It was a moment that librarians had been dreading.
On June 8, 2004, an FBI agent stopped at the Deming branch of the Whatcom County Library System in northwest Washington and requested a list of the people who had borrowed a biography of Osama bin Laden. We said no.
We did not take this step lightly. First, our attorney called the local FBI office and asked why the information was important. She was told that one of our patrons had sent the FBI the book after discovering these words written in the margin: "If the things I'm doing is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal. Hostility toward America is a religious duty and we hope to be rewarded by God."
We told the FBI that it would have to follow legal channels before our board of trustees would address releasing the names of the borrowers. We also informed the FBI that, through a Google search, our attorney had discovered that the words in the margin were almost identical to a statement by bin Laden in a 1998 interview.
Undeterred, the FBI served a subpoena on the library a week later demanding a list of everyone who had borrowed the book since November 2001.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Chairman of coalition aimed at killing filibuster pirated Dem, GOP memos on judicial nominees
The chairman of a massive coalition of groups working to kill the filibuster was forced to resign from the Senate Judiciary Committee last year after admitting to raiding thousands of private Democratic and GOP strategy memos relating to judicial nominees without permission—a fact that continues to go unnoticed in media reports, RAW STORY has found.
Chairman of the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters Manuel Miranda admitted to accessing thousands of private Democratic and Republican memos without permission in 2004, which he likened to “to finding documents left on his desk.”
He was a formerly counsel to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) on judicial nominations.
A probe in early 2004 concluded “that more than 4,500 files of committee Democrats were accessed by former Hatch aides Manuel Miranda and Jason Lundell.” His tapping of strategy memos on judicial nominees went on for months; their contents appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times.
Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, Former Chairman of the Judiciary Committee also complained in a Deseret Morning News article in 2004 that Miranda accessed about 100 of his own files “without his knowledge or permission.”
Bogus mariachi bands rob music-lovers
In the latest crime ruse to hit Mexico City, thieves are dressing up as mariachi musicians in embroidered suits with wide-brimmed somberros to rob unsuspecting music-lovers.
Mingling among the roughly 1,700 licensed mariachi who serenade people with raucous folk songs in a central city square are hundreds of "pirate" mariachi more adept at picking pockets than strumming guitars, city officials say.
In a city where organized crime gangs make an easy living from armed assault and kidnapping, police fear the bogus musicians could trick people into taking them home to play at family parties, where mariachi are a popular treat.
Mingling among the roughly 1,700 licensed mariachi who serenade people with raucous folk songs in a central city square are hundreds of "pirate" mariachi more adept at picking pockets than strumming guitars, city officials say.
In a city where organized crime gangs make an easy living from armed assault and kidnapping, police fear the bogus musicians could trick people into taking them home to play at family parties, where mariachi are a popular treat.
Personal Data for the Taking
Senator Ted Stevens wanted to know just how much the Internet had turned private lives into open books. So the senator, a Republican from Alaska and the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, instructed his staff to steal his identity.
"I regret to say they were successful," the senator reported at a hearing he held last week on data theft.
His staff, Mr. Stevens reported, had come back not just with digital breadcrumbs on the senator, but also with insights on his daughter's rental property and some of the comings and goings of his son, a student in California. "For $65 they were told they could get my Social Security number," he said.
That would not surprise 41 graduate students in a computer security course at Johns Hopkins University. With less money than that, they became mini-data-brokers themselves over the last semester.
They proved what privacy advocates have been saying for years and what Senator Stevens recently learned: all it takes to obtain reams of personal data is Internet access, a few dollars and some spare time.
"I regret to say they were successful," the senator reported at a hearing he held last week on data theft.
His staff, Mr. Stevens reported, had come back not just with digital breadcrumbs on the senator, but also with insights on his daughter's rental property and some of the comings and goings of his son, a student in California. "For $65 they were told they could get my Social Security number," he said.
That would not surprise 41 graduate students in a computer security course at Johns Hopkins University. With less money than that, they became mini-data-brokers themselves over the last semester.
They proved what privacy advocates have been saying for years and what Senator Stevens recently learned: all it takes to obtain reams of personal data is Internet access, a few dollars and some spare time.
Armenian Genocide Plagues Ankara 90 Years On
This weekend, Armenians commemorated the 90th anniversary of the genocide of 1915. But Turkey has yet to recognize the crime -- the first genocide of the 20th century. By refusing to use the word "genocide," Turkey could complicate its efforts to join the European Union.
Moyers: "A democracy can die of too many lies"
The story I've come to share with you goes to the core of our belief that the quality of democracy and the quality of journalism are deeply entwined. I can tell this story because I've been living it.
As you know, CPB was established almost 40 years ago to set broad policy for public broadcasting and to be a firewall between political influence and program content. What some on its board are doing today, led by its chairman, Kenneth Tomlinson, is too important, too disturbing and, yes, even dangerous for a gathering like this not to address it. We're seeing unfold a contemporary example of the age-old ambition of power and ideology to squelch, to punish, the journalist who tells the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable.
As you know, CPB was established almost 40 years ago to set broad policy for public broadcasting and to be a firewall between political influence and program content. What some on its board are doing today, led by its chairman, Kenneth Tomlinson, is too important, too disturbing and, yes, even dangerous for a gathering like this not to address it. We're seeing unfold a contemporary example of the age-old ambition of power and ideology to squelch, to punish, the journalist who tells the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable.
Rural cellphone use may pose tumour risk
Cellphone users in rural areas could be at greater risk of developing brain tumours than those living in the city, according to a controversial new Swedish study.
The research claims that digital cellphone users who live in the countryside for at least three years increase their chances of developing a malignant brain tumour by a factor of three.
One explanation for this is that transmitter base stations tend to be more spread out in rural areas as compared with towns, say the authors, led by Lennart Hardell at the University of Örebro in Sweden. As a result, the phones have to emit more powerful signals to enable them to link with their nearest stations, thereby exposing the user to more powerful radio waves.
In recent years some studies have claimed to have shown connections between cellphone use and a type of brain cancer - called acoustic neuromas.
But repeated attempts by scientists in a number of different countries have consistently failed to find conclusive proof of an adverse health effect from cellphone use. So this new study, which claims to be the first to find a “geographical” effect, is likely to be contentious.
The research claims that digital cellphone users who live in the countryside for at least three years increase their chances of developing a malignant brain tumour by a factor of three.
One explanation for this is that transmitter base stations tend to be more spread out in rural areas as compared with towns, say the authors, led by Lennart Hardell at the University of Örebro in Sweden. As a result, the phones have to emit more powerful signals to enable them to link with their nearest stations, thereby exposing the user to more powerful radio waves.
In recent years some studies have claimed to have shown connections between cellphone use and a type of brain cancer - called acoustic neuromas.
But repeated attempts by scientists in a number of different countries have consistently failed to find conclusive proof of an adverse health effect from cellphone use. So this new study, which claims to be the first to find a “geographical” effect, is likely to be contentious.
Seattle High School Bans Recruiters
The school is perhaps one of the first in the nation to debate and vote against military recruiting on high school campuses - a topic already simmering at the college level. In fact, the Supreme Court recently agreed to decide whether the federal government can withhold funds from colleges that bar military recruiters.
High schools are struggling with a similar issue as the No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools receiving federal funding must release the names of its students to recruiters. Some feel that's an invasion of privacy prompted by a war effort that has largely divided the American public. Others say barring recruiters is an infringement of free speech - and a snub to the military, particularly in a time of war.
Garfield High School took a decisive step last week with a vote of 25 to 5 to adopt a resolution that says "public schools are not a place for military recruiters."
High schools are struggling with a similar issue as the No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools receiving federal funding must release the names of its students to recruiters. Some feel that's an invasion of privacy prompted by a war effort that has largely divided the American public. Others say barring recruiters is an infringement of free speech - and a snub to the military, particularly in a time of war.
Garfield High School took a decisive step last week with a vote of 25 to 5 to adopt a resolution that says "public schools are not a place for military recruiters."
US Arrests Luis Posada Carriles
The US bowed to international pressure last night by arresting an anti-Castro exile wanted over the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner in which 73 people were killed.
Luis Posada Carriles was taken into custody after he had surfaced publicly in the US for the first time, giving an interview toThe Miami Herald newspaper. His arrest followed a demonstration yesterday in Havana led by Fidel Castro with thousands demanding his extradition.
In the interview, Mr Posada, 77, conceded that he had entered the US several weeks ago overland from Mexico and had travelled by Greyhound bus to Miami to be among underground supporters of the long-running campaign to oust President Castro.
American authorities had said that they did not know of his whereabouts. Last night the US Homeland Security Department said it had 48 hours to determine his immigration status.
Luis Posada Carriles was taken into custody after he had surfaced publicly in the US for the first time, giving an interview toThe Miami Herald newspaper. His arrest followed a demonstration yesterday in Havana led by Fidel Castro with thousands demanding his extradition.
In the interview, Mr Posada, 77, conceded that he had entered the US several weeks ago overland from Mexico and had travelled by Greyhound bus to Miami to be among underground supporters of the long-running campaign to oust President Castro.
American authorities had said that they did not know of his whereabouts. Last night the US Homeland Security Department said it had 48 hours to determine his immigration status.
ACLU seeks files from FBI on possible surveillance of activist groups
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is seeking FBI files on behalf of four advocacy groups and 10 activists in the state, saying it believes they have been targets of surveillance because of their politics.
The ACLU, in Freedom of Information Act requests it plans to send out today, is requesting all records kept by the FBI and antiterrorism agencies on the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group in Cambridge; the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which has a state chapter in Boston; the International Action Committee Boston, an antiwar group, and the ACLU itself. The letter also seeks government files on 10 activists and political dissidents, including such liberal heavyweights as Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky.
Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU chapter in Massachusetts, said several activists believe they have been under surveillance for at least a year, including around the time of the Democratic and Republican national conventions last summer.
The ACLU, in Freedom of Information Act requests it plans to send out today, is requesting all records kept by the FBI and antiterrorism agencies on the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group in Cambridge; the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which has a state chapter in Boston; the International Action Committee Boston, an antiwar group, and the ACLU itself. The letter also seeks government files on 10 activists and political dissidents, including such liberal heavyweights as Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky.
Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU chapter in Massachusetts, said several activists believe they have been under surveillance for at least a year, including around the time of the Democratic and Republican national conventions last summer.
Head of Abu Ghraib Prison Speaks Out
Only two members of the military brass have been disciplined so far, most prominently Karpinski, who was commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade and was in charge of military prisons in Iraq — despite never having run a prison system. She was reprimanded, demoted to colonel and relieved of her duties, but the U.S. military did not bring criminal charges against her.
In the "Nightline" interview, Karpinski said the events at Abu Ghraib took place when she no longer was in direct control of the prison. She also said blaming her is "convenient" for the military, especially given what she sees as the Army's disdain for the Reservists.
"And I think it goes a long way toward explaining why we were not well received by Gen. [Ricardo] Sanchez or his entire staff," she said of the former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. "They didn't want to acknowledge that they needed a Reserve brigade, especially when commanded by a female general officer, to do this critical mission."
In the "Nightline" interview, Karpinski said the events at Abu Ghraib took place when she no longer was in direct control of the prison. She also said blaming her is "convenient" for the military, especially given what she sees as the Army's disdain for the Reservists.
"And I think it goes a long way toward explaining why we were not well received by Gen. [Ricardo] Sanchez or his entire staff," she said of the former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. "They didn't want to acknowledge that they needed a Reserve brigade, especially when commanded by a female general officer, to do this critical mission."
Georgia grenade was real and threat to Bush - FBI
he FBI said on Wednesday a grenade thrown at President George W. Bush during a visit to Georgia last week had been a threat to the American leader and had only failed to explode because of a malfunction.
In a statement, a Federal Bureau of Investigation official at the U.S. embassy said the grenade, thrown while Bush made a keynote speech in Tbilisi's Freedom Square on May 10, had been live and landed within 30 metres (100 feet) of the president.
"We consider this act to be a threat against the health and welfare of both the President of the United States and the President of Georgia as well as the multitude of Georgian people that had turned out at this event," said the statement from C. Bryan Paarmann, the FBI's legal attache at the embassy.
In a statement, a Federal Bureau of Investigation official at the U.S. embassy said the grenade, thrown while Bush made a keynote speech in Tbilisi's Freedom Square on May 10, had been live and landed within 30 metres (100 feet) of the president.
"We consider this act to be a threat against the health and welfare of both the President of the United States and the President of Georgia as well as the multitude of Georgian people that had turned out at this event," said the statement from C. Bryan Paarmann, the FBI's legal attache at the embassy.
F.B.I. Discovers Trial Transcript in Emmett Till Case
The copy, described as faint and barely legible, is the only publicly known record of the trial, in which an all-white jury in Tallahatchie County, Miss., acquitted the defendants. Both men, who later confessed the crime to Look magazine, are now dead. The investigation seeks to determine whether anyone still living may also have been involved.
Emmett was a 14-year-old Chicagoan who was visiting relatives in the town of Money when, accused of whistling at a white woman, he was dragged from his bed, beaten beyond recognition and shot, his body dumped into the Tallahatchie River. A photograph of his grotesquely misshapen face at his funeral became emblematic of Jim Crow horror.
Robert J. Garrity Jr., the F.B.I.'s special agent in charge in Mississippi, said in an interview yesterday that the newly found transcript would allow investigators to review the testimony of witnesses who are now dead and also compare living witnesses' accounts today with what they said in court 50 years ago.
Mr. Garrity would not say how the bureau had obtained the transcript, and declined to release it. County officials have said they have no file on the case.
Emmett was a 14-year-old Chicagoan who was visiting relatives in the town of Money when, accused of whistling at a white woman, he was dragged from his bed, beaten beyond recognition and shot, his body dumped into the Tallahatchie River. A photograph of his grotesquely misshapen face at his funeral became emblematic of Jim Crow horror.
Robert J. Garrity Jr., the F.B.I.'s special agent in charge in Mississippi, said in an interview yesterday that the newly found transcript would allow investigators to review the testimony of witnesses who are now dead and also compare living witnesses' accounts today with what they said in court 50 years ago.
Mr. Garrity would not say how the bureau had obtained the transcript, and declined to release it. County officials have said they have no file on the case.
The 'Newsweek' Scandal: Harm and Hypocrisy
Relying on an unreliable source? Causing harm to America's image abroad? Getting people killed? No, it's not WMDs, the war in Iraq, or Abu Ghraib -- it's a rush-to-judgement item in a popular newsweekly. Who is Scott McClellan to lecture the media on "credibility"?
Coal- Fired Energy Company Reports on Global Warming
Coal-burning utility Cinergy includes 35 pages on global warming in its annual report. Letter from the CEO, interviews with investors and other stakeholders. [from MetaFilter.com]
Music from 100 Years Ago
Buying Rare Race Records in the South. Music That Americans Loved 100 Years Ago. The Cheney Talking Machine. Just three among dozens of amazing articles about early recording machines and American popular music at the astonishingly detailed site of Tim Gracyk, author of Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895-1925. Scroll down for bios of forgotten stars, including Nora Bayes - who performed in the Follies of 1907, before Flo Ziegfeld's name became part of the title, George W. Johnson - "the most important African-American recording artist of the 1890s," and piano player Zez Confrey, whose sheet music for the 1921 hit "Kitten on the Keys" sold over a million copies and became "the third most-frequently recorded rag in history." [from MetaFilter.com]
Two Army Officers Staged Mock Executions of Iraqi Prisoners
Two Army officers staged mock executions of Iraqi prisoners in 2003 and were given career-ending punishments, according to military officials and newly released documents.
Mock executions - where a prisoner is made to believe his execution is imminent - are expressly prohibited by Army interrogation policy as a form of torture, according to the Army field manual.
The details of the investigations into the two officers were described in documents sought by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The Army provided the documents to reporters on Tuesday.
In one case, on July 13, 2003, a captain with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Carson, Colo., took an Iraqi welder out to the desert and had him dig his own grave before staging an attempt to shoot him, according to documents. The captain was looking for information on a bombing two days before.
Mock executions - where a prisoner is made to believe his execution is imminent - are expressly prohibited by Army interrogation policy as a form of torture, according to the Army field manual.
The details of the investigations into the two officers were described in documents sought by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The Army provided the documents to reporters on Tuesday.
In one case, on July 13, 2003, a captain with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Carson, Colo., took an Iraqi welder out to the desert and had him dig his own grave before staging an attempt to shoot him, according to documents. The captain was looking for information on a bombing two days before.
US Looks to Weaponizing Space
U.S. efforts to deploy weapons in space face major technical, budgetary and physical barriers, opponents warned this week, but military planners still have high hopes for the "high ground" of future wars.
Everett Dolman, a professor at the Air Force's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, said he expected the White House to issue a new space policy next month that would underscore the military's determination to protect its existing space assets and maintain dominance of outer space.
Space was essential to how the U.S. military fights wars, Dolman said, noting that satellites already helped relay communications among troops, provided intelligence and targeting data, and guided bombs to their destinations.
"We've crossed the threshold and we simply cannot step back," Dolman, a proponent of space weapons, told Reuters at a two-day Nuclear Policy Research Institute conference.
Dolman said the critical question was not whether the United States should weaponize space, but whether it could afford to allow other states to get a jump-start in this area.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Unmanned drone kills al-Qaida operative
An al-Qaida figure killed last week by a missile from a CIA-operated unmanned aerial drone had been under surveillance for more than a week by U.S. intelligence and military personnel working along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, a U.S. official and two counterterrorism experts said yesterday.
Waste at the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Established in 1988 to oversee all aspects of America’s war on drugs and to coordinate U.S. domestic and international anti-drug efforts, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has morphed into a federal wasteland, throwing taxpayer money toward numerous high-priced drug control programs that have failed to show results.
...Instead of curbing America’s drug problem, ONDCP has wasted $4.2 billion since fiscal 1997 on media advertising, fighting state legislation, and deficient anti-drug trafficking programs. ONDCP’s fiscal 2005 budget of $507 million will fund such diverse functions as local law enforcement, cracking down on medical marijuana use, drug research and treatment, and the eradication of coca crops in Latin America.
Many of ONDCP’s outreach efforts focus on reducing marijuana use. In fact, since Arizona and California passed medicinal marijuana laws in November 1996, ONDCP has been intent on reducing the popularity of marijuana in the U.S. The agency created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in 1998 just for that purpose. ONDCP also began campaigning against state ballot initiatives legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana, which is an infringement upon states’ rights, a blatant misuse of tax dollars, and in contravention of ONDCP’s original mission. The White House’s drug office should use its resources to root out major drug operations in the U.S. instead of creating propaganda-filled news videos and flying across the country on the taxpayers’ dime.
...Instead of curbing America’s drug problem, ONDCP has wasted $4.2 billion since fiscal 1997 on media advertising, fighting state legislation, and deficient anti-drug trafficking programs. ONDCP’s fiscal 2005 budget of $507 million will fund such diverse functions as local law enforcement, cracking down on medical marijuana use, drug research and treatment, and the eradication of coca crops in Latin America.
Many of ONDCP’s outreach efforts focus on reducing marijuana use. In fact, since Arizona and California passed medicinal marijuana laws in November 1996, ONDCP has been intent on reducing the popularity of marijuana in the U.S. The agency created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in 1998 just for that purpose. ONDCP also began campaigning against state ballot initiatives legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana, which is an infringement upon states’ rights, a blatant misuse of tax dollars, and in contravention of ONDCP’s original mission. The White House’s drug office should use its resources to root out major drug operations in the U.S. instead of creating propaganda-filled news videos and flying across the country on the taxpayers’ dime.
After the oil is gone
Suburbs will collapse into slums. Farmhand will be a more viable career choice than public relations executive. And avoiding starvation will replace avoiding boredom as the national pastime.
Those are just a few of the predictions that James Howard Kunstler makes in his new book. "The Long Emergency" paints a dystopic view of the United States in the wake of what Kunstler dubs the "cheap oil fiesta." It's a future the author insists is not apocalyptic. Calling it the end of the world be too easy. No, Kunstler believes the human race will survive as we slip down the other side of Hubbert's Oil Peak. But the high standard of living we've built by gorging on cheap oil will not. America, as a political entity, will be history too.
Those are just a few of the predictions that James Howard Kunstler makes in his new book. "The Long Emergency" paints a dystopic view of the United States in the wake of what Kunstler dubs the "cheap oil fiesta." It's a future the author insists is not apocalyptic. Calling it the end of the world be too easy. No, Kunstler believes the human race will survive as we slip down the other side of Hubbert's Oil Peak. But the high standard of living we've built by gorging on cheap oil will not. America, as a political entity, will be history too.
Groups call for whistleblowers to come forward
Three nonprofit whistleblower protection groups are asking federal employees who have filed complaints with the Office of Special Counsel to come forward and share information on how their cases were handled.
The Government Accountability Project issued an "action alert" this month, asking federal workers who have filed whistleblower complaints in the past 18 months to contact them regarding how OSC handled their cases. The GAP statement alleges that about 1,000 cases were closed without investigation, "often without even calling the whistleblower."
The Government Accountability Project issued an "action alert" this month, asking federal workers who have filed whistleblower complaints in the past 18 months to contact them regarding how OSC handled their cases. The GAP statement alleges that about 1,000 cases were closed without investigation, "often without even calling the whistleblower."
Is Israel Buring Nuclear Waste in the Occupied Territories?
Dr. Abu Safiyya said in a press conference at IPC on April 10 that these violations contradict the international humanitarian law and the global environment treaties, considering the establishment of a waste landfill near Nablus the most dangerous violation against the Palestinian people.
He called on the UN agencies interested in environment to halt the Israeli transgressions, which endanger both the human beings and natural resources.
Abu Safiyya added, during the conference, that the issue of the Israeli environmental violations were more dangerous than the Apartheid Wall, explaining that the Wall can be torn down at any moment, while the environment and natural resources take hundreds or thousands of years to be mended.
He called on the UN agencies interested in environment to halt the Israeli transgressions, which endanger both the human beings and natural resources.
Abu Safiyya added, during the conference, that the issue of the Israeli environmental violations were more dangerous than the Apartheid Wall, explaining that the Wall can be torn down at any moment, while the environment and natural resources take hundreds or thousands of years to be mended.
NYC "Freedom Tower" Design Goes to Committee
No one should underestimate how difficult it is to reconcile security with the building's symbolic importance and its commercial viability.
It's easy to say that every precaution should be taken and no expense should be spared. The unpleasant reality is that what makes a building safe may well make it unusable, or at least unrentable, as a commercial building. And however soaring the architectural rhetoric, a symbol of American resilience will be an empty one, on every level, if no one wants to rent it.
Officials at the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and at developer Silverstein Properties are officially mum about what new security criteria will be incorporated, but analogous situations offer lessons. [via UnknownNews.net]
NC cohabitation law challenged
There are some 144,000 unmarried couples living together in North Carolina, and they are all breaking the law -a statute that has been on the books since 1805.
The law against cohabitation is rarely enforced. But now the American Civil Liberties Union is suing to overturn it, on behalf of a former sheriff's dispatcher who says she had to quit her job because she wouldn't marry her live-in boyfriend.
The law against cohabitation is rarely enforced. But now the American Civil Liberties Union is suing to overturn it, on behalf of a former sheriff's dispatcher who says she had to quit her job because she wouldn't marry her live-in boyfriend.
Flight attendants strip in protest
"We are producing this calendar because we are facing the frightening probability that our 'guaranteed' pension will be terminated," the group, who call themselves the "The Stews," said on their Web site. Three of the flight attendants are retired. Two are active.
"Our mission is to create a national awareness to the naked truth that no retirement fund is completely secure and that there is a definite crisis in the pension guaranty system."
The calendar was released to coincide with a bankruptcy court's approval this week of United's plan to terminate $9.8 billion in employee pension obligations. Under that plan, the government will take over United's pension plans. Government payouts, however, will be lower in most cases.
Afghanistan likely to have permanent US military
Afghanistan's defence minister on Tuesday gave one of the clearest signs yet that Kabul is open to permanent basing of US forces in the country, saying his government was in discussions with the US that could include air bases in Afghanistan after the current nation-building process ends.
General Abdul Rahim Wardak said the details of what would constitute a long-term US presence were still under discussion. But he signalled Kabul was eager for “enduring arrangements” that could include permanent air bases or “pre-positioned” military equipment that would be used by rapidly deployed US forces in a crisis.
General Abdul Rahim Wardak said the details of what would constitute a long-term US presence were still under discussion. But he signalled Kabul was eager for “enduring arrangements” that could include permanent air bases or “pre-positioned” military equipment that would be used by rapidly deployed US forces in a crisis.
'Freakonomics' - Economist Takes on Unusual Problems
A FEW years ago, a young economist named Steven D. Levitt became briefly notorious for collaborating on a research paper that contained a strikingly novel thesis: abortion curbs crime. What Levitt and his co-author claimed, specifically, was that the sharp drop in the United States crime rate during the 1990's -- commonly attributed to factors like better policing, stiffer gun laws and an aging population -- was in fact largely due to the Roe v. Wade decision two decades earlier. The logic was simple: unwanted children are more likely to grow up to become criminals; legalized abortion leads to less unwantedness; therefore, abortion leads to less crime.
...''Freakonomics,'' written with the help of the journalist Stephen J. Dubner, is an odd book. For one thing, it proudly boasts that it has no unifying theme. For another, each chapter begins with a quotation from the under-author (Dubner) telling us how great the over-author (Levitt) is: a ''master of the simple, clever solution,'' a ''noetic butterfly'' (!), ''genial, low-key and unflappable,'' etc. Yet a little self-indulgence can be tolerated in a book as instructive and entertaining as this one. (''Freakonomics'' grew out of a profile Dubner wrote about Levitt in The New York Times Magazine, where I am also a contributor, but we've never met.) [thanks, Sharon]
...''Freakonomics,'' written with the help of the journalist Stephen J. Dubner, is an odd book. For one thing, it proudly boasts that it has no unifying theme. For another, each chapter begins with a quotation from the under-author (Dubner) telling us how great the over-author (Levitt) is: a ''master of the simple, clever solution,'' a ''noetic butterfly'' (!), ''genial, low-key and unflappable,'' etc. Yet a little self-indulgence can be tolerated in a book as instructive and entertaining as this one. (''Freakonomics'' grew out of a profile Dubner wrote about Levitt in The New York Times Magazine, where I am also a contributor, but we've never met.) [thanks, Sharon]
Cheerful Ode to Lemons of Literature
Celebrating clunky sentences and mixed metaphors, self-indulgent prose and just plain old bad writing, Lit Lite, a weekly literary series, invites performers to select and read from their favorite bad books. And so one evening last week at the Chelsea restaurant Elmo, Greg Walloch, a stand-up comic, chose to deliver passages from two novels by the actor Ethan Hawke, "The Hottest State" and "Ash Wednesday."
"Man, when I first met Christy - and this is no joke, a cliché but no joke - it was like my heart was literally stuck on my esophagus," Mr. Walloch read from "Ash Wednesday" as an audience of more than 40 groaned and giggled. It was soon revealed that Christy is a woman with a posterior so "dynamite," that, "if you looked at her from the back you'd swear she was a black chick." Mr. Walloch, who is white, deadpanned, "That happens to me all the time." [thanks, Sharon]
"Man, when I first met Christy - and this is no joke, a cliché but no joke - it was like my heart was literally stuck on my esophagus," Mr. Walloch read from "Ash Wednesday" as an audience of more than 40 groaned and giggled. It was soon revealed that Christy is a woman with a posterior so "dynamite," that, "if you looked at her from the back you'd swear she was a black chick." Mr. Walloch, who is white, deadpanned, "That happens to me all the time." [thanks, Sharon]
Corporate anthems find Web fans
Corporate anthems as a musical genre and a marketing tool. There are lots to listen to here, including the Open Source Song. [from MetaFilter.com]
Southern Baptists Told To Probe Public Schools For Pro-Gay Positions
A Houston lawyer who called on Southern Baptists to remove their children from public schools last year is now asking churches to investigate whether schools are teaching acceptance of homosexuality.
Bruce Shortt's resolution was rejected last year, but he is proposing another to be considered at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Nashville next month.
If churches find that public schools are teaching acceptance of homosexuality, the resolution calls on parents to remove their children and either home-school them or enroll them in Christian schools.
Bruce Shortt's resolution was rejected last year, but he is proposing another to be considered at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Nashville next month.
If churches find that public schools are teaching acceptance of homosexuality, the resolution calls on parents to remove their children and either home-school them or enroll them in Christian schools.
A $2 Billion Boner
The federal government will spend nearly $2 billion in the next decade on male impotence drugs under its Medicare program, according to a new cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that is fueling some lawmakers' efforts to end that spending.
Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican, is sponsoring a bill to prohibit most erectile dysfunction drug sales under Medicare, the government's insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and released the cost figures yesterday as part of his effort.
Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican, is sponsoring a bill to prohibit most erectile dysfunction drug sales under Medicare, the government's insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and released the cost figures yesterday as part of his effort.
Border Patrol May Enlist Citizens
The U.S. Border Patrol needs thousands more agents and is considering how to effectively use volunteer citizen patrols, a senior homeland security official told House lawmakers Thursday.
"We need more Border Patrol agents, there's no question about that," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner told members of the House Government Reform Committee. CBP is in charge of the Border Patrol.
"We need more Border Patrol agents, there's no question about that," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner told members of the House Government Reform Committee. CBP is in charge of the Border Patrol.
Soldiers' spoof Iraq video crashes computers
Soldiers serving in Iraq crashed defence ministry computers in London last week after officials downloaded a spoof video the troops had made of a chart-topping song.
The soldiers' four-minute video take of the 1971 hit "Is This The Way To Amarillo" had officers laughing out loud back at London headquarters as they e-mailed copies to each other.
"The video is really good," a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
But computers could not cope with the demand and the e-mail server was paralysed for "several hours" on Friday, May 13, he said.
The soldiers' four-minute video take of the 1971 hit "Is This The Way To Amarillo" had officers laughing out loud back at London headquarters as they e-mailed copies to each other.
"The video is really good," a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
But computers could not cope with the demand and the e-mail server was paralysed for "several hours" on Friday, May 13, he said.
Iraqi Leaders Calling Operation Matator a "Disaster"
The U.S. military hails last week's Operation Matador as a success that killed more than 125 insurgents. But local tribesmen said it was a disaster for their communities and has made them leery of ever again assisting American or Iraqi forces.
The battle, which pitted some Iraqi tribes against each other, underscored the complex tribal politics that compound the religious and ethnic tensions plaguing Iraq.
In interviews, influential tribal leaders and many residents of the remote border towns said the 1,000 U.S. troops who swept into their territories in the weeklong campaign that ended over the weekend didn't distinguish between the Iraqis who supported the United States and the fighters battling it.
"The Americans were bombing whole villages and saying they were only after the foreigners," said Fasal al Goud, a former governor of Anbar province who said he asked U.S. forces for help on behalf of the tribes. "An AK-47 can't distinguish between a terrorist and a tribesman, so how could a missile or tank?"
The battle, which pitted some Iraqi tribes against each other, underscored the complex tribal politics that compound the religious and ethnic tensions plaguing Iraq.
In interviews, influential tribal leaders and many residents of the remote border towns said the 1,000 U.S. troops who swept into their territories in the weeklong campaign that ended over the weekend didn't distinguish between the Iraqis who supported the United States and the fighters battling it.
"The Americans were bombing whole villages and saying they were only after the foreigners," said Fasal al Goud, a former governor of Anbar province who said he asked U.S. forces for help on behalf of the tribes. "An AK-47 can't distinguish between a terrorist and a tribesman, so how could a missile or tank?"
Strip-searched Kerry supporters sue Secret Service
Alice McCabe and Christine Nelson are suing the U.S. Secret Service and three of its agents, the Iowa State Patrol and two patrolmen, and Linn County.
The two women, both school teachers in their 50s, were among scores of people who were arrested, removed or barred from Bush rallies last year for wearing shirt or buttons favoring his Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry, or for vocally criticizing the president.
...The agent approached again and repeated the order to move. After asking why, McCabe was arrested by a state trooper. Nelson was arrested later by another trooper, according to the lawsuit.
The women -- among five protesters arrested during the rally -- were handcuffed, taken to the county jail, strip-searched and charged with criminal trespass.
The charges were dropped months later.
The two women, both school teachers in their 50s, were among scores of people who were arrested, removed or barred from Bush rallies last year for wearing shirt or buttons favoring his Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry, or for vocally criticizing the president.
...The agent approached again and repeated the order to move. After asking why, McCabe was arrested by a state trooper. Nelson was arrested later by another trooper, according to the lawsuit.
The women -- among five protesters arrested during the rally -- were handcuffed, taken to the county jail, strip-searched and charged with criminal trespass.
The charges were dropped months later.
Kan. Debate Challenges Science Itself
The Kansas school board's hearings on evolution weren't limited to how the theory should be taught in public schools. The board is considering redefining science itself. Advocates of "intelligent design" are pushing the board to reject a definition limiting science to natural explanations for what's observed in the world.
Instead, they want to define it as "a systematic method of continuing investigation," without specifying what kind of answer is being sought. The definition would appear in the introduction to the state's science standards.
The proposed definition has outraged many scientists, who are frustrated that students could be discussing supernatural explanations for natural phenomena in their science classes.
"It's a completely unscientific way of looking at the world," said Keith Miller, a Kansas State University geologist.
The conservative state Board of Education plans to consider the proposed changes by August. It is expected to approve at least part of a proposal from advocates of intelligent design, which holds that the natural world is so complex and well-ordered that an intelligent cause is the best way to explain it.
Instead, they want to define it as "a systematic method of continuing investigation," without specifying what kind of answer is being sought. The definition would appear in the introduction to the state's science standards.
The proposed definition has outraged many scientists, who are frustrated that students could be discussing supernatural explanations for natural phenomena in their science classes.
"It's a completely unscientific way of looking at the world," said Keith Miller, a Kansas State University geologist.
The conservative state Board of Education plans to consider the proposed changes by August. It is expected to approve at least part of a proposal from advocates of intelligent design, which holds that the natural world is so complex and well-ordered that an intelligent cause is the best way to explain it.
British lawmaker blasts U.S. on Iraq allegations
“I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader, and neither has anyone on my behalf,” he told the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations as he began refuting the committee’s accusations that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein gave him credits to export Iraqi oil.
“I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one, and neither has anybody on my behalf,” Galloway said, claiming that the documents the Senate subcommittee relied on had been forged and were proven as such in Britain.
...“This group of neocons (neoconservatives) is involved in the mother of all smokescreens,” he said of the committee. “I want to turn the tables on this neocon, pro-Israel, pro-war, Republican lynch mob.”
He earlier told Reuters that he had "no expectation of justice from a group of Christian fundamentalist and Zionist activists under the chairmanship of a neocon (President) George Bush who is pro-war.”
“I come not as the accused but as the accuser,” he added.
“It’s Mr. Coleman who’s been all over the news and he’s a lick-spittle, crazed neocon who is engaged in a witch hunt against all those he perceives to have betrayed the United States in their plan to invade and occupy Iraq,” Galloway told Associated Press Television News.
“I’m not going there to change the minds of the committee, but to appeal to public opinion and to show just how absurd this report is,” he said. “Justice George Bush style ... is what I expect from the rightwing hawks in Washington.”
“I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one, and neither has anybody on my behalf,” Galloway said, claiming that the documents the Senate subcommittee relied on had been forged and were proven as such in Britain.
...“This group of neocons (neoconservatives) is involved in the mother of all smokescreens,” he said of the committee. “I want to turn the tables on this neocon, pro-Israel, pro-war, Republican lynch mob.”
He earlier told Reuters that he had "no expectation of justice from a group of Christian fundamentalist and Zionist activists under the chairmanship of a neocon (President) George Bush who is pro-war.”
“I come not as the accused but as the accuser,” he added.
“It’s Mr. Coleman who’s been all over the news and he’s a lick-spittle, crazed neocon who is engaged in a witch hunt against all those he perceives to have betrayed the United States in their plan to invade and occupy Iraq,” Galloway told Associated Press Television News.
“I’m not going there to change the minds of the committee, but to appeal to public opinion and to show just how absurd this report is,” he said. “Justice George Bush style ... is what I expect from the rightwing hawks in Washington.”
Conyers hammers Bush response to Newsweek story
[Full letter]
May 17, 2005
Mr. Scott McClellan
Press Secretary
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. McClellan:
I write to express my profound disappointment and outrage about comments you made about a matter involving Newsweek magazine, which smacks of political exploitation of the deaths of innocent and a shameless attempt to intimidate reporters from critically investigating your Administration's actions. Your comments are contradicted by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and stand in stark contrast with your actions involving the "Downing Street Memo." I urge you and your counterpart at the Pentagon to immediately retract the comments made yesterday, and - at long last - provide a full accounting of the Administration's actions in the lead up to the Iraq war.
As you are aware, a May 9th Newsweek report indicated that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba flushed the Koran down a toilet as part of an interrogation. Newsweek has since retracted the story. However, as the magazine was reevaluating information received from its sources, it appears you opted to exploit the situation for partisan political gain by falsely laying blame on Newsweek for recent deaths in Afghanistan.
Specifically, at 11:23am yesterday, you declared in a public statement: "his report has had serious consequences. It has caused damage to the image of the United States abroad. It has -- people have lost their lives. It has certainly caused damage to the credibility of the media, as well, and Newsweek, itself." The Pentagon spokesman, Larry DiRita, made similar comments. Referring to Newsweek's source, he said "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said." The clear implication of these statements is that the Newsweek report had caused a loss of life in Muslim nations, presumably referring to the recent riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
First, this attempt to tie riots to the Newsweek article stands in stark contrast to the assessment of your own senior military officials. On May 12th, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff had reported on his consultations with the Senior Commander in Afghanistan about whether there was a causal relationship between the Newsweek story and the riots thusly: "[h]e thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine." The only conclusion that can be reasonably drawn is that, in contrast to career military officers, political operatives sought to score cheap political points by spreading falsehoods about Newsweek. The appropriate course of action is clear: you and Mr. DiRita should immediately retract your exploitative comments.
Second, there is - of course - a sad irony in this White House claiming that someone else's errors or misjudgments led to the loss of innocent lives. Over 1,600 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives in the Iraq war, a war which your Administration justified by falsely claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. To date, your Administration has consistently blocked Congressional inquiries into whether such claims were the result of intentional manipulation of intelligence or, as you assert, a mere "failure."
Moreover, your loquacious response to this matter stands in stark contrast to your response to a recently released classified memo comprising the minutes of a July 22 meeting of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his cabinet which calls into question the credibility of assertions made by your Administration in its drive to war. Among other things the memo indicates that Administration officials were working to ensure that "the intelligence and facts were fixed around the policy," implying that intelligence was deliberately manipulated to prop up the case for war. The memo also indicates, contrary to contemporaneous statements to the American people and the Congress that the President had already "made up his mind to take military action." When asked about this memo, you claimed that you "don't know about the specific memo" - two and one half weeks after its release and ten days after receiving a letter detailing its contents from 89 Members of Congress (which has still not been answered).
Third, the public deserves to know what precisely the White House is asserting with respect to the mistreatment of the Koran by interrogators: are such reports categorically false or are they, in the words of one publication, "manifold?" For example, a May1st New York Times report indicated that a Koran was thrown into a pile and stepped on at the Guantanamo detention facility and "[a] former interrogator at Guantanamo, in an interview with the Times, confirmed the accounts of the hunger strikes, including the public expression of regret over the treatment of the Korans." The incident where a Koran was allegedly thrown in a toilet was also recounted by a former detainee in a March 26, 2003 article in the Washington Post, and corroborated by another detainee in a August 4, 2003 report by the Center for Constitutional Rights. The question is: are you categorically denying that the mistreatment of the Koran occurred, or are you simply denying the Newsweek report is accurate on hyper technical grounds?
Mr. McClellan, the American people have grown tired of the venomous partisanship and lack of candor on the part of this Administration. When taken to task for wrongdoing, a pattern has emerged of this Administration viciously attacking its accusers. The cornerstone of our democracy is an open and accountable government, and the American people deserve answers - not distractions -- today.
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.
May 17, 2005
Mr. Scott McClellan
Press Secretary
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. McClellan:
I write to express my profound disappointment and outrage about comments you made about a matter involving Newsweek magazine, which smacks of political exploitation of the deaths of innocent and a shameless attempt to intimidate reporters from critically investigating your Administration's actions. Your comments are contradicted by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and stand in stark contrast with your actions involving the "Downing Street Memo." I urge you and your counterpart at the Pentagon to immediately retract the comments made yesterday, and - at long last - provide a full accounting of the Administration's actions in the lead up to the Iraq war.
As you are aware, a May 9th Newsweek report indicated that interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba flushed the Koran down a toilet as part of an interrogation. Newsweek has since retracted the story. However, as the magazine was reevaluating information received from its sources, it appears you opted to exploit the situation for partisan political gain by falsely laying blame on Newsweek for recent deaths in Afghanistan.
Specifically, at 11:23am yesterday, you declared in a public statement: "his report has had serious consequences. It has caused damage to the image of the United States abroad. It has -- people have lost their lives. It has certainly caused damage to the credibility of the media, as well, and Newsweek, itself." The Pentagon spokesman, Larry DiRita, made similar comments. Referring to Newsweek's source, he said "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said." The clear implication of these statements is that the Newsweek report had caused a loss of life in Muslim nations, presumably referring to the recent riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
First, this attempt to tie riots to the Newsweek article stands in stark contrast to the assessment of your own senior military officials. On May 12th, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff had reported on his consultations with the Senior Commander in Afghanistan about whether there was a causal relationship between the Newsweek story and the riots thusly: "[h]e thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine." The only conclusion that can be reasonably drawn is that, in contrast to career military officers, political operatives sought to score cheap political points by spreading falsehoods about Newsweek. The appropriate course of action is clear: you and Mr. DiRita should immediately retract your exploitative comments.
Second, there is - of course - a sad irony in this White House claiming that someone else's errors or misjudgments led to the loss of innocent lives. Over 1,600 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives in the Iraq war, a war which your Administration justified by falsely claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. To date, your Administration has consistently blocked Congressional inquiries into whether such claims were the result of intentional manipulation of intelligence or, as you assert, a mere "failure."
Moreover, your loquacious response to this matter stands in stark contrast to your response to a recently released classified memo comprising the minutes of a July 22 meeting of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his cabinet which calls into question the credibility of assertions made by your Administration in its drive to war. Among other things the memo indicates that Administration officials were working to ensure that "the intelligence and facts were fixed around the policy," implying that intelligence was deliberately manipulated to prop up the case for war. The memo also indicates, contrary to contemporaneous statements to the American people and the Congress that the President had already "made up his mind to take military action." When asked about this memo, you claimed that you "don't know about the specific memo" - two and one half weeks after its release and ten days after receiving a letter detailing its contents from 89 Members of Congress (which has still not been answered).
Third, the public deserves to know what precisely the White House is asserting with respect to the mistreatment of the Koran by interrogators: are such reports categorically false or are they, in the words of one publication, "manifold?" For example, a May1st New York Times report indicated that a Koran was thrown into a pile and stepped on at the Guantanamo detention facility and "[a] former interrogator at Guantanamo, in an interview with the Times, confirmed the accounts of the hunger strikes, including the public expression of regret over the treatment of the Korans." The incident where a Koran was allegedly thrown in a toilet was also recounted by a former detainee in a March 26, 2003 article in the Washington Post, and corroborated by another detainee in a August 4, 2003 report by the Center for Constitutional Rights. The question is: are you categorically denying that the mistreatment of the Koran occurred, or are you simply denying the Newsweek report is accurate on hyper technical grounds?
Mr. McClellan, the American people have grown tired of the venomous partisanship and lack of candor on the part of this Administration. When taken to task for wrongdoing, a pattern has emerged of this Administration viciously attacking its accusers. The cornerstone of our democracy is an open and accountable government, and the American people deserve answers - not distractions -- today.
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.
Senate Defeats 2 Minimum Wage Proposals
The Senate defeated dueling proposals Monday to raise the $5.15-an-hour minimum wage one backed by organized labor, the other salted with pro-business provisions in a day of skirmishing that reflected Republican gains in last fall's elections.
Both plans fell well short of the 60 votes needed to advance, and signaled that prospects for raising the federal wage floor, unchanged since 1996, are remote during the current two-year Congress.
"I believe that anyone who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year should not live in poverty in the richest country in the world," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., arguing for the Democratic proposal to increase the minimum wage by $2.10 over the next 26 months.
Both plans fell well short of the 60 votes needed to advance, and signaled that prospects for raising the federal wage floor, unchanged since 1996, are remote during the current two-year Congress.
"I believe that anyone who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year should not live in poverty in the richest country in the world," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., arguing for the Democratic proposal to increase the minimum wage by $2.10 over the next 26 months.
US 'ignored Iraq oil smuggling'
The US turned a blind eye to the former Iraq regime's $8bn trade in smuggled oil, a new US Senate report says.
The report says the US was well aware of both the smuggling and the kickbacks Iraq solicited from players in the UN's oil-for-food programme.
...The new report focuses on both the $228m Saddam Hussein's regime is estimated to have made through illegal surcharges on the oil-for-food programme, and on the $8bn it made through sanctions-busting oil sales to Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.
US oversight was weak on both fronts, the report says - and sometimes amounted to facilitation of the illicit trades.
The report says the US was well aware of both the smuggling and the kickbacks Iraq solicited from players in the UN's oil-for-food programme.
...The new report focuses on both the $228m Saddam Hussein's regime is estimated to have made through illegal surcharges on the oil-for-food programme, and on the $8bn it made through sanctions-busting oil sales to Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.
US oversight was weak on both fronts, the report says - and sometimes amounted to facilitation of the illicit trades.
Former Ambassador: Oil and gas ensure that the US backs the Uzbek dictator to the hilt
In 2002, the US gave Uzbekistan over $500m in aid, including $120m in military aid and $80m in security aid. The level has declined - but not nearly as much as official figures seem to show (much is hidden in Pentagon budgets after criticism of the 2002 figure).
The airbase opened by the US at Khanabad is not essential to operations in Afghanistan, its claimed raison d'être. It has a more crucial role as the easternmost of Donald Rumsfeld's "lily pads" - air bases surrounding the "wider Middle East", by which the Pentagon means the belt of oil and gas fields stretching from the Middle East through the Caucasus and central Asia. A key component of this strategic jigsaw fell into place this spring when US firms were contracted to build a pipeline to bring central Asia's hydrocarbons out through Afghanistan to the Arabian sea. That strategic interest explains the recent signature of the US-Afghan strategic partnership agreement, as well as Bush's strong support for Karimov.
· Craig Murray was British ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004
The airbase opened by the US at Khanabad is not essential to operations in Afghanistan, its claimed raison d'être. It has a more crucial role as the easternmost of Donald Rumsfeld's "lily pads" - air bases surrounding the "wider Middle East", by which the Pentagon means the belt of oil and gas fields stretching from the Middle East through the Caucasus and central Asia. A key component of this strategic jigsaw fell into place this spring when US firms were contracted to build a pipeline to bring central Asia's hydrocarbons out through Afghanistan to the Arabian sea. That strategic interest explains the recent signature of the US-Afghan strategic partnership agreement, as well as Bush's strong support for Karimov.
· Craig Murray was British ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004
CAFTA, NAFTA, Mad Cows and Capter 11 Rules
In a new report, NAFTA Chapter 11 Investor-State Cases: Lessons for the Central America Free Trade Agreement, Public Citizen describes how Canadian cattle producers are using NAFTA to demand $300 million in compensation from U.S. taxpayer funds, claiming that the Canadian cattle import ban instituted after mad cow disease was found in Canada violates their NAFTA rights. In addition, a Canadian tobacco company is using the private NAFTA tribunals to attack the U.S.tobacco settlements. The report is available here...
These claims are among the 42 cases filed thus far by corporate interests and investors under NAFTA’s “Chapter 11” investor provisions, which grant foreign interests more expansive legal rights and privileges than those enjoyed by U.S. citizens or corporations. With only 11 of the 42 cases finalized, some $35 million in taxpayer funds have been granted to five corporations that have succeeded with their claims. An additional $28 billion has been claimed from investors in all three NAFTA nations. The U.S. government’s legal costs for the defense of just one recent case topped $3 million. Seven cases against the United States are currently in active arbitration.
“It’s unbelievable that the Bush administration is pushing a NAFTA expansion to Central America that would expose the United States to yet greater liability, given the grim track record of successful attacks on the most basic health protections and government functions and millions in taxpayer funds already paid out to special interests under the NAFTA-style investment model,” said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.
Mathematicians Find Biases in House of Representatives
A mathematical study of the US House of Representatives reveals clear partisanship - including stacked committees - within the House.
While this may not surprise political analysts, the objective analysis contradicts the US Code, which outlines US laws and suggests a just system in which all legislation receives a fair hearing from politicians who put the country’s interests ahead of their political party’s. The words “non-partisan” and “unbiased” appear frequently in the code.
Among the study’s findings is that the membership of the Select Committee on Homeland Security, formed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, is closely tied to the House Rules Committee, a powerful group involved in the regulation of all committees and House members. But, contrary to expectation, the Homeland Security committee does not have many members in common with the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
The paper identifies the House Rules, Judiciary, and Homeland Security committees as containing being the most partisan while the Intelligence committee is one of the least partisan.
Monday, May 16, 2005
~Bio-Prospecting - Indigenous Peoples Guarding Medicinal Plants
Listen to this story
You're gonna hear a lot about the G-word this week, thanks to a public radio series called "Think Global"--looking at globalization and its effects. Here at Marketplace, we're focusing on one particular trend--how America tries to export its way of doing business. Many U-S firms want international companies to follow their lead, in everything from corporate ethics to office culture. But the transfer of ideas isn't always easy, even where there's lots of money at stake. For example--an ambitious effort by U-S biotech companies in Mexico didn't take into account how people there think about medicine--and money.
You're gonna hear a lot about the G-word this week, thanks to a public radio series called "Think Global"--looking at globalization and its effects. Here at Marketplace, we're focusing on one particular trend--how America tries to export its way of doing business. Many U-S firms want international companies to follow their lead, in everything from corporate ethics to office culture. But the transfer of ideas isn't always easy, even where there's lots of money at stake. For example--an ambitious effort by U-S biotech companies in Mexico didn't take into account how people there think about medicine--and money.
30-year-old Iraqi detainee dies of apparent heart attack
The unnamed man was pronounced dead by a U.S. military doctor at Camp Bucca around 6 p.m. Saturday, officials said.
According to a news release issued Sunday by the Multi-National Force-Iraq, “medics responded to one of the compounds, where a detainee was complaining of chest pains and quickly moved the detainee to a hospital.”
The man, whose nationality was not released, went into cardiac seizure and died after resuscitation efforts failed, the military said. The detainee had been held at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq since December 2004 “as a security threat to Iraq,” officials said.
...The man is the third prisoner to die of apparent natural causes in U.S. custody in recent weeks. An investigation into the incident will be conducted, the military said. Camp Bucca holds some 6,000 prisoners from Iraq and other countries.
When Government Writes History
[The New Republic, registration required], a behind-the-scenes memoir of the 9/11 Commission Report, by commission historian Ernest May. [Related reading: Richard Posner's The 9/11 Report: A Dissent in the New York Times and Elizabeth Drew's Pinning the Blame in the New York Review of Books.]
[from MetaFilter.com]
The 9/11 Commission was "set up to fail." So says its chairman, former Republican Governor of New Jersey Thomas Kean. "If you want something to fail," he explains, "you take a controversial topic and appoint five people from each party. You make sure they are appointed by the most partisan people from each party--the leaders of the party. And, just to be sure, let's ask the commission to finish the report during the most partisan period of time--the presidential election season." He could have added that President Bush and Republican leaders in Congress had agreed to create the commission only under unrelenting pressure from the families of the victims, and also that Congress had given it a meager budget and a requirement to get all its work done in a scant eighteen months. He could have added, too, that he was the president's second choice as chairman, Henry Kissinger having stepped down after sixteen days because of the demand by the families that he disclose the names of clients of his consulting firm, and that Kean started under the handicap of never having worked in Washington. It was to be mid-March 2003 before he even had the security clearances needed to read pre-September 11 intelligence reports.
Possible Security Hole in Some Intel Chips
A research paper released on Friday by Oxford University computer science student Colin Percival details a method by which an attacker could heist cryptography keys on servers running Intel processors with Hyperthreading.
Hyperthreading technology runs two threads or streams of data, making computer software view a single processor as two.
The exploit Percival details takes advantage of the threads' shared access to memory caches within the processor to interpret data that's being processed and thus lift the keys. A software timing attack basically watches the behavior of a computer in an effort to expose protected information.
From Percival's Page:
Hyper-Threading, as currently implemented on Intel Pentium Extreme Edition, Pentium 4, Mobile Pentium 4, and Xeon processors, suffers from a serious security flaw. This flaw permits local information disclosure, including allowing an unprivileged user to steal an RSA private key being used on the same machine. Administrators of multi-user systems are strongly advised to take action to disable Hyper-Threading immediately; single-user systems (i.e., desktop computers) are not affected.
I presented details of how to exploit this security flaw at BSDCan 2005 in Ottawa on May 13th, 2005. For those who were unable to attend my talk, I have written a 12-page paper, Cache Missing for Fun and Profit, discussing this flaw and related problems, both realized and theoretical.
Amicus Brief on Illegality of Florida's Touch-Screens
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a coalition of national groups concerned with voting integrity filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a seminal e-voting case brought by Florida Congressman Robert Wexler and others. Florida law requires manual recounts in close races. Rep. Wexler's case argues that when Florida election officials purchased touchscreen voting machines that do not leave a paper trail, they prevented true manual recounts and violated this law. The Congressman also argues that the touchscreen voting machines violate federal constitutional law.
WashingtonPost Ombudsman Responds to Criticism
The case against me was laid out by Media Matters, which complained that in last Sunday's column I had taken note that a handful of readers had faulted the paper for not following up on the Times's disclosure, but that I didn't give an opinion about that criticism, as I usually do with most other issues raised in the ombudsman's column. That's a fair observation. The main reason I didn't express a view was that, at the time of my writing on May 5, I didn't know much about the London Times report other than what the six or seven readers who had e-mailed me said at the time.
The Post had reported essentially nothing. There was a glancing mention of the leaked memo in the Style section by columnist Tina Brown on May 5 and a one-sentence reference inside a news story on May 6 about Blair's election victory.
So what I chose to do was to give readers at least some idea what they were missing by including what seemed to be the most important quotes from the secret memo, but without further comment, in part because it was not clear to me yet if the memo was authentic or if there was something about its substance that wasn't apparent. When I asked editors at the time why there had been no coverage, I was told that "it was a story that, in the best of all worlds, would have been in the paper, but we were tied up with election coverage."
The Post had reported essentially nothing. There was a glancing mention of the leaked memo in the Style section by columnist Tina Brown on May 5 and a one-sentence reference inside a news story on May 6 about Blair's election victory.
So what I chose to do was to give readers at least some idea what they were missing by including what seemed to be the most important quotes from the secret memo, but without further comment, in part because it was not clear to me yet if the memo was authentic or if there was something about its substance that wasn't apparent. When I asked editors at the time why there had been no coverage, I was told that "it was a story that, in the best of all worlds, would have been in the paper, but we were tied up with election coverage."
Ex-Bishop Questions Morality of Scriptures
John Shelby Spong, the former bishop, tosses a hand grenade into the cultural wars with "The Sins of Scripture," which examines why the Bible - for all its message of love and charity - has often been used through history to oppose democracy and women's rights, to justify slavery and even mass murder.
It's a provocative question, and Bishop Spong approaches it with gusto. His mission, he says, is "to force the Christian Church to face its own terrifying history that so often has been justified by quotations from 'the Scriptures.' "
This book is long overdue, because one of the biggest mistakes liberals have made has been to forfeit battles in which faith plays a crucial role. Religion has always been a central current of American life, and it is becoming more important in politics because of the new Great Awakening unfolding across the United States.
Yet liberals have tended to stay apart from the fray rather than engaging in it. In fact, when conservatives quote from the Bible to make moral points, they tend to quote very selectively. After all, while Leviticus bans gay sex, it also forbids touching anything made of pigskin (is playing football banned?) - and some biblical passages seem not so much morally uplifting as genocidal.
It's a provocative question, and Bishop Spong approaches it with gusto. His mission, he says, is "to force the Christian Church to face its own terrifying history that so often has been justified by quotations from 'the Scriptures.' "
This book is long overdue, because one of the biggest mistakes liberals have made has been to forfeit battles in which faith plays a crucial role. Religion has always been a central current of American life, and it is becoming more important in politics because of the new Great Awakening unfolding across the United States.
Yet liberals have tended to stay apart from the fray rather than engaging in it. In fact, when conservatives quote from the Bible to make moral points, they tend to quote very selectively. After all, while Leviticus bans gay sex, it also forbids touching anything made of pigskin (is playing football banned?) - and some biblical passages seem not so much morally uplifting as genocidal.
A Battle Over Programming at National Public Radio
Executives at National Public Radio are increasingly at odds with the Bush appointees who lead the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
In one of several points of conflict in recent months, the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which allocates federal funds for public radio and television, is considering a plan to monitor Middle East coverage on NPR news programs for evidence of bias, a corporation spokesman said on Friday.
The corporation's board has told its staff that it should consider redirecting money away from national newscasts and toward music programs produced by NPR stations.
In one of several points of conflict in recent months, the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which allocates federal funds for public radio and television, is considering a plan to monitor Middle East coverage on NPR news programs for evidence of bias, a corporation spokesman said on Friday.
The corporation's board has told its staff that it should consider redirecting money away from national newscasts and toward music programs produced by NPR stations.
'New York Times' to Start Charging for Some Web Content in September
The new, premium level of membership will be called TimesSelect, and participants will have exclusive access to Op-Ed and news columnists on NYTimes.com, easy and in-depth access to the paper's online archives, and early access to certain articles on the site, among other features.
Home-delivery subscribers will automatically receive TimesSelect membership. For non-subscribers, it will cost $49.95. Most news, features, and multimedia on the Times site will remain free.
Home-delivery subscribers will automatically receive TimesSelect membership. For non-subscribers, it will cost $49.95. Most news, features, and multimedia on the Times site will remain free.
Court lets wine lovers buy out-of-state
The 5-4 decision overturns laws in New York and Michigan, which supporters said were aimed at protecting local wineries and limiting underage drinkers from purchasing wine without showing proof of age. In all, 24 states have laws barring interstate shipments.
The court said the state bans are discriminatory and anticompetitive.
The Downing Street Memo
The Downing Street Memo, recently leaked, reveals that President George W. Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in summer 2002 and—determined to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policies—"fixed" the intelligence and facts relevent to WMD.
What has come to be known as the Downing Street "Memo" is actually a document containing meeting minutes transcribed during the British Prime Minister's meeting on July 23, 2002. This meeting was held a full 8 months PRIOR to the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003. The Times of London printed the text of this document on Sunday, May 1, 2005. When asked about the document's validity, "British officials did not dispute the document's authenticity."
The contents of the memo are shocking. The minutes detail how our government did not believe Iraq was a greater threat than other nations; how intelligence was manipulated to sell the case for war to the American public; and how all the talk of "war as a last resort" was mere hollow pretense.
Regardless of politics, all Americans should ask themselves: Was I misled? Did President Bush tell me the truth when he said he would not take us to war unless absolutely necessary?
Pollsters Left Out in Mobile-Phone World
The rapid growth in cell-phone-only households is pressuring public opinion researchers to adapt their surveying methods, which are based heavily on telephone interviews of people with traditional landline phones.
The number of households using only a mobile phone doubled in less than two years, with the rate rising faster among certain groups, researchers found.
For adults in school, the rate of mobile phone use tripled in that time. Also, the number of people using only mobile phones was growing faster among several groups -- including young adults, those people living with unrelated roommates and those people living alone.
Public opinion research, such as government surveys, market research and political polls, faces obstacles in dealing with the cell-phone-only crowd.
The number of households using only a mobile phone doubled in less than two years, with the rate rising faster among certain groups, researchers found.
For adults in school, the rate of mobile phone use tripled in that time. Also, the number of people using only mobile phones was growing faster among several groups -- including young adults, those people living with unrelated roommates and those people living alone.
Public opinion research, such as government surveys, market research and political polls, faces obstacles in dealing with the cell-phone-only crowd.
Research Begins on Early Puberty
Controversial theories have been put forward, including watching too much television could distort the hormonal balance of adolescents and push many of them into early puberty.
Psychologists have said young girls who have close relationships with their fathers might enter puberty later than girls with distant or non-existent links. Now 12 European teams are carrying out research as part of a three-year project to get to the root of the problem, looking at the most likely culprits.
Professor Olle Söder from the Karolinska Institute is leading one study which will look at whether rising obesity rates are to blame.
His team will study whether animals that are overfed produce more of the male and female sexual hormones that trigger puberty.
Psychologists have said young girls who have close relationships with their fathers might enter puberty later than girls with distant or non-existent links. Now 12 European teams are carrying out research as part of a three-year project to get to the root of the problem, looking at the most likely culprits.
Professor Olle Söder from the Karolinska Institute is leading one study which will look at whether rising obesity rates are to blame.
His team will study whether animals that are overfed produce more of the male and female sexual hormones that trigger puberty.
ACLU Challenges Abstinence-Only Program
The American Civil Liberties Union and Jenner & Block LLP today filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government's misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund religious activities in the "Silver Ring Thing," a nationwide ministry program that uses abstinence-only sex education as a means to bring "unchurched" students to Jesus Christ. Over the past three years, the federal government has awarded more than one million dollars to the "Silver Ring Thing." According to legal papers filed by the ACLU today, the "Silver Ring Thing" describes its mission as "offering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the best way to live a sexually pure life." During the "Silver Ring Thing's" flagship three-hour program members testify about how accepting Jesus Christ improved their lives, quote Bible passages, and urge audience members to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into their lives. In addition, the official silver ring of the program is inscribed with a reference to the biblical verse "1 Thess. 4:3-4," which reads "God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor."
"Using public funds, the 'Silver Ring Thing' urges students to commit themselves to Christ," said Julie Sternberg, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. "The courts have repeatedly said that taxpayer dollars cannot be used to promote religion. The 'Silver Ring Thing' blatantly violates this principle."
The "Silver Ring Thing" has held events in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin and is scheduled to visit Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina, among other states, in the coming year. Since April 2003, it has held three events in the Boston area and is scheduled to hold a fourth in October of this year.
New Survey Finds Huge Gap Between Press and Public on Many Issues
A survey to be released Monday reveals a wide gap on many media issues between a group of journalists and the general public. In one finding, 43% of the public says the press has too much freedom, while only 3% of journalists agree. And just 14% of the public can name "freedom of the press" as a guarantee in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in the major poll conducted by the University of Connecticut Department of Public Policy.
Six in ten among the public feel the media show bias in reporting the news, and 22% say the government should be allowed to censor the press. More than 7 in 10 journalists believe the media does a good or excellent job on accuracy -- but only 4 in 10 among the public feel that way. And a solid 53% of the public thinks stories with unnamed sources should not be published at all. [emphasis mine]
Six in ten among the public feel the media show bias in reporting the news, and 22% say the government should be allowed to censor the press. More than 7 in 10 journalists believe the media does a good or excellent job on accuracy -- but only 4 in 10 among the public feel that way. And a solid 53% of the public thinks stories with unnamed sources should not be published at all. [emphasis mine]
Camera that Sees Through Clothes Premiers at Airports (and TiVos at Airports)
The agency in charge of the nation's air security expects later this year to begin using a controversial X-ray machine that will show airport screeners a clear picture of what's under passengers' clothes — whether weapons or just bare skin.
The refrigerator-sized machines are considered a breakthrough in scanning technology but have been labeled "a virtual strip search" by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Security workers using the machines can see through clothes and peer at whatever may be hidden in undergarments, shirts or pants. The images also paint a revealing picture of a person's nude body.
The ACLU says the scanners invade personal privacy. "This leads directly to a surveillance society," says Barry Steinhardt, who runs the group's technology program.
But Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a Senate subcommittee last month that he wants to employ the technology and doesn't want an "endless debate" over privacy issues.
The refrigerator-sized machines are considered a breakthrough in scanning technology but have been labeled "a virtual strip search" by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Security workers using the machines can see through clothes and peer at whatever may be hidden in undergarments, shirts or pants. The images also paint a revealing picture of a person's nude body.
The ACLU says the scanners invade personal privacy. "This leads directly to a surveillance society," says Barry Steinhardt, who runs the group's technology program.
But Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a Senate subcommittee last month that he wants to employ the technology and doesn't want an "endless debate" over privacy issues.
Kuwait passes law for women's right to vote
In a session attended by journalists, a majority of parliament members approved a government proposal to grant full suffrage to women, which had met fierce resistance from Islamists and other MPs.
Renewable Energy in Brazil
Reducing dependency on foreign oil borders on fantasy in the United States, but it's reality in Brazil.
Depleted uranium victims plead for understanding, help
Army National Guard Specialist Gerard Matthew is a veteran of the Iraq war. He has an 11-month-old daughter who was born with a deformed right hand. If she tries to stand, and falls, she will not put out here arms to protect herself.
Matthew, himself, suffers constant headaches and blurred vision. He has tested positive for depleted uranium, a component used in tank armor, and weapons shells. Dust from unexploded shells can be inhaled. The symptoms can be devastating.
Matthew, and Sgt. Herbert Reed, were part of a panel, Saturday afternoon, organized by the Saugerties Committee for Peace and Social Justice.
Reed told the 50 people who gathered, that he was told, by military doctors, that his tests results were not a cause for concern. “Right, they said we had acceptable levels of depleted uranium. Acceptable to whom?"
Reed has serious physical debilities and suffers memory loss.
Event organizer Angela Morano said their hope is to broaden awareness of the problem. “As a nation, we need to understand that these are the type of weapons we are using," she said. "They are harmful to us, not only to our enemy, if you want to call someone our enemy, but they are harmful to us as well.”
Morano said they are working with members of Congress, including Rep. Maurice Hinchey, to get proper testing and treatment for affected veterans.
Also on the program, two representatives of Veterans for Peace, both Vietnam veterans, who take their message into schools. “I don’t hate recruiters”, said Jim Murphy. “I just want to put them out of business.”
Matthew, himself, suffers constant headaches and blurred vision. He has tested positive for depleted uranium, a component used in tank armor, and weapons shells. Dust from unexploded shells can be inhaled. The symptoms can be devastating.
Matthew, and Sgt. Herbert Reed, were part of a panel, Saturday afternoon, organized by the Saugerties Committee for Peace and Social Justice.
Reed told the 50 people who gathered, that he was told, by military doctors, that his tests results were not a cause for concern. “Right, they said we had acceptable levels of depleted uranium. Acceptable to whom?"
Reed has serious physical debilities and suffers memory loss.
Event organizer Angela Morano said their hope is to broaden awareness of the problem. “As a nation, we need to understand that these are the type of weapons we are using," she said. "They are harmful to us, not only to our enemy, if you want to call someone our enemy, but they are harmful to us as well.”
Morano said they are working with members of Congress, including Rep. Maurice Hinchey, to get proper testing and treatment for affected veterans.
Also on the program, two representatives of Veterans for Peace, both Vietnam veterans, who take their message into schools. “I don’t hate recruiters”, said Jim Murphy. “I just want to put them out of business.”
U.S. Pensions Increasingly Insecure
The nation's private pension system is fraying and at risk of unraveling altogether.
The reason: More than three-quarters of the nation's traditional private pension plans are underfunded - which means they currently don't have enough assets to cover the benefits already promised to their workers and current retirees.
And the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), the government insurer that is supposed to guarantee workers some protections if companies go under, is facing a deficit of almost $30 billion.
Add to that the threat of more bankruptcies in old-line industries, from manufacturers to the so-called legacy carriers like United Airlines - which last week won approval to default on its pension obligations to 120,000 workers - and experts predict that millions more retirees may suddenly find themselves having to make due with less than they were promised.
The reason: More than three-quarters of the nation's traditional private pension plans are underfunded - which means they currently don't have enough assets to cover the benefits already promised to their workers and current retirees.
And the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), the government insurer that is supposed to guarantee workers some protections if companies go under, is facing a deficit of almost $30 billion.
Add to that the threat of more bankruptcies in old-line industries, from manufacturers to the so-called legacy carriers like United Airlines - which last week won approval to default on its pension obligations to 120,000 workers - and experts predict that millions more retirees may suddenly find themselves having to make due with less than they were promised.
Blogging puts PR in a spin
Jay Rosen, who is Associate Professor at the New York University Department of Journalism and author of the PressThink blog, believes the rise of blogging is posing a major challenge to the PR industry. Rosen argues that because PR is "totally about control" the PR industry will struggle to cope with the proliferation of sources of information and opinions available on the Internet. Journalists, Rosen says, have become "quite reliant on public relations people" while "bloggers don’t really care" about them. Two weeks ago Richard Edelman, the CEO of Edelman, wrote with alarm about the disdain bloggers view PR people with. Earlier this year his company released a report on some of the implications of blogging for companies while Issue Dynamics has created a blogger practice group.
"Defending America's Most Vulnerable"
A new bill, introduced in the House by the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Among other provisions, 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for a first-time conviction of distributing a small amount of marijuana to a person under 18 years of age; virtually every drug crime committed in urban areas subject to "drug free zone" penalties that carries a five-year mandatory minimum sentence; a 2-year sentence for those who witness or learn about drug distribution near colleges and do not report it to authorities within 24 hours and do not provide full assistance investigating, apprehending, and prosecuting the offender. [from MetaFilter.com]
Newsweek report on Quran confirmed by earlier accounts
If the Newsweek report erred, it was perhaps in saying that the U.S. was slated to acknowledge desecrating the Quran in internal investigations. But reports of desecration are manifold.
One such incident—during which the Koran allegedly was thrown in a pile and stepped on—prompted a hunger strike among Guantanamo detainees in Mar. 2002 that led to an apology. The New York Times interviewed former detainee Nasser Nijer Naser al-Mutairi May 1, who said the protest ended with a senior officer delivering an apology to the entire camp.
"A former interrogator at Guantanamo, in an interview with the Times, confirmed the accounts of the hunger strikes, including the public expression of regret over the treatment of the Korans," Times reporters Neil A. Lewis and Eric Schmitt wrote in "Inquiry Finds Abuses at Guantanamo Bay."
The hunger strike and apology story was also confirmed by another former detainee, Shafiq Rasul, interviewed by the UK Guardian in 2003 (James Meek, "The people the law forgot," Guardian, Dec. 3, 2003) It was also confirmed by former prisoner Jamal al-Harith in an interview with the Daily Mirror (Rosa Prince and Gary Jones, "My Hell in Camp X-ray World Exclusive," Daily Mirror, Mar. 12, 2004).
Bill Moyers Fights Back
Moyers closed the National Conference on Media Reform in St. Louis on Sunday with his first public response to the revelation that White House allies on the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have secretly been holding PBS in general -- and his show in particular -- to a partisan litmus test.
Recalling former President Richard Nixon's failed attempt to cut the funding for public broadcasting in the early 1970s, Moyers said, "I always knew that Nixon would be back -- again and again. I just didn't know that this time he would ask to be the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Moyers was even blunter about why he thought Tomlinson and other allies of the administration were so determined to knock his groundbreaking news program off the air and to replace it with more conservative fare such as a weekly roundtable discussion featuring Wall Street Journal editorial page staffers. Joking that, "I thought public television was supposed to be an alternative to commercial media, not a funder of it," Moyers spoke of the investigative reporting NOW did on everything from the war in
Iraq to offshore tax havens and ownership of the media and said, "Our reporting was giving the radical right fits because it wasn't the party line."
In short, Moyers said, "We were getting it right, but not right wing." And that, he explained, was too much for Trent Lott, Ann Coulter and other ideologues who he said want media to feed the American people "the junk food of propaganda."
Click here to download an mp3 of Bill Moyers' speech
Recalling former President Richard Nixon's failed attempt to cut the funding for public broadcasting in the early 1970s, Moyers said, "I always knew that Nixon would be back -- again and again. I just didn't know that this time he would ask to be the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Moyers was even blunter about why he thought Tomlinson and other allies of the administration were so determined to knock his groundbreaking news program off the air and to replace it with more conservative fare such as a weekly roundtable discussion featuring Wall Street Journal editorial page staffers. Joking that, "I thought public television was supposed to be an alternative to commercial media, not a funder of it," Moyers spoke of the investigative reporting NOW did on everything from the war in
Iraq to offshore tax havens and ownership of the media and said, "Our reporting was giving the radical right fits because it wasn't the party line."
In short, Moyers said, "We were getting it right, but not right wing." And that, he explained, was too much for Trent Lott, Ann Coulter and other ideologues who he said want media to feed the American people "the junk food of propaganda."
Click here to download an mp3 of Bill Moyers' speech
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Harper's: The Apocalypse Will Be Televised
After living in the Bible Belt for more than thirty years, I’ve learned several things about our fundamentalist Christian brethren: First, theirs is an embattled faith, which requires an ever evolving list of enemies to keep its focus. It includes Satan worshipers one year, “secular humanists” the next. Panic over backward masking on phonograph records yields to fears that supermarket bar codes harbor the Mark of the Beast. Some years back, Procter & Gamble was forced to deny widespread rumors that a moon-and-stars logo on boxes of soapsuds symbolized corporate diabolism. More recently, purging school libraries of Harry Potter’s witchcraft has emerged as a cause. As if the real world weren’t scary enough, chimerical threats must be found. It often appears that no form of occultism is too arcane or preposterous to provoke alarm.
I’ve also learned that fundamentalist Christianity’s spiritual entrepreneurs are never more dogmatic than when they are ignoring, if not contradicting, the essence of Jesus Christ’s teachings. The basic con is to insist upon the historical and scientific accuracy of every syllable in the Bible—then to analyze its symbolism, unveil hidden acrostics, and decode secret messages known only to initiates. The Book of Genesis is reduced to a biology text, and Daniel becomes a crystal ball. Thus are delivered the comforts of certitude and the enchantments of sorcery in a single beguiling package.
The Underwater Kansas of Old
Excerpt: I’ve only briefly visited modern Kansas, but the Kansas of my imagination is a fiercely exotic ocean, a warm and savage sea richer than any place still extant. Try mentioning the magic word “Niobrara” to a paleontologist, or any enthusiast familiar with Mesozoic reptiles…their eyes will light up as it conjures visions of the world of 85 million years ago, a world well documented in the incredible fossil beds of Kansas. It’s a powerful, evocative word that links us to a wealth of evidence and a complex, fascinating history.
Reading about the ridiculous anti-evolution trial going on there was rather depressing. It isn’t just that the creationist arguments are so poor, but that they are making them in Kansas, where beneath their very feet are the relics of an ancient world that show them to be wrong. Don’t schoolchildren there take pride in the paleontological wealth of their home? Do the people bury their imaginations and avoid thinking about the history that surrounds them?
Report Critical of Rumsfeld Is Pulled
A government commission studying overseas military bases sent Congress a report critical of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, then removed the document from the commission Web site after the Pentagon complained that it divulged classified information.
The panel contends that the 262-page report is based only on public sources, and several commission officials say they believe the Defense Department came down on them so hard because their conclusions include harsh criticism of some elements of Rumsfeld's strategy for streamlining the military.
...The Overseas Basing Commission released a partial version of the report at a news conference on May 9, but now the panel has removed that version from its Web site because of complaints from the Pentagon.
The panel contends that the 262-page report is based only on public sources, and several commission officials say they believe the Defense Department came down on them so hard because their conclusions include harsh criticism of some elements of Rumsfeld's strategy for streamlining the military.
...The Overseas Basing Commission released a partial version of the report at a news conference on May 9, but now the panel has removed that version from its Web site because of complaints from the Pentagon.
The Nation - The Missing Patriot Debate
To begin to understand just how limited the Patriot Act debate is, consider that the sixteen provisions at issue probably take up no more than twenty-five of the original act's 342 pages. Most of those sixteen provisions are now considered "noncontroversial," and are virtually certain to be reauthorized. The real battles are likely to focus on just two sections. One, popularly known as the "libraries provision," allows the government secretly to obtain records of any person from any business, regardless of wrongdoing; and the other authorizes secret "sneak and peek" searches of homes without promptly informing the homeowner. These two measures undoubtedly raise real concerns, but they hardly warrant the kind of mass rallying that both sides have mustered since the Patriot Act was passed.
Among the most troubling provisions not sunsetted are those on immigration. They authorize the government to deny entry to foreigners because of speech rather than actions, to deport even permanent residents who innocently supported disfavored political groups and to lock up foreign nationals without charges.
Daytona Police Allegedly Targeting Gays
Undercover police park sex sting operations are increasing in the area around Dayton as the weather warms.
The area is becoming a hotbed of the questionable law enforcement tactic in which plainclothes officers approach gay men asking for sex, then arrest them if they respond positively.
Gay men in Dayton are also reporting incidents where they are pulled over if police see rainbow stickers on their cars--which the men call “driving while gay.”
The area is becoming a hotbed of the questionable law enforcement tactic in which plainclothes officers approach gay men asking for sex, then arrest them if they respond positively.
Gay men in Dayton are also reporting incidents where they are pulled over if police see rainbow stickers on their cars--which the men call “driving while gay.”
Priest Denies Gays' Supporters Communion
A Roman Catholic priest denied communion to more than 100 parishioners Sunday, saying they could not receive the sacrament because they wore rainbow-colored sashes to church to show support for gay Catholics.
The deserters: AWOL crisis hits the US forces
The most recent Pentagon figures suggest there are 5,133 troops missing from duty. Of these 2,376 are sought by the Army, 1,410 by the Navy, 1,297 by the Marines and 50 by the Air Force. Some have been missing for decades.
But campaigners say the true figure could be far higher. Staff who run a volunteer hotline to help desperate soldiers and recruits who want to get out, say the number of calls has increased by 50 per cent since 9/11. Last year alone, the GI Rights Hotline took more than 30,000 calls. At present, the hotline gets 3,000 calls a month and the volunteers say that by the time a soldier or recruit dials the help-line they have almost always made up their mind to get out by one means or another.
But campaigners say the true figure could be far higher. Staff who run a volunteer hotline to help desperate soldiers and recruits who want to get out, say the number of calls has increased by 50 per cent since 9/11. Last year alone, the GI Rights Hotline took more than 30,000 calls. At present, the hotline gets 3,000 calls a month and the volunteers say that by the time a soldier or recruit dials the help-line they have almost always made up their mind to get out by one means or another.
Richard Dawkins - The Theology of the Tsunami
I have never found the problem of evil very persuasive as an argument against the existence of deities. There seems to be no obvious reason to presume that your God will be good. The question for me is why one thinks any God, good or evil or indifferent, exists at all. Most of the Greek pantheon sported very human vices, and the "jealous God" of the Old Testament is surely one of the nastiest, most truly evil characters in all fiction. Tsunamis would be just up his street, and, the more misery and mayhem, the better. I have always thought the "problem of evil" was a relatively trivial difficulty for theists, compared to the Argument from Improbability, which is a genuinely powerful, indeed, knockdown argument against the very existence of all forms of unevolved creative intelligence.
Bilderberg - World leaders attend meeting that they won't talk about
The discussions are private, the location is not publicized and only the most powerful may attend.
The 53rd Bilderberg Meeting, a gathering shrouded in secrecy, allegedly took place this past weekend near Munich, Germany, at the Dorint Sofitel Uberfahrt hotel.
Several members of Congress have been said to be on the guest list in the past, including Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.).
Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C) took a break from the campaign trail to attend the meeting last year.
Hagel’s office confirmed that he had attended the conference in 1999 and 2000.
While none of those members attended this year’s conference, Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, did.
The 53rd Bilderberg Meeting, a gathering shrouded in secrecy, allegedly took place this past weekend near Munich, Germany, at the Dorint Sofitel Uberfahrt hotel.
Several members of Congress have been said to be on the guest list in the past, including Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.).
Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C) took a break from the campaign trail to attend the meeting last year.
Hagel’s office confirmed that he had attended the conference in 1999 and 2000.
While none of those members attended this year’s conference, Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, did.
Millions to link up for world's poor
Up to 20 million Britons are expected to protest against world poverty as part of the biggest mobilisation against global inequality ever seen.
In addition, 250,000 campaigners are planning to attend a rally in Edinburgh to coincide with July's G8 summit at Gleneagles where key talks among world leaders could witness Tony Blair securing a historic deal to help Africa's poor.
Oxfam yesterday ordered five million more white Make Poverty History wristbands. The charity has already sold three million.
Adrian Lovett, a campaign spokesman, said: 'At this rate we would expect between 10 million and 20 million will join the campaign.'
In addition, 250,000 campaigners are planning to attend a rally in Edinburgh to coincide with July's G8 summit at Gleneagles where key talks among world leaders could witness Tony Blair securing a historic deal to help Africa's poor.
Oxfam yesterday ordered five million more white Make Poverty History wristbands. The charity has already sold three million.
Adrian Lovett, a campaign spokesman, said: 'At this rate we would expect between 10 million and 20 million will join the campaign.'
U.S. plans to withdraw 13,503 troops from Germany and South Korea
The United States plans to withdraw 13,503 troops from Germany and South Korea as part of its plan to shut more than 150 domestic military installations announced Friday by the Defense Department.
The return of these troops is part of the Bush administration's plan to restructure military forces abroad including bringing two Army divisions home from Cold War-era bases in Germany and increasing the U.S. presence at bases in countries like Poland, Romania and Uzbekistan, U.S. officials have said.
The return of these troops is part of the Bush administration's plan to restructure military forces abroad including bringing two Army divisions home from Cold War-era bases in Germany and increasing the U.S. presence at bases in countries like Poland, Romania and Uzbekistan, U.S. officials have said.
Oracle Agrees to $8M Whistleblower Deal
Oracle Corp. has agreed to pay $8 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit claiming the business software maker fraudulently billed federal agencies for training from 1997 through 2003.
...The settlement agreement states that Oracle denies all the allegations, and that its conduct was permitted under contract terms and under the law. Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Lilienthal declined to comment.
...The settlement agreement states that Oracle denies all the allegations, and that its conduct was permitted under contract terms and under the law. Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Lilienthal declined to comment.
Problems Aplenty in a World of Plenty - Report
Humans are devouring more food, material goods, and natural resources than ever before and the worldwide pursuit of prosperity and material luxury is stoking environmental and security problems, according to a new report on trends shaping the planet's future.
Increased production and consumption of everything from grain and meat to oil and cars reflects strong economic growth in 2004, says ''Vital Signs 2005'', released this week by the Washington-based research group Worldwatch Institute.
But the social and environmental costs of economic growth go largely unnoticed, the report says. Pollution is rising, ecosystems are being degraded, and many of the world's poor people, shut out from the gains of economic growth, are being left further behind.
Increased production and consumption of everything from grain and meat to oil and cars reflects strong economic growth in 2004, says ''Vital Signs 2005'', released this week by the Washington-based research group Worldwatch Institute.
But the social and environmental costs of economic growth go largely unnoticed, the report says. Pollution is rising, ecosystems are being degraded, and many of the world's poor people, shut out from the gains of economic growth, are being left further behind.
Brits Warn US to Change Rules of Engagement
British defence chiefs have warned United States military commanders in Iraq to change their rules for opening fire or face becoming bogged down in a terrorist war for a decade or more.
The Telegraph has learnt that the warning was issued last month in response to a series of incidents that led to the deaths of Iraqi civilians, mainly at checkpoints, after soldiers opened fire in the mistaken belief that they were being attacked by suicide bombers.
Sea "Dead Zones" on the Increase
It has arrived early; it's bigger than ever and it promises a summer of death and destruction. The annual "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico - starved of oxygen, and thus killing fish and underwater vegetation - has appeared earlier than usual this year.
This is just one sign of a rapidly growing crisis. The number of similar dead zones in the world's seas has doubled every decade since 1960, as a result of increasing pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme says that there are now 146 of them worldwide, mainly around the coasts of rich countries. Its executive director, Klaus Töpfer, calls their growth "a gigantic, global experiment ... triggering alarming, and sometimes irreversible, effects".
Video from the National Conference for Media Reform
Keynote Event
May 14, 2005. This event is broken into shorter pieces for faster downloads.
May 14, 2005. This event is broken into shorter pieces for faster downloads.
ExxonMobil's Funding of Global Warming Denial
ExxonMobil has pumped more than $8 million into more than 40 think tanks; media outlets; and consumer, religious, and even civil rights groups that preach skepticism about the oncoming climate catastrophe. Herewith, a representative overview...
Judicial Watch Sues Defense Department
The conservative legal group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department, for not responding to their March 2004 Freedom of Information Act request on what "strategic influence, perception management, strategic information warfare and/or psychological operations" contracts the Pentagon has signed since September 11, 2001. Judicial Watch is especially concerned with "Empower Peace," an Internet-based program run by the secretive Rendon Group, to link "American school age children with their counterparts in the Arab world." Judicial Watch says the site might be "propagandizing the American public," and maintains that the Pentagon has spent $40 million on the project, "while guys are running around getting killed in Iraq." Rick Rendon calls Judicial Watch's charges "absolutely not true," saying Empower Peace receives no Pentagon funding.
TO EQUIP MILITARY PERSONNEL FOR CHRIST-CENTERED DUTY
Check out this "Christ-in-Uniform" web site set up by Navy ex=SEALs to minister
to the military. [from TheocracyWatch.org]
to the military. [from TheocracyWatch.org]
The Geography of American Poverty
From Poverty USA:
On average, one out of every three Americans - 34.2 percent of all people in the United States - are officially classified as living in poverty at least 2 months out of the year. (U.S. Census Bureau, Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty 1996-1999, July 2003.)
The number of Americans living in severe poverty - with incomes below half of the poverty line - increased by 1.2 million in 2003, to 15.3 million. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003, Current Population Reports, August 2003)
The Daily Show: Bloggers
[MOV 11Meg] Jon Stewart: The better weblogs provide the kind of frank, uncensored discussion and tenacious fact-checking sorely lacking on cable news channels.
I have to tell you the cable news channels have responded.
No, not by improving those areas of their programming. But by airing their same crappy programming, but about blogs. Let's take a look...
I have to tell you the cable news channels have responded.
No, not by improving those areas of their programming. But by airing their same crappy programming, but about blogs. Let's take a look...
Class Mobility within America
The mythology surrounding Horatio Alger is a powerful force within American culture: the idea that anyone can pull oneself up by the bootstraps to become financially successful. Surprising research by statistician Miles Corak shows that Americans have no more income mobility than Europeans — contradicting cultural presumptions of egalitarianism — and even less than Scandinavian countries, despite their heavy taxation. Marketing slowly meets reality in the American Dream... [from MetaFilter.com]
Rebuffing Bush, 132 Mayors Embrace Kyoto Rules
The mayors, from cities as liberal as Los Angeles and as conservative as Hurst, Tex., represent nearly 29 million citizens in 35 states, according to Mayor Nickels's office. They are pledging to have their cities meet what would have been a binding requirement for the nation had the Bush administration not rejected the Kyoto Protocol: a reduction in heat-trapping gas emissions to levels 7 percent below those of 1990, by 2012.
On Thursday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg brought New York City into the coalition, the latest Republican mayor to join.
Media reform conference draws 2,000
The media are under fire, and for good reason as far as Robert McChesney is concerned.
"It's failing, and it's failing disastrously," McChesney, a founder of the media reform group Free Press that is hosting a conference in St. Louis this weekend, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Friday's edition.
More than 2,000 people will be at the National Conference for Media Reform at the Millennium Hotel Friday through Sunday. The goal, organizers say, is to figure out how to fix what's wrong with newspapers, radio, TV and the rest of the news media.
The event is sold out, but events are available online at freepress.net.
'Martyrs' In Iraq Mostly Saudis
The account of Qahtani's death, like many other individual entries on the Web sites, cannot be verified. But independent experts and former government terrorism analysts who monitor the sites believe they are genuine mouthpieces for the al Qaeda-affiliated radicals who have made Iraq "a melting pot for jihadists from around the world, a training group and an indoctrination center," as a recent State Department report put it. The sites hail death in Iraq as the inspiration for a new generation of terrorists in much the same way that Afghanistan attracted Muslims eager to fight against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
Religious Right to boycott Microsoft over support for gay rights
The bill in Washington State outlawing discrimination against homosexuals at work was defeated by a single vote - Microsoft's liberal critics blamed its withdrawal of support for the loss, but the company plans to campaign for the legislation when it is re-submitted. If Mr Hutcherson, who played for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Seattle Seahawks, presses ahead with plans for a boycott of Microsoft products, he can expect support from conservative groups.
The Yes Men, Posing as Dow Execs, Present "Acceptable Risk Calculator" at Conference
At the conference, 'Dow representative' Erastus Hamm unveiled Acceptable Risk, the Acceptable Risk Calculator, and the Acceptable Risk mascot - a life-sized golden skeleton named Gilda - to an audience of about 70 banking professionals.
Many of the bankers in attendance excitedly signed up for licenses for the Calculator, which was presented as a tool to help businesses scientifically determine the point where casualties start to cut into profit, while suggesting the best regions on earth to locate dangerous ventures. Others posed for pictures with Gilda, the skeleton.
During the speech, Hamm told the bankers how Acceptable Risk would have applied to some famous "skeletons in the closet" of big business, such as IBM's WWII sale of technology to the Nazis for use in identifying Jews and Dow's production of napalm and Agent Orange for use in Vietnam.
In an e-mail exchange with Finextra, a Yesmen spokesperson estimates that about 80% of the Informa audience "just sat through it as if it were nothing special. The comments we got afterwards ('refreshing', 'thank you', 'great show', 'do you do risk management too? we'd be very interested', etc) indicated a near-total complaisance, sadly."
[Video and photos]
On the Origins of Flash Mobs
STAY FREE!: How did you first come up with the idea for flash mobs?
BILL: Basically, it started with an email. I created an email address--themobproject@yahoo.com--and forwarded an email to myself, and then I forwarded it to about forty or fifty friends on the premise that they would think, "Oh, Bill's heard about this interesting thing."
STAY FREE!: I didn't realize it had started out as kind of a con job.
BILL: Yeah, I wanted it to appear like one of those things circulating around the internet.
STAY FREE!: If you'd just sent it from the Mob Project, they would wonder: how did they get my email address?
BILL: Exactly. The original idea was to create an email that would get forwarded around in some funny way, or that would get people to come to a show that would turn out to be something different or surprising. I eventually came up with a lazy idea, which was that the thing would just have one simple, in-your-face aspect to it--there wouldn't be any show, and that the email would be upfront about the fact that it was inviting people to do basically nothing at all.
[thanks, Kristen]
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