the Disclosure About Kerik's Nanny, More Questions Were Lurking
The New York Times > New York Region > The Nominee's Past: Beyond the Disclosure About Kerik's Nanny, More Questions Were Lurking: "By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and KEVIN FLYNN | Published: December 13, 2004
hile serving as New York City correction commissioner in the late 1990's, Bernard B. Kerik spoke to the city's Trade Waste Commission on behalf of a close friend who was helping a company suspected of mob connections try to get a license from the city, according to a former commission executive.
The conversation was part of a web of relationships Mr. Kerik developed with officials of a New Jersey construction company long suspected by New York authorities of connections to organized crime. The company, Interstate Industrial Corporation, hired Mr. Kerik's close friend Lawrence Ray, the best man at Mr. Kerik's wedding, to help with its licensing problems. Mr. Ray said yesterday that he gave Mr. Kerik more than $7,000 in cash and other gifts while Mr. Kerik was commissioner of correction and the police. The gifts were first reported in The Daily News yesterday.
Interstate also hired Mr. Kerik's brother, Donald Kerik ...
hile serving as New York City correction commissioner in the late 1990's, Bernard B. Kerik spoke to the city's Trade Waste Commission on behalf of a close friend who was helping a company suspected of mob connections try to get a license from the city, according to a former commission executive.
The conversation was part of a web of relationships Mr. Kerik developed with officials of a New Jersey construction company long suspected by New York authorities of connections to organized crime. The company, Interstate Industrial Corporation, hired Mr. Kerik's close friend Lawrence Ray, the best man at Mr. Kerik's wedding, to help with its licensing problems. Mr. Ray said yesterday that he gave Mr. Kerik more than $7,000 in cash and other gifts while Mr. Kerik was commissioner of correction and the police. The gifts were first reported in The Daily News yesterday.
Interstate also hired Mr. Kerik's brother, Donald Kerik ...
Hoffmania!: Bernard Kerik - Man Of Values -- 2 extra-marital affairs at the same time -- incl Judith Regan [of Fox news?!]
Hoffmania!: Bernard Kerik - Man Of Values: "Monday, December 13, 2004
Now his double affair laid bare ... Kerik cheated on wife with Judith Regan and correction officer
Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik conducted two extramarital affairs simultaneously, using a secret Battery Park City apartment for the passionate liaisons, the Daily News has learned.
The first relationship, spanning nearly a decade, was with city Correction Officer Jeanette Pinero; the second, and more startling, was with famed publishing titan Judith Regan. [... publisher of Jenna Jameson book ...]
...
Dramatically, each woman learned of the existence of the other after Pinero discovered a love note left by Regan in the apartment.
Now his double affair laid bare ... Kerik cheated on wife with Judith Regan and correction officer
Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik conducted two extramarital affairs simultaneously, using a secret Battery Park City apartment for the passionate liaisons, the Daily News has learned.
The first relationship, spanning nearly a decade, was with city Correction Officer Jeanette Pinero; the second, and more startling, was with famed publishing titan Judith Regan. [... publisher of Jenna Jameson book ...]
...
Dramatically, each woman learned of the existence of the other after Pinero discovered a love note left by Regan in the apartment.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
IAEA Leader's Phone Tapped (washingtonpost.com)
IAEA Leader's Phone Tapped (washingtonpost.com): "U.S. Pores Over Transcripts to Try to Oust Nuclear Chief | By Dafna Linzer | Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday, December 12, 2004; Page A01
The Bush administration has dozens of intercepts of Mohamed ElBaradei's phone calls with Iranian diplomats and is scrutinizing them in search of ammunition to oust him as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to three U.S. government officials.
But the diplomatic offensive will not be easy. The administration has failed to come up with a candidate willing to oppose ElBaradei, who has run the agency since 1997, and there is disagreement among some senior officials over how hard to push for his removal, and what the diplomatic costs of a public campaign against him could be.
Although eavesdropping, even on allies, is considered a well-worn tool of national security and diplomacy, the efforts against ElBaradei demonstrate the lengths some within the administration are willing to go to replace a top international diplomat who questioned U.S. intelligence on Iraq and is now taking a cautious approach on Iran.
The intercepted calls have not produced any evidence of nefarious conduct by ElBaradei, ...
The Bush administration has dozens of intercepts of Mohamed ElBaradei's phone calls with Iranian diplomats and is scrutinizing them in search of ammunition to oust him as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to three U.S. government officials.
But the diplomatic offensive will not be easy. The administration has failed to come up with a candidate willing to oppose ElBaradei, who has run the agency since 1997, and there is disagreement among some senior officials over how hard to push for his removal, and what the diplomatic costs of a public campaign against him could be.
Although eavesdropping, even on allies, is considered a well-worn tool of national security and diplomacy, the efforts against ElBaradei demonstrate the lengths some within the administration are willing to go to replace a top international diplomat who questioned U.S. intelligence on Iraq and is now taking a cautious approach on Iran.
The intercepted calls have not produced any evidence of nefarious conduct by ElBaradei, ...
The New York Times > Washington > Kerik's Position Was Untenable, Bush Aide Says
The New York Times > Washington > Kerik's Position Was Untenable, Bush Aide Says: "By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ERIC LIPTON | Published: December 12, 2004
President Bush readily accepted Bernard B. Kerik's decision to withdraw his nomination as homeland security secretary after the White House quickly concluded on Friday evening that it would be impossible for him to win confirmation for a post that supervises enforcement of the nation's immigration laws if he had had immigration problems in his own household, White House officials said on Saturday.
...
... A series of critical news reports about questionable actions had begun to surface about Mr. Kerik, threatening to turn his Senate confirmation into a lengthy embarrassment for the administration. The reports looked at Mr. Kerik's use of city personnel while in office, potential conflicts between his business life and the role of the Homeland Security Department, and events growing out of his personal financial difficulties several years ago.
...
In the three years since Mr. Kerik left city government, he has made millions of dollars in the private sector, much of it working for companies that do business with the Department of Homeland Security and that are seeking to expand their sales. His single biggest source of income was Taser International, an Arizona-based manufacturer of stun guns that added Mr. Kerik to its board and gave him stock options that Mr. Kerik has since sold, earning $6.2 million in pretax profits.
President Bush readily accepted Bernard B. Kerik's decision to withdraw his nomination as homeland security secretary after the White House quickly concluded on Friday evening that it would be impossible for him to win confirmation for a post that supervises enforcement of the nation's immigration laws if he had had immigration problems in his own household, White House officials said on Saturday.
...
... A series of critical news reports about questionable actions had begun to surface about Mr. Kerik, threatening to turn his Senate confirmation into a lengthy embarrassment for the administration. The reports looked at Mr. Kerik's use of city personnel while in office, potential conflicts between his business life and the role of the Homeland Security Department, and events growing out of his personal financial difficulties several years ago.
...
In the three years since Mr. Kerik left city government, he has made millions of dollars in the private sector, much of it working for companies that do business with the Department of Homeland Security and that are seeking to expand their sales. His single biggest source of income was Taser International, an Arizona-based manufacturer of stun guns that added Mr. Kerik to its board and gave him stock options that Mr. Kerik has since sold, earning $6.2 million in pretax profits.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Double Standard on Armor!
Political Lunacy | Double Standard: "arl Luna's observations on California politics | December 09, 2004
Just a passing thought. Back in 1993, following the infamous “Blackhawk Down “ disaster in Somalia, Clinton’s Secretary of Defense Les Aspin resigned amidst allegations that he had failed to provide the troops in Somalia with the armored support they needed to do their mission. House and Senate Republicans, including several who hold majority leadership positions today, were in the forefront calling for Aspin’s ouster.
Why then aren’t these same voices calling for the resignation of Donald “As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” Rumsfeld? Aspin’s Somalian botch resulted in the deaths of 18 US servicemen and the wounding of 75. Rumsfeld’s apparent failure to insure proper armor protection for US troops has already, to date, resulted in more lives lost or maimed than happened in Somalia. ...
Just a passing thought. Back in 1993, following the infamous “Blackhawk Down “ disaster in Somalia, Clinton’s Secretary of Defense Les Aspin resigned amidst allegations that he had failed to provide the troops in Somalia with the armored support they needed to do their mission. House and Senate Republicans, including several who hold majority leadership positions today, were in the forefront calling for Aspin’s ouster.
Why then aren’t these same voices calling for the resignation of Donald “As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” Rumsfeld? Aspin’s Somalian botch resulted in the deaths of 18 US servicemen and the wounding of 75. Rumsfeld’s apparent failure to insure proper armor protection for US troops has already, to date, resulted in more lives lost or maimed than happened in Somalia. ...
Bush's nominee for homeland security withdraws: ["discovers" he's being employing illegals and not paying taxes ...slight conflict of interest!]
CNN.com - Homeland�security nominee�withdraws - Dec 11, 2004: "Former NYC police commissioner cites employee problem | Saturday, December 11, 2004 Posted: 10:25 AM EST (1525 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One week after President Bush's nominated him to be secretary of homeland security, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik withdrew from consideration Friday night after discovering a former household employee had a questionable immigration status.
Kerik said in a news release the immigration problem with the former housekeeper and nanny was discovered while he was completing documents required for his Senate confirmation.
He said he also learned "that for a period of time during such employment, required tax payments and related filings had not been made."
[He would have been responsible for illegal immigration issues. ed]
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One week after President Bush's nominated him to be secretary of homeland security, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik withdrew from consideration Friday night after discovering a former household employee had a questionable immigration status.
Kerik said in a news release the immigration problem with the former housekeeper and nanny was discovered while he was completing documents required for his Senate confirmation.
He said he also learned "that for a period of time during such employment, required tax payments and related filings had not been made."
[He would have been responsible for illegal immigration issues. ed]
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Media covers up Bush's excesses: bulldozing homes and businesses -- demanding a standing ovation -- demanding that Buckingham Palace be renovated
: "'I Know Who I Am, and Who I May Be, If I Choose' ~~'The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha' by Miguel Cervantes
The US media long ago abdicated their charter, that of being vigilant watchdogs over those in power, and of serving as honest brokers and trustees of the public interest.
...
But while we weren't looking, the watchdogs over those in power somehow became http://www.natall.com/who-rules-america/ those in power. To today's media Goliaths, "public service" is whatever it takes to ramp up ratings and corporte profits. They apparently have no qualms about circling their wagons around such a woeful failure as George Bush because he brings home their bacon -- or he fronts for the guys who do. To those CEOs who now own the mainstream media, biting the hand that feeds them would be the ultimate betrayal.
...
The media appear to be dug in too deep to back out now. Although the hole they're in is scandalously deep and wide, they have no choice. They must keep digging. And digging. They're forced to save Bush's backside in order to save their own, else how will they explain at this late date their covering up the lies of a man-child who delights in being an international bully -- who applauds himself for irrationally "seizing opportunities" to decide the fate of the entire human race, no matter how much devastation he leaves in his wake? How else can they defend hiding from the public a monster-child teetering atop a mountain of body bags containing the remains of almost 1,300 US citizens -- arrogantly braying he "would do it all over again" if he had the chance?
...
Americans steadfastly refuse to notice the massacres ordered by a mad commander-in-chief and carried out by a berserk defense secretary, even as their fellow citizens are blown to bits in the process, and innocent men, women and children are gunned down in cold blood as they try to flee the carnage.
No one even blinked when Fox News military "analyst," retired Lieutenant General Tom Mc Inerney recently diagnosed what our mission in Fallajua should be -- "We must be ruthless, especially in the area of collateral damage," he said self-righteously. "We shouldn't be concerned about collateral damage. All the good civilians are gone. If we must make Falluja Carthage, then let's make Falluja Carthage..."
It appears that truth can no longer be discerned by looking at things as they really are, but only through hysterical punditry wherein the most shocking and usually the loudest "opinion" wins. Those few who dare to speak out against war crimes committed in their name are accused of being unpatriotic -- of not supporting the troops, even as their continued silence ensures that more Americans are injured, maimed and slaughtered each day. The "troops" are dying because the silence imposed by "Mr. President" and his attendant media courtiers condemns them to death.
...
"Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we could have wished; for you see there before you friend Sancho Panza, some thirty or more lawless giants with whom I mean to do battle. I shall deprive them of their lives, and with the spoils from this encounter we shall begin to enrich ourselves; for this is righteous warfare, and it is a great service to God to remove so accursed a breed from the face of the earth."
As Cervantes said of his ludicrous hero -- "The encounters between the ordinary world and Don Quixote are encounters between the world of reality and that of illusion, between reason and imagination..."
...
Why do they hate him? Bush boasts it's because of his freedom -- and he's right. Because of his freedom to destroy homes, cities, entire nations -- his freedom to bring death and destruction to terrified civilians -- and his freedom to seize and occupy whomever and whatever he wants -- whenever he wants.
They hate him because of the mangled wreckage he leaves in his wake, such as demanding that homes and businesses along a route he was to travel in Nigeria last year be bulldozed so that his vision would not be impaired by the plight of the poor. They hate him because, while Nigerian residents watched in despair as all they owned was destroyed, he spent 15 minutes in Uganda staring vacantly at children infected with AIDS, promising billions of US dollars that, just hours before, his Republican minions in Congress had voted to seriously curtail...
The silence of the media about the demands their president makes on other nations is deafening. The boorish audacity of first demanding to address the European Parliament in the lead-up to the Iraqi invasion and then refusing to do so unless they promised him a standing ovation and guaranteed there would be no protests or heckling was completely ignored by the US media, as was his recent opting out of addressing the Canadian Parliament for the same reasons.
Cervantes would be green with envy at the clash between illusion and reality that played out during Bush's London visit in November, 2003. Although the Queen refused, Bush demanded that Buckingham Palace be renovated http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/16/nbush16.xml to include "bomb and airborne assault proofing" as well as blast and bullet-proof windows and curtains.
...
... When the Blackhawks finally whisked them away, the Queen's prized, century-old rose garden was stomped and shredded beyond repair.
Why do they hate him? Don't even ask...
The silence of the media makes them willing participants in Bush's ghoulish slapstick-comedy worldwide crusade.
The US media long ago abdicated their charter, that of being vigilant watchdogs over those in power, and of serving as honest brokers and trustees of the public interest.
...
But while we weren't looking, the watchdogs over those in power somehow became http://www.natall.com/who-rules-america/ those in power. To today's media Goliaths, "public service" is whatever it takes to ramp up ratings and corporte profits. They apparently have no qualms about circling their wagons around such a woeful failure as George Bush because he brings home their bacon -- or he fronts for the guys who do. To those CEOs who now own the mainstream media, biting the hand that feeds them would be the ultimate betrayal.
...
The media appear to be dug in too deep to back out now. Although the hole they're in is scandalously deep and wide, they have no choice. They must keep digging. And digging. They're forced to save Bush's backside in order to save their own, else how will they explain at this late date their covering up the lies of a man-child who delights in being an international bully -- who applauds himself for irrationally "seizing opportunities" to decide the fate of the entire human race, no matter how much devastation he leaves in his wake? How else can they defend hiding from the public a monster-child teetering atop a mountain of body bags containing the remains of almost 1,300 US citizens -- arrogantly braying he "would do it all over again" if he had the chance?
...
Americans steadfastly refuse to notice the massacres ordered by a mad commander-in-chief and carried out by a berserk defense secretary, even as their fellow citizens are blown to bits in the process, and innocent men, women and children are gunned down in cold blood as they try to flee the carnage.
No one even blinked when Fox News military "analyst," retired Lieutenant General Tom Mc Inerney recently diagnosed what our mission in Fallajua should be -- "We must be ruthless, especially in the area of collateral damage," he said self-righteously. "We shouldn't be concerned about collateral damage. All the good civilians are gone. If we must make Falluja Carthage, then let's make Falluja Carthage..."
It appears that truth can no longer be discerned by looking at things as they really are, but only through hysterical punditry wherein the most shocking and usually the loudest "opinion" wins. Those few who dare to speak out against war crimes committed in their name are accused of being unpatriotic -- of not supporting the troops, even as their continued silence ensures that more Americans are injured, maimed and slaughtered each day. The "troops" are dying because the silence imposed by "Mr. President" and his attendant media courtiers condemns them to death.
...
"Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we could have wished; for you see there before you friend Sancho Panza, some thirty or more lawless giants with whom I mean to do battle. I shall deprive them of their lives, and with the spoils from this encounter we shall begin to enrich ourselves; for this is righteous warfare, and it is a great service to God to remove so accursed a breed from the face of the earth."
As Cervantes said of his ludicrous hero -- "The encounters between the ordinary world and Don Quixote are encounters between the world of reality and that of illusion, between reason and imagination..."
...
Why do they hate him? Bush boasts it's because of his freedom -- and he's right. Because of his freedom to destroy homes, cities, entire nations -- his freedom to bring death and destruction to terrified civilians -- and his freedom to seize and occupy whomever and whatever he wants -- whenever he wants.
They hate him because of the mangled wreckage he leaves in his wake, such as demanding that homes and businesses along a route he was to travel in Nigeria last year be bulldozed so that his vision would not be impaired by the plight of the poor. They hate him because, while Nigerian residents watched in despair as all they owned was destroyed, he spent 15 minutes in Uganda staring vacantly at children infected with AIDS, promising billions of US dollars that, just hours before, his Republican minions in Congress had voted to seriously curtail...
The silence of the media about the demands their president makes on other nations is deafening. The boorish audacity of first demanding to address the European Parliament in the lead-up to the Iraqi invasion and then refusing to do so unless they promised him a standing ovation and guaranteed there would be no protests or heckling was completely ignored by the US media, as was his recent opting out of addressing the Canadian Parliament for the same reasons.
Cervantes would be green with envy at the clash between illusion and reality that played out during Bush's London visit in November, 2003. Although the Queen refused, Bush demanded that Buckingham Palace be renovated http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/16/nbush16.xml to include "bomb and airborne assault proofing" as well as blast and bullet-proof windows and curtains.
...
... When the Blackhawks finally whisked them away, the Queen's prized, century-old rose garden was stomped and shredded beyond repair.
Why do they hate him? Don't even ask...
The silence of the media makes them willing participants in Bush's ghoulish slapstick-comedy worldwide crusade.
Armor Holdings Could Boost Humvee Armor Output: awaiting order from the Army [!]
Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide: "Armor Holdings Could Boost Humvee Armor Output 22% (Update2)
Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq, said it could increase output by as much as 22 percent per month with no investment and is awaiting an order from the Army.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday the Army was working as fast as it can and supply is dictated by ``a matter of physics, not a matter of money.''
Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq, said it could increase output by as much as 22 percent per month with no investment and is awaiting an order from the Army.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday the Army was working as fast as it can and supply is dictated by ``a matter of physics, not a matter of money.''
20 Amazing Facts about Voting in the USA
20 Amazing Facts about Voting in the USA: "20 Amazing Facts About Voting in the USA | by Angry Girl | Nightweed.com
1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold
2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S. voting machine industry.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886
5. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. He became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html
6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.
http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=26
http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx
http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php
7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice-presidential candidates.
http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm
http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html
8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and counts almost 60% of all U.S. votes.
http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html
10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm
11. Diebold is based in Ohio.
http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm
12. Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as senior managers and developers to help write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of the votes in 30 states.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml
13. Jeff Dean, Diebold's Senior Vice-President and senior programmer on Diebold's central compiler code, was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree.
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf
14. Diebold Senior Vice-President Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years.
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf
15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.
http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html
16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so bad. Despite Diebold's claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it! (See the movie here.)
http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190
17. 30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
18. All -- not some -- but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html
http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=950
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm
19. The governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush, is the President's brother.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html
20. Serious voting anomalies in Florida -- again always favoring Bush -- have been mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending further investigation.
http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,97614,00.html
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/tens_of_thousands.html
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-30.htm
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110904.html
http://uscountvotes.org/
1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold
2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S. voting machine industry.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886
5. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. He became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html
6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.
http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=26
http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx
http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php
7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice-presidential candidates.
http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm
http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html
8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and counts almost 60% of all U.S. votes.
http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html
10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm
11. Diebold is based in Ohio.
http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm
12. Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as senior managers and developers to help write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of the votes in 30 states.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml
13. Jeff Dean, Diebold's Senior Vice-President and senior programmer on Diebold's central compiler code, was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree.
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf
14. Diebold Senior Vice-President Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years.
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf
15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.
http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html
16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so bad. Despite Diebold's claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it! (See the movie here
http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190
17. 30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
18. All -- not some -- but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html
http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=950
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm
19. The governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush, is the President's brother.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html
20. Serious voting anomalies in Florida -- again always favoring Bush -- have been mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending further investigation.
http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,97614,00.html
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/tens_of_thousands.html
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-30.htm
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110904.html
http://uscountvotes.org/
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Ohio: may well have altered and suppressed votes, particularly minority and Democratic votes [... smoke ... is there fire?]
As Ukraine Celebrates Democracy, It's Being Denied in Ohio: "Saturday, December 4, 2004 by the Columbus Free Press (Ohio) | by Harvey Wasserman
...
Among other things, Conyers and his cohorts have written Blackwell saying "we are concerned that these complaints constitute a troubled portrait of a one-two punch that may well have altered and suppressed votes, particularly minority and Democratic votes.
"First, it appears there were substantial irregularities in vote tallies. It is unclear whether these apparent errors were the result of machine malfunctions or fraud."
They also told Blackwell that "it appears that a series of actions of government and non-government officials may have worked to frustrate minority voters. Consistent and widespread reports indicate a lack of voting machines in urban, minority and Democratic areas, and a surplus of such machines in Republican, white and rural areas. As a result, minority voters were discouraged from voting by lines that were in excess of eight hours long. Many of these voters were also apparently victims of a campaign of deception, where flyers and calls would direct them to the wrong polling place. Once at that polling place, after waiting for hours in line, many of these voters were provided provisional ballots after learning they were at the wrong location. These ballots were not counted in many jurisdictions because of a directive issued by some election officials, such as yourself."
The stinging letter has become part of a floodtide of doubt from national and grassroots groups about the Ohio vote. Among the specific questions the Representatives asked are:
Why did Warren County officials exclude members of the press from observing vote counting on election night, claiming an FBI agent had warned of a terrorist threat that was a "10" on a scale of one to ten, but the FBI has no knowledge of such a warning?
Why did precincts in Perry County apparently record more votes than voters?
Why did Butler County and a number of other counties record more votes for an underfunded Democratic candidate for State Supreme Court than were recorded for the Democratic Presidential candidate?
Why did historically Democratic precincts in Cleveland record up to twenty-two times more votes for the Constitution Party Presidential candidate than all third-party candidates combined received in the 2000 election?
Why did voters in Mahoning County report that when they attempted to record a vote for John Kerry their vote was displayed as being cast for George W. Bush?
Why did there appear to be a shortage of voting machines in traditionally Democratic precincts on election day, causing up to ten hour delays for voters, while there was an apparent surplus of voting machines in traditionally Republican precincts?
The litany of apparent theft, fraud and manipulation surrounding the Ohio vote is growing with each passing day. ...
...
Among other things, Conyers and his cohorts have written Blackwell saying "we are concerned that these complaints constitute a troubled portrait of a one-two punch that may well have altered and suppressed votes, particularly minority and Democratic votes.
"First, it appears there were substantial irregularities in vote tallies. It is unclear whether these apparent errors were the result of machine malfunctions or fraud."
They also told Blackwell that "it appears that a series of actions of government and non-government officials may have worked to frustrate minority voters. Consistent and widespread reports indicate a lack of voting machines in urban, minority and Democratic areas, and a surplus of such machines in Republican, white and rural areas. As a result, minority voters were discouraged from voting by lines that were in excess of eight hours long. Many of these voters were also apparently victims of a campaign of deception, where flyers and calls would direct them to the wrong polling place. Once at that polling place, after waiting for hours in line, many of these voters were provided provisional ballots after learning they were at the wrong location. These ballots were not counted in many jurisdictions because of a directive issued by some election officials, such as yourself."
The stinging letter has become part of a floodtide of doubt from national and grassroots groups about the Ohio vote. Among the specific questions the Representatives asked are:
Why did Warren County officials exclude members of the press from observing vote counting on election night, claiming an FBI agent had warned of a terrorist threat that was a "10" on a scale of one to ten, but the FBI has no knowledge of such a warning?
Why did precincts in Perry County apparently record more votes than voters?
Why did Butler County and a number of other counties record more votes for an underfunded Democratic candidate for State Supreme Court than were recorded for the Democratic Presidential candidate?
Why did historically Democratic precincts in Cleveland record up to twenty-two times more votes for the Constitution Party Presidential candidate than all third-party candidates combined received in the 2000 election?
Why did voters in Mahoning County report that when they attempted to record a vote for John Kerry their vote was displayed as being cast for George W. Bush?
Why did there appear to be a shortage of voting machines in traditionally Democratic precincts on election day, causing up to ten hour delays for voters, while there was an apparent surplus of voting machines in traditionally Republican precincts?
The litany of apparent theft, fraud and manipulation surrounding the Ohio vote is growing with each passing day. ...
Friday, December 03, 2004
Some Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens: two were accurate but the 11 others contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods
washingtonpost.com: Some Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens, Report Says: "By Ceci Connolly | Washington Post Staff Writer | Thursday, December 2, 2004; Page A01
Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found.
Those and other assertions are examples of the "false, misleading, or distorted information" in the programs' teaching materials, said the analysis, released yesterday, which reviewed the curricula of more than a dozen projects aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.
In providing nearly $170 million next year to fund groups that teach abstinence only, the Bush administration, with backing from the Republican Congress, is investing heavily in a just-say-no strategy for teenagers and sex. But youngsters taking the courses frequently receive medically inaccurate or misleading information, often in direct contradiction to the findings of government scientists, said the report, by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), a critic of the administration who has long argued for comprehensive sex education.
...
The report concluded that two of the curricula were accurate but the 11 others, used by 69 organizations in 25 states, contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins. In some cases, Waxman said in an interview, the factual issues were limited to occasional misinterpretations of publicly available data; in others, the materials pervasively presented subjective opinions as scientific fact.
Among the misconceptions cited by Waxman's investigators:
• A 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person."
• HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears.
• Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse.
...
Supporters of the abstinence approach, also called abstinence until marriage, counter that teaching young people about "safer sex" is an invitation to have sex.
Alma Golden, deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that Waxman's report is a political document that does a "disservice to our children." Speaking as a pediatrician, Golden said, she knows "abstaining from sex is the most effective means of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, STDs and preventing pregnancy."
Nonpartisan researchers have been unable to document measurable benefits of the abstinence-only model. Columbia University researchers found that although teenagers who take "virginity pledges" may wait longer to initiate sexual activity, 88 percent eventually have premarital sex.
Bill Smith, vice president of public policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a comprehensive sex education group that also receives federal funding, said the Waxman report underscored the need for closer monitoring of what he called the "shame-based, fear-based, medically inaccurate messages" being disseminated with tax money. He said the danger of abstinence education lies in the omission of useful medical information.
Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found.
Those and other assertions are examples of the "false, misleading, or distorted information" in the programs' teaching materials, said the analysis, released yesterday, which reviewed the curricula of more than a dozen projects aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.
In providing nearly $170 million next year to fund groups that teach abstinence only, the Bush administration, with backing from the Republican Congress, is investing heavily in a just-say-no strategy for teenagers and sex. But youngsters taking the courses frequently receive medically inaccurate or misleading information, often in direct contradiction to the findings of government scientists, said the report, by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), a critic of the administration who has long argued for comprehensive sex education.
...
The report concluded that two of the curricula were accurate but the 11 others, used by 69 organizations in 25 states, contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins. In some cases, Waxman said in an interview, the factual issues were limited to occasional misinterpretations of publicly available data; in others, the materials pervasively presented subjective opinions as scientific fact.
Among the misconceptions cited by Waxman's investigators:
• A 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person."
• HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears.
• Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse.
...
Supporters of the abstinence approach, also called abstinence until marriage, counter that teaching young people about "safer sex" is an invitation to have sex.
Alma Golden, deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that Waxman's report is a political document that does a "disservice to our children." Speaking as a pediatrician, Golden said, she knows "abstaining from sex is the most effective means of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, STDs and preventing pregnancy."
Nonpartisan researchers have been unable to document measurable benefits of the abstinence-only model. Columbia University researchers found that although teenagers who take "virginity pledges" may wait longer to initiate sexual activity, 88 percent eventually have premarital sex.
Bill Smith, vice president of public policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a comprehensive sex education group that also receives federal funding, said the Waxman report underscored the need for closer monitoring of what he called the "shame-based, fear-based, medically inaccurate messages" being disseminated with tax money. He said the danger of abstinence education lies in the omission of useful medical information.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
[Vote spoliage correlates to black voters ... How can anyone leave a voting place not knowing their vote is valid and will be counted??
Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.: "Compelling: Ohio recount: Stealing votes in Columbus-- INVESTIGATE DAMSCHRODER | by concernedamerican | Tue Nov 30th, 2004 at 04:19:35 PST
Click on links to review ballot spoilage against racial profile ... vote spoilage (and non-counting) is apparently an African-American problem ...
The real question is ... How can anyone leave a voting place not knowing their vote is valid and will be counted? Why can't a separate scanner simply verify it is valid before the voter leaves?
Click on links to review ballot spoilage against racial profile ... vote spoilage (and non-counting) is apparently an African-American problem ...
The real question is ... How can anyone leave a voting place not knowing their vote is valid and will be counted? Why can't a separate scanner simply verify it is valid before the voter leaves?
Favoritism in the suburbs: more voting machines mean ... better turn out ? larger margin? Bush vistory?
The Free Press -- Independent News Media - Election 2004: "Favoritism in the suburbs | by Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D. | November 27, 2004
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The following study is intended as a companion to STEALING VOTES IN COLUMBUS, and should be read in that context. "
...
At the bottom of the list, in wards with more than 290 registered voters per voting machine, turnout was below 60% in 16 of 19 wards; of these, Bush won 11, and Kerry won 8, showing that fewer voting machines depresses the turnout no matter whom the candidate.
... This substantiates the original charge in the Free Press ? that voting machines were withheld from predominantly black Democratic wards in Columbus, and dispersed more generously to affluent Republican suburbs.
Damschroder has publicly stated that he was not at fault because the voting machine approval process and limited funds prevented him from getting enough machines to satisfy the need. He said that he allocated the machines based on imperfect estimates. His defenders will say that my analysis shows at worst incompetence and at best, an innocent mistake.
To cross-examine this defense, let us look one more time at the data. There are 146 wards in Franklin County. In 73 wards, exactly 50%, there were fewer than 300 voters per voting machine, and in 2 wards there were 300 exactly. This was the median, and should have been the target number for equitable distribution of voting machines.
DISTRIBUTION OF VOTING MACHINES
Number of Wards: Registered Voters Per Machine < 300 300 +
In Columbus 15 59
In Suburbs 58 14
Won by Bush 54 15
Won by Kerry 19 58
There are 72 wards in the suburbs, and 74 wards in the city. 69 wards were won by Bush, and 77 wards were won by Kerry. The numbers in the above table should have been almost equal. Instead, of the 73 wards with the fewest number of registered voters per machine, 58 (79.5%) were in the suburbs, and 54 (74.0%) were won by Bush. How fair is that?
All of this mattered a lot. The median ward with fewer than 300 registered voters per voting machine had a 62.33% voter turnout. The median ward with 300 or more registered voters per voting machine had a 51.99% turnout. The voting machines could and should have been distributed more equitably. Data on voter registration was available before the election.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The following study is intended as a companion to STEALING VOTES IN COLUMBUS, and should be read in that context. "
...
At the bottom of the list, in wards with more than 290 registered voters per voting machine, turnout was below 60% in 16 of 19 wards; of these, Bush won 11, and Kerry won 8, showing that fewer voting machines depresses the turnout no matter whom the candidate.
... This substantiates the original charge in the Free Press ? that voting machines were withheld from predominantly black Democratic wards in Columbus, and dispersed more generously to affluent Republican suburbs.
Damschroder has publicly stated that he was not at fault because the voting machine approval process and limited funds prevented him from getting enough machines to satisfy the need. He said that he allocated the machines based on imperfect estimates. His defenders will say that my analysis shows at worst incompetence and at best, an innocent mistake.
To cross-examine this defense, let us look one more time at the data. There are 146 wards in Franklin County. In 73 wards, exactly 50%, there were fewer than 300 voters per voting machine, and in 2 wards there were 300 exactly. This was the median, and should have been the target number for equitable distribution of voting machines.
DISTRIBUTION OF VOTING MACHINES
Number of Wards: Registered Voters Per Machine < 300 300 +
In Columbus 15 59
In Suburbs 58 14
Won by Bush 54 15
Won by Kerry 19 58
There are 72 wards in the suburbs, and 74 wards in the city. 69 wards were won by Bush, and 77 wards were won by Kerry. The numbers in the above table should have been almost equal. Instead, of the 73 wards with the fewest number of registered voters per machine, 58 (79.5%) were in the suburbs, and 54 (74.0%) were won by Bush. How fair is that?
All of this mattered a lot. The median ward with fewer than 300 registered voters per voting machine had a 62.33% voter turnout. The median ward with 300 or more registered voters per voting machine had a 51.99% turnout. The voting machines could and should have been distributed more equitably. Data on voter registration was available before the election.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Terror suspects' torture claims have Mass. link: prisoner transfer jet files to Libya, Jordan, and Uzbekistan
Boston.com / News / World / Terror suspects' torture claims have Mass. link: "Secrecy shrouds transfer jet | By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | November 29, 2004
...
is also the address of a shadowy company that owns a Gulfstream jet that secretly ferried two Al Qaeda suspects from Sweden to Egypt.
That prisoner transfer, which occurred outside the normal extradition procedures and without notifying the men's lawyers, sparked an international uproar after the two men contended that they had been forcibly drugged by masked US agents and tortured with electric shocks in Egypt.
This spring, the Swedish government launched a series of investigations into the 2001 operation.
Since that time, the jet -- apparently on long-term lease to the US military -- has surfaced in other alleged cases of what the CIA calls "extraordinary" rendition -- the secret practice of handing prisoners in US custody to foreign governments that don't hesitate to use torture in interrogations.
The covert procedure, which must be authorized by a presidential directive, has gained little attention inside the United States.
Yet, "extraordinary rendition," one of the earliest tools employed in the war against terror, has outraged human rights activists and former CIA agents, who say it violates the international convention on torture and amounts to "outsourcing" torture.
"People are more or less openly admitting that there are certain practices that we would rather not do in the US, so why not let our allies do it?" said Ray McGovern, a former CIA operations officer who has frequently criticized the tactics used in the war on terror.
In recent weeks, the practice has become nearly synonymous with the white, 20-seat, private Gulfstream jet, numbered N379P and registered in Massachusetts.
The Sunday Times of Britain reported two weeks ago that it had obtained a classified flight log of the plane that showed 300 flights from Washington, D.C., to 49 nations, including Libya, Jordan, and Uzbekistan -- three countries where the State Department has reported the use of torture. The story focused on the jet and Premier Executive Transport Services, the Massachusetts-registered company that owns it.
Sightings of the plane -- at refueling stops in Ireland and in Karachi, where it reportedly picked up another suspect -- have been published in newspapers across the globe and on the Internet. Records at the US Army Aeronautical Services Agency show the civil aircraft has a permit to land at US military bases worldwide.
...
is also the address of a shadowy company that owns a Gulfstream jet that secretly ferried two Al Qaeda suspects from Sweden to Egypt.
That prisoner transfer, which occurred outside the normal extradition procedures and without notifying the men's lawyers, sparked an international uproar after the two men contended that they had been forcibly drugged by masked US agents and tortured with electric shocks in Egypt.
This spring, the Swedish government launched a series of investigations into the 2001 operation.
Since that time, the jet -- apparently on long-term lease to the US military -- has surfaced in other alleged cases of what the CIA calls "extraordinary" rendition -- the secret practice of handing prisoners in US custody to foreign governments that don't hesitate to use torture in interrogations.
The covert procedure, which must be authorized by a presidential directive, has gained little attention inside the United States.
Yet, "extraordinary rendition," one of the earliest tools employed in the war against terror, has outraged human rights activists and former CIA agents, who say it violates the international convention on torture and amounts to "outsourcing" torture.
"People are more or less openly admitting that there are certain practices that we would rather not do in the US, so why not let our allies do it?" said Ray McGovern, a former CIA operations officer who has frequently criticized the tactics used in the war on terror.
In recent weeks, the practice has become nearly synonymous with the white, 20-seat, private Gulfstream jet, numbered N379P and registered in Massachusetts.
The Sunday Times of Britain reported two weeks ago that it had obtained a classified flight log of the plane that showed 300 flights from Washington, D.C., to 49 nations, including Libya, Jordan, and Uzbekistan -- three countries where the State Department has reported the use of torture. The story focused on the jet and Premier Executive Transport Services, the Massachusetts-registered company that owns it.
Sightings of the plane -- at refueling stops in Ireland and in Karachi, where it reportedly picked up another suspect -- have been published in newspapers across the globe and on the Internet. Records at the US Army Aeronautical Services Agency show the civil aircraft has a permit to land at US military bases worldwide.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
US urges ban on antitank mines but happy with anti-personnel varieties
US urges ban on antitank mines but happy with anti-personnel varieties: "Saturday November 27, 3:35 PM |
The United States, stung by insurgent attacks in Iraq, has urged the international community to consider banning all sales of anti-tank and other heavy landmines, but ruled out its participation in an international conference on mines designed to maim or kill people.
The United States, stung by insurgent attacks in Iraq, has urged the international community to consider banning all sales of anti-tank and other heavy landmines, but ruled out its participation in an international conference on mines designed to maim or kill people.
refusing amendment to erase segregation-era wording requiring separate schools for "white and colored children"
Alabama Vote Opens Old Racial Wounds (washingtonpost.com): "School Segregation Remains a State Law as Amendment Is Defeated | By Manuel Roig-Franzia | Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page A01
...
... Alabama voters made sure of that Nov. 2, refusing to approve a constitutional amendment to erase segregation-era wording requiring separate schools for "white and colored children" and to eliminate references to the poll taxes once imposed to disenfranchise blacks.
The vote was so close -- a margin of 1,850 votes out of 1.38 million -- that an automatic recount will take place Monday. But, with few expecting the results to change, the amendment's saga has dragged Alabama into a confrontation with its segregationist past that illuminates the sometimes uneasy race relations of its present.
...
... Leading opponents, such as Alabama Christian Coalition President John Giles, said they did not object to removing the passage about separate schools for "white and colored children." But, employing an argument that was ridiculed by most of the state's newspapers and by legions of legal experts, Giles and others said guaranteeing a right to a public education would have opened a door for "rogue" federal judges to order the state to raise taxes to pay for improvements in its public school system.
...
Giles was aided by a virtually unparalleled Alabama celebrity in his battle against the amendment, distributing testimonials from former chief justice Roy Moore, whose fame was sealed in 2003 when he defied a federal court order to remove a two-ton granite Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court. They were joined by former Moore aide Tom Parker, who handed out miniature Confederate flags this fall during his successful campaign for a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court.
...
... Alabama voters made sure of that Nov. 2, refusing to approve a constitutional amendment to erase segregation-era wording requiring separate schools for "white and colored children" and to eliminate references to the poll taxes once imposed to disenfranchise blacks.
The vote was so close -- a margin of 1,850 votes out of 1.38 million -- that an automatic recount will take place Monday. But, with few expecting the results to change, the amendment's saga has dragged Alabama into a confrontation with its segregationist past that illuminates the sometimes uneasy race relations of its present.
...
... Leading opponents, such as Alabama Christian Coalition President John Giles, said they did not object to removing the passage about separate schools for "white and colored children." But, employing an argument that was ridiculed by most of the state's newspapers and by legions of legal experts, Giles and others said guaranteeing a right to a public education would have opened a door for "rogue" federal judges to order the state to raise taxes to pay for improvements in its public school system.
...
Giles was aided by a virtually unparalleled Alabama celebrity in his battle against the amendment, distributing testimonials from former chief justice Roy Moore, whose fame was sealed in 2003 when he defied a federal court order to remove a two-ton granite Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court. They were joined by former Moore aide Tom Parker, who handed out miniature Confederate flags this fall during his successful campaign for a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court.
Monday, November 22, 2004
The New York Times > Washington > Pentagon Called Major Factor in Defeat of Intelligence Bill
The New York Times > Washington > Pentagon Called Major Factor in Defeat of Intelligence Bill: "WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 -
Lawmakers of both parties said today that the Pentagon played a clear role in the defeat of compromise legislation aimed at remaking United States intelligence agencies.
Some legislators said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had made clear his opposition to the proposed overhaul, which would have stripped the Pentagon of some budgetary control over its vast intelligence operations. A Defense Department spokesman denied any such Pentagon involvement.
The Senate intelligence committee chairman, Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, was asked why the Republican-controlled House had been unable to pass a measure sought by President Bush and endorsed by the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission and many relatives of victims of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"Some of it is turf, quite frankly," Mr. Roberts said on CNN, "some of it is from the Pentagon."
Lawmakers of both parties said today that the Pentagon played a clear role in the defeat of compromise legislation aimed at remaking United States intelligence agencies.
Some legislators said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had made clear his opposition to the proposed overhaul, which would have stripped the Pentagon of some budgetary control over its vast intelligence operations. A Defense Department spokesman denied any such Pentagon involvement.
The Senate intelligence committee chairman, Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, was asked why the Republican-controlled House had been unable to pass a measure sought by President Bush and endorsed by the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission and many relatives of victims of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"Some of it is turf, quite frankly," Mr. Roberts said on CNN, "some of it is from the Pentagon."
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Bill gives lawmakers access to tax returns ... all a mistake [?!] and would be swiftly repealed
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - Washington, D.C.: Bill gives lawmakers access to tax returns: "Saturday, November 20, 2004 � Last updated 6:59 p.m. PT | Bill gives lawmakers access to tax returns | By MATT YANCEY | ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Congress passed legislation Saturday giving two committee chairman and their assistants access to income tax returns without regard to privacy protections, but not before red-faced Republicans said it was all a mistake and would be swiftly repealed."
WASHINGTON -- Congress passed legislation Saturday giving two committee chairman and their assistants access to income tax returns without regard to privacy protections, but not before red-faced Republicans said it was all a mistake and would be swiftly repealed."
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Posts on conservative website advocate violence ... [Media Matters for America]
Posts on conservative website advocate violence ... [Media Matters for America]: "Posts on conservative website advocate violence against journalist
The discussion board at FreeRepublic.com, a prominent right-wing online forum, contains numerous posts from members advocating violence against NBC News correspondent Kevin Sites, who recorded and reported the close-range shooting by a U.S. Marine of an unarmed and wounded Iraqi insurgent.
Comments about Sites on Free Republic include:
- "Turn Sites over to the terrorist."
- "Fragamundo."
- "No need for anything overt. Unfortunate things happen in combat zones, and if the reporter fails to hear someone yell 'Sniper!!', well, c'est la guerre" [French for "that is war"].
- [In response to a post suggesting Sites's "life is in danger being around the Marines"]: "I would certainly hope so."
- "I hope the Marines advance and leave Sites behind...alone in Fallujah with his terrorist buddies."
- "I don't want the punk killed, I'd just like to see his hair mussed. Jaws wired shut for a few months, food through a straw, that kind of thing."
- "It's Kevin Sites who deserves to be held in contempt and who deserves the losing end of a bar fight."
The discussion board at FreeRepublic.com, a prominent right-wing online forum, contains numerous posts from members advocating violence against NBC News correspondent Kevin Sites, who recorded and reported the close-range shooting by a U.S. Marine of an unarmed and wounded Iraqi insurgent.
Comments about Sites on Free Republic include:
- "Turn Sites over to the terrorist."
- "Fragamundo."
- "No need for anything overt. Unfortunate things happen in combat zones, and if the reporter fails to hear someone yell 'Sniper!!', well, c'est la guerre" [French for "that is war"].
- [In response to a post suggesting Sites's "life is in danger being around the Marines"]: "I would certainly hope so."
- "I hope the Marines advance and leave Sites behind...alone in Fallujah with his terrorist buddies."
- "I don't want the punk killed, I'd just like to see his hair mussed. Jaws wired shut for a few months, food through a straw, that kind of thing."
- "It's Kevin Sites who deserves to be held in contempt and who deserves the losing end of a bar fight."
Revolution In Reverse (washingtonpost.com)
Revolution In Reverse (washingtonpost.com): "In solidifying its power, the GOP is loosening its ethics. | By E. J. Dionne Jr. | Friday, November 19, 2004; Page A29
'And I want to say to you bluntly: You live today with the most corrupt congressional leadership we have seen in the United States in the 20th century. You have to go back to the Gilded Age of the 1870s and 1880s to have anything comparable that we've lived through.'
...
But however appropriate that ringing indictment may seem to the moment, it did not issue from any Democrat this week. The words were spoken in February 1992 by a House Republican named Newt Gingrich. Gingrich was then building the momentum that led to the historic Republican takeover of Congress two years later. The GOP modestly called what it was up to a "revolution."
...
Some Republicans, at least, remember what they stood for 10 years ago. "We took a strong stand in 1994 to make clear the Republican conference would live by a higher standard than our Democratic colleagues," Rep. Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican, said in a statement. Shays also told reporters: "We won election in '94 because we were going to be different, and what I continue to see is a slow but very consistent erosion in what made us different."
Shays reminds us that when and he and Gingrich were in the opposition, they gave voice to many who worried about the dangers of an entrenched majority that came to assume it had a right to power and could do whatever was necessary to keep it. Gingrich's line about the Gilded Age just may have come 12 years too early. You don't have to be a crackpot to believe that the Gilded Age is now.
'And I want to say to you bluntly: You live today with the most corrupt congressional leadership we have seen in the United States in the 20th century. You have to go back to the Gilded Age of the 1870s and 1880s to have anything comparable that we've lived through.'
...
But however appropriate that ringing indictment may seem to the moment, it did not issue from any Democrat this week. The words were spoken in February 1992 by a House Republican named Newt Gingrich. Gingrich was then building the momentum that led to the historic Republican takeover of Congress two years later. The GOP modestly called what it was up to a "revolution."
...
Some Republicans, at least, remember what they stood for 10 years ago. "We took a strong stand in 1994 to make clear the Republican conference would live by a higher standard than our Democratic colleagues," Rep. Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican, said in a statement. Shays also told reporters: "We won election in '94 because we were going to be different, and what I continue to see is a slow but very consistent erosion in what made us different."
Shays reminds us that when and he and Gingrich were in the opposition, they gave voice to many who worried about the dangers of an entrenched majority that came to assume it had a right to power and could do whatever was necessary to keep it. Gingrich's line about the Gilded Age just may have come 12 years too early. You don't have to be a crackpot to believe that the Gilded Age is now.
One-Third of Bush Fund-Raisers Got Appointments: competition among Bush's top 2004 fund-raisers will be tougher than in 2000
One-Third of Bush Fund-Raisers Got Appointments - Independent Media TV: "November 18, 2004 | By: Sharon Theimer | Associated Press
WASHINGTON - One-third of President Bush (news - web sites)'s top 2000 fund-raisers or their spouses were appointed to positions in his first administration, from ambassadorships in Europe to seats on policy-setting boards, an Associated Press review found.
The perks for 246 'pioneers' who raised at least $100,000 also included overnight stays at the White House and Camp David, parties at the White House and Bush's Texas ranch, state dinners with world leaders and overseas travel with U.S. delegations to the Olympics and other events, the review found.
Top fund-raisers say the real charm of the rewards was getting the chance to rub elbows with the president.
...
Noble predicts competition among Bush's top 2004 fund-raisers for plum administration jobs will be tougher than in 2000, both because there are fewer positions open and because Bush now has twice as many $100,000-and-up fund-raisers as he did in his first campaign.
In the first Bush administration, pioneers' spouses also got into the action. About a half-dozen spouses were given spots on panels such as the board of advisers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Museum Services Board.
WASHINGTON - One-third of President Bush (news - web sites)'s top 2000 fund-raisers or their spouses were appointed to positions in his first administration, from ambassadorships in Europe to seats on policy-setting boards, an Associated Press review found.
The perks for 246 'pioneers' who raised at least $100,000 also included overnight stays at the White House and Camp David, parties at the White House and Bush's Texas ranch, state dinners with world leaders and overseas travel with U.S. delegations to the Olympics and other events, the review found.
Top fund-raisers say the real charm of the rewards was getting the chance to rub elbows with the president.
...
Noble predicts competition among Bush's top 2004 fund-raisers for plum administration jobs will be tougher than in 2000, both because there are fewer positions open and because Bush now has twice as many $100,000-and-up fund-raisers as he did in his first campaign.
In the first Bush administration, pioneers' spouses also got into the action. About a half-dozen spouses were given spots on panels such as the board of advisers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Museum Services Board.
Texas "science": ranks in top 5 for teenage pregnancies and STDs: changing high school sex ed books to push abstinence: one of LEAST effective methods
Sexual Intelligence by Marty Klein, Ph.D.: "2. Texas Vs. Education: Everyone's Problem
...
Texas educators are now debating the content of new high school sex education books. The Board of Education is choosing among four books, all of which passionately praise abstinence. Three omit contraception completely, while one barely mentions condoms.
Not surprisingly, federal data show Texas once again among the top five states in the country for teenage pregnancies and STDs. Not content to undermine the lives of its own citizens, it routinely drags down the educational systems of other states, who are limited to textbooks written for the huge Texas market.
As governor of Texas, George W. Bush pushed an abstinence-based sex education curriculum. In this year's State of the Union address, he promised to double federal funding for abstinence programs, "so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases."
The President either doesn't read SI or reads it but doesn't remember much, so we'll repeat this for his benefit: abstinence is among the least reliable forms of contraception and disease protection. As previously reported (#42), almost 2/3 of a sample of Kentucky undergraduates vowing abstinence broke their pledge while still in school. The study has now been replicated around the country.
...
Texas educators are now debating the content of new high school sex education books. The Board of Education is choosing among four books, all of which passionately praise abstinence. Three omit contraception completely, while one barely mentions condoms.
Not surprisingly, federal data show Texas once again among the top five states in the country for teenage pregnancies and STDs. Not content to undermine the lives of its own citizens, it routinely drags down the educational systems of other states, who are limited to textbooks written for the huge Texas market.
As governor of Texas, George W. Bush pushed an abstinence-based sex education curriculum. In this year's State of the Union address, he promised to double federal funding for abstinence programs, "so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases."
The President either doesn't read SI or reads it but doesn't remember much, so we'll repeat this for his benefit: abstinence is among the least reliable forms of contraception and disease protection. As previously reported (#42), almost 2/3 of a sample of Kentucky undergraduates vowing abstinence broke their pledge while still in school. The study has now been replicated around the country.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Afghanistan: a nation abandoned to drugs: [booming business] exported 87 per cent of the world's supplies
News: "Afghanistan: a nation abandoned to drugs | By Nick Meo in Jalalabad and Leonard Doyle | 19 November 2004
Country produces 87% of global opium. One in ten Afghans works in opium trade. UN: state is world's second worst to live in
Three years after the fall of the Taliban, the United Nations issued a dramatic plea for help yesterday, saying that Afghanistan's opium crop is flourishing as never before and the country is well on the way to becoming a corrupt narco-state.
...
British officials point out that the Afghan economy is booming, that three million refugees have returned home and that four million children are in schools. But yesterday's report reveals that the engine of economic growth is opium production. Last year Afghanistan exported 87 per cent of the world's supplies. Opium is now the "main engine of economic growth and the strongest bond among previously quarrelsome peoples", according to the UN. ...
...
The UN report for 2003 found that one in 10 Afghans - many of them unemployed returned refugees - is involved in the drugs trade which last year employed 2.3 million people, and made up 60 per cent of gross national product.
Country produces 87% of global opium. One in ten Afghans works in opium trade. UN: state is world's second worst to live in
Three years after the fall of the Taliban, the United Nations issued a dramatic plea for help yesterday, saying that Afghanistan's opium crop is flourishing as never before and the country is well on the way to becoming a corrupt narco-state.
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British officials point out that the Afghan economy is booming, that three million refugees have returned home and that four million children are in schools. But yesterday's report reveals that the engine of economic growth is opium production. Last year Afghanistan exported 87 per cent of the world's supplies. Opium is now the "main engine of economic growth and the strongest bond among previously quarrelsome peoples", according to the UN. ...
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The UN report for 2003 found that one in 10 Afghans - many of them unemployed returned refugees - is involved in the drugs trade which last year employed 2.3 million people, and made up 60 per cent of gross national product.
Caring for Those Left Behind (washingtonpost.com)
Caring for Those Left Behind (washingtonpost.com): "Soldiers' survivors need real benefits more than yellow ribbons. | By Frank Schaeffer | Friday, November 19, 2004; Page A29
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When an American in a military uniform is killed his or her family receives a one-time death gratuity of $12,000. The surviving family may also qualify for the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), which is paid up to age 62 or until the spouse remarries. The SBP benefit amounts to 55 percent of the soldier's retirement pay, pay that is already so low it qualifies many military families for food stamps.
These "benefits" are contingent on fulfilling many petty regulations. Michele did not qualify for the SBP because Aaron was in the Marine Corps just under 10 years. Several further benefits, such as the income-based Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), may pay out about $800 per month and $200 per child, depending on the case. Michele did not qualify because of several arcane technicalities. Michele and Brianna's medical benefits will end three years from the date of Aaron's death.
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A just-released study by the Rand Corp. found that the families of civilians killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, received on average $3.1 million in government and charitable compensation. The families of the firefighters and cops who died received even more; their average compensation was $4.2 million. ...
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When an American in a military uniform is killed his or her family receives a one-time death gratuity of $12,000. The surviving family may also qualify for the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), which is paid up to age 62 or until the spouse remarries. The SBP benefit amounts to 55 percent of the soldier's retirement pay, pay that is already so low it qualifies many military families for food stamps.
These "benefits" are contingent on fulfilling many petty regulations. Michele did not qualify for the SBP because Aaron was in the Marine Corps just under 10 years. Several further benefits, such as the income-based Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), may pay out about $800 per month and $200 per child, depending on the case. Michele did not qualify because of several arcane technicalities. Michele and Brianna's medical benefits will end three years from the date of Aaron's death.
...
A just-released study by the Rand Corp. found that the families of civilians killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, received on average $3.1 million in government and charitable compensation. The families of the firefighters and cops who died received even more; their average compensation was $4.2 million. ...
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