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World News
8/26/02 - 9/1/02
Sunday 9/1/02
Authorities defend actions of air marshals who drew guns on plane 9/1/02 AP: white
people do not like having guns drawn on them - "Lineberger, an Army
veteran who had been visiting his son in Savannah, Ga., said he plans to
file the complaint with the TSA on Tuesday, saying the air marshals
overreacted. He said about 30 other passengers also planned to
complain."
State Spending On Prisons Grows At 6 Times Rate Of Higher Education 9/1/02 Black
World Today: "A new report shows that during the 1980s and 1990s,
state spending on corrections grew at 6 times the rate of state spending on
higher education, and by the close of the millennium, there were nearly a
third more African American men in prison and jail than in universities or
colleges."
Schröder hardens Iraq stance 9/1/02 FAZ: "Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder, who has already made a central campaign issue of German
neutrality in any U.S.-led attack on Iraq, hardened the German position this
week by branding the U.S. goal of toppling the Iraqi dictator “a mistake.“
His election challenger also opposed unilateral U.S. action but would not
rule out sending German troops to help."
Grupo desconocido asume decenas de ataques contra tropas de EE.UU. 9/1/02 Granma: "Los
diarios egipcios Asharq Al Awsat y Al Hayat publican un comunicado del
Ejército Secreto de los Combatientes Musulmanes, el cual asegura que ha
matado a 59 soldados estadounidenses, tres canadienses y 15 "agentes
afganos", y que seguirán su campaña para "vengar a la gente
inocente asesinada por los canallescos ataques estadounidenses en
Afganistán". El escrito ofrece detalles de una treintena de
operaciones llevadas a cabo por los miembros del grupo contra tropas
estadounidenses en seis provincias del Sur y el Este de Afganistán,
incluida la capital, Kabul, y la cercana base aérea de Bagram." None
of this in the US media.
U.S. faces bigger issues than hitting Iraq 9/1/02 Japan
Times: "However, U.S. President George W. Bush's single-minded
pursuit of victory against the "terrorists" who perpetrated the
infamous Sept. 11 attacks has its dangers. It would be particularly risky if
top priority is given to attacking Iraq while more urgent problems, such as
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the recovery of U.S. economic vigor and
the precarious state of Latin American economies, are put aside. Bush would
be better advised to spend the rest of this year attending to these more
urgent issues. The world is more interdependent than Americans are prepared
to accept. Any immediate attack would undermine innumerable delicate
balances that exist among divergent forces and interests in the world."
Confronting Anti-American Grievances 9/1/02 NYT: "Yet
there has been a remarkable reluctance in America to confront the more
complex historical dimensions of this hatred. The inclination instead has
been to rely on abstract assertions like terrorists "hate freedom"
or that their religious background makes them despise Western culture… The
rather narrow, almost one-dimensional definition of the terrorist threat
favored by the Bush administration poses the special risk that foreign
powers will also seize upon the word "terrorism" to promote their
own agendas, as President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon of Israel, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India and President
Jiang Zemin of China are doing. For each of them the disembodied American
definition of the terrorist challenge has been both expedient and
convenient. When speaking to Americans, neither Mr. Putin nor Mr. Sharon can
hardly utter a sentence without the "T" word in it in order to
transform America's struggle against terrorism into a joint struggle against
their particular Muslim neighbors… If America comes to be viewed by its
key democratic allies in Europe and Asia as morally obtuse and politically
naïve in failing to address terrorism in its broader and deeper dimensions
— and if it is also seen by them as uncritically embracing intolerant
suppression of ethnic or national aspirations — global support for
America's policies will surely decline. America's ability to maintain a
broadly democratic antiterrorist coalition will suffer gravely. The
prospects of international support for an eventual military confrontation
with Iraq will also be drastically diminished. Such an isolated America is
likely to face even more threats from vengeful terrorists who have decided
to blame America for any outrages committed by its self-appointed
allies." From the man who helped launch it all in Afhganistan.
Sept 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows 9/1/02 Peaceful
Tomorrows: news of peace events
Iraq: Slide from the impossible to the apocalyptic 9/1/02 Sunday
Herald, UK: the US genocide continues - "The World Health
Organisation (WHO) estimates that each month an average of 5000 children
aged under five die as a result of 'embargo-related causes'. Last December,
11,500 people died, the majority of them children."
Saturday 8/31/02
 Russian military helicopter downed by missile in Chechnya 8/31/02 AFP: "A
Russian Mi-24 military helicopter was shot down by a missile in the
breakaway republic of Chechnya, killing the two pilots, the ITAR-TASS news
agency said, less than two weeks after the deadliest attack in the Chechen
war left 118 dead." The same has happened to US helicopters in
Afghanistan, always disguised as "accidents."
Britain, Italy ready to exempt US citizens from ICC war crimes trials 8/31/02 AP: "Italy
and Britain signaled Saturday they may sign bilateral deals exempting
Americans from International Criminal Court war crimes trials. The European
Union said it would seek an accord to that effect with Washington next
month."
Upcoming Bush protests 8/31/02 Citizens
For Legitimate Government: PITTSBURGH - LABOR DAY - MONDAY - 9/2, SOUTH
BEND, INDIANA - THURSDAY - 9/5
Germany threatens a Kuwait pullout 8/31/02 IHT: "Germany
will withdraw its specialized nuclear, chemical and biological warfare unit
from Kuwait if the United States attacks neighboring Iraq - precisely the
kind of step that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder six months ago warned would
affect German-American relations for 30 to 50 years, according to German
media reports."
Berlin Refuses to Hand Over Moussaoui Documents to the U.S. 8/31/02 Islam
Online: "The minister, whose comments appear in the news magazine
Der Spiegel's Monday edition, said the United States must understand
"that our documents must not be used for a death sentence or an
execution."
Russia's Overtures to 'Axis of Evil' Nations Strain Its Ties With U.S. 8/31/02 NYT: Pooty
Poot is not obeying his Imperial Majesty -- "A flurry of Russian
overtures to Iraq, Iran and North Korea — nations the United States calls
an "axis of evil" — is exposing strains in the newly forged
relationship between Presidents Bush and Vladimir V. Putin, American and
Russian officials say. In recent weeks, Mr. Putin's government has
conspicuously pursued a range of economic and diplomatic accords with all
three countries — from proposals to drill for oil in Iraq and build
nuclear reactors in Iran to a warm meeting between Mr. Putin and North
Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong Il, in Vladivostok on Aug. 23."
Friday 8/30/02
TIPS Domestic Spy Network Goes Too Far For White America 8/30/02 Black
World Today: "When the Bush administration announced the
introduction of Operation TIPS, however, it may have crossed the line of
what had been viewed as acceptable sacrifice of constitutional protections
in the name of the war on terrorism. And one of those lines that the Bush
administration may have inadvertently crossed, is to open the gated
community of White America to the police state tactics which have long
operated in communities with large Asian, Latino and Black
populations."
Local British rabbis stand behind Chief Rabbi Sacks 8/30/02 Haaretz: "British
rabbis living in Israel seem largely supportive of U.K. Chief Rabbi Jonathan
Sacks, whose criticism of the West Bank occupation triggered controversy in
Britain this week."
Israeli dart shells kill family of Palestinians 8/30/02 Independent,
UK: "The images of the youth's damaged insides were produced at
our request after we returned to the hospital to check out whether the
flechettes that we had discovered at the scene, buried to their hilts in the
branches of blast-torn fig trees, had also hit people. "We have seen
these nails many times before," said Dr Hani Sammour, quietly.
"Some people die from them." Palestinian suicide bombers routinely
pack their bomb-belts with nuts and bolts to maximise the injuries of the
Israeli civilians whom they target. The Israelis always – reasonably
enough – furiously condemn this revolting tactic, citing it as evidence of
their attackers' terrorist credentials."
THE ANTHRAX PROBE: MORE FBI BUNGLING? 8/30/02 NY
Post: "It surely bothers Dan Burton, no ACLU zealot but a
traditional Indiana conservative. Speaking of the Hatfill case, Burton told
me: "It always worries me when the accusations and investigations are
put out in advance of solid evidence." The day is long gone when
knowledgeable conservatives worship at the FBI's altar. As chairman of the
House Government Reform Committee, Burton was stunned when he learned of FBI
complicity in the wrongful conviction in 1968 of four men (two of whom died
in prison) for murder committed by FBI informants in Boston. To protect
these sources, Director J. Edgar Hoover sent innocent men to prison. Before
the current congressional recess, Burton introduced a bill to remove
Hoover's name from national FBI headquarters."
Israel and Iran: A New Chapter in an Old Tale 8/30/02 Startfor: "Recent
allegations that an Israeli company was caught shipping military parts to
Iran have raised several questions about shadowy ties between the two
countries. Despite denials on both sides, it makes sense for Israel and Iran
-- which share a common enemy in Iraq -- to maintain open channels of
communication and trade. The big question is how Washington feels about that
situation now, even though it has exploited covert ties between the two
Middle East regimes in the past."
US wants to learn why it is unpopular 8/30/02 Sydney
Morning Herald: "The State Department has invited about 20
scholars to a two-day conference in September to hear their views on why the
United States seems so unpopular around the world. Richard Boucher, a
department spokesman, said the conference - on September 5 and 6 - was the
culmination of a project that looked at anti-Americanism in Europe, Russia
and in the Muslim world, and how it could be addressed."
Thursday 8/29/02
Campaigns and Resolutions from across Canada and the U.S.A. 8/29/02 Canada
Palestine Support Network: the movement is causing a stir in Canada.
Major battle brewing over leaks in Senate 8/29/02 CS
Monitor: "One of the most serious is the FBI's current
investigation into the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. It is
alleged that a member or staffer leaked the classified text of two terrorist
messages that the ultrasecret National Security Agency (NSA) had intercepted
on Sept. 10 about an imminent attack. What it adds up to is an unprecedented
probe of Congress by the FBI, raising complicated questions about the
separation of powers not seen since the days of the Pentagon Papers in the
early 1970s."
Three Hundred Citizen Groups Call on Secret World Bank to Open Up Bechtel Case Against Bolivia 8/29/02 Earth
Justice: Bechtel is a heavy CIA contractor.
France shifting stance on Iraq 8/29/02 IHT: "More
and more at the highest levels people are saying, 'We don't like a military
operation, but there's likely to be one, so what do we do?'" one senior
French official said. "So the goal is to keep all our options open and
not criticize, not to provoke a backlash. We feel that Washington is
expecting us to react negatively and we have decided not to. It's a tactical
choice." . Another senior official put it more bluntly: "We're
driving the Pentagon crazy by keeping silent."
Gas deal will show which way the Saudi wind blows 8/29/02 Times,
UK: "THERE is one way to judge the White House’s unsteady
attempts to repair the frayed relations with Saudi Arabia. But it is no
wonder that the Bush Administration is quiet on its significance: the signs
are that it may go against the United States. The test is whether the Saudis
choose to press ahead with the Saudi Gas Initiative, four years in the
planning."
Iraq debate is over, U.S. on 'path to war' 8/29/02 Toronton
Star: "You simply cannot back down from this kind of speech,"
said Lee Hamilton, a Democrat who was chairman of the International
Relations Committee during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "This lays it
out. ... This speech comes very close to a declaration of war."
Economy, more than war, setting tone for elections 8/29/02 USA
Today: "The battle for control of the most closely divided
Congress in 70 years enters its most intense phase this weekend as economic
issues begin to eclipse the war on terrorism in voters' minds. That has made
Democrats more optimistic than they have been in months."
FBI Runs Anthrax Drills in Fla. 8/29/02 Washington
Post: "–– FBI agents and scientists ran through
decontamination drills Thursday before a planned search of the quarantined
home of The National Enquirer for clues in last year's anthrax attack."
Wednesday 8/28/02
US CASUALTIES IN COLOMBIA'S CIVIL WAR 8/28/02 ANNCOL: "US
troops are being targeted in Colombia. For the first time ever by any media
outlet, ANNCOL can reveal the names of 12 US citizens who have been killed
in recent years whilst working for the US government on military related
projects in Colombia."
A new threat to Black politics? 8/28/02 Final
Call: “To have non-African Americans from around the country putting
millions into a race to unseat one of our leaders for expressing her right
of free speech is definitely a problem,” said Rep. Johnson.
'A link between Saddam and bin Laden? No way' 8/28/02 Jane's
Intelligence Digest: "Alex Standish, editor of the UK journal
Jane's Intelligence Digest - required reading for war-watchers and
war-makers everywhere - thinks US intelligence officials are making 'a big
mistake' on Iraq. 'They are trying to convince us of something that is
highly unlikely', he says. 'If they really believe that Saddam is feeding
and sustaining bin Laden's men, then they can't possibly understand the
fundamental difference between Iraq and al-Qaeda." As with the Chinese
and the North Vietnamese, the Americans, being proper monotheists, tend to
demonize their entire environment.
U.S. to Seek Saddam Ouster Regardless of Inspectors 8/28/02 Reuters: "The
United States will seek Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's ouster regardless
of whether he lets U.N. specialists resume inspections of Iraq's weapons of
mass destruction capability, a U.S. official said on Wednesday… The
official called Saddam a supporter of terrorism and a threat to the region,
saying that these were also crucial parts of the U.S. case against Saddam.
" In other words, the US wishes to replace Saddam as the local bully
boy and thereby control Iran and Saudi Arabia, dominating most of the
world's oil supply.
More African American men incarcerated than enrolled in college 8/28/02 SF
Bay View: "– A new report shows that during the 1980s and 1990s,
state spending on corrections grew at six times the rate of state spending
on higher education, and by the close of the millennium, there were nearly a
third more African American men in prison and jail than in universities or
colleges. The report, “Cellblocks or Classrooms?” provides state by
state analysis of corrections and higher education spending and is the
latest in a series of reports by the Justice Policy Institute to show the
fiscal impact of the nation’s overuse of prison as a solution to social
problems."
They call him Black Revolutionary Political Prisoner, but I simply call him Daddy 8/28/02 SF
Bay View: and they have the arrogance to complain about political
prisoners in Cuba - "My father, Robert Seth Hayes, former Black Panther
Party member, has been a resident of the New York state prison system for
the past 29 years, making him one of the longest held Panthers in the United
States. He was arrested in September 1973 – I was only three years old at
the time – sentenced in 1974, and continuously denied parole since July
1998. His latest parole board hearing was July 2002, and again he was denied
release for the third time. All this despite the fact that he has an
exemplary prison record with several accomplishments, not the least of which
is the successful completion of several college level courses, along with
peer counselor training and mentorship programs that have enhanced his
ability to serve the prison population the best way he knows how – as an
advocate, teacher and leader, gaining him enormous respect from his peers.
The parole board, in an effort to continue to punish him for his political
activities, overlooks all of this, including the fact that upon my father’s
release many people are prepared to support him in his transition back into
the community in whatever capacity necessary. Now in his fifth decade of
life, my father is managing both diabetes and hepatitis C. Under the best of
circumstances these two diseases are difficult to control, and prison
complicates our efforts tenfold. It took a near death experience before he
was properly diagnosed a diabetic and an organized effort on the part of his
family and friends to galvanize together politically to secure him medical
treatment for the hepatitis."
What the Black Caucus needs to learn and do after McKinney loss 8/28/02 SF
Bay View: "So instead of the big parties the Caucus usually holds
at their annual shindig, what should be on the agenda of this year’s
caucus: #1 Workshop on Campaigning 101. Many Black Caucus members need to
review, or learn, how to campaign and to eliminate the mindset that Black
folks are going to come out to vote just because they are Black Caucus
members and that just by showing up on election day they will win without
any opposition or by 60-90 percent of the vote. # 2 Establish a national
fundraising base. When Earl Hilliard and Cynthia McKinney were in trouble,
there were no Black organizations or individuals they could go to match the
money Isreali, Jewish and conservative lobby groups poured into the
campaigns of Hilliard’s and McKinney’s opponents. If outspoken Black
members of Congress are going to be targeted by outside interests, they need
to set up a network of wealthy Black individuals and organizations that can
match donations dollar for dollar from conservative groups #3 We are your
representatives. Most Black caucus members are elected from areas of the
country with large black populations, but there are many areas of the
country, like Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle and other places with
growing Black populations that have no Black members of Congress. If Black
Caucus members can tap into the concerns and issues of Blacks living in
areas with no Black Caucus members, not only can they extend the mandate of
the Caucus but tap new sources of fundraising and a national base of
support."
Israel's 'corrupting' war under fire - from chief rabbi 8/28/02 Sydney
Morning Herald: "Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, has warned
Israel that it is adopting a stance "incompatible" with the
deepest ideals of Judaism, and that the current conflict with the
Palestinians is "corrupting" Israeli culture. In a move that will
send shockwaves through Israel and the world Jewish community, Professor
Sacks departed from his policy of offering only public endorsement of Israel
by giving an explicit verdict on the effect that 35 years of military
occupation and decades of conflict are having on Israel and the Jewish
people. "I regard the current situation as nothing less than
tragic," he said in an interview. "
Probe Of Alleged Bomb Plot Too Narrow, Muslims Fear 8/28/02 Tampa
Tribune: "Representatives from 19 Islamic organizations said they
fear that Seminole podiatrist Robert J. Goldstein didn't act alone in what
police say was a plot to attack mosques. Authorities say he had a stockpile
of weapons, including sniper rifles, mines and plastic explosives."
New al-Qaeda chiefs 'operate from Iran' 8/28/02 Times,
UK
Indications of Serious Flaws in a 9-11 FBI Flop - Spooky Goofs 8/28/02 Village
Voice: "Last fall, after inventorying the rooms guests had fled on
September 11 in a hotel directly across from the World Trade Center, a
security guard reported finding a ground-to-air aviation radio locked in the
safe of Egyptian student Abdallah Higazy. Higazy was called in, questioned,
and thrown into solitary for a month. During an FBI lie detector test, he
confessed. Then the radio's real owner, an American pilot, came forward to
claim it. The security guard admitted he had lied. Higazy was released.
Higazy's wrongful captivity had many bizarre moments, but the specter of
possible FBI coercion in obtaining his false confession has overshadowed
all. In fact, federal judge Jed Rakoff recently ordered a probe of the
polygraphing. Yet a careful review of records unsealed by the judge—over
vehement opposition from U.S. Attorney James Comey's office—shows the case
was flawed from the beginning by investigative carelessness and assumption,
problems never before fully revealed."
Germany holds up Israeli military shipment said headed for Iran 8/28/02 Yahoo: Iran-Contra,
again.
Tuesday 8/27/02
Democracy versus oil 8/27/02 Al
Ahram, Egypt: "Peace and security in Sudan come at a price --
greater democracy. Will the key players pay the price, asks Gamal
Nkrumah"
Consumer Confidence Falls Sharply 8/27/02 AP
While media spotlights one anthrax suspect, another is too hot to touch 8/27/02 Arab
News: "Dr. Zack left Fort Detrick in December 1991 amid
allegations of unprofessional conduct. The Jewish scientist and others were
accused of harassing their co-worker, Dr. Ayaad Assaad, until the
Egyptian-born American scientist quit, according to an article in
Connecticut’s The Hartford Courant, the country’s oldest newspaper in
continuous publication. Dr. Assaad sued the Army, claiming discrimination
after Zack’s badgering."
Florida primary could be confusing, Democrats warn 8/27/02 CNN: "The
ballot instructs voters to "Vote for One Pair," meaning a combined
entry of governor and lieutenant governor, though none of the candidates has
chosen a running mate. Voters who took the instruction literally would
"overvote" and nullify their choice, Democrats said
Saturday." Similar instructions caused 50,000 overvotes in 3 black
sections of Jacksonville alone in 2000.
Global climate change threatens the insurance industry 8/27/02 ENN: "The
industry to be hardest hit by these careening catastrophes is insurance.
According to the Department of Energy, insurance losses from natural
disasters have increased 15-fold since 1960, even when corrected for
inflation. Carlos Joly, the chairman of the United Nations Environment
Program's insurance industry initiative, says, "The threats to our
economies and lifestyles from climate change are no less consequential than
terrorism." He adds that the danger is much more commonly accepted
among European insurers than among American providers." Perhaps people
don't read in the US.
Washington Bends the Rules 8/27/02 NYT: "Despite
the draconian dictates issuing almost daily from the Justice Department, it
is not the watchdogs in Congress but the judiciary itself that is blowing
the whistle. The most recent example came from the super-secret Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court in the form of an extremely unusual open
opinion — only the second in its quarter-century history. The judges of
the court unanimously criticized federal agents for misleading the court in
applications for secret eavesdropping warrants on 75 occasions during the
Clinton administration (as of September 2000) and an unspecified additional
number between September 2000 and March 2001. One request was even signed by
F.B.I. director Louis J. Freeh… In the end, Kafka's Josef K. becomes so
fatigued in his fight to find out why he was arrested that he just loses his
will to resist. The release of the May 17 opinion (by the court's new
presiding judge) to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the committee's
release of it to the public, can reasonably be seen as cries for help. The
Justice Department has to understand that democratic oversight of law
enforcement is not taken lightly by Congress or the American people, even in
these threatening times."
Bin Laden Reportedly Back at Helm of al Qaeda 8/27/02 Reuters: Osama
bin Laden ( news - web sites) is firmly back in command of al Qaeda and the
group is digging in for guerrilla attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, an
Arab journalist with close ties to the militant's associates said on
Tuesday." And Al Qaeda is keeping up with a steady pace of attacks on
the Afghan government and US troops, some of which are going unreported in
the US press, as is the custom.
Withdrawal of U.S. Holdings by Saudis Could Affect Lebanon 8/27/02 Stratfor: "Recent
Saudi-U.S. tensions allegedly are leading to a withdrawal of as much as $200
billion in Saudi investments from the United States, according to news
reports. If true, a large portion of this money could find itself in
Lebanon, which would shift the balance of power toward the Sunnis and likely
would alarm Syria."
B'nai Brith to confront U of T for petition - Faculty members accuse Israel of atrocities 8/27/02 Toronto
National Post: "Officials from B'nai Brith will meet today with
representatives of the University of Toronto to discuss the university's
response to faculty members who have used their university titles and
university facilities to circulate a petition denouncing Israel for
"atrocities" and "crimes against humanity."
20 troops from US-Afghan troops killed in Afghanistan rocket attack 8/27/02 Ummah
News: is there light at the end of this tunnel? - "Two US
helicopters were destroyed in the South of Kabul due to which eight US and
twelve local Afghan troops were killed on Monday. The helicopters were
flying over the Loogar district of Muhammad Agha when unknown assailants
shot down these helicopters by rocket fire. The debris of these helicopters
was seen lying every where in the region and all the troops were dead.
According to eyewitnesses local villagers immediately ran to collect the
parts of the destroyed helicopters. 45 minutes after this operation almost
more than a dozen US helicopters appeared over the region. When no weapons
nor attackers were found they took away the dead bodies of their troops.
Another report came from Loogar that on August 20 at around midnight in
Dasht Qila (fort) Dolat an intensive attack was made on the US base due to
which at least four troops were reportedly killed. One attacker who was
arrested was severely wounded, but died later from his wounds."
Venezuela has discovered a new light crude oil deposit 8/27/02 Vheadlines: "in
Lake Maracaibo, according to Deputy Energy & Mines (MEM) Minister
Bernardo Alvarez. "This year we've found a considerable petroleum
deposit which is expected to hold reserves of around a billion barrels ...
but a lot of investigation is needed, and it'll need plenty of developing
and investment to exploit it."
Monday 8/26/02
Iraq: Bush gets new warning from senators, key ally 8/26/02 Arab
News, Saudi Arabia
Rift between blacks, Jews worries Democrats for fall 8/26/02 Baltimore
Sun: "It has to be a worry for the Democrats," says David
Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and
Economic Studies, an African-American think tank. "The worry is that
some percentage of black voters will become disaffected and won't vote in
November."
U.S. - Saudi Ties Go From Bad To Worse 8/26/02 Black
World Today: ''The Pentagon briefing leaks to the media were not a
slip, but designed to warn the Saudis that they must act more effectively
against terrorism,'' said Ali Jaber al Sabah, a political analyst in Kuwait,
in an interview. In effect, the Saudis were also being warned ''to take part
in the war on Iraq, which they have rejected so far, or risk seizure of its
oil fields and its financial assets invested in the United States,'' he
added. Saudi analyst Khaled al Maeena said, ''There is no empirical or
factual evidence to substantiate any of the U.S. accusations (against the
Saudis). No matter what U.S. leaders have had to say in defence, the damage
will take a long while before being repaired.''
Saudi Arabia: The Sarajevo of the 21st Century 8/26/02 Center
for Research on Globalization: "In his appearance on Australian
television Dr. al-Fagih discussed the likelihood of a Balkanization of Saudi
Arabia by dividing the kingdom into three separate states and separating the
eastern oil provinces from the holy sites in the west. Such a shot-term
solution might delay what seems to be an inevitable final conflict. But
there is another telling factor that has not been discussed in the major
media. There are signs that major financial power houses are looking into
gold hedges, especially mining and actual possession of gold in anticipation
of a large gold "bust-out." The head of the California Personnel
Employee Retirement System (CALPERS), the largest pension fund in the
country, recently announced his resignation to go into the gold sector of
the financial markets. Recent reports starting in 1998 indicate that Saudi
Arabia contains enormous quantities of gold. A 1997 Saudi embassy press
announcement revealed 800 locations where gold had been discovered. A Nov. 8
report from Ohio State University -- based upon new Global Imaging System
technologies, confirmed "2,100 known occurrences of gold, silver,
copper, and other metals in the western third of the Saudi peninsula."
Saudi Arabia appears to be sitting atop one of the largest gold stores on
the planet."
The Infinite War and its Roots 8/26/02 Center
for Research on Globalization: Author "Stan Goff retired from the
U.S. Army in 1996, his last assignment being 3rd Special Forces Group. He
entered military service January 1970, and his first assignment was as an
infantryman with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. His service took him
to seven more conflict areas after Vietnam, including Guatemala, Grenada, El
Salvador, Peru, Colombia, Somalia, and Haiti. His assignments included 2nd
Ranger Battalion, 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, 1st Special
Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, 7th Special Forces, the Jungle
Operations Training Center, and the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point."
Military Study of 9/11 Scenario 25 Years Ago 8/26/02 Cryptome: "When
asked the question, what kind of plane would be best to hijack? My choice
was Boeing because it had the one lock/one key fleet; information I acquired
from living in Everett, WA and having brothers who worked there. Lt. Teague
on another day asked what could be done about it (?) I suggested asking
Boeing to change their lock system. When asked what kind of weapons could be
used (?) I said a plastic handled box knife to get it through a metal
detector; then Sgt Middleton said that you could get weapons on a plane
through the luggage area (he knew someone who worked on a ground crew at an
airport) he was then questioned separate like others whose ideas the groups
leaders wanted more information on. When asked what type of political
climate the country would be in when the attack happens(?) we came up with
hamstringing ; that is when one political party sets up the incoming
administration with a disaster to happen."
US-Russia ties jolted by crisis in Georgia 8/26/02 CS
Monitor: "The free hand given to Russia to prosecute its own
"war on terrorism" – an ongoing fight against Chechen
separatists – is now being slapped by Washington. Russia received a
stinging rebuke from the White House over the weekend, after Russian planes
on Friday reportedly bombed targets some 20 miles inside the border of its
southern neighbor Georgia. Sunday, a force of 1,000 Georgian Interior
Ministry troops began an anticriminal, antiterror operation in the volatile
Pankisi Gorge, according to wire reports. The gorge is a suspected refuge
for Islamic militants."
Libyan spy spills the beans 8/26/02 Financial
Gazette, South Africa: "LIBYAN spy Yousef Murgham, summarily
deported from Zimbabwe last week, has revealed startling details of Libya's
growing economic and military stranglehold on Zimbabwe, which is immersed in
its worst crisis for survival."
Taliban melt away before army sweep 8/26/02 Guardian,
UK: "The commander of the biggest US search for Taliban and
al-Qaida fugitives in Afghanistan for five months said last night that the
quarry appeared to have been tipped off that the troops were coming. When
Operation Mountain Sweep in the south-east ended it had nine prisoners and a
tonne of weapons and ammunition, but it had failed to engage any sizeable
units in combat. "It was clear to me there was advance warning at each
site we went to," Colonel James Huggins, commanding officer of the 3rd
Brigade taskforce of the 82nd Airborne division, said."
American travesty 8/26/02 Independent,
UK: "When 46 people were arrested for drug offences in the sleepy
Texas town of Tulia, the local lawman was hailed as a hero. But there was a
problem – almost all of the defendants were black, and there wasn't a
shred of evidence. Andrew Gumbel reports on an extraordinary story of racism
and police corruption."
Tinman Protesters Harassed in Nashville 8/26/02 IndyMedia: "Cops
threaten to arrest protesters who were standing on a public sidewalk outside
hotel where Dick Cheney was attending private fundraiser for GOP. Cops tried
to move them a block out of sight. Protesters refused." And won the
right to protest, allegedly part of the Constitution since the Americans
went up against the British.
Brazil Lula:Would cancel Petrobras overseas rig contracts 8/26/02 Petroleum
World: "In what may be a u-turn in the recent vow by the Workers'
Party to honor all overseas contracts, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said over
the weekend that he would cancel contracts to build three Petroleo
Brasileiro SA (PBR) oil rigs overseas. According to O Estado de S. Paulo,
Lula, who is leading the polls ahead of October's presidential elections,
said the platforms would cost Brazil $1.5 billion. "It doesn't make
sense to keep asking the IMF for money and spending this sum on platform
purchases," said Lula. "The money could be used to generate jobs
in Brazil," he said."
Venezuela finds oil deposit at Lake Maracaibo - Official 8/26/02 Petroleum
World: "The discovery was made in the Tomoporo area in the huge
Lake Maracaibo in Zulia State. Amid falling reserves of light oil, the
discovery is potentially promising, Alvarez said. The outgoing deputy, who
is supposed to head the Venezuelan Embassy in the U.S. shortly, added that
state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela SA (E.PVZ) soon will give
detailed information on the deposit. Venezuela is one of the top suppliers
of crude oil and refined products to the U.S. and one of the prime exporters
within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC."
The Iraq Debate: The Coming Counterattack 8/26/02 Stratfor: "What
appears to be a retreat from plans for a U.S. attack on Iraq may in fact be
little more than a lull in the storm. The Bush administration is bowing to
the letter of coalition partners' demands to be consulted before an attack
is launched, and a diplomatic blitz involving European and Saudi leaders is
soon to come. The administration will demand from these partners an
alternative strategy for advancing the war against al Qaeda -- but
Washington officials will not settle for an invisible war. Faced with
demands for their own suggestions, coalition partners likely will have
little to say, and the consultations will turn into a sandbag for the
anti-war faction."
Bush and father at odds over Iraq strike 8/26/02 Times,
UK: "A GROWING rift between George W. Bush and his father’s
senior advisers over whether to invade Iraq exploded into the public
yesterday when James Baker, Secretary of State during the Gulf War, said a
unilateral US attack on Saddam Hussein would be economically and politically
perilous. Mr Baker, who played a key role for George Bush Sr in building the
international coalition in 1991, became the most senior member of the
previous Bush Administration to oppose an invasion, giving the clearest
signal of a split between father and son over how to tackle Saddam. In
recent days almost the entire war cabinet of Mr Bush Sr has lined up to warn
against attacking Iraq without international support, with one — Lawrence
Eagleburger, a former Secretary of State — bluntly denouncing pro-invasion
hawks as dangerous and “devious”.
U.S. rejects Saudi students, but bilateral defense ties maintained 8/26/02 World
Tribune: "Western diplomatic sources said U.S. authorities refused
entry to 60 Saudi students who were accepted in universities in the United
States under a program by Saudi Aramco. The Kuwaiti Al Rai Al Aam daily
reported on Monday that Aramco, responsible for the marketing of Saudi oil,
is expected to seek alternatives to U.S. universities. They could include
the American University in Cairo or the American University in Beirut."
World
News
"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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