|
World-wide
News
Sources
Cuba
Cuban Culture
Cuba: Race
& Identity
Haiti
Colombia
Venezuela
CIA officer Roland Caraby assassinated in
Houston - Continuing coverage
Sibel Edmonds and the
Turkish Russian Israeli mafia
JFK
Assassination News
Israeli Actions in the Americas
Suppressing Dissent
in the US
From
BlackVoterNet:
Elections
2008
Targeting
Obama
Drug Traficking &
State
Terrorism
Voting Fraud
Other news:
Anti-War News
War
on Terrorism planned before 9-11
Central America
Beta Israel
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Afghan Genocide
Chechnya
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Bin Laden, Narcoterrorism, the CIA, and
the House of Saud
Risks of Nuclear War
The Far Right and Islamic
Militants
Search the News
Daypop
Newstrove
World News Archives
3/16/08- today
3/1/08-3/15/08
2/1/08-2/29/08
1/1/08-1/31/08
12/1/07-12/31-07
11/1/07-11/30/07
9/16/07-10/31/07
8/16/07 - 9/15/07
7/1/07-8/15/07
3/31/07-6/30/07
1/1/07-3/31/07
12/1/06-12/31/06
11/1/06-11/30/06
10/2/06-10/31/06
9/1/06-10/1/06
8/1/06-8/30/06
5/22/06-7/31/06
5/1/06-5/21/06
4/17/06-4/30/06
4/10/06-4/16/06
3/27/06 - 4/9/2006
3/6/06-3/26/06
2/20/06-3/5/06
2/6/06-2/19/06
1/23/06-2/5/06
12/20/05-1/22/06
11/28/05-12/19/05
10/31/05-11/27/05
10/10/05-10/30/05
9/26/05-10/9/05
9/12/05-9/25/05
9/5/05-9/11/05
8/29/05-9/4/05
8/15/05 - 8/28/2005
8/1/05 - 8/14/2005
5/30/05 - 7/31/2005
5/16/05-5/29/05
5/2/05-5/15/05
4/11/05-5/1/05
3/28/05-4/10/05
3/14/05-3/27/05
2/28/05-3/13/05
2/14/05-2/27/05
1/31/05-2/13/05
1/10/04 - 1/30/05
1/3/05-1/9/05
12/27/04-1/2/2005
12/20/04-12/26/2004
12/13/04-12/19/2004
11/29/04-12/12/2004
11/22/04-11/28/2004
11/15/04-11/21/04
11/8/04-11/14/04
11/1/04-11/7/04
10/25/04-10/31/04
10/18/04-10/24/04
10/11/04-10/17/04
10/4/04-10/10/04
9/27/04-10/3/04
9/20/04-9/26/04
9/13/04-9/19/04
9/6/04-9/12/04
8/30/04-9/5/04
8/23/04-8/29/04
8/16/04-8/22/04
8/9/04-8/15/04
8/2/04-8/8/04
7/26/04-8/1/04
7/19/04-7/25/04
7/12/04-7/18/04
7/5/04-7/11/04
6/28/04-7/4/04
6/21/04-6/27/04
6/14/04-6/20/04
6/7/04-6/13/04
5/31/04-6/6/04
5/24/04-5/30/04
5/17/04-5/23/04
5/10/04-5/16/04
5/3/04-5/9/04
4/26/04-5/2/04
4/19/04-4/25/04
4/12/04-4/18/04
4/5/04-4/11/04
3/29/04-4/4/04
3/22/04-3/28/04
3/15/04-3/21/04
3/8/04-3/14/04
3/1/04-3/7/04
2/23/04-2/29/04
2/9/04-2/22/04
2/2/04-2/8/04
1/26/04-2/1/04
1/19/04-1/25/04
1/12/04-1/18/04
1/5/04-1/11/04
12/29/03-1/4/04
12/22/03-12/28/03
12/15/03-12/21/03
12/8/03-12/14/03
12/1/03-12/7/03
11/24/03-1130/03
11/17/03-11/23/03
11/10/03-11/16/03
11/3/03-11/9/03
10/27/03-11/2/03
10/20/03-10/26/03
10/13/03-10/19/03
9/29/03-10/12/03
8/4/03-9/28/03
7/28/03-8/3/03
7/21/03-7/27/03
7/14/03-7/20/03
7/7/03-7/13/03
6/30/03-7/6/03
6/23/03-6/29/03
6/16/03-6/22/03
6/9/03-6/15/03
6/2/03-6/8/03
5/26/03-6/1/03
5/19/03-5/25/03
5/12/03-5/18/03
5/5/03-5/11/03
4/28/03-5/4/03
4/21/03-4/27/03
4/14/03-4/20/03
4/6/03-4/13/03
3/31/03-4/5/03
3/24/03-3/30/03
3/17/03-3/23/03
3/10/03-3/16/03
3/3/03-3/9/03
2/24/03-3/2/03
2/17/03-2/23/03
2/10/03-2/16/03
2/3/03-2/9/03
1/27/03-2/2/03
1/20/03-1/26/03
1/13/02-1/19/02
1/6/02-1/12/02
12/30/02 - 1/5/03
12/23/02-12/29/02
12/16/02-12/22/02
12/9/02-12/15/02
12/2/02-12/8/02
11/25/02-12/1/02
11/18/02-11/24/02
11/11/02-11/17/02
11/4/02-11/10/02
10/28/02-11/3/02
10/21/02-10/27/02
10/14/02-10/20/02
10/7/02-10/13/02
9/30/02-10/6/02
9/23/02-9/29/02
9/16/02-9/22/02
9/9/02-9/15/02
9/2/02-9/8/02
8/26/02-9/1/02
8/19/02-8/25/02
8/12/02-8/18/02
8/5/02-8/11/02
7/29/02-8/4/02
7/22/02-7/28/02
7/15/02-7/21/02
7/8/02-7/14/02
7/1/02-7/7/02
6/24/02-6/30/02
6/17/02-6/23/02
6/11/02-6/16/02
6/3/02-6/10/02
5/27/02-6/2/02
5/20/02-5/26/02
5/13/02-5/19/02
5/6/02-5/12/02
4/29/02-5/5/02
4/22/02-4/28/02
4/15/02-4/21/02
4/8/02-4/14/02
4/1/02-4/7/02
3/25/02-3/31/02
3/18/02-3/24/02
3/11/02-3/17/02
3/4/02-3/10/02
2-25-02-3/3/02
2/18/02-2/24/02
2/11/02-2/17/02
2/4/02-2/10/02
1/28/02-2/3/02
1/21/02-1/27/02
1/14/02-1/20/02
1/7/02 - 1/13/02
12/31/01-1/6/02
12/24/01-12/30/01
12/17/01-12/23/01
12/10/01-12/16/01
12/3/01-12/9/01
11/26/01-12/2/01
11/19/01-11/25/01
11/12/01-11/18/01
11/5/01-11/11/01
10/29/01-11/4/01
10/22/01-10/28/01
10/15/01-10/21/01
10/8/01-10/14/01
10/1/01-10/7/01
9/24/01-9/30/01
9/17/01-9/23/01
9/10/01-9/16/01
Local times around the
world
Maps
Death from America : Irak
Statewatch
Civil Liberties in the EU
WebCam in Karachi
|
World News
4/1/08 - 4/30/2008
Wednesday 4/30/2008
Memoriam - CIA Wall of 83 Stars & OSS Memorial 4/30/2008 AFIO Houston: "Boudi Carnaby - Army Intelligence, Ret. (WWII) - In Italy in mid-August, Boudi succumbed to his injuries from an accident. Boudi Carnaby takes his place with the fallen of America's finest generation. He is survived by his wife Antoinette and his three daughters; by his brother Vincent, by his sister Mary, and by his nephew Roland V. Carnaby, President of our AFIO Houston Chapter."
Credentials Show Chase Suspect In CIA 4/30/2008 Click2Houston: "The family said the reason for all the confusion was that Carnaby went by other names. A book signed by the former director of the CIA was autographed to "Tony" -- one of his aliases." [It also had the initials "RC," Roland Carnaby.]
HPD high-speed chase ends in death, deeper mystery - Killed man known to his friends as a federal intelligence officer 4/30/2008 Houston Chronicle: "What's going on?" a passing motorist shouted out as he crawled along the clogged West Loop.
That's the question his friends want answered. They say Carnaby had no reason to run or disobey police. Platt said he had dined with Carnaby both Saturday and Sunday and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Carnaby was engaged to be married, he said, and led a happy life.
"I can't fathom any reason why he would be running from the police because he is the police," Platt said. "This doesn't make any sense. I can't understand him running or why they opened up on him. This doesn't smell right."
HPD: Carnaby flashed CIA card before deadly chase
Killed man known to his friends as a federal intelligence officer 4/30/2008 Houston Chronicle: "Susan Carnaby said her husband has worked for the agency for 30 years. He often travelled overseas, leaving for months at a time. If he was in Washington, he would tell her, but most of the time she had no idea where he had gone, she said. It was top secret, he told her."
BREAKING NEWS. UPDATED 4X. CIA agent gunned down by Houston police 4/30/2008 Wayne Madsen Report: requires subscription - "Well-known US intelligence agent killed under suspicious circumstances."
Tuesday 4/29/2008
Doubt cast on Colombia's seizure 4/29/2008 Washington Times: "The government of Colombia, stung by scandal over government links to right-wing militias and an imperiled trade deal with Washington, faces charges from leading U.S.-based academics that it is distorting information purportedly seized from Marxist guerrillas during a cross-border raid.
In an open letter to the media, about two dozen specialists from U.S. research institutes and universities, including Harvard and New York University, have warned reporters to be cautious with accounts from Colombia's government that purport to link Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC."
Monday 4/28/2008
 Israel Is Suppressing a Secret It Must Face - How did a Jewish state founded 60 years ago end up throwing filth at cowering Palestinians? 4/28/2008 Independent, UK: "It is the smell of shit. Across the occupied West Bank, raw untreated sewage is pumped every day out of the Jewish settlements, along large metal pipes, straight onto Palestinian land. From there, it can enter the groundwater and the reservoirs, and become a poison.
Standing near one of these long, stinking brown-and-yellow rivers of waste recently, the local chief medical officer, Dr Bassam Said Nadi, explained to me: "Recently there were very heavy rains, and the shit started to flow into the reservoir that provides water for this whole area. I knew that if we didn't act, people would die. We had to alert everyone not to drink the water for over a week, and distribute bottles. We were lucky it was spotted. Next time..." He shook his head in fear. This is no freak: a 2004 report by Friends of the Earth found that only six per cent of Israeli settlements adequately treat their sewage.
Meanwhile, in order to punish the population of Gaza for voting "the wrong way", the Israeli army are not allowing past the checkpoints any replacements for the pipes and cement needed to keep the sewage system working. The result? Vast stagnant pools of waste are being held within fragile dykes across the strip, and rotting. Last March, one of them burst, drowning a nine-month-old baby and his elderly grandmother in a tsunami of human waste. The Centre on Housing Rights warns that one heavy rainfall could send 1.5m cubic metres of faeces flowing all over Gaza, causing "a humanitarian and environmental disaster of epic proportions".
Letter to the Media: Laptop Does Not Prove Venezuela Ties to Rebels 4/28/2008 Mala
Sibel Edmonds - A Snap Shot that Speaks Volumes 4/28/2008 Muckraker Report: "The net effect of this proliferation effort, originating in the United States, plays right into its hands and serves to perfection the foreign policy it has adopted after 9/11. The only thing that is left is to get these weapons, with plausible deniability, into the hands of Islamic extremists; the destabilizing of Pakistan is next on the American agenda and would be the fuse for a chain of events that would destabilize a region stretching from Pakistan, of the Indian Ocean, to Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean."
Sunday 4/27/2008
IDF choppers in service of drug cartel 4/27/2008 Ynet, Israel: "Another diplomatic incident threatens to taint U.S.-Israeli relations: The American government has recently demanded Israel clarify how five U.S.-made helicopters sold to Israel in the mid-70s found their way into the hands of a Columbian drug cartel."
Saturday 4/26/2008
Israel Might Have Many More Spies Here, Officials Say 4/26/2008 CQ Politics
The Pentagon Strangles Our Economy: Why the U.S. Has Gone Broke 4/26/2008 Monde Diplomatique
Turkey slams Argentina in genocide row 4/26/2008 The News, Pakistan: "Turkey slammed Argentina on Friday over a new parliamentary document referring to the World War I killings of Armenians as genocide and cancelled a visit to the country by a cabinet minister.
“The Argentine Senate has approved a new text supporting the baseless Armenian allegations... (which) we strongly condemn and fully reject,” the foreign ministry said, without giving details about the document."
U.S. Weighing Readiness for Military Action Against Iran 4/26/2008 WaPo
Costa Rica protests against U.S. over detention of general prosecutor 4/26/2008 Xinhua: "Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its protest to the United States following the detention of the country's general prosecutor.
Francisco Dall'Anesse was detained at Miami airport on April 23when he was about to enter the United States on an official trip."
Friday 4/25/2008
Bolivia Government Freezes Separatist Santa Cruz Province Accounts 4/25/2008 AFP: "The government also accused the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, of siding with the rebel provinces.
"Ambassador Philip Goldberg has unveiled an agenda more political than diplomatic in Bolivia, and this agenda is linked to opponents of the current government," Interior Minister Alfredo Rada said."
International coalition rallies for Haiti 4/25/2008 McClatchy: "Alarmed that Haiti's hard-won stability could be swept away by the food crisis, a broad coalition of international donors and countries is rallying to assist President René Préval with emergency grants and soft loans. On Thursday, an international delegation led by the head of the Organization of American States and top officials from the United States, Canada, the European Union, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina traveled to Haiti to meet with Préval, who is attempting to form a new government after his prime minister was forced out following riots over rising food prices."
Venezuela’s Chavez plans to bury old empire of USA 4/25/2008 Pravda
Thursday 4/24/2008
Spy case poses questions on size of Israeli ring 4/24/2008 AP: "Kadish and Pollard allegedly had the same handler, Yosef Yagur, "an intelligence agent under diplomatic cover" serving as an attache in Israel's New York consulate but covertly attached to Eitan's office, said Israeli intelligence expert Yossi Melman.
Yagur is now retired and lives in Tel Aviv, Melman said. His telephone number is unlisted.
"For years, Israel was involved in technological espionage in the U.S.," Melman said. "Kadish and Pollard were certainly not the only ones."
Brazil Oil Finds May End Reliance on Middle East, Zeihan Says 4/24/2008 Bloomberg: "Brazil's state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA in November said the offshore Tupi field may hold 8 billion barrels of recoverable crude. Among discoveries in the past 30 years, only the 15-billion-barrel Kashagan field in Kazakhstan is larger.
Haroldo Lima, director of the country's oil agency, last week said another subsea field, Carioca, may have 33 billion barrels of oil. That would be the third biggest field in history, behind only the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia and Burgan in Kuwait.
Analysts Mark Flannery of Credit Suisse Group and Gustavo Gattass of UBS AG challenge the estimate for Carioca. Lima, the Brazilian oil agency director, later attributed the figure to a magazine.
Flannery told clients during an April 16 conference call that 600 million barrels is a ``reasonable'' estimate and suggested Lima may have been referring to the entire geologic formation to which Carioca belongs."
Wednesday 4/23/2008
Former prosecutor says new spy case shows that Pollard case was bigger than thought 4/23/2008 AP: "A former US attorney says the arrest of a US Army veteran on charges he spied for Israel confirms that the 1985 case of Jonathan Pollard was bigger than suspected.
Joseph DiGenova oversaw the Pollard case. He says 84-year-old Ben-Ami Kadish is alleged to have had the same Israeli handler as Pollard, a former US Navy analyst serving a life sentence for espionage.
DiGenova says the similarities are eerie. He says it clearly indicates the case is bigger than these two."
Muqtada's biggest battle already won 4/23/2008 Asia Times: "A new study by the Washington DC-based advocacy organization, Refugees International, reveals that Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militant force, Jaish-al-Mahdi, is the largest social welfare dispenser in Iraq.
It is a tribute to the Mahdi Army's successful adaptation of the model pioneered by Hezbollah in Lebanon. When survival needs of food, water, housing, electricity and protection are in short supply, and the state apparatus is unable or unwilling to come to the rescue of the population, radical non-state actors can exploit the vacuum and step in as provider of last resort."
"Dirty Tricks" We know who really won....… 4/23/2008 Blog on BarackObama.com: "Six of ten machines were down at a busy Delaware County polling site. It took 103 people 8 hours to vote in Upper Darby, which is heavily populated by immigrant and first time voters. Many of those freshly-minted voters had difficulties using the six machines that still functioned. "Hell of a day for six of the machines to go down," said one poll worker.
In South Philadelphia, voting machines were broken at 4th and Ritner, smack dab in the middle of a Obama strong hold. "The dirty tricks have begun," said John Lucas, spokesman for the election board, who sees a conspiracy… At these two sites, election judges, clerks and inspectors, all nominally paid volunteers, initially were unable to print out verification that the voting machines had been set at zero. A technician was dispatched to each location and helped to properly set up the machines,upon further inspection machines had been manipulated and set with 500 to 1500 votes calibrated to Clinton.
Only 30 people in Banksville and several more in North Braddock could use emergency paper ballots to cast their votes, "30 ballots for an entire district" If that's not fraud, i don't know what is. Heavily black districts didn't have any ballots at all just broken or defective machines that didn't work."
The New Media Math in Pennsylvania - What Double Digit Win? 4/23/2008 Counterpunch
Vanguardism vs. Mass Action - Radical Chavismo Growls a Challenge 4/23/2008 Counterpunch: "Now granted, if you use the convention of rounding up numbers 5 or above and rounding down numbers below 4 and below, you get 55 percent for Clinton and 45 percent for Obama. But if you take the actual numbers, 54.71 and 45.31, and calculate the difference, it works out to 9.40 percent. And that is a number closer to 9 than to 10."
New espionage affair may be old story, but will greatly damage Israel 4/23/2008 Haaretz
Rimi, Azikiwe, Others Congratulate Obong 4/23/2008 Leadership Nigeria: "Second Republic governor of Kano State, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, has described Edidem Bassey Ekpo Bassey II, Obong of Calabar, as the beacon of hope for the hopelessly marginalised masses of our people, stressing that, "With this development in Calabar, it is clear to me, as well as all leaders of progressive Nigeria, that the time has come when the traditional institution, which consumes so much of our national income, must play a part in the emancipation of the poor in our country".
In a congratulatory message to the Obong, Rimi said "Nigeria needs you in that position; we shall fight to prevent a reversal of such a significant gain for the masses". In his own message, the Owelle of Onitsha, Chief Chukwuemeka Bamidele Azikiwe, quoted Plato in his salutation to the Obong Bassey II, "It was Plato who said that society will not know peace or progress until either philosophers become kings or kings become philosophers. I greet you, philosopher and king".
Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations’ 4/23/2008 NYT: "The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But it has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners. Indeed, the United States leads the world in producing prisoners, a reflection of a relatively recent and now entirely distinctive American approach to crime and punishment. Americans are locked up for crimes — from writing bad checks to using drugs — that would rarely produce prison sentences in other countries. And in particular they are kept incarcerated far longer than prisoners in other nations. Criminologists and legal scholars in other industrialized nations say they are mystified and appalled by the number and length of American prison sentences."
Cousin of Colombian President Arrested in Death Squad Probe 4/23/2008 WaPo: "Authorities on Tuesday arrested former senator Mario Uribe, a cousin and close ally of President Álvaro Uribe, for alleged ties to death squads in a widening inquiry that has implicated nearly a quarter of Colombia's Congress.
The arrest of the former senator, who built a formidable political movement that helped his cousin win the presidency in 2002, comes during an institutional crisis that has tarnished a country closely allied with the United States.
As the result of investigations that began in 2006, 32 members of Congress have been arrested and about 30 others are being formally investigated for ties to paramilitary groups that killed thousands of civilians, infiltrated state institutions and trafficked cocaine to the United States. Preliminary investigations have begun against dozens of others, including the president of Congress, Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez, who was implicated last week."
Tuesday 4/22/2008
Pennsylvania's Six Week Primary Ends Tonight - Hillary: If Iran Attacked Israel With Nukes 'We Would Be Able to Totally Obliterate Them' 4/22/2008 ABC: "I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said."
The US Role in Haiti’s Hunger Riots 4/22/2008 Dissident Voice: "The New York Times lectured Haiti on April 18 that “Haiti, its agriculture industry in shambles, needs to better feed itself.” Unfortunately, the article did not talk at all about one of the main causes of the shortages: the fact that the US and other international financial bodies destroyed Haitian rice farmers to create a major market for heavily subsidized rice from US farmers. This is not the only cause of hunger in Haiti and other poor countries, but it is a major force."
US concern as 'red bishop' wins Paraguay poll 4/22/2008 Telegraph
Monday 4/21/2008
Chief of Southern Command says US will not seek to replace air base in Ecuador 4/21/2008 AP
José Can You See? Bush’s Trojan Taco 4/21/2008 Greg Palast: "Harmonization means making rules and regulations the same in all three countries. Or, more specifically, watering down rules – on health, safety, labor rights, oil drilling, polluting and so on - in other words, any regulations that get between The Council members and their profits.
Take for example, pesticides. Wal-Mart and agri-business don’t want to reduce the legal amount of poison allowed in what you eat. Solution: “harmonize” US and Canadian pesticide standards to Mexico’s.
Can they do that? Can Bush just say, “Eat your peas – even if they’re radioactive?” Under NAFTA, at least the way George Bush reads it (or has it read to him), he can. At any rate, he does."
Este cochino racismo de siempre 4/21/2008 Renacientes
Iraq's Sadr cannot be defeated by force: experts 4/21/2008 Reuters
REMEMBERING CONGRESSMAN GEORGE HANSEN 4/21/2008 Rumor Mill News: published 8/2002 - "Political prisoners and those who are considered trouble makers are given what prisoners call "diesel therapy". "Diesel therapy" consists of being put on diesel busses or airplanes and being tranported from prison to prison for weeks and months at a time. On the surface it sounds benign. What could be the problem with making a prisoner ride in a bus for hours at a time?"
Sunday 4/20/2008
Election Fraud in Pennsylvania? 4/20/2008 Scoop, New Zealand: "Citizens want to know that the candidate taking office is the same candidate who won a majority or a plurality of the votes. A 2006 Zogby poll of 1018 registered voters nationwide found that 92% believed that they, as citizens, have the right to witness vote counting for the election of their paid public servants.
That will not be the case in Pennsylvania any more than it was the case in Florida, Ohio, California, South Carolina, and most other primary states. Almost all states bar any real inspection of vote counting, the process that determines the election result. Even if they did allow you to watch the count, all you would see is a whirring third-rate computer system run by a private company that won't allow anyone to take a comprehensive look inside.
Post election audits are either absent or randomly selected by the people who run the election. Recounts require an exceptionally close election, less than a 1% difference typically. And citizen recounts after the election, where paper records exist, are barred by law in Florida and Virginia and barred almost everywhere else by bureaucratic fiat."
Saturday 4/19/2008
Anti-US cleric al-Sadr threatens new uprising in Iraq 4/19/2008 Huffington Post
Democrats are changing U.S. policy in Latin America 4/19/2008 McClatchy: "An empowered Democratic Party has taken command of U.S. policy toward Latin America, stalling a free-trade agreement and taking aim at military aid programs for Colombia and Mexico.
This assertiveness began after Democrats took control of Congress in early 2007, but it took a dramatic turn in recent weeks, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi derailing an effort by President Bush to force a vote on a free-trade agreement with Colombia.
Democratic lawmakers, several congressional staffers say, also are likely to cut back a $500 million request for Mexico as part of an anti-drug-trafficking program known as Merida Initiative. And influential Democrats have called for a thorough reassessment of U.S. policy toward the region on everything from Cuba and Venezuela to drug trafficking."
Thursday 4/17/2008
A Policy of Heartlessness - Losing Haiti 4/17/2008 Counterpunch: "MINUSTAH, the UN mission in Haiti, was put in place to defend the U.S.-backed coup regime which ousted the democratically-elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. After the coup, thousands of pro-Aristide dissidents were killed, raped or forced into exile, thousands more jailed without charge.
Last August, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited the sprawling seaside slum of Cite Soleil and boasted, "In an operation lasting six weeks, amid fierce firefights, UN forces took control of the slum." He told reporters, "I am convinced that Haiti is at a turning point. Long the poorest country in the western hemisphere, seemingly forever mired in political turmoil, it at long last has a golden chance to begin to rebuild itself. With the help of the international community - and the UN in particular - it can." Ban Ki Moon went on to warn against the UN leaving "too soon" and pushed for a renewed mandate for MINUSTAH.
But Brazilian soldier Tailon Ruppenthal is less starry eyed about MINUSTAH. In a recent memoir of his tour of duty, Rupenthal writes, "After a few months even getting out of bed is hard. You remember that you will cross paths with all those people who are starving but there's nothing you can do." The Brazilian, who now suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome, concludes, "we are losing the real war: against poverty Only the fight against poverty will bring peace. When will they see that?"
Wednesday 4/16/2008
Letter from Port-Au-Prince - The Food Riots in Haiti 4/16/2008 Counterpunch: "The American Embassy has been silent. The mass media has been talking about food riots around the world and saying thats what's going on in Haiti, but the reality is, though a Coup d'Etat has been avoided, the Alexis government has fallen. The Embassy doesn't always wish to understand Haiti. Its not their fault. You can't blame people for being incompetent, you can only blame their bosses for failing to identify their incompetence for whatever personal
political agenda."
Netanyahu says 9/11 terror attacks good for Israel 4/16/2008 Haaretz: "We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq," Ma'ariv quoted the former prime minister as saying. He reportedly added that these events "swung American public opinion in our favor." ...Meanwhile, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cast doubt over the veracity of the September 11 attacks Thursday, calling it a pretext to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. ..."Under this pretext, they [the U.S.] attacked Afghanistan and Iraq and since then, a million people have been killed only in Iraq."
IRAQ'S BIGGEST AID AGENCY? MUQTADA AL-SADR & CO. 4/16/2008 MSNBC: "A new report from Washington-based Refugees International says that Muqtada and his Mahdi Army are the largest "unofficial" aid agency in the country. And they're not alone. In the patchwork quilt of sectarian neighborhoods that make-up Baghdad, almost all aid is delivered through political and religious groups, according to report co-author Kristele Younes." [repeating Hamas' succesful strategy]
Active U.S. Hate Groups 4/16/2008 Southern Poverty Law Center: The SPLC's hate map features black separatist groups right next to the KKK and the Nazi Party offshoots. They do not feature ADL, AIPAC and other pro-Zionist groups.
Efik kingship and race for ascendancy 4/16/2008 The Tide, Nigeria: "Dressed in traditional kinship regalia, the new Obong emerged from Efe Asabo to a spontaneous embrace of and unprecedented jubilation by the residents of Cobham Town. Etubom, Ekpo Eyo who crowned the new Obong told journalists shortly after the ceremony that the crowning of Bassey as king of the Efiks is justified by tradition of the Efik people, stressing that Ekpo Bassey was ordained to be king. Eyo said Bassey capped the late Obong, while his father, Etubom Bassey’s father crowned the late Edidem Ene Mkpang Cobham and his grand father crowned the late Edidem Otu Effa... To this end, Eyo said, Bassey is a very prominent and likeable character. From all spectrum of the Efik Kingdom to the commonest man in the streets; to the highest in the kingdom, he is the most popular. His popularity is not only felt in Efik Kingdom. He is so popular among other ethnic groups up to Akwa Ibom State and beyond, Eyo said of the new Monarch."
Efik elders reject Abasi Otu as Obong-elect 4/16/2008 Vanguard, Nigeria
Tuesday 4/15/2008
New Obong of Calabar, deputy governor differ on death plot 4/15/2008 Guardian, Nigeria: "This morning, an unidentified police officer informed me that you were not just interested in arresting me to generate news, but that I would definitely be killed to pave the way for a second crowning at the shrine and that you are going to provide cover for the minority faction to break into the shrine."
New Obong of Calabar, deputy governor differ on death plot 4/15/2008 Guardian, Nigeria: "This morning, an unidentified police officer informed me that you were not just interested in arresting me to generate news, but that I would definitely be killed to pave the way for a second crowning at the shrine and that you are going to provide cover for the minority faction to break into the shrine... If as I think, you are concerned with our shrine, the police know that I have been the head of the place since 1999. The Cross River State Government has addressed me as such a number of times, and recently the Inspector General of Police wrote to me in that same regard , as head of the shrine."
Edidem Bassey pointed out that following his petition as the head of Efe Ekpe Eyo Ema (which houses the Efik kingship shrine) to the Inspector General of Police (IG), "I received a letter from the IG's office (dated March 18, 2008, with the reference CB:7000/IGP. SEC/ABJ/VOL 229/565).
"The indication is that the action was ordered as per my petition. I also observed that the police withdrew from the shrine. Surprisingly, however, on Sunday, April 6, 2008, when I was capped at the shrine as Obong of Calabar, there were police guards stationed at the shrine. The police had returned! Now, the police are there in great numbers. Our intelligence is that they have been contracted to help the minority faction of Etubom working with the governor break into the shrine and commit the sacrilege of a second capping."
Police Release Edison HS Brawl Surveillance 4/15/2008 NBC: "Some of the images are dramatic, showing police pushing students back. Officers are eventually seen bursting into the school lobby and rescue crews removing someone on a gurney.
There are plenty of photos of arrests being made. Charges have been dropped against 21 of the 26 people arrested that day.
Officerswere unable to substantiate specific claims against specific defendants. Students have been protesting since that day when, they say, police created a crisis.
Only one case, against a 15-year-old girl accused of striking a school police officer on the lip, has made it into court. Prosecutors are still reviewing four others.
After hours of studying the images made by security cameras, authorities said they'll be no help at all in sorting out the chaos at Edison High School."
The Next President’s First Task [A Manifesto] by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 4/15/2008 Vanity Fair: "Last November, Lord (David) Puttnam debated before Parliament an important bill to tackle global warming. Addressing industry and government warnings that we must proceed slowly to avoid economic ruin, Lord Puttnam recalled that precisely 200 years ago Parliament heard identical caveats during the debate over abolition of the slave trade. At that time slave commerce represented one-fourth of Britain’s G.D.P. and provided its primary source of cheap, abundant energy. Vested interests warned that financial apocalypse would succeed its prohibition.
That debate lasted roughly a year, and Parliament, in the end, made the moral choice, abolishing the trade outright. Instead of collapsing, as slavery’s proponents had predicted, Britain’s economy accelerated. Slavery’s abolition exposed the debilitating inefficiencies associated with zero-cost labor; slavery had been a ball and chain not only for the slaves but also for the British economy, hobbling productivity and stifling growth. Now creativity and productivity surged. Entrepreneurs seeking new sources of energy launched the Industrial Revolution and inaugurated the greatest era of wealth production in human history."
Radical Chavismo Bares Its Teeth 4/15/2008 Venezuela Analysis: "On Thursday April 3rd, a group of approximately 500 armed combatants representing the most vociferously revolutionary sectors of the Venezuelan Revolution engaged in a display of force in the historically-revolutionary parroquia of 23 de Enero (January 23rd) in western Caracas, making painfully evident the deep and volatile divisions that threaten the tenuous unity of the governing coalition."
Venezuela and Brazil Advance on South American Defense Council 4/15/2008 Venezuela Analysis
Monday 4/14/2008
Has Israel Finally Met Its Match? The Meaning of Hizbullah's Big Win 4/14/2008 Counterpunch: "The Hizbullah scored its most impressive military victory in the area of intelligence. Israel's electronic warfare systems are amongst the most advanced in the world; they are war-tested and developed in cooperation with the United States. Indeed, the Israeli commanders were certain at the outset of the war of their ability to jam Hizbullah communications. They were wrong. Hizbullah's command and control system remained operational throughout the war; they evaded Israeli jamming devices by using fiber optic lines instead of relying on wireless signals.
The Hizbullah had blocked the Barak anti-missile system on Israeli ships; hacked into Israeli battlefield communications in order to monitor Israeli tank movements; and, they monitored cell phone conversations in Hebrew between Israeli reservists and their families. They intercepted Israeli military communications on battlefield casualties and announced them on their media network.[12] They successfully employed decoys to hide the location of hundreds of bunkers they had built in southern Lebanon to store weapons and shelter their fighters.[13] As a world leader in weapons technology and communications, Israel had held a decisive advantage in electronic warfare in its wars with Arab armies. In July 2006, the Hizbullah had neutralized this advantage.
Israel claims that it killed 400-500 Hizbullah fighters. Crooke and Perry insist that these numbers are exaggerated. "It is impossible for Shi'ites (and Hezbollah)," they argue, "not to allow an honorable burial for its martyrs, so in this case it is simply a matter of counting funerals. Fewer than 180 funerals have been held for Hezbollah fighters - nearly equal to the number killed on the Israeli side."[14]"
Sunday 4/13/2008
Berlusconi ally denies Mafia-run ballot plot 4/13/2008 Guardian, UK: "The fee asked was €200,000, the newspaper added. Italian newspapers said investigators believe that Micciche was working with members of the Piromalli clan, part of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta Mafia, which has recently overtaken its Sicilian and Neapolitan counterparts thanks to drug trafficking and its ties to Colombian cartels."
Is starvation contagious? 4/13/2008 Jamaica Observer: "Few people, much less their governments, appear to be concerned about what is happening in Haiti, next to Cuba our nearest neighbour and, in historical terms, the people who paved the way for our freedom from slavery and implemented for the first time anywhere in the world, the idea of universal human rights."
Saturday 4/12/2008
Former war crimes prosecutor alleges Kosovan army harvested organs from Serb prisoners 4/12/2008 Guardian, UK: "The alleged organ harvesting is said to have been uncovered by journalists who called in the UN in Kosovo and provided information to the tribunal.
"There were credible accounts of abductions and an organ harvesting operation provided to reputable journalists who have had many years of experience in the region," said Sudetic.
The journalists refused to identify their witnesses. Other sources claim the body parts were flown to Istanbul where they were transplanted into wealthy Arab patients.
Del Ponte's account is the first time such allegations have come from such an authoritative source. But officials and analysts are surprised that she should choose to air them now, five years after her investigators went to the alleged scene of the crime."
TODAY'S BLACK EGYPTIANS: 2006 - An Essay through PHOTOS by Kola Boof 4/12/2008 Indiginous People of Africa and America: published 7/07 - "The true Egyptians--the Black Egyptians do still exist, and instead of debating about the "ancient" people....why do we never force the WHITE MEDIA to show images of the black ones?
Why is it that in America--only the WHITE ARAB INVADER groups, the BEJA and the Noor are ever shown on television or in magazines?"
Interview with LBJ's mistress on JFK assassination - Alex Jones 4/12/2008 Prison Planet: aired 8/06
Photos: Against Apartheid in Montreal 4/12/2008 Tadamon
Friday 4/11/2008
'CIA Infiltration' Charges Prompt Shakeup in Ecuador's Armed Forces 4/11/2008 AntiWar: "Resignations and dismissals are the order of the day. Wellington Sandoval resigned as defense minister Wednesday and was replaced by Correa's personal secretary Javier Ponce. The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hector Camacho, army commander Guillermo Vásconez, and the chief of police, General Bolívar Cisneros, also stepped down.
A high-level Ecuadorian military officer who asked not to be identified told IPS that the country is at a critical juncture, with only two possible routes: "either the military as an institution returns to its nationalist orientation or it submits itself once and for all to impositions from the US.""
Serb prisoners 'were stripped of their organs in Kosovo war' 4/11/2008 Telegraph: "Carla Del Ponte, who stepped down in January as chief prosecutor at the Hague tribunal for crimes committed in the Balkan wars of the 1990s, said investigators found a house suspected of being a laboratory for the illegal trade.
A senior adviser to Hashim Thaci, Kosovo's prime minister and a leading member of the Kosovo Liberation Army which is accused of benefiting from the trade, yesterday denied the allegations.
"These are horrible things even to imagine," said Bekim Collaku. "But this is a product of her [Miss Del Ponte's] imagination."
Miss Del Ponte reports that the allegations were made by several sources, one of whom "personally made an organ delivery" to an Albanian airport for transport abroad, and "confirmed information directly gathered by the tribunal". "
Thursday 4/10/2008
Venezuela nationalises steel firm 4/10/2008 Al Jazeera
U.N. Official Calls for Study Of Neocons' Role in 9/11 4/10/2008 Ny Sun: "A new U.N. Human Rights Council official assigned to monitor Israel is calling for an official commission to study the role neoconservatives may have played in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks."
Wednesday 4/9/2008
Sources: Top Bush Advisors Approved 'Enhanced Interrogation' 4/9/2008 ABC: "The advisers were members of the National Security Council's Principals Committee, a select group of senior officials who met frequently to advise President Bush on issues of national security policy.
At the time, the Principals Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
As the national security adviser, Rice chaired the meetings, which took place in the White House Situation Room and were typically attended by most of the principals or their deputies."
Tuesday 4/8/2008
What or who ordered US army not to interfere in Basra? 4/8/2008 Debka, Israel: Debka is a psyops site with interesting content - "Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s decision to launch 20,000 troops in a crackdown on the Shiite militias rife in southern Iraq took the US army and intelligence commands completely by surprise, DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military and intelligence sources report.
Because the US military command was not approached for assistance, Tehran stepped into the breach with logistical support to supply food, water, ammo, fuel and vehicles for mobility.
All the Iranian military and intelligence agents and cells who were working undercover in southern Iraq, behind such fronts as charitable foundations, medical facilities and religious seminaries, were quickly mobilized. Armed with fistfuls of dollars, they hired a fleet of hundreds of trucks and pick-ups to ferry Iraqi government forces fighting to dislodge armed groups between Basra, Kut, Nasiriya, Dawiniya, Al Amara and dozens of small townships and villages.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers distributed the vehicles among the sectors. They delivered ordnance from Iraqi army stores across the country and food to the soldiers in the South, filling the tanks of Iraqi armored vehicles. Pick-ups rounded up the wounded from the battle arenas and drove them to hospitals.
IRGC agents also succored the militias, notably Moqtada Sadr’s Mehdi Army, which government forces were fighting to quell. This militia too depended on the Iranians for supplies, food and vehicles. (The al Qods Brigades are responsible for running Iran’s external terrorist organizations in Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and the Gulf.)
By keeping its hand on the levers of the two Shiite antagonists, Tehran was able to govern the level and intensity of combat. This control was further exercised by attaching Iranian intelligence officers to the militia chiefs and their commands. Their biggest gun, Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, chief of the IRGC’s al Qods Brigades, was attached to the largest and most powerful militia, the Sadrist Mehdi Army.
DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s sources report that the Americans stood by and did not interfere with the Iranian initiative, only ascertaining that they stayed out of four towns, Baghdad, Najef, Karbala, and Samara. The Iranians, understanding they were warned off, treated the four towns as no-go zones and moved around without restraint in the battle arenas."
Bill Clinton's Ties To Colombia Trade Deal Stronger Than Even Penn's 4/8/2008 Huffington Post: "Former President Bill Clinton has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars speaking on behalf of a Colombia-based group pushing the trade pact, and representatives of that organization tell The Huffington Post that the former president shared their sentiment.
In June 2005, Clinton was paid $800,000 by the Colombia-based Gold Service International to give four speeches throughout Latin America. The organization is, ostensibly, a development group tasked with bringing investment to the country and educating world leaders about the Colombia's business opportunities."
'German firm helps Iran monitor Israel' 4/8/2008 Jerusalem Post: [The Iranians defend themselves, just as the Israelis defend themselves … against the US, with their massive surveillance of US telecoms, the more easily carried out via firms such as Comverse Infosys and Amdocs. These Tel Aviv based firms handle all phone billings in the US, as well as witetaps for the FBI.]
Colombia’s Invasion of the United States - The Uribe Regime Sends an Army of Lobbyists and Infiltrators to Washington to Impose a “Free Trade” Deal 4/8/2008 NarcoNews: "Another top Clinton campaign aide – spokesman Howard Wolfson – is an owner of the Glover Park Group, to which the Colombian government pays a $40,000 per month retainer to lobby for the US-Colombia “free trade” agreement."
Wide Net Cast by Lobby for Colombia Trade Pact 4/8/2008 NYT: "There have been all-expense paid trips to Colombia for more than 50 members of Congress, featuring coffee tastings and dinner at a posh restaurant inside an old Spanish fort. The Colombian president has visited Washington to make personal appeals. Major corporations like WalMart and Citigroup are taking up the cause. And former Clinton administration officials have landed lucrative lobbying contracts."
McCain ties with Arizona blacks strained 4/8/2008 Politico: "But the widespread perception of activists in the state’s traditional civil rights organizations and the African-American press is that McCain has consistently treated them with indifference. He had few if any important relationships with these usually Democratic-leaning institutional pillars. The main reason, say leaders of these groups, was that McCain never demonstrated much interest in building them."
UN council deplores Haiti violence, calls for aid 4/8/2008 Reuters
Calabar monarch tussle takes new turn 4/8/2008 Vanguard, Nigeria: "The lingering kingship tussle in Calabar that culminated in the crowning of Edidem Bassey Ekpo Bassey II as Obong of Calabar, Sunday has taken a fresh turn as another faction which describes itself as “The Etubom’s Conclave of the Palace of the Obong of Calabar” has declared another man as the Obong of Calabar.
A release issued by the Conclave and jointly signed by the Chairman of the Etubom’s conclave, Etubom Okon Etim Asuquo III and Secretary, Etubom Micah Archibong VI in Calabar noted the proclaimation of “the Head of Adiabo Ikot Mbo Otu House, Western Calabar, Etubom Ekpo Okon Abasi-Out as Obong of Calabar.”"
Monday 4/7/2008
Nigeria: Journalist Emerges New Obong of Calabar 4/7/2008 All Africa: "Continuing, Eyo said "Bassey is a very prominent and likeable character. From all spectrum of the Efik Kingdom to the commonest man on the streets; to the highest in the kingdom, he is the most popular.
His popularity is not only felt in Efik Kingdom . He is so popular among other ethnic groups up to Akwa Ibom state and beyond," Eyo said of the new Monarch.
As at press time many dignitaries were trooping to the residence of the new Obong to pay home to him. Among the early callers were the former Acting National Chairman of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP), Etubom Nya Asuquo and founding member of the South South People Assembly (SSPA), Dr. Ambrose Akpanika who is the Mkpison Ukara Ekondo Efik."
A Tale of Two Callahans - The Irish Black Thing 4/7/2008 Counterpunch
Racism in America - UN Report points to "stark racial disparities" in U.S. institutions, including its criminal justice system 4/7/2008 Global Research: "The U.S. is failing to meet international standards on racial equality, according to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Last Friday, after considering the U.S. government's written and oral testimony, the 18- member committee said it has found "stark racial disparities" in the U.S. institutions, including its criminal justice system.
The CERD is responsible for monitoring global compliance with the 1969 Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, an international treaty that has been ratified by the United States.
In concluding the CERD report on the U.S. record, the panel of experts called for the George W. Bush administration to take effective actions to end racist practices against minorities in the areas of criminal justice, housing, healthcare and education.
This is the second time in less than two years that the U.S. government has been found to be falling short of its treaty obligations. In March 2006, The CERD had harshly criticised the U.S. for violating Native Americans' land rights."
Free-trade plan with Colombia likely to cause stir 4/7/2008 Houston Chronicle: "The Bush administration is set to force a vote in Congress this year over the Colombia free-trade agreement, a risky move in a presidential election year with the economy slowing down and voters souring on global trade.
People inside and outside the administration expect the deal to be submitted to Congress as early as this week, setting in motion a "fast track" timetable that will require votes by September — just weeks before Election Day. A political fight is assured. The only question is, how bruising will it become?"
Colombia’s Uribe Regime Approaches Pariah Status in Washington - The Resignation of Mark Penn as Clinton’s Strategist Reveals a Long Overdue Rejection of a US-Colombia “Free Trade” Agreement 4/7/2008 NarcoNews: "That Uribe singled-out Obama is revealing: the Illinois senator’s rival for the Democratic nomination for president in the United States, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, also says she opposes the US-Colombia “free trade” pact. That clearly doesn’t worry Uribe: the Clinton organization has a long history of backing – politically and economically – the Colombian far right, its narco-politicians and paramilitary death squads, of whom Uribe is supreme leader. In 2000, then-US president Bill Clinton went on Colombian national TV to announce “Plan Colombia,” the multi-billion dollar US military intervention that keeps Uribe and his repressive regime in power to this day."
HRC Colombia ties don't stop with Penn 4/7/2008 Politico: "According to the Glover Park Group contract, which was disclosed to the U.S. Department of Justice last year, the firm was to work with ProExport Colombia, an entity of the Colombian Government Trade Bureau, in developing a strategy to promote the free trade agreement.
The contract called for Glover Park to identify the key concerns of members of Congress, develop a comprehensive government relations strategy, and pinpoint reporters, academics, and business leaders who could help make Colombia’s pro-free trade argument, all in close coordination with Colombian government officials.
The contract was set for five months, beginning on April 2, 2007. But it is not clear from public documents whether this is an ongoing effort.
Glover Park’s report on the lobbying was to be addressed directly to the Colombian minister of trade and the Colombian ambassador to the United States, among other officials."
Bassey Ekpo Bassey emerges new Obong of Calabar 4/7/2008 Vanguard, Nigeria: "Prominent publisher and politician, Bassey Ekpo Bassey, has emerged the new Obong of Calabar with the title Edidem Bassey Ekpo Bassey II.
He emerged the Obong yesterday morning at about 11.00am after he was crowned at the Efiks' Efe Asabo as the Grand Patriarch of the Efik and the new Obong of Calabar.
He succeeds the late Obong, Professor Nta Elija Henshaw VI who passed on early this year.
Soon after the ceremony, the new Obong Edidem Bassey who was dressed in traditional royal regalia emerged from the Efe Asabo to a roaring applause and jubilation by the residents of Cobham Town, the seat of the Efe Asabo."
Sunday 4/6/2008
POISON GATE UPDATE NOW LINKED TO PLAME GATE 4/6/2008 CbusIMC: published 6/06 - "The Valerie Plame team had been investigating Litvinenko and his cohorts for direct links with the attempt to plant WMD in Iraq along with connections to 9-11, and the noted American Turkish Council. Yes, folks, Litvinenko knew Wildcard and he knew about the compromised cells on American soil. All tied to Russian-Israeli rogue mafia."
Tet Happened, and No One Cared 4/6/2008 NYT: "For the majority of Americans who haven’t met any of the brave troops who’ve been cavalierly tossed into the quagmire, the war is out of sight and mind in a way Vietnam never was. Only 28 percent of Americans knew American casualties in Iraq were nearing 4,000 last month, according to the Pew Research Center. The Project for Excellence in Journalism found that by March 2008 the percentage of prominent news stories that were about Iraq had fallen to about one-fifth of what it was in January 2007. It’s a poignant commentary on the whole war that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the nonpartisan advocacy group, was reduced to protesting the lack of coverage.
That’s why it’s no surprise that so few stopped to absorb the disastrous six-day battle of Basra that ended last week — a mini-Tet that belied the “success” of the surge. Even fewer noticed that the presumptive Republican nominee seemed at least as oblivious to what was going down as President Bush, no tiny feat."
Saturday 4/5/2008
Clinton Adviser's Firm Fired by Colombian Government 4/5/2008 Bloomberg: "Colombia ended its contract with Burson-Marsteller because Penn's comments showed ``a lack of respect to Colombians,'' according to a statement on the government's Web site. Penn apologized yesterday for meeting with Colombian officials to discuss a free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes.
Burson-Marsteller's contract to promote a free-trade deal with Colombia threatens to undercut Clinton's support among blue collar workers, a key constituency in the April 22 Pennsylvania primary that she must win to keep her campaign alive. Clinton and Democratic rival Barack Obama have both made trade agreements a top issue, saying they cost American manufacturing jobs."
Ecuador says CIA controls part of its intelligence 4/5/2008 Reuters: "Ecuador's president accused the CIA Saturday of controlling many of his country's spy agencies, in comments that could fray ties with Washington and drag it into Ecuador's feud with neighboring Colombia. President Rafael Correa has fired a top intelligence officer and plans to overhaul spy agencies for belatedly informing him about links between Colombian rebels and an Ecuadorean who died in Colombia's raid inside Ecuador last month that sparked a regional crisis. Many of our intelligence agencies have been taken over by the CIA," the leftist leader said during his weekly radio show. "Through the CIA, information found here was passed to Colombia to improve their position" in the dispute."
British fear US commander is beating the drum for Iran strikes 4/5/2008 Telegraph: "A strong statement from General David Petraeus about Iran's intervention in Iraq could set the stage for a US attack on Iranian military facilities, according to a Whitehall assessment. In closely watched testimony in Washington next week, Gen Petraeus will state that the Iranian threat has risen as Tehran has supplied and directed attacks by militia fighters against the Iraqi state and its US allies."
Friday 4/4/2008
U.S. Native Americans Lead Opposition to Designation of Venezuela as Terrorist Nation 4/4/2008 Indian Country Today: "Members of the Penobscot Indian Nation are spearheading opposition to a congressional resolution that would designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism.
James Sappier, former Penobscot Indian Nation chief, and Erlene Paul, the head of Penobscot's Human Services Department, said House Resolution 1049 threatens not only a program in which the South American country has provided free heating oil to hundreds of American Indian and low-income communities for the past three winters, but would also jeopardize the good relationships tribal members have developed with Venezuelans and could impact oil imports for the entire U.S. Sappier said he has alerted the tribes involved to contact their congressional representatives to vote against the resolution. ...The resolution was introduced March 13 by Florida Republican Reps. Connie Mack and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. It asks the State Department to place Venezuela on a list of countries that provide support to terrorist organizations, a designation that would impose a number of sanctions on Venezuela and U.S. companies and individuals that do business there. Other countries on the list are North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Sudan."
Mark Penn and the Stealth Corporate Campaign - By Al Giordano 4/4/2008 NarcoNews
Sonny Bono 'assassinated' by hitmen 4/4/2008 The Australian: "Bono, an experienced skiier, was ambushed on the slopes by hired hitmen, who beat him to death and then staged a tree collision, Mr Gunderson said.
He called for authorities to dig up Bono's remains and open a homicide investigation.
His claims have reportedly been backed by top forensics experts who fear Nevada authorities were too quick to call the death a skiing accident.
Investigator Bob Fletcher had also confessed he sent evidence of a 10-year study that linked top US government officials to arms and weapons dealers to Bono less than a month before his death, the Globe reported.
"(Bono) was going to make it his No.1 priority... There's no doubt in my mind Sonny was murdered by someone who needed him silenced," Mr Fletcher told the paper."
Clinton Aide Met on Trade Deal - Penn Held Talks
On Colombia Pact
Opposed by Senator 4/4/2008 WSJ: "Attendance by the adviser, Mark Penn, was confirmed by two Colombian officials. He wasn't there in his campaign role, but in his separate job as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, an international communications and lobbying firm. The firm has a contract with the South American nation to promote congressional approval of the trade deal, among other things, according to filings with the Justice Department."
Colombia's Uribe Says Passage Of Free-Trade Pact Is Critical 4/4/2008 WSJ: "Failure by the U.S. Congress to pass a free-trade agreement with Colombia this year would be a serious setback for Washington's closest ally in South America, President Alvaro Uribe said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
"I wouldn't know what to say. It would be very serious," said Mr. Uribe during an interview on the presidential plane Wednesday.
Mr. Uribe said he can't understand why Congress would fail to pass the treaty, given that Colombia has a "historic friendship with the U.S." and, with U.S. help, has fought the hemisphere's "most serious terrorist threat." "
Thursday 4/3/2008
Movie About Gary Webb, 'Dark Alliance' Reporter Who Died, Planned 4/3/2008 Editor & Publisher: "Universal Studios is planning to develop a feature film based on the true story of Gary Webb, The San Jose Mercury News reporter who committed suicide years after his bombshell series on CIA drug activities was questioned, Variety reported.
"Peter Landesman will write the screenplay, based on the two books the studio optioned: 'Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion,' by Webb, and Nick Schou's 'Kill the Messenger: How the CIA's Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb,'" Variety reported. "Scott Stuber will produce with Nick Wechsler; Naomi Despres and Landesman will be exec producers. Webb was vilified by major newspapers after his series was published."
Webb's 1996 three-part series "Dark Alliance" claimed that the CIA was involved in the crack cocaine trade and initially drew praise as a piece of investigative reporting. But, after critics began to pick apart some pieces of the series, Webb was accused of sloppy reporting and, later, demoted to a lesser beat at the Mercury News before leaving the paper.
"The film will posit that Webb was mostly right, and that the CIA sought to smear him to cover up a scandal," Variety reported."
Hillary Clinton's Little-Noticed Israel Problem 4/3/2008 Mother Jones: "Yet even as Obama has been subjected to intense scrutiny, Senator Hillary Clinton has received virtually no attention for taking an unconventional position on Israel (albeit in a direction approved by pro-Israel hardliners). Her vow of support for Israel's claim on an "undivided Jerusalem," if enacted, would mark a major—and problematic—break with longstanding U.S. policy."
Uribe’s Attack on Obama - The Far Right’s Spokesman in Latin America Is Worried About What Could Be Long Overdue Changes in US Policy 4/3/2008 NarcoNews
Political ties to a secretive religious group 4/3/2008 NBC: "Senator Clinton’s participation is surprising to observers who have investigated Coe’s group, called The Fellowship Foundation, which critics have described as a secretive organization populated mostly by conservative Republicans. “I think in part through her involvement with the Fellowship’s prayer group she was able to meet with some of these Republican senators and get to know them on a one-on-one basis,” said Joshua Green, a Senior Editor at The Atlantic magazine.
In her autobiography, “Living History,” Senator Clinton describes Coe as "a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God.” She writes that “Doug became a source of strength and friendship" during her often-troubled White House years… So who is Doug Coe? He shuns almost all interview requests, including ours. But in hours of audiotape and videotape recordings obtained exclusively by NBC News, he frequently preaches the gospel of Jesus to followers and supporters. In one videotaped sermon from 1989, Coe provides this account of the atrocities committed under Chairman Mao in Communist China: "I've seen pictures of the young men in the Red Guard…they would bring in this young man’s mother…he would take an axe and cut her head off. They have to put the purposes of the Red Guard ahead of father, mother, brother sister and their own life. That was a covenant, a pledge. That's what Jesus said."
In his preaching, Coe repeatedly urges a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. It’s a commitment Coe compares to the blind devotion that Adolph Hitler demanded from his followers -- a rhetorical technique that now is drawing sharp criticism."
Wednesday 4/2/2008
A Conversation with Steven Kinzer - The Folly of Attacking Iran 4/2/2008 Counterpunch: "We can easily foresee some of the terrible consequences of an American attack on Iran. First of all, Iran is the only country in the Muslim Middle East where most people are pro-American. That pro-American sentiment in Iran is a huge strategic asset to the United States. We can build on that for generations to come. We will liquidate that asset in 1 hour if we start to attack. We profess to be great enemies and harsh critics of President Ahmadinejad. He is very unpopular in Iran. He's likely to lose next year's presidential elections. He knows this. There is only one way he can become a hero in Iran and to Muslims all over the world. That is to be attacked by the United States.
His provocative rhetoric is kind of calculated to try to bring on this kind of an attack. If we do bomb Iran, we will be strengthening the very regime that we claim to be opposed to. An American attack on Iran would certainly lead Iran to revenge attacks on Israel and on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf. That will bring Israel into the conflict probably with terrible results, such as bombing attacks on Iran. It would also set off a huge explosion of anti-American violence in Iraq, probably also in Afghanistan. It would greatly destabilize Pakistan, which is probably the last country the U.S. needs to destabilize at this moment. And, if you are afraid today that nuclear scientists in Iran might share their knowledge with terrorists or the Anti-American groups, then just bomb their houses and kill their children and then see how eager they are to participate in anti-American activities."
Tehran says two U.S. Air Force bombers violated Iran air space 4/2/2008 Novosti: "Two U.S. Air Force bombers violated Iranian air space last week, a Tehran-based Arabic language news channel, Al-Alam, said Monday.
The channel, referring to a spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said two U.S. bombers crossed the Iranian-Iraqi border Saturday near the city of Abadan, in the province Khuzestan.
The spokesman said that it was not the first time military aircraft of the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq have violated Iran's air space, adding that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on a working visit to the province of Khuzestan at the time of the incident."
Tuesday 4/1/2008
ACLU: Military skirting law to spy 4/1/2008 AP
Max Blumenthal Probes Hannity's History With Talk Radio's 'Angry White Men' -- and Fanning the Flames of Racial Politics 4/1/2008 Buzzflash: "Sean Hannity had had his own problems when he was a broadcaster at the University of Santa Barbara, which is a relatively liberal school in California. He claimed that he was ousted by the left-wing management there, but, in fact, he had repeatedly made vitriolic, homophobic statements on the air, claiming that homosexuality could be "corrected" and that it wasn't a biological phenomenon. So he was ousted. Then he did the right-wing radio circuit in the South, filling in for Neal Boortz, this broadcaster who said Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney looks like a ghetto slut. He's an open racist. Sean Hannity had kind of always been in the shadows of these racist figures. Now finally, he fills in for one of them on WABC, inheriting this big fan base of angry white males, including Hal Turner, who called himself Hal from North Bergen when he called in.
What Hannity did was kind of outsource a lot of his racism to Turner. He'd have Turner call in and bash black people, and Hannity wouldn't say anything. And his audience would get a big rise out of it. For example, in August 1998, Hal Turner reminded Hannity that if it wasn't for the graciousness of the white man, black people would still be swinging on trees in Africa. This is something that you would rebuke if you're Sean Hannity and you really are against racism. Instead, Hannity continued taking Hal Turner's calls. In fact, Sean Hannity promoted Hal Turner's candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives."
"However the Empire Decides" - Cocaine, Colombia and the Cartels 4/1/2008 Counterpunch
"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
|
![[Home]](../navpics/homeb.gif){kind=small}
![[Search this site]](../navpics/bsrch.gif){kind=small}
![[Contents]](../navpics/contents.gif){kind=small}
![[What's New]](../navpics/new.gif){kind=small}
![[Discussion Groups]](../navpics/discuss.gif){kind=small}
![[Music]](../navpics/music.gif){kind=small}
![[Authors & Teachers]](../navpics/authteach.gif){kind=small}
![[Arts]](../navpics/arts.gif){kind=small}
![[Organizations]](../navpics/orgb.gif){kind=small}
![[Conferences]](../navpics/conf.gif){kind=small}
![[Workshop]](../navpics/workshops.gif){kind=small}