17 Jul 2008 13:13:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Updates with U.S. comment about raid in Herat)
KABUL, July 17 (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition troops killed eight Afghan civilians in an air strike in the western province of Farah during a Tuesday raid against suspected militants, the U.S. military said.
The acknowledgement came as reports of more civilian deaths caused by a fresh air raid by foreign forces emerged on Thursday from the neighbouring province of Herat. Read On
i wish we'd stop killing each other.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Chomsky: Bush & Cheney Always Saw Iraq As A Sweetheart Oil Deal
RINF.Com
Monday, July 14th, 2008
By Noam Chomsky
U.S. war planners want an obedient client state that will house major U.S. military bases, right at the heart of the world’s major energy reserves.
The deal just taking shape between Iraq’s Oil Ministry and four Western oil companies raises critical questions about the nature of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq — questions that should certainly be addressed by presidential candidates and seriously discussed in the United States, and of course in occupied Iraq, where it appears that the population has little if any role in determining the future of its country.
Negotiations are under way for Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners decades ago in the Iraq Petroleum Company, now joined by Chevron and other smaller oil companies — to renew the oil concession they lost to nationalization during the years when the oil producers took over their own resources. The no-bid contracts, apparently written by the oil corporations with the help of U.S. officials, prevailed over offers from more than 40 other companies, including companies in China, India and Russia.
“There was suspicion among many in the Arab world and among parts of the American public that the United States had gone to war in Iraq precisely to secure the oil wealth these contracts seek to extract,” Andrew E. Kramer wrote in the New York Times. Read On
Monday, July 14th, 2008
By Noam Chomsky
U.S. war planners want an obedient client state that will house major U.S. military bases, right at the heart of the world’s major energy reserves.
The deal just taking shape between Iraq’s Oil Ministry and four Western oil companies raises critical questions about the nature of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq — questions that should certainly be addressed by presidential candidates and seriously discussed in the United States, and of course in occupied Iraq, where it appears that the population has little if any role in determining the future of its country.
Negotiations are under way for Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners decades ago in the Iraq Petroleum Company, now joined by Chevron and other smaller oil companies — to renew the oil concession they lost to nationalization during the years when the oil producers took over their own resources. The no-bid contracts, apparently written by the oil corporations with the help of U.S. officials, prevailed over offers from more than 40 other companies, including companies in China, India and Russia.
“There was suspicion among many in the Arab world and among parts of the American public that the United States had gone to war in Iraq precisely to secure the oil wealth these contracts seek to extract,” Andrew E. Kramer wrote in the New York Times. Read On
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Impeach President Bush For Lying
Kucinich to Introduce New Article of Impeachment Against Bush
by Jason Leopold / July 10th, 2008
Dissident Voice
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich said he will introduce a single article of impeachment against President George W. Bush Thursday for “taking our nation and our troops to war based on lies.”
“We owe it to our troops who even at this hour stand as sentinels of America because they love this country and will give their lives for it,” Kucinich said in a prepared statement.
“What are we willing to do to match their valor and the valor of their successors? Are we at least willing to defend the Constitution from the comfort and security of our Washington, D.C. offices?”
Last month, Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush in the form of a privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution has priority status for consideration on the House floor. Once it is introduced, the resolution has to be brought to the floor within two legislative days, although the House could act on it immediately. Read On
by Jason Leopold / July 10th, 2008
Dissident Voice
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich said he will introduce a single article of impeachment against President George W. Bush Thursday for “taking our nation and our troops to war based on lies.”
“We owe it to our troops who even at this hour stand as sentinels of America because they love this country and will give their lives for it,” Kucinich said in a prepared statement.
“What are we willing to do to match their valor and the valor of their successors? Are we at least willing to defend the Constitution from the comfort and security of our Washington, D.C. offices?”
Last month, Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush in the form of a privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution has priority status for consideration on the House floor. Once it is introduced, the resolution has to be brought to the floor within two legislative days, although the House could act on it immediately. Read On
Ordinary Iraqis Face Dire Humanitarian Crisis After U.S. Troop Surge
Red Cross paints bleak picture of Iraq
Published: July 9, 2008 at 7:48 PM
UPI.com
BAGHDAD, July 9 (UPI) -- Internally displaced Iraqis, especially women and children, face a dire humanitarian situation, the head of the International Red Cross in Iraq said.
In an interview with the International Rescue Committee, Aidan Goldsmith, who heads the relief effort in Iraq, said the people of Iraq need more help than ever.
"It would not be a stretch to describe the situation for ordinary Iraqis as dire, and as time goes on, the circumstances are not improving," he said.
He categorized women and children as the most vulnerable of the Iraqi people, saying the educational and health facilities in Iraq are in decline, putting the social climate in a state of despair.
Many families in Iraq are afraid to send their children to schools. Children who do attend classes must attend in shifts, considering the lack of classroom capacity.
"We're really afraid that there's going to be a generation of children who missed out on primary and secondary education. That's going to have a major impact on Iraq's future recovery," he said.
Schools in northern Iraq are using fast-track programs to bring students up to speed, and Red Cross officials have assisted in the construction of new facilities in some of the Kurdish regions in northern Iraq to alleviate the sagging infrastructure, he said.
Published: July 9, 2008 at 7:48 PM
UPI.com
BAGHDAD, July 9 (UPI) -- Internally displaced Iraqis, especially women and children, face a dire humanitarian situation, the head of the International Red Cross in Iraq said.
In an interview with the International Rescue Committee, Aidan Goldsmith, who heads the relief effort in Iraq, said the people of Iraq need more help than ever.
"It would not be a stretch to describe the situation for ordinary Iraqis as dire, and as time goes on, the circumstances are not improving," he said.
He categorized women and children as the most vulnerable of the Iraqi people, saying the educational and health facilities in Iraq are in decline, putting the social climate in a state of despair.
Many families in Iraq are afraid to send their children to schools. Children who do attend classes must attend in shifts, considering the lack of classroom capacity.
"We're really afraid that there's going to be a generation of children who missed out on primary and secondary education. That's going to have a major impact on Iraq's future recovery," he said.
Schools in northern Iraq are using fast-track programs to bring students up to speed, and Red Cross officials have assisted in the construction of new facilities in some of the Kurdish regions in northern Iraq to alleviate the sagging infrastructure, he said.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Democratic-led Congress Helps Cover Up Bush Administration Crimes
Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com
Wednesday July 9, 2008 14:11 EDT
Congress votes to immunize lawbreaking telecoms, legalize warrantless eavesdropping
The Democratic-led Congress this afternoon voted to put an end to the NSA spying scandal, as the Senate approved a bill -- approved last week by the House -- to immunize lawbreaking telecoms, terminate all pending lawsuits against them, and vest whole new warrantless eavesdropping powers in the President. The vote in favor of the new FISA bill was 69-28.
Barack Obama joined every Senate Republican (and every House Republican other than one) by voting in favor of it,....Read On
Wednesday July 9, 2008 14:11 EDT
Congress votes to immunize lawbreaking telecoms, legalize warrantless eavesdropping
The Democratic-led Congress this afternoon voted to put an end to the NSA spying scandal, as the Senate approved a bill -- approved last week by the House -- to immunize lawbreaking telecoms, terminate all pending lawsuits against them, and vest whole new warrantless eavesdropping powers in the President. The vote in favor of the new FISA bill was 69-28.
Barack Obama joined every Senate Republican (and every House Republican other than one) by voting in favor of it,....Read On
Nancy Pelosi Perpetuates US Arrogance
Yesterday, more examples of disgusting U.S. arrogance and hypocrisy spewed from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Here's a blog entry she posted regarding Iraqi leadership's desire to remove foreign military forces from their country:
On Maliki’s Call for a Timetable on U.S. Troops Withdrawing from Iraq
July 8th, 2008 by Speaker Pelosi
President Bush refuses to heed the clear warnings of our military leaders about the harmful impact the war in Iraq is having on the readiness of our armed forces and our country’s ability to fight the real war on terrorism in Afghanistan and around the world.
A bipartisan majority in Congress—representing the wishes of the American people — supports a timetable for redeployment as an essential step in ending the Iraq war, refocusing on the real war on terrorism, rebuilding our military and reinvesting in job creation and other critical priorities here at home. The President has refused to even consider taking steps toward ending a war that has now cost more than 4,100 American lives, seriously wounded tens of thousands of our troops, and cost taxpayers trillions of dollars.
President Bush refuses to listen to Congress or the American people, but he cannot support Iraqi political reconciliation and security and ignore Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s call for a timetable for the withdrawal.
With a disturbing lack of concern for all of humanity, she says not a fucking word about the harmful impact the "war" (which, let's face it already, is really a hostile attempt to take control of a sovereign nation) has had on Iraq and Iraqis.
Shame on you, Nancy Pelosi! Shame on America!
On Maliki’s Call for a Timetable on U.S. Troops Withdrawing from Iraq
July 8th, 2008 by Speaker Pelosi
President Bush refuses to heed the clear warnings of our military leaders about the harmful impact the war in Iraq is having on the readiness of our armed forces and our country’s ability to fight the real war on terrorism in Afghanistan and around the world.
A bipartisan majority in Congress—representing the wishes of the American people — supports a timetable for redeployment as an essential step in ending the Iraq war, refocusing on the real war on terrorism, rebuilding our military and reinvesting in job creation and other critical priorities here at home. The President has refused to even consider taking steps toward ending a war that has now cost more than 4,100 American lives, seriously wounded tens of thousands of our troops, and cost taxpayers trillions of dollars.
President Bush refuses to listen to Congress or the American people, but he cannot support Iraqi political reconciliation and security and ignore Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s call for a timetable for the withdrawal.
With a disturbing lack of concern for all of humanity, she says not a fucking word about the harmful impact the "war" (which, let's face it already, is really a hostile attempt to take control of a sovereign nation) has had on Iraq and Iraqis.
Shame on you, Nancy Pelosi! Shame on America!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Holy Funk!
caught this band LIQUID SOUL live on the streets of chicago last sunday...most excellently funkadelic...must see!!
Iraqis Want Foreign Forces Out Of Their Country
Iraq insists on US withdrawal timetable-official
08 Jul 2008 20:32:07 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Ahmed Rasheed and Mohammed Abbas
BAGHDAD, July 8 (Reuters) - Iraq will not accept any security agreement with the United States unless it includes dates for the withdrawal of foreign forces, the government's national security adviser said on Tuesday.
But the government's spokesman said any timetable would depend on security conditions on the ground.
Their differences underscore the debate in Baghdad over a deal with Washington that will provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to remain when a U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year. Read On
08 Jul 2008 20:32:07 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Ahmed Rasheed and Mohammed Abbas
BAGHDAD, July 8 (Reuters) - Iraq will not accept any security agreement with the United States unless it includes dates for the withdrawal of foreign forces, the government's national security adviser said on Tuesday.
But the government's spokesman said any timetable would depend on security conditions on the ground.
Their differences underscore the debate in Baghdad over a deal with Washington that will provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to remain when a U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year. Read On
One-sixth of Iraq's residents displaced – UN
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Tuesday , 08 /07 /2008 Time 9:55:01
BAGHDAD, July 8 (VOI) – One-sixth of Iraq's residents are displaced inside and outside of the country, UN secretary general's representative, David Shearer, said on Tuesday.
Shearer referred to the necessity of enacted a national policy to deal with this issue.The Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Emigration said that the national policy aims at finding a permanent solution for emigrants and displaced people's problems.
"Iraq has faced big problems and difficulties, represented by violence and forced displacement, which has resulted in the displacement of one-sixth of Iraq's residents both inside and outside the country," Shearer said in a speech he made during the first conference pertaining to the national policy to treat displacement that was held in Baghdad.
He praised the governmental activities to restore 10,000 displaced people to their residential areas, in addition to helping 5,000 physicians to return to Iraq, according to statistics released by the Iraqi Immigration Ministry.
"These numbers are simple, and cannot be heavily relied upon, but at the same time mirror evidence of tangible security improvements," he added.He stressed the necessity of learning the obstacles and difficulties that prevent displaced families from returning home, and to search for frequent sources of support to them in all fields.
"Only the Iraqi government can present a solution for displaced people's problems by allocating funds in the budget, in addition to allocating funds to solve Iraqi emigrants problem world-wide," he noted.
"Iraq needs combined efforts, and the UN is part of the solution," he asserted.
During the conference that was held in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and attended by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI), Abdul-Samad Rahman Sultan, the Iraqi Immigration Minister, said "the conference aims at finding permanent solutions for displaced people's issue, and to provide an active, realistic, and comprehensive frame that responds to their demands."
"The displacement problem can be divided into two parts; before the toppling of the former regime, and after 2003 when the U.S. forces entered Iraq," he added."The former regime's wars with neighboring countries displaced around 1.2 million Iraqis over 40 years," he proceeded.
"The displacement's second stage took place after 2003, due to the invasion," he explained."The explosion at the al-Askariya shrine in Samara on February 22, 2006, displaced around 240,000 families of different Iraqi components inside Iraq," he noted.
Sultan stressed that his ministry, in coordination with other ministries, worked on obtaining a national policy to deal with displacement, which requires coordinated work of the ministries, governmental institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
He did not mention when this policy was obtained.
Tuesday , 08 /07 /2008 Time 9:55:01
BAGHDAD, July 8 (VOI) – One-sixth of Iraq's residents are displaced inside and outside of the country, UN secretary general's representative, David Shearer, said on Tuesday.
Shearer referred to the necessity of enacted a national policy to deal with this issue.The Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Emigration said that the national policy aims at finding a permanent solution for emigrants and displaced people's problems.
"Iraq has faced big problems and difficulties, represented by violence and forced displacement, which has resulted in the displacement of one-sixth of Iraq's residents both inside and outside the country," Shearer said in a speech he made during the first conference pertaining to the national policy to treat displacement that was held in Baghdad.
He praised the governmental activities to restore 10,000 displaced people to their residential areas, in addition to helping 5,000 physicians to return to Iraq, according to statistics released by the Iraqi Immigration Ministry.
"These numbers are simple, and cannot be heavily relied upon, but at the same time mirror evidence of tangible security improvements," he added.He stressed the necessity of learning the obstacles and difficulties that prevent displaced families from returning home, and to search for frequent sources of support to them in all fields.
"Only the Iraqi government can present a solution for displaced people's problems by allocating funds in the budget, in addition to allocating funds to solve Iraqi emigrants problem world-wide," he noted.
"Iraq needs combined efforts, and the UN is part of the solution," he asserted.
During the conference that was held in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and attended by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI), Abdul-Samad Rahman Sultan, the Iraqi Immigration Minister, said "the conference aims at finding permanent solutions for displaced people's issue, and to provide an active, realistic, and comprehensive frame that responds to their demands."
"The displacement problem can be divided into two parts; before the toppling of the former regime, and after 2003 when the U.S. forces entered Iraq," he added."The former regime's wars with neighboring countries displaced around 1.2 million Iraqis over 40 years," he proceeded.
"The displacement's second stage took place after 2003, due to the invasion," he explained."The explosion at the al-Askariya shrine in Samara on February 22, 2006, displaced around 240,000 families of different Iraqi components inside Iraq," he noted.
Sultan stressed that his ministry, in coordination with other ministries, worked on obtaining a national policy to deal with displacement, which requires coordinated work of the ministries, governmental institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
He did not mention when this policy was obtained.
Lacking Basic Services, Iraqis' Lives Go From Bad To Worse
Years on, Iraq Rebuilding Still Failing
Sunday, July 6, 2008
By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD — More than five years after the US-led invasion and despite billions of dollars dedicated to rebuild the country's war-torn infrastructure; Iraq reconstruction remains an unfinished job.
"Most of the infrastructure of Iraq today need urgent repair," Ali Azawi, a senior official at Iraq's Ministry of Reconstruction, told IslamOnline.net.
Years after the US invaded oil-rich Iraq in 2003, promising to turn it into a prosperous country with an improved standard of living, rebuilding remains largely a mirage.
According to US audits and international groups, there is little to show for the tens of billions of dollars spent over reconstruction in the past five years.
The US office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) said earlier this year that the Iraqi government was failing to take responsibility for rebuilding projects.
A recent report by Oxfam, a group of non-governmental organizations, and Iraqi NGOs concluded that at least eight million people in Iraq do not have access to basic essentials such as water, food, sanitation and shelter. Read On
Sunday, July 6, 2008
US-led Forces Bomb Afghani Wedding Party, Kill Women and Children
Claims of more Afghans killed in US-led strikes
06/07/2008 15h56
JALALABAD (AFP) - An Afghan district governor accused the US-led coalition of killing nearly two dozen civilians in an air strike on a wedding party on Sunday but the force insisted only militants died.
Witnesses who brought people they said were wounded in the attack to hospital in Jalalabad also told an AFP reporter that several people were killed and wounded in the strikes in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
But senior Afghan officials could not immediately confirm the claims of civilian casualties and the US-led coalition denied civilians were hit, saying "several" militants were killed.
The allegations could not be independently verified as the area, the Deh Bala district on the border with Pakistan, is remote and difficult to access.
It was the second time in days the force faced charges of high civilian casualties in strikes on militants with Afghan officials saying more than a dozen died in Nuristan province Friday, a claim also rejected by the coalition.
Deh Bala governor Hamisha Gul said 22 people were killed Sunday and several more wounded when the air strikes hit people gathered for a wedding.
"I confirm that 22 people, three of them men and 19 of them women and children, were killed," he told AFP. Gul said his information came from police and other officials he had dispatched to the area to investigate.
About 70 people, mostly women, were escorting a bride to meet her groom in traditional Afghan fashion, said a man from the area who gave his name only as Kerate.
"We were bombed. I couldn't figure out what had happened and I went unconscious. When I woke up, I saw lots of people killed and injured," he told AFP at the hospital in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. Read On
06/07/2008 15h56
JALALABAD (AFP) - An Afghan district governor accused the US-led coalition of killing nearly two dozen civilians in an air strike on a wedding party on Sunday but the force insisted only militants died.
Witnesses who brought people they said were wounded in the attack to hospital in Jalalabad also told an AFP reporter that several people were killed and wounded in the strikes in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
But senior Afghan officials could not immediately confirm the claims of civilian casualties and the US-led coalition denied civilians were hit, saying "several" militants were killed.
The allegations could not be independently verified as the area, the Deh Bala district on the border with Pakistan, is remote and difficult to access.
It was the second time in days the force faced charges of high civilian casualties in strikes on militants with Afghan officials saying more than a dozen died in Nuristan province Friday, a claim also rejected by the coalition.
Deh Bala governor Hamisha Gul said 22 people were killed Sunday and several more wounded when the air strikes hit people gathered for a wedding.
"I confirm that 22 people, three of them men and 19 of them women and children, were killed," he told AFP. Gul said his information came from police and other officials he had dispatched to the area to investigate.
About 70 people, mostly women, were escorting a bride to meet her groom in traditional Afghan fashion, said a man from the area who gave his name only as Kerate.
"We were bombed. I couldn't figure out what had happened and I went unconscious. When I woke up, I saw lots of people killed and injured," he told AFP at the hospital in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. Read On
Surveillance State Rising, Civil Liberties Eroding
Taste of Chicago crowd being watched while they eat
Police testing high-tech observation platform
By Russell Working
Chicago Tribune reporter
9:44 PM CDT, July 5, 2008
A crowd gathered Saturday at Grant Park's Buckingham Fountain to watch a magician pull a coconut out of his derby.What might come as a surprise was that someone was probably watching the watchers via a nearby high-tech observation platform used by Chicago police.
The SkyWatch, which resembles a lifeguard tower on wheels, is being tested at the Taste of Chicago. The towers are used at the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Guantanamo Bay and the U.S.-Mexico border, according to their manufacturer, ICX Technologies of Arlington, Va.
The tower provides a 360-degree view, allowing police to see and quickly respond to problems that might develop in the crowd."Radio communication from sky to ground is also a benefit because it allows the officer to communicate quickly with the troops on the ground, providing them with descriptions and locations" of incidents, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
SkyWatch is equipped with infrared capability, surveillance equipment, lighting and a PA system, Bond said."We are evaluating its effectiveness as a crime-fighting strategy," she said.
Chicago police said the equipment is on loan. The Army recently bought 22 towers for $14 million for bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, the company said.
Though it's unlikely the tower would help in the investigation of Thursday night's shootings near the festival, it could offer more security for an event that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a day. Officials said they were beefing up the number of uniformed and plainclothes officers at the festival because of the shootings.
Though much of Saturday's crowd seemed aware of the increased police presence, people appeared more focused on the food and drink.
"I've noticed more [police] horses here than last year. .. . . I didn't see many at all [last year]," said Adam Greenawalt, 26, of Goshen, Ind.
Evelyn Bonner, 41, of Florida and Fred Felton, 42, of the South Side were wandering around the festival in a happy daze Saturday after getting engaged the previous night. Felton said he wasn't impressed by "all the gadgets and bicycles and footmen and high towers.""I think what they need is more footmen walking around," he said.
Back by Buckingham Fountain, Robert Brown, 20, of Chicago glanced up at the darkened windows of the observation tower."We're being watched," he said. "That's good, I guess."
rworking@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-tastejul06,0,4450885,print.story
Police testing high-tech observation platform
By Russell Working
Chicago Tribune reporter
9:44 PM CDT, July 5, 2008
A crowd gathered Saturday at Grant Park's Buckingham Fountain to watch a magician pull a coconut out of his derby.What might come as a surprise was that someone was probably watching the watchers via a nearby high-tech observation platform used by Chicago police.
The SkyWatch, which resembles a lifeguard tower on wheels, is being tested at the Taste of Chicago. The towers are used at the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Guantanamo Bay and the U.S.-Mexico border, according to their manufacturer, ICX Technologies of Arlington, Va.
The tower provides a 360-degree view, allowing police to see and quickly respond to problems that might develop in the crowd."Radio communication from sky to ground is also a benefit because it allows the officer to communicate quickly with the troops on the ground, providing them with descriptions and locations" of incidents, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
SkyWatch is equipped with infrared capability, surveillance equipment, lighting and a PA system, Bond said."We are evaluating its effectiveness as a crime-fighting strategy," she said.
Chicago police said the equipment is on loan. The Army recently bought 22 towers for $14 million for bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, the company said.
Though it's unlikely the tower would help in the investigation of Thursday night's shootings near the festival, it could offer more security for an event that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a day. Officials said they were beefing up the number of uniformed and plainclothes officers at the festival because of the shootings.
Though much of Saturday's crowd seemed aware of the increased police presence, people appeared more focused on the food and drink.
"I've noticed more [police] horses here than last year. .. . . I didn't see many at all [last year]," said Adam Greenawalt, 26, of Goshen, Ind.
Evelyn Bonner, 41, of Florida and Fred Felton, 42, of the South Side were wandering around the festival in a happy daze Saturday after getting engaged the previous night. Felton said he wasn't impressed by "all the gadgets and bicycles and footmen and high towers.""I think what they need is more footmen walking around," he said.
Back by Buckingham Fountain, Robert Brown, 20, of Chicago glanced up at the darkened windows of the observation tower."We're being watched," he said. "That's good, I guess."
rworking@tribune.com
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-tastejul06,0,4450885,print.story
Thursday, July 3, 2008
UN envoy rips US violations in Iraq, Guantanamo, Afghanistan
Rapporteur condemns rights abuses at home, too
By Inter Press Service Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Thalif Deen Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS: After a two-week fact-finding tour of US prison and detention facilities, a UN human rights investigator has blasted the administration of President George W. Bush for a rash of shortcomings in the country's flawed justice system and continued violations of the rule of law.
Unleashing a stinging barrage of attacks, Professor Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions, singles out the existence of racism in the application of the death penalty in the United States, and the lack of transparency in the deaths of prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility housing suspected terrorists.
Alston, a professor at the New York University School of Law and an outspoken critic of human rights abuses worldwide, also complains about the non-availability of information on civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the refusal of the US Justice Department to prosecute private security contractors who commit unlawful killings.
During his 14-day tour of the United States at the invitation of the administration, he met with federal and state officials, judges and civil society groups in New York, Washington DC, Alabama and Texas. Read On
By Inter Press Service Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Thalif Deen Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS: After a two-week fact-finding tour of US prison and detention facilities, a UN human rights investigator has blasted the administration of President George W. Bush for a rash of shortcomings in the country's flawed justice system and continued violations of the rule of law.
Unleashing a stinging barrage of attacks, Professor Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions, singles out the existence of racism in the application of the death penalty in the United States, and the lack of transparency in the deaths of prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility housing suspected terrorists.
Alston, a professor at the New York University School of Law and an outspoken critic of human rights abuses worldwide, also complains about the non-availability of information on civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the refusal of the US Justice Department to prosecute private security contractors who commit unlawful killings.
During his 14-day tour of the United States at the invitation of the administration, he met with federal and state officials, judges and civil society groups in New York, Washington DC, Alabama and Texas. Read On
ACLU Uncovers More Truth About The Human Cost of Iraq War
ACLU Releases Navy Files On Civilian Casualties In Iraq War (7/2/2008)
Public Has A Right To Unfiltered Information About The Human Cost Of War, ACLU Says
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today released thousands of pages of documents related to Navy investigations of civilians killed by Coalition Forces in Iraq, including the cousin of the Iraqi ambassador to the United States. Released today in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the ACLU filed in June 2006, these records provide a vivid snapshot of the circumstances surrounding civilian deaths in Iraq.
"At every step of the way, the Bush administration and Defense Department have gone to unprecedented lengths to control and suppress information about the human cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Nasrina Bargzie, an attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "Our democracy depends on an informed public and that is why it is so important that the American people see these documents. These documents will help to fill the information void around the issue of civilian casualties in Iraq and will lead to a more complete understanding of the prosecution of the war." Read On
Grateful Dissident encourages you to support the ACLU:
Click Here to get latest news from ACLU.
Click Here to Join the ACLU.
Public Has A Right To Unfiltered Information About The Human Cost Of War, ACLU Says
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today released thousands of pages of documents related to Navy investigations of civilians killed by Coalition Forces in Iraq, including the cousin of the Iraqi ambassador to the United States. Released today in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the ACLU filed in June 2006, these records provide a vivid snapshot of the circumstances surrounding civilian deaths in Iraq.
"At every step of the way, the Bush administration and Defense Department have gone to unprecedented lengths to control and suppress information about the human cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Nasrina Bargzie, an attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "Our democracy depends on an informed public and that is why it is so important that the American people see these documents. These documents will help to fill the information void around the issue of civilian casualties in Iraq and will lead to a more complete understanding of the prosecution of the war." Read On
Grateful Dissident encourages you to support the ACLU:
Click Here to get latest news from ACLU.
Click Here to Join the ACLU.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Bulldozing People
All over the headlines this morning is horrific news about a Palestinian who went on a rampage and killed people with a bulldozer.
I'm wondering why horrific news about Israelis discriminately bulldozing thousands of peoples' homes doesn't make the headlines. Here's more on that subject from Amnesty International and from Human Rights Watch.
Since 1967, over 18,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed by Israelis compared to 0 (zero) Israeli homes destroyed by Palestinians. View the source for that statement and other important information about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict here: http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
I'm wondering why horrific news about Israelis discriminately bulldozing thousands of peoples' homes doesn't make the headlines. Here's more on that subject from Amnesty International and from Human Rights Watch.
Since 1967, over 18,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed by Israelis compared to 0 (zero) Israeli homes destroyed by Palestinians. View the source for that statement and other important information about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict here: http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Peaceable Assembly Restricted, 1st Amendment On Its Way Out
DNC protests will be behind fence
By Felisa Cardona The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 06/30/2008 11:46:49 AM MDT
The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court today.
That may allow protestors to be seen and heard by delegates going in and out of the Pepsi Center during the convention.
But the American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions.
The ACLU has said it wants to avoid the conditions that existed during the 2004 convention in Boston, where protesters were caged, infuriating First Amendment advocates.
The first phase of the lawsuit asked the court to compel the city and the Secret Service to disclose the information on protest restrictions.
During today's hearing before Judge Marcia S. Krieger, the attorney for the groups, Steve Zansberg, said the city and the Secret Service had provided the information sought in Phase One.
The second phase of the lawsuit will address whether the restrictions are unconstitutional. Zansberg also represents The Denver Post on First Amendment issues, though the paper is not a party in this dispute.
The groups agreed to go to trial on those issues on July 29 and the judge will visit the site the night before to assess the restrictions.
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
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