Does anyone trust the word of the U.S. anymore...?

From the N.Y. Times:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 16 — In an abrupt reversal, the United States and Britain have indefinitely put off their plan to allow Iraqi opposition forces to form a national assembly and an interim government by the end of the month.

Instead, top American and British diplomats leading reconstruction efforts here told exile leaders in a meeting tonight that allied officials would remain in charge of Iraq for an indefinite period...

Then this gobbledygook doublespeak, to make it seem alright:

Mr. Bremer [the new civilian administrator], who was accompanied by John Sawers, a British diplomat representing Prime Minister Tony Blair, told the Iraqi political figures that the allies preferred to revert to the concept of creating an "interim authority" — not a provisional government — so that Iraqis could assist them by creating a constitution for Iraq, revamping the educational system and devising a plan for future democratic elections.

"It's quite clear that you cannot transfer all powers onto some interim body, because it will not have the strength or the resources to carry those responsibilities out," The Associated Press quoted Mr. Sawers as saying. "There was agreement that we should aim to have a national conference as soon as we reasonably could do so."

Whenever that happens to be....

As recently as 11 days ago, Jay Garner, Bremer's predecessor, said the core of a new Iraqi government would emerge "next week, or by the second weekend in May."

And on April 28, the United States and Britain sponsored a political gathering of about 300 Iraqis and supported their call for a national conference to meet by the end of May to select a transitional government.

Do they look like they're in-over-their-heads and in disarray?

Zalmay Khalilzad, described in the article merely as President Bush's "envoy to the Iraqi opposition," was not that long ago, heir apparent to the Iraqi presidency. He was't even in Iraq for this most recent meeting.

Bremer is quoted as saying he would meet with the opposition leaders for further discussions in two weeks.

Riiiighhht...!

All I can say is, if the Iraqi opposition is surprised, they haven't been following U.S. foreign policy for years.

Complete story here.

Bush's "victory" against terrorism is quickly turning to ashes....

RABAT (Reuters) - At least 20 people were killed in at least four separate bomb attacks in Morocco's commercial capital Casablanca on Friday night, the state news agency said.

Jewish, Spanish and, apparently, Belgian targets were also struck, the MAP agency said. Three of the blasts were car bombs. Two policemen and a security guard at a Spanish center were among the dead. Glass, blood and debris littered the scenes.

``There are body parts all over the place,'' Moroccan journalist Aboubakr Jammai told the BBC...

Damn Bush. Everything's unfolding like a predictable ancient Greek tragedy.

Next act, he and his cabal will respond with more violence. Which will be met in kind. Back and forth, in a sickening slam dance of death, destruction and anguish.

And who will benefit? Arms dealers, religious fanatics and despots. The usual, and--not by accident--Bush's closest companions.

Yes, all along in this, they have been stupid, like a fox.

The complete, sad story here.

And this too....

An insightful, noteworthy blog by a Chasid in Brooklyn....(Here.)

New blog link....

Just added another blog to my recommended: Bush Wars. (Here. )

Check it out!

Democrats losing ways....

Emma Goldman over at Notes on the Atrocities has been critiquing the Democratic Party’s national election strategies—or lack thereof--and her remarks have got me thinking of something I first read online (sorry, I can't remember the link). It has provided me with the most sensible explanation ever since for the Democrats’ often baffling actions.

The assumption underlying most liberal criticism of the Democratic Party (including Emma's) is that it wants to "win elections," not merely "stay in power."

A subtle distinction, admittedly, but a critical one.

In a two-party system, staying in power--as the minority party--is a given, no matter how badly you represent constituents. All you have to do is please enough voters and avoid offending too many, hence, a “middle-of-the-road” strategy is favored. The “fringes” are expendable: too far right, they’ll vote Republican anyway; while the left has traditionally been shunned in this country for fear of losing the center. Even the risk of severely alienating voters--as has come to pass with the left--is considered worth it because the disgruntled voters often fail to vote for either party, thereby hurting none.

This theory might sound idiotic at first. But if the Democrats’ real goal is to keep the campaign contributions rolling in and hang on to their jobs—as apparatchiks, candidates and, when possible, elected officials--the secret is to avoid distancing too many voters and--most important--don't upset donors, who tend toward the conservative. It doesn't matter if you always come in second place. In fact, in some ways it's preferable.

As perpetual runners-up, the heat’s off. Look what the media and the Republicans put President Clinton through! When the reins are not in your hands, you don't have to expend so much effort. It's not your fault when things go wrong, you can blame the other guy. And you can even use your second-place status as a campaign tool to raise more money.

Money is the key to understanding the Democrats' insistence on nominating milquetoast candidates and constantly advancing disappointing, middle-of-the-road campaign strategies. Since the ascendance of the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Party has been a money-making machine, not a party. Keeping the principals in power and cash is the machine’s main goal, winning elections is secondary.

That’s not to say that individual candidates don’t want to win--lord knows, Lieberman and Gephardt are ambitious. Or that some, like Dean, are even idealistically motivated. But they are at the mercy of a party whose main purpose is to perpetuate its machinery and keep the gravy train rolling.

Threats to a woman's right to choose....

From the N.Y. Times:

MIAMI, May 14 — Gov. Jeb Bush has asked a court to appoint a guardian for the fetus of a developmentally disabled rape victim...

[...]

At issue is whether appointing a guardian for a fetus could force a woman to maintain a pregnancy if the interests of the guardian for the fetus conflicted with the interests of a mother or her representative. In a 1989 case, the Florida Supreme Court declared that it was "clearly improper" to appoint a guardian for a fetus. In the current case, neither the woman nor anyone caring for her has sought to abort the fetus.

[...]

Critics say the governor actions are intended to keep the issue in the courts until the woman is in the third trimester of her pregnancy and can no longer obtain an abortion.

"Our take on this is that this woman's needs, her desires and her interests need to take precedence," said Bebe Anderson, a lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy group. " If she is incompetent, someone else should represent her and her interests alone and make that decision for her."

[...]

Religious groups praised the governor's actions.

"If a guardian is appointed, there would be a clear recognition that there is a human being occupying that womb," said Brian Fahling, senior trial lawyer for the American Family Association's Center for Law and Policy. "The governor has the constitutional duty to uphold the right to life."

On a local level, for the past two days a group called, "Justice for All," --a misnomer if ever there was one-- has invaded the University of California, San Diego, campus with a 20' by 9' triple-sided display of huge, lurid, color photos showing what they claim are aborted fetuses.

The obviously well-funded, anti-choice nonprofit, based in Wichita, KS, says it is not religiously subsidized--a ludicrous claim. Apparently, the group travels the college-campus circuit with its foot soldiers and shockingly offensive and misleading exhibit. It gets its foot in the door on state-funded campuses through the ruse of being "invited" by the local affiliate and thrives on controversy. It would like nothing better than for the university to kick it off the premises so that it could then scream "First Amendment Rights" and initiate a high-profile lawsuit. (Already happened with the University of Texas and perhaps others.)

What sickens me about this extreme Right group--in addition to its stand on a woman's right to choose--is the way it hides behind Constitutional protections that you know it would dismantle if it ever achieved its ultimate goal of an American theocracy.

Jeb Bush story here.

Put Tenet's feet to the fire...!

The 9/11 survivors and their loved ones deserve the truth.

WASHINGTON, May 14 — Seven months after telling Congress he would do so, George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, has yet to provide the names of agency officials responsible for one of the most glaring intelligence mistakes leading up to the attacks of Sept. 11, according to Congressional and agency officials.

Soon after the attacks, the mistake emerged, showing that the Central Intelligence Agency had waited 20 months before placing on a federal watch list two suspected terrorists who wound up as hijackers.

Had the information about the two hijackers been promptly relayed to other agencies, the government might have been able to disrupt, limit or possibly even prevent the terrorist attacks, intelligence officials and Congressional investigators said.

The N.Y. Times article says that two agency leaders responsible for tracking Al Queda in 2000, when the CIA failed to put the 2 suspects on the watch list have actually been promoted!

Full story here.

First apply for American citizenship....

Then join the Republican Party and get in tight with Bush, Cheney, et al. Haven't you noticed whose getting the Iraqi contracts?

Mr. Henderson, a South African entrepreneur, thought last week that he had lined up everything he needed to start Air Baghdad, the first commercial air service into and out of Iraq since the war.

Mr. Henderson had flight approval from American military commanders to operate his first route between Baghdad and Amman, Jordan. He had a plane and crew. Because armed gangs are attacking and killing road travelers with increasing frequency, he had throngs of customers ready to pay one-way fares of $650. He even had insurance from Lloyd's of London.

But just as the first passengers were ready to board his 50-seat commuter plane last Thursday, Air Baghdad was grounded. The decision boiled down to this: he was moving too early to make a profit and might get a jump on his competitors. [Emphasis mine.]

But, hey, no worries about Bechtel, Halliburton or the others....

Full story here.

Pro-choice does not equal progressive....

It turns out that pro-choice Democratic women elected with bundles of checks from thousands of contributors to Emily's List, the high-profile feminist national PAC, have been voting less-than-progressively on non-Choice issues.

...In the 107th Congress, for example, Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Hillary Clinton (NY) voted against bankruptcy protection for the poor. Who knew? Emily's List also helped finance the election of Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) so that she could vote against food safety and for the nuclear industry; for Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both from Washington State, who cast numerous votes for Fast Track and nuclear subsidies as did now-former Senator Jean Carnahan (MO) who also voted to open ANWR for oil drilling.

The votes of several women who were first elected with the support of Emily's List should put them in good standing with the Republican right. Once in Congress, Blanche Lincoln (AR) and Mary Landrieu (LA) were 'delisted' for violating their agreement with Emily's List and casting ballots against abortion choice. A glance at their voting records, however, gives ample evidence that their support from a "liberal" and "progressive" PAC, as founder and president Ellen Malcolm describes Emily's List, was always questionable. Mary Landrieu, who bragged during the 2002 election cycle that she voted with President Bush 74% of the time, cast votes against food and workplace safety, against fuel economy standards, and in favor of the John Ashcroft confirmation and federal subsidies for nuclear power. Blanche Lincoln voted against campaign finance reform, against food and workplace safety, against consumer bankruptcy protection, against fuel economy standards, but for nuclear power and Fast Track. By the next election each had a well established name in her state, and voters returned both of these women to Washington without the support of the PAC that had helped place them in Congress to begin with.

According to this piece on Common Dreams, it seems that Emily's List does not track any aspect of candidates' agendas beyond reproductive rights, and therefore sometimes ends up endorsing the less progressive candidate in a race merely because she is a female.

As a one-time contributor to Emily's List, I am dismayed.

Westinghouse story is false....

Well, I couldn't verify the Westinghouse allegation (see below) made at On the Fritz, because it's bogus.

And yes, I knew the photo was a fake. Puhleeze.

It seemed such an apt visual comment, however, and it really cracked me up. I love hyperbole. The problem is, there's a fine line between it and downright falsehood.

[Note: added on 5/20: The photo was a great sight gag, but I'm taking it down. It's slowing this site's load time tremendously....]

Revolting.....

In every sense of the word.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted Thursday to suspend taxes on stock dividends for three years, restoring the centerpiece of President Bush's economic plan in a package of tax cuts that is still half the size he wanted.

"It would encourage investment, it would encourage jobs, it would encourage growth," Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., said just before Vice President Dick Cheney cast the tie-breaking ballot in the 51-50 vote to abolish dividend taxes in 2004, 2005 and 2006....[Emphasis mine.]

Cheney stands to gain around a cool quarter of a million dollars each year, by most estimates, if the plan he cast the tie-breaking vote on becomes law.

How's that for democracy?

The two Democrats, Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Zell Miller of Georgia, who gave Republicans the edge they needed for passing this today should be booted come next election.

Full story here.

Vinnell a CIA front...?

This brief article in today's Times/U.K. says the target of Monday's terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia may be a CIA front.

AS BEFITS a company that has been accused of being a CIA front, of recruiting “executive mercenaries” and attempting to overthrow the Prime Minister of a Commonwealth state, the Vinnell Corporation kept a low profile in Riyadh.

Its discreet security fooled nobody, however: the bomb attack was the second it has suffered in eight years. In 1995 seven people were killed....

According to the article, Vinnell was brought to Saudi Arabia in the 1970's to train Saudi troops to guard oil fields. Since then, it has helped the Saudis increase their National Guard strength from 26,000 troops to around 70,000. Vinnell employees were even seen fighting alongside Saudi troops in the 1991 Gulf War. (I didn't know Saudi troops fought in that war.)

Meanwhile, the article says, on the other side of the globe in the early 1980's, two Vinnell employees were embroiled in a failed attempt to overthrow Maurice Bishop, the left-wing Prime Minister of Grenada. Soon after that, a former employee was implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal.

CIA front or not, it doesn't exactly sound like a company with clean hands.

Information in the NY Times is just as damning. It identifies Vinnell as "a Virginia subsidiary of Northrop Grumman." (Here). Northrop, a "$25 billion global defense enterprise" (by its own self-description) is anything but an innocent noncombatant in the Middle East.

A fact Vinell employees seemed cognizant of. A Northrop spokesperson said in the NY Times article, that the compound in Saudi Arabia was referred to as "Camp Vinnell" on the company website.

Thus, contrary to the way Bush officials are trying to spin this latest attack, Vinnell employees were aware that they lived on the front lines of the "battle against terrorism" in Saudi Arabia.

There's more.

[Note added on 5/20: the following regarding Westinghouse is false, a bogus posting. See post on 5/15....] According to On the Fritz, Westinghouse--a Northrop affiliate--just won a multibillion dollar contract to provide "infrastructure redevelopment" for post-war Iraq--despite the fact it has little or no experience in the large-scale construction field. (I haven't been able to independently verify this yet. I'll keep you posted.)

Not in any way to justify terrorism, but these connections shed quite a different light on Monday's bombings, don't they?

(Thanks also to Common Dreams.)

Wag the dog real-life....

If you haven't read elsewhere that the famous Jessica Lynch "rescue" was a staged media event, check out this Guardian/U.K. story.

Jessica Lynch became an icon of the war. An all-American heroine, the story of her capture by the Iraqis and her rescue by US special forces became one of the great patriotic moments of the conflict. It couldn't have happened at a more crucial moment, when the talk was of coalition forces bogged down, of a victory too slow in coming.

Her rescue will go down as one of the most stunning pieces of news management yet conceived. It provides a remarkable insight into the real influence of Hollywood producers on the Pentagon's media managers, and has produced a template from which America hopes to present its future wars.

Via Common Dreams.

S.D. Tribune update....

Remember the astroturfing incident involving the San Diego Union Tribune, discussed here on and on This Modern World on 5/9?

Well, I never heard a word from the UT, despite the fact I emailed and faxed a letter to them. But the link to Steven Zasueta's "letter to the editor," --which was actually written by someone at the GOP's Team Leaders Action Center website-- has been killed. Whether this was done in response to public consternation or simply due to the passage of time, I guess I'll never know.

How to win friends and influence people....

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 13 — United States military forces in Iraq will have the authority to shoot looters on sight under a tough new security setup that will include hiring more police officers and banning ranking members of the Baath Party from public service, American officials said today.

Full story in the N.Y. Times here via Common Dreams.

What next, Saudi Arabia...?

I have been struck in recent days by the increasingly critical tone adopted by U.S. media and the Bush administration toward Saudi Arabia.

According to This Modern World, (here), CNN has finally been emphasizing that 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudis. (About time!)

Then there's this disapproving tone (echoed throughout the nation's media) in today's N.Y. Times:

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 14 — The United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia charged today that some weeks before the car bombs of Monday night, American intelligence operatives picked up signs of an imminent terrorist attack and urged the Saudi government to improve security at foreign compounds here, but got little or no response.

Reflecting what some officials said was increasing American frustration with the Saudi efforts against terrorism, the ambassador, Robert W. Jordan, praised Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Saud al-Faisal, the foreign minister, for their "sincere" vows of a crackdown on military groups. But he also said that "executing the plan to provide additional security is another matter, and I think there's some ways to go on that, quite frankly."

[...]

Even the White House, which has tried in recent months to repair relations with the kingdom, said today that Saudi efforts to combat terrorism remain inadequate, despite some recent improvements.

"Repair relations with the kingdom"?

Since when? Is this not the same Bush administration that facilitated the evacuation of bin Laden's family by air out of the United States in the days following 9/11 when all civilian aircraft were supposedly grounded? The same administration that has been bedding down with the Saudi royal family since before the time of G.W.'s daddy?!

Have I missed something? Or is "repair relations with the kingdom" yet another White House phrase slipped manipulatively into press releases to re-write reality in preparation for another Machiavellian twist?

I would worry if I were a member of the Saudi royal family--who, by the way, are denying that the kingdom failed to heed U.S. requests for greater security. The U.S. has decided to close its Saudi military bases. And now, nonessential American personnel have been ordered out of the country because, again from the Times:

"Saudi Arabia is now one of the fronts in the battle against terrorism," an aide quoted the [American Ambassador Robert Jordan] as telling them. "Innocent civilians and children don't belong on battlefields."

That's damned right, they don't. And just where, by definition, do terrorists' battlefields lie?

Eight Americans were killed in Monday's attack, out of a total of 29 - 34 victims--depending on the news source. (Breaking news, as reported here yesterday, erroneously placed the death toll in the 90's.) As tragic as 8 violent deaths are, they are negligible compared to the nearly 6,000 slain on 9/11 by Saudi hijackers. And we didn't tell Americans to leave Saudi Arabia then.

Just what exactly does the Bush regime have in store for the Saudi Kingdom?

Complete N.Y. Times story on the administration's irritation here.

The face of our future...?


If we U.S. citizens do not oust Bush and the NeoCons from power and replace them with leaders willing to address the root causes of terrorism--the war between Israel and the Palestinians, dire poverty throughout much of the Third World, the out-of-control arms industry, the widening gulf between the globe's haves and have-nots, the proliferation of despotic, repressive regimes, and so on--this will become our daily reality.

And it will increasingly take place on U.S. soil.

Don't believe me? Look at Israel. If ever there were a lesson against using force to respond to terrorism, Israel is it.

Yet what other response does Bush offer?

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 13 — The death toll rose to at least 90 today in the three suicide attacks against residential compounds and a business in the Saudi capital, according to news reports quoting the State Department.

[...]

Mr. Bush called the bombings "despicable acts committed by killers whose only faith is hate." The crowd of 7,000 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds roared its approval when he said, "The United States will find the killers, and they will learn the meaning of American justice."

And people applauded....

The U.S. electorate's mindless adulation of Bush more and more evokes images of Nazi Germany's devotion to Hitler.

If we don't stop the Republican juggernaut, we are all going to learn the bitter meaning of "American justice."

Lessons continue apace in San Diego: ballooning government budget deficits; massive lay-offs of school administrators, teachers and others; libraries cutting their hours; social services disappearing; businesses closing. And all we hear from Washington are drums of war and tax-cuts for the wealthy.

Complete story of the Saudi Arabian bombings here.

Two views of the situation in Iraq....

The mainstream view, promoted by President Bush on May 1st and embraced by Americans who seek no further for their news than Fox or ABC:

"In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country," the president told some 2,000 sailors and airmen aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln some 100 miles off the American coast. "In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment "

(Full story here.)

Alternate view, believed by the rest of the world, including Americans who are more discerning in their choice of news sources:

You have only to step inside Saddam Hussein's old palace complex - where coalition officials trying to rebuild Iraq are based - to see that the task is way beyond them.

When the civilian administration of the ORHA (Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance) first arrived there, it was said there was only one working shower for 800 people. The situation has improved a little now, but they work in sweltering offices and sleep five or six to a room.

There are no telephones on the desks, and the real world of looted buildings and car thefts outside the palace is a distant prospect. No one is allowed out without an escort of soldiers....

According to the Telegraph/U.K. story, Barbara Bodine, the (recalled) U.S. official in charge of Baghdad, was unaware for 24 hours after the event that US soldiers had shot dead more than a dozen Iraqi protesters in Fallujah a fortnight ago. Likewise:

More than a month after the fall of Baghdad, the city still has no authority - no mayor and practically no police on the streets - while looters continue to pillage government buildings and honest folk keep their daughters at home for fear they will be abducted by armed thugs.

(Complete Telegraph story here.)

Which one do you believe?

NPR concludes their Graham crusade....

Well, I woke up to what I hope is the final NPR story on Billy Graham's religious revival here in San Diego.

The closing night was last night. True to form, NPR's local affiliate covered the event in a reverential, dare I say "worshipful?" tone. They devoted 3 or more minutes to the story (I didn't actually time it--it seemed even longer!) and once again inflated the numbers of attendees.

NPR introduced the story saying, "a quarter of a million attended," neglecting to qualify, "over the four days." Yet, NPR numbered last night's crowd at only 54,000.

So, according to NPR's coverage, there was a capacity crowd the first night (70,000, according to Qualcomm's website); 46,000 the second night; not sure Saturday night, so let's be kind and say 70,000; then 54,000 last night. That's maximum 240,000--IF it was a capacity crowd on Saturday, which I doubt. And that's not accounting for people who attended multiple nights. It's possible, though again, doubtful, that the same 70,000 attended each night.

There again, maybe NPR was consulting the local ultra-conservative San Diego Union Tribune for their crowd estimates. The U.T. numbered the attendance at 270,000 over the 4 days--a true miracle, considering the stadium can't hold that many people.

The U.T.'s tone was positively awed. It opened:

His handshake is still firm. His spirit still strong. So don't look for the Rev. Billy Graham to retire anytime soon.

"I'm going to retire when the Lord says retire," the 84-year-old evangelist said....

The U.T. labeled the event, in which "men, women and children prayed and praised in Mission Valley," probably the "largest Christian event in county history," and praised attendees for leaving behind clean parking lots.

What a tribute.

The U.T. reporter said that after he delivered his sermon, Graham bid farewell to San Diego. "I probably will not preach another sermon in San Diego, but I'll see you in heaven."

Not me, you won't.

Complete story, if you can stomach it, here.

If they say it's true, it must be so....

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The American general who commanded the Iraq war issued a statement Sunday saying Saddam Hussein's Baath Party "is dissolved," ordering the political organization that ruled the country for 35 years to cease existence immediately.

The message from Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of coalition forces, was read over U.S.-controlled Information Radio on Sunday afternoon.

If it's so simple, why don't they just declare "Peace between Israel and the Palestinians IMMEDIATELY"? Or, "The recession is over NOW"?

And have they forgotten that many upper-level Baath government and party leaders, including Hussein and his sons themselves, remain at large?

Moreover, party membership or affiliation was required for many, if not most white-collar jobs in Iraq. American officials have already been putting Baath leaders back in positions of power--like re-appointing Hussein's personal physician, Muhammad al-Rawi, to his former post as president of Baghdad University, the largest in the country.

AP story here, via My Way.