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World News
12/30/02 - 1/5/03
Sunday 1/5/03
Opositores enseñan a utilizar explosivos caseros y a enceguecer a policías y GNs 1/5/03 Aporrea: "En las redes de mensajes opositoras en Internet muchos carmoníacos están circulando este e-mail en el cual enseñan a los civiles a crear explosivos, bombas de humo, y a enceguecer a Guardias Nacionales y policías utilizando sprays de pintura.
Transmitimos este emilio para que las autoridades sepan con qué armas los van a atacar y puedan diseñar una estrategia al respecto."
Authorities deny hunger strike in Jeddah prison 1/5/03 Arab News: "Reports carried by foreign news agencies on Friday said some 40 detainees being held for months at the Ruwais prison in Jeddah had launched a hunger strike because they had not been put on trial or released following interrogation.
“Being the governor of Makkah region, I can confirm that I have received no information” about the hunger strike, Prince Abdul Majeed said."
UNDER COVER OF WAR IN IRAQ - Israeli 'transfer' of Palestinians feared 1/5/03 Japan Times: "A war against Iraq could have devastating consequences not only for the Iraqi people but for the course of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as well. A statement by 187 Israeli academics -- later joined by several hundred from overseas -- calls attention to the possible "transfer" of Palestinian civilians once war with Iraq erupts. In the context of the Middle East, "transfer" is the euphemism for the forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Occupied Territories to other countries. Unless the Western democracies make Israel understand that this is unacceptable behavior under any circumstance, the possibility exists the Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF, will perpetrate a new war crime."
Five Coalition Soldiers Killed In Eastern Afghanistan 1/5/03 Jihad Unspun: "At least five troops of the US-led coalition force feared dead and unknown assailants also left a message in a local language "result of atrocities against Muslims".
The incident took place at Asadabad, Kunar province of Afghanistan on Friday when a combined team of the foreigners and Afghan troops was on a regular patrol in the vicinity. "The killed also include an American troop and four others, nationality to be determined yet," an eyewitness revealed from across the border of Pakistan… These attacks are gaining momentum since Dec 29 following an the clash between the US and Pakistani troops at Angoor Anda, Wana-South Waziristan. At the official level, the US side had confirmed that an American is injured in that clash. However, Pakistan at the official level did not issue the details and pledged to give the details after completing investigation at the military level."
Pakistan, US Forces Exchange More Heavy Fire 1/5/03 Jihad Unspun: "Pakistani and US-Afghan forces on the Pak-Afghan border near Angoor Adda of South Waziristan Agency exchanged heavy machinegun fire on the night between Thursday and Friday, sources said.
Details of loss to human lives or property could not be ascertained. Local sources and government officials said that a rocket launcher shell, fired from across the border, fell into the Pakistani territory. The fire was returned, which resulted in the exchange of heavy machinegun fire from both sides for more than one hour.
All communication links between Angoor Adda and the rest of the country were suspended throughout Friday, while roads leading to the troubled area were closed for few hours for all kind of traffic… It was learnt that Pakistani tribesmen also joined the armed forces to retaliate against the firing from across the border."
Cómo la CIA controla Petróleos de Venezuela 1/5/03 Rebelion: "Intesa, empresa que integra Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) con la estadounidense SAIC, controla toda la información de la estatal venezolana. Fue un proyecto promovido por la llamada "nómina mayor" y pone en manos de SAIC, fachada de organismos de seguridad estadounidenses, toda la información e inteligencia.
Intesa nació en 1999 de la unión de PDVSA y la trasnacional Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) para crear una empresa de outsourcing en materia de informática. El capital inicial lo aportó Venezuela, que sólo tuvo derecho al 40 por ciento de las acciones. La misión de la empresa -obviamente no la que se publicitó- era la de controlar la información de todas las computadoras de PDVSA… Sin duda es por el nombre de sus directores que SAIC ha conseguido sus contratos con la administración estadounidense. Veamos algunos de ellos: almirante Bobby Inman, director principal de la CIA; Melvin Laird, secretario de Defensa del ex presidente Richard Nixon; general retirado Max Thurman, comandante de la invasión de Panamá, y Donald Hicks, jefe de investigaciones del Pentágono. A estos "tradicionales" hay que agregar nuevos miembros del directorio: Robert Gates y John Deutsch, ex directores de la CIA; y William Perry, ex secretario de Defensa.
Hay muchas preguntas que surgen. Por ejemplo ¿por qué nunca se han discutido las bases de la negociación realizada para crear a Intesa?; ¿cuáles son los beneficios que produce Intesa a PDVSA? No se sabe a ciencia cierta quién representa a Intesa en Venezuela ni quién tiene el control de Intesa dentro de PDVSA. Tampoco quién es el correo entre los intereses de Intesa y los grupos estadounidenses del más alto poder, aunque pareciera ser el ex presidente de la estatal venezolana y actual asesor de Bush en materia energética, Luis Giusti."
Israel like Nazi Germany - row spreads in Wales 1/5/03 Ummah News: "Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Mr Davies, who is vice chair of CND in Wales refused to withdraw his comments adding: "I do draw that comparison because [this is] one group of people who should understand what oppression is and what it is like living under occupation."
Mr Davies also accused the Israeli government of treating the Holocaust "like an industry" to justify its actions against Palestinians.
The councillor has himself been on a fact-finding trip to the occupied territories but he said he had "utterly resisted" an invitation by the Israeli government.
"When they go out there they will be treated like Lords and taken to the Holocaust museum to try to engineer as much sympathy as they can and shown the bright side and the pleasant side and the sort of life the Israelis are enjoying," he added."
Project: Afghanistan 1/5/03 Uranium Medical Research Centre: "The UMRC field team was shocked by the breadth of public health impacts coincident with the bombing. Without exception, at every bombsite investigated, people are ill. A significant portion of the civilian population presents symptoms consistent with internal contamination by Uranium." - tax-deductible funds needed for further analysis.
Many S. Koreans pin blame on U.S., not North 1/5/03 USA Today: "There's genuine fear here that the Korean peninsula could be plunged into a nuclear war.
But it's not reclusive North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il that many South Koreans are worried about. It's the United States.
A staunch U.S. ally for more than 50 years, South Korea is now a place where a large and voluble part of the population bears a deep sense of grievance over the U.S. relationship with Seoul. The ill will is complicating efforts to resolve a confrontation over North Korea's illicit nuclear weapons program."
Anti-government disinformation campaign highlights rebel desperation 1/5/03 Vheadlines: "Unsubstantiated reports claiming that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has financed Al Qaeda are circulating on the Internet as opposition rebels grow increasingly desperate in the wake of the brutal killing of two government supporters during Friday's disturbances… VHeadline.com Venezuela has asked the originators of the "Al Qaeda"-hype to substantiate their claim, pointing out that if there was an ounce of truth to it, the US White House press corps would have blasted the story around the world in a zillionth of a micro-second ... but hasn't!"
Saturday 1/4/03
 Venezuelan workers defy rightist oil blockade 1/4/03 ANNCOL: "Chavez is also benefiting from his foreign policy goal of promoting Latin American solidarity. Both Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago have sent shipments of gasoline to help Venezuela weather the protests. The Dominican Republic has sent rice. Oil workers in Colombia and Ecuador have volunteered their expertise in keeping the refineries open… Some sectors of the Bolivarian Circle movement are openly preparing to defend against the next attempt to oust Chavez. On Nov. 9, the Associated Press interviewed Comandante Lina Ron, one of the most militant leaders of the Bolivarian Circle movement. Describing the greed of Venezuela's rich ruling class, Ron said, "If that's the way things are, I am preparing for war. We will wage a scorched-earth campaign."
Buques de Rusia, Trinidad y EEUU arribarán con combustible 1/4/03 Aporrea, Venezuela
Imágenes - Civiles carmoníacos sí acudieron armados y dispararon en "Gran Batalla Final" 1/4/03 Aporrea, Venezuela: photos of snipers
Informe más completo sobre los muertos y heridos de ayer 1/4/03 Aporrea, Venezuela: "La mayoría de los heridos por armas de fuego (06 por bala y 01 por perdigones) son del bando chavista." Again.
GOP's state vice chairman in hot water 1/4/03 Contra Costa Times: "A leading candidate in the upcoming race for chairman of the California Republican Party distributed an article suggesting the nation would have been better off if the South had won the Civil War.
The article was included in a 1999 e-mail newsletter that state GOP Vice Chairman Bill Back sent to party members. It was written by Bill Lind, director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism, an arm of the right-wing Free Congress Foundation.
"Given how bad things have gotten in the old U.S.A., it's not hard to believe that history might have taken a better turn," Lind wrote. "... The real damage to race relations in the South came not from slavery, but from Reconstruction, which would not have occurred if the South had won… Back is a key conservative Bush ally who helped the president's political operatives revamp party rules during the past two years. The effort, spearheaded by Gerald Parsky, the president's point person in California, aimed to professionalize the state party so that a handful of hard-core conservatives would not continue to dominate the leadership.
Back, 67, a retired mathematician from Yuba County, is competing against the more moderate Silicon Valley attorney Duf Sundheim for the party chairmanship."
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory - Bush's Armageddon Obsession, Revisited 1/4/03 Counterpunch: "The Reverend Billy Graham taught Bush to live in anticipation of the Second Coming but it was his friendship with Dr. Tony Evans that shaped Bush's political understanding of how to deport himself in an apocalyptic era. Dr. Evans, the pastor of a large Dallas church and a founder of the Promise Keepers movement taught Bush about "how the world should be seen from a divine viewpoint," according to Dr. Martin Hawkins, Evans assistant pastor."
Organizacion Fraternal de Negros de Honduras: Informe 4/1/03 1/4/03 GarifunaWeb: report on current status
Organizacion Fraternal de Negros de Honduras: Perfil 4/1/03 1/4/03 GarifunaWeb: report on current projects
THE LOOKING GLASS WAR 1/4/03 Gatheringin.com: "I’d become accustomed to George W. Bush’s use of the word evil until he told the nation this last spring, “The evil one is among us.”
Anyone with a passing understanding of the evangelical world of Bush’ faith knows he was referring to the Antichrist. The implications
of this are grave beyond telling and yet scarcely ever noted in the public discourse. On the eve of a misguided war the Commander in
Chief of the most powerful military force in human history has located American foreign policy within a Biblical narrative that leads
inexorably towards the plains of Megiddo, roughly fifty five miles northwest of Jerusalem: the battle of Armageddon. Two essential
questions, as impertinent as they are imperative, need to be asked: Mr. President, as a born-again Christian is it not true that you
regard this as the end times prophesied in the Bible? In what way does your religious understanding of apocalypse inform American
policy in the Mideast?"
Blacklist Grounds American Passengers 1/4/03 Intervention Magazine: "Under the rubric of airline security, the US government has established a No-Fly List to harass, frustrate, delay, and forbid the travel of more than 1,000 citizens. Will you be added to the List? …Questions about how one gets on a no-fly list creates questions about how to get off it. This is a classic Catch-22 situation. The TSA says it compiles the list from names provided by other agencies, but it has no procedure for correcting a problem. Aggrieved parties would have to go to the agency that first reported their names. But for security reasons, the TSA won't disclose which agency put someone on the no-fly list.
The FBI spokesperson Bresson would not explain the criteria for classifying someone as a threat to aviation, but suggests that fliers who believe they're on the list improperly should "report to airport security and they should be able to contact the TSA or us and get it cleared up." He concedes that might mean missed flights or other inconveniences and explained, "Airline security has gotten very complicated."
Lula dirige recursos bélicos para la guerra... contra el hambre 1/4/03 Prensa Latina: "La decisión del presidente brasileño, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, de cancelar la compra de nuevos aviones de combate, puntualizó hoy su voluntad de destinar todos los recuros posibles a la guerra contra el hambre."
Después de marchar se enfrentan chavistas y opositores; 2 muertos 1/4/03 Rebelion: "La "gran batalla", como la oposición venezolana bautizó a sus marchas de este día, culminó en un enfrentamiento de varias horas, con saldo de dos muertos y por lo menos seis heridos por arma de fuego, así como varias decenas de lesionados por pedradas, cohetones y gases lacrimógenos lanzados por distintos cuerpos de seguridad, unos afines al gobierno de Hugo Chávez y otros a gobernantes locales opositores."
Winds of war, pleas for peace 1/4/03 St. Augustine Record: "Bush Cheney Rumsfeld - Axis of Oil"
Battle of the boffins 1/4/03 Sydney Morning herald: "When the US was developing the drone technology in the early 1990s, it predicted that it would be able to call upon close to 1000 privately operated satellites. It didn't happen and in Afghanistan it could keep only three of the eight drones it had in the area in the air at any one time because of the paucity of satellite capacity… Now the Air Force Research Lab has teams hard at work in an attempt to defeat the satellite shortage by developing a new laser-based system of communication which would increase the throughput of the satellites.
And the Pentagon is experimenting to further refine the application of the drone technology - by dropping small seismic sensors from the air that have the ability to detect vibrations from tanks and other heavy vehicles and beam signals to those controlling the drones. They will be able to manoeuvre the drones into the area to investigate enemy movement and take snapshots of targets that can then be relayed to bomber pilots to save time and errors caused by verbal descriptions of targets at the height of battle.
Arkin, the military affairs analyst, recently lifted the veil of secrecy on the newest so-called "agent defeat" weapons in the US, revealing the development of a new cluster bomb that would release 4000 titanium rods to cut through chemical and biological bunkers with explosive force, and a new incendiary device which he said would create a firestorm so intense that water would not extinguish it.
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, he said that the new weapons would help the US to seize or neutralise Iraqi weapons of mass destruction with greater speed and security and, at the same time, cause less damage to surrounding areas and people."
Korea: Americans face rising tide of resentment 1/4/03 Telegraph, UK: "But this year's protests were larger than usual and drew on a far wider section of Korean society than the usual Left-wing suspects. Something is shifting, probably permanently, in South Korea.
Ten years ago, anti-Americanism was still a political opinion, tied up with resentment of the Right-wing, military-backed, dictatorship which ruled the South with an iron fist.
Many Koreans did not share such dissident thoughts - they still remembered that war and keenly feared the Stalinist North - but now, young Koreans have no memory of that conflict.
Today's anti-Americanism has much to do with surging nationalism and visceral dislike of the huge US bases, which sprawl across the heart of Seoul, and swaggering GIs."
The case of the five vanishing suspects 1/4/03 Toronto Globe & Mail: "But yesterday, the FBI admitted that the most important ingredient in the story -- that is, the proof -- is nowhere to be found: "There is no border-crossing information that would say they're here," FBI spokesman Ed Cogswell said. "And to say they came in from Canada is pure speculation."
Taliban claims to have chemical weapons and US POWs 1/4/03 Ummah News: "Rohi claimed that Hekmatyar's forces have captured as many as 50 US soldiers on way to Kabul from Logar while the Taliban fighters captured another 26 US special forces personnel during the Shai Kot fighting, which was code-named as "Operation Anaconda". "We will bring them before the press after the approval of the top leadership," he said.
However, Pakistani intelligence officials did not agree with the number of missing US soldiers saying that news about 10 to 15 missing US soldiers was in circulation since long. "I believe that the operation in Kunar province of Afghanistan last month was aimed at finding clues to the whereabouts of the missing Americans," an official of the secret agencies said."
Friday 1/3/03
CIA on Campus 1/3/03 cia-on-campus.org
Searching for Daniel Brandt 1/3/03 Counterpunch: "For almost 30 years, Brandt has operated a one-man intelligence operation, creating the one-of-its-kind NameBase database, which includes about 125,000 names and 280,000 citations. The names are drawn from hundreds of books and serials, plus documents recovered using the Freedom of Information Act… "It's not the government that worries me, as much as it's the entire dumbed-down culture that keeps me awake at nights."
France Condemns Ivory Coast Troops Blast 1/3/03 Guardian: "As France dispatched its foreign minister to the West African nation and rebels threatened a general offensive in retaliation for Tuesday's attack, a western rebel faction said it was moving toward the strategic, southwestern port of San Pedro, where French troops are posted.
Rebel commander Sgt. Felix Doh said rebels fought loyalist troops in the southwest Thursday, near the border with Liberia.
Rebels demanding the resignation of President Laurent Gbagbo hold the north of the world's largest cocoa producer, and large chunks of the West.
The rebellion started with a failed coup by northern rebels in September, and exploded into a wider conflict with new rebel factions emerging in the West. Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
``We are advancing on San Pedro now,'' Doh said by satellite telephone on Thursday evening."
US troops violated Geneva convention 1/3/03 Guardian: "US troops guarding communist captives in the Korean War violated the Geneva convention on treating prisoners of war and regarded them as "oriental cattle", a confidential British report concluded.
Marked "secret and guard", the memorandum by a major in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry painted a damning picture of US military incompetence and inhumanity. Held back from public release for 50 years, the study of Koje-Do prison camp was sent to the foreign secretary in late 1952… "All US troops were apt to regard prisoners as cattle and treat them as such. They handled them, including cripples who had been badly wounded, extremely roughly. Asked about the Geneva convention, US troops said: 'Well, these people are savages'. All [US] units were inclined to fire on prisoners at the slightest provocation." " - just like the Indian Wars in the US.
Striking Oil Execs Counter Chavez Claim 1/3/03 Guardian, UK: "President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela's oil industry, paralyzed by a five-week strike, is recovering and will reach full capacity in 45 days. Oil executives scoffed at the claim and said exports were still a trickle of pre-strike levels.
Oil represents 30 percent of Venezuela's $100 billion gross domestic product and 70 percent of exports. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and a major provider to the United States. The 32-day-old strike has helped push international oil prices above $30 per barrel."
Israeli Soldiers Tell Palestinian Villagers 'We will do to you what the Nazis did to us' 1/3/03 Palestine Chronicle: "Abed Elqiq, whose cousin’s home was among the homes demolished narrated that one of the Israeli officers who oversaw the destruction of the homes told the grieving women at the site that “we will do to you what the Nazis did to us” half a century ago.
“Ok, if you want call us Nazi, we are Nazi, but we have the upper hand and we can kill you and destroy your homes and nobody in this world can ask us ‘why’. And we are happy about it.”
Otro duro golpe a los ‘paras’ en Colombia 1/3/03 Rebelion: "En un mes, los paramilitares han sufrido más de 150 bajas en tres combates. Al menos 60 paramilitares muertos han causado los combates entre una fuerza combinada de las Farc y Eln en el Sur de Bolívar, a unos 600 kilómetros al norte de la capital colombiana.
Los datos fueron transmitidos por el Canal Caracol de televisión, que logró a llegar a un equipo periodístico al lugar por los combates. Con este combate, que comenzó hace tres días en la zona rural del municipio de San Pablo, son tres duros golpes que la guerrilla colombiana ha dado a los grupos paramilitares aglutinados en la organización AUC, Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia." AUC is accused of many massacres of non-combatants.
Pakistanis, Bahrainis protest US war preparations 1/3/03 Ummah News: "As the United States continued its massive military buildup for a looming war on Iraq, people in Pakistan and Bahrain, in two close U.S. allies, took to the streets Friday, January 3, protesting the American war schemes.
In Pakistan, thousands of people threatened Americans in the country and burnt effigies of U.S. President George W. Bush in nationwide rallies against a war on Iraq and perceived U.S. aggression in its hunt for al-Qaeda elements."
Opposition rebels in violent conflict with law enforcement officers 1/3/03 Vheadlines: "Three are reported dead and another shot with some 80 injured by stones and other missiles as opposition rebels refusing to stand down when Metropolitan Police (PM) riot squad officers told anti-government demonstrators they could not leave a pre-arranged protest route to invade Los Proceres this afternoon.
National Guard (GN) officers had tried to contain the demonstration at Puente La Nacionalidad in La Bandera but just after 4:00 p.m. Metropolitan Police (PM) units and Miranda State Governor Enrique Mendoza were forced to shield a gunman from the opposition lynch-mob after it was claimed he had fired off several shots before being tackled to the ground and disarmed… The opposition claims that Chavez Frias' support has dwindled, but it remains hugely strong among Venezuela's 80% poor after they began to see small improvements under Chavez' rule despite crushing political sabotage from traditionally-corrupt political parties now forming the opposition."
Venezuela: IRS/Seniat to prosecute opposition rebels who incite tax avoidance 1/3/03 Vheadlines
Thursday 1/2/03
It's Not Yesterday's Peace Movement 1/2/03 Alternet: "You don't need a weatherman to see that grassroots opposition to a U.S. war with Iraq is gathering fast. Today's peace movement already draws big protest crowds even before the shooting has begun, and its ranks are more diverse than the 1960s movement, which took a few years to grow. Fueling dissent is the perception that Bush's call for a unilateral first strike against Iraq is arbitrary.
Peace activists using technology nonexistent in the '60s – e-mail blasts, dedicated Web sites – are preparing a march in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18-20, hoping for crowds even larger than October's demonstrations by tens of thousands in the nation's capital, San Francisco and other cities."
Pakistani fury at US bombing of border 1/2/03 Guardian: "The incident yesterday provoked a furious, if predictable, response from the country's newly influential religious politicians, who control the two strategic provinces next to Afghanistan where many senior members of the Taliban are believed to be hiding. Members of the regional assembly in North West Frontier province passed a unanimous motion condemning US aggression. "American jets have violated the air and geographic frontiers of Pakistan," Ikramullah Shahid, one of the resolution's sponsors said. The area where the skirmish took place was the scene of a gunbattle last week in which a US soldier died - the first American to be killed on active duty in Afghanistan for seven months." - the first admitted American.
Activist talks to ordinary Iraqis 1/2/03 Iowa Press Citizen: from a trip that OFAC no doubt forbade - "The mainstream journalists in Baghdad rarely speak to ordinary Iraqis. They are mostly cooped up in the Al Rashid, the fanciest hotel in town, and spend their days rushing between press briefings and chasing the weapons inspectors… "We don't even want to think about war, we don't talk about it," a graduate student at Baghdad University told me. "My husband works hard to pay our bills, and I'm working on my thesis. Our children don't know about the threat of war - we don't tell them. If the Americans bomb Baghdad, the electricity will go out, the sewer system will stop working and people will die. All we can do is pray for peace, but Americans can work to stop this war." Large numbers of civilian deaths, so-called "collateral damage," are just one likely outcome of a U.S. war on Iraq. If the 1991 Gulf War is any indication, the United States will destroy the civilian infrastructure - actions considered by many to be war crimes. The deliberate bombing of electrical facilities and water treatment plants in 1991 caused unimaginable suffering for normal citizens that continues to this day."
Japan: Gov't to draft new law to support U.S. in war on Iraq 1/2/03 Japan Today: "The government plans to draft a new law to pave the way for Tokyo to provide noncombatant support to the U.S. military in case of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a national newspaper said Wednesday.
The Mainichi Shimbun said the Japanese support is expected to focus on fuel supplies to U.S. Navy vessels and cargo shipment as in the case with Tokyo's support to the U.S. military in the U.S.-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan."
Another Case Of Mistaken Identity In FBI Alert 1/2/03 Jihad Unspun: "A Pakistani jeweler said Wednesday his picture is among those of five suspects who the FBI says may have entered the United States on falsified passports. The man said he has never visited the United States.
An Associated Press photograph of Mohammed Asghar taken at his shop in Lahore on Wednesday was a near-perfect match for the one included on the FBI list under the name Mustafa Khan Owasi, down to the prominent mole on Asghar's left cheek. Asghar, 30, told AP that he was surprised to open a local newspaper and see his picture with another man's name beneath it." The Federal Bureau of Incompetency, again.
'Felony stop' leaves family traumatized 1/2/03 North Carolina Herald Citizen: this happened to a white family because of a wild citizen "tip," and Ashcroft wants to turn this practice into an institution.
Change in UN may hit Bush's plans 1/2/03 Scotsman, UK: "In a major shift of power within the UN hierarchy, Germany - one of the leading opponents of military action against Iraq - was handed one of the ten non-permanent seats on the Security Council.
The accession of Germany will substantially diminish the prospect of the US achieving unanimous UN approval for military action against Iraq should Saddam continue to defy the demands of UN resolution 1441 to disarm his nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal.
The chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, clinched election victory last year on the back of an anti-American campaign and has ruled out committing German troops to any military action."
Afghanistan: US forces storm mosque, beat and abduct worshippers 1/2/03 Ummah News: "American forces stormed a mosque in the Khost province in southeast Afghanistan, beat the worshippers and abducted two of them, said the Pakistani NNT news network Thursday, January 2.
The American soldiers desecrated the mosque with their shoes, smashed the doors and windows infuriating the residents, said the agency.
Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency, IRNA, and the Voice of America correspondent that anti-American leaflets were circulated on Tuesday and Thursday, December 30-31, in the nearby Paktia province.
The leaflets lashed out at the American military presence in Afghanistan and threatened new attacks on the American troops."
Petrobras y Pdvsa en cooperación técnica para Venezuela 1/2/03 Venpres: "“Si hace falta que técnicos brasileños vayan a Venezuela, hemos dejado la solicitud para comenzar a estudiarla. Lula va a juramentar en pocas horas el nuevo presidente de Petrobras, así que con la nueva directiva de Petrobras y la nueva directiva de Pdvsa iniciaremos conversaciones directas entre ambas empresas para darle forma a esa cooperación técnica”, aseveró el presidente Chávez Frías."
For Germany, New U.N. Role Means Muting Anti-War Tone 1/2/03 Washington Post: "Political analysts here say Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his ministers are preparing the public for the possibility that Germany could endorse military action at the United Nations and assist participating allies, though no German troops would join in battle. The tabloid Bild has dubbed the evolving policy Jein, a combination of ja and nein, the German words for yes and no."
Wednesday 1/1/03
The Terrors of Addiction 1/1/03 ANNCOL: "Just Say No to Oil Addiction: The US National Mobilization on Colombia has called for a spring mobilization bringing together regional events that target US corporations operating in Colombia. Various actions are being planned for March 24th."
Oposición venezolana admite rotundo fracaso del paro y lo convierte en "desobediencia civil" 1/1/03 Aporrea, Venezuela: "La oposición venezolana ha anunciado que levantará parcialmente la huelga general contra el presidente Hugo Chávez. A pesar de la suspensión, la medida de protesta se mantendrá en la estratégica industria petrolera. "Hay ciertos sectores, las pequeñas y medianas empresas, que abrirán la semana que viene porque no tienen los recursos para mantenerse cerradas, tienen que ganar dinero", indicó uno de los líderes huelguistas, Américo Martín. Martín aclaró que el levantamiento parcial de la "huelga mercantil" no incluye al sector petrolero, con el cual está "totalmente de acuerdo". Martín, miembro de la plataforma opositora Coordinadora Democrática, dijo horas antes que la huelga que colapsó la poderosa industria petrolera "podría pasar del paro a la desobediencia civil".
New Chairman of 9/11 Commission had business ties with Osama's Brother in Law 1/1/03 Centre for Research on Globalization: "Unknown to most, UNOCAL's partner in the Cent-Gas trans-Afghan pipeline consortium, the Saudi Company Delta Oil is owned by the bin Mahfouz and Al-Amoudi clans which allegedly have ties to bin Laden’s Al Qaeda. According to a 1998 Senate testimony of former CIA director James Woolsey, powerful financier Khalid bin Mahfouz’ younger sister is married to Osama bin Laden… Now, "by sheer coincidence", former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean, the man chosen by President Bush to lead the 9/11 commission also has business ties with bin Mahfouz and Al-Amoudi."
CITGO 1/1/03 Citgo.com: CITGO is wholly owned by Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA.
Chavez Leaves Venezuela for Inauguration 1/1/03 Guardian: "The embattled Venezuelan president - his rule under threat from turmoil in the strikebound oil-producing nation - left the country Wednesday to attend the inauguration of the new Brazilian president.
In what could be a daring move given the upheaval shaking Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez arrived in Brasilia for the ceremony installing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom he considers a friend and ally."
South Korea, Once a Solid Ally, Now Poses Problems for the U.S. 1/1/03 NYT: "But now South Korea has become one of the Bush administration's biggest foreign policy problems. Years of resentments over a variety of issues are boiling over in Seoul in the form of demonstrations against the United States and pronouncements by the departing and arriving presidents challenging American policies on dealing with North Korea's nuclear ambitions."
As U.S. troops arrive, riots erupt in Bahrain 1/1/03 World Tribune: "Hundreds of masked rioters went on a rampage in Bahrain's capital city Wednesday, attacking hotels frequented by Americans and cars with Saudi license plates.
Bahrain, which has a large Shi'ite minority loyal to Iran, is a close ally of Washington and home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. U.S. troops and supplies have been pouring into the kingdom over the last few weeks."
2003: Bush's "War On Terror" Faces Mounting Criticism, At Home And Abroad 1/1/03 Yahoo News: "At home and abroad, US President George W. Bush's "war on terror" was facing mounting criticism over fears that fundamental human rights and freedoms were being eroded. Actors, writers, lawyers, politicians, and millions of ordinary people worldwide have in recent weeks all questioned the no-holds-barred US policy which many fear will be counter-productive. Huge anti-war demonstrations have taken place in cities across the globe and more are planned for the new year, including a major one in Washington on January 18.
Spain's top anti-terror judge became the lastest to add his voice to the growing chorus of critics, warning Sunday of "the risk of a false system of security being put in place to the detriment of freedoms and rights. "The case of terrorists held in Guantanamo (the US base in Cuba), Afghanistan and Pakistan proves that security is trumping every other principle of justice or rights," said Baltasar Garzon said. Garzon, who has fought against Basque separatists in Spain, made a world name for himself when he led international efforts to prosecute former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet for war crimes."
Tuesday 12/31/02
¡Gran Marcha del Sur Oeste este sábado en Caracas! 12/31/02 Aporrea, Venezuela: Yet another massive display of popular support for Chavez, to be ignored by the mainstream media.
Buying gasoline at CITGO stations help Venezuela's democracy 12/31/02 Aporrea, Venezuela: "The WALL STREET JOURNAL brought to our attention that CITGO is a wholy-owned subsidiary of the national Venezuela oil company.
The attacks on the overwhelmingly democratically elected government of President Hugo Chavez deal directly with the reforms that this government is instituting: including land reform, labor rights and protection of the nationally owned assets. Many go into affect on January 1st, thus explaining the push at this time to have Chavez resign. Otto Reich and Company have their dirty hands in the mix despite the sanctimonious declarations of "neutralilty" emenating from Bush, Inc. It is part and parcel of the US policies to foist FTAA and privitization on Latin America.
In addition to our statements and acts of solidarity, the proposal is that we purchase gasoline from CITGO. In filling our tanks, we inform the franchised dealer that the reason we are buying CITGO gasoline is to show our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and democracy in Venezuela."
Militares opositores a Chávez en la protesta del 10 de Octubre en Miami 12/31/02 Comandos F4: Narcoterrorists openly getting training from ex-Venezuelan military putchist in Florida, today, as reported by their organization, with many photos: ""El 10 de octubre es un día impredecible en Venezuela". Con esta contundente frase comenzó una entrevista al capitán Luís García, de la Guardia Nacional de Venezuela, en un finca-campamento de entrenamiento en Homestead."
Pentagon build-up reaches unstoppable momentum 12/31/02 Guardian: making Bin Laden very, very happy - "Over the year, the US military has conducted low-profile preparations for a conflict, moving headquarters and equipment into the region. But the new deployment orders reported over the weekend represent a serious commitment of manpower and resources from which it will be hard to climb down without ousting Saddam or at least forcing his disarmament.
"There is a bit of 1914 in this in that once mobilisation begins, it's hard to turn it off. There are financial costs and practical costs," Ralph Peters, a former army intelligence specialist on the Middle East said. "You've already decided to take the political costs mobilising reserves, and the world is psychologically prepared for it. It would take an act of great fortitude to stop the train now."
The White House wanted to hold back the deployment orders until after the new year, but the Pentagon (which would have preferred the large-scale troop build-up to begin in early December) insisted it begin earlier if an invasion was to take place before March. The Iraqi spring heat begins to make desert warfare much more difficult."
U.S. soldier wounded in exchange of fire 12/31/02 IHT: "He was the second American soldier evacuated to Germany with head wounds in two days. A soldier shot in circumstances that did not involve hostile fire was evacuated Saturday. The incident is under investigation, the Bagram press center reported." The pace of this will continue to increase, as the Afghan War follows the pattern laid down under the Soviet occupation.
Counting on Democracy Broadcast Schedule 12/31/02 ITVS: “This tale of race, political payback, voter fraud and justice deferred could have come out of a Hollywood thriller. But no—this is the story of the 2000 Presidential election in Florida, one of the most startling, disturbing events in recent years. Directed by investigative reporter Danny Schechter [executive editor of MediaChannel.org, and executive producer of Globalvision], Counting on Democracy is a jaw-dropping, even terrifying account of just how shallow our nation’s commitment to democracy can be” Taos Film Festival
PDVSA a plena capacidad en un mes 12/31/02 Juventud Rebelde: "Por otra parte, se conoció la detención por la Policía de la Seguridad del Estado del general de la Guardia Nacional (GN) Carlos Alfonso Martínez, uno de los oficiales rebeldes que desde el 22 de octubre ocupan la plaza Altamira de Caracas para provocar la caída del presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, dijo EFE.
Martínez tiene abierto un proceso de investigación por su participación en el golpe de Estado del 11 de abril contra Chávez.
La presencia de Martínez y otros militares desleales en Altamira fue criticada por el secretario general de la OEA y mediador en el diálogo nacional, César Gaviria, quien les conminó a quitarse el uniforme para dedicarse a la política, recordó el cable."
Kuwaitis seethe with anger as U.S. war drum beats 12/31/02 MSNBC: "There were few kind words when the subject turned to the man whose father helped save Kuwait from Iraqi tanks -- Bush.
''This is highway robbery. It is the policy of a cowboy. Bush can just say 'I don't like that leader's face so he must be removed'. If he removes Saddam he will do the same in the whole region,'' said lawyer Ali Radwan.
''If anyone removes Saddam it should be the Iraqis.''
Anti-American sentiment in Kuwait boiled over in November when a Kuwaiti policeman shot and seriously wounded two U.S. soldiers. There have been a number of reports of shots fired at U.S. troops training in the Kuwaiti desert.
While many Kuwaitis condemned the attacks, some said U.S. policies in the Middle East invited hatred and violence.
''The attacks in Kuwait were not surprising and I expect more to take place. The Americans talk about democracy in the Arab world but that is not their motivation. Everyone knows that,'' said Mahmoud Awadi, a retired businessman."
Bring Back the Draft by Charles Rangel 12/31/02 NYT: "President Bush and his administration have declared a war against terrorism that may soon involve sending thousands of American troops into combat in Iraq. I voted against the Congressional resolution giving the president authority to carry out this war — an engagement that would dwarf our military efforts to find Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. But as a combat veteran of the Korean conflict, I believe that if we are going to send our children to war, the governing principle must be that of shared sacrifice. Throughout much of our history, Americans have been asked to shoulder the burden of war equally.
That's why I will ask Congress next week to consider and support legislation I will introduce to resume the military draft.
Carrying out the administration's policy toward Iraq will require long-term sacrifices by the American people, particularly those who have sons and daughters in the military. Yet the Congress that voted overwhelmingly to allow the use of force in Iraq includes only one member who has a child in the enlisted ranks of the military — just a few more have children who are officers."
U.S. Says Pakistani Guard Shot Soldier in Afghanistan 12/31/02 NYT: "Pakistan has deployed its own forces to try to stem infiltration of armed groups either way, but they are not seen as particularly effective because of the strong anti-American and pro-Taliban feeling of the local population, which allows the armed groups free movement.
Several dozen low-level members of Al Qaeda are believed to be in South Waziristan, in Pakistan's tribal territories, near where the border clashes have occurred, according to Pakistani officials. But efforts to arrest them have been thwarted as local people have tipped them off before government forces move in, they said."
U.S. Bombs Hit Pakistan Town After Border Clash 12/31/02 Reuters: "The wounded American was part of a unit conducting a mission with Pakistani forces along the Afghan border when a disagreement appeared to break out, according to a statement released by the U.S. military at their Afghan headquarters at Bagram air base.
"A Pakistani border scout opened fire with a G3 rifle after the U.S. patrol asked him to return to the Pakistan side of the border," the statement said.
"That individual and several others retreated to a nearby structure," it added. "Close air support was requested and one 500-lb bomb was dropped on the target area."
Afro-Colombian struggle for land and justice 12/31/02 SF Bay View: "Colombia has 40 million people – 26 percent of them of African descent, mostly in the Pacific region. Since the period of slavery, we have shared that area with indigenous Native Americans… In 1993, a law was passed that said that the Black population should delineate the areas where it had lived and apply for titles. The law also said that the government must recognize the Black population’s rights and devote money to social spending in consultation with the communities.
The community organizations met resistance from those who had been exploiting natural resources in our region such as gold and wood. Communities demanded title to the land. Since then we’ve experienced assassinations and expulsion by military groups paid by political and business interests.
My organization won the first collective titles in that region. Seven days later, at 5:00 a.m., on Dec. 13, 1996, paramilitary groups arrived in my town, Riosucio, intent on murdering the leaders and their families. Many were taken from their beds and paraded naked through the streets. Anyone who resisted was killed. The shouts woke me up. I ran to take refuge in the swamp along with many others.
At 8:00 a.m., army helicopters started patrolling. The paramilitaries radioed the pilots to attack the swamp, claiming the people were guerrillas. The army attacked us with bombs and rifles, killing many people. Those who survived stayed in the water for three days until hunger and desperation forced us out. Some of us sneaked through the town and reached a rural community across the river. I recuperated there, then fled to Bogota, where I live today."
Rescuing devastated coffee growers 12/31/02 Washington Times: conservative paper details USAID assistance to what is a real problem.
Monday 12/30/02
Yemen Arrests Gunman in Doctors' Deaths - Suspected Muslim Extremist Kills Three American Doctors in Yemen, Is Arrested by Police 12/30/02 ABC News: "A suspected Muslim extremist shot and killed three American doctors and seriously wounded a U.S. pharmacist Monday at a Southern Baptist missionary hospital in southern Yemen, security officials said."
How the Western Media is being fooled by Mossad 12/30/02 Balochistan Post: "Muslims Public Affairs Committee of UK has pointed out the following pictures that expose the dirty tricks of Mossad in its war against Muslims in which the Israeli forces are making full use of US military might and political influence in the world." Including a "Palestinian terrorist" wearing a star of David…
South Africa: Biggest IT Project To Provide Free Online Learning 12/30/02 Black World Today: "South Africa's biggest internet projects, ever undertaken on the African continent, aim to provide every student in Gauteng province -- where Johannesburg and Pretoria are situated -- and eventually the entire country, with free access to email, the internet and an online learning curriculum.
The project, known as Gauteng Online, is part of a wider plan by Africa's governments to use new technologies to accelerate social and economic development across the continent. Africa's top telecommunications people met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1995 and formed the African Information Society Initiative (AISI). They urged governments to keep up with the growing momentum of telecommunications worldwide and cautioned that African economies would suffer if they remained outside of the technology boom.
The South African government hopes that getting school children computer literate will generate more jobs by creating an Information Technology (IT)-based economy. As the world becomes ever more technology dependent, computer literacy is seen as an indispensable skill that many South Africans are losing out on because of funding shortages."
American Empire as Gated Community by Brian Eno 12/30/02 Counterpunch: "Europeans have always looked at America with a mixture of fascination and puzzlement, and now, increasingly, disbelief. How is it that a country that prides itself on its economic success could have so many very poor people? How is it that a country so insistent on the rule of law should seek to exempt itself from international agreements? And how is it that the world's beacon of democracy can have elections dominated by wealthy special interest groups? For me, the question has become: "How can a country that has produced so much cultural and economic wealth act so dumb?"
From Trent Lott to Ariel Sharon - Wherever Segregationists Are Found 12/30/02 Counterpunch
US Readies Copyright Attack on Canada 12/30/02 Cryptome
Depleted uranium: war hazard? 12/30/02 Disaster News: "This was Kuwait after the Gulf War. Rokke had a mission—clean up U.S. tanks contaminated with DU.
What Rokke found terrified him.
"Oh my God is the only way to describe it," Rokke said. "Contamination was all over."
Rokke and his crew were measuring significant levels of radiation up to 50 meters away from affected tanks: up to 300 millirems an hour in beta and gamma radiation, and alpha radiation from the thousands to the millions in counts per minute (CPM) on a Geiger counter.
"That whole area is still trashed," he said. "It's hotter than heck over there still. This stuff doesn't go away."
His team took three months to clean up 24 tanks for transport back to the U.S.
The Army, Rokke said, took another three years to fully decontaminate the same 24 tanks.
But the contaminated tanks weren't the only problem.
Within 72 hours of their inspections, Rokke and his crew started getting sick.
But they continued with their work. They went back to the U.S. to perform tests on Army bases. They deliberately blew up tanks with DU rounds, then ran over and jumped on the tanks while they were still burning. They videotaped the uranium-oxide clouds pouring out, and they measured the radiation being thrown off.
In the past decade, Rokke said 30 men out of 100 who were closely involved in these operations dropped dead."
Gringo justice 12/30/02 Honduras This Week: shades of Elian - scroll down for this story - "The child was put under the custody of North Carolina, and was then adopted by the homosexual couple. The judge believed that Honduras was still a “jungle.” He refused to give the child up for custody, even to relatives in the state of Florida. The child has lived with the couple for nearly a year. His Honduran grandparents, who live in Honduras, are asking the U.S. government to deliver the child to their care, promising to provide him with a good education and future."
Chile Sect Thrives Despite Criminal Charges 12/30/02 NYT: Nazis in Chile - "An itinerant lay minister preaching a fiery, millenarian brand of Protestantism, Mr. Schäfer, who was a nurse in the Luftwaffe during World War II and is now in his 80's, arrived here with a small group of his followers in 1961. Even then, he was fleeing sexual abuse charges based on complaints by boys in an orphanage he administered in Germany, though the Chilean government appears not to have been aware of those charges at the time.
Through the years, Colonia Dignidad leaders courted sympathetic military officers and members of Chile's German immigrant population by inviting them for visits and offering them and their families gifts or free medical care. After General Pinochet seized power in 1973, ties grew even closer, developing into a de facto alliance.
According to a government investigation a decade ago, the group bought a house here in the mid-1970's and donated it to state intelligence for use as a regional headquarters. A police telephone line was installed at the colony compound, human rights groups say, and the intelligence chief, Gen. Manuel Contreras, became a frequent visitor. Political prisoners whom the dictatorship wanted to keep out of sight were hidden in cells within Colonia Dignidad and tortured, those who survived have testified."
Legisladores de EEUU piden usar armas biológicas en cultivos ilícitos en Colombia 12/30/02 Rebelion: "Mientras Estados Unidos se prepara para invadir Irak bajo la consigna de destruir los presuntos programas de armas biológicas de dicho país, los legisladores de EEUU están profiriendo nuevas amenazas de usar armas biológicas en la guerra civil de Colombia. Las armas son cepas patogénicas de hongos diseñadas para matar cultivos de drogas. Republicanos prominentes en la Cámara de Representantes de EEUU, apoyados por el Departamento de Estado de EEUU, lideran la ofensiva.
El Sunshine Project está alertando a gobiernos y organizaciones no gubernamentales que se requiere un nuevo esfuerzo para impedir que EEUU libre una guerra biológica en Colombia. Dicho esfuerzo debe incluir acción en la Convención sobre Armas Biológicas, el principal tratado contra la guerra biológica. Las ramificaciones del plan estadounidense de armas biológicas son globales. De proseguir en el conflicto colombiano, la presión para usar armas biológicas contra cultivos se extenderá rápidamente a otros países de América Latina y otras regiones del mundo, especialmente Asia."
U.S. Could Become Mired in Iraq Occupation 12/30/02 Stratfor: "The United States has more than a century of experience with occupying and reconstructing conquered countries. However, these occupations have proceeded smoothly only under a peculiar set of conditions, which do not appear likely to emerge in post-war Iraq. Though Washington hopes for a quick and decisive occupation of Iraq to provide it with a psychological victory and a base of operations for further military action in the region, it might find itself consumed instead with problems of occupation within a year of unseating Saddam Hussein… The problem with Iraq is that, first, it does not have a deep reservoir of institutional and individual capabilities to draw upon. Second, the much smaller pool is therefore more directly, individually complicit with the regime being replaced.
Washington's dilemma is simply this: It can adopt Iraq's existing bureaucracy, officially declare it de-Husseined and govern through it, or it can create its own governing infrastructure, using either U.S. personnel or scattered individuals who would be regarded simply as U.S. tools. Neither of these are acceptable choices, nor is withdrawal."
Charles's views not wanted in US 12/30/02 Sydney Morning Herald: "Prince Charles has dropped plans to visit the United States because the White House, apparently unhappy with his views on Iraq, signalled he would not be welcome, the The Mail on Sunday reported.
In a front-page report, it said "senior figures in the Bush Administration" had indicated it would be "very unhelpful" for the trip to proceed due to the prince's reported concern that a war would lead to a dangerous rift between the West and the Muslim world."
Bush's Approval Comes Down to Earth 12/30/02 Time Magazine: scanned image of the Time Magazine Poll. Bush is back to where he was on 9/10/01, he has squandered all the popularity 9/11 gave him. This poll only appears in Time Magazine 12/23/02, is dated 12/17, and, as of 12/30, has been ignored by all the major media, suggesting that the US plutocracy is still behind Bush.
Trinidad and Tobago ships gasoline to Venezuela 12/30/02 Trinicenter, Trinidad: "PETROTRIN'S recent decision to ship gasoline to Venezuela will have no effect on its regular customers, the company's public relations officer Oliver Flax stated yesterday.
This in response to reports in a daily newspaper that Petrotrin has agreed to ship US$15 million worth of gasoline to strike-torn Venezuela in the wake of a formal bail-out request by the Hugo Chavez administration facing revolt and a series of crippling strikes which have led to food shortages and dry pumps at Venezuela's service stations.
It was reported that Petrotrin responded to this request by establishing a pro quid trading arrangement in which Venezuela will supply crude to Petrotrin in exchange for refined products, mainly gasoline."
The Fallout of War 12/30/02 Washington Post: "He is 54 and disabled by dementia. He is a casualty of the Persian Gulf War -- one of the tens of thousands of men and women who left feeling healthy but fell sick after coming home. They filed disability claims at a rate far higher than veterans of other wars.
As the United States deploys troops in anticipation of another battle with Iraq, the Pentagon says it still has no answer for an enigma that has confounded experts for more than a decade: What caused all those Gulf veterans' symptoms? The memory lapses, fatigue, joint pains, rashes, headaches, dizzy spells . . . not to mention the cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease and birth defects.
Many vets speculated that they were poisoned by a combination of vaccines, pesticides, oil fire pollution and other battlefield toxins, including chemical and biological weapons stockpiled by Saddam Hussein… Bracing himself on a cane, Stutts deposits a pile of medical records on the kitchen counter. One file contains images of his brain. "It's like Swiss cheese," he says.
Here are notices from the Pentagon, saying he may have been exposed to the nerve gas sarin in the Persian Gulf. Here, too, is a recent determination from the Department of Veterans Affairs, ruling Stutts fully disabled and citing "neurotoxin exposure" during his deployment. Now he is a patient at a VA clinic in nearby Lexington, where 100 Gulf War vets -- most in their thirties and forties -- are being treated for symptoms of early Alzheimer's.
It's all evidence of . . . something. After 11 years, the VA and Pentagon no longer dispute that troops got sick. They've spent hundreds of millions of dollars studying why.
With his medical training, Stutts understands that good science takes time and hypotheses must be rigorously tested. But as a patient, he has reached certain conclusions.
"I'm not the same person as I was when I left." And: "I would have preferred to have stepped on a land mine than to be exposed to what I was exposed to over there."
U.S. Had Key Role in Iraq Buildup 12/30/02 Washington Post: "High on the Bush administration's list of justifications for war against Iraq are President Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons, nuclear and biological programs, and his contacts with international terrorists. What U.S. officials rarely acknowledge is that these offenses date back to a period when Hussein was seen in Washington as a valued ally.
Among the people instrumental in tilting U.S. policy toward Baghdad during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war was Donald H. Rumsfeld, now defense secretary, whose December 1983 meeting with Hussein as a special presidential envoy paved the way for normalization of U.S.-Iraqi relations. Declassified documents show that Rumsfeld traveled to Baghdad at a time when Iraq was using chemical weapons on an "almost daily" basis in defiance of international conventions."
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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