Sunday 3/9/03

American Fear and Its Crusader Campaign  3/9/03 Arab News: "Let me return to the issue of fear and tell you what some American thinkers and politicians — including former Congressman Paul Findley, Republican politician Dr. Cliff Karikov, Stanley Cohen, a lawyer specialized in Arab and Islamic issues, and William Baker, a political activist who backs Arab issues — told me recently. The gist of what they have told me is that the current American administration has taken its plan word by word from Sharon and wanted to spread fear and anxiety in the minds of its citizens. In this atmosphere of fear and tension, the government can play the role of a spiritual father and savior and justify its security measures and military adventures, which would be rejected by Americans under normal circumstances, for not conforming with their constitution and because of their secular culture."

Mass peace rally in Indonesia  3/9/03 BBC: "The peaceful demonstration was organised by the country's largest Islamic organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). A BBC correspondent says up to 300,00 people gathered in Indonesia's second city Surabaya to hear religious leaders speak out against military action."

Venezuela: denuncian otro golpe  3/9/03 BBC Mundo: Chávez dijo que la "oligarquía fascista y sus aliados extranjeros están haciendo todo lo que pueden en una campaña internacional para tratar de convencer al mundo (...) de que el gobierno de Venezuela apoya a terroristas, de que es un gobierno delincuente".

Security leaks dog search for terror leaders  3/9/03 Independent, UK: "But the search, which has been in full swing since last week's arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man believed to be al-Qa'ida's operational commander, appears to have been hampered by security leaks, claims and counter-claims that have given the fugitives valuable clues about their pursuers' intentions and put considerable strain on US-Pakistani co-operation… It was far from clear yesterday whether the story about Mr bin Laden's sons being arrested was an unsubstantiated rumour, a piece of deliberate disinformation designed to act as a tip-off, or a genuine report that the Americans are anxious to keep quiet until they have had a chance to exploit its intelligence value. US officials are concerned that Mohammed's arrest might hasten plans already in the works to hit American targets at home or abroad – possibly coinciding with the anticipated onset of hostilities in Iraq. Since Mohammed's arrest in the unlikely surroundings of Rawalpindi – the headquarters of the Pakistani armed forces and the home of President Musharraf – there have been quiet grumblings from US intelligence officials about the apparent willingness of Pakistani officials to publicise their exploits."

Hundreds Of Jewish Families Desert Settlements  3/9/03 Jihad Unspun

Argentina, a Haven for Nazis, Balks at Opening Its Files  3/9/03 NYT: "The book that ignited the controversy, published in the United States as "The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón's Argentina" (Granta Books: 2002), has become a best seller here. Its author, Uki Goñi, is an Argentine journalist who had to do much of his research in European archives after encountering closed doors here… The documents indicate that the covert network was run directly from the presidential palace here by Rodolfo Freude, a German-Argentine who was one of Perón's closest advisers. At the same time, Mr. Freude was both running Perón's propaganda apparatus and serving as director of the newly founded state intelligence service. During his research in Europe, Mr. Goñi also discovered a confidential Foreign Ministry circular from 1938 whose effect was to close Argentina to Jewish refugees seeking to flee Germany… According to the documents Mr. Goñi uncovered, the Roman Catholic Church was also deeply involved in the secret network. The Perón government authorized the arrival of the first Nazi collaborators here, he said, as a result of a meeting in March 1946 between Antonio Caggiano, an Argentine cardinal, and Eugene Tisserant, a French cardinal attached to the Vatican. Because of that connection, Mr. Widder has also written to the Argentine Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops, asking that it make public all documents relating to the Argentine church's involvement in the smuggling network. The bishops' group, however, replied that it was unable to do so because "it did not yet exist" in 1946 and that "the persons to whom we have turned have no recollection whatsoever" of the two cardinals having met. "The documentation I have seen shows that the church was the guarantor to the Red Cross for these criminals to get permission to emigrate to Argentina, and many of the applications are signed by priests or by the Pontifical Commission of Assistance, the pope's own entity for refugees," Mr. Goñi said. "This couldn't and wouldn't have happened without the church." "

With Passion and a Dash of Pink, Women Protest War  3/9/03 NYT: "Andrea Buffa, an organizer of the march, said that among those arrested were several well-known writers, including Alice Walker, Terry Tempest Williams, Maxine Hong Kingston and Susan Griffin, as well as Amy Goodman, a host on Pacifica Radio. The protest was linked to International Women's Day, an annual commemoration of women's rights, and was one of many events held today around the nation and world to denounce the prospect of a war in Iraq."

Pillar of fire waits for US in Kirkuk  3/9/03 Observer, UK: "But such a scenario brings its own problems. Kirkuk is historically Kurdish but Saddam's 'Arabisation' policy, by which Kurds have been forced out of their homes through threat of torture or worse and replaced by Arabs from farther south, means that the city is now ethnically mixed. There is also a large number of Turcomans, a separate ethnic group of whom the Kurds have always been suspicious. Of all the cities in Iraq, the 'score-settling' in Kirkuk could be the worst."

UN launches inquiry into American spying  3/9/03 Observer, uk: "The United Nations has begun a top-level investigation into the bugging of its delegations by the United States, first revealed in The Observer last week. Sources in the office of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan confirmed last night that the spying operation had already been discussed at the UN's counter-terrorism committee and will be further investigated. The news comes as British police confirmed the arrest of a 28-year-old woman working at the top secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) on suspicion of contravening the Official Secrets Act… The operation is thought to have been authorised by US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, but American intelligence experts told The Observer that a decision of this kind would also have involved Donald Rumsfeld, CIA director George Tenet and NSA chief General Michael Hayden. President Bush himself would have been informed at one of the daily intelligence briefings held every morning at the White House."

Peace Action  3/9/03 peace-action.org

Authors arrested in war protest at White House  3/9/03 Reuters: "Acclaimed authors Alice Walker and Maxine Hong Kingston were among a group of 23 women arrested in front of the White House on Saturday as they protested against what they called a misguided march toward war, protest organizers said. "They were in front of the White House, registering their discontent with the war and the war plans and were arrested by Park Police simply for standing in front of the White House and saying 'no' to war," said Gopal Dayaneni, a spokesman for the anti-war group CodePink which organized the rally."

Code Pink, Women in Black say no to war Females protest from Union Square to D.C.  3/9/03 SF Chronicle

Labour MPs rebel against Blair over Iraq  3/9/03 Times of India: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing a rebellion of up to 200 Labour MPs and the resignation of as many as 10 members of his government if he proceeds with military action against Iraq without a second UN resolution authorising it, according to media reports on Sunday."

Reform With an Islamic Slant - Saudi Pro-Democracy Movement Poses Dilemma for U.S.  3/9/03 Washington Post: "Political analysts here say that free elections in Saudi Arabia would likely be won by Islamic fundamentalists hostile to the United States, creating the risk of an upsurge of anti-Americanism along the lines of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. "I don't think the U.S. will like the outcome of democracy here," said Abdul Hai, one of several political science professors at Riyadh's King Saud University who signed the reform petition. "But let the Islamists and the traditionalists come to power. If they fail, others will take their place." "

CIA has 2 sons of the 9/11 architect  3/9/03 Washington Times: "Two young sons of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks, are being held by the CIA to force their father to talk, interrogators said yesterday… Yousef al-Khalid, 9, and his brother, Abed al-Khalid, 7, were taken into custody in Pakistan in September when intelligence officers raided an apartment in Karachi where their father had been hiding. He fled just hours before the raid, but his two young sons, along with another senior al Qaeda member, were found cowering behind a clothes closet in the apartment. The boys have been held by the Pakistani authorities, but this weekend they were flown to America, where they will be questioned about their father." The Gestapo too was good at this kind of thing.

Saturday 3/8/03

Hamas vows to target Israeli leaders  3/8/03 BBC: "Following the death of al-Maqadma, Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi called on all unit commanders to target Israeli politicians."

4th Generation Warfare and the Dangers of Being the Only Superpower - A Warning from Clausewitz  3/8/03 Counterpunch: "What finally stopped Hapsburg Spain and, later, France under Louis XIV and Napoleon and Germany under Hitler from establishing the universal monarchy was a fundamental characteristic of the international state system: whenever one nation attempts to attain world dominance, it pushes everyone else into a coalition against it. That dynamic, not any love for Saddam, is what is behind German and French opposition to the Bush Administration's plan for war with Iraq. That is what is drawing others, including Russia, into supporting the French and the Germans. The Dutch ambassador to the United States was recently quoted in the Washington Post as saying he is concerned about a "monopoly of power without checks and balances. Self-assertiveness and an arrogance of power, that is a troubling thing." In fact, the Dutch ambassador is wrong: there are checks and balances, and we are now seeing them start to work. The failure of American strategy, and America's growing self-isolation, are guaranteed so long as Washington aspires to world hegemony. The very nature of the international state system assures our quest for universal monarchy will fail, the same way all have failed. And our "unbeatable" military will find itself beaten, just as the Spanish army was beaten at Rocroi, by someone it thought would be a pushover." Verdad!

Antiwar protest in Japan  3/8/03 ITV: "Thousands of antiwar protesters have marched in Tokyo as the Japanese government gave its backing to the latest deadline for Iraq to disarm or face war."

Sentiment Against War Is Voiced Across World  3/8/03 NYT: "For his part Mr. Berlusconi seemed to be softening his stance, calling war a last resort in response to huge antiwar demonstrations in Italy last month. Polls now show that 70 percent of Italians are against any war without United Nations approval."

Chavez Foe Evades Venezuela Police at Rally  3/8/03 Reuters: "Protesters clashed with heavily-armed police who converged on the rally after Juan Fernandez, a sacked former executive of the state oil firm PDVSA, defied a government arrest order and addressed the demonstration against President Hugo Chavez… As the protesters gathered, Chavez told a meeting of supporters in a Caracas theater that Venezuela had received donations of sugar and beans from communist Cuba to help his government fight food shortages caused by the recent strike. Chavez thanked his political ally and friend, Cuban President Fidel Castro, for the cargoes of 10,000 tonnes of sugar and 5,000 tonnes of black beans. He said these were being sold cheaply to the poor in the government's food program. "The Cubans gave up 10 million kilos (10,000 tonnes) of sugar from their own reserves ... they didn't want to accept payment, they said we could pay for them whenever we could," the president said. Cuba receives oil from Venezuela on preferential terms under a bilateral energy deal."

Russia "will not allow" new Iraq U.N. draft  3/8/03 Reuters: "A senior Russian foreign ministry official, hinting at a possible use of veto, says Russia will do all it can to block a proposed new U.S.-backed resolution on Iraq."

Iran's Nuclear Threat - In another worrying development for the Bush administration, Iran moves closer to operation of a facility to enrich uranium  3/8/03 Time Magazine, USA: whose next after Iraq? "On a visit last month to Tehran, International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed ElBaradei announced he had discovered that Iran was constructing a facility to enrich uranium — a key component of advanced nuclear weapons — near Natanz. But diplomatic sources tell TIME the plant is much further along than previously revealed. The sources say work on the plant is "extremely advanced" and involves "hundreds" of gas centrifuges ready to produce enriched uranium and "the parts for a thousand others ready to be assembled." …A senior State department official said he believed El Baradei was trying to resolve the issue behind the scenes before going public. But experts say the new discoveries are very serious and should be handled in public. "If Iran were found to have an operating centrifuge, it would be a direct violation [of the non-proliferation treaty] and is something that would need immediately to be referred to the United Nations Security Council for action," says Jon Wolfstahl of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and told elBaradei that Tehran intends to bring all of its programs under IAEA safeguards. U.S. officials have said repeatedly they believe Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons… Israel will not take the "Osirak option" off the table, the [Israeli] official says, but "would prefer that this issue be solved in other ways."

Guard says he lost job in T-shirt flap  3/8/03 Times Union, Albany, NY: "Williams, who has worked in security at the mall for more than nine years, said he signed the complaint on the orders of his boss, assistant director of security Fred Tallman. Those orders came after Tallman told the Guilderland police officer working the case that he (Tallman) was too busy to come to the police station and that Williams represented the company and should sign. "I just followed directions of management of that mall to the letter," Williams said Friday evening. "And I get fired for doing my job." "

Activists Plan Strong Anti-War Strategy  3/8/03 Washington Post: "Protest sit-ins, especially at federal buildings, defense recruiting offices and military bases, have been mapped out for dozens of cities in the first day or two of any war, anti-war organizers say. Some also foresee widespread walkouts at schools and workplaces. A smaller number talk of blocking roads and bridges… "Once war happens, there will be civil disobedience. It's bringing to a higher level what people have been doing," said coordinator Bal Pinguel at the American Friends Service Committee, an arm of the pacifist Quaker church."

Friday 3/7/03

Roy Chaderton: Afirmaciones de congresista republicano forman parte de una conspiración masiva  3/7/03 Aporrea: "Para el diputado Maduro la solicitud del parlamento norteamericano, no es más que la expresión de la “ mayamización” de un sector de la oposición venezolana “que recibe su financiamiento, su asesoría política y la dirigen desde Miami”."

Guatemala: Maestros desafían a Portillo  3/7/03 BBC Mundo: "Los maestros alzados que exigen al gobierno de Guatemala un aumento en el presupuesto para la Educación, ignoraron un ultimátum del presidente Alfonso Portillo y anunciaron nuevas acciones para este viernes."

Senate vote blocks Bush's judicial pick  3/7/03 Boston Globe: "Senate Democrats yesterday blocked President Bush's nomination of Miguel Estrada to a federal appeals court, the first successful filibuster of a judicial nominee in more than 30 years."

Germany Will Not Aid US Soldiers In Chemical, Biological Attack  3/7/03 CNS: "Adding another sticking point to strained relations with the United States, Germany says its troops will not come to the rescue of American soldiers if they invade Iraq and face a chemical or biological attack there. German defense minister Peter Struck said Friday that his forces will only defend and assist American soldiers and civilians based in Kuwait, where some German troops are currently stationed."

The War on the Dark Corners of the World  3/7/03 Counterpunch: by Fidel Castro - "However, no one will fight for us, that is, for the overwhelming majority, only we will do it. Only we can save humanity ourselves with the support of millions of manual and intellectual workers from the developed nations who are conscious of the catastrophes befalling their peoples. Only we can do it by sowing ideas, building awareness and mobilising global and North American public opinion. No one needs to be told this. You know it very well. Our most sacred duty is to fight, and fight we will."

Harkin: I was fooled on Bush Iraq plans  3/7/03 DesMoines Register: "Harkin said he did so because the language required the administration to seek diplomatic solutions to the standoff with Iraq and to make full reports to Congress on the progress of diplomacy. Instead, "In my adult life, with the exception of Vietnam, this has been the biggest failure of diplomacy we've had," said Harkin."

Afghan prisoners beaten to death at US military interrogation base  3/7/03 Guardian: "Two prisoners who died while being held for interrogation at the US military base in Afghanistan had apparently been beaten, according to a military pathologist's report. A criminal investigation is now under way into the deaths which have both been classified as homicides. The deaths have led to calls for an inquiry into what interrogation techniques are being used at the base where it is believed the al-Qaida leader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is now also being held. Former prisoners at the base claim that detainees are chained to the ceiling, shackled so tightly that the blood flow stops, kept naked and hooded and kicked to keep them awake for days on end."

Transcript: Bush's press conference on Iraq  3/7/03 Guardian, UK

Battle plan for Baghdad  3/7/03 IHT: "CAMP VIRGINIA, Kuwait If Saddam Hussein decides to make a final stand in Baghdad, the U.S. military is planning to seize control of the city by concentrating its attacks on key command posts and other centers of government power while avoiding bloody house-to-house fighting, the commander of the U.S. Army's force in Kuwait said Thursday. In an interview at his desert headquarters in northwest Kuwait, Lieutenant General Scott Wallace outlined a deliberate strategy that calls for patient reconnaissance of the city, targeted air strikes by air force planes and army attack helicopters, and carefully planned penetrations into the heart of Baghdad by U.S. armored formations, dismounted infantry and combat engineers."

Straw rebuffed in bid to salvage resolution  3/7/03 Independent, UK: "Jack Straw met a wall of scepticism at the UN last night after dashing to New York in an attempt to salvage a proposed Anglo-American resolution authorising war with Iraq."

ALL OUT MARCH 15! EMERGENCY ANTI-WAR CONVERGENCE ON THE WHITE HOUSE  3/7/03 International ANSWER

Remember Afghanistan? Marc Herold: Et Plus Ca Change  3/7/03 Jihad Unspun: "Et Plus Ca Change........U.S. Troops Romp Around the Afghan Countryside, Col. Roger King Soothes, and U.S. Reporters Transcribe the Colonel's Wisdom" - the US continues committing atrocities in Afghanistan.

U.S. Reportedly Has OKd Israeli Retaliation if Iraq Attacks  3/7/03 LA Times: "In 1991, the United States successfully pressured Israel not to retaliate against Iraqi missile strikes even if the Jewish state faced heavy losses, fearing that such a move would alienate Arab countries and rupture the international coalition against Baghdad. If war comes again, U.S. officials say, they still would prefer that Israel stay on the sidelines if damage is limited. However, they would not stand in the way of a counterstrike if an Iraqi attack inflicted many casualties… But the American shift on the politically charged issue is the latest sign of how much more closely the U.S. and Israel are coordinating in the buildup to an increasingly likely war than they did last time around. It comes at a time of growing political pressure in both countries for the Bush administration to allow the Jewish state to defend itself. In the U.S., Jewish American organizations as well as conservative Christian groups that are a bedrock of Bush's political support have urged that Israel be given a free hand."

Emergency Appeal to the U.N.  3/7/03 MoveOn.org: AfroCubaWeb has learned that UN member states are interested in getting such expressions of antiwar sentiment to bolster their positions.

U.S. DOCUMENTS SHOW EMBRACE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN IN EARLY 1980s DESPITE CHEMICAL WEAPONS, EXTERNAL AGGRESSION, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES  3/7/03 National Security Archives: nice photo of Rummy with Saddam.

We Say Liberation, You Say War Crimes  3/7/03 New Scientist: "The vast majority of the Iraqi people I spoke to believe the United States committed war crimes during the last Gulf war in 1991 by using depleted uranium (DU) weapons deliberately to cause cancer and inflict birth defects for generations to come."

South Korea, in Surprise, Demands U.S. Forces Stay in Place  3/7/03 NYT: "Mr. Song shared a view, increasingly heard here, that any American proposal to move troops from near the line with North Korea may mean that the United States intends to attack North Korean nuclear facilities against the wishes of the South Korean government. The logic behind this thinking is that the United States would want its troops out of harm's way in case North Korean ground forces retaliated by striking across the demilitarized zone."

"Proof" that Iraq sought uranium was fake  3/7/03 Reuters: "In what some believe was his last update report to the U.N. Security Council on weapons inspections in Iraq, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei undermined Washington's position just as it scrambles for support for a U.N. resolution paving the way for war in Iraq. "Based on thorough analysis, the IAEA has concluded ... that these documents, which formed the basis for the reports of recent uranium transactions between Iraq and Niger, are in fact not authentic," ElBaradei told the U.N. Security Council on Friday."

Stop the War with Iraq  3/7/03 stopthewarwithiraq.org: "We're using the most advanced grassroots technology on the planet to support a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi situation. Each time the page loads, a uniquely written letter -- unlike any other from anyone else who's been here -- is created. Do as much or as little as you like (see instructions at right). When you're finished, preview your letter and send. Your letter will be e-mailed to all members of the Security Council."

US troops 'pouring into Saudi Arabia'  3/7/03 Telegraph: adding more fuel to Al Qaeda's top goal of removing House Saud.

Blair says UN must run post-Saddam Iraq to end oil row  3/7/03 Telegraph, UK: as long as the oil is on the market, the US economy picks up steam.

America pulls the rug from under Turkey  3/7/03 Times, UK: the punishment has begun - "The bazaar economics which lavished up to $500,000 (£312,000) of aid on Pakistan, but denied Turkey a cent, has nothing to do with textiles and everything to do with rounding up both into President Bush’s “coalition of the willing”. Not for nothing has the group been dubbed the “coalition of the billing”. "

Democrat Blasted for Remark on Revolution  3/7/03 Washington Post: "If you think back to our founding as a country, we are a country of revolution," Kaptur told the Toledo Blade. "One could say that Osama bin Laden and these non-nation-state fighters with religious purpose are very similar to those kind of atypical revolutionaries that helped to cast off the British crown."

Thursday 3/6/03

A U.N. Resolution for Peace?  3/6/03 Alternet: "If the U.S. attacks Iraq without support of the U.N. Security Council, the world is not powerless to stop it. Employing a legal procedure called "Uniting for Peace," the U.N. General Assembly can demand an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. This alternative is neither utopian nor impractical. It has been employed ten times in the past at the behest of the United States."

Army kidnaps and murders two blow pipe hunters  3/6/03 ANNCOL: "Two indigenous Embera blow pipe hunters never returned to their village: They were murdered by troops who afterwards presented the corpses as guerrillas killed in combat. In a seperate incident Colombian Air Force bombards village and kills 9-year old girl. " - Not a military error, she was a relative of a guerrilla soldier," says Air Force commander." - the US funded genocide continues while some Americans wonder "Why do they hate us so?"

Embajadas colombianas serán nidos de espías  3/6/03 ANNCOL: "La vida de exilados politicos y opositores al gobierno de Alvaro Uribe Velez estan en serio peligro al extenderse la conformacion de una red de informates, teniendo como base de operaciones las embajadas y consulados colombianos en el exterior."

U.N. reports U.S. Marines caught cutting fence between Iraq and Kuwait  3/6/03 AP: cowboys jumpin the range.

U.S. says Iraqi soldiers might commit atrocities wearing American-like uniforms  3/6/03 AP: "Jim Wilkinson, director of strategic communication at Central Command in Tampa, Florida, says Saddam Hussein ordered the procurement of uniforms "identical down to the last detail" to those worn by American and British forces. Wilkinson says Iraq intends to issue the uniforms to a loyal paramilitary force that'll wear them when conducting reprisals against the Iraqi people. He says they would try to shift blame for the atrocities to the United States and Britain."

U.S. Students Protest Possible Iraq War  3/6/03 AP: "It could not be determined Wednesday night how many students participated across the nation, and the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition had no immediate estimate. The group said earlier that tens of thousands of students at more than 350 high schools, colleges and universities had pledged to join."

Mexican-American Anti-War Movement Gaining Momentum  3/6/03 Aztlan: "It appears that the Mexican-American anti-war movement has finally gotten off the ground with its first significant anti-war march and rally scheduled for Sunday March 9 in East Los Angeles. The Mexican-American and other Latino communities are concerned that the loss of lives in a war against Iraq and other Islamic countries will weigh heavy on our families as this occurred during the racist Vietnam War. The organizers of the demonstration are urging that instead of wasting time, resources and young lives on an obviously unjust war, that the US government focus on the urgent needs of the neglected Mexican-American community and construct and repair public schools and build much needed medical clinics in our communities… The Sunday march will commence at 10:00 AM at Atlantic Park located at 570 S. Atlantic Blvd and end in a rally at Rubén Salazar Park (formerly Laguna Park) situated at 3864 Whittier Blvd in East Los Angeles. Ruben Salazar Park is the location where an anti-Vietnam War rally was brutally repressed by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs on August 29, 1970 (see http://www.aztlan.net/default3.htm ) . During the rally, the LA County Sheriffs launched a vicious attack against the anti-war demonstrators killing four civilians including the popular Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben Salazar. The name of Laguna Park was later changed to Ruben Salazar Park. The march and rally is supported by a variety of Mexican-American groups. Among these are the National Human Right Coalition, Centro CSO, La Raza Anti-War Coalition, Latinos Against the War on Iraq, National Chicano Moratorium Coalition, Impacto 2000, Answer L.A., SEIU Local 660, Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 11, MECHA UCLA & Roosevelt High School and many other groups."

Britain seeks UN compromise  3/6/03 BBC: "Reports from the United Nations say Britain is proposing changes to the planned new Security Council resolution it is tabling on Iraq, to allow President Saddam Hussein a final opportunity to disarm peacefully."

Colombia: relevos por atentado  3/6/03 BBC Mundo: "Luego del atetando en un centro comercial de Cúcuta, la capital del departamento de Norte de Santander, que dejó al menos siete muertos y medio centenar de heridos, el presidente Álvaro Uribe relevó a altos mandos de la policía. Poco después de que Uribe señalara que estamentos de la policía y fiscalía de Norte de Santander están infiltrados por grupos al margen de la ley, una ola de renuncias de las autoridades en estos cargos se dio lugar en el departamento."

Playing Texas poker, Bush bets all on Iraq  3/6/03 Chicago Sun Times: by Robert Novak, one of the more sensible conservative columnists - "A senior Bush official privately admits what his administration cannot declare publicly. The stagnant economy, a dagger aimed at the heart of George W. Bush's second term, will not immediately respond to the president's economic growth program. The economic engine will not be revived until the war against Saddam Hussein is launched and won."

Time for Sanctions Against the Bush Administration - Boycott America?  3/6/03 Counterpunch

Troops 'told of March 17 invasion'  3/6/03 Daily Telegraph, UK: "BRITISH troops had been told an invasion of Iraq would begin on March 17, with a huge bombing campaign being launched four days earlier, the Daily Express in London has reported."

The strange case of Falluja 2  3/6/03 Guardian: "Falluja 2 is one of the reasons Britain is planning to go to war. Listed as the headquarters of the Tariq state company, this £14m chemical plant was purchased from abroad in the 1980s to make chlorine, part one in a process from which outlawed chemical weapons such as mustard gas and the nerve gases tabun and sarin can be produced… We have discovered that the plant was sold and installed by a British company in Hounslow, Uhde Ltd. British ministers in the Thatcher government knew there were clear signs of chemical warfare purpose, but gave it UK government financial backing. This support was provided on the instructions of the then Conservative trade minister Paul Channon, who told his officials to keep the deal secret."

Dollar sinks to a 4-year low against euro  3/6/03 IHT

In private, French talk differently about veto  3/6/03 IHT: "A French legislator said Wednesday that Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told members of the National Assembly majority last week that if France used a veto to block a new United States-sponsored resolution on Iraq at the United Nations, it "would be firing a bullet in the back of the Americans." ...In addition, he reported that de Villepin also told the delegation that "the hawks in the American administration have been totally co-opted by Sharon," the Israeli prime minister."

Britain seeks compromise to close UN divide over Iraq  3/6/03 Independent: "Diplomatic and political sources in Paris remained doubtful last night that either France or Russia would be prepared to use the "nuclear option" of the veto, which would plunge their relations with America into a deep freeze. M. de Villepin was quoted in the French press as having said privately that a French veto would be like "shooting the Americans in the back". His tough words yesterday and the very existence of the joint French, German and Russian statement were interpreted by some as an attempt to bounce a wavering group of three or four Security Council members into staying with the "anti-war" camp. Similarly, the US and Britain have been putting pressure on the waverers, including Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, to join the "war" side. French sources said a veto decision would be made by President Jacques Chirac alone and only when it was clear which way the vote would go. If this is a game of political poker, both sides appear determined to play to the last card. In theory, everything depends on a further report tomorrow by the chief UN weapons inspectors, Hans Blix and Mohamed al-Baradei. But it was clear last night that both sides are preparing for an inconclusive report."

Mujahideen Attack US Forces, Four Dead, Seven Captured  3/6/03 Jihad Unspun: "In Khairkot, in the province of Paktika in Afghanistan, Mujahideen attacked American forces with rocket launchers, destroying one vehicle and killing all four passengers on board. According to reliable sources from across the border, Mujahideen destroyed an American vehicle in Paktika province with rocket launchers. As a result, four American soldiers were killed on the spot. The sources went on to say that during the operation, Mujahideen also took seven American hostages from an aid vehicle and were transported to an unknown location. Several American raids have since followed to locate and to retrieve the captives and arrest the Mujahideen but until the latest reports, no arrests have been made."

For French in the United States, life still sweet  3/6/03 Reuters: "Pascele Surlong who works in the press office at the French consulate in Chicago, said, "We have had no reports of anyone being treated badly. No threats. We've started to get the opposite reaction. A lot of people called saying 'We love France. We're sorry for what we read in the press'." "

T-Shirt, Web Site Spark Challenges to Rights  3/6/03 Reuters

Some military reservists will risk jail to resist Iraq duty  3/6/03 South Florida Sun Sentinel: "National Guard reservist Bryan Alarcon said "no" when his sergeant called looking for volunteers to go to Turkey as part of the U.S. military ramp-up to war. If he's ordered to go, Alarcon says, he'll refuse -- even if his decision lands him in jail. The 25-year-old West Palm Beach resident is among a small group of military personnel who have joined another fight -- the one building locally and across the country against war."

Wednesday 3/5/03

Actions of US soldiers eyed in two deaths in Afghanistan  3/5/03 Boston Globe

Transatlantic Battle Over the New World Order  3/5/03 Foreign Policy in Focus: "The dispute in NATO and the UN was never really about Iraq. It's about the United States. More specifically, it's about the Bush administration's post-September 11 doctrine to use U.S. military power to achieve national security objectives… In 1945, the United States was more powerful than it is now. After winning the war, U.S. troops occupied Europe and Japan, and an incredible U.S. fleet dominated the world's oceans. The U.S. alone produced more of the world's total economic output than the rest of the world combined. And as a result of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. had a nuclear monopoly. The degree of U.S. preeminence in 1945 remains unmatched. Today, the U.S. is still the world's largest economy. It has the only military with global reach and an unprecedented lead in military technology, from smart bombs to stealth fighters. But the European Union forms a nearly equal counterweight in economic affairs, and many nations have a nuclear deterrent sufficient to protect against a U.S. invasion. Yet the more powerful U.S. after World War II did not frighten Europe. By 1945, post-war planners such as Roosevelt, Acheson, Marshall, and Truman channeled U.S. power through a set of international institutions, designed to produce a legitimate world order. The Bretton Woods system and United Nations ensured that, though the U.S. was powerful, it would moderate and mediate that power through forums that addressed the concerns of others. It is that legitimacy that turned American hegemony into an engine for post-war reconstruction."

British troops too committed to pull out now  3/5/03 Guardian: "British troops are now so embedded into American war plans that there would be huge operational problems if the government let the US go it alone against Iraq, according to senior military sources. "I don't think the prime minister's got any choice now. He's gone too far to go back," said a senior military official. "We are so embedded in this structure, so integral, that it would be very difficult for the Americans if we pulled out." He added, however: "They wouldn't have any problem finding a plan. But they would have a problem finding 120 Challengers and 160 Warriors" - a reference to Britain's tanks and armoured vehicles now being deployed in Kuwait."

Guatemala a key drug route  3/5/03 Miami Herald: "In the three years since President Alfonso Portillo assumed office, Guatemala has emerged as one of the principal corridors in the hemisphere for U.S.-destined drugs -- a new battleground in the war on drugs where the traffickers are winning."

Rio de Janeiro Erupts - The Drug War Turns Rio into a Scene from Film Noir  3/5/03 NarcoNews: "We pass by looted supermarkets, closed stores, burned buses, where grenades exploded in front of luxurious buildings, police cruisers scraping the streets of the city, traffic has crawled to a stop, the population is in a state of alert… Rio de Janeiro, in recent days, has become a true-life scene out of Film Noir."

Full Text of F.B.I. Agent's Letter to Director Mueller  3/5/03 NYT: "The FBI is apparently the source for the public statement that there are 5,000 al-Qaeda terrorists already in the U.S. I would ask you to inquire as to whether this figure is based on any hard data. If it is, rather, an estimate based largely on speculation, this can only feed the suspicion, inside the organization and out, that it is largely the product of a desire to gain favor with the administration, to gain support for FBI initiatives and possibly even to gain support for the administration's initiatives."

UK: Anti-war MPs start campaign  3/5/03 Telegraph: "Alan Simpson, Labour MP for Nottingham South, said the campaign was intended to stem the "haemorrhage" of party members deserting Labour because of Tony Blair's pro-war stance."

US hints at fresh sweetener to stop Russia using veto  3/5/03 Times, UK: "But even as Mr Ivanov spoke, it emerged that Britain and America are looking at ways of amending their “war resolution” to help to win over wavering countries. They are examining drafts that might help enough of the United Nations Security Council’s six undecided countries to back it. They need five of the six — Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Guinea, Cameroon and Angola — to back a resolution. One option is to introduce a mechanism alongside the resolution giving President Saddam Hussein a deadline to produce chemical and biological weapons, or concrete evidence of their destruction."

Tuesday 3/4/03

Border Developments - Iranian Intervention Could Complicate U.S. Plans in Iraq  3/4/03 ABC News: "In a development that could complicate Washington's war plans, Iranian-backed fighters opposed to Saddam Hussein's regime are quietly constructing a camp inside Kurdish-controlled Northern Iraq."

Fox: Mexico Doesn't Fear U.S. Reprisal  3/4/03 ABC News: "President Vicente Fox said Tuesday Mexico isn't worried abut the United States' reprisal if it doesn't back a resolution supporting war with Iraq, and said Mexico would not accept any unilateral U.S. action to disarm Iraq. Also Tuesday, officials confirmed that Mexico's foreign secretary had tried to revive a Canadian compromise proposal on the conflict in a Saturday meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell. Mexico, a member of the U.N. Security Council, is one of several nations that has declined to say how it would vote on a U.S.-backed resolution paving the way for war with Iraq."

Police and death squads continue onslaught against unionists  3/4/03 ANNCOL: "Chilling new statistics from Colombia's main trade union confederation CUT: 9 trade unionists assassinated in the first two months of this year. Also, a number of union organisers have been unrightfully detained. - President Uribe is to blame, says the CUT."

Advisors warn Bush he faces "humiliating" defeat on world stage  3/4/03 Capitol Hill Blue: "Some Bush aides now admit privately that the President, for all his tough talk, may have to back down and postpone his plans to invade Iraq in the near future. "The vote in Turkey fucked things up big time," grumbles one White House aide. "It pushes our timetable back. On the other hand, it might give us a chance to save face." "Saving face" means backing away from a showdown with the UN Security Council next week and agreeing to let the weapons inspection process run its course."

'Terror boss' moves up ladder as U.S. sees fit  3/4/03 Chicago Sun Times: "A month after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush released a list of the world's most-wanted terrorists. There were 22 names on it. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was No. 22. And the list wasn't alphabetical. But, sometime between then and early Saturday morning, when Mohammed was captured in Pakistan, the U.S. government identified Mohammed as the mastermind behind the al-Qaida plot." Once he was in custody...

Rumsfeld Filled His Pockets with Pyongyang's Nuclear Loot  3/4/03 Counterpunch: "Even while he chairing commission meetings on the "dire threat" posed by the Korean program, Rumsfeld was junketing to Zurich for board meetings of the Swiss-based energy technology giant, ABB, where he was a top director. And what was ABB doing at the time? Why, negotiating that $200 million deal with North Korea to provide equipment and services for the KEDO nuclear reactors, of course! "

Economy feels shock of oil prices  3/4/03 CSM: "And, if prices stay at this level or rise further, the risk of another recession is very real. In fact, rising fuel costs helped to cause or deepen the past four recessions: the mid-1970s, early 1980s, 1990-91, and 2000. "If the prices are sustained for more than a few months, it makes a recession more likely," says Mark Zandi, an economist with Economy.com., an economic website."

Pregnant woman crushed to death in Israeli raid  3/4/03 Independent, UK: "A pregnant woman crushed to death when Israeli soldiers dynamited the house next door; a few streets away a smear of the blood on the road where a boy aged 14 was shot dead by tank fire – this was the scene in the Gaza Strip yesterday, when the Israeli army was celebrating what it considered to be a big success." Success in creating a new generation of terrorists.

NK Missile Warhead Found in Alaska  3/4/03 Korea Times: "The warhead of a long-range missile test-fired by North Korea was found in the U.S. state of Alaska, a report to the National Assembly revealed yesterday. ``According to a U.S. document, the last piece of a missile warhead fired by North Korea was found in Alaska,¡¯¡¯ former Japanese foreign minister Taro Nakayama was quoted as saying in the report. "Washington, as well as Tokyo, has so far underrated Pyongyang's missile capabilities." "

Sharpton Has Twice the Support Among Blacks as Other Candidates  3/4/03 NNPA: "Presidential candidate Al Sharpton has twice as much support among African-Americans as his closest Democratic rival, ties North Carolina Sen. John Edwards for fourth-place among all registered Democratic voters and is ahead of former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Florida Sen. Bob Graham and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a new Time-CNN poll shows… Among Blacks, Sharpton led the field with 20 percent, ahead of Gephardt and Lieberman, who were tied with 9 percent. The other Black candidates in the race, Moseley-Braun, received support from 6 percent of African-Americans, followed by Edwards with 5 percent, Kerry at 4 percent, Graham with 4 percent, Dean at 3 percent and Kucinich in last place with 1 percent. Other candidates received 7 percent of the Black vote and 32 percent were undecided. There was a margin of error of 6.5 percent."

God, Satan and the Media  3/4/03 NYT: "Evangelicals are increasingly important in every aspect of American culture. Among the best-selling books in America are Tim LaHaye's Christian "left behind" series about the apocalypse; about 50 million copies have been sold. One of America's most prominent television personalities is Benny Hinn, watched in 190 countries, but few of us have heard of him because he is an evangelist. President Bush has said that he doesn't believe in evolution (he thinks the jury is still out). President Ronald Reagan felt the same way, and such views are typically American. A new Gallup poll shows that 48 percent of Americans believe in creationism, and only 28 percent in evolution (most of the rest aren't sure or lean toward creationism). According to recent Gallup Tuesday briefings, Americans are more than twice as likely to believe in the devil (68 percent) as in evolution." And bedeviled they are.

Top General Sees Plan to Shock Iraq Into Surrendering  3/4/03 NYT: "General Myers gave a stark warning that the American attack would result in Iraqi civilian casualties despite the military's best efforts to prevent them." Vast war crimes in the making.

U.S. Military Investigating Death of Afghan in Custody  3/4/03 NYT: When they investigated My Lai, that was only a fluke, there were My Lais every day.

Welcome to CIA's Hotel California  3/4/03 Sydney Morning Herald: "He said: "KSM [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] will never come back to the United States or Guantanamo Bay. He will be held in a basement somewhere in a third country where, shall we say, they do not worry too much about humanitarian laws and he will not be protected by the US constitution."

Apocalypse is nigh, Buffett tells Berkshire faithful  3/4/03 Telegraph: "Warren Buffett is poised to issue his most doom-laden forecast for the state of the world economy yet, including a damning verdict on the derivatives industry he fears could cause a global financial crisis."

President hails arrest, warns Mexico  3/4/03 Times Reporter, Ohio: "In an interview in the White House with Copley News Service and several other news organizations, the president also sent an unmistakable signal to the Mexican government that he expects them to support the U.S. position on Iraq in an upcoming key vote in the United Nations, speaking of possible “discipline” if they don’t." Bribing and threatening their way across the globe.

March 5th National Student Strike  3/4/03 United for Peace & Justice: "The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC) calls upon students on campuses across the United States to join us in a one-day student strike on March 5th, 2003. As students and youth, our futures will be shaped by the actions that the Bush administration takes today."

Monday 3/3/03

So Bush Wants Civil Disobedience?  3/3/03 Alternet: "Well, all week in Italy, activists have been blocking dozens of trains carrying U.S. weapons and personnel on their way to a military base near Pisa, while Italian dockworkers are refusing to load arms shipments. Last weekend, two U.S. military bases were blockaded in Germany, as was the U.S. consulate in Montreal, and the air base at RAF Fairford in Gloucester, England. This coming Saturday, thousands of Irish activists are expected to show up at Shannon airport, which, despite Irish claims of neutrality, is being used by the U.S. military to refuel its planes en route to Iraq. In Chicago last week, more than 100 high-school students demonstrated outside the headquarters of Leo Burnett, the advertising firm that designed the U.S. military's hip, youth-targeted Army of One campaign. The students claim that in underfunded Latino and African-American high schools, the army recruiters far outnumber the college scouts. The most ambitious plan has come from San Francisco, where a coalition of antiwar groups is calling for an emergency non-violent "counterstrike" the day after the war starts: "Don't go to work or school. Call in sick, walk out: We will impose real economic, social and political costs and stop business as usual until the war stops."

Terror War as Comic Operetta  3/3/03 Counterpunch: by Robert Fisk - "Then there was the slow revelation that the man whose supposed arrest was described by Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, as "a wonderful blow to inflict on al-Qa'ida" had been handed over to the Pakistani authorities (if indeed he had been handed over) by the ISI, the Pakistani Interservices Intelligence--for whom Mr Mohammed used to work. Like the man accused of arranging the murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, Mr Mohammed was an ISI asset; indeed, anyone who is "handed over" by the ISI these days is almost certainly a former (or present) employee of the Pakistani agency, whose control of Taliban operatives amazed even the Pakistani government during the years before 2001. Mr Pearl, it should be remembered, arranged his fatal assignation in Karachi on a mobile phone from an ISI office."

Some Israelis contemplate low-grade 'genocide' for Palestinians  3/3/03 Free-lance Star, VA: "One way to cover up a crime is to find a benign term that hides the violence and cruelty of the act. Such is the case with "transfer," an idea increasingly being put forward in Israel as a solution to conflict with the Palestinians. Transfer conjures up images of a worker reassigned to a new office, or a slip allowing a rider to change buses for free. But transfer of the Palestinians would be nothing less than ethnic cleansing… The main public proponents of this have been on the far right of Israeli politics, such as the Moledet Party, which refuses to recognize Palestinian rights. But in a poll earlier this year, 46 percent of Israelis supported transfer of Palestinians out of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, while 31 percent favored transferring Israeli Arabs out of the country."

Algerians flock to Chirac the hero  3/3/03 Guardian: "Jacques Chirac, on a diplomatic roll as the de facto spokesman for the international opposition to an early war in Iraq, was given a hero's welcome yesterday at the beginning of a three-day tour of Algeria, the first state visit by a French leader since the former colony won its independence more than 40 years ago. Half a million people poured on to the streets of Algiers to cheer him, many waving posters bearing his portrait. Others threw confetti from their balconies as a grinning Mr Chirac, who as a young second lieutenant fought in the 1954-62 war to keep Algeria French, rode through the capital in an open limousine… The particularly brutal war of independence ended 132 years of French rule and left deep scars on both sides of the Mediterranean. "It is a painful moment of our common history that we must not and cannot ignore," Mr Chirac told Algerian newspapers on the eve of his visit. "But it is time now to move forward and build with Algeria a strong, trustful and impartial relationship." "

Raided family of microbiologist denies official version of al-Qaida arrests  3/3/03 Guardian: "US and Pakistani officials were last night questioning Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected architect of the September 11 attacks and al-Qaida kingpin arrested in a dramatic swoop over the weekend. His arrest was hailed by officials in Washington as a significant blow to Osama bin Laden's network. "That's fantastic," George Bush told his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, when she passed on the news…. At no point, the family say, was Mohammed or any other man in the house. The agents did not even ask about them. "The only people in the house were my brother, his wife and their kids," Qudsia said. "I have absolutely no idea why the police came here." Officials at Pakistan's interior ministry insist they found Mohammed and one other Arab al-Qaida suspect in the house and arrested them at the same time as Ahmed was detained. Yet the family and their supporters challenge the official account and say Mohammed must have been arrested in another raid at another time."

Turkey delays US troop decision  3/3/03 Guardian: "After the Ankara parliament unexpectedly threw out the proposal on Saturday, senior members of the Justice and Development party (AKP) met yesterday to "evaluate" ways of handling a crisis that has sparked unprecedented rebellion in its ranks and speculation about the three-month-old government's ability to weather the storm."

Womaniser, joker, scuba diver: the other face of al-Qaida's No 3 - Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna assesses the arrest of Bin Laden's playboy planner  3/3/03 Guardian: "Mohammed masterminded "Holy Tuesday", the operation to strike at America's key landmarks on September 11, 2001, the single biggest terrorist attack the world has ever witnessed. There are several other operations in which he is said to have been involved, including the killings of two American officials in Karachi in 1995, and four US oil workers in Karachi in 1997. Although Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh of Jayash-e-Mohomad, an associate group of al-Qaida, was convicted for the murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, the operation was also controlled by Mohammed… Unlike most other al-Qaida terrorists and leaders, Mohammed's motivation is not religion but retribution, retaliation and revenge. He is driven by a single mission - to punish the United States of America and its friends. Many of Mohammed's operatives hold him in fear and reverence."

Al-Qaida Supporter Says Arrests Won't Cripple It  3/3/03 Jihad Unspun: "Osama bin Laden's terrorist network lost a key operative with the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, but Taliban fugitives and al-Qaida allies said Sunday the arrest will not cripple the organization. "There is not just one person there. For every one Khalid Shaikh there are 10 others. There are lots of people who can do his work," said an Afghan rebel who gave his name as Ahmed but who also goes by Abu Bilal… Qayyum also handed over a recording of a voice purported to be that of bin Laden. He offered the cassette as proof bin Laden is alive and active. The tape was a sermon given by bin Laden last month to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. He got it in Afghanistan from his al-Qaida instructors, he said. "More than 100 percent I know that Osama Sheikh is in Afghanistan. Listen. This is his voice," said Qayyum, a native of Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province. He used a common nickname for bin Laden. Qayyum popped the audiocassette in the tape player of a white pickup truck as the vehicle weaved past stubborn donkeys and motorized rickshaws blocking the narrow streets of ancient Peshawar. Qayyum said both the Taliban and Hekmatyar recently received a large sum of money from bin Laden. In a soft whisper he calculated: $1.8 million for the Taliban."

Khalid Sheik Mohammed: Another Bush Loose Goose?  3/3/03 Jihad Unspun: "The American people aren’t stupid. George Bush can no more “go it alone” on Iraq or Al-Qaida – if he could then the magnitude of 911 would have been much less because an effort would have been made to prevent the attack on the second tower and the Pentagon. The only thing his behavior does is erode confidence in his administration and shows clearly he is not thinking of the citizens of the country but rather his own thirst for power. If peace was his objective, he would be asking “why” these events have happened and would be making efforts to rectify them, not continue to spin story after story when it meets his agenda. Iraq is certainly no threat to the United States and Al-Qaida represents only a small portion of the growing hatred worldwide for American foreign policy."

Turkish vote a disaster for Pentagon  3/3/03 MSNBC: “I think it’s a political disaster, a diplomatic disaster and a huge setback for military planning,” said retired Army General Barry McCaffrey, an NBC News military analyst. He predicted the rejection will set war plans back at least three weeks."

Bush and God  3/3/03 Newsweek: Bush's early morning reading, fit for a crusader - "Instead, he’s told friends, it’s a book of evangelical mini-sermons, “My Utmost for His Highest.” The author is Oswald Chambers, and, under the circumstances, the historical echoes are loud. A Scotsman and itinerant Baptist preacher, Chambers died in November 1917 as he was bringing the Gospel to Australian and New Zealand soldiers massed in Egypt. By Christmas they had helped to wrest Palestine from the Turks, and captured Jerusalem for the British Empire at the end of World War I."

It'll be soon, it'll be swift and it'll be short  3/3/03 Sun, UK: the view from a right wing UK newspaper - "The countdown to war became unstoppable when America spotted the first signs of support from Russia and China — both permanent members of the UN Security Council. Despite publicly warning against war, they are keen not to risk a valuable relationship with the US… One of the first casualties of the conflict — apart from Saddam — is likely to be French President Jacques “The Worm” Chirac. Relations between America and France are icy after Chirac’s attempts to sabotage UN moves to disarm Saddam. In a blistering phone call last week, President George Bush told the posturing Frenchman: “President Chirac, we will not forgive and we will not forget.” …The shaming of Chirac would have sweeping global repercussions. The Franco-German alliance which has dominated the European Union for half a century risks being smashed. Britain could move into the driving seat in a new alliance with Italy, Spain, Holland and the ten new states due to join next year." This conveniently ignores the fact that war is overwhelmingly unpopular in all countries of Europe. Perhaps the voters too will not forgive or forget.

Ugly sentiments sting American tourists  3/3/03 USA Today: "If the past 100 years were widely considered the American Century, this new one is fast shaping up as the Anti-American Century."

Missed Signals Forced Suspension of U.S.-Philippine Mission  3/3/03 Washington Post: this pro-war newspaper puts as gentle a spin as possible on yet another rebuff to American fantasies of dominating the planet.

Organizers of Antiwar Movement Plan to Go Beyond Protests  3/3/03 Washington Post: "LONDON, March 2 -- The people who helped organize the largest worldwide peace demonstration in history last month say they are not through yet. More than 120 activists from 28 countries emerged from an all-day strategy session here this weekend with plans not just to protest a prospective U.S.-led war against Iraq but to prevent it from happening. They want to intensify political pressure on the Bush administration's closest allies -- the leaders of Britain, Italy and Spain -- and force them to withdraw their support, leaving the United States, if it chooses to fight, to go it alone. And they intend to further disrupt war plans with acts of civil disobedience against U.S. military bases, supply depots and transports throughout Europe. Finally, if war breaks out, they say, they will demonstrate in towns and cities around the world on the evening of the first day, and hold a worldwide rally on the following Saturday that they hope will rival or surpass their efforts of Feb. 15."

"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

Maps & Weather

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/

A number of maps here
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/afghanistan.html

http://www.weatherhub.com/

Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.2 billion worldwide and 3 to 6 million in the U.S. About 20% of all people on earth follow Islam. The religion is in a period of rapid growth.

Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world. It is followed by about 33% of all people -- a percentage that has remaind stable for decades. It is expected that, if current trends continue, Islam will become the most popular religion sometime in the mid-21^st century.

-- http://www.religioustolerance.org/islam.htm

Death from America

Iraq news: Soaring death rates among Iraqi children, 1999 BBC, UNICEF 500,000 child deaths

Ramsey Clark: Report to UN Security Council re: Iraq, 1/26/2000
1.5 million deaths

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Electronic mail: acw_AT_afrocubaweb.com [replace _AT_ with @]

[AfroCubaWeb] [Site Map] [Music] [Arts] [Authors] [News] [Search this site]

World News 3/2/03 - 3/9/03

Maps & Weather

Death from America

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.

World News
3/2/03 - 3/9/03