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World News
8/1/06 - 8/31/2006

Thursday 8/31/2006

Shocking Lancet Study: 8,000 Murders, 35,000 Rapes and Sexual Assaults in Haiti During U.S.-Backed Coup Regime After Aristide Ouster  8/31/2006 Democracy Now

Saturday 8/26/2006

Chavez eyes Syria visit to strengthen ties  8/26/2006 Reuters

Friday 8/25/2006

Chavez says Israel's action in Lebanon "worse" than Hitler  8/25/2006 AFP: ''Israel often criticizes Hitler ... but they have done the same thing, perhaps even worse," Chavez told reporters Friday in a briefing during his six-day visit to China. Denouncing the "fascist attitudes" of Israel, he said: "What has happened was a genocide. They must be brought in front of an international tribunal." "Nobody should stay muted," he said.''

How Lebanese Civilians Thwarted Israel's War Plans  8/25/2006 Counterpunch

Wednesday 8/23/2006

Russia has announced that it has paid off its $31.1 billion debt to foreign countries 8/23/2006 Wayne Madsen: scroll to Aug. 23, 2006 - "Russia's economic clean bill of health would not have been possible had not President Vladimir Putin not declared war on Russia's criminal oligarch's, many of whom have fled to Israel and who reside in that country with guarantees from extradition back to Russia to stand trial. However, in 2005 Russia did jail for nine years Yukos oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky -- a dual Russian-Israeli citizen. Not surprisingly, George W. Bush, acting on behalf of Israeli criminal interests and neo-con advisers, led largely by Bush's favorite author, Israeli former Soviet "refusenik" Natan Sharansky, demanded that Putin free Khodorkosvky. Putin ignored Bush's plea.''

Americans Concerned About Election Transparency and Security 8/23/2006 Zogby: ''A majority of Americans—61%—are aware of news reports of flaws in electronic voting machines and want members of the general public to be able to watch votes be counted following an election, a new Zogby International poll shows. The telephone survey of 1,018 likely voters was conducted Aug. 11-15, 2006. It carries a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. Asked whether Americans have the right to view and obtain information about how elections officials count votes, 92% of respondents concurred. "The 92% support for the public's right to view vote counting and obtain information about it is a very strong political value of transparency and against secret vote counting outside the observation of the public," said Paul Lehto, a lawyer and sponsor of the survey. "To put this figure in context, support for election transparency exceeds the support for tax cuts, exceeds the approval of Pres. Bush immediately after 9-11, and virtually all other political values being measured." Mr. Lehto is counsel in the 50th Congressional District election contest in California.''

Tuesday 8/22/2006

The 'New' New Orleans Blues 8/22/2006 Alternet: ''Spike Lee's HBO doc about Hurricane Katrina is a haunting and expertly told story that shows how little our government truly cares about many of its citizens.''

Monday 8/21/2006

Osama's Confession; Osama's Reprieve  8/21/2006 Counterpunch: ''Once this two-part scheme started unraveling, these misplaced priorities left the commander in chief with the fruits of the better-scripted first part: Bin Laden boasting tape at a dinner meeting to a paraplegic visitor named Khaled al-Harbi. The second part whose objective was his capture failed due to a simple case of bad weather. Some might see the half full part of the glass and say that the administration, even though it squandered the better scripted part of the sting in preference for taping, tried its best and failed; after all, no one can control the weather. Such an argument has merit if it were not for the release of the tape on December 13, 2001. As a highly sensitive byproduct of a failed intelligence operation, once released, it revealed to Bin Laden how close intelligence services were to him (capturing him) and exposed the possibility that the entire taping location was under their control. By releasing the tape, the Bush administration did not just grant Bin Laden a reprieve but a presidential pardon one would ever get that close to him again.''

Senior IDF officers: Hezbollah hostilities liable to restart soon  8/21/2006 Haaretz: ''One senior officer told Haaretz on Sunday that throughout the month-long war with Hezbollah, Iran and Syria attempted to smuggle large quantities of weapons to Lebanon. He said that the efforts were stepped up over the past week, following the cease-fire and the end of Israel Air Force sorties deep in Lebanese territory. The officer noted that while UN Security Council Resolution 1701 calls for an embargo on arms shipments to Hezbollah, no mechanism has been put in place to enforce this embargo, and said that Israel will have to intervene if the deliveries continue unchecked.''

The CIA recruited and trained the jihadists  8/21/2006 Reseau Voltaire

Venezuela to reconsider anti-drug accord with US  8/21/2006 Reuters

How war against drugs may have helped Hezbollah  8/21/2006 Times: ''Around 250 sets of military night vision equipment sent to Tehran from Britain appear to have been passed on to the Lebanon-based militia group which it funds and supports. They were sold under an export licence in 2003 to help the Iranians to monitor the desert and mountainous border regions with Afghanistan. Despite the British Government’s current confrontation with Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons programme, the longstanding co-operative arrangement between Tehran and London over countering the heroin trade has produced effective results. It is a relationship born of necessity. About 60 per cent of the heroin that reaches Britain and other European capitals comes from the poppy fields of Afghanistan, via Iran. The battle to stem the flow of heroin and opium has resulted in the deaths of more than 3,500 Iranian anti-narcotics police since 1997.''

More neo-con malfeasance surfaces in Europe -- three "suicides" getting another look and ransacking of a Socialist presidential candidate's home point to more Bush administration and neo-con dirty tricks  8/21/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: scroll down to 2nd entry for Aug. 21, 2006''

Sunday 8/20/2006

Reservists: Officers stopped us attending protest against war  8/20/2006 Haaretz: ''Some 160 infantry reserve soldiers are accusing their commanders of preventing them from participating in a demonstration against the war in Lebanon, which they called a "debacle." The soldiers said they had been used as "sitting ducks." "I've been in the army and reserves for 26 years and what happened this time was not merely a fiasco, it was a complete debacle. We felt like tin soldiers in a game of Olmert and Peretz's assistants and spin masters," said Avi, a soldier in the brigade.''

Tape revives Mexican conspiracy theory  8/20/2006 Houston Chronicle: ''Though imprisoned on various charges, Ahumada has been something of a hovering presence throughout this year's bitter election season. Many people suspected — and not a few feared — that new incriminating videos would appear in time to influence against Lopez Obrador. Indeed, Ahumada announced new videos implicating other Lopez Obrador allies would be released in early June. Those plans changed a few days later when gunmen allegedly shot up the car in which his wife and children were riding in a posh Mexico City neighborhood. Police investigators said the shooting, in which no one was injured, appeared to be staged. No charges were filed, and the investigation was dropped. No further bribery videos appeared. And Ahumada faded from public interest.''

British MP: No shame in Bush bashing  8/20/2006 Jerusalem Post: ''Cohen said Prescott's "crap" comment had been specific to the US efforts on the road map and was not a view of Bush generally, the Bush administration as a whole or the Bush administration's general Middle East policy. Cohen is a Labor MP in East London. He's a socialist and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, a left-wing group of Labor MPs that is highly critical of Tony Blair and "New Labor." He is an anti-war campaigner and has voted against the government on the war with Iraq. He is also a pro-Palestinian campaigner and in the past has been part of a group trying to twin the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with Jenin.''

En la lista de la querella penal incluso estará el presidente Fox, informa Jesús Ortega  8/20/2006 La Jornafa: ''La coalición Por el Bien de Todos anunció que prepara denuncias electorales y penales contra funcionarios y legisladores que, según lo revelado en el video del empresario Carlos Ahumada Kurtz, están involucrados en el complot que desde Los Pinos se aplicó para impedir que Andrés Manuel López Obrador llegara a la Presidencia de la República.''

Venezuela Strengthens Its Relationships in the Middle East  8/20/2006 NYT: ''In a visit late last month to Tehran by President Hugo Chávez and his oil minister, Rafael Ramírez, the two countries agreed to produce jointly nearly a dozen products, including crude oil and medicines. In a further sign that their ties have taken on a new dimension, the two countries are speaking in a more unified voice in their criticism of Israel and the United States. The strengthening of ties has turned Iran into Venezuela’s closest ally outside Latin America, adding clout to Mr. Chávez’s efforts within OPEC to increase revenue through output limits by oil-exporting countries. Venezuela has also become the most vociferous defender of Iran’s nuclear program at a time when Iran feels increasingly isolated. “We stand by Iran at every moment, in any situation,” Mr. Chávez said in Tehran, where he received the golden High Medallion of the Islamic Republic from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Venezuela, Syria and Cuba were the only countries to oppose referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council at a meeting in February of the International Atomic Energy Agency.''

Saturday 8/19/2006

CIA spy chief for Venezuela  8/19/2006 Al Jazeera: ''The United States has named a "manager" for its intelligence operations against Venezuela and Cuba. North Korea and Iran are the only other countries that have been assigned so-called "mission managers", who supervise intelligence operations against them. In a statement released on Friday, the office of John Negroponte, the natioinal intelligence director, said the manager would be responsible "for integrating collection and analysis on Cuba and Venezuela across the intelligence community" and "ensuring the implementation of strategies" that have not been disclosed. "Such efforts are critical today, as policymakers have increasingly focused on the challenges that Cuba and Venezuela pose to American foreign policy," the statement said.''

Two Strange Deaths in European Wiretapping Scandal  8/19/2006 Alternet: ''Were the two alleged suicides more than an eerie coincidence? A few media in Italy -- La Stampa, Dagospia and Feltrinelli, among others -- have noted the unsettling parallels. But so far no journalists have been able to overcome the investigative hurdles posed by two entirely different criminal inquiry systems united only by two prime ministers not eager to provoke the White House's wrath. In the United States, where massive eavesdropping programs have operated since 9/11, investigators, reporters and members of Congress have not explored whether those responsible for these spying operations may be using them for partisan purposes or economic gain. As more troubling revelations come out of Europe, it may become more difficult to ignore how easily spying programs can be hijacked for illegitimate purposes. The brave soul who pursues this line of inquiry, however, should fear for his or her life.''

Chavez: Venezuela holding 4 U.S. spies  8/19/2006 AP: ''President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela has caught four people spying for the American government, but a U.S. embassy spokesman said Saturday that he had "no idea what the president is talking about." Without offering specifics, Chavez said that one woman was caught not long ago while taking photos in the north-central city of Valencia.''

Flight 93 'was shot down' claims book  8/19/2006 Daily Mail

Big Oil and the Trillion-Dollar War Bonus  8/19/2006 Greg Palast

The CIA-Contra-Crack Connection, 10 Years Later  8/19/2006 LA Times: ''Webb asserted, improbably, that the Blandon-Meneses-Ross drug ring opened "the first pipeline between Colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles," helping to "spark a crack explosion in urban America." The story offered no evidence to support such sweeping conclusions, a fatal error that would ultimately destroy Webb, if not his editors." [But this was the first pipeline from Colombia to the black community!]''

Venezuela's Chavez talks tough, but really needs the United States  8/19/2006 Midland Reporter: ''Back in Venezuela, Chavez announced in June a new tax on the extraction of oil and an increase in the income tax to 50 percent from 34 percent for oil companies. U.S.-based ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil have spent some $20 billion to develop and operate some 600,000 barrels per day of oil production, about 25 percent of Venezuela's total production. Venezuela's oil production has declined in recent years from about 3 million barrels per day to 2 million barrels per day. Analysts point out that Chavez has been using the "oil weapon" and the money from the "oil weapon" to further his Communist agenda in Bolivia, Brazil and other South and Central American countries. Instead of reinvesting oil revenues into the further development of Venezuela's oil reserves, Chavez has been giving oil to foster good will. Chavez even funded a discounted heating oil program last winter for consumers in the U.S. Northeast. Chavez talks tough about cutting off oil supplies to the U.S., but there are several reasons that indicate that that is not going to happen. First, PDVSA's CITGO service stations and refineries need Venezuela's heavy, high-sulfur crude oil. They are designed to handle it, and not many refineries are able to do so. Secondly, Venezuela needs the money. How else can Chavez continue his "good hearted" programs? Thirdly, Venezuela's crude oil has to go somewhere on the world market. The most cost-effective and logical spot is the refineries on Texas' Gulf Coast.''

WATCHING LEBANON by SEYMOUR M. HERSH  8/19/2006 New Yorker: ''The surprising strength of Hezbollah’s resistance, and its continuing ability to fire rockets into northern Israel in the face of the constant Israeli bombing, the Middle East expert told me, “is a massive setback for those in the White House who want to use force in Iran. And those who argue that the bombing will create internal dissent and revolt in Iran are also set back.” Nonetheless, some officers serving with the Joint Chiefs of Staff remain deeply concerned that the Administration will have a far more positive assessment of the air campaign than they should, the former senior intelligence official said. “There is no way that Rumsfeld and Cheney will draw the right conclusion about this,” he said. “When the smoke clears, they’ll say it was a success, and they’ll draw reinforcement for their plan to attack Iran.” In the White House, especially in the Vice-President’s office, many officials believe that the military campaign against Hezbollah is working and should be carried forward. At the same time, the government consultant said, some policymakers in the Administration have concluded that the cost of the bombing to Lebanese society is too high. “They are telling Israel that it’s time to wind down the attacks on infrastructure.”''

Colombia’s Coca Survives U.S. Plan to Uproot It  8/19/2006 NYT: ''Jon Caulkins, a drug policy expert at Carnegie Mellon University, echoing other analysts, estimates that the drug war has cost American taxpayers upward of $40 billion annually in recent years, though there is no comprehensive government tally of all its state and federal spending. Today that money goes for patrol boats, prisons, police departments and extradition flights to bring drug kingpins to trial in the United States — not to mention a dedicated federal bureaucracy.''

Chavez pokes fun at new US spy chief for Venezuela  8/19/2006 Reuters

Thursday 8/17/2006

Distrust of Venezuela Military Growing - Massacre Blamed on Soldier Deepens Distrust of Venezuela Military  8/17/2006 ABC: ''The massacre last month near Venezuela's lawless border with Colombia has deepened public mistrust of the Venezuelan military, soon after it deployed thousands of additional troops along the border to keep out Colombia's leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitary fighters and drug traffickers. Top Venezuelan defense officials condemned the slayings, blamed on a soldier in a murderous rage who was swiftly arrested. The results of a confidential investigation conducted by civilian prosecutors have so far been shown only to victims' relatives. One relative, speaking on condition of anonymity because the results were not supposed to be released, said they indicate rape was the motive and that the soldier acted alone. Still, the killings have made it more difficult for the soldiers to assert their authority. Resentment boils, seen in graffiti such as "Get out, army murderers!" and a protest shortly after the massacre that drew nearly 1,000 people.''

Bush is crap, says Prescott - Deputy PM criticises US handling of Middle East, condemning 'cowboy' President at private meeting  8/17/2006 Independent: ''The remark is said to have been made at a private meeting in Mr Prescott's Whitehall office on Tuesday with Muslim MPs and other Labour MPs with constituencies representing large Muslim communities. Muslim MPs wanted to press home their objections to British foreign policy and discuss ways of improving relations with the Muslim communities. Some of the MPs present said yesterday they could not remember Mr Prescott making the remark. He has been at pains to avoid breaking ranks with Mr Blair in public although he is believed to have raised concern about the bombing of Lebanon at a private meeting of the Cabinet. But Harry Cohen, the MP whose constituency includes Walthamstow, scene of some of the police raids in the alleged "terror plot" investigation, said Mr Prescott had definitely used the word "crap" about the Bush administration.''

Global warming behind China typhoon disaster  8/17/2006 Times of India: ''BEIJING: Global warming is contributing to an unusually harsh typhoon season in China that started around a month early and has left thousands dead or missing, government officials and experts said. "The natural disasters caused by typhoons in our country have been many this year," the head of the China Meteorological Administration, Qin Dahe, said. "Against the backdrop of global warming, more and more strong and unusual climatic and atmospheric events are taking place."''

Wednesday 8/16/2006

What we know and don’t know about 9/11 - Paul Craig Roberts  8/16/2006 Information Clearinghouse: ''The uniformity of the US media has become much more complete since the days of the cold war. During the 1990s, the US government permitted an unconscionable concentration of print and broadcast media that terminated the independence of the media. Today the US media is owned by 5 giant companies in which pro-Zionist Jews have disproportionate influence. More importantly, the values of the conglomerates reside in the broadcast licenses, which are granted by the government, and the corporations are run by corporate executives--not by journalists--whose eyes are on advertising revenues and the avoidance of controversy that might produce boycotts or upset advertisers and subscribers. Americans who rely on the totally corrupt corporate media have no idea what is happening anywhere on earth, much less at home.''

Climate of Fear  8/16/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: scroll down to first entry for Aug 16, 2006 - "WMR has reported on the policy of the neo-cons in the Bush administration to destroy the effectiveness and influence of the United Nations. America's unconfirmed ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, his staff, working together with Israeli ambassador Dan Gillerman and his staff, have instituted a climate of fear among UN staff, diplomatic missions, and media. WMR has now learned that a similar situation exists at the Commonwealth headquarters in London. The motive of British neo-cons is to weaken the Commonwealth of Nations, the last vestige of the British Empire, thus depriving the British monarchy of a major raison d'etre and dealing another blow to Prince Charles, a bitter foe of Tony Blair and his neo-con "New Labor" policies. The Commonwealth Secretary General, Don McKinnon of New Zealand, a London-born New Zealander and member of the right-wing National Party under which he served as Defense Minister and Foreign Minister, was singled out for criticism in a May 31 report by a Commonwealth Investigative Panel headed up by Glenda Morean Philip, Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner to the UK. The report stated that there is a "climate of fear in the Commonwealth Secretariat" and that people will not speak out because of a "fear of retribution." The language used in the Commonwealth report is similar to the words spoken on strict background by employees of the United Nations, U.S. Defense Department, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, State Department, and other international organizations and government departments. The Commonwealth is composed of 53 member states that are mostly former British colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. The organization is headquartered in Marlborough House in Pall Mall in central London and the head of the Commonwealth is Queen Elizabeth. The situation in the Commonwealth Secretariat worsened in 2002 when Zimbabwe had its membership suspended, largely as a result of pressure from the Bush and Blair administrations, which were attempting to oust Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. One of the harshest critics of the Commonwealth under McKinnon is Professor Victor O. Ayeni of Nigeria, the Commonwealth's director of the Governance and Institutional Development Division. Since Zimbabwe's suspension, a number of black African and Caribbean staff members have detected a strong whiff of racism in the air at the Commonwealth. While the Commonwealth is used as an instrument to ensure the spread of neo-con policies in the English-speaking world, it is doing little to promote democracy. While kicking out Zimbabwe for its dictatorship, McKinnon has chosen Uganda as next year's site of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, thus rewarding that country's pro-American and pro-British dictator Yoweri Museveni. Museveni is a favorite of the neo-cons and their racialist philosophies, having once blamed Africans themselves for slavery.''

US Mercenaries in the Sudan  8/16/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: scroll down to second entry for Aug 16, 2006 - "Mercenaries, mercenaries, everywhere. The Bush administration continues to be a dream-come-true for mercenary firms. In just a a little over a week, Blackwater USA received a $7.1 million contract for personal security detail services in Baghdad. Interestingly, the contract is due to expire on September 30, 2008. Dyncorp received a contract to "re-train" the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/A) of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement into a "professional" fighting force. The SPLM/A is the southern Sudanese guerrilla force that signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese central government in Khartoum. Neighboring Uganda already serves as a hub for U.S. mercenary and CIA activity in central and eastern Africa. Large oil reserves have been discovered in areas under the control of the SPLM.''

US Press Corp out of White House for Duration of Bush Administration  8/16/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: scroll down to third entry for Aug 16, 2006 - "From our National Press Club sources who cover the White House: the White House Press Corps was told that its move from the White House to "temporary" quarters in the New Executive Office Building across Pennsylvania Avenue (which is now more like Red Square than an avenue) is far from temporary. The Bush White House promised that renovations to the James Brady Press Briefing Room will take nine months. However, WMR's sources who cover the White House that the press corps will remain in the New Executive Office Building for the duration of the Bush administration. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, a former talking head on Fox News, consistently arranges for his Fox friends to get exclusive stories ahead of their competitors. With the press corps now out of the White House, Fox has a tremendous advantage over other news networks. The last time the press corps was temporarily moved out of the White House was 1902.''

U.S. hires DynCorp to train Sudanese rebels  8/16/2006 World Tribune: ''DynCorp International has been awarded a contract to begin training of thousands of members of the former Sudanese People's Liberation Army in 2007. The rebels would be recruited into a new Sudanese Army that would include former rebel groups and patrol areas near Chad and Ethiopia. Executives said DynCorp has been awarded several contracts by the U.S. State Department to provide training, communications as well as build barracks for southern units of the Sudanese Army. They said the total value of the contracts, which did include weapons deliveries, would reach $40 million, Middle East Newsline reported.''

Tuesday 8/15/2006

Venezuelan dissident on the run  8/15/2006 AP: ''A DISSIDENT Venezuelan labour leader who was serving an almost 16-year sentence for leading a crippling oil strike against President Hugo Chavez has escaped from prison. Carlos Ortega, the jailed president of the one million-member Venezuelan Workers Confederation, or CTV, escaped along with three military officers from the Ramo Verde military prison. Troops and police were securing ports, airports and embassies to prevent the fugitives from fleeing or seeking asylum at a diplomatic compound. Attorney-General Isaias Rodriguez said: "This is to prevent . . . one of the most horrible crimes committed against Venezuela from going unpunished -- a crime of conspiracy along with a coup in which one of the leading figures was Carlos Ortega". Ortega, who is considered by the opposition a political prisoner, was found guilty in December of civil rebellion and instigation to commit illegal acts for his role in the 2002-03 strike that aimed to topple the Chavez Government." [AP portrays convicted felons as dissidents.]''

Haitian Political Prisoner So Anne Released After Over 2 Years in Haitian Jail  8/15/2006 Democracy Now

Robert Fisk: Desert of trapped corpses testifies to Israel's failure  8/15/2006 Independent: ''You have to be down here with the Hizbollah amid this terrifying destruction - way south of the Litani river, in the territory from which Israel once vowed to expel them - to realise the nature of the past month of war and of its enormous political significance to the Middle East. Israel's mighty army has already retreated from the neighbouring village of Ghandoutiya after losing 40 men in just over 36 hours of fighting. It has not even managed to penetrate the smashed town of Khiam where the Hizbollah were celebrating yesterday afternoon. In Srifa, I stood with Hizbollah men looking at the empty roads to the south and could see all the way to Israel and the settlement of Mizgav Am on the other side of the frontier. This is not the way the war was supposed to have ended for Israel… Indeed, last night, scarcely any Israeli armour was to be seen inside Lebanon - just one solitary tank could be glimpsed outside Bint Jbeil and the Israelis had retreated even from the "safe" Christian town of Marjayoun. It is now clear that the 30,000-strong Israeli army reported to be racing north to the Litani river never existed. In fact, it is unlikely that there were yesterday more than 1,000 Israeli soldiers left in all of southern Lebanon, although they did become involved in two fire-fights during the morning, hours after the UN-ceasefire went into effect.''

U.S. Helped Plan Israeli Attack on Lebanon  8/15/2006 Rastafari Speaks

Gullible Americans - Paul Craig Roberts  8/15/2006 UrukNet: ''I was in China when a July Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when Bush invaded that country and that 64 percent of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links with al-Qaida. The Chinese leaders and intellectuals with whom I was meeting were incredulous. How could a majority of the population in an allegedly free country with an allegedly free press be so totally misinformed? The only answer I could give the Chinese is that Americans would have been the perfect population for Mao and the Gang of Four, because Americans believe anything their government tells them.''

Monday 8/14/2006

London Fog - Doubts Hang Over Terror Plot  8/14/2006 Counterpunch: ''We await the release of more facts about the 21 (or 23, or 24) young men and one (or two) young women who intended to blow up in mid-air nine (or 10 or 12) transatlantic airplanes "soon" or in the "next few days" or just "imminently". The two-score young Muslim Brits allegedly were preparing liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks, but actually nitroglycerin (or nitormethane, or triacetone triperoxide). However, one of these was so unstable it was likely to fail (as it did in another plot) or smelled so pungent a patrol dog would sniff it at half a mile, or was "almost impossible" to mix on an airplane. Then we were told the British police had been tracking this plot for a "year" or "several months" but decided to pounce on the alleged perps last Wednesday because of "information" from a "source" in Pakistan. Why then? A good question, especially as we were also told none of the intended terrorist travellers had yet purchased an airline ticket. Odd...for at this time of year in Britain transatlantic tickets are not immediately available.''

The End of the Beginning - The Truce That Won't Last - By ROBERT FISK  8/14/2006 Counterpunch: ''The world may believe--and Israel may believe--that the UN ceasefire due to come into effect at 6am today will mark the beginning of the end of the latest dirty war in Lebanon after up to 1,000 Lebanese civilians and more than 30 Israeli civilians have been killed. But the reality is quite different: the Israeli army, reeling under the Hizbollah's onslaught of the past 24 hours, is now facing the harshest guerrilla war in its history. And it is a war they may well lose. In all, at least 39--possibly 43--Israeli soldiers have been killed in the past day as Hizbollah guerrillas, still launching missiles into Israel itself, have fought back against Israel's massive land invasion into Lebanon. Israeli military authorities talked of "cleaning" and "mopping up" operations by their soldiers south of the Litani river but, to the Lebanese, it seems as if it is the Hizbollah that have been doing the "mopping up". By last night, the Israelis had not even been able to reach the dead crew of a helicopter--shot down on Saturday night--which crashed into a Lebanese valley. Officially, Israel has now accepted the UN ceasefire that calls for an end to all Israeli offensive military operations and Hizbollah attacks, and the Hizbollah have stated that they will abide by the ceasefire--providing no Israeli troops remain inside Lebanon. But 10,000 Israeli soldiers--the Israelis even suggest 30,000, although no one in Beirut takes that seriously--have now entered the country and every one of them is a Hizbollah target. From this morning, Hizbollah's operations will be directed solely against the invasion force. And the Israelis cannot afford to lose 40 men a day. Unable to shoot down the Israeli F-16 aircraft that have laid waste to much of Lebanon, the Hizbollah have, for years, prayed and longed and waited for the moment when they could attack the Israeli army on the ground.''

What the Hell has Happened to the Israeli Army?  8/14/2006 Counterpunch

The UK Terror plot: what's really going on?  8/14/2006 Craig Murray: ''None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb. None had bought a plane ticket. Many did not even have passports, which given the efficiency of the UK Passport Agency would mean they couldn't be a plane bomber for quite some time. In the absence of bombs and airline tickets, and in many cases passports, it could be pretty difficult to convince a jury beyond reasonable doubt that individuals intended to go through with suicide bombings, whatever rash stuff they may have bragged in internet chat rooms. What is more, many of those arrested had been under surveillance for over a year - like thousands of other British Muslims. And not just Muslims. Like me. Nothing from that surveillance had indicated the need for early arrests. Then an interrogation in Pakistan revealed the details of this amazing plot to blow up multiple planes - which, rather extraordinarily, had not turned up in a year of surveillance. Of course, the interrogators of the Pakistani dictator have their ways of making people sing like canaries. As I witnessed in Uzbekistan, you can get the most extraordinary information this way. Trouble is it always tends to give the interrogators all they might want, and more, in a desperate effort to stop or avert torture. What it doesn't give is the truth. The gentleman being "interrogated" had fled the UK after being wanted for questioning over the murder of his uncle some years ago. That might be felt to cast some doubt on his reliability. It might also be felt that factors other than political ones might be at play within these relationships. Much is also being made of large transfers of money outside the formal economy. Not in fact too unusual in the British Muslim community, but if this activity is criminal, there are many possibilities that have nothing to do with terrorism. We then have the extraordinary question of Bush and Blair discussing the possible arrests over the weekend. Why? I think the answer to that is plain. Both in desperate domestic political trouble, they longed for "Another 9/11". The intelligence from Pakistan, however dodgy, gave them a new 9/11 they could sell to the media. The media has bought, wholesale, all the rubbish they have been shovelled. We then have the appalling political propaganda of John Reid, Home Secretary, making a speech warning us all of the dreadful evil threatening us and complaining that "Some people don't get" the need to abandon all our traditional liberties. He then went on, according to his own propaganda machine, to stay up all night and minutely direct the arrests. There could be no clearer evidence that our Police are now just a political tool. Like all the best nasty regimes, the knock on the door came in the middle of the night, at 2.30am. Those arrested included a mother with a six week old baby. For those who don't know, it is worth introducing Reid. A hardened Stalinist with a long term reputation for personal violence, at Stirling Univeristy he was the Communist Party's "Enforcer", (in days when the Communist Party ran Stirling University Students' Union, which it should not be forgotten was a business with a very substantial cash turnover). Reid was sent to beat up those who deviated from the Party line.''

The Foiled UK Terror Plot and the "Pakistani Connection"  8/14/2006 Global Research: ''Of significance in assessing "the reliability" of the intelligence transmitted by the ISI to its British and US counterparts, are the detailed documented links of Pakistan's Military Intelligence (ISI) to the "Islamic terror network". While actively collaborating with the British police investigation, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is known to have supported and financed a number of "Islamic terror groups" including Al Qaeda. In fact the terrorist training camps in Pakistan were set up in the early 1980s with the support of the ISI and the CIA. And the leaders of these various Islamic organizations were also indoctrinated in the ISI sponsored madrassas. The ISI was instrumental in the creation of the militant Jammu and Kashmir Hizbul Mujahideen (JKHM) in the late 1980s. Confirmed by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), it has also supported and provided financial assistance (during the entire post-Cold War era), to the two main Pakistan-based Kashmir rebel groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba, (Army of the Pure) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (Army of Mohammed), which claimed responsibility for the terror attack on the Indian parliament in October 2001.''

American support may no longer be enough  8/14/2006 Guardian

DHS, DOJ seeking to deliver informant to House of Death's door  8/14/2006 NarcoNews

Mexico’s Partial Vote Recount Confirms Massive and Systematic Election Fraud  8/14/2006 NarcoNews: ''With Less than 9 Percent of Precincts Recounted, More than 126,000 Votes Are Found to Have Been Disappeared or Illegally Fabricated… In other words, if the Supreme Electoral Court determines that only half of the problematic precincts are to be annulled, López Obrador would still be declared the presidential victor. To continue to impose Calderón, at this point, would require the court’s endorsement of results from at least 4,000 precincts that the recount has demonstrated were scenes of the electoral crimes of ballot-stuffing and ballot-theft. By failing to annul those precincts, the court would, in effect, annul the legitimacy of the Mexican State, lighting the fuse on a social conflict much larger than anything that has yet occurred in the wake of the fraudulent election.''

Sunday 8/13/2006

How to Deal with The Lobby - The De-Zionization of the American Mind  8/13/2006 Counterpunch: ''The idea that Israel is a strategic ally, if by that one means a useful ally (useful to, say, the oil interests, broadly understood), although widely accepted, specially in the Left, does not survive a critical examination. That may have been the case in 1967 or even during the Cold War period, although one could argue that, even then, the Arab states were attracted by the Soviet Union only because it might support them in their struggle against Israel, albeit ineffectively. But both in 1991 and in 2003, the United States attacked Iraq without any help from Israel, even begging Israel not to intervene in 1991, in order for its Arab coalition not to collapse. Or consider the post-2003 occupation of Iraq, and suppose that the goal of that occupation is control over oil. In what sense does Israel help in that respect? Everything it does (the currents attacks on Gaza and Lebanon for example) further alienates the Arabs, and U.S. support for Israel makes the control of oil harder, not easier. Even the Iraqi parliament, Malaki and Sistani, who are the closest to allies that the United States can find there, condemn Israel's actions… War needs war propaganda and a supporting ideology, and the Zionists provide it, while none of this is offered by Big Business in general or the oil industry in particular. One may also think of historical precedents, like the China lobby (made of post-1949 Chinese exiles and ex-missionaries, supported by their domestic churches) in the 1950's and 1960's. That lobby led the United States to maintain the ridiculous claim that a billion people were represented by a government (Taiwan) that had no control over them whatsoever. It was also very influential in bringing on the Vietnam war. Whose interests were they serving? The ones of the American capitalists? But the latter make huge profits in post-Nixon recognized China. And the same is true in Vietnam. In fact both countries, as well as most of Asia, were anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist, as well as anti-feudal (partly because the feudal structures did not allow them to resist foreign invasions). But they were anti-capitalist (in the rhetoric, since capitalism barely existed there) mostly because their aggressors --the West--were capitalist. So that the main lesson to be drawn from the tragic history of the China lobby is that it held, during decades, the US policies hostage to revanchist feudal and clerical forces that were alien to mainstream America, and actually harmful to capitalist America. But they worked to the extent that their ideology-- mixing fear with racist contempt for the "Asian mind" -- was in sync with Western prejudices. Replace the China lobby by the Israel one and the Asian mind by the Arab one and you get a fair picture of what is going on right now in the U.S.-Middle East relation. What should the Left do? Well, simple: treat Israel as it did South Africa and attack the Lobby. The reason Israel acts as it does is that it feels strong and that, in turn, is for two reasons: one is its "all-powerful army" (currently being tested in Lebanon, not conclusively yet); the other is the almost complete control over Washington policy-making, specially the Congress. Peace in the Middle East can only come when this feeling of Israeli superiority is shattered, and Americans have a great responsibility is doing half of the job, the one concerning kneejerk U.S. support.''

Más de 200 afrodescendientes de Chile, Perú y Bolivia se reunirán en Arica en una fiesta sin precedentes en nuestro país  8/13/2006 El Morro Cotudo: [publicado en 11/05] "Basta dar un paseo por el centro de la ciudad y observar a cada uno de los habitantes de Arica, para ver descubrir que muchos de los que aquí viven son afrodescendientes. Situación que no debiera ser novedosa, pues Arica fue una ciudad mayoritariamente negra, pero que hoy se olvida y se tiende a creer en el resto del país, que en Chile no existe población afro. Pero Arica tiene sus raíces negras como las aceitunas del valle, y pese al silencioso compás de espera que bailaron estas comunidades en los valles tras la chilenización de Arica, hoy nuevamente brotan en el movimiento y su cultura, imponiéndose en la ciudad, con sus tradiciones guardadas. Organizados en tres agrupaciones en nuestra provincia Lumbanga, Oro Negro y Arica Negro, han realizado diversos esfuerzos por lograr el reconocimiento de su pueblo, primero en la ciudad, luego en el país y hoy trabajan por la unión latinoamericana de comunidades afro.''

Tony Blair government, under siege by a Labor Party revolt, cleverly cooked up a new "terror" scare to avert the public's eyes away from Blair's increasing political woes.  8/13/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: ''The London terror plan was "known" last Sunday by British and American authorities, according to the Indian press. American Airlines flight 109 from London Heathrow to Boston boarded a family of five, however, after the plane left Heathrow authorities determined that the father appeared on a British suspect list drawn up after the 7/7 London transit attacks. At first, the pilot was instructed to fly all the way to Boston where U.S. authorities could claim credit for apprehending the suspect. However, the pilot, fearing for the safety of his passengers and crew, refused and quickly returned to Heathrow without informing the passengers. Once on the ground, it was discovered that the male had in his carry-on baggage the type of combination liquid explosive and electronic device now being hyped by the British and American media. British sources report that the reason for the delay in informing the airlines and traveling public about the liquid bomb on the American flight was to maximize the beneficial political impact for Blair and George W. Bush, both plummeting in the polls from the situations in Iraq and Lebanon. Earlier this week, two employees of Murdoch's London tabloid, News of the World, were charged with hacking into the voice and text cell phone messages of three members of the staff of Clarence House, the residence of Princes Charles, William, and Harry. One of those charged with the wiretapping was Clive Goodman, the Royals editor of the News of the World. The same paper earlier tried to politically damage two anti-Iraq war British politicians -- Scottish Socialist Tommy Sheridan and Respect Party MP George Galloway. The paper charges that Sheridan was unfaithful to his wife by going to swinger's clubs. He won a quarter million dollar lawsuit against the paper. Galloway was confronted by Mazher Mahmood, an individual who uses the moniker "Fake Sheik," who posed as a wealthy Arab businessman and tried unsuccessfully to get Galloway to accept cash and make anti-Semitic remarks. In fact, Mahmood was and continues to be a reporter for News of the World, his continued employment approved by Murdoch. Goodman has merely been suspended by Murdoch but he has not been fired. However, what prompted Murdoch and Blair to hype a new global "terror" threat was what Murdoch learned from eavesdropping on the phone calls of Prince Charles' staff at the future king's office, home, and limousine. The eavesdropping revealed that Charles was working with Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who is to the left of Blair, to conduct the same type of political maneuver that John Major used to oust Margaret Thatcher from office. London's left-wing Mayor, Ken Livingston, was also in on the Charles-Brown plan and it was expected that in return for his support, Livingston would get a senior position in a Brown cabinet -- a development that sent shock waves through the neo-con circles in London, Washington, and Jerusalem, including British Home Secretary John Reid and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The Charles-Brown plan was briefed by Blair to Bush during the former's recent visit to Washington. However, because the phony terror plot was known to both leaders -- they decided to be away on vacation when the terror plot was "uncovered." Bush is vacationing at his Crawford, Texas "ranch," while Blair is on vacation in Barbados, staying at Sir Cliff Richard's luxurious villa. After Blair met with Bush in Washington, he flew to California where on July 30 he attended Murdoch's News Corporation private corporate executive conference at the posh Inn at Spanish Bay golf resort in Pebble Beach. Blair met with Murdoch, Israeli former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Newt Gingrich, and various Fox, Star, and Sky News executives. The final touches were agreed to by Blair and Murdoch on how the fake terror plot would play out in Murdoch's media empire. Blair told Bush that a Brown government would move to withdraw British troops from Iraq, break the "special relationship" with the Bush White House, and move closer to the European Union and the United Nations. The Israeli attack on Lebanon created a rift within Blair's Cabinet with some former Blair loyalists signaling their support for the political coup against Blair. As a result, a suspect passenger was permitted to board an American aircraft at Heathrow with a liquid bomb to lay the groundwork for the media and travel hysteria five days later. The wiretapping of Charles' messages also indicated that he has weighed in with various European royal families to discourage them from inviting Bush on state visits to their nations. This, reportedly upset the Bush and Blair regimes, who were working together to improve Bush's image in Europe. The White House's displeasure with the monarchies in Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Norway are a direct result of the Murdoch eavesdropping on Charles' staff. Not surprisingly, after Galloway tore into a Sky News reporter on a recent televised interview, The Sun, a Murdoch paper, is now reporting that one of the 24 British aircraft liquid bomber suspects now under arrest, Waheed Zaman, met with Galloway "many times." The paper quotes the sister of the suspect. A Galloway spokesman denies that Galloway knows the suspect. What is suspect is the Murdoch media empire that makes up news and commits illegal acts to provide cover for the false flag operations being conducted by Britain, the U.S., and Israel. Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) agency has helped provide the cover story for the alleged liquid bombers. Working with British and U.S. intelligence, the ISI says it broke up the plot after arresting terrorist suspects in Lahore and Karachi. However, the ISI claims that the men were affiliated with the Kashmiri terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba, a group that is run and funded by the ISI itself. The disclosure of the Charles-Brown plot has already created a backlash from the neo-cons. The Murdoch media is already floating the rumor that Home Secretary Reid is now Blair's chosen successor, while there will be an effort to scandalize Charles in an effort to convince the British public that it would be best to skip over him and have Prince William assume the throne upon Queen Elizabeth's death or abdication. British commentators are noting that it is Reid, a noted neo-con, who is chairing national security "Cobra" meetings in Blair's absence. Blair bypassed Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and many political observers believe that Prescott was passed over because of evidence that he was involved in supporting the Charles-Brown coup. Prescott chaired Cobra meetings in the wake of the July 7, 2005 (7/7) London transit bombings.''

Saturday 8/12/2006

U.S. Attorney General backing effort to silence House of Death informant 8/12/2006 NarcoNews: ''“My position [in the case] is that Lalo is afraid to return to Mexico because he would be killed,” she says. “Legally, you can seek protection in the United States if you fear you are being returned to a place where you would be killed.” Goodwin adds that if Lalo is unsuccessful in his appeal, the case could be brought to the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court. Lalo finds himself in this position after working as an informant for the very same government that is now seeking to deport him to what he fears will be a certain death at the hands of the narco-traffickers he betrayed while on the payroll of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While working as an ICE informant, Lalo participated in up to a dozen murders between August 2003 and mid-January 2004 at the House of Death in Ciudad Juárez. Lalo had penetrated a narco-trafficking organization — headed by Heriberto Santillan-Tabares — that employed police officers in Juárez to help carry out the murders.''

Mexico leftists extend vote protests beyond capital 8/12/2006 Reuters: ''Hundreds of leftists, claiming fraud in Mexico's presidential election, spread their protests out from the capital on Saturday by occupying major highways to stop the government from collecting toll fees… It was an escalation of protests that have so far centered on Mexico City, and organizers vowed even more in coming days. "We have to toughen up the campaign. It is going to be spread across the country because this is a national problem," said Gerardo Fernandez, a spokesman for the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution. Activists swung open toll barriers for a couple of hours on several main highways serving Mexico's three biggest cities -- Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Also hit were highways to the Pacific coast beach resort of Acapulco and Nuevo Laredo on the U.S. border.''

Friday 8/11/2006

Veteran Policy-Makers Fear Disaster in US Course  8/11/2006 AntiWar: ''This whole business is nuts – unless, of course, you believe what the rumormongers are beginning to pass around," wrote Wilkerson in reference to the Lebanon war in an e-mail exchange with IPS. "[T]hat this entire affair was ginned up by Bush/Cheney and certain political leaders in Tel Aviv to give cover for the eventual attack by the U.S. on Iran. At first, I refused to believe what seemed to be such insanity. But I am not so certain any longer.''

Britain Names Suspects in Alleged Airline Bomb Plot; British Muslims Skeptical, Fear Backlash  8/11/2006 Democracy Now

Terror grounded: UK foils plot to blow up 10 planes  8/11/2006 DNA, India: [this story is repeated in the western press at an earlier date, but does not mention the explosives] "An eerie prologue to the events of Thursday played out to anxious authorities on Sunday. Masked explosives capable of destroying an airplane midair were recovered in a tense operation from a family travelling from London to Boston. A source at Heathrow airport recounted the drama. The five-member family — two adults and three children — boarded American Airlines Flight 109 for Boston. They checked in at the last moment, inviting only a perfunctory check of the children’s hand-baggage. After the aircraft took off the check-in computer at the airport flashed a warning that a person under observation had boarded the flight. Airline staff informed immigration and security officials. A background check revealed that the male adult member of the family was on a suspect list prepared by Scotland Yard after the 7/7 terror attacks in London.''

Judge allows spy case against pro-Israel lobbyists to proceed  8/11/2006 Washington Post: ''US District Judge T. S. Ellis III rejected defense efforts to dismiss the indictments against Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. They are charged in what the government calls a conspiracy to obtain classified information and pass it to members of the media and the Israeli government. Ellis acknowledged that the case ``implicates the core values of the 1st Amendment" and that lobbyists and others in Washington pass along information every day that is ``indispensable to the healthy functioning of a representative government." But he said Rosen and Weissman -- and others outside the government -- can be prosecuted if the government feels they disclosed information harmful to national security. The decision alarmed First Amendment advocates who were already concerned about the unprecedented nature of the case. The lobbyists are the first nongovernment civilians charged under the 1917 espionage statute with verbally receiving and transmitting national defense information. ``This decision is breathtaking. It is a bold new interpretation of the Espionage Act that expands its reach dramatically," said Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. As one basis for his decision, Ellis cited the landmark 1971 Pentagon Papers case, in which the US Supreme Court allowed the New York Times, The Washington Post, and others to publish a secret study of US involvement in Vietnam. If the Nixon Administration had sought to prosecute the newspapers under the Espionage Act instead of blocking publication, Ellis said, ``the result may have been different." Legal and privacy experts said Ellis may have opened the door to criminal prosecutions of reporters or newspapers for publishing classified information.''

Thursday 8/10/2006

Christian Right Steps Up Pro-Israel Lobbying  8/10/2006 Dissident Voice: ''In mid-July, while the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict continued to escalate, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) -- an organization founded less than six months ago by Texas evangelist Rev. John C. Hagee, pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, and the author of "Jerusalem Countdown," a 2006 book about a nuclear-armed Iran -- rolled into Washington, D.C., for its first major get-together. More than 3,400 delegates from across the country attended the inaugural meeting. CUFI kicked off the gathering on July 19 with its "A Night to Honor Israel" banquet at the grand ballroom in the Washington Hilton. The festivities attracted a number of high-profile Israeli and US political leaders, including Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon, retired Israeli defense chief Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman. According to a report posted at Israpundit, Hagee read greetings from President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. While Bush urged "God [to] bless and stand by the people of Israel and ... bless the United States," Olmert's letter referred to CUFI's "'bold stand at this crisis time,' and the group's acknowledgment of Israel's biblical 'birthright.'" The following day, at a well-attended press conference, Hagee said that “The dots are there to be connected, and it is not some big thing called terrorism. It is Islamic fascism -- all of the various things and forces that we've seen around the world are not merely hot spots but they are all part of a theme -- a war against Western civilization.”''

Lebanese in Venezuela back Chavez's threat, Jewish groups express concern  8/10/2006 Israeli Insider: ''Venezuela's Lebanese immigrant community is supporting President Hugo Chavez's threat to cut off diplomatic relations with Israel, but Jewish groups and the Israeli government expressed concern about Chavez's comments on the military offensive in Lebanon. Chavez said Tuesday night that breaking off diplomatic ties will likely be the next step after Venezuela withdrew its top envoy and Israel responded by calling home its ambassador. Lebanese immigrant Hassan Bzaih, who says his family lost 12 relatives in an Israeli missile strike last month, said he feels thankful to Chavez for "supporting the victims."''

Chavez foes call off primary, unite behind one candidate - Provincial governor in uphill battle against popular president  8/10/2006 LA Times

Venezuela Captures Suspected Drug Lord  8/10/2006 Venezuela: ''Elias Verde Peña, believed to be the leader of a drug ring in Venezuela and Europe, was detained Monday in western Caracas, Venezuela’s Office of the Attorney General said in a statement. Verde is being investigated for multiple homicides and alleged links to 22 Venezuelans who were detained March 21 at a Paris airport. Nearly 45 pounds of cocaine was discovered in the stomachs of those arrested in France. Following the Paris scandal, the Judicial Police Chief of Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar International Airport and 14 other security officials were dismissed. Venezuelan authorities last week detained Libardo Parra Gonzalez, a suspected Colombian drug trafficker and paramilitary leader. Gonzalez, who is wanted in Colombia and the United States for alleged crimes including drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion, was deported to Colombia to face charges. In 2005, Venezuela signed multilateral agreements with both France and Colombia to collaborate more effectively on counter-narcotic efforts. On Monday, Venezuelan Vice President José Vicente Rangel was in Bogotá where he used the opportunity to highlight the neighboring nations’ growing cooperation in the fight against drugs.''

Wednesday 8/9/2006

Pat Robertson Prays for Israeli Victory 8/9/2006 My Way: ''U.S. televangelist Pat Robertson said he joined hands Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to pray for victory in Lebanon. "I'm here to say I love Israel. I'm here to say evangelical Christians in America stand with Israel in their struggle," Robertson told reporters. "For all our sakes, they cannot lose this struggle.''

Tuesday 8/8/2006

McKinney campaign claims name left off ballots  8/8/2006 Raw Story

Mexico: The Smoking Volcano  8/8/2006 The Nation: ''The TRIFE's decision to open some ballot boxes is a stinging blow to the IFE's integrity. Under fire since July 2, the Federal Electoral Institute, backed by a leading business federation, has been airing prime-time spots in which actors impersonating citizens object indignantly to the suggestion that the presidential election was anything but pristine.''

Voters in the Georgia Fourth Congressional District Democratic primary  8/8/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: ''scroll down to 5th entry for Aug. 8, 2006 - "Voters in the Georgia Fourth Congressional District Democratic primary runoff between Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Hank Johnson, the Karl Rove candidate, will be voting with computer voting machines with no paper backup. The fix is obviously in. Early reports from the Georgia Fourth: "Less than one hour into the voting day, multiple problems with the electronic voting machines have arisen. McKinney precinct watchers are reporting machines down already, unsecure machines, and at least one 4th Congressional District precinct without McKinney's name on the ballot, but with her opponent's name on it. Midway Elementary School, at 7:20 am, one voter came into vote and went through the check-in procedure, she put the card in the machine and went to the poll manager; the poll manager did not address the issue. The voter left in disgust. The McKinney campaign has the voter's name. And an eyewitness report, too. At Hooper Alexander, one machine not operational. Another location had to redo the zero report because the machine did not initiate at a zero count. And at yet another location, the voting machine where the voting card is inserted is not secure."''

Monday 8/7/2006

London-Boston Flight Called Back - American Airlines Plane Returns To England With 'No Fly' Passenger  8/7/2006 AP: ''[does not mention there were explosives aboard, which becomes part of the story in an Aug 11 Indian paper, DNA]''

Iraqi doctor tells US military hearing about chilling scene of rape-murder  8/7/2006 Daily Star, Lebanon: ''It has been alleged that on March 12 five US soldiers left their post and headed to the nearby home of a Iraqi. The young girl was allegedly raped and killed, along with her family, and the house set on fire. The doctor said the girl's upper torso and head were burned and she had a single bullet under her left eye. Her five-year-old sister was found in an adjacent room, where a bullet had blown the back of her head out. The girls' father and mother had also been shot dead. The mother was riddled with bullets in her chest and abdomen. The doctor told the prosecutors that he was ill for weeks after witnessing the crime scene. He also told the hearing that because there was not enough space in the Mahmoudiyya hospital to store the bodies, they were kept in an air-conditioned ambulance overnight, and buried the following day. Reporters were barred from the hearing during the testimony, and the medic's name was not released, but a recording of his testimony was made available. Two other Iraqis also testified but the media was not allowed to listen. The "Article 32" hearing began Sunday behind closed doors, to allow Iraqi witnesses to testify without the risk of being identified in their community, where there is strong anti-American sentiment. Sergeant Paul Cortez, Specialist James Barker, Private Jesse Spielman and Private Bryan Howard could face the death penalty if found guilty of taking part in the attack. A fifth suspect, Steven Green was discharged from the army because of a "personality disorder" and will be tried separately in the United States in a civilian federal court.''

New and unkown deadly weapons used by Israeli forces  8/7/2006 Global Research: ''New and strange symptoms are reported amongst the wounded and the dead. Bodies with dead tissues and no apparent wounds; 'shrunken' corpses; civilians with heavy damage to lower limbs that require amputation, which is nevertheless followed by unstoppable necrosis and death; descriptions of extensive internal wounds with no trace of shrapnel, corpses blackened but not burnt, and others heavily wounded that did not bleed. Many of these descriptions suggest the possibility that the new weapons used include 'direct energy' weapons, and chemical and/or biological agents, in a sort of macabre experiment of future warfare, where there is no respect for anything: International rules (from the Geneva Convention to the treaties on biological and chemical weapons), refugees, hospitals and the Red Cross, not to mention the people, their future, their children, the environment, which is poisoned through dissemination of Depleted Uranium and toxic substances released after oil and chemical depots are bombed.''

There are burnt-out tanks, but few Israeli troops - Evidence in border villages shows heavy price paid for limited incursion  8/7/2006 Guardian

Sunday 8/6/2006

One Ring to Rule Them 8/6/2006 Juan Cole: ''When I floated the fungibility of petroleum as a reason for which the Iraq War could not be only about oil, at a talk at Columbia's Earth Institute last year, Jeffrey Sachs surprised me by disagreeing with me. In our new environment, oil is becoming a commodity over which it really does make sense to fight for control.''

Saturday 8/5/2006

Robert Fisk: A terrible thought occurs to me - that there will be another 9/11 8/5/2006 Independent: ''In Israel two civilians were killed by Hizbollah missiles but, as usual, Lebanon bore the brunt of the day's attacks which centred - incredibly - on the Christian heartland that has traditionally shown great sympathy towards Israel. It was the Christian Maronite community whose Phalangist militiamen were Israel's closest allies in its 1982 invasion of Lebanon yet Israel's air force yesterday attacked three highway bridges north of Beirut and - again as usual - it was the little people who died… The Israeli air force has succeeded in killing perhaps 50 Hizbollah members and 600 civilians and has destroyed bridges, milk factories, gas stations, fuel storage depots, airport runways and thousands of homes. But to what purpose? Does the United States any longer believe Israel's claims that it will destroy Hizbollah when its army clearly cannot do anything of the kind? Does Washington not realise that when Israel grows tired of this war, it will plead for a ceasefire - which only Washington can deliver by doing what it most loathes to do: by taking the road to Damascus and asking for help from President Bashar al-Assad of Syria? ...So fierce has been Hizbollah's resistance - and so determined its attacks on Israeli ground troops in Lebanon - that many people here no longer recall that it was Hizbollah which provoked this latest war by crossing the border on 12 July, killing three Israeli soldiers and capturing two others. Israel's threats of enlarging the conflict even further are now met with amusement rather than horror by a Lebanese population which has been listening to Israel's warnings for 30 years with ever greater weariness. And yet they fear for their lives. If Tel Aviv is hit, will Beirut be spared. Or if central Beirut is hit, will Tel Aviv be spared? Hizbollah now uses Israel's language of an eye for an eye. Every Israeli taunt is met by a Hizbollah taunt. And do the Israelis realise that they are legitimising Hizbollah, that a rag-tag army of guerrillas is winning its spurs against an Israeli army and air force whose targets - if intended - prove them to be war criminals and if unintended suggest that they are a rif-raff little better than the Arab armies they have been fighting, on and off, for more than half a century? Extraordinary precedents are being set in this Lebanon war. In fact, one of the most profound changes in the region these past three decades has been the growing unwillingness of Arabs to be afraid. Their leaders - our "moderate" pro-Western Arab leaders such as King Abdullah of Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt - may be afraid. But their peoples are not. And once a people have lost their terror, they cannot be re-injected with fear. Thus Israel's consistent policy of smashing Arabs into submission no longer works. It is a policy whose bankruptcy the Americans are now discovering in Iraq.''

Friday 8/4/2006

Middle East at a crossroads 8/4/2006 Energy Bulletin: ''Questions about the real size of Kuwait’s oil reserves have emerged in the Kuwaiti National Assembly, leading the opposition party to call for production cuts. Remarkably, Kuwait appears to be groping toward implementation of the Oil Depletion Protocol, without ever having heard of it. However, from the standpoint of nations that want to keep the oil flowing so the global industrial party can continue, this is bad news. Even worse news, potentially, comes from Saudi Arabia, where oil flows have shrunk by some 400,000 barrels per day over the past few months, despite astronomic prices. No one knows for sure what is going on. The Saudis themselves say the production cuts are due to lack of demand, but this hardly seems plausible, unless the kingdom is only able to deliver unwanted heavy, sour crude to market—but even in that case, one would expect flows to increase, with a price discount factored in for resource quality. At the same time, the Saudis are hiring just about every spare drilling rig in the world, resulting in a dramatically falling rig count in the Gulf of Mexico—a place that would otherwise be seeing an increasing count, given the fact that Mexico’s giant Cantarell field is in now in steep decline, with dire implications for the nation’s economy. Matthew Simmons (Twilight in the Desert) has been insisting for the past few years that Saudi production is close to peak and that Ghawar, the world’s biggest field, may be in decline. Now many others are speculating that this is the real reason for the falling production figures. What happens next? It depends on the real condition of Ghawar. Perhaps a heroic drilling campaign could result in a temporary bloom in production, lasting perhaps three years, followed by a swift, terminal collapse. On the other hand, it is possible that the field has been so thoroughly exploited already that we are seeing the irreversible, rapid decline. At the ASPO conference a well-connected industry insider who wishes not to be directly quoted told me that his own sources inside Saudi Arabia insist that production from Ghawar is now down to less than three million barrels per day, and that the Saudis are maintaining total production at only slowly dwindling levels by producing other fields at maximum rates. This, if true, would be a bombshell: most estimates give production from Ghawar at 5.5 Mb/d… It may be pure coincidence that, just as the world’s biggest oil producers are reaching a historic turning point signaling the end of the energy regime that has held since the end of US production dominance in 1970, a war has erupted between Israel and a militant organization supported by a nation the US plans to attack anyway in order to maintain dominance of world oil supplies going forward. History is full of such coincidences. But coincidence or not, it will be difficult to keep these unfolding realities from rebounding off one another, undermining attempts at a peaceful resolution.''

Thursday 8/3/2006

Saab stops Venezuela arms sales  8/3/2006 BBC: ''Saab says it cannot continue sales of anti-aircraft and anti-tank devices to Venezuela because of a US arms embargo against President Chavez's government. Saab subsidiary Bofors has supplied Venezuela's armed forces for 20 years. Under the terms of the American restrictions, no factory in the world may sell weapons to Venezuela that contain components made in the US. Bofors will cut its commercial ties to Venezuela on 1 October, complying with the strict embargo put in place by Washington back in May. The Swedes have in the past sold anti-aircraft missiles, rocket launchers and anti-tank rifles to Venezuela worth around $150m (£80m). There are no new arms contracts in the pipeline at the moment. But President Chavez will soon need to replenish his stocks of ammunition and missiles.''

Halutz's Bombing War - Hezbollah's Top Ally in Israel  8/3/2006 Counterpunch: ''Since then Halutz has efficiently united all Lebanese in loathing of Israel, while being an effective propagandist for Hezbollah. What better recruiter of sympathy for Lebanon than Halutz screaming "we're going to turn Lebanon back into what it was 20 years ago," and threatening to blow up a 10-floor building for every missile. By the second day in August Halutz's bombardment had achieved the extraordinary feat of prompting the Maronite Catholic patriarch - the spiritual leader of the most pro-Western populace - to assemble Lebanon's religious leaders -- Shiite and Sunni Muslims and various Christian confessions. The group issued a joint statement of solidarity, condemning the Israeli "aggression" and hailing "the resistance, mainly led by Hezbollah, which represents one of the sections of society." All Halutz knows how to do is to bomb defenseless targets. This ability does not require brain power or skill in political analysis.''

Zimbabwe: White Lies, Black Victims  8/3/2006 Rastafari Speaks

Israel warns of consequences of Tel Aviv attack: TV  8/3/2006 Reuters: ''Israel will destroy Lebanon's infrastructure if Hizbollah fires rockets at Tel Aviv as Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened on Thursday, a senior Israeli defense source told Israel's Channel One television.''

Was 9/11 an 'inside job'?  8/3/2006 Seattle PI

CIA and Mossad agents in Lebanon, working with forces loyal to Israeli ally and convicted murderer Samir Geagea, were stirring up trouble among refugees streaming into northern Lebanon  8/3/2006 Wayne Madsen Report: ''Aoun's MOU with Hezbollah is dangerous for Israel and the United States. Last November, Aoun was feted in Washington by neo-con members of the Bush administration and pro-Israel members of Congress for his leadership of the so-called "Cedar Revolution," the movement to chase Syria out of Lebanon after it was falsely accused of being behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It was a tactical agreement between Hariri and Hezbollah, similar to that between Aoun and Hezbollah, that largely contributed to Jerusalem's and Washington's decision, and Saudi Arabia's acquiescence, to eliminate Hariri. Aoun, as a one-time Israeli military ally, is well aware of Israel's tactics. Israeli military forces have discovered that entering Lebanon is not the cake walk it was during the Lebanese civil war. Aoun is also extremely knowledgeable about the pro-Israeli cells operating within the Bush administration and the neo-con think tanks and contrivances in Washington. These are the very same elements that supported the Cedar Revolution and include the American Enterprise Institute, where Michael Ledeen and Richard Perle nest; the neo-con supported US Committee for a Free Lebanon; Heritage Foundation; Foundation for the Defense of Democracies; Hudson Institute; Hoover Institution; Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP); and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)."
''

Wednesday 8/2/2006

Evidence of Election Fraud Grows in México  8/2/2006 Alternet: ''The PRD's strongest case for a recount comes from the fact that ballots in almost one-third of the country were not counted in the presence of independent observers. One analysis of IFE results found that there were 2,366 polling places where only a PAN observer was present. In these districts, Calderón beat López Obrador by a whopping 71-21 margin. Other elements of PRD's legal challenge include documentation of several ballot boxes found in dumps in the PRD stronghold of México City. They also point to evidence such as the nonpartisan Civic Alliance's report documenting 17 polling sites in PAN-dominated Nuevo León, Michoacan and Querétaro, where the number of votes cast vastly exceeded the number of registered voters at a site. Reports by international and domestic election observers affiliated with the Civic Alliance and Global Exchange stop short of claiming fraud in the elections. They laud the dedication of most poll workers they monitored and the preparations for the vote in most of the polling places, as well as the orderly and peaceful process overall. But the cumulative evidence is damning in such a closely contested race. In the weeks after the election, PRD observers again sounded the alarm as sealed ballot packets were being illegally opened at IFE district offices in several PAN-dominated regions. PRD officials accused IFE officials of possibly tampering with ballots or attempting to cover up fraud in the event of a recount. The TRIFE ordered these offices to stop opening vote packets. While the López Obrador campaign has not made major charges of "cyber fraud," there is an emerging controversy over the IFE's role in reporting who was ahead in the vote count. For the 2006 election, the IFE had developed a sophisticated system to provide preliminary results called the PREP. Relying on results being phoned in from a sample of precincts, the IFE could compile a credible picture of the vote. If the PREP showed one candidate with a clear majority, the system would have allowed Mexicans to go to sleep on election night knowing who their next president would be. But because of the razor close results, the PREP proved to be an inadequate measure. Now research is emerging to suggest that the PREP results were cooked to create the appearance of a Calderón victory. Physicist Jorge López at the University of Texas, El Paso, conducted a statistical analysis of the PREP results and found that, as the results came in, the differential between the candidates' totals remained almost constant. One would expect that, as results from each party's geographic strongholds were counted, the gap between their totals would rise and would fall. In such a tight election, one would even expect the lead to change back and forth as the count progressed. None of that happened. The results of a third candidate, Roberto Madrazo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), fluctuated as expected.''

Mideast Weapons Deserve Scrutiny - Israel’s cluster bombs and alleged phosphorus use have escaped attention  8/2/2006 FAIR

Mexico vote protests cripple capital, hurt markets  8/2/2006 Reuters: ''Street protests led by the leftist candidate in Mexico's presidential election plunged the capital into chaos for a second day on Tuesday, raising fears of a long and increasingly nasty fight over vote fraud claims.''

Concern mounts that this is a war Israel is not going to win  8/2/2006 Sydney Morning Herald: ''The prominent Israeli analyst Zeev Schiff , whose daily commentaries are allegedly delivered in Arabic each morning to Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, yesterday accused the Government of failing to achieve its aims and mishandling the campaign. As Schiff pointed out in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, in the first Lebanon war in 1982, Israeli ground troops had seized all of southern Lebanon within 48 hours. This time, it has taken three weeks to defeat a handful of Hezbollah strongholds within a few kilometres of the border. Schiff predicted the war would last "much longer" and the ground campaign would have to be rapidly expanded to pave the way for the entry of an international force. Amid fears of repeating the errors of its ill-fated, large-scale invasion in 1982, Israel has insisted its ground incursions did not target Hezbollah's rocket launchers and were limited to preventing cross-border attacks. Although Israel says it has reduced Hezbollah's long-range missile capability, killed several leaders and reduced the group's presence at the border, its air campaign has not ended the threat to residents in northern Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired a record 140 rockets across the Galillee." [with 200 rockets on Wednesday]''

9/11 Panel Suspected Deception by Pentagon  8/2/2006 Washington Post: ''Suspicion of wrongdoing ran so deep that the 10-member commission, in a secret meeting at the end of its tenure in summer 2004, debated referring the matter to the Justice Department for criminal investigation, according to several commission sources. Staff members and some commissioners thought that e-mails and other evidence provided enough probable cause to believe that military and aviation officials violated the law by making false statements to Congress and to the commission, hoping to hide the bungled response to the hijackings, these sources said. In the end, the panel agreed to a compromise, turning over the allegations to the inspectors general for the Defense and Transportation departments, who can make criminal referrals if they believe they are warranted, officials said. "We to this day don't know why NORAD [the North American Aerospace Command] told us what they told us," said Thomas H. Kean, the former New Jersey Republican governor who led the commission. "It was just so far from the truth. . . . It's one of those loose ends that never got tied."''

Lebanese: IDF tried to kidnap senior Hizbullah member  8/2/2006 Ynet, israel: ''Lebanese army officials say special IDF forces fail in attempt to kidnap senior Hizbullah member from hospital near Baalbek; Lebanese media say mark may have been Hizbullah High Council member Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek; eyewitnesses report gun battles, casualties at scene… It remains unclear whether the operation was successful, but witnesses said “the Jews took some people with them.”''

Tuesday 8/1/2006

Israeli troops trapped inside Lebanese hospital by Hezbollah fighters: reports  8/1/2006 AP: ''Hezbollah's chief spokesman, Hussein Rahal, said Israeli troops landed near Dar al-Hikma Hospital. Four hours into the operation, fighting continued, witnesses said. By early Wednesday morning, Israeli planes had staged more than 10 bombing runs around the hospital, as well as on hills in eastern and northern Baalbek. The planes dropped flares over the city while heavy fighting raged around the hospital, they said. "A group of Israeli commandos was brought to the hospital by a helicopter. They entered the hospital and are trapped inside as our fighters opened fire on them and fierce fighting is still raging," Rahal said.''

Robert Fisk Reports From Lebanon On the Intensifying Israeli Attack, Qana, Tony Blair and the Possibility of a Ceasefire  8/1/2006 Democracy Now: ''You heard Sharon, before he suffered his massive stroke, he used this phrase in the Knesset, you know, “The Palestinians must feel pain.” This was during one of the intifadas. The idea that if you continue to beat and beat and beat the Arabs, they will submit, that eventually they'll go on their knees and give you what you want. And this is totally, utterly self-delusional, because it doesn't apply anymore. It used to apply 30 years ago, when I first arrived in the Middle East. If the Israelis crossed the Lebanese border, the Palestinians jumped in their cars and drove to Beirut and went to the cinema. Now when the Israelis cross the Lebanese border, the Hezbollah jump in their cars in Beirut and race to the south to join battle with them. But the key thing now is that Arabs are not afraid any more. Their leaders are afraid, the Mubaraks of this world, the president of Egypt, King Abdullah II of Jordan. They're afraid. They shake and tremble in their golden mosques, because they were supported by us. But the people are no longer afraid. Whether this is because they've grown tired of being afraid -- you know, they say once you lose your fear you cannot be re-injected with fear, you can't start being frightened again -- or whether it's because our Western forces are now at war with Islamists, not with nationalists, that, I’m not sure. You know, 30 years ago it was the nationalist secular PLO, whom the Israelis claim were the central world terror or whatever you’d like to call it. We bombed the Suez City at the time of the Suez Crisis in ‘56, because of Nasser’s Arab nationalism. We bombed Gaddafi for his nationalism and his acts of "world terror." Now, the British and Americans in Afghanistan are fighting Islamists, British and Americans in Iraq are fighting Islamists, the Israelis are fighting Islamists in Gaza, they’re fighting Islamists in Lebanon. It's not the same enemy, and they're not running away anymore, and that is what is going to doom us in this crazed conflict, which we continue to provoke and which enrages us when the conflict reaches us and strikes back, because it destroys our beautiful buildings and our tube trains and our buses.''

Livni: Qana attack led to turning point in support for Israel  8/1/2006 Haaretz: ''It now appears that the military had no information on rockets launched from the site of the building, or the presence of Hezbollah men at the time. The Israel Defense Forces had said after the deadly air-strike that many rockets had been launched from Qana. However, it changed its version on Monday. The site was included in an IAF plan to strike at several buildings in proximity to a previous launching site. Similar strikes were carried out in the past. However, there were no rocket launches from Qana on the day of the strike… The IDF account and those of survivors present contradictory versions of the Qana deaths. The IDF said that there is an unexplained gap of about seven hours between the IAF strike and the first report that the building had collapsed. Residents' accounts say only 10 minutes went by between the strike and the collapse. The survivors say rescue teams arrived only in the morning, as night conditions made the rescue mission difficult. The Red Cross in Tyre received a call for help only in the morning, explaining their late arrival. Sami Yazbek, chief of the Tyre department of the Red Cross, said his office received a call only at 7 A.M. The ambulances were further slowed by the bombed roads leading to Qana. The media first heard of the bombing at 8 A.M. The foreign press quoted Lebanese sources explaining the late announcement, saying the electricity and phones in the village of Qana were almost entirely cut-off by IAF attacks.''

How to Hack a Diebold Voting Machine  8/1/2006 Huffington Post: ''It is highly amusing how Americans have allowed the electoral process to be turned into farse. That you haven't gone to the streets, irate with rage, when you heard the phrase "no verifiable paper trail" the first time, is your effing problem. The same company that claims it's hard to supply paper trails for the U.S. market, is selling the same machines abroad, paper-trail enabled. No wonder Rove is so smug.''

The Rape of Russia by Anne Williamson  8/1/2006 Russians.org

La revuelta de José Leonardo Chirino  8/1/2006 simon-bolivar.org: 'published 4/03

"There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to Democracies as against despots: suspicion." -- Demosthenes

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World News 8/1/06 - 8/31/2006

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Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A. Last modified: August 19, 2006

World News
8/1/06 - 8/31/2006

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.
Last modified: August 19, 2006