The US inches ever closer to attacking Iran

Saturday, September 30, 2006

News for 09-29-06

09-29-06 - US judge backs Halliburton on Iraq overtime claim U.S. District Court Judge Melinda Harmon agreed with Halliburton's contention that, although the Pentagon contract called for overtime wages to be paid in Iraq, U.S. laws governing military contracts allow only workers employed inside the United States to be given the overtime pay


09-29-06 - House Approves Warrantless Wiretap Law


09-29-06 - Military official: Iranian millions funding insurgency The official, who asked to remain anonymous, briefed reporters Wednesday about the conflict in Iraq.....Some of the equipment is of the same type that Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shiite militia, used against Israeli forces in Lebanon during the summer, the official said.

Mm k.


09-29-06 - U.S. Military to Investigate Deadly Airstrike on Home Four men and four women were killed in the predawn clash at a house in Baqubah, a center of insurgent fighting 35 miles north of the capital.


09-29-06 - Many Rights in U.S. Legal System Absent in New Bill


09-29-06 - Iran rules out suspending nuclear activities Iran has said there was no reason to suspend its nuclear activities, maintaining a tough line despite talks with the European Union aimed at persuading Tehran to halt uranium enrichment.


09-29-06 - Report: Troops left Iowan under fire


09-29-06 - UN: Israel used precision bomb to hit UN officers While there was speculation Israel may have been targeting Hizbollah positions near the Khiam post, Holl Lute said there was no Hizbollah firing coming from near the outpost.


An Irish army officer in south Lebanon warned Israeli forces six times that its strikes threatened the lives of the four observers, Ireland's Foreign Ministry said.


09-29-06 - Bush 'concealing Iraq violence' Veteran US journalist Bob Woodward has claimed that the true extent of insurgent attacks in Iraq has been hidden by the administration.


09-29-06 - US Senate backs terror trial bill The US Senate has passed controversial legislation endorsing President George W Bush's proposals to interrogate and prosecute foreign terror suspects.


09-29-06 - Iran mulled nuclear bomb in 1988


09-29-06 - Rushing Off a Cliff The Bush administration uses Republicans? fear of losing their majority to push through ghastly ideas about antiterrorism that will make American troops less safe and do lasting damage to our 217-year-old nation of laws ? while actually doing nothing to protect the nation from terrorists. Democrats


09-29-06 - Tooth a key clue in UN probe into Hariri killing Brammertz called the tooth "extremely important." In a report released this week, he said it showed a "distinguishing mark ... rarely seen among people from Lebanon." "That tooth has SYRIAN markings, I's just knows it!": John Bolton.


09-29-06 - Carter: U.S. in more danger of terrorism


09-29-06 - House approves Iran Freedom Support Act "It would be a critical mistake to allow a regime with a track record as bloody and as dangerous as Iran to obtain nuclear weapons," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., sponsor of the measure. "Enough with the carrots. It's time for the stick." Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, one of Israel's top agents on Capitol Hill. She cares about as much for Iranian freedom as she does for that of the Palestinians.


09-29-06 - Americans favor diplomacy on Iran: Reuters poll One in four respondents, 26 percent, said they supported the use of U.S. ground troops in Iran, while 70 percent opposed it. Nine percent favored air strikes on selected military targets in Iran


09-29-06 - Iraq's Kurds threaten secession over oil rights


09-29-06 - Missing From the NIE: Afghanistan The media missed the real story regarding the National Intelligence Estimate of the global terror threat. It's not what's in the declassified executive summary of the report ? Iraq, which was unavoidable ? it's what's absent from it ? Afghanistan, where the Taliban are making a frightening and bloody comeback.


09-29-06 - Ministers break taboo of criticising Bush Mr Straw added that there were people in the US administration in 2003 who wanted to invade Iraq "in any event" but he did not believe Mr Bush was one of them


09-29-06 - Don't rewrite U.S. history to explain Iraq mess But this nugget of truth came amid a flood of retrospective reinvention in which Rice equated the war in Iraq with the civil rights struggle of the 1960s ? and left me wondering whether I was hearing polished sophistry or a case of total denial.


09-29-06 - Iraq war threatens the Gulf, report says Wait til we attack Iran.


09-29-06 - Document: Pakistan agency backs al-Qaeda A leaked document accuses Pakistan's intelligence agency of indirectly supporting terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and calls on Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to disband the agency. Pakistan has nukes, folks.


09-29-06 - Congressmen say Iraq war weakens military response to other crises Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Reps. John Murtha, D-Pa., and Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, warned that because funding for the military has been siphoned off to pay for the war, the Army and Marines are running dangerously short of the necessary troops, equipment and training to stay combat ready.


09-29-06 - Congress chronicles Abramoff's contacts The draft report of the House Government Reform Committee said the documents - largely Abramoff's billing records and e-mails - listed 485 lobbying contacts with White House officials over three years, including 10 with top Bush aide Karl Rove.




09-29-06 - Israel backs off plan to kill Nasrallah Israel has quietly backed off its plan to assassinate Hezbollah's leader because of the international condemnation that his killing would create, the Israeli daily Maariv reported Friday. To get around that, they'll Hariri-ize him.


09-29-06 - Judge may have stymied Abramoff probe


09-29-06 - GOP Slanders Dems With 'Anti-Israel' Ads President Bush, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and many other Republicans have certainly been reliable friends of Israel. But they have been no better friends than the great majority of Democratic leaders - including former president Bill Clinton, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi - all of whom are unwavering supporters of the Jewish state. The real issue here is the fact that both parties put the interests of Israel over the interests of the American people.


09-29-06 - 'Israel Lobby' Caused War in Iraq, September 11 Attacks, Professor Says Later, in response to a question from the audience, Mr. Mearsheimer claimed that the "animus to the United States" of Qaeda terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed "stemmed from U.S. foreign policy toward Israel." In fact, Us Policy on Israel Key Motive for Effort, according to the findings of the 911 Commission. Americans are not to know this though.


09-29-06 - U.N.-Israel encounter highlights discord Alexander Ivanko, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force, said French peacekeepers "observed an Israeli violation of the Blue Line" ? the U.N.-demarcated line between Lebanon and Israel......Tobacco farmer Moussa Obeid had similar concerns.




"It is not clear yet what these U.N. troops will do to protect us from the Israelis," he said, pointing to the Israeli position. "This is occupation. Look how close they are to us."



09-29-06 - Israel Sends in the Clowns - Debating the Lobby in Manhattan Indyk and Ross showed up in fighting trim, and Slaughter threw them a slow soft one in her first question: Was the Mearsheimer-Walt paper anti-Semitic? Well, more or less, yes, was the predictable answer from Israel's defense bench.
This proves one of the points of the study in the first place.


09-29-06 - Iran farmers fear possible sanctions


09-29-06 - Military Intelligence: Syrian Front Now Cause for Concern Each week, members of the Israeli Defense Ministry flip a coin to determine which nation is the biggest threat and thus will be the next target of US condemnation: "Iran, Syria. Iran, Syria. Syria it is!"


09-29-06 - German navy will help Lebanese army: Merkel


09-29-06 - Dems: Iran sanctions act diluted According to a comparison document circulated by Democrats, the new version removes sanctions on offshore subsidiaries of U.S. companies that deal with Iran.


09-29-06 - Children face perils of bomblets in Lebanon


09-29-06 - U.N. says Israel blocked investigators A U.N. official said Israel never sufficiently explained why it kept bombing the base. "We do not have a satisfactory answer as to why those attempts failed," said the official, who spoke anonymously because the report was confidential. "The Israelis are fully aware of our position on this incident



09-29-06 - Swiss team tours country to assess needs Switzerland has pledged an additional $4.5 million to assist the Palestinian people living in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip


09-29-06 - Syria threat over Golan puts Israel on war alert Israeli reports have revealed that the threat level had been raised after intelligence assessments that Damascus is "seriously examining" military action. Riighht. With US forces across the border in Iraq, Syria isn't going to commit national suicide by striking Israel. Chicken Little's at it again.


09-29-06 - Democrats hit back after ads claim GOP is for Israel supporters "There is a longstanding tradition of bipartisan support by both Democrats and Republicans for Israel, which we cherish and for which we are grateful," said David Siegel, the embassy spokesman. "The special relationship between Israel and the United States is deep and profound, based on shared values which transcend party lines in both countries." Which is why there is a need for AIPAC, among other powerful pro-Israel lobbies?....


09-29-06 - Al-Qaeda brands Bush 'a failure'


09-29-06 - Abramoff, Rove discussed Israel One confirmed contact, however, was when Abramoff secured hard-to-get tickets for Rove to a college basketball game. At the game, Abramoff, who is Jewish, discussed Israel with Rove, according to an e-mail account by Abramoff.



09-29-06 - Jewish state presses bid to dictate UNIFIL's rules of engagement Occupiers want peacekeepers to disarm hizbullah fighters


09-29-06 - Russia Wants Some of U.S. Uranium Market


09-29-06 - Lebanon's children: the true victims of the civilized world's disregard during Israel's attacks


09-29-06 - Rattling the Cage: The big con about Iran It means being prepared for a much bigger war than the US has been fighting in Iraq for the last 3-1/2 years, and counting. America won't do it. No way on earth. With the US so hopelessly out of its depth in Iraq, the American people will as soon let Bush start a war in Iran as they'd let him bring back the draft, which would be necessary to fight such a war. So forget it. America might be up for a quick little in-and-out operation, something like it did in Granada or Panama, but that's not a military option with the likes of Iran.
And what is Israel going to do?


09-29-06 - Marwahin, 15 July 2006: The anatomy of a massacre The Israelis had been firing at all vehicles on the roads of southern Lebanon for three days - they hit dozens of civilian cars as well as ambulances and never once explained their actions except to claim that they were shooting at "terrorists".


09-29-06 - As Kurd and Arab clashes surge, a third war is looming in Iraq it is the Kurdish determination to allow Kurdish majority areas in the rest of northern Iraq, notably Kirkuk, to join the KRG that is leading to a deepening conflict between Arabs and Kurds on the ground.
Oil-rich Kirkik.


09-29-06 - Bush issues Yom Kippur greetings In holiday greetings, President Bush said Jewish observance of Yom Kippur makes the world a more peaceful place.


09-29-06 - Sadat's widow says Israeli-Palestinian peace would curb terror Madame Jehan Sadat says the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is the core of the war on terror. She says the U-S should convince Israel to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and get the two sides together to make peace.


09-29-06 - The Great Debate at Cooper Union Last Night Rashid Khalidi was the emotional life of the debate. He spoke of the lobby in more sweeping terms than Mearsheimer; he conveyed in a way no one else was able the ways in which the pro-Palestinian view is suppressed in the American scene

Friday, September 29, 2006

News for 09-28-06

09-28-06 - Iran-EU nuclear talks 'positive' but no accord


09-28-06 - Britain distances itself from terror report Britain's Ministry of Defence on Wednesday distanced itself from an intelligence report published by the BBC that said the U.S.-led war in Iraq had fuelled Muslim radicalism around the world.


09-28-06 - Canada's top Mountie apologizes to deported man The head of Canada's federal police force offered an unprecedented public apology on Thursday to a man who was deported by U.S. agents to Syria after the Mounties mistakenly labeled him an Islamic extremist.


09-28-06 - UN leader race heats up; U.S. wants quick decision U.S. Ambassador John Bolton pushed on Wednesday for a quick resolution to the race to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary-general, a move that could favor a South Korean front-runner.


09-28-06 - Beirut may file UN complaint over Israel's failure to withdraw And for the last two days, Israeli forces have been erecting checkpoints in a village in southern Lebanon to search vehicles and check passengers' identities according to Lebanese sources. "The Israeli troops are erecting checkpoints, stopping people as well as Lebanese and foreign journalists," said the Lebanese senior military official. "This is not acceptable, these are part of provocations and pressures by the Israelis to negotiate security measures and rules of engagement," he said.


09-28-06 - UN, Israeli tanks in brief face-off in south Lebanon Standing some 50 meters from each other, the tanks were locked in a 20-minute face-off, the first between the Israeli army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been boosted to oversee the current truce.
The French tanks then withdrew from the area, as observers of the UN Truce Supervision Organisation deployed in the area. Israeli soldiers confiscated the identity cards of photographers at the scene, claiming they may give pictures of the Israeli military to militants of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
Is it only a matter of time before Israeli forces fire on UN forces (again)?


09-28-06 - Senate Passes Detainee Bill Sought by Bush The bill would create military commissions to prosecute terrorism suspects. It also would prohibit blatant abuses of detainees but grant the president flexibility to decide what interrogation techniques are legally permissible.


09-28-06 - Bin Laden is alive and hiding in Afghanistan, insists Musharraf General Musharraf has been in a verbal duel with President Karzai over Pakistan?s role in the War on Terror, with the Afghan leader accusing it of allowing cross-border operations by Taleban from tribal areas


09-28-06 - Israeli cluster bomb kills 1 child, wounds 3 near Marjayoun The four children were playing in a field in the region of Marjayoun when a bomblet exploded, killing one and wounding the others, the source told AFP


09-28-06 - They're Back - An Iran contra-era fabricator and his associate appear to have opened a new channel to Washington. U.S. intelligence sources surmise that the agency taking Ghorbanifar?s associate?s information is not the CIA, but the Pentagon, most likely the Defense Intelligence Agency.


09-28-06 - House passes homeland security cooperation The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which lobbied for the bill, said its passage would allow the United States "to leverage the anti-terrorism expertise of our leading allies in the global war against terror. It provides a framework for expanded homeland security collaboration and creates increased opportunities for the United States and Israel to work together to address the common terrorist threat."


09-28-06 - Israeli PM leaves it understood he met Saudis


09-28-06 - Lebanon leader excluded at summit Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has been excluded from a summit of French-speaking nations in Romania.


09-28-06 - More drama over 'controversial' opera production After cancellation: fears of violence by Muslims, then debate over freedom of speech, religious tolerance.


09-28-06 - Oliver Stone Says He is 'Ashamed for My Country' "I think that conspiracy-mongering on 9/11 is a waste of time," he said. "The far greater conspiracy occurred after 9/11 when basically a neo-cabal inside our government hijacked policy and went to war. That was as broad a conspiracy as we can get and it was about 20, 30 people. That's all, they took over and all these books are coming out and they are pointing it out," said Stone. Right on, Mr. Stone.


09-28-06 - Congress releases $25 million for homeland security The U.S. Congress released $25 million in homeland security funds to protect nonprofits....Most of the $25 million allocated in 2005 went to Jewish organizations for improving security.



09-28-06 - Lebanese border village eagerly awaits Israeli pullout Three weeks ago, the young woman came home, with her three daughters, her disabled husband and her parents-in-law to find their house bombarded and vandalized, and her tobacco fields nearly all dried to the roots


09-28-06 - U.S. to press UNIFIL on 'robust' mandate U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed unhappiness with reports that the expanded U.N. force in Lebanon is reluctant to set up roadblocks and check vehicles to keep Hezbollah, the terrorist group that launched this summer?s war with Israel, from rearming.



09-28-06 - House approves funds for missile interceptor Such appropriations, considered defense investments, are separate from the $2.8 billion Israel gets annually in U.S. assistance


09-28-06 - Israelis boost Britain Almost two in three Israelis consider British Prime Minister Tony Blair a "true friend of Israel," the poll found.


09-28-06 - Author's 'J curve' puts new spin on world's politics


09-28-06 - Lugar says vote on nomination unlikely before Senate recess Chafee wants the administration to restrain Israel from expanding settlements in Palestinian areas on the West Bank. Bolton, as U.S. ambassador, has taken a strong and visible role in across-the-board support for Israel.


09-28-06 - Israel does not expect another imminent fight with Hezbollah: Olmert For the price of ceasing its vicious onslaught against the Lebanese people as a whole, Israel is betting on the UN to do their work (neutralizing Hezbollah) for them.


09-28-06 - Syria defies U.S. threat, still backs Hamas, Hizbollah "If the U.S. administration is serious about combating terrorism then it should play a constructive role in pushing forward the peace process on the basis of U.N. resolutions 242 and 338," The UN resolutions, passed decades ago, emphasize the inadmissibility of acquiring territory through war, call on Israel to withdraw from Arab land it has occupied since 1967 and call for negotiations to reach a "just and durable peace" in the Middle East


09-28-06 - U.N. shifts from aid work to rebuilding in Lebanon The United Nations declared an end on Thursday to the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon caused by the Israeli-Hizbollah war and said it planned to shift its resources to rebuilding the war-shattered area.


09-28-06 - Israel explains trepidation over Lebanon On Thursday, an Israeli armored vehicle and two jeeps crossed the border and tried to penetrate into Lebanese territory when U.N. French peacekeepers blocked their path, said an Associated Press photographer who witnessed the incident. The Israelis retreated after a brief standoff, but the incident highlights the lingering tensions along the border. Ahh. So that's why the Israeli army confiscated the identity cards of those photographers, per an earlier article.


09-28-06 - House approves Iran sanctions The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which led lobbying for the act, praised its passage. A lot of Israel-friendly goings on on Capitol Hill today. See my post from the 09-26 news batch about Israel's newest wishlist. Mission accomplished (for now)!


09-28-06 - House suspends Israeli contract tainted by Abramoff The U.S. Congress suspended a contract with an Israeli wireless firm because of its ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
House finally got one right.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

News for 09-27-06

09-27-06 - U.S. May Hold Off on Iran Sanctions The Bush administration said Wednesday it was willing to defer seeking U.N. sanctions against Iran for a few weeks if there is a chance for a diplomatic resolution of a long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear programs.


09-27-06 - Report: Tehran willing to secretly halt enrichment


09-27-06 - Poll: Iraqis back attacks on U.S. troops The State Department poll found that two-thirds of Iraqis in Baghdad favor an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces, according to The Washington Post.


09-27-06 - EU to probe bank data monitoring by U.S European data protection officials agreed Tuesday to investigate further allegations that a Belgian-based company's sharing of confidential banking records with U.S. authorities for anti-terror probes could have violated EU laws.


09-27-06 - U.S. did not threaten to bomb Pakistan: Armitage Washington did not threaten to bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" after the September 11 attacks but a Pakistani official may have distorted U.S. resolve to press Islamabad for help, a former U.S. diplomat said on Monday.


09-27-06 - Bin Laden 'Not Our Priority'


09-27-06 - John Bolton and US Lawlessness At the United Nations, he represents the neoconservatives who stand for everything that is hated about America ? to paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so few made so much disaster for so many.


09-27-06 - Judge to Weigh Evidence in CIA Leak Case The hearing, which could last several days, will help establish what classified information is relevant to the case against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.


09-27-06 - Congress Bans Funding for Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq The U.S. Congress this week finalized legislation that bars funding to construct permanent military bases in Iraq, and states definitively that it is the policy of the United States government not to exercise control over Iraq?s petroleum resources.


09-27-06 - Hariri killing 'linked to 14 other attacks' "There may have been more than one motivating reason," it said, adding the crime could have been committed by one group, or "a well-defined or disparate collection of individuals or groups joined together". Mark Turner, United Nations


09-27-06 - Rice says she would not back gas embargo on Iran


09-27-06 - Bush and Clinton Teams Debate Pre-9/11 Efforts Hillary Clinton pointed to the intelligence memo presented to Bush in August 2001. "I'm certain that if my husband and his national security team had been shown a classified report entitled 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States,' he would have taken it more seriously than history suggests it was taken by our current president and his national security team," she said


09-27-06 - EU and Iran go into nuclear talks


09-27-06 - Syria cooperating to prove innocence in Hariri murder: FM


09-27-06 - Merkel warns against bowing to fear of Muslim violence Christianity is routinely denigrated -in the West in particular. Strange though, how nobody is allowed to bash that OTHER religion that isn't being mentioned. It also needs to be said that Merkel is a known Israel-defender. Folks like that are doing all that they can these days to inflame the Muslim world. The individual responsible for publishing the anti-Muslim cartoons in the Danish newspaper was known to be enthralled by Daniel Pipes, a neocon.


09-27-06 - Family disputes U.S. raid on Iraqi house


09-27-06 - Lebanon accuses Israel of stealing border river waters Mohammad Ghamlush, the engineer heading the Wazzani river pumping systems, told AFP the Israeli army sabotaged the water pumps on the river last week and installed a pipe to pump hundreds of cubic meters to Israel....In a region where water is scarce, the issue may have dramatic consequences. and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has opened an investigation.


09-27-06 - Marines charged over Iraq killing Three US marines are to be tried by a military tribunal for the alleged murder of an Iraqi civilian, the US military has said in a statement.


09-27-06 - More US Hispanics drawn to Islam


09-27-06 - Siniora: IDF presence in Lebanon 'mother of all ills'


09-27-06 - Russia in threat to turn off gas to US giants The apparent snub to American interests is further evidence of increasing tension between Washington and Moscow over trade and the willingness of the Kremlin to use its energy resources as a political lever.


09-27-06 - Iran seen borrowing nuclear strategy from Israel In developing its nuclear program Iran is using strategies that allowed its enemy Israel to assemble the Middle East's only atomic arsenal without admitting it had one, according to a leading expert on the Israeli program.


09-27-06 - IDF: Troops can shoot Lebanese stone-throwers if lives threatened Cabinet ministers at Wednesday's weekly meeting were outraged over a protest Friday in which several dozen yellow-clad Hezbollah supporters on the Lebanese side of the border threw stones at soldiers on the Israeli side of the border. Some of the ministers criticized the army for not responding to the violent protest.


09-27-06 - Web Of Terror As ordinary people without any connection to terrorist organizations are swept up into George Bush?s war, there are three specific cases that should be carefully watched as especially troubling bellwethers.


09-27-06 - Calls rise for ban on cluster bombs "The Israeli Defense Forces have some explaining to do about the military necessity of firing so many cluster munitions into populated areas with the cease-fire in sight," said Mark Hiznay, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch.


09-27-06 - Children's Bodies Found Months After Attack


09-27-06 - Anti-boycott language in Oman agreement President Bush signed a free trade agreement with Oman that includes language barring boycotts of Israel.


09-27-06 - House resolution calls for Lebanon force The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging Lebanon to allow international troops along its border with Syria Why is this a matter for American legislators?


09-27-06 - Peres: Assad Sr. missed chance on Golan Vice premier says if Bashar Assad's father, former Syrian president Hafez Assad, came to Camp David, ?I can promise you the Golan Heights would have been in Syrian hands for years now?


09-27-06 - WASHINGTON OUT OF TOUCH WITH ANGER OF ARAB WORLD, SYRIAN MINISTER TELLS UN He asserted that the people of the region are angered by the denial of their sovereign national rights. Summing up the collective sentiment, he said: "We want an end to the Israeli occupation of our lands in Palestine, Lebanon and the Golan. We want to recover all our usurped rights. We want the flow of American weapons to Israel, which are sowing death and destruction, to stop. We refuse hegemony over our resources and interference in our affairs."


09-27-06 - Hezbollah construction wing leaves gov?t in the dust


09-27-06 - Saudis Plan Border Fence With Iraq The pro-Israeli crowd is all up in arms over the Saudi fence proposal. The point they continue to have trouble with is this: there's nothing wrong with building a fence provided you build it on your own land. Israel built its fence or wall such that it confiscates large swaths of Palestinian land. This is a violation of international law. Our government is poised to build a fence along the border with Mexico. Do you think that we will steal large swaths of Mexican land in the process? Doubtful. That's the difference between America and Israel (one of many).


09-27-06 - Analysis: Clinton eyes roots of terrorism He pledged to dedicate his remaining days in office to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wider issue of the Occupied Territories, "because peace in the Middle East is a defeat for terrorism."


09-27-06 - Israel Navy eyeing new US warship The Israel Navy inched a step closer to receiving a next-generation coastguard vessel over the weekend when Lockheed Martin launched the USS Freedom, which is slated to join the US Navy, at the Marinette Marine Shipyard in Wisconsin.

News for 09-26-06

09-26-06 - Army Warns Rumsfeld It's Billions Short


09-26-06 - US insists any Iranian enrichment suspension must be verified The United States noted "hopeful" signs from Iran, on the eve of Tehran's latest nuclear talks with Europe, but warned sanctions were still on tap if diplomacy fails


09-26-06 - Iraq war 'cause celebre' for terror: US intelligence report The Iraq war is a "cause celebre" swelling the ranks of Islamist terrorists, who are likely to grow in numbers for the next five years, according to declassified US intelligence findings.


09-26-06 - EU, Iran close to deal for nuclear talks: report The report said Iran had agreed to suspend uranium enrichment for 90 days so additional talks could be held with European states. However, an Iranian nuclear official was quoted by an Iranian news agency denying such suspension plans.


09-26-06 - Army investigates Afghan prison deaths


09-26-06 - Russian fuel to be sent to Iranian plant ** once the fuel is delivered to Bushehr, new International Atomic Energy Agency requirements will come into force, including greater surveillance of the reactor operations. That would make an attack of Bushehr - for example, by U.S. or Israeli forces - much less likely, he said, since IAEA inspectors would have more access to the facilities.



09-26-06 - Depleted Uranium Measured in British Atmosphere from Battlefields in the Middle East Extensive video news footage of the 2003 Iraq war, including Fallujah in 2004, provided irrefutable documented evidence that the US has unethically and illegally used depleted uranium munitions on cities and other civilian populations. These military actions are in direct violation of not only the international conventions, but also violate US military law because the US is a signatory to The Hague and Geneva Conventions and the 1925 Geneva Gas Protocol.


09-26-06 - Media Tall Tales ** The Sept. 25 edition of Time magazine illustrates how the U.S. news media are gearing up for a military attack on Iran.


09-26-06 - PM: Bush won't allow nuclear Iran ** Olmert's assessment is at odds with those inside the intelligence community who argue that the US president is too over-extended in Iraq and Afghanistan, and too politically weak at home, to take military action against Teheran.


09-26-06 - Concern over Middle East nuclear plans Both Turkey and Egypt have also signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This bans the further spread of nuclear weapons among member states.


09-26-06 - Two terror cases expose Bush's double standard In sending Arar - whom a Canadian government commission recently cleared of any terrorist ties - to Syria, the Bush administration had good reason to know he would be brutalized. Rice : "We shall sanction Syria for making us look bad! That's IT!"


09-26-06 - Rice evokes possible new sanctions against Syria The United States is hoping to convince its allies to back new sanctions against Syria in response to its purported role in destabilizing Lebanon and Iraq and supporting the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. Overheard in Condi's office last night, "Ok ok. So the Hariri report did not implicate Syria. Hmm. We can't use that to sanction them. Wait! We can always fall back on the 'destabilizing' trick! Yeh yeh!"


09-26-06 - US troop presence keeps neighbors from invading Iraq: Talabani Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that the US military presence in Iraq keeps neighbors from invading his country.


09-26-06 - Bush orders public release of Iraq intelligence report


09-26-06 - Beware the NIE If the war in Iraq is producing hundreds, or thousands, or millions of recruits for Osama bin Laden, well, where are they? .....It?s a mistake, and a dangerous one, to confuse anti-Americanism with terrorism. Even states that militantly oppose U.S. policy in the Middle East, such as Iran and Syria, haven?t used terrorist proxies against us. Violent insurgencies, such as Hezbollah and Hamas?along with Islamist insurgencies in Pakistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Algeria and the Philippines?haven?t attacked us, either.


09-26-06 - Coming Soon: Gulf War III **


09-26-06 - Israel's lethal bomblets keep 200,000 Lebanese away from homes


09-26-06 - Golan heights an 'integral part" of Israel: PM Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called the occupied Golan Heights an integral part of Israel and said he would never hand it back to Syria. The Golan Heights - one of the territories unlawfully seized and 'settled' by Israel.


09-26-06 - Russia, Iran agree power station launch date Russia and Iran have signed an agreement setting next September as the deadline for the launch of the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power station.


09-26-06 - Unexploded bomblets hinder S. Lebanon recovery: U.N. Up to a million unexploded cluster bomblets from Israel's war with Hizbollah are now the biggest threat to civilians in south Lebanon, where they litter streets, homes and orchards, U.N. agencies said on Tuesday....Clarke said Israel had also yet to provide detailed information on the amounts of cluster bombs fired or the coordinates of the strikes, which would help munitions clearance teams identify the main areas on which to focus their efforts. Again, this is likely due to the fact that the maps would show mainly civilian areas.


09-26-06 - Why Bush Will Nuke Iran **


09-26-06 - Consult America before Iran war ** Early this year, Israel was warning that if Iran was not stopped by March 2006, it would be too late. Iran by then would have acquired the knowledge and experience needed to build nuclear weapons. The neoconservatives, too, have been demanding "Action this day!" and were stunned by Bush's statement at the United Nations that America does not oppose Iran's acquisition of peaceful nuclear power.
Check this news batch for a similar flashback to last year.


09-26-06 - From Sept. 2005: Israel: Iran may be 6 months from bomb know-how ** Iran may be as little as six months away from completing the know-how to build a nuclear bomb, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Monday.


09-26-06 - Lebanon: We need missiles against IAF aircraft Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr says his country's army will respond if Israel violates ceasefire after IDF's withdrawal. Murr meets with his Belgian counterpart, asks to equip Lebanese army with antiaircraft missiles in order to hit Israeli aircraft Even before the July 12th abduction of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, Israel was routinely and provocatively violating Lebanese air space (as well as Syria's on occasion).


09-26-06 - Beckett defends Lebanon policy "She skidded over troubled waters. She implied that we did all we could to obtain a ceasefire over Lebanon. This was not true,"


09-26-06 - Saudis deny secret Israel contact Israeli media said Saudi and Israeli had discussed the Saudi peace initiative and Iran's nuclear programme. That's all Saudi royalty needs is to admit they met with the Israeli government. Not going to happen.


09-26-06 - Russia Selling Iran Missiles to Protect Bushehr Nuclear Reactor ? Source Russian diplomatic and industry sources said Moscow has been negotiating to sell Iran a range of anti-aircraft systems to protect Bushehr from Israeli or U.S. air strikes.


09-26-06 - Olmert says Israel will not accept a nuclear Iran "Israel can't accept the possibility of Iranians having nuclear weapons and we will act together with the international forces, starting with the Americans, in order to prevent it," Olmert told The Jerusalem Post daily in an interview. "starting with the Americans, in order to prevent it," We've got our hands full already, thanks to the neocons/AIPACers.


09-26-06 - IDF: Sorties will continue over Lebanon


09-26-06 - Israel Intended to Assassinate Nasrallah After Ceasefire


09-26-06 - Israeli to address Congress Some of the issues expected to be raised are Iran's support for Hezbollah, the militia's status and influence in Lebanon following the 34-day war with Israel, its widely viewed Al-Manar television station and its activities in Africa, Asia, South America and the United States. Congress will receive Israel's newest wish list.


09-26-06 - Illinois buys $10 million in Israel Bonds The Illinois state treasurer, Judy Baar Topinka, announced Monday that it would be part of the state?s $25 million in foreign investment for 2006. More money for Israel.


09-26-06 - Washington out of touch with anger of Arab world, Syrian minister tells UN


09-26-06 - Hizbullah moving rockets to Palestinian camps Hizbullah has been transporting rockets and heavy weaponry to Palestinian camps in south Lebanon just a few miles from the Israeli border, according to Lebanese officials. Another article by World Net Daily's Aaron Klein. The 'facts' therein should be taken with a grain of salt.


09-26-06 - IDF withdrawal from stalled until UNIFIL role spelled out In the IDF the view is that after the withdrawal is completed, if Israeli soldiers along the border fence feel threatened and the peacekeeping forces do not deal with the situation, the soldiers will be entitled to defend themselves. However, the UN view of the role of UNIFIL is that of a police force, which will only fire if it is fired upon, in an act of self-defense.


Tuesday, September 26, 2006

News for 09-25-06

09-25-06 - Iran warns it can finish nuclear plant without Russia "In the event that the Russian contractor proves incapable of completing the Bushehr project, Iran is ready to finish it itself,"


09-25-06 - Iraq war fuels Islamic radicals: retired U.S. general The views of retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste buttressed an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, which intelligence officials said concluded the war had inspired Islamist extremists and made the militant movement more dangerous.


09-25-06 - White House admits Iraq fuels extremism


09-25-06 - Hariri death probe turns up new leads


09-25-06 - Iraq tours stretched for 4,000 US troops: Pentagon The US Army will lengthen tours in Iraq for 4,000 soldiers to maintain the US troop level there at 145,000 until next spring, the Pentagon said.


09-25-06 - Tests show Hariri killed by truck bomb Brammertz' predecessor as chief of the investigation, Germany's Detlev Mehlis, had said the killing's complexity suggested the Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role in Hariri's assassination. Yet Brammertz shied away from making any such claims. Speaking of car/truck bombings in Lebanon : "On May 26 this year, two officials of Islamic Jihad - Nidal and Mahmoud Majzoub - were killed by a car bomb in the Lebanese city of Sidon. This was widely assumed in Lebanon and Israel to be the work of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. In June, a man named Mahmoud Rafeh confessed to the killings and admitted that he had been working for Mossad since 1994." From August.


09-25-06 - Man deported to Syria had no link to terror, Canada told U.S. WASHINGTON When the United States sent Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured for months, the deportation order stated unequivocally that Arar, a Canadian software engineer, was a member of Al Qaeda. But a few days earlier, Canadian investigators had told the FBI that they had not been able to link him to the terrorist group


09-25-06 - Senate Intelligence Panelists Want Terror Report Declassified Bush administration officials including Negroponte are contesting the media accounts, saying they describe only a portion of the conclusions and therefore distort the analysts' findings on trends in global terrorism.


09-25-06 - Hariri 'killed by suicide bomber' However US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said the latest report did not mean Syria was in the clear.


09-25-06 - Crisis Is Upon Us Neocons seek maximum chaos and instability in the Middle East in order to justify long-term U.S. occupation of the region. Following this line of thought, neocons would regard the loss of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf as a way to solidify public support for the war. American anger at the Iranians could even result in support for a military draft in order to win "the war on terror."



09-25-06 - Presbyterians talked to Ahmadinejad
Earlier this year, the U.S. Presbyterian Church replaced a 2004 call for divestment from Israel with a policy of peaceful investment in Israel, the Gaza Strip and West Bank. The Israeli lobby has clearly worked on the Presbytarians.


09-25-06 - Israeli PM met top Saudi figure Saudi Arabia and Israel have a common interest: the containment of Iran which is a threat to both nations.


09-25-06 - U.N. troops wary of attack in Lebanon And just who is most likely to attack UN troops in Lebanon, mm?


09-25-06 - Israel pullout from Lebanon on track for this week: UN Israeli troops are still occupying 10 areas of south Lebanon from which the last soldiers are due to withdraw by the end of this week -- seven days later than first planned -- a senior UN official said.


09-25-06 - Address Palestinian issue to fix Iraq: Musharraf Nahh. That'd be too easy.


09-25-06 - Bush seeks private US aid for Lebanon Why private?


09-25-06 - Iran's gulf of misunderstanding with US In the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US, there were some tentative steps. In Iran, vast crowds turned out on the streets and held candlelit vigils for the victims. Sixty-thousand spectators respected a minute's silence at Tehran's football stadium.



09-25-06 - Israel shrugs off Syrian overtures An official from the Israeli prime minister's office reiterated Israel's existing position, saying that 'conditions have not yet ripened' for negotiations with Syria, the Ha'aretz Daily reported. He meant to say : "We have yet to get the US to slap Syria around a little bit. THEN the conditions would be ripe!"


09-25-06 - Pope says Christians, Muslims must reject violence No bias there. K.


09-25-06 - Israel Deploys Nuclear Weapons against Iran "Israeli policy is likely to change, in order to demonstrate that the country has continued strategic superiority,"..."There must be a deterrent policy that will leave no room for misunderstandings," he added. "Thus, for example, we would make it clear that the identification of any missile launched from Iran in a westerly direction means, as far as we are concerned, the launch of an Iranian nuclear missile at us."
In other words, if Ahmadinejad sneezes, there's a good chance he'll get a nuke up his arse?


09-25-06 - McCain wants Bolton confirmed quickly


09-25-06 - Mel Gibson Criticizes Iraq War While Promoting Film in Texas


09-25-06 - Pope stresses respect for Muslims


09-25-06 - Israel Police admitted into Interpol Israel?s representative, Major-General Yohanan Danino, head of the Israel Police's investigations and intelligence, surveyed Israel?s police operations at the assembly, saying that 70 percent of Israel's international operations occur in Europe, and not in Asia.


09-25-06 - McGreevey's Israeli 'lover' denounces book The truly strange part is how and why McGreevey's Israeli lover found himself the director of Homeland Security for New Jersey.


09-25-06 - Poll: Europeans view extremism as cause of Middle East tension A new poll has found that public opinion in the major European countries is prepared to view the conflict between extremists and moderates as the cause of tension and wars in the Middle East, instead of seeing Israel's policy as the cause of problems in the region.


09-25-06 - Osama bin Laden, R.I.P.?


09-25-06 - LEBANON: Children play to tackle war trauma


09-25-06 - Muslim Scholar Barred by U.S. Denies Support for Terrorism Mr. Ramadan, who has been a vocal critic of the United States over the war in Iraq and its support for Israel, received a visa in 2004, but the United States later revoked it on advice from the Department of Homeland Security, which gave no reason for its decision.

Monday, September 25, 2006

News for 09-24-06

09-24-06 - US spy agency CIA paid Pakistan for al-Qaeda suspects: Musharraf The US Central Intelligence Agency paid Pakistan millions of dollars for handing over more than 350 suspected al-Qaeda terrorists to the United States, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly said.


09-24-06 - New US intelligence report says terror theat worse because of Iraq: reports The findings contained in the National Intelligence Estimate appear to be in stark contradiction with recent claims by President George W. Bush and other top administration officials that victory in Iraq is the key to winning the global war on terror.


09-24-06 - Iran ready to negotiate 'everything' if US changes approach: Ahmadinejad Asked if Iran was willing to take any steps to suspend uranium enrichment, Ahmadinejad responded to the Post: "We think that the American politicians should change their attitudes. If they think that by threatening Iran they'll have results, they are wrong."


09-24-06 - 'No evidence' of Bin Laden death The Saudi government has denied a French newspaper report saying France's secret services believe Osama Bin Laden is dead.


09-24-06 - Feds seek to block Oregon spying case


09-24-06 - 'Threats' to Venezuelan minister provoke war of words with US Predictably, the American version of events was somewhat different. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees airport security screening in the US, denied that Mr Maduro had been mistreated.


09-24-06 - Solana, Iran have weeks to agree on talks: France French President Jacques Chirac said on Saturday he was optimistic a negotiated solution could be found to the standoff over Iran's plans for nuclear development.


09-24-06 - US senators deny war triggers terrorism Senior Republicans in the United States are playing down a secret report that has found the war in Iraq has increased the global terrorist threat.


09-24-06 - US army?s kill-kill ethos under fire In a paper published by the institute last week, British Perspectives on the US Effort to Stabilise and Reconstruct Iraq, he notes: ?The perception of the British military, many independent observers and almost every Iraqi interviewed is that the US military continues to employ excessive force in Iraq.?


09-24-06 - New Anthrax Theory Offered FBI Scientist Says Little Expertise Needed



09-24-06 - Critics say bill on detainee interrogation will not prevent torture


09-24-06 - After the war, Hizbullah reevaluates the deployment of up to 15,000 foreign troops and another 15,000 Lebanese soldiers into south Lebanon, as well as tightened restrictions at Lebanon's sea and land entry points, suggests that Hizbullah will be unable to revive its well-entrenched military presence along the border with Israel, casting into doubt a future role for its vaunted military wing.....One example, apparently under serious consideration by Hizbullah, is how to retaliate against Israel's violations of Lebanese airspace. UNIFIL has recorded more than three dozen violations by Israeli aircraft since the cease-fire came into effect. "We have reported them to the UN Security Council. What more can we do? Shoot them down?" says UNIFIL spokesman Alex Ivanko.


09-24-06 - Thousands hear call to disband Hezbollah Mr Geagea, who served 11 years in prison for crimes he committed as a leader of the LF militia in Lebanon's civil war, has called for Hezbollah to disarm.


09-24-06 - Egypt slams West for blocking resolution on Israeli nuclear arms In a news release on Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit slammed what he described as double standards and discriminatory policies on the part of Western countries.


09-24-06 - Lebanon's Nasrallah emerges as idol post war


09-24-06 - Failure of resolving Palestinian issue aggravates anger among Arabs: Egypt's FM Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Sunday that failure to resolve the Palestinian issue was fuelling the feelings of anger and frustration in the Arab region, the official MENA news agency reported.


09-24-06 - War saddles Palestinians with even more burdens "Whatever affects the Lebanese affects the Palestinians, given that they are residing in this country," she adds. "But the Palestinians also lack coping mechanisms. Any emergency affects them even more than other groups, as the Palestinians in Lebanon are vulnerable by definition."


09-24-06 - U.S. to blame for attack on its embassy - Syria's Assad "This seems to have been the background of the attack, a reaction to America's policy in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan," Assad was quoted by Der Spiegel weekly as saying.


09-24-06 - Lebanese army beefs up border posts ahead of Israel pullout


09-24-06 - Assad says US foreign policy breeds terrorism


09-24-06 - Analysts Say US Image Slipped in Lebanon After Israel-Hezbollah War Jawad Boulos is a Christian member of the Lebanese parliament. He says, before the conflict, many Lebanese looked up to the United States as the defender of freedom and the protector of human rights. But, he says, Washington?s decision to deliver an existing order of sophisticated bombs to Israel during the war tarnished that image. America's foreign policy can best be summed up by the following two words: "Israel first!"

Sunday, September 24, 2006

News for 09-23-06

09-23-06 - Blair 'turned blind eye to Iraq intelligence' in Bush meeting A note of a private meeting between Mr Blair and President Bush in January 2003 shows that Tony Blair failed to confront Mr Bush when he claimed Saddam Hussein had tried to buy aluminium tubes for nuclear weapons production. Mr Blair did not contradict the President despite having received "private briefings" which indicated that the aluminium tubes were more likely to be for conventional weapons, according to the new edition of a book by the international lawyer Philippe Sands published tomorrow


09-23-06 - U.S. can't confirm bin Laden death report: official The U.S. government is unable to confirm a French newspaper report that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is believed to have died last month in Pakistan, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Saturday.


09-23-06 - More war veterans suffering from stress Contributing to the higher levels of stress are the long and often repeated tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq, troops also face unpredictable daily attacks and roadside bombings as they battle the stubborn insurgency.




09-23-06 - New York City?s Reservists Are Asked to Return Iraq Pay


09-23-06 - Nuclear talks with Iran may start without U.S. Citing unnamed German diplomatic sources, weekly Der Spiegel said the goal of this new strategy would be to lure Tehran to the negotiating table to discuss a package of incentives offered by six world powers in June in exchange for a suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment program.


09-23-06 - U.S. "very concerned" by Russian steps on Shell Casey said he was not aware of any actions taken against U.S. companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. but said Russia's actions on Shell "cast doubt" on its willingness to keep its international commitments, including promises made at the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg in July.


09-23-06 - As Crazy as It Sounds ** So far, the Bush administration has eerily followed the exact same pattern it used to justify the attack against Iraq. Bush keeps insisting, without a shred of evidence, that Iran, despite its denials, is seeking nuclear weapons. Remember how he kept insisting that Iraq had huge stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction?


09-23-06 - US-Iran Shootout Is Inevitable ** As the Bushies see it, they need to "do something" to "correct" the current balance of power which has been shifting in favor of Iran (thanks to US policies, that is).


09-23-06 - Armitage denies threatening to send Pakistan "back to the Stone Age"


09-23-06 - U.S.-Pakistan relationship getting shaky


09-23-06 - Not coming soon: US troop cuts in Iraq


09-23-06 - UN report: Torture in Iraq 'totally out of hand'


09-23-06 - Nationwide Actions 'Declare Peace', Raise Pressure on Congress A nationwide civil disobedience campaign aiming to force the administration of President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress to end the military occupation of Iraq is now in full swing.


09-23-06 - Syria key to stability in Mideast: Peretz "Every war creates opportunities for a broadened political process ... We must establish talks with Lebanon and prepare the conditions for a dialogue with Syria," Peretz said. Peretz easing concerns about a conflict with Syria?


09-23-06 - Bush Presses Israel in Apparent Bid to Maintain Anti-Iranian Front Uzi Arad, who advised former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is still close to the head of the rightwing opposition Likud party, told the Forward that if Israelis agree - as they should - that all efforts ought to be devoted to stopping Iran's nuclear quest, then "it would be wise to adopt a slightly more flexible policy toward the Palestinian issue." He added that "there is much that could be done" to engage with the Palestinians, short of making significant concessions. Same thing happened in the run-up to the Iraq war.


09-23-06 - Lebanese troops deploy on border


09-23-06 - Bush names delegation to help Lebanon reconstruction


09-23-06 - More Bush Diplomacy


09-23-06 - The Bushes & the Truth About Iran Having gone through the diplomatic motions with Iran, George W. Bush is shifting toward a military option that carries severe risks for American soldiers in Iraq as well as for long-term U.S. interests around the world. Yet, despite this looming crisis, the Bush Family continues to withhold key historical facts about U.S.-Iranian relations.


09-23-06 - A global crisis of understanding Gove also rewrites history when he alleges it was the "appeasement" of the Palestinians represented by the Oslo peace process that encouraged Al-Qaeda to launch the 9/11 attacks. In fact it was the violent repression that followed Israel's unilateral ending of peace talks that formed the backdrop to the attacks.....Throughout Gove's book, neocon myths are reheated and served up, despite being long discredited, most recently by the 2005 CIA report just released by the Senate Committee on Intelligence. Anyone that tells you that we were attacked on 911 for 'our freedom', is either grossly misinformed or a liar.


09-23-06 - Video: Buchanan and Mclaughlin laugh as Bush declares victory


09-23-06 - Video: Buchanan on Israel


09-23-06 - Lebanon's divided Christians feel rudderless


09-23-06 - Abandoned pets to go to U.S. sanctuaries Some 300 homeless dogs and cats, many left behind by owners who fled Lebanon during the Hezbollah- Israel war, will be heading to new sanctuaries in the United States for adoption, an animal rights activist said Friday.


09-23-06 - From the New "Anti-Semitism" to Nuclear Holocaust How Israel is Engineering the "Clash of Civilizations"


09-23-06 - Video: Buchanan on Ali G It is funny.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

News for 09-22-06

09-22-06 - Libby plans to testify in CIA leak trial Prosecutors oppose the use of many documents, saying Libby is trying to torpedo the case by demanding information that is too sensitive to be released at trial. The tactic they described, known as "graymail," is used to get a case dismissed.


09-22-06 - Iran warns of 'lightning' response to any attack Iran has warned Western powers the armed forces would hit back "like lightning" against any attack as it crowed over its military prowess and showed off firepower at a major army parade.


09-22-06 - War Signals? ** First word of the early dispatch of the "Ike Strike" group to the Persian Gulf region came from several angry officers on the ships involved, who contacted antiwar critics like retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner and complained that they were being sent to attack Iran without any order from the Congress......Colonel Gardiner, who has taught military strategy at the National War College, says that the carrier deployment and a scheduled Persian Gulf arrival date of October 21 is "very important evidence" of war planning. The October surpise?


09-22-06 - $70B OK'd for Iraq and Afghan war funds House-Senate negotiators Thursday approved a new $70 billion infusion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as they wrapped up talks on a $447 billion Pentagon funding bill.


09-22-06 - Senior intel official: Pentagon moves to second-stage planning for Iran strike option **


09-22-06 - China, Russia shun U.S.-hosted Asia security talks U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill told reporters the United States did not see China and Russia's decision not to attend the meeting as a snub. "They did not say it was for policy reasons," he said, adding that seven other countries had been there.


09-22-06 - Suspending enrichment unacceptable, says Iranian cleric An influential Iranian cleric says Iran will not halt uranium enrichment work, calling it an unacceptable precondition set by six world powers for talks over the country's atomic activities


09-22-06 - Iraqi Kurds deny receiving training from former Israeli commandos "This information is baseless," Mm k.


09-22-06 - Pentagon: Able Danger Couldn't Stop 9/11


09-22-06 - The Armitage effect - Star prosecutor Fitzgerald faces tough battle in CIA leak probe


09-22-06 - Syria-bound ship free to go but not defence cargo The managers of the vessel told Reuters the pipes were loaded in China. They also said the ship?s charterer was state-owned China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO).




09-22-06 - Coping with an Iran with Nuclear Ambitions


09-22-06 - Déjà Vu on Iran? ** Which brings us to the media and Congress. Each will have to be far more discriminating and diligent than it was the last time around. No automatic transmission belt. No rubber stamp. No forgetting.
I would not bet on that.


09-22-06 - Israel quits two more Lebanese border points: UN


09-22-06 - West bars Arab bid at IAEA to rap Israel atom "threat" "The (Western) blocking manoeuvre is astonishing when innocent blood has not yet dried in Lebanon,"


09-22-06 - New book reveals FBI did not suspect Pollard ties to Israel The publication of the book, with reviews and testimonies from U.S. Navy veterans and other security experts, is indicative of the bitterness still felt over how Israel betrayed the United States and the "colossal" damage Pollard caused to U.S. national security.....Former president George Bush told Olive in 2005 that Pollard "belongs just where he is, in jail. You do know there are a lot of people trying to get him out. That really burns me out." ......According to Olive's calculations, when Pollard is released, he will receive $3.6 million in compensation from Israel Read that last bit again. And then read this. And this.


09-22-06 - 'One-sided' Middle East policy attacked by Labour Arab group "Unfortunately, Mr Blair has failed to treat both sides equally. Instead he has bowed to pressure put on him by Israel backed by George Bush," it says. The group, most of whom are Labour members, includes Jews, Christians and Muslims.



09-22-06 - In surprise move, feds drop count in Hamas terrorism count The decision to drop one count of the indictment came at a hearing after Deutsch asked St. Eve to press federal prosecutors to turn over background material on a prospective government witness, Jack Mustafa. Deutsch asked for information about how much the FBI had paid Mustafa and whether he had an arrest record. He also asked if the prospective witness had met with agents of the Mossad _ Israel's intelligence agency.
Wait a minute here. How much (more) American taxpayer money will be spent on what would appear to be the witchunts of Palestinians in this country who are brought up on charges, only to later see them dismissed due to lack of evidence? And how much are American officials relying on 'evidence' provided by the Israeli government or their lackeys, mm? Is that why the cases are falling apart? We quickly learn the difference between the America's legal system and that of Israel. See some of it described here too (look for the bit about the Fourth amendment, or lack thereof).


09-22-06 - Jewish Dems score Jewish GOP contender Fine has called Ellison "a person who believes the Jews are the scourge of the earth" and, in a debate, appeared to mock Ellison's Muslim name, Mohammed.


09-22-06 - House resolution calls for border force The resolution urges Lebanon?s government "to request without delay a robust international force deployment on the Lebanese border with Syria, so as to prevent the re-supply of weapons to Hezbollah." Why is this a matter for the US Congress?


09-22-06 - Nasrallah says no army can disarm Hizbollah Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday rejected international calls to disarm his Lebanese guerrillas and told a huge "victory" rally they still had more than 20,000 rockets after a month of war with Israel.


09-22-06 - Lebanon war underscores inequality of Arab Israelis Prime Minister Ehud Olmert toured the Israeli north, which had been badly hit by the Hezbollah rockets, and promised that in the reconstruction ahead, Arab villages and townships would get the same treatment as the Jewish ones.


09-22-06 - Israel's Elbit wins US security contract A consortium led by Boeing, the second-largest US defense contractor, and including Israel's Elbit Systems has won the first piece of a $2 billion government contract to develop and provide new technological means to secure the US borders and curb illegal immigration, officials said Thursday. You have got to be #!@$ing kidding me.


09-22-06 - Zelikow's Candor Angers Pro-Israel Activists, Again In a keynote speech before the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy conference on Friday, Philip Zelikow argued that a renewed effort for peace may be needed in order to maintain support for the hardline U.S. position against Iran among our European allies and "moderate" Arab governments Now why would pro-Israelis be so angered at peace, mewonders?...


09-22-06 - Israelis' main fear is a nuclear Iran: poll ** Israel's fears become our fears.


09-22-06 - Tehran says gives spiritual support to Hizbollah Iran's president said on Thursday his country gave cultural and spiritual support to Lebanon but sidestepped questions about whether Tehran would obey a U.N. arms embargo imposed on Hizbollah guerrillas.


09-22-06 - The Doomsday Code End Timers parade through the streets of Jerusalem and take large amounts of cash to illegal West Bank settlements to encourage the residents to entrench themselves more deeply on this Palestinian land. In Jerusalem itself, Jews are being bankrolled by Christian fundamentalists to reside in Arab houses. The End Timers think that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke ('was removed from the scene') because he wanted to give back some of the Palestinian land.



09-22-06 - World Politics and Show Biz

Thursday, September 21, 2006

News for 09-21-06

09-21-06 - 9/11 Live: The NORAD Tapes (The fact that there was an exercise planned for the same day as the attack factors into several conspiracy theories, though the 9/11 commission dismisses this as coincidence. After plodding through dozens of hours of recordings, so do I.)
That's one hell of a coincidence. Why isn't that little tidbit common knowledge? In other words, how many Americans know of this hijack exercise that was to take place on September 11, 2001?


09-21-06 - The Surprising End of the New American Century ** US Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner, who taught strategy and military operations at the National War College and who just finished a paper entitled "Considering the US Military option for Iran," appeared on CNN this week and said: "The order has been given (to strike Iran) In fact, we've probably been executing operations for at least 18 months...I've talked to Iranians (and they tell me) we've captured some people who worked with them (American Special-Ops) We've confirmed they're there." Gardiner added that "US naval forces have been alerted for deployment. That's a major step. ..And the (battle) plan has been sent to the White House."



09-21-06 - U.S. Army defends Raytheon contract amid storm Army officials opted in April to forego a rival Israeli system to boost combat vehicle protection from rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles, even though it is closer to being ready for use.....NBC, in its report, quoted unnamed Pentagon sources as saying the Army "cooked the books" to justify its choice of Raytheon's "Quick Kill" technology. Well well well. Are some neocons in the Pentagon boohooing over lost Israel deal? The neocons may have had an economic interest in the Israeli company, which is not uncommon when it comes to neocons, Israel and the arms business.


09-21-06 - Ahmadinejad: Iran doesn't need the bomb


09-21-06 - U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan after 9/11: Musharraf


09-21-06 - Iraq torture 'worse after Saddam' Manfred Nowak said the situation in Iraq was "out of control", with abuses being committed by security forces, militia groups and anti-US insurgents.


09-21-06 - Bush would send troops inside Pakistan to catch bin Laden


09-21-06 - Iran could cut West's oil supplies in event of war, warns American chief in Gulf


09-21-06 - Ahmadinejad Talks to U.S. Think Tank Some Jewish leaders responded to invitations to the event by asking whether the council would have invited Hitler in the 1930s, and considered resigning from the group en masse, the Times reported. They decided not to resign after the event was changed from a dinner to a meeting,


09-21-06 - Iran War, Diplomacy on Parallel Tracks ** "It's very important for the American people to see the president try to solve problems diplomatically before resorting to military force," Bush told the group in what neoconservative Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer characterized as an "unmistakable" signal that "an aerial attack on Iran's nuclear facilities lies just beyond the horizon of diplomacy."


09-21-06 - US cautions Europe on Iran investment Two European banks have limited or ended operations. The US says Iran taps banks for illicit activities.


09-21-06 - U.S. denies Arar was deported under America's 'extraordinary rendition' policy


09-21-06 - Lebanon's president castigates UN Mr Lahoud said Israeli fighter jets and bombs had targeted mostly civilians, "killing and maiming thousands and destroying all that made Lebanon a viable state".


09-21-06 - FBI: LA man allegedly worked for Saddam Hussein's regime William Shaoul Benjamin, 64, of Los Angeles also faces charges of making false statements and conspiracy, according to the FBI. ?


09-21-06 - Iraqi Defense Ministry: Insurgents Kidnapping People for Use in Car Bomb Attacks


09-21-06 - Fitzgerald given way out of Libby CIA leak case In his ruling this morning, the Judge Walton, has given a technical legal victory to Libby's attorneys concerning the admissibility of classified materials they want to present at trial for their defense.


09-21-06 - Karl Rove Promises October Surprise In the past week, Karl Rove has been promising Republican insiders an "October surprise" to help win the November congressional elections.


09-21-06 - World poll favours Iran diplomacy


09-21-06 - American Enterprise Institute: The Pope's Divisions Although many Muslims have apparently found Pope Benedict XVI's recent oration at the University of Regensburg deeply offensive, it is a welcome change from the pabulum that passes for "interfaith" dialogue Neoconservatives love to see the West and the Muslim world further divided. The man behind the Danish cartoon affair was enamored by Daniel Pipes - neocon extraordinaire.


09-21-06 - CIA officers refused to work at secret prisons: report


09-21-06 - Chavez extends anti-Bush tirade on visit to Harlem "Bush is an alcoholic, a sick man with a lot of hang-ups," declared the left-wing Venezuelan leader. "He walks like John Wayne." Mm, he lacks the distinct swagger that Wayne was known for.


09-21-06 - Pro-Israel Rally Virtually Ignored at U.N.


09-21-06 - Ahmadinejad: 'Zionists Are Not Jews' When asked by a reporter from an Irish publication if Iran wants to "wipe" Israel off the map, he replied, "Zionists are not Jews. They are not Muslims. They are not Christians. They are a power hungry, power group."


09-21-06 - Lebanon threatens UN appeal over Israel pullout delay Israel's delayed pullout looked set to cast a shadow over Hezbollah preparations to celebrate a "divine victory" with a massive rally in the Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut Friday It's probably of no coicidence. Watch for any Israeli bombings of this rally.


09-21-06 - Lebanon begins to clean ravaged coast Israel insists the circumstances of the spill are unclear and it has not accepted responsibility. "It's not clear that Israel was directly responsible for the oil slick. We certainly did not intentionally attack the oil containers," said Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev Wow.


09-21-06 - Hezbollah gears up for massive 'victory' rally


09-21-06 - Germany: Israel ready for Shebaa Farms talks


09-21-06 - Why Israel will never Truly let go of Gaza Whatever the fate of the captive soldier Gilad Shalit, the Israeli army?s war in Gaza is not about him. As senior security analyst Alex Fishman reported, the army was preparing for an attack months earlier and was constantly pushing for it, with the goal of destroying the Hamas infrastructure and its Government Just like in Lebanon. Read on.


09-21-06 - Refugees protest disparity in UN aid distribution The Palestinian Popular Committees held a sit-in on Wednesday inside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's main office in Sidon, accusing the body of distributing rotten food to Lebanon's Palestinian refugees


09-21-06 - Lahoud questions UN's credibility on enforcing 1701 "Israel still refuses to submit to the UN the maps indicating the location of thousands of mines it left behind on Lebanese territory, while the fate of the Lebanese detainees in Israel remains unknown,"


09-21-06 - Arab states urge IAEA to slam Israel for atomic arsenal Arab states on Wednesday relaunched a campaign to have the United Nations nuclear watchdog condemn Israel's reputed atomic arsenal.


09-21-06 - Israel troubled that war in Lebanon drove its enemies closer "The connection is all the global jihad," says an Israeli political official who works closely with Israel's intelligence branch and therefore could not be named Really? Then why haven't Hamas or Hezbollah attacked anyone outside of their respective territories? Thus does the PR ministry attempt to conflate its enemy list with that of the United States. And the Christian Science Monitor gives them ample coverage these days.


09-21-06 - Controverisal Israeli security approach takes flight in U.S It is spreading because of its results -- and because it seems to have won over TSA Director Kip Hawley and his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who have recently begun using the same kind of language that Ron uses to describe the aviation security approach that the United States should have. "People have responded very well to bringing in Israeli methods," Ron said. The Israelization of the United States continues. And oddly, our unconditional support for Israel is why it is necessary in the first place. We've been made a party to Israel's war with the Arabs, whether we like it or not.


09-21-06 - Saudi, Russian see consensus for peace


09-21-06 - O.U. opposes Jesus in military prayers The Orthodox Union strongly opposes legislation that would allow military chaplains to mention Jesus in prayers.


09-21-06 - Democrats: Don't rule out force with Iran The responses offered by U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, running for a U.S. Senate seat, and Zack Space, running for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat, to questions in a conference call Thursday with Jewish media suggest that national Democrats will not differ from the Bush administration on this issue in the midterm campaign season


09-21-06 - Assad warns of war The Lebanese newspaper A-Safir on Thursday quoted Bashar Assad as telling a visiting delegation from Beirut that Israel could attack Syria as part of an effort to shore up domestic self-confidence after the war on Hezbollah.


09-21-06 - Bush: Clock ticking on Iran "...I'm not going to discuss with you our intelligence on this subject, but time?s of the essence, in my judgment."


09-21-06 - German warships head for Lebanon for Lebanon peacekeeping mission. What'd you think they were for?


09-21-06 - Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'


09-21-06 - Viewing Middle East Affairs From Woodbury Home Base "For example, in recent months, the demands that the U.S. government is making on Hamas (are unfair). First of all, they have to recognize Israel, but there's no demand that Israel recognize the Palestinians and their right to a state. We demand that Hamas renounce violence, but we do not demand that Israel renounce violence, and Israel is 100 times more violent than Hamas,"