Radioactive Wounds of War -- In These Times: "August 25, 2005 | Tests on returning troops suggest serious health consequences of depleted uranium use in Iraq | By Dave Lindorff
... after the New York State National Guardsman got home, he learned that a bunkmate, Sgt. Ray Ramos, and a group of N.Y. Guard members from another unit had accepted an offer by the New York Daily News and reporter Juan Gonzalez to be tested for depleted uranium (DU) contamination, and had tested positive.
Matthew, 31, decided that since he’d spent much of his time in Iraq lugging around DU-damaged equipment, he’d better get tested too. It turned out he was the most contaminated of them all.
Matthew immediately urged his wife to get an ultrasound check of their unborn baby. They discovered the fetus had a condition common to those with radioactive exposure: atypical syndactyly. The right hand had only two digits.
So far Victoria Claudette, now 13 months old, shows no other genetic disorders and is healthy, but Matthew feels guilty for causing her deformity and angry at a government that never warned him about DU’s dangers.
...
The problem is that when DU hits its target, it burns at a high temperature, throwing off clouds of microscopic particles that poison a wide area and remain radioactive for billions of years. If inhaled, these particles can lodge in lungs, other organs or bones, irradiating tissue and causing cancers.
Worse yet, uranium is also a highly toxic heavy metal. Indeed, while there is some debate over the risk posed by the element’s radioactive emissions, there is no debate regarding its chemical toxicity. According to Mt. Sinai pathologist Thomas Fasey, who participated in the New York Guard unit testing, the element has an affinity for bonding with DNA, where even trace amounts can cause cancers and fetal abnormalities.
...
The Pentagon continues to insist, on the basis of no field evidence, that DU is safe. To date, only some 270 returned troops have been tested for DU contamination by the military and Veterans Affairs. But even those tests, mostly urine samples, are useless 30 days after exposure, because by that time most of the DU has left the body or migrated into bones or organs.
Gonzalez and the Daily News paid for costlier tests for nine Guardsmen—tests that could pinpoint uranium inside the body and identify the special isotope signature of man-made DU. Four of the nine tested positive for DU; all had symptoms of uranium poisoning.
...
One way or another, the Pentagon will pay a price. “DU is a war crime. It’s that simple,” Rokke says. “Once you’ve scattered all this stuff around, and then refuse to clean it up, you’ve committed a war crime.”
Friday, August 26, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
demoted because he complained that senior political officials ... play down ... data about the aggressive treatment of black and Hispanic drivers
Truth-Telling on Race? Not in Bush's Fantasyland - New York Times: "By BOB HERBERT | Published: August 25, 2005
The Bush administration has punished a Justice Department official who dared to tell even a mild truth about racial profiling by law enforcement officers in this country.
In 2001 President Bush selected Lawrence Greenfeld to head the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which tracks crime patterns and police tactics, among other things. But as Eric Lichtblau of The Times reported in a front-page article yesterday, Mr. Greenfeld is being demoted because he complained that senior political officials were seeking to play down newly compiled data about the aggressive treatment of black and Hispanic drivers by police officers.
...
The beginning of the end of Lawrence Greenfeld's tenure as director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics came a few months ago, as his agency was completing a major study showing that black and Hispanic drivers were treated more aggressively than whites when stopped by the police.
Mr. Greenfeld was overruled when he tried to include references to these disparities in a news release announcing the findings of the study. The study was then buried in the bowels of the Bush bureaucracy.
Mr. Greenfeld obviously failed to understand that the preferred methods of dealing with uncomfortable facts in the fantasyland of the Bush administration are to ignore them, or simply wish them away.
The Bush administration has punished a Justice Department official who dared to tell even a mild truth about racial profiling by law enforcement officers in this country.
In 2001 President Bush selected Lawrence Greenfeld to head the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which tracks crime patterns and police tactics, among other things. But as Eric Lichtblau of The Times reported in a front-page article yesterday, Mr. Greenfeld is being demoted because he complained that senior political officials were seeking to play down newly compiled data about the aggressive treatment of black and Hispanic drivers by police officers.
...
The beginning of the end of Lawrence Greenfeld's tenure as director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics came a few months ago, as his agency was completing a major study showing that black and Hispanic drivers were treated more aggressively than whites when stopped by the police.
Mr. Greenfeld was overruled when he tried to include references to these disparities in a news release announcing the findings of the study. The study was then buried in the bowels of the Bush bureaucracy.
Mr. Greenfeld obviously failed to understand that the preferred methods of dealing with uncomfortable facts in the fantasyland of the Bush administration are to ignore them, or simply wish them away.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Reviving Jim Crow? only 56 places in which residents can obtain a driver's license ... not one in Atlanta or 6 counties with majority of blacks
Reviving Jim Crow?: "By David J. Becker | Monday, August 22, 2005; Page A17
Any day now the Justice Department will render judgment on one of the single most discriminatory pieces of voting legislation of recent years: a Georgia state law requiring voters to present one of only six forms of photo identification before they can exercise their right to vote. Before enforcing this statute, Georgia must get Justice Department approval by proving that the law will not put minority voters in a worse position than they were in before the requirement was instituted."
The facts surrounding Georgia's voter identification requirement cannot be disputed. Virtually every black legislator opposes the legislation, and most black lawmakers staged a walkout to protest its passage. Every major civil rights and minority advocacy group, including the NAACP, and many legal scholars, oppose the restriction; several have submitted comments to the Justice Department for consideration.
Additionally, it is surprisingly difficult to obtain a photo ID in Georgia. Though the state has 159 counties, there are only 56 places in which residents can obtain a driver's license, and not one is within the city limits of Atlanta or within the six counties that have the highest percentage of blacks.
...
Furthermore, while purporting to combat fraud, the Georgia law expressly excludes absentee ballots from the ID requirement. While all the evidence indicates that minorities are far less likely to vote absentee than whites, absentee balloting is the only form of voting in which there is documented fraud in Georgia. The exclusion of absentee ballots from the identification requirement raises serious questions about whether the anti-fraud justification for the law is purely pretextual.
One thing is certain: If this law is approved, it will be more difficult for minorities to vote in Georgia -- the home of John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. -- than in any other state.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Any guesses? ... Any pattern?
Governor: Sonny Perdue (R)
Georgia Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram)
Eric Johnson, Senate President Pro Tempore
Tommie Williams, Senate Majority Leader (R)
Robert Brown, Senate Democratic Leader (D)
Jerry Keen - House Majority Leader (R)
DuBose Porter - Minority Leader (D)
Any day now the Justice Department will render judgment on one of the single most discriminatory pieces of voting legislation of recent years: a Georgia state law requiring voters to present one of only six forms of photo identification before they can exercise their right to vote. Before enforcing this statute, Georgia must get Justice Department approval by proving that the law will not put minority voters in a worse position than they were in before the requirement was instituted."
The facts surrounding Georgia's voter identification requirement cannot be disputed. Virtually every black legislator opposes the legislation, and most black lawmakers staged a walkout to protest its passage. Every major civil rights and minority advocacy group, including the NAACP, and many legal scholars, oppose the restriction; several have submitted comments to the Justice Department for consideration.
Additionally, it is surprisingly difficult to obtain a photo ID in Georgia. Though the state has 159 counties, there are only 56 places in which residents can obtain a driver's license, and not one is within the city limits of Atlanta or within the six counties that have the highest percentage of blacks.
...
Furthermore, while purporting to combat fraud, the Georgia law expressly excludes absentee ballots from the ID requirement. While all the evidence indicates that minorities are far less likely to vote absentee than whites, absentee balloting is the only form of voting in which there is documented fraud in Georgia. The exclusion of absentee ballots from the identification requirement raises serious questions about whether the anti-fraud justification for the law is purely pretextual.
One thing is certain: If this law is approved, it will be more difficult for minorities to vote in Georgia -- the home of John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. -- than in any other state.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Any guesses? ... Any pattern?
Governor: Sonny Perdue (R)
Georgia Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram)
Eric Johnson, Senate President Pro Tempore
Tommie Williams, Senate Majority Leader (R)
Robert Brown, Senate Democratic Leader (D)
Jerry Keen - House Majority Leader (R)
DuBose Porter - Minority Leader (D)
More Images Of Abu Ghraib: "assault, coerced sexual activity, rape, even dead bodies." ... It was disgusting,"
CBS News | More Images Of Abu Ghraib | August 23, 2005�14:31:46: "Aug. 22, 2005"
There's a new batch of photos from Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, and these are reportedly far worse than the sickening originals. Naturally, the Pentagon is trying to block their release.
The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in October 2003 to make public 87 photographs and four videos depicting prisoner abuse in Iraq. The Pentagon originally argued that releasing the images would violate the Geneva Convention rights of the detainees; a supreme irony considering that the US originally denied these very prisoners Geneva Convention protections. ...
...
Last May, members of Congress sat in a dark room and viewed the images. Their responses begged for further elaboration. "It was disgusting," said Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson. "There were new ones that we hadn't seen before, and they're bad. I mean there's no doubt about that." Bad enough to show to Congress apparently, but not the American people.
The NewsHour's Ray Suarez said the images reportedly depict "assault, coerced sexual activity, rape, even dead bodies." Some may have originated outside of Abu Ghraib. Rep. Jane Harman said she saw videos of a prisoner banging his head against a wall and a group of men masturbating. "Some of the videos are more disturbing than the still photos that you've seen," added Sen. Bill Nelson. ...
There's a new batch of photos from Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, and these are reportedly far worse than the sickening originals. Naturally, the Pentagon is trying to block their release.
The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in October 2003 to make public 87 photographs and four videos depicting prisoner abuse in Iraq. The Pentagon originally argued that releasing the images would violate the Geneva Convention rights of the detainees; a supreme irony considering that the US originally denied these very prisoners Geneva Convention protections. ...
...
Last May, members of Congress sat in a dark room and viewed the images. Their responses begged for further elaboration. "It was disgusting," said Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson. "There were new ones that we hadn't seen before, and they're bad. I mean there's no doubt about that." Bad enough to show to Congress apparently, but not the American people.
The NewsHour's Ray Suarez said the images reportedly depict "assault, coerced sexual activity, rape, even dead bodies." Some may have originated outside of Abu Ghraib. Rep. Jane Harman said she saw videos of a prisoner banging his head against a wall and a group of men masturbating. "Some of the videos are more disturbing than the still photos that you've seen," added Sen. Bill Nelson. ...
Comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 “identifying characteristics of fascism.” ... sound familiar .
Living Under Fascism: "Living Under Fascism
By Rev. Davidson Loehr
11/07/04 -- -- You may wonder why anyone would try to use the word “fascism” in a serious discussion of where America is today. It sounds like cheap name-calling, or melodramatic allusion to a slew of old war movies. But I am serious. I don’t mean it as name-calling at all. I mean to persuade you that the style of governing into which America has slid is most accurately described as fascism, and that the necessary implications of this fact are rightly regarded as terrifying. That’s what I am about here. And even if I don’t persuade you, I hope to raise the level of your thinking about who and where we are now, to add some nuance and perhaps some useful insights.
...
In an essay coyly titled “Fascism Anyone?,” Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, identifies social and political agendas common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 “identifying characteristics of fascism.” (The following article is from Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 23, Number 2. Read it at http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/britt_23_2.htm) See how familiar they sound.
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections
By Rev. Davidson Loehr
11/07/04 -- -- You may wonder why anyone would try to use the word “fascism” in a serious discussion of where America is today. It sounds like cheap name-calling, or melodramatic allusion to a slew of old war movies. But I am serious. I don’t mean it as name-calling at all. I mean to persuade you that the style of governing into which America has slid is most accurately described as fascism, and that the necessary implications of this fact are rightly regarded as terrifying. That’s what I am about here. And even if I don’t persuade you, I hope to raise the level of your thinking about who and where we are now, to add some nuance and perhaps some useful insights.
...
In an essay coyly titled “Fascism Anyone?,” Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, identifies social and political agendas common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 “identifying characteristics of fascism.” (The following article is from Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 23, Number 2. Read it at http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/britt_23_2.htm) See how familiar they sound.
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Some allies find U.S. policy unjust - aid cuts are the price paid for refusing to sign immunity agreements to protect U.S. soldiers
Some allies find U.S. policy unjust - Americas - International Herald Tribune: "By Juan Forero The New York Times | SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2005
Three years ago the Bush administration began prodding countries to shield Americans from the fledgling International Criminal Court in The Hague, which was intended to be the first permanent tribunal for prosecuting crimes like genocide.
The United States has since cut aid to about two dozen countries that refused to sign immunity agreements that U.S. officials say are intended to protect U.S. soldiers and policy makers from politically motivated prosecutions.
To the Bush administration, the aid cuts are the price paid for refusing to offer support in an area where it sees the United States, with its military might stretched across the globe, as being uniquely vulnerable.
But particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, home to 12 countries that have been penalized, the cuts are generating strong resentment at what many see as heavy-handed diplomacy, officials and diplomats in seven countries said in interviews.
Some U.S. officials are also beginning to question the policy, as political and military leaders in the region complain that the aid cuts are squandering good will and hurting their ability to cooperate in other important areas, like the campaigns against drugs and terrorism
Three years ago the Bush administration began prodding countries to shield Americans from the fledgling International Criminal Court in The Hague, which was intended to be the first permanent tribunal for prosecuting crimes like genocide.
The United States has since cut aid to about two dozen countries that refused to sign immunity agreements that U.S. officials say are intended to protect U.S. soldiers and policy makers from politically motivated prosecutions.
To the Bush administration, the aid cuts are the price paid for refusing to offer support in an area where it sees the United States, with its military might stretched across the globe, as being uniquely vulnerable.
But particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, home to 12 countries that have been penalized, the cuts are generating strong resentment at what many see as heavy-handed diplomacy, officials and diplomats in seven countries said in interviews.
Some U.S. officials are also beginning to question the policy, as political and military leaders in the region complain that the aid cuts are squandering good will and hurting their ability to cooperate in other important areas, like the campaigns against drugs and terrorism
Soldier 'instructed' to abuse Abu Ghraib prisoners.
Soldier 'instructed' to abuse Abu Ghraib prisoners. 21/08/2005. ABC News Online: "Sunday, August 21, 2005. 10:03am (AEST)
Scene of the crime: Sgt Davis says he found some of the abuses disturbing.
One of the US soldiers convicted of mistreating prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison says his superiors made it clear those incarcerated were to be abused.
Sergeant Javal Davis was sentenced to six months in jail after admitting to having deliberately stepped on the hands and feet of handcuffed prisoners.
In an interview aired on Channel 7, Sgt Davis said he was instructed to make life as unpleasant as possible for those he was guarding.
...
He says he asked that orders he was given to abuse prisoners be put in writing.
But despite repeated requests, his superiors never agreed to do so. ...
Scene of the crime: Sgt Davis says he found some of the abuses disturbing.
One of the US soldiers convicted of mistreating prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison says his superiors made it clear those incarcerated were to be abused.
Sergeant Javal Davis was sentenced to six months in jail after admitting to having deliberately stepped on the hands and feet of handcuffed prisoners.
In an interview aired on Channel 7, Sgt Davis said he was instructed to make life as unpleasant as possible for those he was guarding.
...
He says he asked that orders he was given to abuse prisoners be put in writing.
But despite repeated requests, his superiors never agreed to do so. ...
Former Head Of Pentagon's Depleted Uranium Project Says Thousands Of Troops Are Sick And Dying From Illegal DU Use
Articles, government corruption, freedom of speech, truth: "Former Head Of Pentagon's Depleted Uranium Project Says Thousands Of Troops Are Sick And Dying From Illegal DU Use And Military's Failure To Admit Responsibility | August 20, 2005 | By Greg Szymanski
After Maj. Doug Rokke went public in 1997 exposing the military's flawed DU program, his life has been threatened but he still continues to search for solutions in order to save the lives of those afflicted.
Army Major Doug Rokke has been shot at, run off the road, threatened, harassed, black- balled, intimidated, called a liar and treated like a “hated enemy” not by opposition forces in Iraq, but by ‘secret ops’ in the U.S. government, obviously acting on orders from top military brass.
And in May 2000 he was subjected to the biggest scare of his life when bullets rang through his son’s bedroom window while living in Jacksonville, Alabama, in what he calls “another near miss” by government hit men bound and determined to remove his presence from the planet.
Maj. Rokke, living in Rantoul, Illinois, and still active in the Army Reserves, has been a government target ever since going public in a May 1997 article in the Nation Magazine, criticizing the military for failing to clean-up depleted uranium used in Iraq during the first Gulf War."
...
“President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair must acknowledge and must accept responsibility for the willful use of illegal uranium munitions, their own ‘dirty bombs,’ resulting in adverse health and environmental effects,” wrote Maj. Rokke in recent open letter, criticizing the two major leaders of the Iraq occupation.
After Maj. Doug Rokke went public in 1997 exposing the military's flawed DU program, his life has been threatened but he still continues to search for solutions in order to save the lives of those afflicted.
Army Major Doug Rokke has been shot at, run off the road, threatened, harassed, black- balled, intimidated, called a liar and treated like a “hated enemy” not by opposition forces in Iraq, but by ‘secret ops’ in the U.S. government, obviously acting on orders from top military brass.
And in May 2000 he was subjected to the biggest scare of his life when bullets rang through his son’s bedroom window while living in Jacksonville, Alabama, in what he calls “another near miss” by government hit men bound and determined to remove his presence from the planet.
Maj. Rokke, living in Rantoul, Illinois, and still active in the Army Reserves, has been a government target ever since going public in a May 1997 article in the Nation Magazine, criticizing the military for failing to clean-up depleted uranium used in Iraq during the first Gulf War."
...
“President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair must acknowledge and must accept responsibility for the willful use of illegal uranium munitions, their own ‘dirty bombs,’ resulting in adverse health and environmental effects,” wrote Maj. Rokke in recent open letter, criticizing the two major leaders of the Iraq occupation.
Millions from tribes with gambling found their way into the hands of the Christian Coalition, Coalition Against Gambling Expansion
al.com: News: "Losing the high ground | Friday, August 19, 2005 | By Bob Martin Editor &Publisher
The lead paragraphs in a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution read like this:"
"Year after year, John Giles stood before Alabama legislators and repeated the same words, occasionally after being reminded of the penalty for perjury.
"No gambling money, either directly or indirectly, had ever flowed to the Christian Coalition of Alabama in its six-year fight against the twin sins of a state lottery and video poker, the coalition president vowed each time.
...
Now, after the start of Sen. John McCain's inquiry into the looting of nearly $100 million in American Indian gambling revenues by lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist, Michael Scanlon and Ralph Reed, it appears that millions of dollars from tribes with gambling facilities found their way into the hands of the Christian Coalition, the Coalition Against Gambling Expansion and others who were using the Indian funding, particularly money from the Mississippi Choctaws, to fight a lottery and video gaming in Alabama.
And some $600,000 found its way to the coffers of the Alabama Republican Party and another $600,000 into Gov. Bob Riley's 2002 campaign for governor. These funds were routed from the Indians through Scanlon, who briefly worked for Riley when he served in Congress.
Giles, Reed and the Christian Coalition now say they didn't know the money came from Indian monies which were derived from gambling. It should be noted that ninety percent of the Mississippi Choctaw income is from their two casinos in that state. ...
The lead paragraphs in a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution read like this:"
"Year after year, John Giles stood before Alabama legislators and repeated the same words, occasionally after being reminded of the penalty for perjury.
"No gambling money, either directly or indirectly, had ever flowed to the Christian Coalition of Alabama in its six-year fight against the twin sins of a state lottery and video poker, the coalition president vowed each time.
...
Now, after the start of Sen. John McCain's inquiry into the looting of nearly $100 million in American Indian gambling revenues by lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist, Michael Scanlon and Ralph Reed, it appears that millions of dollars from tribes with gambling facilities found their way into the hands of the Christian Coalition, the Coalition Against Gambling Expansion and others who were using the Indian funding, particularly money from the Mississippi Choctaws, to fight a lottery and video gaming in Alabama.
And some $600,000 found its way to the coffers of the Alabama Republican Party and another $600,000 into Gov. Bob Riley's 2002 campaign for governor. These funds were routed from the Indians through Scanlon, who briefly worked for Riley when he served in Congress.
Giles, Reed and the Christian Coalition now say they didn't know the money came from Indian monies which were derived from gambling. It should be noted that ninety percent of the Mississippi Choctaw income is from their two casinos in that state. ...
Friday, August 19, 2005
torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops was widespread and not limited to the high-profile cases at Abu Ghraib prison
Reuters AlertNet - U.S. soldier chronicles abuse, hard times in Iraq: "17 Aug 2005 18:19:27 GMT | Source: Reuters
LOS ANGELES, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops was widespread and not limited to the high-profile cases at Abu Ghraib prison, according to a former soldier who participated in an interrogation that she said 'crossed a line.'
Kayla Williams, 28, a former sergeant with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Iraq and the author of a new book, said soldiers interrogating a naked Iraqi asked her to humiliate him. She also saw fellow soldiers throwing lit cigarettes at him and hitting him in the face.
'It's one thing to make fun of someone and attempt to humiliate him. With words. That's one thing. But flicking lit cigarettes at somebody -- like burning him -- that's illegal,' Williams writes in 'Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army,' which hits U.S. bookstores Sept. 5.
While stationed at the 2nd Brigade's Brigade Support Area in Mosul in late 2003, Arabic linguist Williams was asked to mock an Iraqi man's sexual prowess and ridicule the size of his genitals." ...
LOS ANGELES, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops was widespread and not limited to the high-profile cases at Abu Ghraib prison, according to a former soldier who participated in an interrogation that she said 'crossed a line.'
Kayla Williams, 28, a former sergeant with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Iraq and the author of a new book, said soldiers interrogating a naked Iraqi asked her to humiliate him. She also saw fellow soldiers throwing lit cigarettes at him and hitting him in the face.
'It's one thing to make fun of someone and attempt to humiliate him. With words. That's one thing. But flicking lit cigarettes at somebody -- like burning him -- that's illegal,' Williams writes in 'Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army,' which hits U.S. bookstores Sept. 5.
While stationed at the 2nd Brigade's Brigade Support Area in Mosul in late 2003, Arabic linguist Williams was asked to mock an Iraqi man's sexual prowess and ridicule the size of his genitals." ...
Thursday, August 18, 2005
New Abuse Photos Could Spark Riots, US General Warns
New Abuse Photos Could Spark Riots, US General Warns By William Fisher
08/16/05 'IPS"-- -- NEW YORK, Civil libertarians and the Pentagon appear headed for yet another trainwreck in the ongoing dispute over the so-called second batch of photos from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
In response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR), and a number of medical and veterans groups demanding release of 87 new videos and photographs depicting detainee abuse at the now infamous prison, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, said the release would result in ”riots, violence and attacks by insurgents.”
In court papers filed to contest the lawsuit, Gen. Myers said he consulted with Gen. John P. Abizaid, head of the United States Central Command, and Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq. Both officers also opposed the release, Gen. Myers said.
He believes the release of the photos would ”incite public opinion in the Muslim world and put the lives of American soldiers and officials at risk,” according to documents unsealed in federal court in New York.
08/16/05 'IPS"-- -- NEW YORK, Civil libertarians and the Pentagon appear headed for yet another trainwreck in the ongoing dispute over the so-called second batch of photos from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
In response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR), and a number of medical and veterans groups demanding release of 87 new videos and photographs depicting detainee abuse at the now infamous prison, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, said the release would result in ”riots, violence and attacks by insurgents.”
In court papers filed to contest the lawsuit, Gen. Myers said he consulted with Gen. John P. Abizaid, head of the United States Central Command, and Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq. Both officers also opposed the release, Gen. Myers said.
He believes the release of the photos would ”incite public opinion in the Muslim world and put the lives of American soldiers and officials at risk,” according to documents unsealed in federal court in New York.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Republicans Chant "We Don't Care" At Cindy Sheehan
Yellow Dog Blog: Home of The Yellow-Dog Democrat: Republicans Chant "We Don't Care" At Cindy Sheehan: "Saturday, August 13, 2005
This is why we no longer reach across the damn aisle to these people.
Conservative knucklehead and radio host Mike Gallagher gathered a group of like-minded troglodytes and headed over to the Bush compound in Crawford to harass Cindy Sheehan and her group last night.
As Ms. Sheehan and the 'Camp Casey' protesters sang America The Beautiful or stood quietly, the right-wing group chanted 'we don't care' at the mother who lost her son, Casey, to Bush's war in Iraq." ...
This is why we no longer reach across the damn aisle to these people.
Conservative knucklehead and radio host Mike Gallagher gathered a group of like-minded troglodytes and headed over to the Bush compound in Crawford to harass Cindy Sheehan and her group last night.
As Ms. Sheehan and the 'Camp Casey' protesters sang America The Beautiful or stood quietly, the right-wing group chanted 'we don't care' at the mother who lost her son, Casey, to Bush's war in Iraq." ...
Guantanamo Detainee Says Beating Injured Spine: 3 1/2 years in Gitmo, now confined to a wheelchair with two broken vertebrae.
Guantanamo Detainee Says Beating Injured Spine: "By Carol D. Leonnig | Washington Post Staff Writer | aturday, August 13, 2005; Page A18
Now in Wheelchair, Egyptian-Born Teacher Objects to Plan to Send Him to Native Land
An Egyptian-born teacher imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the past 3 1/2 years recently convinced the U.S. military that he is not an enemy combatant, but rather what he said he was: a pro-democracy English teacher swept up when the military seized fighters and suspected terrorists from the battlefields of Afghanistan.
In newly declassified records of statements to his attorney, Sami Al-Laithi said that as a result of his detention at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, he is now confined to a wheelchair with two broken vertebrae. He said military personnel and interrogators stomped on his back, dropped him on the floor and repeatedly forced his neck forward soon after his arrival at the prison.
He said he has been denied an operation that could save him from permanent paralysis and is being held at Camp V, a maximum-security wing of isolation cells reserved for the most uncooperative and high-value inmates, while he awaits transfer."
Now in Wheelchair, Egyptian-Born Teacher Objects to Plan to Send Him to Native Land
An Egyptian-born teacher imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the past 3 1/2 years recently convinced the U.S. military that he is not an enemy combatant, but rather what he said he was: a pro-democracy English teacher swept up when the military seized fighters and suspected terrorists from the battlefields of Afghanistan.
In newly declassified records of statements to his attorney, Sami Al-Laithi said that as a result of his detention at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, he is now confined to a wheelchair with two broken vertebrae. He said military personnel and interrogators stomped on his back, dropped him on the floor and repeatedly forced his neck forward soon after his arrival at the prison.
He said he has been denied an operation that could save him from permanent paralysis and is being held at Camp V, a maximum-security wing of isolation cells reserved for the most uncooperative and high-value inmates, while he awaits transfer."
Saturday, August 13, 2005
We don't need no regulation, we don't need no thought control: Drug researchers leak secrets to Wall St.
The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Drug researchers leak secrets to Wall St.: "Drug researchers leak secrets to Wall St.
By Luke Timmerman and David Heath Seattle Times staff reporters
Doctors testing new drugs are sworn to keep their research secret until drug companies announce the final results. But elite Wall Street firms — looking to make quick profits — have found a way to harvest these secrets:
They pay doctors to divulge the details early.
A Seattle Times investigation found at least 26 cases in which doctors have leaked confidential and critical details of their ongoing drug research to Wall Street firms.
The practice involves doctors at top research universities from UCLA to the University of Pennsylvania, and powerful financial firms including Citigroup Smith Barney, UBS and Wachovia Securities.
In 24 of the 26 cases, the firms issued reports to select clients with detailed information obtained from doctors involved in confidential studies. The reports advised clients whether to buy or sell a drug stock."
By Luke Timmerman and David Heath Seattle Times staff reporters
Doctors testing new drugs are sworn to keep their research secret until drug companies announce the final results. But elite Wall Street firms — looking to make quick profits — have found a way to harvest these secrets:
They pay doctors to divulge the details early.
A Seattle Times investigation found at least 26 cases in which doctors have leaked confidential and critical details of their ongoing drug research to Wall Street firms.
The practice involves doctors at top research universities from UCLA to the University of Pennsylvania, and powerful financial firms including Citigroup Smith Barney, UBS and Wachovia Securities.
In 24 of the 26 cases, the firms issued reports to select clients with detailed information obtained from doctors involved in confidential studies. The reports advised clients whether to buy or sell a drug stock."
GOP Paying Legal Bills of Bush Official: charged with plan to jam Democratic and labor union get-out-the-vote phone banks in November 2002
GOP Paying Legal Bills of Bush Official: "- By JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writer | Thursday, August 11, 2005 |
(08-11) 00:08 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party has quietly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide private defense lawyers for a former Bush campaign official charged with conspiring to keep Democrats from voting in New Hampshire.
James Tobin, the president's 2004 campaign chairman for New England, is charged in New Hampshire federal court with four felonies accusing him of conspiring with a state GOP official and a GOP consultant in Virginia to jam Democratic and labor union get-out-the-vote phone banks in November 2002.
A telephone firm was paid to make repeated hang-up phone calls to overwhelm the phone banks in New Hampshire and prevent them from getting Democratic voters to the polls on Election Day 2002, prosecutors allege. Republican John Sununu won a close race that day to be New Hampshire's newest senator.
At the time, Tobin was the RNC's New England regional director, before moving to President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.
A top New Hampshire Party official and a GOP consultant already have pleaded guilty and cooperated with prosecutors. Tobin's indictment accuses him of specifically calling the GOP consultant to get a telephone firm to help in the scheme.
(08-11) 00:08 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party has quietly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide private defense lawyers for a former Bush campaign official charged with conspiring to keep Democrats from voting in New Hampshire.
James Tobin, the president's 2004 campaign chairman for New England, is charged in New Hampshire federal court with four felonies accusing him of conspiring with a state GOP official and a GOP consultant in Virginia to jam Democratic and labor union get-out-the-vote phone banks in November 2002.
A telephone firm was paid to make repeated hang-up phone calls to overwhelm the phone banks in New Hampshire and prevent them from getting Democratic voters to the polls on Election Day 2002, prosecutors allege. Republican John Sununu won a close race that day to be New Hampshire's newest senator.
At the time, Tobin was the RNC's New England regional director, before moving to President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.
A top New Hampshire Party official and a GOP consultant already have pleaded guilty and cooperated with prosecutors. Tobin's indictment accuses him of specifically calling the GOP consultant to get a telephone firm to help in the scheme.
“An indictment is just the first step in the ever-evolving scandal involving Abramoff and the GOP Leadership."
News Release - CREW: "JACK ABRAMOFF INDICTED FOR BANK FRAUD IN CONNECTION WITH PURCHASE OF SUNCRUZ GAMBLING SHIPS
REP. BOB NEY DIRECTLY ASSISTED INDICTED LOBBYIST WITH PURCHASE - RECEIVED DONATIONS FROM ABRAMOFF AND KIDAN SHORTLY THEREAFTER
STAFFERS FOR REP. DELAY AND SEN. BURNS TOOK JUNKET ON SUNCRUZ
Washington, DC – Earlier today, lobbyist Jack Abramoff was indicted for bank fraud in connection with his 2000 purchase of the SunCruz gambling ships from Greek millionaire Gus Boulis. To finance the purchase, Abramoff and his partner Adam Kidan were required by Foothill Capitol to put up $23 million in cash to secure the loan. Abramoff and Kidan signed sworn documents, provided to Foothill Capitol at closing, attesting that they had paid Boulis the $23 million. In fact, Abramoff and Kidan never paid Boulis and by October 2000, Boulis was threatening to sue. In January 2001, Boulis did file suit, but in February 2001, he was murdered in an unsolved gang-land style homicide.
...
Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington stated, “An indictment is just the first step in the ever-evolving scandal involving Abramoff and the GOP Leadership. Now, Rep. Ney has some explaining to do. Given that Rep. Ney knew enough about SunCruz, Adam Kidan and Gus Boulis to insert comments about them in the Congressional Record, the House ethics committee should find out what else Rep. Ney knew about Abramoff’s illegal activities.” ...
REP. BOB NEY DIRECTLY ASSISTED INDICTED LOBBYIST WITH PURCHASE - RECEIVED DONATIONS FROM ABRAMOFF AND KIDAN SHORTLY THEREAFTER
STAFFERS FOR REP. DELAY AND SEN. BURNS TOOK JUNKET ON SUNCRUZ
Washington, DC – Earlier today, lobbyist Jack Abramoff was indicted for bank fraud in connection with his 2000 purchase of the SunCruz gambling ships from Greek millionaire Gus Boulis. To finance the purchase, Abramoff and his partner Adam Kidan were required by Foothill Capitol to put up $23 million in cash to secure the loan. Abramoff and Kidan signed sworn documents, provided to Foothill Capitol at closing, attesting that they had paid Boulis the $23 million. In fact, Abramoff and Kidan never paid Boulis and by October 2000, Boulis was threatening to sue. In January 2001, Boulis did file suit, but in February 2001, he was murdered in an unsolved gang-land style homicide.
...
Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington stated, “An indictment is just the first step in the ever-evolving scandal involving Abramoff and the GOP Leadership. Now, Rep. Ney has some explaining to do. Given that Rep. Ney knew enough about SunCruz, Adam Kidan and Gus Boulis to insert comments about them in the Congressional Record, the House ethics committee should find out what else Rep. Ney knew about Abramoff’s illegal activities.” ...
New treasurer of the Republican National Committee gets millions touting Carlyle Group for state teachers fund, [Bush I -- ex-director]
GOP bigwig gets millions touting investment firm - Yahoo! News: "By Ray Long and Christi Parsons Tribune staff reporters Sun Aug 7, 9:40 AM ET
A top national Republican official criticized for collecting hefty payments as a consultant in Illinois has received $3.1 million in fees from an investment firm that does business with the state teacher pension board.
Robert Kjellander, who on Friday was named treasurer of the Republican National Committee, is a longtime friend of President Bush's political strategist Karl Rove. He is also one of the state's premier lobbyists and collected the fees as part of his representation of The Carlyle Group, whose board of directors once included the first President Bush.
The use of consultants by firms seeking investments from public pension funds is entirely legal, and there is no accusation of wrongdoing involving Kjellander or Carlyle.
But interviews and documents obtained by the Tribune provide a new glimpse into the obscure, complicated world of state pension investments, where political insiders can operate with little public notice.
...
Kjellander, 57, of Springfield is the state's longtime Republican national committeeman. His lobbying clients range from Fortune 500 firms to health-care companies.
Two years ago, Kjellander was criticized by some Democrats and fellow Republicans after he landed an $809,000 consulting fee from the lead firm handling a $10 billion pension bond sale for the state. Republicans objected to a GOP leader cashing in on the Democratic administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, while others said the sheer size of the fee called into question the role of consultants.
Now Kjellander is on the verge of receiving $1.4 million more in fees because of Carlyle's business with the state Teachers' Retirement System.
That would push the total take for Kjellander's Springfield Consulting Group to $4.5 million from Carlyle since 2002, the company said. During that time, officials said, Carlyle won commitments for $500 million from the teacher pension fund over six deals.
A top national Republican official criticized for collecting hefty payments as a consultant in Illinois has received $3.1 million in fees from an investment firm that does business with the state teacher pension board.
Robert Kjellander, who on Friday was named treasurer of the Republican National Committee, is a longtime friend of President Bush's political strategist Karl Rove. He is also one of the state's premier lobbyists and collected the fees as part of his representation of The Carlyle Group, whose board of directors once included the first President Bush.
The use of consultants by firms seeking investments from public pension funds is entirely legal, and there is no accusation of wrongdoing involving Kjellander or Carlyle.
But interviews and documents obtained by the Tribune provide a new glimpse into the obscure, complicated world of state pension investments, where political insiders can operate with little public notice.
...
Kjellander, 57, of Springfield is the state's longtime Republican national committeeman. His lobbying clients range from Fortune 500 firms to health-care companies.
Two years ago, Kjellander was criticized by some Democrats and fellow Republicans after he landed an $809,000 consulting fee from the lead firm handling a $10 billion pension bond sale for the state. Republicans objected to a GOP leader cashing in on the Democratic administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, while others said the sheer size of the fee called into question the role of consultants.
Now Kjellander is on the verge of receiving $1.4 million more in fees because of Carlyle's business with the state Teachers' Retirement System.
That would push the total take for Kjellander's Springfield Consulting Group to $4.5 million from Carlyle since 2002, the company said. During that time, officials said, Carlyle won commitments for $500 million from the teacher pension fund over six deals.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
GOP pays tribute to Pat Robertson: bill includes a particularly curious $10.8 million for an I-64 exit leading to City Line Road, which doesn’t exist.
GOP pays tribute to Pat Robertson (HamptonRoads.com/Pilot Online): "The Virginian-Pilot | � August 5, 2005
...
Unless, apparently, you’re the well-wired face of the religious right named Pat Robertson, a man to whom the Republican Party is much beholden. Then, you get not one, but two exits serving your empire near the Chesapeake/Virginia Beach line.
...
Thanks to the work of U.S. Sen. George Allen, as well as U.S. Reps. Thelma Drake and J. Randy Forbes, the new $286 billion transportation bill includes a particularly curious $10.8 million for an I-64 exit leading to City Line Road, which doesn’t exist.
Robertson is planning a $300 million collection of houses, shops and offices. It sounds promising, but that’s really beside the point."
...
Unless, apparently, you’re the well-wired face of the religious right named Pat Robertson, a man to whom the Republican Party is much beholden. Then, you get not one, but two exits serving your empire near the Chesapeake/Virginia Beach line.
...
Thanks to the work of U.S. Sen. George Allen, as well as U.S. Reps. Thelma Drake and J. Randy Forbes, the new $286 billion transportation bill includes a particularly curious $10.8 million for an I-64 exit leading to City Line Road, which doesn’t exist.
Robertson is planning a $300 million collection of houses, shops and offices. It sounds promising, but that’s really beside the point."
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Bush administration may soon resume production of antipersonnel land mines that is at odds with both the international community
POLITICS-US: After 10-Year Hiatus, Pentagon Eyes New Landmine: "Isaac Baker
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 3 (IPS) - The George W. Bush administration may soon resume production of antipersonnel land mines in a move that is at odds with both the international community and previous U.S. policy on the weapons, says a leading human rights organisation.
In December of this year, the Pentagon will decide whether or not to begin producing a new type of antipersonnel land mine called a ”Spider”. The first of these mines would then be scheduled to roll out in early 2007.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the funds for Spider's production are already earmarked, as the Pentagon has requested 1.3 billion dollars for the mine system, as well as for another mine called the Intelligent Munitions System, which is expected to be fully running by 2008.
A new report by the HRW issued Wednesday notes these weapons that kill and maim an estimated 500 people, mostly civilians, each week. The group called on the Bush administration to halt all research and development on all types of these widely-banned weapons.
”With very few exceptions, nearly every nation has endorsed the goal of a global ban on all antipersonnel mines at some point in the future,” the HRW report says. ”Such acts (by the U.S.) would clearly be against the trend of the emerging international consensus against any possession or use of antipersonnel mines.” "
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 3 (IPS) - The George W. Bush administration may soon resume production of antipersonnel land mines in a move that is at odds with both the international community and previous U.S. policy on the weapons, says a leading human rights organisation.
In December of this year, the Pentagon will decide whether or not to begin producing a new type of antipersonnel land mine called a ”Spider”. The first of these mines would then be scheduled to roll out in early 2007.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the funds for Spider's production are already earmarked, as the Pentagon has requested 1.3 billion dollars for the mine system, as well as for another mine called the Intelligent Munitions System, which is expected to be fully running by 2008.
A new report by the HRW issued Wednesday notes these weapons that kill and maim an estimated 500 people, mostly civilians, each week. The group called on the Bush administration to halt all research and development on all types of these widely-banned weapons.
”With very few exceptions, nearly every nation has endorsed the goal of a global ban on all antipersonnel mines at some point in the future,” the HRW report says. ”Such acts (by the U.S.) would clearly be against the trend of the emerging international consensus against any possession or use of antipersonnel mines.” "
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs: General died two days after beaten Mowhoush nearly senseless, using fists, a club and a rubber hose
Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs: "By Josh White | Washington Post Staff Writer | Wednesday, August 3, 2005; Page A01
Interrogated General's Sleeping-Bag Death, CIA's Use of Secret Iraqi Squad Are Among Details
Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush was being stubborn with his American captors, and a series of intense beatings and creative interrogation tactics were not enough to break his will. On the morning of Nov. 26, 2003, a U.S. Army interrogator and a military guard grabbed a green sleeping bag, stuffed Mowhoush inside, wrapped him in an electrical cord, laid him on the floor and began to go to work. Again.
It was inside the sleeping bag that the 56-year-old detainee took his last breath through broken ribs, lying on the floor beneath a U.S. soldier in Interrogation Room 6 in the western Iraqi desert. Two days before, a secret CIA-sponsored group of Iraqi paramilitaries, working with Army interrogators, had beaten Mowhoush nearly senseless, using fists, a club and a rubber hose, according to classified documents. ...
Interrogated General's Sleeping-Bag Death, CIA's Use of Secret Iraqi Squad Are Among Details
Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush was being stubborn with his American captors, and a series of intense beatings and creative interrogation tactics were not enough to break his will. On the morning of Nov. 26, 2003, a U.S. Army interrogator and a military guard grabbed a green sleeping bag, stuffed Mowhoush inside, wrapped him in an electrical cord, laid him on the floor and began to go to work. Again.
It was inside the sleeping bag that the 56-year-old detainee took his last breath through broken ribs, lying on the floor beneath a U.S. soldier in Interrogation Room 6 in the western Iraqi desert. Two days before, a secret CIA-sponsored group of Iraqi paramilitaries, working with Army interrogators, had beaten Mowhoush nearly senseless, using fists, a club and a rubber hose, according to classified documents. ...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
British detainee's tale of US 'torture by proxy': prison near Rabat tallies with the Temara torture centre; CIA jets flew on the dates he specifies
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | British detainee's tale of US 'torture by proxy': "Stephen Grey and Ian Cobain | Tuesday August 2, 2005 | The Guardian
A west London man claims he is a victim of the US alleged 'torture by proxy' policy, and has given the first account of abuse he says is inflicted on 'ghost detainees' around the world.
Benyam Mohammed, 26, is accused of planning al-Qaida attacks. He says he spent 2� years in prisons in Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan before being taken to Guant�namo. During that time, he says, he was subjected to physical and mental torture. He also says he was questioned by American and British intelligence agents he believes to be FBI and MI6 officers
...
Among allegations of torture in a dossier by his lawyer are being beaten, having his genitals slashed, and being forced to listen to loud rock music for long periods. He left London for Afghanistan "to find out whether it was a good Islamic country or not", and was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He says he was flown to Morocco on a US plane and tortured in a secret prison.
One diary extract tells how four men entered his cell: "They cut off my clothes with some kind of doctor's scalpel. I was naked. I tried to put on a brave face ...One took my penis in his hand and began to make cuts. He did it once, and they stood still for maybe a minute, watching my reaction. I was in agony. They must have done this 20 to 30 times, in maybe two hours. There was blood all over. 'I told you I was going to teach you who's the man,' [one] eventually said."
His claims cannot be independently verified, and some groups affiliated to al-Qaida are believed to be taught to make allegations of torture. But his account of a prison near Rabat tallies with the Temara torture centre identified by the US organisation Human Rights Watch. The Guardian has obtained records showing CIA jets flew in and out of Morocco on the dates he specifies.
A west London man claims he is a victim of the US alleged 'torture by proxy' policy, and has given the first account of abuse he says is inflicted on 'ghost detainees' around the world.
Benyam Mohammed, 26, is accused of planning al-Qaida attacks. He says he spent 2� years in prisons in Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan before being taken to Guant�namo. During that time, he says, he was subjected to physical and mental torture. He also says he was questioned by American and British intelligence agents he believes to be FBI and MI6 officers
...
Among allegations of torture in a dossier by his lawyer are being beaten, having his genitals slashed, and being forced to listen to loud rock music for long periods. He left London for Afghanistan "to find out whether it was a good Islamic country or not", and was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He says he was flown to Morocco on a US plane and tortured in a secret prison.
One diary extract tells how four men entered his cell: "They cut off my clothes with some kind of doctor's scalpel. I was naked. I tried to put on a brave face ...One took my penis in his hand and began to make cuts. He did it once, and they stood still for maybe a minute, watching my reaction. I was in agony. They must have done this 20 to 30 times, in maybe two hours. There was blood all over. 'I told you I was going to teach you who's the man,' [one] eventually said."
His claims cannot be independently verified, and some groups affiliated to al-Qaida are believed to be taught to make allegations of torture. But his account of a prison near Rabat tallies with the Temara torture centre identified by the US organisation Human Rights Watch. The Guardian has obtained records showing CIA jets flew in and out of Morocco on the dates he specifies.
Third US military prosecutor has walked out of the commissions process set up to try Guantanamo Bay detainees because of concerns it was unfair
Third prosecutor critical of Guantanamo trials. 03/08/2005. ABC News Online: "Wednesday, August 3, 2005. 7:28am (AEST) | By North America correspondent Leigh Sales
David Hicks is due to face a US military tribunal after being held for almost four years at Guantanamo Bay.
A third US military prosecutor has walked out of the commissions process set up to try Guantanamo Bay detainees because of concerns it was unfair, the ABC has learned.
Air Force Captain Carrie Wolf chose to take a reassignment along with other prosecutors.
Capt Wolf asked to leave the Office of Military Commissions at the same time as two other colleagues, Major Robert Preston and Captain John Carr.
Earlier this week, the ABC revealed that in March 2004, Maj Preston and Capt Carr requested transfers because they believed the process was "rigged" and pursuing "marginal" cases.
Maj Preston was nominated for the Air Force's outstanding judge advocate award last year and Captain Carr has been promoted to major since leaving the military commissions.
It is understood Capt Wolf shared her colleagues' concerns and also asked for a redeployment. ...
David Hicks is due to face a US military tribunal after being held for almost four years at Guantanamo Bay.
A third US military prosecutor has walked out of the commissions process set up to try Guantanamo Bay detainees because of concerns it was unfair, the ABC has learned.
Air Force Captain Carrie Wolf chose to take a reassignment along with other prosecutors.
Capt Wolf asked to leave the Office of Military Commissions at the same time as two other colleagues, Major Robert Preston and Captain John Carr.
Earlier this week, the ABC revealed that in March 2004, Maj Preston and Capt Carr requested transfers because they believed the process was "rigged" and pursuing "marginal" cases.
Maj Preston was nominated for the Air Force's outstanding judge advocate award last year and Captain Carr has been promoted to major since leaving the military commissions.
It is understood Capt Wolf shared her colleagues' concerns and also asked for a redeployment. ...
Monday, August 01, 2005
"The handle of a sledgehammer, about this big . . . to assault the detainees with."
Salt Lake Tribune - Salt Lake Tribune Home Page: "08/01/2005 01:13:57 PM | By Matthew D. LaPlante | The Salt Lake Tribune"
Utah GI exposed abuses at prison ... His reports were brushed off until fellow Utahn stepped in
The Army captain appeared confused. "You're using 'sledgehammer' figuratively?" he asked the enlisted soldier sitting before him.
"No sir," the soldier replied, lifting his hands about 15 inches apart. "The handle of a sledgehammer, about this big . . . to assault the detainees with."
For Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pratt it would have been far easier to look away. If war is hell, after all, there are going to be some demons. And since hooking up with the Colorado-based 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Iraq in early 2003, the Utah National Guard soldier had learned it was simpler to ignore questionable actions than report them.
But the guardsman couldn't look past what he had seen in the Al Qiem Detention Facility. Not after the death of an inmate whom he believed had been abused by a senior officer. Not even as the Army announced that the prisoner had died "of natural causes."
Utah GI exposed abuses at prison ... His reports were brushed off until fellow Utahn stepped in
The Army captain appeared confused. "You're using 'sledgehammer' figuratively?" he asked the enlisted soldier sitting before him.
"No sir," the soldier replied, lifting his hands about 15 inches apart. "The handle of a sledgehammer, about this big . . . to assault the detainees with."
For Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pratt it would have been far easier to look away. If war is hell, after all, there are going to be some demons. And since hooking up with the Colorado-based 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Iraq in early 2003, the Utah National Guard soldier had learned it was simpler to ignore questionable actions than report them.
But the guardsman couldn't look past what he had seen in the Al Qiem Detention Facility. Not after the death of an inmate whom he believed had been abused by a senior officer. Not even as the Army announced that the prisoner had died "of natural causes."
Prison Torture Decisions Came from the Top
t r u t h o u t - Prison Torture Decisions Came from the Top: "Monday 01 August 2005 | 'Closing Guant�namo or Abu Ghraib will not stop torture', ex-White House Aide asserts."
Washington, DC - The prison torture decisions "came from the top," asserts Robert Weiner, a former Clinton White House senior public affairs official. "No matter where these prisons are, so long as our policy is the same, torture will take place - closing Guantánamo or Abu Ghraib will not stop the outbreak of abuses and torture."
In an op-ed in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, Weiner, now president of a public affairs issues strategies company, contends, "The orders to torture came from the top down. In the pyramid of power, first and foremost was President Bush's Jan. 25, 2002 executive order disavowing the Geneva Conventions for the 'new' kind of war we are fighting. Moreover, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez (now Attorney General) assisted in writing the 2002 memo, which also asserted that the Geneva Conventions - respected worldwide - were 'quaint' and 'obsolete.' Last May, before all our eyes in televised hearings, Department of Defense Under Secretary for Intelligence Dr. Stephen Cambone, who coordinates DOD intelligence policy, visibly waived off and interrupted key parts of Major General Antonio Taguba's testimony before the U.S. Senate on the depths of abuses."
In the piece, Weiner and co-author Emma Dick, a human rights analyst for Weiner's issue strategies company, contend that "calls to close the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay have diverted attention from the policies that have made both Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib infamous." They call it "astounding" that "the White House is claiming it would 'restrict the president's authority' to pass bipartisan legislation prohibiting the 'cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment' of detainees, and that Vice President Cheney is meeting with Congress saying the president will veto any such bill." Cheney has even stated that "if we didn't have that facility at Guantánamo to undertake this activity, we'd have to have it someplace else," words which Weiner and Dick say "send a chill to the human rights community".
The writers point out that "the torture strategy we've seen was hardly accidental or random. Army prison guards and wardens have stated that they often had to yield their turf to DoD Intelligence operations, and then the torture occurred. A June 25, 2004 memo between the FBI and DoD gave instructions to two generals: 'DoD has their marching orders from the Sec Def" about policies in the torture-questioning of prisoners." ...
Washington, DC - The prison torture decisions "came from the top," asserts Robert Weiner, a former Clinton White House senior public affairs official. "No matter where these prisons are, so long as our policy is the same, torture will take place - closing Guantánamo or Abu Ghraib will not stop the outbreak of abuses and torture."
In an op-ed in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, Weiner, now president of a public affairs issues strategies company, contends, "The orders to torture came from the top down. In the pyramid of power, first and foremost was President Bush's Jan. 25, 2002 executive order disavowing the Geneva Conventions for the 'new' kind of war we are fighting. Moreover, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez (now Attorney General) assisted in writing the 2002 memo, which also asserted that the Geneva Conventions - respected worldwide - were 'quaint' and 'obsolete.' Last May, before all our eyes in televised hearings, Department of Defense Under Secretary for Intelligence Dr. Stephen Cambone, who coordinates DOD intelligence policy, visibly waived off and interrupted key parts of Major General Antonio Taguba's testimony before the U.S. Senate on the depths of abuses."
In the piece, Weiner and co-author Emma Dick, a human rights analyst for Weiner's issue strategies company, contend that "calls to close the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay have diverted attention from the policies that have made both Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib infamous." They call it "astounding" that "the White House is claiming it would 'restrict the president's authority' to pass bipartisan legislation prohibiting the 'cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment' of detainees, and that Vice President Cheney is meeting with Congress saying the president will veto any such bill." Cheney has even stated that "if we didn't have that facility at Guantánamo to undertake this activity, we'd have to have it someplace else," words which Weiner and Dick say "send a chill to the human rights community".
The writers point out that "the torture strategy we've seen was hardly accidental or random. Army prison guards and wardens have stated that they often had to yield their turf to DoD Intelligence operations, and then the torture occurred. A June 25, 2004 memo between the FBI and DoD gave instructions to two generals: 'DoD has their marching orders from the Sec Def" about policies in the torture-questioning of prisoners." ...
In 'Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,' John Perkins tells us how the United States keeps poor countries down
The Capital Times: "The sinister side of U.S. biz | By Judie Kleinmaier | July 29, 2005
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | By John Perkins | Berrett-Koehler | 250 pages, $24.95
The World Bank (or similar international agency controlled by the U.S.) lends a huge amount of money to Country X. (AP Photo/Lauren Burke)
In 'Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,' John Perkins tells us how the United States keeps poor countries down.
There's no conspiracy, but insiders know how the game is played: Country X needs infrastructure. Consultants do a study, overstating the need. The World Bank (or similar international agency controlled by the U.S.) lends a huge amount of money to Country X. Company Y, a U.S. firm, gets the contract. Company Y provides the infrastructure at a premium price, often with environmental degradation as a byproduct. Country X gets needed infrastructure and in the process its leaders wind up rich, but the huge interest on the loans means that instead of using its money to help its citizens, each year it must pay millions in interest on the loans. And Country X never gets ahead.
'In the end,' writes Perkins, 'those leaders become ensnared in a web of debt that ensures their loyalty. We can draw on them whenever we desire - to satisfy our political, economic, or military needs.'
This scenario is carried out by economic hit men - 'highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars,' says Perkins. For a decade, he was one of them." ...
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | By John Perkins | Berrett-Koehler | 250 pages, $24.95
The World Bank (or similar international agency controlled by the U.S.) lends a huge amount of money to Country X. (AP Photo/Lauren Burke)
In 'Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,' John Perkins tells us how the United States keeps poor countries down.
There's no conspiracy, but insiders know how the game is played: Country X needs infrastructure. Consultants do a study, overstating the need. The World Bank (or similar international agency controlled by the U.S.) lends a huge amount of money to Country X. Company Y, a U.S. firm, gets the contract. Company Y provides the infrastructure at a premium price, often with environmental degradation as a byproduct. Country X gets needed infrastructure and in the process its leaders wind up rich, but the huge interest on the loans means that instead of using its money to help its citizens, each year it must pay millions in interest on the loans. And Country X never gets ahead.
'In the end,' writes Perkins, 'those leaders become ensnared in a web of debt that ensures their loyalty. We can draw on them whenever we desire - to satisfy our political, economic, or military needs.'
This scenario is carried out by economic hit men - 'highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars,' says Perkins. For a decade, he was one of them." ...
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