[Peace] News notes 2006-05-07

[Carl Estabrook]

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	Notes from last week's "global war on terrorism,"
	for the May 7, 2006, meeting of AWARE, the
	"Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort" of Champaign-Urbana.
	(Sources provided on request; paragraphs followed
	by a bracketed source are substantially verbatim.)
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	"The civilized have created the wretched,
	quite coldly and deliberately,
	and do not intend to change the status quo;
	are responsible for their slaughter and enslavement;
	rain down bombs on defenseless children whenever and wherever
	they decide that their 'vital interests' are menaced,
	and think nothing of torturing a man to death:
	these people are not to be taken seriously
	when they speak of the 'sanctity' of human life,
	or the 'conscience' of the civilized world."
	--James Baldwin (1976)

[1] WAR NEWS. Unidentified guerrillas shot down a British Lynx helicopter
in Basra on Saturday, killing 5 UK servicemen. The helicopter fell on a
house. An large, angry crowd of Shiites gathered to jeer, throwing stones
and Molotov cocktails at British troops who arrived at the scene to
recover the bodies. The British soldiers then opened fire on the Shiites,
killing at least 5, including 2 children, and wounding 28. One of the
British troops also got hit by shrapnel. While the identity of the group
that used a shoulder held missile to shoot down the helicopter is not
known, the angry crowd appears to have consisted of Sadrists ... Borzou
Daragahi of the LA Times, now the American reporter in Iraq with the best
finger on the pulse of the Shiites, presciently reported Saturday on the
growing anti-American and anti-Coalition sentiments in the Shiite south.
[He quotes a man from there saying] "There is an anger ... You can hear it
in the slogans at Friday prayers: 'Death to America.' ... They're burning
American flags. They're saying, 'The Americans won't leave except by the
funerals of their sons.'" [Meanwhile] An American helicopter crashed on
Saturday in Afghanistan, killing 10. [Cole]
	At least 17 people are dead after two car bombings today in
Baghdad and Karbala ... Over 3,800 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad alone were
killed between January and March, the LAT reports, relying on numbers from
the Baghdad morgue. The majority of the dead were Sunni Muslims, many of
whom were "hogtied and shot execution-style," apparently targeted in the
systematic sectarian violence that's plagued Iraq throughout 2006. [Slate]
	At least 13 people have died in an air assault by US forces in the
Iraqi city of Ramadi ... Ramadi, populated by Sunni Arabs, is considered
the most dangerous city in Iraq for US forces. US Commanders say there are
more attacks there than anywhere else in the country, with armed fighters
and American troops exchanging fire several times a day -- at least ...
The latest fatalities took the US military toll in Iraq since the March
2003 invasion to 2410, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon
figures. [AJ]
	The release of "captured outtakes" of a video purporting to show
that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is "a warrior leader ... who doesn't understand
how to operate his weapons system," leads to questions about why he has
been so hard to capture and why the U.S. military is telling him what it
knows. [Cursor]
	In a Los Angeles Times op-ed, Ronald Reagan's former NSA head,
retired Lt. Gen. William Odom, warns the U.S. to get out of Iraq now.
[Cursor]
	[Untroubled by contradiction,] the US government has called on
Iraq's neighbours to respect the country's territorial sovereignty, with
Turkey massing troops along its border with northern Iraq. [AJ]

[2] TORTURE NEWS. "Evidence continues to emerge of widespread torture and
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees held in U.S.
custody in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and other locations,"
according to a new report by Amnesty International.
	The United States on Friday defended its treatment of foreign
terrorism suspects held abroad [to] a U.N. committee ... Lobby groups
including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch this week again
accused the United States of mistreating detainees through cruel
interrogation methods including "water-boarding" -- a form of mock
drowning ... The United States is holding hundreds of al Qaeda and other
suspects, arrested since the September 11 attacks in 2001, at U.S.-run
detention facilities in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay ... The
committee will examine U.S. compliance with the Convention against Torture
for the first time since 2000 -- before September 11 and the United States
declared its war on terrorism. The U.N. panel began questioning the U.S.
delegation on issues including whether criminal responsibility for acts of
torture has been established in the chain of command and suspected
"extraordinary renditions" of prisoners -- the secret transfer of a
suspect to a country where they face torture ... Charles Stimson, deputy
U.S. assistant defense secretary, said there had been a total of 120
deaths of detainees in the Department of Defense control in Afghanistan
and Iraq... [Reuters]

[3] CIA = CORRUPTION IN AMERICA. CIA Director Porter Goss unexpectedly
resigns, as "A corruption scandal involving Republicans in Congress, CIA
officials, prostitutes on Capitol Hill, and defense contracts has begun to
spread." [Cursor] The CIA inspector general has opened an investigation
into the spy agency's executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, and his
connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of
Congress and Pentagon officials. [ABC] Since the "parties" were at the
Watergate Hotel (and involved a shady operation know as Shirlington
Limousine, with millions of dollars in DHS contracts), should it be called
"Hookergate"?  I think I prefer "Fornigate."
	A leading Republican came out against the front-runner for CIA
director, Gen. Michael Hayden, saying Sunday the spy agency should not
have military leadership during a turbulent time among intelligence
agencies ... Hayden would be "the wrong person, the wrong place at the
wrong time," said the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep.
Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich ... Members of the Senate committee that would
consider President Bush's nominee also expressed reservations, saying the
CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too
much power in the military for intelligence matters.  If Hayden gets the
nomination, military officers will run the major spy agencies in the
United States, from the National Security Agency to the Defense
Intelligence Agency.  The Pentagon already controls more than 80 percent
of the intelligence budget. [AP]
	As for the CIA, its operations will likely be rolled into the
neocon-controlled Pentagon soon after Gen. Michael V. Hayden, deputy
director of national intelligence and former commander of the Air
Intelligence Agency and director of the NSA, is installed as DCI of the
CIA. It should be noted that Hayden oversaw and has vigorously defended
the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program, as the New
York Times reported on May 6. Hayden also has a poor understanding of the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights, even though he has (according to the
Times) a stellar resume for a spy. Recall Hayden insisting there is no
such thing as probably cause contained in the the Fourth Amendment.  In
other words, not only should the Iranians worry about the appointment of
Hayden to the CIA, but Americans should worry as well. The fact the CIA's
charter states it will not engage in domestic surveillance and subversion
operations in America is sort of a long standing joke, as Operation Chaos
and other snoop ops have demonstrated over the years. [Nimmo]

[4] MEDIA MODULATION. After being characterized by the AP as having
'Heckled' Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern was
asked by CNN's Paula Zahn, "How much of an ax do you have to grind with
Secretary Rumsfeld?" [Cursor]
	A U.S. appeals panel challenged the Bush administration Friday
over new rules making it easier for police and the FBI to wiretap Internet
phone calls. One judge told the government its courtroom arguments were
"gobbledygook" and invited its lawyer to return to his office and "have a
big chuckle." The skepticism expressed so openly toward the government's
case during a hearing in U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia
emboldened a broad group of civil liberties and education groups who
argued that the U.S. improperly applied telephone-era rules to a new
generation of Internet services. [AP]

[5] THREATENING IRAN. [The liberal Israeli daily] Haaretz's chief U.S.
correspondent reassures readers that on Iran, there "is hardly any reason
to be suspicious that the Democrats aren't on the same page as the current
administration." [Cursor] US could attack Iran next month: Teheran's vow
to hand nuclear technology to its allies gives Bush [an excuse] to act.
[earlywarning.com] Bush said on Sunday that Iran has made "a specific
threat on a partner of the U.S. and Germany [sc. Israel]," during an
interview with German newspaper Bild. [IsraelNN.com]
	Iran would change its policies if asked to do so by the UN nuclear
monitor the IAEA, hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in Baku,
according to the translation of his comments, AFP reported.  BUT Iran
threatens not to recognize NPT if its rights not accepted : The nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has "no validity" if Iran's rights to carry
out peaceful nuclear research were not accepted, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said on Sunday.
	In July Iran will ditch the dollar in favour of the euro as the
currency in which it will accept payments for its oil and natural gas
exports, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Friday. Iran
plans to launch an oil bourse on the Gulf island of Kish within the next
two months. [AKI]
	The UN Security Council's draft resolution on Iran nuclear issue,
legally requiring Tehran to stop sensitive nuclear fuel work, needs to be
fundamentally changed, Russian news agencies quoted Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergei Kislyak as saying on Saturday. Many of the council's 15
members left the Saturday discussions acknowledging it would take a
miracle to agree on a text before Monday's arrival in New York of foreign
ministers of the council's five permanent members plus Germany. [AFP] [BUT
some argue that] the draft resolution on Iran's nuclear activities that
the United States, Britain and France presented to the United Nations
Security Council this week is designed to fail. [ICH]

[6] THE POODLE NIPS.  Election results leave Britain's Labour Party with
"its worst share of the vote since the Falklands war in 1982," and PM Tony
Blair fires his Foreign Minister, Jack Straw, apparently at the request of
the White House, because Straw had opposed attacking Iran.

[7] THREATENING LATIN AMERICA. In the Wall Street Journal's "heated
rhetoric" over Bolivia's nationalization of oil and gas may indicate where
U.S. policy is heading in Latin America. Meanwhile, Cuban, Venezuelan Aid
Streams Into Bolivia [Cursor]

[8] SHOW TRIALS. War In Context says that in the case of Zacarias
Moussaoui, "the government's miscalculation seems to have been in
overestimating the public's appetite for vengeance... and in
underestimating this jury's interest in applying the law." [Cursor]
	Michael Isikoff's analysis: (1.) When Moussaoui was captured,
there was some thought that he was centrally involved in the 9-11 plot.
(2.) Later it was discovered that he wasn't. (3.) It was decided to put
him on trial anyway, because we needed someone to try. (4.) The central
plotters (other than bin Laden) are all in U.S. custody, but they haven't
been tried and won't be tried. (5.) Top people on the President's staff
(Gonzales) and the Vice President's staff (Addington) decided to authorize
waterboarding and related methods of "aggressive interrogation" as applied
to the top plotters. (6.) Having tortured them, the Administration can't
now put them on trial without having their defense lawyers put the facts
about their maltreatment on the official record.
	In a Washington Post op-ed on 'How Not to Fight Terrorism,' law
professor David Cole writes that the U.S. government can't try the alleged
mastermind of 9/11 or the man said to be the real would-be 20th hijacker,
"because any such proceeding would turn into a trial of the United States'
own tactics in the war on terrorism." [Notably, the torture policy.]
[Cursor]
	Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter has delayed for one week a
vote on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals. Instead, a hearing will be held on Tuesday, with a committee vote
scheduled for next Thursday ... Since his last confirmation hearing, we
have learned about shocking policies crafted by the White House Office of
Legal Counsel. Americans deserve to know whether this nominee was involved
in crafting the arguments for those policies.
	A judge declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked Thursday on
whether a San Diego student lied about his associations with a Sept. 11,
2001, hijacker in the days after the terrorist attacks. The jury in
federal court in Manhattan could not decide whether Osama Awadallah, 25,
lied to a grand jury investigating the attacks after an old phone number
of his was found in a hijacker's car. [AP]
	Former Florida University professor Sami al-Arian was sentenced to
four years and nine months in prison on Monday for aiding the Palestinian
group Islamic Jihad. U.S. District Judge James Moody sentenced al-Arian to
the maximum 57 months in prison but gave him credit for 38 months he has
already served. He will have to serve the balance, 19 months, before being
deported, prosecutors said.  Al-Arian, 48, was arrested in February 2003
on charges he gave money and support to the group, which has been
designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. He was
acquitted on eight of the 17 charges against him last December after a six
month trial with three co-defendants. On April 14, al-Arian pleaded guilty
to a single count of conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad and agreed to be deported. In return, federal prosecutors
agreed to drop the remaining eight charges against him.  In his ruling,
Moody harshly criticized al-Arian for doing nothing to stop bombings
perpetrated by Islamic Jihad. "You lifted not one finger. To the contrary,
you laughed when you heard of the bombings," he said. "You are a master
manipulator. The evidence is clear in this case. you were a leader of the
PIJ." [Reuters]

[9] EXECUTIVE TYRANNY. The latest in a series of "largely ignored"
articles by the Boston Globe's Charlie Savage, details President Bush's
use of "signing statements" to declare himself unbound by "more than 750
laws enacted since he took office," [Cursor]
	The House Armed Services committee is reportedly considering
funding research for a "largely secret" Bush administration project to use
artificial stars, mirrors, and laser beams to "destroy enemy satellites in
orbit." [Cursor]
	Only 33% of Americans approve of President Bush's job performance,
the lowest of his presidency. An astonishing 45% of self-described
conservatives also disapprove of Bush.  A majority say they want Democrats
rather than Republicans to control Congress, 51% to 34%, including 31% of
conservatives.  73% describe the nation as "on the wrong track," including
60% of conservatives. [AP-Ipsos poll]
	Surprisingly little good news for the Democrats in the polls
despite the disintegration of the Bush regime. Possible reason: people see
it as Bush's - rather than the Republican Party's - fault. In any case,
either McCain or Guiliani would do better than Bush in 2000 or 2004
against the Democrats with our projections showing at least 322 electoral
votes going Republican and another 38 undecided. In the Democratic Party
Clinton remains the easy leader at both the national and the state levels.
SENATE: Still no breakthrough. The best the Democrats could do is pick up
four seats. In the worst case, they would lose two. HOUSE: The Democrats
could pick up 8 seats at best and lose one at worst based on available
polling. [prorev.com]
	The White House is now telling us that engineering a confrontation
with Iran is a key part of their plan to resuscitate the president's
dismal approval ratings in time to survive election day ... With respect
to what's coming on Iran, what is in order is a little honesty, just as
was the case with the Social Security debate a year ago. The only crisis
with Iran is the crisis with the president's public approval ratings.
Period. End of story. The Iranians are years, probably as long as a decade
away, and possibly even longer from creating even a limited yield nuclear
weapon. Ergo, the only reason to ramp up a confrontation now is to help
the president's poll numbers ... The period of peril the country is
entering into isn't tied to an Iranian bomb. It turns on how far a
desperate president will go to avoid losing control of Congress ... the
man is a laughing stock, whose lies and failures are all catching up with
him. To the president the Democrats should be saying, Double or Nothing is
Not a Foreign Policy ... Enough of the lies. Enough of the incompetence
and failure. No buying into another of the president's phony crises. [TPM]

[10] FECKLESS DEMOCRATS. Sen. Hillary Clinton is facing "fierce opposition
from within her own party," reports Joshua Frank, because she "supports a
continued occupation of Iraq," and "her stance on Iran isn't much better;
in fact, it may be worse." [Cursor]
	The Senate approved funding on Thursday for wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and hurricane-recovery efforts, ignoring President George W.
Bush's threat to veto the $108.9 billion bill as loaded with extra
spending he did not seek. By a vote of 78-20, the Senate approved an
emergency bill that would spend $14.4 billion more than Bush requested ...
The House of Representatives passed a bill in line with Bush's request and
the two chambers will try to work out their differences by the end of this
month ... The emergency bill would provide a new injection of nearly $66
billion the Pentagon says it needs by early summer to help replenish
combat equipment and recruit soldiers for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
... Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate
Appropriations Committee, complained that Bush's request did not provide
aid for a range of domestic disasters, including fatal coal-mine accidents
and farmers' crop losses. The Senate bill couples such funds to the
war-funding bill. [Reuters]
	Unfortunately, it was 21 right-wing Republicans (voting against
the other spending included in the bill). Not one Democrat voted against
the bill -- $71 billion more for war in Afghanistan and Iraq.  But the
Senate (including the Democrats) is looking out for our real interests:
	A Senate panel approved a measure on Thursday that would change
the Constitution to let Congress ban burning of the American flag ... The
measure passed the Senate Judiciary constitution subcommittee by a vote of
6 to 3. It must pass the Senate by a two-thirds majority and win the
support of at least 38 states within seven years before it takes effect
... The Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that flag burning is protected under
constitutional free-speech guarantees, invalidating laws in 48 states.
Since the measure has attracted 57 co-sponsors in the 100-member Senate,
it stands a strong chance of passing. The House of Representatives has
passed flag-burning amendments in each session since 1993. The measure
that cleared the House last year was sponsored by California Republican
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now serving an eight-year prison sentence
for accepting $2.4 million in bribes. [Reuters]
	Both houses of congress have now passed amendments banning
additional spending on permanent bases in Iraq. So, will a conference
committee undo the will of both houses behind closed doors? Will Bush
simply ignore Congress?  Will the bases be defined as non-permanent due to
eventual planned destruction through global warming?  Or will we actually
stop building military bases in Iraq? ... the Senate approved by voice
vote the Biden amendment No. 3855 barring spending of any funds in Title I
of the bill to establish permanent United States military bases in Iraq,
or to exercise United States control over the oil infrastructure or oil
resources of Iraq ... on March 16, the House adopted by voice vote the Lee
(D-CA) - Allen (D-ME) - Hinchey (D-NY) - Schakowksy (D-IL) a parallel
amendment barring permanent military bases in Iraq ... The Bush
administration will say it depends on the meaning of "permanent." The
Pentagon has repeatedly said they're not building permanent bases but
long-term ones. See the difference? [ADS]

[11] PROVIDING FOR THE GENERAL WELFARE. Paul Krugman cites as possible
reasons why "Americans are much sicker than the English," overwork and a
poorly designed health care system.
	A "quick about-face" on drug decriminalization by Mexico's
President Vicente Fox, reportedly followed "intense pressure from the
United States."

[12] FEW JOBS = STOCKS UP.  ABC's Dan Arnall reports, "The government says
U.S. companies added some 138,000 jobs during April -- less than
economists were expecting. March's number was revised downward by 11,000
jobs. The nation's unemployment rate remained steady at 4.7%.  Dow futures
ticked up significantly on the news, as traders believe slowing jobs
growth likely means an end to the Fed's two-year rate tightening run. It
could give us enough fuel to get to that new record Dow level
(11,722.98)."

[13] DOLLAR DECLINE. U.S. currency fell to an 11-month low versus the euro
Friday (4/29). Its also at a two-decade low against the Canadian dollar.
Last week's drop was the biggest decline in 4 months ... The WSJ reports:
"Analysts say the biggest beneficiaries of further dollar declines this
year are likely to be the yen and other Asian currencies, some of which
have been rallying since the fall. The Korean won, for instance, has
soared 11% against the dollar over the past six months and is back to
levels not seen since the 1997 currency crisis. The yen rose to 113.86 yen
last week versus the dollar, a six-month high ... A falling dollar could
mean bad news for the bond market because it can lead to inflation and
higher interest rates. While a weaker currency is beneficial for some
stocks because it makes their products overseas more competitive, many
companies also would face higher costs on goods from abroad."  Things to
watch for are weakening consumer staples (Wal-Mart), slowing foreign
capital flows into US investments, a new challenge for Asian exporters
(Sony, Toyota). Its a negative for Bonds, as a weak currency is
inflationary, and yield will have to rise proportionately to attract
overseas investors and make up for their currency risk ... On the strong
side: Material and energy sectors (Oil & Gold) US exporters and industrial
manufacturers (Boeing, General Electric, Caterpillar and John Deere),
Tourism and Travel to the US gets that much more attractive to Europeans
and Asians.

[14] ROBUST FORCES. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sent her
deputy to salvage Darfur peace talks in Nigeria on Monday and said it was
time to ... complete planning for a robust security force in Sudan's
western Darfur region. Rice said Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick
was going to Nigeria's capital, Abuja, to get rebel groups and Sudan's
government to bridge their differences and sign a deal she hoped would
ultimately be followed by a U.N. force going to Darfur. [Reuters]

	"Each of the Iraqi children killed by the United States
	was our child.
	Each of the prisoners tortured in Abu Ghraib
	was our comrade.
	Each of their screams was ours.
	When they were humiliated, we were humiliated.
	The U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq --
	mostly volunteers in a poverty draft
	from small towns and poor urban neighborhoods --
	are victims just as much as the Iraqis
	of the same horrendous process,
	which asks them to die for a victory
	that will never be theirs."
	--Arundhati Roy

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  C. G. Estabrook, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  109 Observatory, 901 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
  ### <www.carlforcongress.org> <www.newsfromneptune.com> ###
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