'Vanity Fair': Wolfowitz rejected Sunni overtures
in Iraq in '04 ...David Rose
is reporting in Vanity Fair that back in 2004, nearly 3
years before the U.S. included Sunnis in efforts to end the
insurgency in Iraq, Sunnis reached out to the Americans and were
rebuffed. Rose says it was neocons who blocked the overtures.
His account turns partly on Ken Wischkaemper, a Texas
agricultural businessman who had contracted to the Coalition
Provisional Authority and was approached by leading Sunnis:
Special ‘Terror’ Courts Worry Legal Experts The
administration of President Barack Obama is considering the
creation of a national security court to try cases in which
there is enough reliable intelligence to hold a foreign
terrorism suspect in preventive detention, but not enough to
bring a case in federal court or even through military
commissions.
Deadline to appeal ‘don’t ask’ suit passes
The Obama administration let pass an early May deadline to appeal to
the Supreme Court a case that could significantly affect the
military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay servicemembers, The
Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday
CIA cannot be trusted First, President Bill Clinton appointed a
special committee to review CIA files on the shooting of JFK but the
committee never got all of the documents it requested. Only after
President Clinton left office did intelligence officials admit to
omitting some important documents. Miller cites this omission as a
clear motive by the CIA to mislead even the highest levels of
government. Second, President Ford was told in 1964 that ‘no CIA
personnel destroyed documents pertaining to President Kennedy and/or
his assassination.’ But, in the final book published with President
Ford (published by FlatSigned Press), he reveals “the CIA did
destroy documents relevant to JFK and the assassination.” Miller
again points out how easy it was for the CIA to lie to the
president, let alone a member of Congress.
FCC’s Warrantless Household Searches Alarm Experts You may not
know it, but if you have a wireless router, a cordless phone, remote
car-door opener, baby monitor or cellphone in your house, the FCC
claims the right to enter your home without a warrant
Waterboarding is ‘tip of the iceberg,’ says Military attorneyAccording to
Bradley, when Mohamed was first held at a CIA prison in Morocco,
“They started this monthly treatment where they would come in with a
scalpel or a razor type of instrument and they would slash his
genitals, just with small cuts.”
A Connecticut environmental
activist on Wednesday scored a significant legal victory in her
fight over how the Millstone nuclear power complex manages its
wastewater.
Union claims Conn. agency acting anti-union
A union representing Connecticut prison
employees is accusing the Department of
Correction of attempting to intimidate and
harass union members who speak up about
their concerns at the prisons.
Waterboarding is ‘tip of the iceberg,’ says Military attorneyAccording to
Bradley, when Mohamed was first held at a CIA prison in Morocco,
“They started this monthly treatment where they would come in with a
scalpel or a razor type of instrument and they would slash his
genitals, just with small cuts.”
FCC’s Warrantless Household Searches Alarm Experts You may not
know it, but if you have a wireless router, a cordless phone, remote
car-door opener, baby monitor or cellphone in your house, the FCC
claims the right to enter your home without a warrant
FBI chief worried about Gitmo detainees in U.S. FBI Director
Robert Mueller says he is concerned that Guantanamo Bay detainees
could support terrorism and even radicalize other inmates in
high-security prisons if sent to the United States.
transit cop surprised he pulled trigger A college student who
videotaped a San Franscico Bay area transit officer killing an
unarmed man has testified that the officer appeared surprised after
pulling the trigger and said "oh my God, oh my God."
GPS System Could Fail Next Year: Report
A blackout of the Global Position System
could occur next year as a result of
mismanagement by the U.S. Air Force, a
watchdog group says.
Helen Thomas: 67 years and counting Ms. Thomas wrote a polite
note to President Bush apologizing for calling him the worst
President. He graciously replied, then called on her at the next
press conference. True to her profession, she took the opening and
asked him then, “Why did we go to war?” After that, she said, she
was put in the deep freeze.
Google makes the world smaller with email
translation The internet search giant
Google today announced their intention to
combine two of their most used products in
an attempt to do their bit to bring the
world together. 'Message Translation'
combines
Special ‘Terror’ Courts Worry Legal Experts
The administration of President Barack Obama
is considering the creation of a national
security court to try cases in which there
is enough reliable intelligence to hold a
foreign terrorism suspect in preventive
detention, but not enough to bring a case in
federal court or even through military
commissions.
Former head of
pension agency takes
the Fifth The
former director of
the government's
pension agency
invoked the Fifth
Amendment on
Wednesday when
senators probed
allegations that he
had improper
contacts with Wall
Street firms while
running the
operation, which
insures the pensions
of one in seven
Americans
The Reasons Fraud Spikes in a Recession
As companies cut back, long-term scam
artists are found out, while other employees
are often tempted to take what they can get
Politics
1
in 7 Freed Detainees Rejoins Fight, Report Found An unreleased
Pentagon report concludes that about one in seven of the 534
prisoners transferred abroad from the prison in Guantánamo Bay,
Cuba, returned to terrorism.
Louisiana Pol Slips Stimulus Past Jindal The
Louisiana House has unanimously agreed to override Gov. Bobby
Jindal's rejection of $98 million in federal stimulus dollars to
expand Louisiana unemployment benefits.
More errors in CIA interrogation briefing list New questions
surfaced Wednesday about the accuracy of a CIA document meant to
settle who in Congress knew about severe interrogation methods
approved by the Bush administration.
CIA cannot be trusted First, President Bill Clinton appointed a
special committee to review CIA files on the shooting of JFK but the
committee never got all of the documents it requested. Only after
President Clinton left office did intelligence officials admit to
omitting some important documents. Miller cites this omission as a
clear motive by the CIA to mislead even the highest levels of
government. Second, President Ford was told in 1964 that ‘no CIA
personnel destroyed documents pertaining to President Kennedy and/or
his assassination.’ But, in the final book published with President
Ford (published by FlatSigned Press), he reveals “the CIA did
destroy documents relevant to JFK and the assassination.” Miller
again points out how easy it was for the CIA to lie to the
president, let alone a member of Congress.
Hill GOP readies market-based alternative plan Hill Republicans
are expected to submit their first health care reform proposals
Wednesday with a plan for state health insurance market exchanges
that provide insurance options to everyone and a tax credit to help
cover the costs. Consumers will be able to use the state exchanges
to select a health insurance plan ranging from traditional options
to HMOs to health savings accounts. Existing health insurance
providers will be able to offer plans through the state-regulated
exchange. Families would get a tax credit of $5,710 - individuals
$2,290 - to help pay for health insurance coverage.
2010 Pentagon Spending Request On March 2, 2009, the
Obama Administration released the initial details of its proposed
Fiscal Year 2010 budget for the federal government. As part of this
budget, the Administration is seeking $533.8 billion in funding for
the Department of Defense, not including funding for military
operations in
Iraq and
Afghanistan or the
nuclear weapons related activities of the Department of Energy.
Adjusted for inflation, the $534 billion request is $9 billion, or
1.7 percent, more than Congress approved for the Defense Department
for FY 2009.
Shimkus:
‘Corporate Titans Are My Friends’ We’re fighting for the
ratepayer. This debate is: “Who protects the ratepayer?” The
corporate titans are my friends! I’m a Caterpillar supporter. I’m an
Exelon supporter. I’m an Ameren supporter. A lot of these companies
that have negotiated deals, they support me. But I know that they’re
in the room to protect shareholder wealth, the wealth of the bond
holders, the wealth of the stockholders. And that’s okay. Today,
conservative extremist Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) engaged in a one-man
debate whether corporate America is good or evil.Caterpillar
($54,250), Exelon ($48,749), and Ameren ($39,500) are indeed some of
Shimkus’s top contributors. But unlike Shimkus, an ideological
global warming denier, these “corporate titans” recognize the
reality of the threat of climate change and the need for a new clean
energy economy. Caterpillar and Exelon are members of the
U.S. Climate Action Partnership,
a corporate-environmentalist coalition supporting Waxman-Markey, and
even
coal-powered Ameren supports
global warming pollution mandates.
Clinton
secrets stolen?
Computer hard drive from Clinton admin. disappears from National
Archives.
Did White House OK Earliest Detainee Abuse? Abusive
interrogation techniques were used on Abu Zubaydah in the months
between his capture and the first Justice Department memo
authorizing harsh interrogations. A new document shows that the
White House may have authorized those techniques.
SEC Head: Obama Watchdog Plan "Damaging" The head of the
Securities and Exchange Commission is objecting to a plan being
considered by the Obama administration to create a new financial
watchdog to protect consumers.
DOT stimulus money at risk, watchdog says A government watchdog
is warning the Transportation Department is at risk of awarding
economic stimulus aid to contractors who have defrauded the
government.
Whitehouse Contributor Agrees to FEC Fine The ex-CEO of the
Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. will pay a $6,400 penalty to the Federal
Election Commission for reimbursing his employees for contributions
to the 2006 campaign of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
EPA Mining Decisions Favor Coal Industry Despite renewed vows to
protect Appalachian waterways from the ravages of mountaintop coal
mining, the Environmental Protection Agency has recently authorized
a number of pending mountaintop permits that will bury dozens of
streams in the nation’s oldest mountain range. The move has left
mining supporters cheering the federal endorsement of a popular
extraction method, environmentalists wondering if the Obama
administration truly intends to prioritize water quality concerns
above those of the powerful coal industry, and both sides unsure
what to expect of mountaintop permitting in the future.
Please Can I Torture Abu Zubaydah?’; Did Alberto Gonzales Say Yes?
The source says nearly every day, Mitchell would sit at his computer
and write a top secret cable to the CIA’s counterterrorism center.
Each day, Mitchell would request permission to use enhanced
interrogation techniques on Zubaydah. The source says the CIA would
then forward the request to the White House, where White House
counsel Alberto Gonzales would sign off on the technique. That would
provide the Administration’s legal blessing for Mitchell to increase
the pressure on Zubaydah in the next interrogation
Glenn Beck Sub Holds Sane Discussion On Gitmo With Ron Paul (VIDEO)NAPOLITANO:
I visited Guantanamo about three years ago. As a physical plant, it
is extraordinary. It is better than many prisons...in the United
States of America, but the issue is not the physical plant. The
issue is not the three square meals a day. The issue is why are
these people there, and how can we keep them without proving that
they have done something wrong and some legitimate, recognized court
of law? PAUL: I think that's the key to it, and so far, they don't
have an answer, because they're not allowing them to be tried in a
legitimate court of law. I think a good example was set with the
individuals that were involved with the bombing of the towers in
1993. I mean, we even went into Pakistan, arrested them, brought
them over here and tried them in our court system, and they're not
our neighbors. They are in a federal prison and nobody feels
threatened by them
Graham Agrees With
Pelosi: CIA Gave Me False Information About ..."When
this issue started to resurface I called the appropriate people in
the agency and said I would like to know the dates from your records
that briefings were held," Graham recalled. "And they contacted me
and gave me four dates -- two in April '02 and two in September '02.
Now, one of the things I do, and for which I have taken some flack,
is keep a spiral notebook of what I do throughout the day. And so I
went through my records and through a combination of my daily
schedule, which I keep, and my notebooks, I confirmed and the CIA
agreed that my notes where accurate; that three of those four dates
there had been no briefing. There was only one day that I had been
briefed, which was September the 27th of 2002."
Obama
Obama Sides
With Bush Against Valerie Plame
In fact, the Obama administration has gone one step further,
suggesting Mr. Wilson failed to provide any evidence that Mr.
Cheney, Mr. Rove or Mr. Libby harmed him. This is particularly
ironic because the government had moved to have the case dismissed
before the Wilsons had the opportunity to uncover the details of how
Ms. Wilson’s covert identity was revealed.
Russia: Arms control and missile shield linked Russia's foreign
minister warned Wednesday that Moscow will demand that U.S. plans
for a missile defense system be on the table during nuclear arms
control talks
Obama signs anti-foreclosure measure President Obama on
Wednesday signed into law legislation that encourages banks to spare
homeowners from foreclosure.
Deadline to appeal ‘don’t ask’ suit passes
The Obama administration let pass an early May deadline to appeal to
the Supreme Court a case that could significantly affect the
military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay servicemembers, The
Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday
White House shelves Bush campaign to curb lawsuits The Obama
White House is reversing a Bush administration initiative that used
federal health and safety regulations to limit the ability of
injured consumers to sue companies in state courts.
National Energy Priorities: The Obama Administration's First Budget
The federal budget has been called a moral document by Congresswoman
Barbara Lee. Its spending priorities reflect these morals. The
release of President Obama's full fiscal year 2010 budget begins to
show us his administration's national priorities. Our job as
citizens is to reconcile the President's budget numbers with his
words.
Judge refuses motion to postpone Chrysler bankruptcy A judge
declined on Wednesday to postpone Chrysler's bankruptcy to allow a
district court to hear arguments about whether the U.S. government
exceeded its authority in the reorganization of the automaker.
'Vanity Fair': Wolfowitz
rejected Sunni overtures in Iraq in '04 ...David
Rose
is reporting in Vanity Fair that back in
2004, nearly 3 years before the U.S.
included Sunnis in efforts to end the
insurgency in Iraq, Sunnis reached out to
the Americans and were rebuffed. Rose says
it was neocons who blocked the overtures.
His account turns partly on Ken Wischkaemper,
a Texas agricultural businessman who had
contracted to the Coalition Provisional
Authority and was approached by leading
Sunnis:
Iraqis react to
public grilling of
government minister
For the first time
since modern Iraq
was founded in the
1920s, a sitting
government minister
has been questioned
publicly about
corruption
allegations, in this
case about skimming
millions of dollars
from a national
food-distribution
program while
ordinary Iraqis went
hungry
Scientists: Iran could make nuke in 1-3 years group of U.S. and
Russian scientists say Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in
one to three years, and develop a nuclear warhead in another five
years.
Study urges U.S. to tone down Tehran conflict The new study by
the Rand Corp., a nonprofit organization for research and analysis,
dismisses hopes that bilateral U.S.-Iran talks alone will change
Tehran's behavior as "unrealistic" and advocates a broad
international effort that would leverage incentives and punishment,
depending on Iran's response
Syria frees prominent
dissident Michel Kilo
A prominent dissident who is one of Syria's
most respected writers and democracy
campaigners was released Tuesday after
serving a three-year sentence.
The Cost Of War In Afghanistan
Seven years ago, the “global war on
terror” began in Afghanistan as a
military response to the September 11
attacks. In March 2003, the United
States also invaded Iraq. Today, US
forces are deeply mired in both
countries with some 200,000 US troops in
the region, of which 137,000 are in Iraq
and about 40,000 in Afghanistan, with
the Obama Administration requesting an
additional 21,000 troops.
Most air strike victims were
Taliban, says US The
US military in Afghanistan is mounting a
fierce rearguard action to justify its air
strikes on villages in which it claims most
of the dead were Taliban fighters,
contradicting the Afghan government
Tamil Tiger leaders 'killed trying to
surrender' Two top members of the Tamil
Tigers may have been shot by their own side
or executed by Sri Lankan troops while
trying to surrender, according to
conflicting accounts
Spanish Parliament moves against
human rights probes
Under
the principle of “universal jurisdiction”
which Spain has observed since 2005, Spanish
judges have opened probes into genocide and
human rights abuses in nations ranging from
China to Israel, causing diplomatic
headaches.
Africa
Ethiopia denies its troops entered Somalia
Witnesses said Tuesday that Ethiopian troops had
crossed the border into war-ravaged Somalia and
appeared to be stationing themselves in a town at a
strategic crossroads. Ethiopia denied the reports.
Call to blockade Somali
Islamists
Somalia's neighbours call for the UN to
impose a blockade on air strips and sea
ports to stop Islamists getting fighters.
The Americas
In Chile, the birds are
dying, and no one knows why
Chilean scientists are investigating three
mysterious ecological disasters that have
caused the deaths of hundreds of penguins,
millions of sardines and about 2,000 baby
flamingos in the past few months.
