[Peace] News notes 2005-05-29

[C. G. Estabrook]

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   Notes from last week's "global war on terrorism,"
   for the AWARE meeting, Sunday, May 29, 2005.
   (Sources provided on request; a paragraph followed
   by a bracketed source is substantially verbatim.)
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[1. OCCUPATION] The US continues to encourage civil war in
Iraq, with the help of its tame media, such as the NYT, which
runs a long article on inter-communal violence on Friday, and
its columnists, such as Tom Friedman, who tells us about the
resentment of Sunnis in Iraq.  One wonders how many false-flag
operations the US is running -- i.e, bombings done by US
agents in terrorist disguise, perhaps even including Zarqawi,
reported to be wounded this week.
	A senior U.S. military official said Zarqawi and his key
militant leadership have met at least five times in foreign
countries during the conflict, most recently during the past
30 days in Syria. [WSJ]  SOS Rice broadened US accusations of
Syrian support for insurgents. [WSJ]
	It was a bloody weekend in Iraq. The NYT counts 30 Iraqi
deaths reported on Saturday, while the LAT puts the total at
"nearly 40." Among the worst of several attacks was a suicide
blast at an Iraqi-American military base. A crackdown in
Baghdad involving 40,000 Iraqi troops is set to begin today.
	Iraq resistance downs two multi-million dollar OH-58 Kiowa
helicopters; two US dead.
	International Institute of Strategic Studies in London
publishes a report saying that the US  military will be in
Iraq for up to five more years. And the Los Angeles Times is
reporting that the U.S. has essentially ceded much of the
Anbar province to the Iraqi resistance. One unnamed military
official said "[Commanders] can't use the word, but we're
withdrawing. Slowly, that's what we're doing." The month of
May is on pace to be one of the deadliest months for the U.S.
in over a year -- 58 U.S. soldiers have died since the new
Iraqi government was formed on April 28. The number of Iraqis
killed since then is approaching 600. [DN]
	A string of insurgent attacks over three days early in the
week left 14 American soldiers dead as the wave of violence
that has claimed hundreds of Iraqi lives began again to take a
greater toll on U.S. forces. [WSJ]  
	On Monday as many 15,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a
major new offensive in Baghdad -- the largest joint offensive
to-date. Overnight the military reported the arrest of 300
people as part of what is being called "Operation Squeeze
Play." Monday morning the commander of Iraq's new
counter-insurgency headquarters was assassinated. His main job
was coordinating the fight against the Iraqi resistance. His
driver was also shot dead.[DN]
	More signs are emerging that the U.S. intends to stay in Iraq
for years to come. The Washington Post is reporting the US
plans to build four new giant military bases inside Iraq.
Under the plan, the US would station most of its troops in
these heavily fortified bases designed to withstand mortar
fire [--the "Fort Apache" strategy]. Currently the US is
operating out of more than 100 bases throughout the country. A
spokesman for the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party warned the U.S.
about the plan. He said "They appear to be settling in a for
the long run, and that will only give fuel for the
terrorists." [DN] 
	Washington is preparing to spend more money on the war. On
Tuesday, a House subcommittee approved another $45 billion for
the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which would bring the costs of
the U.S. military operations there to more than $300 billion. [DN]

[2. GULAG] The Los Angeles Times leads today with the
staggering numbers of Iraqi detainees being held without
charge at Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca in Iraq. The combined
population of the two prisons is now than 10,000 people. Not
surprisingly, these secretive incarcerations have infuriated
many Iraqis. [Slate]
	Washington’s attempt to “weaken the absolute ban on torture“
was the most damaging assault on fundamental human values over
the past year, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. In its
annual report the London-based watchdog said human rights
across the world have been eroded as governments use the
language of freedom and justice to pursue policies of fear and
insecurity, taking their cue from the US-led war on terror. 
The human rights monitor said that America's treatment of
prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan had entrenched the
practice of arbitrary and indefinite detention in violation of
international law [FT]
	Amnesty International castigated the U.S. prison camp in
Guantanamo, calling it "the gulag of our time" ... Amnesty
urged Washington to shut down the prison ... where some 540
men are held ... Some have been jailed for more than three
years without charge ... AI accuses Washington of trying to
"sanitize" abuse of detainees and failing to give prisoners
legal recourse to challenge their detentions.  The report also
takes aim at recent abuse allegations that have surfaced in
FBI documents as well as prisoner testimonies, echoing
concerns from the International Committee of the Red Cross. [AP] 
	The Pentagon acknowledges “mishandling” the Koran.  Nearly a
dozen detainees at  Guantanamo told FBI interrogators that
guards had mistreated copies of the Koran, including one who
said in 2002 that guards "flushed a Koran in the toilet,"
according to new FBI documents released Wednesday. The
summaries of FBI interviews, obtained by the American Civil
Liberties Union as part of an ongoing lawsuit, also include
allegations that the Koran was kicked, thrown to the floor and
withheld as punishment and that guards mocked Muslim prisoners
during prayers. [WP]
	Human Rights Watch is accusing the FBI of interrogating and
threatening two U.S. citizens while they being unlawfully
detained and tortured by the Pakistani security services. 
According to Human Rights Watch, the men -- who are brothers
-- were abducted from their home in Karachi in August, 2004.
They were held until last month without ever been charged.
During their eight months of detention, FBI agents repeatedly
questioned them and threatened to send them to Guantanamo Bay.
In addition, Human Rights Watch alleges that the FBI did not
intervene to end the torture of the men or provide consular
facilities normally offered to detained U.S. citizens. One of
the brothers said "We were beaten severely, kept awake all
night or hung upside down by Pakistani agents before each of
about 10 interrogation sessions by FBI agents." [DN]

[3. GME] Oil is set to begin flowing from the Caspian Sea
direct to the Mediterranean. A ceremony in Baku, Azerbaijan
opened the 1,600km (1,000-mile) pipeline which passes through
Georgia to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The $3.6bn pipeline has
been built by a consortium of oil companies led by BP. It has
been more than 10 years in the making. [BBC]
	There are parliamentary elections in Lebanon today. The LAT
reports on the anti-Syrian movement's failure to coalesce into
a strong political group.

[4. MILITARY] Amnesty International has announced it will
support a U.S. war resister who fled to Canada to avoid
fighting in Iraq. The international human rights group said it
would consider Jeremy Hinzman to be a prisoner of conscience
if he is deported back to the United States and jailed.
Hinzman has sought political asylum in Canada but his refugee
claim was rejected two months ago. He is now appealing that
decision to the Canadian federal court. If Hinzman was forced
to return to the United States he would face up to five years
in jail.
	The Marine Corps dropped murder charges Thursday against an
officer accused of riddling two Iraqis with bullets and
hanging a warning sign on their corpses as a grisly example to
other suspected insurgents.
	A new report from the World Policy Institute has found that
the U.S. is routinely funneling military aid and arms to
undemocratic nations. In 2003 more than half of the top 25
recipients of U.S. arms transfers in the developing world were
defined as undemocratic by the State Department.

[5. TERRORISM] The month-long U.N. conference on strengthening
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty ended pointlessly, owing
to American intransigence on disarmament and North Korean and
Iranian nuclear programs. Talks went so poorly that some
officials are speculating that the treaty itself may have been
damaged. The Los Angeles Times emphasizes the extent to which
the United States alienated the other participants. While the
meeting was under way, for example, the Bush administration
was pushing Congress to fund a new "bunker buster" nuclear
weapon. [Slate]
	In spite of the administration's talk of "bad intelligence,"
two Army analysts responsible for the evaluation of Iraq's
weapons capability have received performance bonuses for the
last three years. They were responsible for the aluminum tube
hoax.  The WP gives other examples as well of the
administration's refusal to hold anyone accountable for
pre-war "mistakes."
	A recent study at Los Angeles International Airport suggests
that truck and luggage bombs pose a greater threat than
shoulder-fired missiles to US commercial airliners. Even DHS's
own study predicted the their proposed anti-missile system for
commercial airliners might be "useless or only marginally
effective against several types of shoulder-mounted missiles."
Meanwhile, the airline industry isn't relishing the prospect
of covering the system's maintenance fees: Yearly costs are
expected to be over $1 million per plane. [Slate]
	Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has threatened to cut off
diplomatic ties to Washington if the Bush administration
refuses to hand over Luis Posada Carriles ... Posada is still
wanted in Venezuela on terrorism charges. Chavez says
Washington would be guilty of protecting international
terrorism if it refused extraditing Posada. [DN]

[6. LOOTING] Forty percent of the US troops in Iraq are
National Guard or Reserve.  Congressman Duncan Hunter (R–CA)
wants to keep weekend warriors from "gaming" the system, so he
used a "rarely used authority" to amputate a provision from a
$441.5 billion defense bill that would have allowed Guardsmen
and Reservists to buy health coverage for $75 a month (or $233
a month for their family). Good thing Hunter acted, because
given the skyrocketing costs of health coverage, we're betting
tons of people would be willing to risk potential death in
Iraq for a cheap monthly premium. And with so many people
signing up for the military these days anyway, why tempt them
with extra perks like $75-a-month medical coverage? [G. Beato]
	The Washington Post reports on House Speaker Dennis Hastert's
penchant for earmarking millions of dollars for his hometown
in "an obscure section of the big federal spending bills."
With the help of his chief of staff, Hastert has set aside
some $24 million for nonprofits in Aurora, Ill., since
becoming speaker in 1999.
	The Independent of London is reporting that a new scientific
study carried out by Monsantao raises new fears over the
safety of genetically modified corn. The study -- which the
company has tried to keep secret -- found that rats fed
genetically modified corn developed abnormalities to internal
organs and changes to the composition of their blood.
	A diverse group of 24 leaders has been quietly holding
powwows since last October to hammer out a solution for the
growing legions of Americans without health insurance, the NYT
reports above the fold. Participants from the AFL-CIO, Johnson
& Johnson, the Heritage Foundation, and other organizations
hope to draw up proposals by the end of the year on how the
country can quickly and dramatically expand health care
coverage to the uninsured. The group then plans to take its
recommendations and cost estimates to Congress and the White
House. [Slate]

[7. POLICE] The Senate Intelligence Committee is taking
initial steps to greatly expand the power of the FBI under the
USA Patriot Act. On Tuesday the FBI formally asked Congress
for sweeping new powers to seize private records without first
securing approval from a judge. According to the American
Civil Liberties Union this power would let agents seize
records from medical facilities, libraries, hotels, gun
dealers, banks and any other business, without having to
appear before a judge, and without any evidence that the
people targeted are involved in any criminal activity.

[8. OPPOSITION] "The only reason he's still up there in the
40's is that the Democrats are really brain-dead and have
nothing positive to put on the table," said one veteran
Republican who has close ties to the White House, referring to
approval ratings in polls that are at or near the low points
of Bush's presidency. [IHT]
	The Democrats' pretense at opposition to the administration
-– pretending to uphold the sacred traditions of the Senate –-
resulted in a “compromise” this week, described by G. Beato as
follows: “as long as you don't use the filibuster, the
filibuster lives, albeit in a persistent vegetative state; but
as soon as anyone tries to reanimate it, the feeding tube gets
pulled.”

[9. EU] A revolt from below defeated the EU constitutional
referendum in France today, even though all the major parties
and the government supported it.  The constitution was really
a neoliberal, NAFTA-like trade pact that rolled back social
legislation.  The soon-to-be-ex-PM, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, let
the cat out of the bag Wednesday, admitting that it was about
making Europe safe for business: the FT reports that he said
that a No vote could deter foreign investment and damage the
French economy. "Do you think that a France that cuts itself
off, that says No to Europe will be attractive for new
investments and new jobs?" he said in a television interview.
"The No to Europe would be a No to investment."

[10. ISRAEL] Amnesty international described Israeli soldiers
torturing, destroying property and obstructing medical
assistance in the West Bank and Gaza as war crimes. [AP]
Amnesty said the Israeli military is responsible for the
deaths of some 700 Palestinians including 150 children. During
the same period Amnesty said militant Palestinian groups
killed 109 Israelis -- including 8 children. 
	But noted liberal Senator Hillary Clinton managed this week
to upstage Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, in being
tough on Mahmoud Abbas, the new Palestinian president. Not too
surprising perhaps, as both were in the capital to address the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the influential
Jewish lobby group ... She won standing ovations for an
uncompromising speech that could have been written by the
White House or Sharon's Likud party. Sharon was rather more
measured in his remarks directed at Abbas. [FT]

[11. INDONESIA] A coalition of more than four dozen groups
have called on President Bush not to offer Indonesia military
assistance when he meets with Indonesian president Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono. The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network
organized the campaign calling for no U.S. military aid to
Indonesia.  Congress first voted to restrict Indonesia from
receiving military aid in 1991 following the Santa Cruz
massacre in East Timor that left more than 270 Timorese
civilians dead. The Indonesian troops carrying out the killing
were using U.S. supplied M-16 rifles. All military ties with
Indonesia were severed in September 1999 following the
Indonesian razing of East Timor. Meanwhile a new report from
the World Policy Institute has found that the U.S. is
routinely funneling military aid and arms to undemocratic
nations. In 2003 more than half of the top 25 recipients of
U.S. arms transfers in the developing world were defined as
undemocratic by the State Department. Recipients included
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait and Uzbekistan. [DN]

[12. NK] The LAT offers compelling evidence that Washington
may be headed for a showdown with North Korea over nuclear
weapons. [Slate] The US has sent 15 “stealth” fighters to
South Korea.

  ==========================================================  
  C. G. Estabrook
  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  109 Observatory, 901 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana IL 61801
  <www.newsfromneptune.com> <www.carlforcongress.org>  
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                 In everyone there sleeps
  A sense of life lived according to love.
  To some it means the difference they could make
  By loving others, but across most it sweeps
  As all they might have done had they been loved.
  That nothing cures.     --Philip Larkin
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