[Peace] News notes 2005-04-10

[C. G. Estabrook]

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	Notes from last week's "global war on terrorism,"
	for the AWARE meeting, Sunday, April 10, 2005.
	(Sources provided on request; a paragraph followed
	by a bracketed source is substantially verbatim.)
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[1. OCCUPATION] There was a massive non-violent demonstration in Baghdad
on Saturday, marking the second anniversary of the fall of the city to the
American invasion.  The demonstration demanded the withdrawal of US
troops.  Not surprisingly, both the anniversary and the demonstration were
downplayed in the US media.
	Tens of thousands ... marched in Baghdad on Saturday to denounce
the US. presence in Iraq and demand a speedy trial of Saddam Hussein ...
Chanting "No, no to the occupiers," men loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
streamed from the poor Shi'ite district of Sadr City to Firdos Square in
central Baghdad (where the US tore down Saddam's statue two years ago) in
a peaceful show of strength. The square and side streets were packed with
crowds waving Iraqi flags and brandishing effigies of Saddam, British
Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush. "No America! No Saddam! Yes
to Islam!" many chanted. One group of demonstrators burned an American
flag. "We want a stable Iraq and this will only happen through
independence," said a statement from Sadr's office read out at the rally.
"There will be no security and stability unless the occupiers leave" ...
US forces were out of sight ... Followers of Sadr from the southern
Shi'ite cities of Basra, Amara and Nassiriya traveled hundreds of miles to
join the protest ... US forces last year pledged to arrest Sadr, a
low-ranking cleric in his mid-30s, and destroy his Mehdi Army militia ...
Firdos Square has become a central rallying place for Iraqis since
Saddam's overthrow two years ago. U.S. forces last year shut down the
square, sealing it off with razor wire, to prevent people massing on the
first anniversary ... A US soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast
north of Baghdad on Friday, raising to at least 1,543 the number of U.S.
troops who have lost their lives in Iraq ... Even many Iraqis who would
not take up arms against the Americans still want U.S. and foreign troops
to leave. [Reuters] In fact, a large majority of both Shi'ites and Sunnis.
	The major papers did not feature the demonstration, and the NYT,
which did have it on today's front page (beneath Charles and Camilla), had
the second sentence read, "Meanwhile, one of the most lethal insurgent
groups warned Iraqis against joining the army or the police force." The US
plays up the violence because non-violence is more threatening to its
interests.
	In the last 24 hours, the AP shiftingly reported Sunni
participation in what it described as a Shia/al-Sadr rally. The AFP
reported that the Sunni were encouraged to participate by BOTH sides,
while the AP reported that Sunni leaders told their people not to go to
the rally and then reported that it was al-Sadr's people who told the
Sunni not to go. In contradiction to the AP articles, the AFP wrote,
"Sunni clerics from the Committee of Muslim Scholars, which organized a
boycott of historic January elections, also urged followers to join the
protest." [J. Bizwas] Finally today the NYT reports, "Representatives of
the Association of Muslim Scholars, a leading group of Sunni clerics ...
said its followers had taken part in the march."

[2. POLLS] In a stunning poll result (buried in the middle of the
USAT/CNN/Gallup poll this week), at least half of Americans say that "the
Bush administration DELIBERATELY misled the American public about whether
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction"!
	In addition, Bush's approval rating has plunged to the lowest
level of any president since World War II at this point in his second
term: "All other presidents who were re-elected to a second term had
approval ratings well above 50% in the March following their re-election,"
Gallup reported. Bush's current rating is 45%. The next lowest was Reagan
with 56% in March 1985.  Gallup's survey now finds only 38% expressing
satisfaction with the "state of the country" while 59% are "dissatisfied."
The real economy -- as distinguished from what is being said in the meida
-- seems to be an imporant reason. One in three Americans feel the economy
is excellent or good, while the rest find it "only fair" or poor.
	Majorities disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy 41%-55%;
of Iraq 43%-54%; and of SS 35%-57%; -- but approve of his "handling of
terrorism" 57%-40%. Yet a clear majority think it was NOT worth going to
war in Iraq, 53%-45%.

[3. TORTURE] Ray Bonner (who exposed the massacre at El Mozote more than
20 years ago and was pilloried for it) is back writing for the NYT, where
he describes in a buried article today the case of an Australian, David
Hicks, held at Guantanamo.  Hick's accounts of torture are dismissed by
the US because they "seem to fit the standard operating procedure in Al
Qaeda training manuals."
	"Two years ago, the United States sought to dispose of the case by
having Mr. Hicks returned to Australia to face charges; the Australian
government said that even though he had trained with Al Qaeda, his
activities were not in violation of any Australian law at the time. It
took an additional 18 months before the United States, under pressure from
the Australian government, filed charges against Mr. Hicks, one of the few
detainees formally charged."
	Meanwhile BBC Channel 4 reports on wholesale torture within the US
domestic prison system, after a 4-month investigation: "Savaged by dogs,
electrocuted with cattle prods, burned by toxic chemicals -- does such
barbaric abuse inside U.S. jails explain the horrors that were committed
in Iraq? [it asks]. They are just some of the victims of wholesale torture
taking place inside the U.S. prison system ... in the most extreme cases,
you are witnessing young men dying."
	The U.N. special investigator on torture said Tuesday US officials
refused to guarantee him the right to speak to detainees [at Guantanamo]
in private. [AP]
	Previously secret court testimony indicates an Iraqi general
imprisoned by US forces was badly bruised and may have been severely
beaten two days before he died of suffocation during interrogation. [USAT]
CIA interrogations may have played a role in the deaths of several
detainees in Iraq, as Bush administration lawyers were advocating an
aggressive interrogation policy that critics say led to torture, military
documents and officials say. [Reuters]
	The White House is maintaining extraordinary restrictions on
information about the detention of high-level terror suspects, permitting
only a small number of members of Congress to be briefed on how and where
the prisoners are being held and interrogated ... Some Democratic members
of Congress say the restrictions are impeding effective oversight of the
secret program, which is run by the CIA and is believed to involve the
detention of about three dozen senior leaders of Al Qaeda at secret sites
around the world. By law, the White House is required to notify the House
and Senate intelligence committees of all intelligence-gathering
activities. But the White House has taken the stance that the secret
detention program is too sensitive to be described to any members other
than the top Republican and Democrat on each panel. [NYT]
	The Columbia Journalism Review points out the utter disregard the
American media have shown the story of armed attacks on Abu Ghraib prison.
	Twelve Iraqi prisoners and four US prison guards were wounded when
inmates rioted at Camp Bucca last week, torching tents and hurling rocks
at Iraq's largest US-run detention center, the US military said yesterday
after initially denying any knowledge of the incident. [AFP]
	Excessive use of force by United States troops in Iraq has
antagonised Iraqi civilians and made the process of rebuilding the country
more difficult, a British parliamentary committee said in a report
published Tuesday. The House of Commons foreign affairs committee said the
slow pace of reconstruction had fuelled the insurgency, and suggested Iraq
had replaced Afghanistan as a training ground for international
terrorists. [Scotsman]
	The US Army's Psychological Operations group was developing
propaganda science fiction comic books for distribution in the Middle
East. [BBC]
	Riverbend, writing from Baghdad: "Two years ago, the major part of
the war in Iraq was all about bombarding us with smart bombs and high-tech
missiles. Now there's a different sort of war -- or perhaps it's just
another phase of the same war. Now we're being assailed with American
media. It's everywhere all at once."

[4. LAW] AG Gonzales and FBI director Mueller on Tuesday urged Congress to
renew every provision of the anti-terror Patriot Act.  "Now is not the
time for us to be engaging in unilateral disarmament," Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales said.  He then pointed out that libraries should not
become havens for terrorists ... Senators Craig and Durbin want Congress
to curb both expiring and nonexpiring parts of the Patriot Act, including
the expiring "library" provision and "sneak and peek" or delayed
notification warrants. Those warrants - which will not expire in December
- allow federal officials to search suspects' homes without telling them
until later. The Justice Department said federal prosecutors have asked
for 155 such warrants since 2001. [AP]
	Mueller asked Congress to expand the FBI's administrative subpoena
powers, which allow the bureau to obtain records without approval or a
judge or grand jury. The Patriot Act expanded the government's
surveillance and prosecutorial powers. Most of the law is permanent, but
15 provisions will expire in December unless renewed by Congress. Sens.
Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., planned to reintroduce
legislation designed to curb major parts of the Patriot Act. The ACLU is
part of an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative groups, including
the American Conservative Union, that have come together in a joint effort
to lobby Congress to repeal key provisions of the Patriot Act. Among the
controversial provisions is a section permitting secret warrants for
"books, records, papers, documents and other items" from businesses,
hospitals and other organizations. That section is known as the "library
provision" by its critics. While it does not specifically mention
bookstores or libraries, critics say the government could use it to
subpoena library and bookstore records and snoop into the reading habits
of innocent Americans. Gonzales told lawmakers Tuesday the provision has
been used 35 times, but never to obtain library, bookstore, medical or gun
sale records. But the criticism has led five states and 375 communities in
43 states to pass anti-Patriot Act resolutions, the ACLU says. Gonzales
will support giving someone who receives a secret warrant under the
provision the right to consult a lawyer and challenge the warrant in
court, and will back slightly tightening the standard for issuing
subpoenas. Neither change addresses the central concern of opponents,
which is that it allows the government to seize records of people who are
not suspected terrorists or spies. [AP]
	The New York Times reported that two 16-year-old girls were
arrested March 24 on immigration charges and remain in custody in
Pennsylvania. One is from Bangladesh and the other is from Guinea, and
they were living in the country illegally. The Times reported it obtained
a government document that described the teens as being an imminent threat
to the United States "based upon evidence that they plan to be suicide
bombers" ... An Islamic community activist said one of the girls came
under investigation for skipping school. When federal agents searched her
home they found an essay about suicide and Islam on her computer.
	In response to a new rule requiring most Canadians to carry
passports for entry into the US, Canadian Public Security Minister Anne
McLellan said Americans may also have to carry the document to enter
Canada. [CB] US citizens will be required to show a passport to re-enter
the United States from Canada, Mexico, Panama, Bermuda and the Caribbean
by 2008, the departments of State and Homeland Security announced Tuesday.
[USAT]
	Two terrorism trials in Europe this week ended in dismissals.

[5. MILITARY] More than 20,000 military personnel have become U.S.
citizens since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the Pentagon.
Another 5,000 have applications pending for citizenship, with that process
being expedited for military members, shortening the wait from about nine
months to 60 days. There are still about 30,000 active duty and 11,000
Guard and Reserve personnel in the military who are not U.S. citizens,
according to Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel David Chu. He
testified Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee on personnel
issues facing the military.

[6. NEOCONS] "By the time President Bush ordered U.S. troops to disarm
Saddam Hussein of the deadly weapons he was allegedly trying to build,
every piece of fresh evidence had been tested -- and disproved -- by U.N.
inspectors, according to a report commissioned by the president and
released [a week ago] Thursday," the Washington Post reported Monday. In
other words, Bush groomed a passel of lies and passed it off as a pretext
to invade a sovereign nation and kill more than 100,000 innocent Iraqis.
Now the Neocons wants to blame this defective intelligence -- i.e., lies
-- on the CIA and the "intelligence community." [Kurtnimmo.com]
	It is absurd to have yet another investigation into the
chuckleheaded assessments on Saddam's phantom weapons of mass destruction
that intentionally skirts how the $40 billion-a-year intelligence was
molded and manufactured to fit the ideological schemes of those running
the White House and Pentagon ... the president appoints a compliant
Democrat and a complicit conservative judge to head an inquiry set up to
let the president off the hook. [M. Dowd] Their report concluded that the
Bush Administration's evidence of biological weapons in Iraq was almost
entirely derived from reports made by an Iraqi defector code-named
"Curveball," who was described by those who knew him as "crazy"  and "a
congenital liar." [LAT]
	The Financial Times reports that the current secretary of the
Navy, Gordon England, will replace Wolfowitz as Rumsfeld's deputy. The
Turkish press sticks by its story that former ambassador to Turkey Eric
Edelman will receive an appointment, but now says he's going to replace
Feith rather than Wolfowitz ... Edelman, a hardline neoconservative and a
Cheney associate very much like a Feith or a Libby without the name
recognition ... Gordon England is a corporate stooge. Rumsfeld kicked off
his tenure as Defense Secretary by packing the Pentagon with corporate
insiders, shills for various war-profiteering firms, and as William Harung
wrote in the LA Times, "Nowhere was Rumsfeld's vision of a
corporate-dominated department more evident than in his initial choices to
run three military services: Secretary of the Air Force James Roche, a
former vice president at Northrop Grumman; Secretary of the Navy Gordon
England, a former executive at General Dynamics; and former Secretary of
the Army Thomas E. White, who came from Enron." The management of the
military and, indeed, the use of warfare in American foreign policy has
always been heavily influenced by lobbyists for defense contractors and
other private interests; Rumsfeld's innovation was simply to cut out the
middle man. We can see Rumsfeld's vision at work in Gordon England's
enthusiastic boosterism for the V-22 Osprey, the half-plane
half-helicopter money pit that is so unsafe it's killed 23 people without
leaving "test phase" and is such a boondoggle that the libertarians at
CATO called it "an albatross around the Pentagon's and taxpayers' necks"

[7. DEMOCRATS] "DLC calls for all-out political civil war on anti-war
Democrats" [CD - WT article]

[8. ECONOMY] The movement to sell a portion of IMF gold reserves to
finance debt relief for poor nations has hit a roadblock after a key US
lawmaker said Congress and the Bush administration will block any such
move. Jim Saxton, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress,
said on Tuesday the potential profits on IMF gold sales "rightfully belong
to the original donor countries and their taxpayers".
	I have been amazed that a doubling of gas prices was just accepted
by Americans as a matter of course ... The public still hates Jimmy Carter
for allowing such a thing (as if he could have done anything about it). I
presume that stoicism over petroleum prices was a by-product of the war
mentality ... In a recent poll, 58 % said the gas prices were creating a
serious financial hardship for them. USA Today reports, "Nearly half of
those polled -- 48% -- said they already have cut driving to reduce their
fuel bills, and 38% say they've trimmed other household spending." People
are also buying fewer SUVs, which isn't going to help the US auto
industry. The present concern probably comes because the public has begun
to suspect that prices are not going back down. About $10 a barrel of the
current $57 a barrel for petroleum probably derives from speculation and
anxiety in the oil markets resulting from the Iraq war and ongoing crisis.
Prices at the pump might be $1.80 rather than $2.20 if it weren't for
Iraq. [J. Cole]

[9. AFGHANISTAN] Afghanistan's defence minister on Tuesday [discussed]
permanent basing of US forces in the country ... he signalled Kabul was
eager for "enduring arrangements" that could include permanent air bases
or "pre-positioned" military equipment that would be used by rapidly
deployed US forces. [FT]
	The United States is beefing up its military presence in
Afghanistan by setting up nine new bases in Afghan provinces and at the
same time further encircling Iran. Well documented reports make it very
clear the decision to set up new U.S. military bases was made during
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Kabul last December.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai accepted the Pentagon's decree but in
reality he had no other choice: U.S. intelligence is of the view that he
will not be able to hold on to his seat beyond June unless the U.S. Army
can speed up training of a large number of Afghan army recruits and
protect Kabul.
	US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad was dubbed the
"viceroy" by locals -- the term used for India's British colonial leaders
[AFP] He's the new US ambassaodr in the world's largest US embassy --
Baghdad.

[10. CHINA] China plans to build 40 nuclear power plants over the next 15
years, making them the main power source for its booming east coast, a
government official said in remarks reported Thursday.

[11. IRAQ] Shia Jaafari is new Iraqi PM: Mr Jaafari, a 58-year-old former
London GP, said he would form a new government within one or two weeks,
and officials said the previous interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, had
formally resigned. The president is Kurdish warlord Jalal Talabani of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, who enjoys close ties with both Washington
and Tehran. The two vice presidents are: Adel Abdel Mahdi of the United
Iraqi Alliance (UIA), a senior Shi'ite leader of the Supreme Council of
Islamic Revolution (SCIRI) in Iraq and the interim finance minister, and a
former Maoist turned free-marketer who last December promised in
Washington to privatize the Iraqi oil industry; and the previous
president, Ghazi al-Yawer, a former exile and influential Sunni sheikh of
the Sammar tribe. Talabani is finally set to appoint Da'wa Party senior
leader Ibrahim Jaafari of the UIA as prime minister. It's about time.
Iraqis have grown increasingly exasperated with the political haggling
since the elections on January 30 -- on the lines of "how could we have
elected those people?" It got so bad that the four grand ayatollahs in the
now de facto shadow capital Najaf were about to call a massive street
protest to bring the politicians to their senses. This was compounded by
the fact that many Iraqis repudiate political life reduced to religious
sectarianism, a legacy of the United States' Coalition Provisional
Authority, which imposed the current institutional arrangement.  It's
emerging that the real meaty matters in Iraq -- federalism, who gets
oil-rich Kirkuk, and, crucially, what happens to the oil industry overall
-- will be settled by the constituent assembly. But two developments are
ominous. The attribution of ministries for the "new" government once again
will be sectarian. And every faction will remain armed to their teeth. The
Kurds keep their independent peshmerga militia, and financed by Baghdad.
The SCIRI keeps its Badr Brigades. The Da'wa Party also keeps its own
militia. None of these will answer to Baghdad - which mobilizes its own,
US-trained Iraqi security forces. Cynically, one might add that outside
the political process, the Sunni resistance will also keep its thousands
of fighters.  [ATimes]

[12. ISRAEL] The US State Department on Thursday advised American citizens
to defer any unnecessary travel to Israel and the [occupied] territories
... Although "terrorist attacks within Israel have declined in both
frequency and associated casualties," the travel warning states, "the
potential for further violence remains high" ... the upcoming Israeli
pullout from the entire Gaza Strip and four settlements in northern
Samaria are also cited as a potential source of danger. The disengagement
"could lead to violence in Israel by settler groups" ... the State
Department urges U.S. citizens in Israel to remain vigilant while
traveling and those in the Gaza Strip to exit immediately. [Haaretz]
	Bush said on Tuesday that he will press Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon at their meeting next week to abide by a US-backed road map
peace plan which calls for "no expansion" of Jewish settlements. [Reuters]
But Ha'aretz said on Thursday, "Bush is expected to refrain from bringing
up any issues on which he and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are at odds when
the two meet next Monday at Bush's Texas ranch."
	Sharon is counting on President Bush to keep his commitment that
Israel can retain several large Jewish towns near Jerusalem as part of a
peace accord with the Palestinians, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said
Monday.
	Israel to dump 10,000 tons of garbage a month in the West Bank:
The project was launched despite international treaties prohibiting an
occupying state from making use of occupied territory unless it benefits
the local population. In addition, pollution experts say such use of the
Kedumim quarry -- located in an old Palestinian quarry between the Kedumim
settlement and Nablus -- will jeopardize Palestinian water sources.
	Israel unveils ultra-modern weapons from US: Women soldiers will
operate remote-control machine guns in conjunction with cameras and
censors in a bid to stop infiltrators.
	Israeli security officials suggest drafting law to toughen
conditions under which Palestinians may obtain Israeli citizenship;
according to estimates, Arab-Israeli minority to reach 40 percent by 2020.

[13. LATIN AMERICA] As the Bush administration carries out what the New
York Times (4/5/05) describes as a "concerted effort" to block the return
of the left-wing Sandinista party to power in Nicaragua, US media are
returning to the kind of distorted reporting on Nicaragua that
characterized coverage during Washington's war against that country in the
1980s.
	US threatens Bolivia in effort to secure criminal court immunity.
but the effort, which includes a threat to withhold financial aid and
access to free trade, seems to be backfiring.
	A group of US soldiers arrested for alleged cocaine smuggling
cannot be allowed to stand trial in Colombia, Washington's envoy to Bogota
has said. US ambassador William Wood said the soldiers are immune from
prosecution.  More than 200 Colombian citizens have been extradited to the
US to face trial for drug trafficking, under a bilateral deal between the
two countries. [BBC]

[14. UK] Former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, now
standing as an independent anti-war candidate against Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw: "I left the foreign office over the issue of MI6 allowing the
use of intelligence obtained during torture. They take torture
intelligence coming out of Uzbekistan and pass it on to the CIA. I've seen
the 'war on terror' from the inside and I think it's completely perverting
Britain. I discovered this country did not stand for the things I rather
foolishly believed it did. There's also the whole question of the legality
of foreign policy. The government's justification for war was that Iraq
had weapons of mass destruction, based on a dossier of so called
intelligence."
	The anti-war Respect coalition has launched its election campaign
with a promise that its candidates will always be honest with voters. The
party, which was formed last year by former Labour MP George Galloway,
says it "told the truth about Iraq" and will continue to do so on other
issues. Respect is contesting 30 seats in England and Wales at the
election. A spokeswoman said: "We're not a single issue party and will be
fighting for pensions and against privatisation." [BBC]

[15. UPCOMING] This week Congress will consider three issues we should
address our representatives about -- and watch how they vote:
  [1] The Senate will consider the nominations of John Bolton as UN
ambassador and John Negroponte as director of intelligence; it will also
consider
  [2] the Supplemental Appropriations Bill for Iraq -- $83 billion for the
continued occupation;
  [3] the House will consider the Bankruptcy Bill, written by the banks
and credit card companies, and greatly desired by George Bush's base --
the very wealthy.

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	    C. G. Estabrook <www.newsfromneptune.com>
	   "News from Neptune" (Saturdays 10-11AM), and
	"From Bard to Verse: A Program of the Spoken Arts"
	 (Saturdays noon-1PM) on WEFT, Champaign, 90.1 FM,
	    Community Radio for East Central Illinois
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