In January, 2004 the PBS show NOW with Bill Moyers covered the story of a lawsuit filed against the company Unocal for atrocities committed on its behalf during the building of a natural gas pipeline in Burma.
The Center for Constitutional Rights reports that the lawsuit against Unocal will proceed allowing for a jury trial. The case has withstood several legal challenges to allow the plaintiffs, Burmese villagers, to finally have a chance at justice.
This excerpt from the NOW transcript of the show provides background. (from www.katieweb.com)
Friday, September 17, 2004
9/11 Commission Recommendations Carry Hidden Threat to Privacy, Freedom
The recommendations would also set in motion a dangerous and fundamentally flawed "security" plan: creating a system to tag and track US citizens using "standardized" identification. In other words, it paves the way for a national ID card system - something we at EFF strongly oppose.
National ID cards will not solve the problem of terrorism, just as they would not have prevented the 9/11 attacks. Many of the 9/11 hijackers had proper identification and were in the country legally.
National ID cards will not solve the problem of terrorism, just as they would not have prevented the 9/11 attacks. Many of the 9/11 hijackers had proper identification and were in the country legally.
Robots Compete in Harlem Talent Show
The Third Annual ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show will take place on September 17, 18, & 19 from noon to 6:00pm at The Mink Building on 126th Street & Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem. Featuring the work of 20 artists and groups from seven countries, the show celebrates the strange and wonderful collision of shifty artists, disgraced engineers, high/low/no tech hackers, rogue scientists, beauty school dropouts, backyard pyros, and industrial espionage that has come to define the emerging field of robotic art. Participants include robots that sketch, carve, float, wiggle, hum, ring, grow, wander, and sing, as well a number of works the form and function of which are not yet well understood.
Teacher Arrest for Carrying Concealed Bookmark
For the past month, Kathryn Harrington has stared down the possibility of a criminal trial, a $10,000 fine and the stigma of being deemed a security risk at Tampa International Airport.
"This is far graver than Vietnam"
Most senior US military officers now believe the war on Iraq has turned into a disaster on an unprecedented scale.
...General Hoare believes from the information he has received that "a decision has been made" to attack Fallujah "after the first Tuesday in November. That's the cynical part of it - after the election. The signs are all there."
...General Hoare believes from the information he has received that "a decision has been made" to attack Fallujah "after the first Tuesday in November. That's the cynical part of it - after the election. The signs are all there."
Meanwhile, in a Parallel Universe...
News accounts are painting vivid pictures of the joy and relief of free Iraqis, who are living without fear of Saddam's brutality and beginning to enjoy freedoms unknown for decades. These voices have been silenced for too long, but now they are heard inside Iraq and around the world. (Whitehouse web site)
Senators from Both Parties Accuse Bush Administration of Incompetence in Iraq
Among those harshly criticizing the White House at a hearing were the two top Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Chairman Richard Lugar of Indiana and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
Of the $18.4 billion Congress approved last year for Iraqi reconstruction, only $1.1 billion has been spent because of violence and other problems. Hagel called that record "beyond pitiful and embarrassing; it is now in the zone of dangerous."
Even Lugar, who is not usually given to strong rhetoric, said the failure to inject funds into the Iraqi economy quickly was "exasperating for anybody looking at this from any vantage point."
Of the $18.4 billion Congress approved last year for Iraqi reconstruction, only $1.1 billion has been spent because of violence and other problems. Hagel called that record "beyond pitiful and embarrassing; it is now in the zone of dangerous."
Even Lugar, who is not usually given to strong rhetoric, said the failure to inject funds into the Iraqi economy quickly was "exasperating for anybody looking at this from any vantage point."
Will Ferrell's New Bush Ad
Join ACT and our friend Will Ferrell for a behind-the-scenes look at “White House West.” We promise it’s the best commerical you’ll see this election.
Homefront Confidential
"We live in a nation built on the concept of balance," writes RCFPdirector Lucy A. Dalglish. "When the government, perhaps with the bestof intentions, goes too far in its efforts to shield information fromthe public, it is up to the public and the media to push back. Througha vibrant, information-based election process and through anindependent judiciary, we as a society will come to a balance thathopefully will protect our liberties for generations to come." (from Secrecy News)
"Re-enlist or else you go to Iraq"
"They said if you refuse to re-enlist with the 3rd Brigade, we'll send you down to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is going to Iraq for a year, and you can stay with them, or we'll send you to Korea, or to Fort Riley (in Kansas) where they're going to Iraq," said one of the soldiers, a sergeant.
The second soldier, an enlisted man, echoed that view: "They told us if we don't re-enlist, then we'd have to be reassigned. And where we're most needed is in units that are going back to Iraq in the next couple of months. So if you think you're getting out, you're not."
The second soldier, an enlisted man, echoed that view: "They told us if we don't re-enlist, then we'd have to be reassigned. And where we're most needed is in units that are going back to Iraq in the next couple of months. So if you think you're getting out, you're not."
Study of Secrecy in the Bush Administration
Rep. Henry A. Waxman has released a comprehensive examination of secrecy in the Bush Administration. The report analyzes how the Administration has implemented each of our nation’s major open government laws. It finds that there has been a consistent pattern in the Administration’s actions: laws that are designed to promote public access to information have been undermined, while laws that authorize the government to withhold information or to operate in secret have repeatedly been expanded. The cumulative result is an unprecedented assault on the principle of open government.
Iraq: Hoping to Spin the Insurgents Away
"The U.S. government is soliciting proposals for an 'aggressive' and comprehensive PR and advertising push in Iraq to convey military and diplomatic goals to Iraqis and gain their support." The contract will be with the Multi National Corps-Iraq; British PR firm Bell Pottinger did similar work for MNC-I's predecessor, the Coalition Provisional Authority. The campaign will include "outreach to various segments of Iraqi society" and setting up a "Rebuttal Cell," to "immediately and effectively" challenge "reports that unfairly target the Coalition or Coalition interests." The PR plan contrasts with news of a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate that "spells out a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq." Source: O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub. req'd.), September 16, 2004 (from PRWatch)
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Escaped Hippo Eludes Detection
"There were fresh tracks next to the fence. Now we have made a funnel with fencing and hope he will go home towards more grazing inside the reserve," Dorse said.
The idea came from game capture expert Douw Grobler, flown in to Cape Town at the weekend from Limpopo to help with ideas to solve the crisis.
If a plan B is needed, the SA National Navy has made a rubber duck available to patrol the waters of the six square kilometre wetland where Dorse said "you can hide as many hippo as you like".
The idea came from game capture expert Douw Grobler, flown in to Cape Town at the weekend from Limpopo to help with ideas to solve the crisis.
If a plan B is needed, the SA National Navy has made a rubber duck available to patrol the waters of the six square kilometre wetland where Dorse said "you can hide as many hippo as you like".
You May be Qualified to be a Contracted Interrogator in Iraq
Interrogators/Strategic Debriefers
MISource, Inc. is in search of up to 34 Interrogators/Strategic Debriefers to provide support to military units in the US Central Command Area of Responsibility (AOR). These are full-time positions... [more]
Relevant Work Experience: 5+ to 7 Years
Career Level: Experienced (Non-Manager)
Education Level: Some College Coursework Completed
Job Type: Employee
Job Status: Full Time
Job Shift: First Shift
Salary: From 70,000.00 to 95,000.00 USD per year
MISource, Inc. is in search of up to 34 Interrogators/Strategic Debriefers to provide support to military units in the US Central Command Area of Responsibility (AOR). These are full-time positions... [more]
Relevant Work Experience: 5+ to 7 Years
Career Level: Experienced (Non-Manager)
Education Level: Some College Coursework Completed
Job Type: Employee
Job Status: Full Time
Job Shift: First Shift
Salary: From 70,000.00 to 95,000.00 USD per year
Hamdi Released, Stripped of Citizenship, Shipped Away
After keeping him locked up in a Navy brig for almost three years, the U.S. government seems to want Yaser Esam Hamdi to just go away. Hamdi, a Louisiana native, was captured in Afghanistan in Novermber 2001. His father says Hamdi, 22, who moved to Saudi Arabia with his family as a child, was doing relief work. U.S. authorities say he was fighting for the Taliban.
It looks like we'll never know exactly what Hamdi was doing there. The U.S. has been reluctant to try Hamdi in either civil or military courts and, for over two years of his confinement, refused him access to a lawyer. The Supreme Court in June said the U.S. citizen couldn't continue to be held without charges. Now, rather than trying him, it appears the administration just wants Hamdi to disappear as quietly as possible. The terms of his release, currently being negotiated, are reported to include demands that he give up his U.S. citizenship and promise not to sue the U.S. government over his detention.
It looks like we'll never know exactly what Hamdi was doing there. The U.S. has been reluctant to try Hamdi in either civil or military courts and, for over two years of his confinement, refused him access to a lawyer. The Supreme Court in June said the U.S. citizen couldn't continue to be held without charges. Now, rather than trying him, it appears the administration just wants Hamdi to disappear as quietly as possible. The terms of his release, currently being negotiated, are reported to include demands that he give up his U.S. citizenship and promise not to sue the U.S. government over his detention.
Kofi Annan Calls Iraq War Illegal
Annan also said that, given the current level of violence and unrest, it was unlikely that Iraq would be able to hold credible elections as planned in January 2005.
"I think there have been lessons for the US and lessons for the UN and other member states," the secretary general said.
"I think that, in the end, everybody's concluded that it is best to work together with our allies and through the UN to deal with some of these issues," he said.
"I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time."
"I think there have been lessons for the US and lessons for the UN and other member states," the secretary general said.
"I think that, in the end, everybody's concluded that it is best to work together with our allies and through the UN to deal with some of these issues," he said.
"I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time."
U-Bolt Locks Can Be Opened with a Pen
Use one of those heavy U-locks to secure your bike? You might want to think again. It seems the barrel style lock mechanisms some of them employ can be opened by a Bic pen [.mov movie]. (Thanks to Michael and Metafilter)
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