The US inches ever closer to attacking Iran

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

News for 05-30-06

05-30-06 - ElBaradei: Iran not an immediate nuclear threat Lest we forget : "Mr. Negroponte, testified to Congress in February that Iran "will likely have the capability" to produce a nuclear weapon within 10 years......Some of the shortest estimates, of less than two years, come from Israel, source .


05-30-06 - Iran says overstretched US cannot launch strikes


05-30-06 - Veterans official steps down after theft


05-30-06 - U.S. Cautious on New Iran Diplomacy


05-30-06 - Iraq to probe US massacre claims


05-30-06 - Frustration mounts between US, Pakistan US lawmakers urged Pakistan to wring more information from disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, alleging that he may yet hold the blueprint to some of Iran's nuclear secrets.


05-30-06 - Cheney desperate to attack Iran, World Cup offers pretext


05-30-06 - Truce holds as Lebanese hold mass funeral for guerrilla slain by Israel


05-30-06 - Security Council meeting degenerates Syrian and Iranian diplomats traded barbs with Israel's U.N. ambassador on Tuesday, as a routine Security Council meeting on fighting terrorism degenerated into insults and accusations...... Alhariri said Gillerman should consider Israel's own nuclear program before criticizing other countries for theirs. Touche.


05-30-06 - NAM backs Iran, condemns Israel's "brutal" occupation


05-30-06 - Bush, Jordan's King Abdullah, dine at White House The embassy said that the two leaders also discussed the Palestinian-Israeli issue, with Abdullah underscoring the importance of pursuing a two-state solution, and the need to provide humanitarian assistance to inhabitants of the Palestinian territories.


05-30-06 - Iran minister snubs Israel Asked about Israeli calls for economic sanctions on Iran, Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday: "What country is that? There is no such country."


05-30-06 - Turkey tells ally Israel it opposes Iran nukes Turkey reassured its ally Israel on Monday that it opposed Iran, arch-foe of the Jewish state, acquiring nuclear weapons and said it wanted to see the whole Middle East region freed of the atomic threat.


05-30-06 - Iran's Khatami urges more oil money to Palestinians


05-30-06 - Arab League chief calls for nuclear-free Middle East


05-30-06 - The Best Congress Money Can Buy


05-30-06 - Schroeder opposes Hamas boycott Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he opposes sanctions against Iran and the boycott of the Hamas-run Palestinian government.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

News for 05-29-06

05-29-06 - Universal National Service Act of 2006 (Introduced in House) To provide for the common defense by requiring all persons in the United States, including women, between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes. The draft.


05-29-06 - Showdown Over Iran; Washington grudge match: neoconservatives versus Republican realists Our old friends at the Office of Special Plans - who channeled so much of the phony "intelligence" that ginned up the war with Iraq - are planning a little reunion, it seems


05-29-06 - 6 nations plan to sign off on Iran package former U.N. nuclear inspector David Albright said the announcement was probably "not very worrisome."
"They like to pretend they are competing but their program is (probably) pretty rudimentary," said Albright, who runs the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.
Someone in this administration needs to tell the Israelis that. Their figures are WAY off.


05-29-06 - Iran says won't move all atomic work to Russia


05-29-06 - World powers ready to guarantee Iran's right to nuclear energy: Russia


05-29-06 - Analysis: Alleged killing of civilians by Marines could enrage Iraqis


05-29-06 - Neo-cons question Bush's democratisation strategy on Iran, for example, they believe the Bush administration is moving towards a cold war-style strategy of containment and deterrence with as broad an international coalition as possible.......Russia, which Mr Bush saw as a declining power when he came to office in 2001, is asserting itself on the international stage. So is China.
The neocons are angry because Bush doesn't appear to be in too much of a hurry to go to war for them (again). This attack on Iraq (that was urged on by the neocons armed with their 'cherrypicked' intel) may spell the end of the American Empire.


05-29-06 - Iraq poised to become main Iranian ally If Iran is attacked, "Iraqi Shiites will not take this lightly. They will not sit and watch," said Diaa Rashwan, a Cairo-based analyst.


05-29-06 - George Washington Had It Right He warned against foreign influence, calling it a poison to republican government. While he was no doubt thinking of the French, his advice applies to Israel. No foreign country should be allowed to influence American policy because that country will always seek to influence policy to favor its interests, not ours. If we followed Washington's advice, the only thing we would be sending to the Middle East would be oil tankers and tourists.


05-29-06 - Israeli jets overfly Lebanon after clashes The Lebanese army said Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon's airspace, one day after rockets fired from south Lebanon sparked tit-for-tat clashes in which two militants were killed.


05-29-06 - US pushing Europe, Japan for sanctions against Iran leaders It described the plan as designed to rein in the financial freedom of every Iranian official, individual and entity which the Bush administration considers connected not only to nuclear enrichment efforts but also to terrorism, corruption, suppression of democratic freedoms, violence in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories.


05-29-06 - The children of Guantanamo Bay


05-29-06 - China eyes closer energy, political ties at Sino-Arab forum China will become the second United Nations Security Council member after Russia to host a Hamas leader since the radical Islamic movement formed a government following its victory in Palestinian elections in January


05-29-06 - Critics savage Russian G-8 role as 'leader of democracies'


05-29-06 - Syria opposition to meet in London on regime change plan An exiled Syrian opposition group created two months ago said it will meet in London next week to discuss an "action plan" for regime change in Damascus.


05-29-06 - Hezbollah urged to hand over arms


05-29-06 - Cheney aide is screening legislation Cheney has used his power over the administration's legal team to promote an expansive theory of presidential authority. Using signing statements, the administration has challenged more laws than all previous administrations combined.



05-29-06 - Non-aligned states urged to support nuclear Iran


05-29-06 - Neocons in the Democratic Party Neocons are 'former' liberals as described in this article.


05-29-06 - Top Democrat slams AIPAC prosecution The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee questioned the statute used to prosecute two former AIPAC lobbyists. Has the matter of the national security of this country ever entered the mind of this Congresswoman? Evidently not.


05-29-06 - Iran boosts Hezbollah's reach Haaretz reported


05-29-06 - Senate delays P.A. vote With 89 co-sponsors, the act is guaranteed passage. This bill will harm US interests. It's apparently not a concern to these AIPAC-beholden legislators.


05-29-06 - Israel tightens NATO ties amid Iran nuke jitters Israel announced on Monday it would fully participate in a NATO naval exercise for the first time, bolstering defense ties with the Western military alliance in the face of arch-foe Iran's nuclear program.


05-29-06 - Jewish group calls for energy legislation The American Jewish Congress urged passage of a bill that would facilitate U.S.-Israel energy cooperation.
Both houses are considering legislation that would help spur Israeli research into energy-saving technology.


Monday, May 29, 2006

News for 05-28-06

05-28-06 - Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV' Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products.


05-28-06 - Russia opposes use of force against Iran The chief of Russia's security council said Sunday that Russia opposes any use of force against Iran over its controversial nuclear program, the Iranian state-run television reported.


05-28-06 - Iran, Russia agree to continue nuclear talks Russia and Iran wrapped up high-level talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme, with Tehran saying both sides agreed to continue negotiations and work towards a peaceful solution to the crisis.


05-28-06 - US lawmaker vows probe into Iraq civilian deaths A senior United States Republican Senator has vowed to hold hearings on US Marines' role in the deaths of up to two dozen Iraqi civilians last November, as a leading Democratic war critic alleged a military cover-up.


05-28-06 - U.S. uncertain on direct Iran nuke talks


05-28-06 - Iran Azeris protest over cartoon Someone trying to stir up things, mm?


05-28-06 - Iran and Iraq to Join to Seal Border Against Insurgents


05-28-06 - At least 1,000 British troops 'desert' since Iraq war, BBC reports


05-28-06 - Iran: U.S. will fail to spark unrest


05-28-06 - Violence flares on Lebanon-Israel border One Palestinian militant and a Hizbollah fighter were killed and two Lebanese civilians and another Israeli soldier were wounded in the fighting.


05-28-06 - Civilian deaths could fuel Taliban support Afghan officials and human rights activists say a U.S. airstrike that killed at least 16 civilians this month - possibly as many as 34 - undermines President Hamid Karzai and boosts support for the resurgent Taliban.


05-28-06 - Bloggers can shield sources, court rules


05-28-06 - A bit of good news from the US Congress This is not the first, nor will it be the last piece of bizarre anti-Palestinian legislation coming out of Congress. Its architect, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annually creates these "hoop jumping exercises" to test their strength and see how far they can push Congress. Look at the comments by Congressman Hinchey. Excellent.


05-28-06 - Review of Deadly Dogma: How Neoconservatives Broke the Law to Deceive America by Grant F. Smith As for Israel, "a priori devotion to Israel is a common denominator for all neoconservatives," Smith writes. Many of the neoconservatives were strongly pro-Likud Party and worked to restrategize Middle East policy on behalf of Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud, shortly before he became Israeli prime minister. Support for Israel is the only explanation of why so many neoconservatives have risked violating US criminal law by passing on secret information to Israel.


05-28-06 - Punishment of Palestinians will create a crucible of trouble for the world what most shocks Arabs and Muslims is that it stems from a conscious political decision by the world's only superpower. First, they say, you give us Iraq, now on the brink of civil war. Then this: the starving of a whole people.



05-28-06 - Germans should stop feeling Holocaust guilt: Ahmadinejad "We say if the Holocaust happened, then the Europeans must accept the consequences and the price should not be paid by Palestine. If it did not happen, then the Jews must return to where they came from."

Sunday, May 28, 2006

News for 05-27-06

05-27-06 - The pretext for the attack on Iran has now been set US officials opposed to an attack on Iran fear the Bush Administration would take advantage of such terror attacks to launch an offensive that, according to the officials, would settle the Iranian nuclear crisis and boost the president?s approval rating.
The officials added that should the terror attacks be masterminded by a third party, they would still be used to justify an attack on Iran. This is the pretext for an attack on Iran by America that the neocons have been waiting for.



05-27-06 - U.S. Is Debating Talks With Iran on Nuclear Issue


05-27-06 - Russian envoy to visit Iran for nuclear talks


05-27-06 - Iranian politician urges U.S.-Iran ties Iran's former parliament speaker on Saturday urged direct talks with the United States to break down the "walls of mistrust," but said Tehran would not give up the right to produce nuclear fuel and pursue other technological advances.


05-27-06 - Official: Iraq civilian deaths unjustified Military investigators probing the deaths last November of about two dozen Iraqi civilians have evidence that points toward unprovoked murders by Marines, a senior defense official said Friday.


05-27-06 - Government Sees 'Israeli Fingerprints' in Islamic Jihad Leader Assassination


05-27-06 - White House invokes privilege in spy cases The Bush administration has asked federal judges in New York and Michigan to dismiss a pair of lawsuits filed over the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, saying litigating them would jeopardize state secrets.


05-27-06 - US in talks with Iraq over Turkish Kurdish rebels: ambassador Ankara has long been frustrated by US and Iraqi reluctance to clamp down on bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the mountains of northern Iraq, from where the rebels infiltrate neighboring Turkey to engage in anti-government violence.


05-27-06 - Iran takes court action against Saddam over war Iran has filed a lawsuit against ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for his regime's 1980s war against Tehran, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in a joint statement with his Iraqi counterpart.


05-27-06 - Egypt president's top aide defends Iran's nuclear program


05-27-06 - Iran's Ahmadinejad says wants Europe on his side Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted on Saturday as saying European nations should stand by his country in the dispute over its nuclear programme or suffer damages.


05-27-06 - Her majesty won't be wearing a burqa Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, her family fled to Jordan along with thousands of others when Saddam invaded in 1990


05-27-06 - Kudos to Congress From Israel

Saturday, May 27, 2006

The pretext for the attack on Iran has now been set

with a warning by (who else?) Israeli intelligence about a possible attack by Hezbollah :


Israel has warned European and American intelligence bodies of possible attempts by Hizbullah cells, led by Imad Mugniyah, to carry out terror attacks during the upcoming World Cup tournament in Germany, the Saudi Al-Watan newspaper reported on Friday.



According to the report, the terror plot is aimed at proving to the international community that Tehran is capable of retaliation if attacked.


Sources in Washington said a joint US-European operations room has been set up to deal with such a scenario; to this end, two American
aircraft carriers, along with a French ship are making their way to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.


US officials opposed to an attack on Iran fear the Bush Administration would take advantage of such terror attacks to launch an offensive that, according to the officials, would settle the Iranian nuclear crisis and boost the president’s approval rating.


The officials added that should the terror attacks be masterminded by a third party, they would still be used to justify an attack on Iran.


I will refer back to the August 2005 Deep Background column by former CIA official Philip Giraldi writing for the American Conservative:

In Washington it is hardly a secret that the same people in and around the administration who brought you Iraq are preparing to do the same for Iran. The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within Iran there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including numerous suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites. Many of the targets are hardened or are deep underground and could not be taken out by conventional weapons, hence the nuclear option. As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing—that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack—but no one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.




The Israeli government and their cohorts in America - AIPAC and the neocons - want America to strike Iran. They WILL get their way, they almost always do.

News for 05-26-06

05-26-06 - Testimony: Cheney angered over envoy's column on war Vice President Dick Cheney was personally angered by a former U.S. ambassador's newspaper column attacking a key rationale for the war in Iraq, and he repeatedly instructed his former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to "get all the facts out" related to the critique, according to excerpts from Libby's 2004 grand jury testimony released late Wednesday by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.


05-26-06 - Iran says ready to retaliate against any US strike


05-26-06 - Blair 'too busy' for Iran conflict PRIME Minister Tony Blair said he does not want to start a conflict with Iran as Britain's armed forces already have enough problems to handle.



05-26-06 - Russia will fulfill missile contract with Iran Russia will honor its contract to deliver TOR-M1 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, "except in case of some major event", the Russian defense minister revealed.


05-26-06 - US Marines likely to face massacre charges


05-26-06 - Iran open to enrichment cap Iran is willing to accept a cap on its uranium enrichment capability to ensure the fuel produced is not used to develop nuclear weapons, its ambassador to the United Nations says.


05-26-06 - Iran puts US Iraq talks on hold


05-26-06 - Iraq respects Iran's right to nuclear program


05-26-06 - Officials: Greece conveying Tehran messages


05-26-06 - Eavesdropping, Gagging, and the Constitution


05-26-06 - Steering Into a Third Intifada by Patrick J. Buchanan Rightly, Americans say we will not let Israel be destroyed. But why must we acquiesce in Israel's annexations of Arab land? Why must we remain silent to her deprivations of the Palestinians?


05-26-06 - Enough Is Enough: People have had it up to here with The Lobby After describing the Lobby's largely successful efforts to cow the Clinton administration, Massing illustrates a point made by Mearsheimer and Walt, that the Lobby serves as the de facto agent of a foreign power


05-26-06 - Lebanon blast kills two officials "Israel will be held responsible for this attack, which crosses red lines by targeting officials outside the Palestinian territories and that changes things." The bomb was planted in a vehicle which both men were about to travel in. When the ignition was turned on, it exploded, security sources said, reducing the car to a charred mass of twisted metal and showering the area with debris
Not the first time Israel conducted a car-boming in Lebanon, is it?


05-26-06 - Why Can't the US Apply Its New North Korea Policy to Iran? The hardliners in Vice President Dick Cheney's office and in the Pentagon achieved their first political-bureaucratic victory by getting President Bush to publicly repudiate Mr. Powell and by insisting that the North Korean regime could not be trusted and needed to be "changed." Mr. Powell and the realists in the administration were checkmated by the neocons, to the chagrin of South Korea and China The neoconservatives have been an unmitigated disaster for Bush's presidency (and for America). What was he thinking?


05-26-06 - US, allies hold WMD-seizing drills in Mediterranean Air and naval forces from the United States, Turkey, France and Portugal "seized" a ship carrying mock weapons of mass destruction in drills which Turkey has denied are aimed at neighboring Iran.


05-26-06 - US urges Russia to reconsider missile export to Iran The Tor-M1 unit is an all-weather air defense system intended for fulfilling air defense tasks at the battalion unit level. It ensures effective protection from cruise missiles, guided bombs, warplanes, helicopters, and pilotless and remotely controlled attack aircraft.


05-26-06 - Justice Department Probe Foiled because investigators were denied security clearances to do their work


05-26-06 - Pressure Grows on Bush to Engage Iran Directly The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is under increasing pressure ? both here and abroad ? to engage Iran in direct talks despite the continued opposition of pro-Israel neoconservatives and Vice President Dick Cheney.


05-26-06 - Musharraf for peaceful solution to Iran N-issue


05-26-06 - Public Hearings Sought in Phone Record Scandal


05-26-06 - Iran to lobby developing states on nuclear issue


05-26-06 - Lebanese PM blames Israel for car bombing


05-26-06 - Olmert, Cheered in D.C., Bows to U.S. Call for Talks At the White House press conference, Bush made several statements that were music to the ears of Olmert and his entourage. The president delivered the most explicit commitment he ever has made to defend Israel against an Iranian attack. "In the event of any attack on Israel," Bush said, "the United States will come to Israel's aid."


05-26-06 - US approves aid to Israel, Egypt During committee deliberations it was also feared that Egypt may turn to Russia and China to purchase military equipment. The policies of the AIPACers/neocons are driving Middle Eastern regimes into the arms of Russia and China.


05-26-06 - Judge rejects reporter CIA leak case subpoena A judge rejected a request by former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby on Friday to force ex-New York Times reporter Judith Miller to turn over all her notes, telephone records and appointment calendar


05-26-06 - HENRY HYDE'S PLEA by Robert Novak Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, sent along with his letter a five-page, single-spaced report prepared by his staff based on visits to Israel and Palestine over the past two years. It contends "the Christian community is being crushed in the mill of the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The Israeli security wall and expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the report continues, "are irreversibly damaging the dwindling Christian community."


05-26-06 - Israel's American Constituency Even as Olmert met with President George W. Bush at the White House Tuesday, the House voted by an overwhelming 361-37 margin to impose strict conditions on aid to Palestinians, as demanded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Washington's most powerful pro-Israel lobby.


05-26-06 - Blair urges United Nations reform Hamas should drop its refusal to accept Israel so negotiations could begin on an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, with a two-state solution to the conflict

Friday, May 26, 2006

News for 05-25-06

05-25-06 - U.S. veterans' data theft may cost $500 million The head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs faced angry lawmakers on Thursday and described how the theft of a device the size of an iPod containing personal data on 26.5 million veterans may cost taxpayers as much as $500 million.



05-25-06 - War Provoking Terror, Amnesty Says "The war on terror and the way it has unfolded actually is premised on the principle that by eroding human rights you can reinforce security,"


05-25-06 - Bush to talk incentives if Iran halts nuclear moves


05-25-06 - Qatar pours cold water on Gulf initiative on Iran


05-25-06 - Marines' Iraq conduct scrutinised The commander of the US Marine Corps is going to Iraq to reinforce standards of behaviour, after allegations that marines unlawfully killed civilians.


05-25-06 - Amnesty urges U.S. on Iraq contractors The United States is riding roughshod over human rights by outsourcing key anti-terror work in Iraq to private contractors, who operate beyond Iraqi law and outside the military chain of command, Amnesty International said Tuesday.


05-25-06 - Olmert, Bush agree on Iran deadline Ynet learns that Bush told Olmert US time limit for action to stop Iran's nuclear program fits Israel's own timetable, but American diplomats make it clear diplomacy will be given chance


05-25-06 - Lieberman to be Honored by Neocons Tonight He once said "some of my best friends are neocons." And those friends are honoring him tonight at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.


05-25-06 - VA breach discovered through office gossip The theft of personal data for 26.5 million veterans came to the attention of the Veterans Affairs inspector general only through office gossip, he told Congress Thursday.


05-25-06 - Iran color-coded religious badges story 'untrue' Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star looks at the public relations firm Benador Associates, of which Mr. Taheri is a member. The Jewish Week also describes the firm as "a boutique firm specializing in promoting neoconservative figures such as Taheri, Michael Ledeen, Richard Perle, Charles Krauthammer and others who supported the Iraq war and 'regime change' in Iran now."



05-25-06 - Dobbs noted that Israeli PM "told CNN Iran could make a nuclear bomb within months"; didn't mention that U.S. intel says otherwise


05-25-06 - U-turn by White House as it blocks direct talks with Iran The White House yesterday ruled out previously authorised direct talks between Tehran and the US ambassador in Baghdad Was that before or after Bush's meeting with Olmert?...


05-25-06 - White House tries to cool Hastert's anger over leak Hastert demanded a "full retraction" of an ABC News report that he is being investigated in connection with the Jack Abramoff corruption probe


05-25-06 - For Neocons, the Irony of Iraq The neocons have refocused their attention on foreign policy and, in championing the Iraq war, have come to embody everything they once mocked and despised in '60s liberals. Bolsheviks in the cause of their vaporous intentions, so bent on ignoring reality that they dismissed and suppressed all intelligence that prophesied the bloody complexities of the post-Hussein landscape, they conjured from nowhere and guaranteed the world an idealized postwar Iraq.




05-25-06 - Iranian nuclear weapons 'inevitable' It is all but impossible to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, a leading British think-tank said yesterday, as the world's powers struggled to find a common strategy to face the threat.


05-25-06 - Editor at Conservative Magazine To Be Top Policy Adviser to Bush President Bush appointed a longtime scholar at the American Enterprise Institute yesterday to be his top domestic policy adviser The AEI is a neocon thinktank.


05-25-06 - More than 100 Iranians pledge lives as suicide bombers' to defend country this gathering _ coming at a time when many Iranians worry their country could come under attack by the United States or Israel _ was clearly tailored to send a message of defiance against any possible military action over Iran's nuclear program.


05-25-06 - Hizbullah factor in Iran fray "If Israel attacks Iran, it may well attack other targets at the same time, including Hizbullah in Lebanon," he says. "In that case, Hizbullah has the right to defend itself and Lebanon with all possible means." Far from a theoretical concept, Malli's scenario is one that is under serious consideration by Israel, says Gerald Steinberg, professor of politics at Israel's Bar Ilan University.



05-25-06 - AJCongress Urges Senate to Enact S. 1614 to Provide Diverse Perspectives in Teacher Workshops Funded by Higher Ed Act Long at the forefront of opposition to biased and inaccurate anti-Israel and anti-American teacher workshops funded under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, the American Jewish Congress today issued a resolution adopted earlier this week at its 2006 Annual Meeting to urge the Senate to follow the lead of the House, which unanimously passed H.R. 609, requiring the teaching of diverse perspectives and a wide range of views on world regions and international affairs They're baaaack. Free speech with regard to Israel on campus? No more if these folks get their way.


05-25-06 - Olmert to go to Europe According to Israeli officials, Olmert will assess bilateral ties in Paris and London, as well as Europe?s role in diplomatic efforts to curb Iran?s nuclear program.


05-25-06 - About 200,000 mark anniversary of Israeli pullout from Lebanon at Hezbollah rally About 200,000 flag-waving, cheering Hezbollah supporters massed Thursday near the site of the former Israeli military headquarters in south Lebanon to hear their leader pledge to continue fighting until victory.


05-25-06 - New U.S. anti-Semitism ambassador has a big job ahead That legislation, introduced in 2004 by U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), required the U.S. government to monitor and report on anti-Semitism around the globe

Thursday, May 25, 2006

News for 05-24-06

05-24-06 - Cheney may be called in CIA leak case Go Bulldog, GO!!


05-24-06 - Veterans secretary says he's 'outraged' Under intense bipartisan fire from Capitol Hill, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said Wednesday he was outraged by his agency's decision to keep the theft of veterans' personal data quiet for two weeks.


05-24-06 - Iran accuses U.S. of provoking tension Iran's president accused the United States and its allies on Wednesday of "hatching plots" to provoke ethnic tensions and destabilize Iran, a day after the government closed a state-run newspaper for publishing a cartoon that sparked riots by an ethnic minority.


05-24-06 - Iran ready for nuclear talks with United States without preconditions Iran has told UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei it wants nuclear talks with the United States but without preconditions such as its giving up uranium enrichment, diplomats said.


05-24-06 - Iran Proposal to U.S. Offered Peace with Israel


05-24-06 - Russia backs EU proposal, urges Iran to cooperate


05-24-06 - National Post apologizes for anti-Iran story "It is now clear the story is not true,"


05-24-06 - Olmert tells US Congress world must confront Iranian threat


05-24-06 - US sees progress, no final agreement on Iran package


05-24-06 - U.S. Says Taliban Strength Is Growing


05-24-06 - Right-Wing Israel Lobby Seizes on Olmert Visit


05-24-06 - U.S. Public Widely Distrusts Its Leaders


05-24-06 - Fake but Accurate This reminds me of the Niger uranium hoax, in which "intelligence" from a crudely forged packet of documents alleging that the Iraqis were trying to purchase weapons-grade uranium in order to fuel their nonexistent nuclear weapons program somehow made it into the president's 2003 State of the Union speech. In short, this isn't an honest error, but evidence of outright deception.....The Israeli strategy ? which they are now making no effort to disguise ? is to use the United States military as their instrument, and it has, so far, succeeded. Agreed.


05-24-06 - Bush: U.S. would aid Israel if attacked The US, go to war for Israel? Whodda thunk it!!


05-24-06 - How Bush Brewed the Iranian Crisis Olmert's claim is absurd, as every weapons expert knows, and, indeed, as he knows himself. The only possible purpose of such a nonsensical claim is propaganda. Olmert is helping the Bush regime use fear to prepare Americans to accept an attack on Iran, just as Dick Cheney and Condi Rice invoked images of mushroom clouds to prepare Americans for the illegal invasion of Iraq.


05-24-06 - House Speaker Hastert under investigation: ABC The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is probing corruption in Congress, See the other story about Hastert from today's news.


05-24-06 - A Warbot Lets the Truth Slip


05-24-06 - Israeli, Russian FMs to visit Turkey The foreign ministers of Israel and Russia are set to visit Turkey to discuss regional issues and bilateral cooperation, the foreign ministry said.


05-24-06 - Remarks of Speaker Hastert at Luncheon Honoring Israeli Prime Minister Another member of Congress panders to Israel.


05-24-06 - Olmert praises House of Representatives He also praised Congress for legislation known as the Iran Freedom and Support Act that would further isolate the Islamic republic.


05-24-06 - Republican chairman to Israel The chairman of the Republican Party is slated to meet with top Israeli leaders.
Ken Mehlman is due to leave Wednesday evening for Israel, and will return on June 1.


05-24-06 - House Vote Harms Palestine, Israel, US


05-24-06 - China unmoved by Israeli protest over invitation to Pales FM


05-24-06 - Six years after Israel's ouster, Shebaa farmers believe Hezbollah is their 'saviour' 'How can they (Israelis) say that Shebaa is not Lebanese?'


05-24-06 - Heeeeere's Osama! A title shouldn't be too hard. "The Osama Factor." "Bin Laden Country." "Laden & Zarqawi."

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

News for 05-23-06

05-23-06 - China, Germany Against Iran Nuke Program But Merkel, speaking after a meeting with Hu, did not say whether the two sides discussed possible sanctions on Tehran, which Germany supports and Beijing opposes.


05-23-06 - Moscow angered by US plan for 'star wars' bases in Europe to counter threat of Iran


05-23-06 - Avoiding War With Iran by Rep. Ron Paul Is Iran a nuclear threat? Not according to our own CIA, which says Iran is years away from developing nuclear weapons.


05-23-06 - Son of slain Lebanese PM says Syria's Assad threatened father Syrian President Bashar al-Assad personally threatened Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri before he was killed in a bomb attack in February 2005, Hariri's son, Saad, claimed in an interview published in Russia


05-23-06 - Bush Praises Israeli Plan for New Borders "Israel is a close friend and ally of the United States. And in the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid," Bush said.


05-23-06 - China key to resolving nuclear crises: Annan


05-23-06 - Syria calls on Interpol to arrest Lebanese MP Jumblatt


05-23-06 - Bin Laden: Moussaoui Not Linked to 9/11


05-23-06 - Our rockets can hit any n. Israel target - Hizbollah Lebanon's Hizbollah group said on Tuesday it has thousands of rockets capable of hitting any target in northern Israel, and maybe beyond, should the Jewish state attack Lebanese territory again.


05-23-06 - China military upgrades a potential threat to US: Pentagon Israel, which supplied China HARPY unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, has begun to strengthen controls over its military exports, the report said.


05-23-06 - 2 in CIA to testify Libby lied on leak Two top CIA officials will bolster prosecutors' charge that Vice President Cheney's chief aide lied to them, court papers show.


05-23-06 - Iran the Target of Disinformation Campaign


05-23-06 - Alleged AIPAC informant promoted The Bush administration promoted David Satterfield, an alleged informant for a former AIPAC lobbyist facing trial in a classified information case.


05-23-06 - Iran carries out missile test - Israeli source


05-23-06 - Implementing Israel?s Strategy


05-23-06 - Members of the Tribe / Thriving in China In a controversial appearance at the recent American Jewish Committee centennial convention in Washington, author A.B. Yehoshua predicted that Diaspora Jews would move to China if it were to become a world power. Dr. Avrum Ehrlich, a professor at the Center for Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies at the University of Shandong, says that this process is actually already under way It's no coincidence that China - the superpower of the 2020's - is the next place that pro-Israelis seek to take root.
America, being sapped by a war waged largely because of neocon/AIPAC urging - is on the precipice of being relegated to third world status. All of this is something that I predicted over three years ago. We're being used like a you know what, until the next sugar daddy pulls up.


Tuesday, May 23, 2006

News for 05-22-06

05-22-06 - Thieves Steal Personal Data of 26.5M Vets Thieves took sensitive personal information on 26.5 million U.S. veterans, including Social Security numbers and birth dates, after a Veterans Affairs employee improperly brought the material home, the government said Monday.


05-22-06 - U.S. Pushes Gulf States to Boost Defenses Analysts and former U.S. officials say the goal is to gird for retaliation against oil-rich allies like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in case of any U.S.-led attack on Iran.


05-22-06 - ElBaradei seen citing Iran security issue in US talks John Bolton, U.S. envoy to the United Nations, hinted on Monday that Iran risked regime change if it continued to ignore U.N. calls to "give up their pursuit" of doomsday weapons. If Iran reversed course, their "regime can stay in place and they can have a different relationship with the United States and the rest of the world," Bolton told a meeting of B'nai B'rith International, a Jewish humanitarian organization.



05-22-06 - U.S. Is Proposing European Shield for Iran Missiles The Bush administration is moving to establish a new antimissile site in Europe that would be designed to stop attacks by Iran against the United States and its European allies.


05-22-06 - U.S. strike kills scores of suspected Taliban Afghan governor says 17 civilians also killed in attack on rebel stronghold


05-22-06 - China set to be largest economy China is set to become the world's biggest economy by 2026 according to a poll conducted on behalf of the BBC.


05-22-06 - Iran nuclear plans may be environment hazard: UAE


05-22-06 - Israel's UN ambassador slams Qatar, praises Bolton Israel's U.N. ambassador, in unusually blunt comments, criticized Russia, China and Qatar on Monday for disappointing the Jewish state in their role as U.N. Security Council members this year.
But Ambassador Dan Gillerman, addressing a New York meeting of B'nai B'rith International, a Jewish humanitarian organization, heaped praise on U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, jokingly describing him at one point as a secret member of Israel's own team at the United Nations.
The joke is on America. For John Bolton primarily functions as ISRAEL'S ambassador to the UN. Look at his track record - it speaks for itself. Even the Israelis know this.


05-22-06 - INTERVIEW - Hizbollah sees no need to aid Iran if U.S. strikes Kassem said it was hard to predict how any conflict would play out and that decisions would be made according to the situation on the ground, but that in principle Hizbollah would only intervene to defend Lebanon, primarily from Israeli attack


05-22-06 - Israel-US crisis over warplane project The United States is refusing to allow Israel to install any more advanced systems in their batch of the F-35 planes -- no navigation, sighting or fire control systems, or Israeli-developed missiles, the Maariv newspaper reported


05-22-06 - U.S. Envoy Wants Talks With Iran Over Iraq


05-22-06 - Olmert to tackle withdrawal, Iran in Washington meetings this week Yediot Achronot reported that Olmert would ask Bush to "do away" with the Iranian threat during what remains of his term in office


05-22-06 - Zogby Poll: Over 70 Million American Adults Support New 9/11 Investigation 42% believe there has indeed been a cover up


05-22-06 - State's Burns Travels to London To Discuss Concerns on Iran


05-22-06 - U.S. Pressure Yields Curbs on Iran in Europe


05-22-06 - U.S. Moves to Weaken Iran A campaign to promote democracy and fund dissidents prompts speculation that the administration's goal is to change the regime.


05-22-06 - House wants to block aid to Palestinian government The House bill, introduced by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Tom Lantos, D-Calif., has 295 sponsors from both parties and has been vigorously supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the powerful pro-Israel lobby. All three are agents of a foreign government occupying the US Congress.


05-22-06 - Israelis aim to sue Ahmadinejad Lawyers are preparing to send a file on Mr Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel, to the International Court of Justice


05-22-06 - Bolton: U.N. council likely anti-Israel The newly formed U.N. Human Rights Council is likely to be stacked against Israel, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said.
That's because Israel is a major human rights offender, and no amount of bullying at the UN is going to change that fact.


05-22-06 - Israeli envoy: Russia, China delaying Iran resolution Russia and China are impeding passage of a Security Council resolution addressing Iran?s nuclear ambitions, Israel?s ambassador to the United Nations said.



05-22-06 - Effort to reconcile AIPAC, congresswoman Harper stands by the charge. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), a strong friend of AIPAC, defended McCollum, saying the alleged attack reminded him of the Taliban.



05-22-06 - Israelis held over arms export An Israeli aviation firm is suspected of violating arms-exports regulations to China.
Four staff members of a Tel Aviv area company that produces unmanned aerial vehicles were arrested Monday on suspicion of selling controlled technology without Defense Ministry approval.



05-22-06 - Saudis have assured not boycotting Israel: US aide Oh thank God. This matter so vital to American national security really kept me awake at night.


05-22-06 - Arabs at Sharm slam US Mideast policy American foreign policy in the Middle East, including its unfaltering support for Israel, were the main targets of criticism by Arab participants who attended a working lunch on Saturday attended by US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and 10 US senators and members of Congress


05-22-06 - A new rival to 'regime change' A US plan to stop nuclear programs - without toppling leaders - is under debate.

Monday, May 22, 2006

News for 05-21-06

05-21-06 - U.S. Seeks to Curb Iran With Neighbors' Help


05-21-06 - Iran rejects incentives to halt nuclear program


05-21-06 - Rice: US offers Iran no security guarantees


05-21-06 - Iran Rejects Reports of Gas Enrichment


05-21-06 - Lavrov accuses West of paranoia on nuclear issue "If a country wants to force its ideology on the world and says, 'either you're with us or on the other side of the barricades', then that's bullshit," said Lavrov in reference to the US.


05-21-06 - The Ultimate Net Monitoring Tool


05-21-06 - 'Peacemaker' Blair wants troops out of Iraq next year


05-21-06 - Iran: security pledges can't solve atomic dispute


05-21-06 - U.S. says no split with Europe on Iran Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on CNN's "Late Edition" he believed Tehran was already seriously engaged in uranium enrichment, placing it "months rather than years" away from achieving the technology to build a nuclear bomb. That's not what our intelligence says. Who will this administration believe (this time)?


05-21-06 - Iran biggest beneficiary of US-led Iraq war: Albright Iran has benefitted most from the US-led war in Iraq and would make further gains if the continuing violence ended up dividing the country, former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright has said.


05-21-06 - Soldiers to get life in jail for refusing to act as occupiers SOLDIERS who object to taking part in a military occupation of a foreign country will face life in prison under measures due to be rubber-stamped in the House of Commons on Monday.


05-21-06 - 'Yellow badge' report withdrawn the newspaper backtracked after it emerged that while the Iranian Parliament had recently passed legislation setting a dress code for Muslims, there was no specific law singling out Jews.


05-21-06 - West urged to halt Iran The West has less than a year to block Iran's ambition to develop nuclear weapons before it touches off "hyper-proliferation" throughout the Middle East, says Israel's military intelligence chief. That's not what our intelligence says. Who will this administration believe (this time)?


05-21-06 - Gulf Arabs to discuss nuclear fears with Iran "any effort to get rid the region of weapons of mass destruction must not exclude Israel,"


05-21-06 - Israel lobbyists go to Washington In meetings with some 400 representatives, lobbyists focused on issues including support of the Iran Freedom and Support Act, alternative energy research and the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

News for 05-20-06

05-20-06 - Some Iraq war vets go homeless after return to US About half of all homeless veterans suffer from mental illness, and more than two-thirds suffer from alcohol or drug abuse problems, the VA says


05-20-06 - Iran Rejects U.N. Plan Before It's Offered Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told journalists in Kuwait City that while Iran wants the council to end its involvement, "suspending nuclear activities goes against our legitimate rights and is not part of the NPT," or Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.


05-20-06 - Split emerges in West's front against Iran: diplomats


05-20-06 - Moscow doubts case for Iran sanctions: EU deputy


05-20-06 - Kissinger: President Bush Will 'Do the Right Thing' on Iran


05-20-06 - Energy, Iran in focus as German FM begins Gulf tour


05-20-06 - Why the United States invaded Iraq, and now is thinking about invading Iran


05-20-06 - Prosecutors Appeal on DeLay Indictment


05-20-06 - Reversing Policy, U.S. 'Froze' Iran Talks in March


05-20-06 - Riot at Guantanamo as torture watchdog calls for its closure


05-20-06 - Iran denies non-Muslim badge plan "The bill is not related to minorities. It is only about clothing," he said. "Please tell them (in the West) to check the details of the bill. There is no mention of religious minorities and their clothing in the bill," he said.


05-20-06 - Michael Savage, Israel-firster Not only does Savage refuse to address the matter of the Israeli lobby, but he uses the same tactics employed by that group to smear anyone that dares to criticize Israel.


05-20-06 - A LETTER TO AIPAC AIPAC should not have a lower standard for persons affiliated and representing its organization when they label a Member of Congress who thinks for herself and always puts the interest of our nation and people first a supporter of terrorists. My God! This Congresswoman dared to put the interests of the American citizens first. Traitor!


05-20-06 - Israeli Plan Divides U.S. Conservatives In the United States, the realignment is widely opposed by conservative Jewish voters whom Bush has courted with strong support for Israeli security. Conservative Christian leaders, including television evangelist Pat Robertson, who back Bush have endorsed the expansion and defense of Jewish settlements. The question that should be at the fore to these 'American' Congressmen and Senators is: WHAT POLICY IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF AMERICA? That is the heart of the problem; our legislators would appear to be servile to a FOREIGN nation.


05-20-06 - Russian FM to visit Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia The discussions will be aimed at finding "ways of overcoming the crisis in Palestinian-Israeli relations and preventing a further deterioration in the... situation in the Palestinian territories,"


05-20-06 - Syria accuses EU of rights hypocrisy "The European Union, which has imposed a blockade on the Palestinian people to starve them and to nullify their free democratic choice, has no right to pretend to defend human rights or democracy,"


05-20-06 - Analysis: Sino-Russian ties gaining momentum The strategic partnership forged between China and Russia as a counterweight to American predominance on the world stage a decade ago is gaining momentum.


05-20-06 - Syria dissatisfied with Hariri murder inquiry - minister


05-20-06 - Mubarak Chides U.S. on Double Standards The president said he saw a double standard in the U.S. nuclear policy, under which Washington maintains a resolute silence about the nuclear arsenal Israel is believed to possess while it conducts a campaign to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Michael Savage, Israel-firster

A friend of mine listens to this former granola-munching liberal-cum-'conservative'(neocon) rant and rave on his nightly radio program. It always seemed strange to me that Michael Savage never addresses the elephant in the room - the Israeli lobby in America. He touches on just about every other subject critical to America in his maniacal broadcasts. As a matter of fact, Savage is known to hang up on callers that attempt to criticize Israel - and then usually he proceeds to launch into a vicious assault on the caller thereafter.

In response to several articles critical of Israel by former president Jimmy Carter, Savage had this to say:

On the May 16 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, Michael Savage declared that former President Jimmy Carter is a "Jew-hater" and a "war criminal" who "is like Hitler" because of his criticism of Israeli policies in the West Bank. Savage added that Carter is a "communist, anti-American, anti-Semitic bastard" who has "caused worldwide Islamic terrorism to proliferate around the globe."



Not only does Savage refuse to address the matter of the Israeli lobby, but he uses the same tactics employed by that group to smear anyone that dares to criticize Israel. That makes him part of the problem. In fact, Jimmy Carter, a Dem, has a leg up on Savage - at least he has the guts to stand up to the Israeli lobby. Which is more than what could be said for the majority of our Congress, our mainstream media, and our current administration.

News for 05-19-06

05-19-06 - N.Korea may be preparing missile launch: reports North Korea may be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile that could reach parts of the United States, Japanese media reports said on Friday, but Japan's government said it did not believe a launch was imminent. Hey, I know. Let's attack Iran.


05-19-06 - House Conservatives Cut $500M Off Vet Bill "This sends a terrible message to our troops here at home, in Iraq, and Afghanistan,"


05-19-06 - EU aims to offer Iran atomic plants, fuel: diplomat


05-19-06 - Pentagon secret spending said at post-Cold War high Classifying Pentagon programs means they get less oversight by Congress, watchdog groups and the media.


05-19-06 - US 'must end secret detentions'


05-19-06 - Lebanese soldier dies after clashes with Palestinians


05-19-06 - Iran sees foreign link behind unrest in southwest During the weekly Friday's prayers at Tehran University, Iran's Shiite leadership accused the United States and Israel of being behind unrest in the country's border areas


05-19-06 - AP: UN Could Deepen Lebanon-Syria Tension The U.N. Security Council's call for Syria to establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon will likely only stiffen Damascus' resolve against a move it has steadfastly rejected for six decades.


05-19-06 - Prodi: War in Iraq Was 'Grave' Mistake


05-19-06 - Fifteen Guantanamo Saudis freed


05-19-06 - The Iranian "badge" story: Neo-con propaganda? So, without knowing whether the story is true or not, our antennas should be up for the distinct possiblity that, like the propaganda in the lead up to the Iraq war, this story is a neo-con plant seeking to support an attack on Iran.



05-19-06 - The Snooping Goes Beyond Phone Calls The Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security spend millions annually to buy commercial databases that track Americans' finances, phone numbers, and biographical information, according to a report last month by the U.S. Government Accountability Office,


05-19-06 - Rice rejects Kissinger call for talks with Iran


05-19-06 - IAEA Head to Meet With Rice Next Week The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog plans to urge the Bush administration next week to ease its push for tough U.N. Security Council action against Iran, diplomats said Friday.


05-19-06 - Democrats ask Bush for intelligence update on Iran "In order to avoid repeating mistakes made in the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, we must have objective intelligence untainted by political considerations and policy preferences,"


05-19-06 - Saud Satisfied With Bush Mideast Push


05-19-06 - Is US fading as superpower? Critics argue that war in Iraq has sapped US ability to influence world events.



05-19-06 - Savage: "Jimmy Carter is like Hitler" Summary: On his radio show, Michael Savage declared that former President Jimmy Carter is a "Jew-hater" and a "war criminal" who "is like Hitler" because of his criticism of Israeli policies in the West Bank. Savage also called Carter a "communist, anti-American, anti-Semitic bastard." Is there any doubt left that Michael Weiner Savage is an Israel-firster? I've read all of the latest articles by Carter with regard to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Savage has only the interests of Israel at heart, never does he mention the Israeli lobby's control over the US government in any of his radio broadcasts; a big problem here in the US. Boycott this man.


05-19-06 - Congresswoman cuts off AIPAC A congresswoman says the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is unwelcome in her office until it apologizes for an activist who called her a terrorist supporter.


05-19-06 - U.S.: Saudis not boycotting Israel The United States sought and received assurances from Saudi Arabia that it?s not observing the Arab boycott of Israel.
Oh thank God. I can sleep better at night knowing that this matter of American national security has been addressed. Mmm k.


05-19-06 - State: Egypt deserves aid Egypt deserves to maintain current levels of U.S. aid because of the role it plays in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the U.S. State Department said.


05-19-06 - US fumes as Iraq backs Israel boycott The US-backed Iraqi government sent an official representative to this week's meeting of the Arab League Boycott Office in Damascus, The Jerusalem Post has learned, prompting criticism from members of Congress Members of Congress? Who are they representing here - the America people or the Israeli government?


05-19-06 - Israel and U.S. at odds over nuclear treaty proposal Although Washington sent messages to Israel assuring it that it has nothing to fear from the treaty, Jerusalem is worried by any move that might erode its policy of nuclear ambiguity and generate future pressures on it over its nuclear program. As a result, Israel made a last-minute effort to persuade the U.S. not to submit the draft for discussion

Friday, May 19, 2006

News for 05-18-06

05-18-06 - Doubts over Iran nuclear capacity Doubts have been raised about how technically advanced Iran's nuclear programme is, after it emerged Tehran may have used material from China.


05-18-06 - Iran using Chinese-made feedstock for enriched uranium: diplomats The diplomat, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue


05-18-06 - Iran wants accord but will enrich regardless Iran wants international help to broaden its uranium enrichment program to an industrial scale but if assistance is not forthcoming it will forge ahead with the work, which it insists is peaceful.


05-18-06 - EU weighs security pledge for Iran, US resists One EU diplomat said the United States had promised Israel it would never give Iran a security guarantee before it recognised the Jewish state's right to exist and ended all support for anti-Israeli militants.


05-18-06 - Iranian nuke crisis to top agenda of Olmert-Bush meeting The prime minister is planning to describe the severity with which Israel views the Iranian nuclear threat, and explain that the country is not leading an international struggle against Iran,said the report. However, Israel expected the United States and other countries to do everything they can to halt the threat,


05-18-06 - Assad: Iran has right to go nuclear


05-18-06 - Keep Iran military option, says Rifkind Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Conservative foreign secretary, said yesterday that western countries should be ready to consider military action against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail to curb Teheran's uranium enrichment programme.


05-18-06 - Americans Predict New War in 10 Years Geez. I wonder whatever gave them THAT idea?....


05-18-06 - Saudi FM says oil market situation is "wierd" Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal pledged to work for lower oil prices and said it was "weird" they had risen so high with a surplus of crude available on the market


05-18-06 - US to propose treaty on nuclear fuel production The United States, trying to boost an imperiled nuclear deal with India, this week plans to introduce a draft international treaty to halt production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, administration officials said.


05-18-06 - Israel protests China's invitation to Hamas' foreign minister Regev said that at Thursday's meeting Israeli officials urged China to revoke the invitation.


05-18-06 - US to monitor behavior at more airports George Naccara, the federal security director at Logan, said the TSA program is modeled on behavior detection systems used in Israel and some other countries. That's quite ironic since it's been stated that all four airports on 911 were using an Israeli security company.


05-18-06 - West Bank Fence Provides Example for U.S. BS. America has no intention of building a fence on or through Mexican territory. Unlike Israel's fence which was built such that it confiscates swaths of Palestinian land in violation of international law, our fence will be built on American soil. There is a difference, folks.This is just another propaganda piece by who else? - the Associated Press.

News for 05-18-06

05-18-06 - Doubts over Iran nuclear capacity Doubts have been raised about how technically advanced Iran's nuclear programme is, after it emerged Tehran may have used material from China.


05-18-06 - Iran using Chinese-made feedstock for enriched uranium: diplomats The diplomat, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue


05-18-06 - Iran wants accord but will enrich regardless Iran wants international help to broaden its uranium enrichment program to an industrial scale but if assistance is not forthcoming it will forge ahead with the work, which it insists is peaceful.


05-18-06 - EU weighs security pledge for Iran, US resists One EU diplomat said the United States had promised Israel it would never give Iran a security guarantee before it recognised the Jewish state's right to exist and ended all support for anti-Israeli militants.


05-18-06 - Iranian nuke crisis to top agenda of Olmert-Bush meeting The prime minister is planning to describe the severity with which Israel views the Iranian nuclear threat, and explain that the country is not leading an international struggle against Iran,said the report. However, Israel expected the United States and other countries to do everything they can to halt the threat,


05-18-06 - Assad: Iran has right to go nuclear


05-18-06 - Keep Iran military option, says Rifkind Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Conservative foreign secretary, said yesterday that western countries should be ready to consider military action against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail to curb Teheran's uranium enrichment programme.


05-18-06 - Americans Predict New War in 10 Years Geez. I wonder whatever gave them THAT idea?....


05-18-06 - Saudi FM says oil market situation is "wierd" Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal pledged to work for lower oil prices and said it was "weird" they had risen so high with a surplus of crude available on the market


05-18-06 - US to propose treaty on nuclear fuel production The United States, trying to boost an imperiled nuclear deal with India, this week plans to introduce a draft international treaty to halt production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, administration officials said.


05-18-06 - Israel protests China's invitation to Hamas' foreign minister Regev said that at Thursday's meeting Israeli officials urged China to revoke the invitation.


05-18-06 - US to monitor behavior at more airports George Naccara, the federal security director at Logan, said the TSA program is modeled on behavior detection systems used in Israel and some other countries. That's quite ironic since it's been stated that all four airports on 911 were using an Israeli security company.


05-18-06 - West Bank Fence Provides Example for U.S. BS. America has no intention of building a fence on or through Mexican territory. Unlike Israel's fence which was built such that it confiscates swaths of Palestinian land in violation of international law, our fence will be built on American soil. There is a difference, folks.This is just another propaganda piece by who else? - the Associated Press.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

News for 05-17-06

05-17-06 - US spells out plan to bomb Iran THE US is updating contingency plans for a non-nuclear strike to cripple Iran's atomic weapon programme if international diplomacy fails, Pentagon sources have confirmed.



05-17-06 - UN presses for Syria-Lebanon ties The 15-member council adopted the resolution by 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining.


05-17-06 - Iran Rejects European Nuclear Incentives The fiery Ahmadinejad said Tehran had put its trust in the European Union in 2003 and suspended its nuclear activities as a confidence-building measure as negotiations continued. The EU then demanded that Iran permanently stop uranium enrichment. "We won't be bitten twice," Ahmadinejad said.



05-17-06 - Israel 'Will Not Allow' Iran Nuclear Weapons He noted that the timetable for military strikes must occur when Iran develops acquires the capability to make nuclear weapons, long before it acquires the weapons themselves. "People tell me that this means months and not years," he added....Israel needed to make its intentions clear, as a warning to Iran but also to its friends in the United States and elsewhere, Olmert said.


05-17-06 - Pentagon denying Israelis security clearances New York Sun reports State Department citing AIPAC leak case as basis for denying employees with dual Israeli-American citizenship security clearances. In one case, government lawyers argued Israel was 'actively spying on United States' to justify withdrawing clearance from worker


05-17-06 - Bowing To The Police State Like the proverbial frog in slowly boiling water, we have become inured to what goes on in the name of national security. Recent disclosures about increased government surveillance and illegal activities would be shocking, were it not for the prevailing outrage-fatigue brought on by a long train of abuses Former CIA officials need to coalesce with regard to the current situation here in the States - particularly involving the neocons and their agenda - to form a bloc which may prove to be more effective.


05-17-06 - . . . nightmare For world opinion, rightly or wrongly, Israeli action against Iran could not take place without a green light from the White House....Interestingly enough, the raid did not retard but actually accelerated Saddam Hussein's program....A religious fanatic who believes the return of the 12th imam to Earth will be preceded by global death and destruction in his own lifetime, Mr. Ahmadinejad presumably sees an Israeli and/or U.S. attack against Iran closing Muslim ranks the world over against the imperialist infidels. Now that's an interesting take I had not yet heard before.


05-17-06 - Two Injured in Clashes Near Syria Border Clashes between Lebanese troops and Syrian-backed Palestinian guerrillas Wednesday near the border with Syria seriously wounded at least one soldier and one guerrilla, security officials said.


05-17-06 - Judge Weighs Libby's Media Records Request


05-17-06 - Gulf states envoy to urge Iran to forgo nuclear arms


05-17-06 - Is America Becoming a Police State? The Founders envisioned a republic, not an empire: they set up a system designed to govern the 13 former colonies, not the world.


05-17-06 - U.S. reserves nearly 'broken,' says chief Explain to me again how our invasion of Iraq has made us more secure?


05-17-06 - Russia seeks thaw in frosty rhetoric


05-17-06 - FBI Secret Probes: 3,501 Targets in the U.S. The Department of Justice says it secretly sought phone records and other documents of 3,501 people last year under a provision of the Patriot Act that does not require judicial oversight. And the sheep graze on...


05-17-06 - China seeks to tie knot with Arabs to boost trade, energy China will host officials from 22 Arab countries in talks to promote cooperation in areas including trade and energy, China?s foreign ministry said. Representatives from the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority have also been invited.


05-17-06 - McCain: 'Proudly Pro-Israel' - Says Haaretz Article Left 'Serious Misimpressions' The McCain that both supporters and opponents have come to know, said the consultant, is the McCain who in June 2001 told a special AIPAC seminar that "America?s unequivocal support for Israel ? not evenhandedness, not moral equivalence, not winking at Palestinian violence ? is the best guarantor of peace in the Middle East." McCain reaffirms the fact that he is willing to forgo American national security in order to gain the AIPAC vote. It's a joke to see these types still touting Israel as the 'only democracy in the Middle East'. Total BS. That's a slap in the face to the families of the US soldiers that have died in Iraq.


05-17-06 - 9/11 Commission report is a lie It turns out those oral histories reveal details about what was happening in the World Trade Center buildings that are completely inconsistent with the tale told by the commission. Dozens of firefighters and medics reported hearing, seeing and feeling explosives going off in the buildings that collapsed


05-17-06 - Iranian Jews in Israel worry for former homeland Close allies when Iran was ruled by a U.S.-backed Shah, Iran and Israel have been implacable foes since the 1979 revolution


05-17-06 - American Credibility Erodes Abroad In increasing numbers, people around the globe resent American power and wealth and reject specific actions like the occupation of Iraq and the campaign against democratically elected Palestinian leaders, in-depth international polling shows.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

News for 05-16-06

05-16-06 - Europe Weighs Giving Reactor to Iran Bolton has been a key proponent of tough Security Council action unless Iran renounces enrichment, including a militarily enforceable resolution packing the threat of sanctions. However, the United States last week agreed to a new European effort to entice the Iranians back to the negotiating table in an attempt to secure Russian and Chinese backing for tough council actions John Bolton is a neocon.


05-16-06 - Iran says not interested in EU incentives


05-16-06 - Russia, China: Don't Use Force in Iran Russia and China will not vote for the use of force in resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday in a sign of persisting differences with the U.S. Cheney and the neocons as well as the AIPACers are fuming, no doubt.


05-16-06 - Russia challenges American policy on Iran, North Korea


05-16-06 - Whose God may we mock? by Patrick J. Buchanan If you would know who wields cultural power, ask yourself: Whom is it impermissible to offend?


05-16-06 - Syrian oil draws Asian help US renews sanctions but China, India, and Russia are eager to invest in Syrian oil.


05-16-06 - Pentagon releases 9/11 video So indistinct are the pictures they are unlikely to quell conspiracy theories on the internet that there was no plane, but a missile, that day. The real question is why the Pentagon blocked their release for so long.


05-16-06 - UN council poised to push Syria on ties to Beirut While veto-wielding permanent council members Russia and China opposed the measure along with Argentina and Qatar, the council's sole Arab member, Beijing and Moscow were expected to abstain rather than cast a "no" vote and kill the measure, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.




05-16-06 - Russian FM to start Gulf tour in Saudi


05-16-06 - Why US restored ties with Libya "What Arabs and Muslim people around the world will take from this is that the Bush administration is not genuine about the priority to spread democracy," What clued you in?


05-16-06 - Egypt FM calls for peaceful resolution of Iran nuclear row He said Egypt wanted a nuclear-free region -- a reference to Israel which is widely suspected of possessing but has never acknowledged a nuclear arsenal


05-16-06 - Syria starts removing sand berms inside Lebanon Tractors started to dismantle sand berms erected by Syrian border guards several kilometers inside Lebanese territory, the head of a municipality in the region said.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

News for 05-15-06

05-15-06 - Iran FM tells EU envoys enrichment halt unacceptable


05-15-06 - Move of Halliburton Meeting Draws Fire Halliburton earned a record $2.4 billion last year,


05-15-06 - EU Prepared to Back Civilian Iran Program The European Union will support an Iranian nuclear program that cannot be put to military use and will boost political and economic cooperation if Tehran accepts international oversight, a top official said Monday.


05-15-06 - Iraqi children suffering 'alarming' malnutrition: survey


05-15-06 - Majority of Americans against phone record collection A majority of Americans disapprove of the government's attempt to collect millions of telephone records from ordinary citizens, an opinion poll showed.


05-15-06 - Mubarak's Son Met Secretly With Cheney The talks came amid increasing criticism from the Bush administration of the Mubarak government for its crackdown on the political opposition, and Mubarak's comments that he does not take orders from Washington.


05-15-06 - Putin offers aid to Palestinians A Kremlin source says Russia intends to help create a normal life for the Palestinian people.


05-15-06 - Fired CIA officer believed agency lied to Congress Mary McCarthy, a US Central Intelligence Agency officer fired last month for unauthorized contacts with journalists, believed her agency deliberately misled Congress about its treatment of detainees, a US newspaper reported.


05-15-06 - Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling


05-15-06 - THE MCLAUGHLIN GROUP TAPED: FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2006 BROADCAST: WEEKEND OF MAY 13-14, 2006 MR. BUCHANAN: It was not only cleared by that. I'm sure it was cleared by the president of the United States, the NSA. The truth is, the neoconservatives want a confrontation with Russia.


05-15-06 - Fascism: Are We There Yet? * What's really at stake here is the continued relevance of the Constitution and the legacy of the Founding Fathers. Listen closely ? you can hear them turning in their graves.


05-15-06 - Report: Pakistan supplied nukes to Syria


05-15-06 - Hadley: We oppose paying P.A. payroll Stephen Hadley, President Bush?s national security adviser, met Monday with about 30 Jewish leaders from an array of organizations to discuss next week?s visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Hadley is a neocon.


05-15-06 - Israeli Lawyer Registers Criminal Indictment against Ahmadinejad in German Court Shahar has taken the initiative to file a case in the German Court to carry out criminal proceedings in absentia against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his brazen denial of the Holocaust and his urging Germany (and Austria) to resettle all Jews in Israel to Germany and Austria. Denying the Holocaust in Germany is an offense, punishable by law with a maximum of five years in prison and a fine.


05-15-06 - Neocons Commie Bait Ray McGovern ?Authentic neocons descend from the Communist and socialist movements, with the most prominent leaders being Trotskyites (that is, ultra-Left Communists),? writes Dale Vree for the New Oxford Review.


05-15-06 - Israel gets spot on U.N. committee membership would be a "good way to diversify our visibility in the United Nations."


05-15-06 - Ex-Israeli army chief warns of long-range Iran missiles "Ahmadinejad is promising the end of history in two or three years' time and I suggest that we believe him," Ahhh.. aren't we exaggerating things just a tad bit?....


05-15-06 - Ex-spymaster vows to help Pollard Jonathan Pollard's former handler, now an Israeli Cabinet minister, vowed to work for his release from prison.


05-15-06 - Jewish Alliance appeals for negotiations The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace sent a representative to Monday?s meeting between Stephen Hadley and Jewish leaders to present a letter from supporters calling for negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a relative moderate.