March 31, 2003
WE'RE WATCHING TWO DIFFERENT WARS
Mainstream Media’s Sanitized War Coverage Helps Mask Carnage - The U.S. mass media’s censored and sanitized coverage of the war in Iraq is chiefly responsible for the divergence in American and European public opinions. American Free Press
More articles and discussion groups on realted topics : link here
Mainstream Media’s Sanitized War Coverage Helps Mask Carnage - The U.S. mass media’s censored and sanitized coverage of the war in Iraq is chiefly responsible for the divergence in American and European public opinions. American Free Press
More articles and discussion groups on realted topics : link here
After rape follows (US controlled) plunder and pillage ...
Fury at Costain's 'bypass UN' advice
British construction giant Costain is under severe pressure to retract comments by its chief executive urging the British government to 'bypass' United Nations efforts to reconstruct Iraq - The Observer
Fury at Costain's 'bypass UN' advice
British construction giant Costain is under severe pressure to retract comments by its chief executive urging the British government to 'bypass' United Nations efforts to reconstruct Iraq - The Observer
An Economic Perspective On The War - Geoffrey Heard
It's About Oil .. well, sort of. Really it's about the Last Stand for US Dollar! This is a fascinating explanation for the invasion of Iraq. We ran this past a seasoned currency dealer at a major bank, and he AGREES with this analysis.
Summary: Why is George Bush so hell bent on war with Iraq? Why does his administration reject every positive Iraqi move? It all makes sense when you consider the economic implications for the USA of not going to war with Iraq. The war in Iraq is actually the US and Europe going head to head on economic leadership of the world.By Geoffrey Heard, Australia
It's About Oil .. well, sort of. Really it's about the Last Stand for US Dollar! This is a fascinating explanation for the invasion of Iraq. We ran this past a seasoned currency dealer at a major bank, and he AGREES with this analysis.
Summary: Why is George Bush so hell bent on war with Iraq? Why does his administration reject every positive Iraqi move? It all makes sense when you consider the economic implications for the USA of not going to war with Iraq. The war in Iraq is actually the US and Europe going head to head on economic leadership of the world.By Geoffrey Heard, Australia
In the land of the free, Peter Arnett found to be 'unpatriotic' and is fired (but he's not American, he's a Kiwi!)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American television network NBC said on Monday it had severed its relations with veteran reporter Peter Arnett after he told Iraqi television that the U.S. war plan against Saddam Hussein had failed. Full story
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American television network NBC said on Monday it had severed its relations with veteran reporter Peter Arnett after he told Iraqi television that the U.S. war plan against Saddam Hussein had failed. Full story
Bloggers spearhead offscreen opposition
The net has given free rein to opinion not expressed in mainstream media coverage of the Gulf conflict, says John Naughton in The Observer . "A friend of mine has just returned from a week in New York, during which time she encountered nobody who was in favour of the war. Nobody. One day, her attempts to get across town by cab were blocked by an anti-war demonstration involving 300,000 people. Did this remarkable event - in a nation which, remember, is officially at war - receive serious coverage on CNN? Do I need to ask?
The net has given free rein to opinion not expressed in mainstream media coverage of the Gulf conflict, says John Naughton in The Observer . "A friend of mine has just returned from a week in New York, during which time she encountered nobody who was in favour of the war. Nobody. One day, her attempts to get across town by cab were blocked by an anti-war demonstration involving 300,000 people. Did this remarkable event - in a nation which, remember, is officially at war - receive serious coverage on CNN? Do I need to ask?
Man who would be 'king' of Iraq
Oliver Morgan on Jay Garner, the hawkish head of the Pentagon agency that will be handling lucrative reconstruction deals OBSERVER
US arms trader to run Iraq
Exclusive: Ex-general who will lead reconstruction heads firm behind Patriot missiles - Oliver Morgan, March 30, 2003 The Observer
Exclusive: Ex-general who will lead reconstruction heads firm behind Patriot missiles - Oliver Morgan, March 30, 2003 The Observer
“The enemy we’re fighting is a bit different than the one we war-gamed against.” Lt. Gen. William Wallace, commander of U.S. Army forces in the Persian Gulf
HERE'S WHY ...... THE GAMING WAS FIXED
‘Exercise officials denied him the opportunity to use his own tactics and ideas against Blue, and on several occasions directed [Red Force] not to use certain weapons systems against Blue. It even ordered him to reveal the location of Red units.’
“Instead of a free-play, two-sided game … it simply became a scripted exercise.” The conduct of the game did not allow “for the concepts of rapid decisive operations, effects-based operations, or operational net assessment to be properly assessed. … It was in actuality an exercise that was almost entirely scripted to ensure a Blue ‘win.’ ”
"For instance — and here is where he displayed prescience — Van Riper used motorcycle messengers to transmit orders to Red troops, thereby eluding Blue’s super-sophisticated eavesdropping technology. He maneuvered Red forces constantly. At one point in the game, when Blue’s fleet entered the Persian Gulf, he sank some of the ships with suicide-bombers in speed boats. (At that point, the managers stopped the game, “refloated” the Blue fleet, and resumed play.) Robert Oakley, a retired U.S. ambassador who played the Red civilian leader, told the Army Times that Van Riper was “out-thinking” Blue Force from the first day of the exercise"
"Finally, Van Riper quit the game in protest, so as not to be associated with what would be misleading results. As he explained in his e-mail, “You don’t come to a conclusion beforehand and then work your way to that conclusion. You see how the thing plays out.” He added, somewhat ominously in retrospect, “My main concern was we’d see future forces trying to use these things when they’ve never been properly grounded in any sort of an experiment.” Full story at MSN
.
HERE'S WHY ...... THE GAMING WAS FIXED
‘Exercise officials denied him the opportunity to use his own tactics and ideas against Blue, and on several occasions directed [Red Force] not to use certain weapons systems against Blue. It even ordered him to reveal the location of Red units.’
“Instead of a free-play, two-sided game … it simply became a scripted exercise.” The conduct of the game did not allow “for the concepts of rapid decisive operations, effects-based operations, or operational net assessment to be properly assessed. … It was in actuality an exercise that was almost entirely scripted to ensure a Blue ‘win.’ ”
"For instance — and here is where he displayed prescience — Van Riper used motorcycle messengers to transmit orders to Red troops, thereby eluding Blue’s super-sophisticated eavesdropping technology. He maneuvered Red forces constantly. At one point in the game, when Blue’s fleet entered the Persian Gulf, he sank some of the ships with suicide-bombers in speed boats. (At that point, the managers stopped the game, “refloated” the Blue fleet, and resumed play.) Robert Oakley, a retired U.S. ambassador who played the Red civilian leader, told the Army Times that Van Riper was “out-thinking” Blue Force from the first day of the exercise"
"Finally, Van Riper quit the game in protest, so as not to be associated with what would be misleading results. As he explained in his e-mail, “You don’t come to a conclusion beforehand and then work your way to that conclusion. You see how the thing plays out.” He added, somewhat ominously in retrospect, “My main concern was we’d see future forces trying to use these things when they’ve never been properly grounded in any sort of an experiment.” Full story at MSN
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Tech firms queried on US defence contracts
IRISH technology companies Skillsoft, Iona Technologies and ParthusCeva have all received letters from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment seeking clarification on what export licences they are using to supply software to the US military. Irish Independent (free reg req'd) It was also noted recently that Moog Electronics in Ringaskiddy, Cork are engaged in producing misile guidance systems for the US military, and have received employment grants from the Government of Ireland - a neutral state.
IRISH technology companies Skillsoft, Iona Technologies and ParthusCeva have all received letters from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment seeking clarification on what export licences they are using to supply software to the US military. Irish Independent (free reg req'd) It was also noted recently that Moog Electronics in Ringaskiddy, Cork are engaged in producing misile guidance systems for the US military, and have received employment grants from the Government of Ireland - a neutral state.
THE HUMANITARIAN MYTH (2) - "Stick to warfare, we'll deliver aid"
"Armies fight - and they should leave feeding those caught in the crossfire to experienced humanitarian relief agencies" Alex Renton in Jordan, Sunday March 30, 2003
The Observer
"Armies fight - and they should leave feeding those caught in the crossfire to experienced humanitarian relief agencies" Alex Renton in Jordan, Sunday March 30, 2003
The Observer
THE HUMANITARIAN MYTH (1) - "Wanted: 32 Galahads a day"
Amid reports that half of the cargo onboard the 'humanitarian supply' ship Sir Galahad is, in fact, arms & ammunition for UK forces, Nick Guttman says: "Throwing boxes of food off the backs of lorries into a sea of eager arms is simply not how you do these things. It is potentially dangerous for all involved and, more importantly, it virtually guarantees that the wrong people will get whatever is on offer. The most successful arms in this kind of situation belong to the strongest, fittest young men. While the old, the weak and the women with children – those who need the aid most – have either to stand by and watch or run the risk of being trampled underfoot".Nick Guttmann:
Amid reports that half of the cargo onboard the 'humanitarian supply' ship Sir Galahad is, in fact, arms & ammunition for UK forces, Nick Guttman says: "Throwing boxes of food off the backs of lorries into a sea of eager arms is simply not how you do these things. It is potentially dangerous for all involved and, more importantly, it virtually guarantees that the wrong people will get whatever is on offer. The most successful arms in this kind of situation belong to the strongest, fittest young men. While the old, the weak and the women with children – those who need the aid most – have either to stand by and watch or run the risk of being trampled underfoot".Nick Guttmann:
UNFRIENDLY FIRE
"I can command my vehicle. I can keep it from being attacked. What I have not been trained to do is look over my shoulder to see whether an American is shooting at me." Lance Corporal of Horse Steven Gerrard, speaking from his bed on the RFA Argus in the Gulf. "He's killed one of my friends and he's killed him on the second run."
The Guardian
"I can command my vehicle. I can keep it from being attacked. What I have not been trained to do is look over my shoulder to see whether an American is shooting at me." Lance Corporal of Horse Steven Gerrard, speaking from his bed on the RFA Argus in the Gulf. "He's killed one of my friends and he's killed him on the second run."
The Guardian
"US delegation arrived in Amman in its way to Baghdad for ceasefire negotiations" Al Jazeerah
An English language mirror site for AL JAZEERAH is now available at HERE
An English language mirror site for AL JAZEERAH is now available at HERE
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death"
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death"
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967
Michael Moore's Letter to George Bush
"Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids for this war effort. What's that you say? You don't THINK so? Well, hey, guess what -- we don't think so either!" Link here
"Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids for this war effort. What's that you say? You don't THINK so? Well, hey, guess what -- we don't think so either!" Link here
Gulf war syndrome research reveals present danger
Repeated surveys find 30 per cent more sick people among Gulf veterans than in comparable groups who did not serve. But the official position in Britain, Canada and the US is that Gulf war syndrome is not a specific medical condition. All accept something is wrong with the 1991 veterans, but official research has focused on post-traumatic stress. The US has paid disability compensation to more than 110,000 of the 696,000 troops who fought in that war. New Scientist
Repeated surveys find 30 per cent more sick people among Gulf veterans than in comparable groups who did not serve. But the official position in Britain, Canada and the US is that Gulf war syndrome is not a specific medical condition. All accept something is wrong with the 1991 veterans, but official research has focused on post-traumatic stress. The US has paid disability compensation to more than 110,000 of the 696,000 troops who fought in that war. New Scientist
The battle between Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon.
"Rumsfeld’s team took over crucial aspects of the day-to-day logistical planning—traditionally, an area in which the uniformed military excels—and Rumsfeld repeatedly overruled the senior Pentagon planners on the Joint Staff, the operating arm of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “He thought he knew better,” one senior planner said. “He was the decision-maker at every turn.” the New Yorker
"Rumsfeld’s team took over crucial aspects of the day-to-day logistical planning—traditionally, an area in which the uniformed military excels—and Rumsfeld repeatedly overruled the senior Pentagon planners on the Joint Staff, the operating arm of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “He thought he knew better,” one senior planner said. “He was the decision-maker at every turn.” the New Yorker
Under fire: the architects of war
31 March 2003: Tony Blair suffered a backlash from senior Labour MPs over the war in Iraq yesterday when a former minister warned that the conflict could turn into another Vietnam. Independent
31 March 2003: Tony Blair suffered a backlash from senior Labour MPs over the war in Iraq yesterday when a former minister warned that the conflict could turn into another Vietnam. Independent
US Marines turn fire on civilians at the bridge of death
Here is an astonishing eye-witness account of civilian deaths and a loss of innocence of young US Marines in the intense battle for Nasiriya. This is the most detailed front-line account yet.
"Amid the wreckage I counted 12 dead civilians, lying in the road or in nearby ditches. All had been trying to leave this southern town overnight, probably for fear of being killed by US helicopter attacks and heavy artillery. Their mistake had been to flee over a bridge that is crucial to the coalition’s supply lines and to run into a group of shell-shocked young American marines with orders to shoot anything that moved.
One man’s body was still in flames. It gave out a hissing sound. Tucked away in his breast pocket, thick wads of banknotes were turning to ashes. His savings, perhaps.
Down the road, a little girl, no older than five and dressed in a pretty orange and gold dress, lay dead in a ditch next to the body of a man who may have been her father. Half his head was missing" Mark Franchetti, Sunday Times (free registration req'd)
Here is an astonishing eye-witness account of civilian deaths and a loss of innocence of young US Marines in the intense battle for Nasiriya. This is the most detailed front-line account yet.
"Amid the wreckage I counted 12 dead civilians, lying in the road or in nearby ditches. All had been trying to leave this southern town overnight, probably for fear of being killed by US helicopter attacks and heavy artillery. Their mistake had been to flee over a bridge that is crucial to the coalition’s supply lines and to run into a group of shell-shocked young American marines with orders to shoot anything that moved.
One man’s body was still in flames. It gave out a hissing sound. Tucked away in his breast pocket, thick wads of banknotes were turning to ashes. His savings, perhaps.
Down the road, a little girl, no older than five and dressed in a pretty orange and gold dress, lay dead in a ditch next to the body of a man who may have been her father. Half his head was missing" Mark Franchetti, Sunday Times (free registration req'd)
PNAC revisited - Plotting Sadam's removal
March 10 — Years before George W. Bush entered the White House, and years before the Sept. 11 attacks set the direction of his presidency, a group of influential neo-conservatives hatched a plan to get Saddam Hussein out of power. ABC NEWS
March 10 — Years before George W. Bush entered the White House, and years before the Sept. 11 attacks set the direction of his presidency, a group of influential neo-conservatives hatched a plan to get Saddam Hussein out of power. ABC NEWS
March 30, 2003
Cook: 'Pull out of bloody, unjust war'
"There will be a legacy of hatred for the West if the Iraqis continue to suffer from the war we started" says former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
"There will be a legacy of hatred for the West if the Iraqis continue to suffer from the war we started" says former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
APOLOGY ATTEMPT ANGERS HERO'S FAMILY
ANGRY relatives last night slammed a pitiful attempt by the Government to apologise for Tony Blair's claim that two soldiers who died in combat in Iraq were "executed". Sunday Mirror
ANGRY relatives last night slammed a pitiful attempt by the Government to apologise for Tony Blair's claim that two soldiers who died in combat in Iraq were "executed". Sunday Mirror
TRUTH IN THE NEWS - Is Rupert Murdoch the Invasion's biggest cheerleader?
It's well known that Rubert Murdoch's News Corp-owned TV channels such as Fox News and Sky are taking a very clear pro-war stance. The media correspondent of London's Observer newspaper analysed the editorial line on Iraq taken by newspaper titles owned by News International. Out of 175 titles around the globe he found that NOT ONE of them had an anti-war stance, or gave much if any prominence to news which might embarass the US/UK invasion force. He noted that Murdoch's up-market 'Sunday Times' did print some stories questioning the wisdom of the war, but observed that editorial independence is dead at News Corp., on this issue at least.
He added that Tony O'Reilly's Independent Newspaper group appears to be living up to it's name. Whereas O'Reilly would seek to maintain positive relations with George Bush, his newspaper editors were taking varying lines on the war, with many clearly opposed. The London Independent has taken an anti-war stance from the outset, and has seen it's circulation figures modestly improve.
It's well known that Rubert Murdoch's News Corp-owned TV channels such as Fox News and Sky are taking a very clear pro-war stance. The media correspondent of London's Observer newspaper analysed the editorial line on Iraq taken by newspaper titles owned by News International. Out of 175 titles around the globe he found that NOT ONE of them had an anti-war stance, or gave much if any prominence to news which might embarass the US/UK invasion force. He noted that Murdoch's up-market 'Sunday Times' did print some stories questioning the wisdom of the war, but observed that editorial independence is dead at News Corp., on this issue at least.
He added that Tony O'Reilly's Independent Newspaper group appears to be living up to it's name. Whereas O'Reilly would seek to maintain positive relations with George Bush, his newspaper editors were taking varying lines on the war, with many clearly opposed. The London Independent has taken an anti-war stance from the outset, and has seen it's circulation figures modestly improve.
Ambivalence of the Irish Public
Riding on a dying wave of 'celtic tiger' affluence, Irish people display a striking ambivalence regarding the invasion of Iraq. In an opinion poll this week, 66% disapproved of the US-led invasion, 42% disapproved of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's handling of the crisis (v. 33% approval), and 75% disliked George Bush's behavior ... yet 49% felt it was in Ireland's economic interest to back the war. Clearly many are struggling to retain a sense of moral of outrage while not wishing to 'bite the hand that feeds'. They may draw some comfort from the comments of the head of Intel in Ireland (probably the largest US investor in Ireland) who dismissed fears that US investment would be 'pulled' from Ireland if it failed to support the war. "Investment seeks the best possible return, and in Ireland we get that. Politics don't enter into it".
Riding on a dying wave of 'celtic tiger' affluence, Irish people display a striking ambivalence regarding the invasion of Iraq. In an opinion poll this week, 66% disapproved of the US-led invasion, 42% disapproved of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's handling of the crisis (v. 33% approval), and 75% disliked George Bush's behavior ... yet 49% felt it was in Ireland's economic interest to back the war. Clearly many are struggling to retain a sense of moral of outrage while not wishing to 'bite the hand that feeds'. They may draw some comfort from the comments of the head of Intel in Ireland (probably the largest US investor in Ireland) who dismissed fears that US investment would be 'pulled' from Ireland if it failed to support the war. "Investment seeks the best possible return, and in Ireland we get that. Politics don't enter into it".
What the Germans were told after WW2
"individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore they have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occuring" . The Irish anti-war movement are quoting this extract from the judgements of the Nuremburg Tribunal 1945-1946 to remind the Irish public of their obligations to world peace.
"individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore they have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occuring" . The Irish anti-war movement are quoting this extract from the judgements of the Nuremburg Tribunal 1945-1946 to remind the Irish public of their obligations to world peace.
Reporting Iraq : the battle for objectivity
"Arab media have been accused of breaking international conventions by showing images of dead American and British soldiers, and of inciting anti-western sentiments by showing graphic images of dead and injured civilians, including a toddler with the top of its head blown off. " Sunday Business Post
"Arab media have been accused of breaking international conventions by showing images of dead American and British soldiers, and of inciting anti-western sentiments by showing graphic images of dead and injured civilians, including a toddler with the top of its head blown off. " Sunday Business Post
Things are not going their way
"US and British forces are fast running out of "smart" bombs, and will gradually turn to using conventional rockets and cluster bombs, Russian intelligence analysts believe. This will inflict carnage on the civilian population." Sunday Business Post
"US and British forces are fast running out of "smart" bombs, and will gradually turn to using conventional rockets and cluster bombs, Russian intelligence analysts believe. This will inflict carnage on the civilian population." Sunday Business Post
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Nonviolence is the answer
to the crucial political and moral questions of our time:
the need for man to overcome oppression and violence
without resorting to oppression and violence.
Man must evolve for all human conflict
a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech,
Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964
"Nonviolence is the answer
to the crucial political and moral questions of our time:
the need for man to overcome oppression and violence
without resorting to oppression and violence.
Man must evolve for all human conflict
a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech,
Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964
March 29, 2003
Sandra Jordan reports from Rafah on the death of American activist Rachel Corrie, crushed by an Israeli bulldozer as she battled to prevent destruction at a refugee camp. The Observer
Shooting the messenger
Lt.Gen John Abizaid, dep. commander of Us CentCom said the decision taken by cable channel Al Jazeera to air pictures of dead Iraqi civilians slaughtered in a missile attack on a busy public market was "absolutely unacceptable" and "disgusting". British Air Marshall Brian Burridge described it as "deplorable", adding "all media outlets must be aware of the limits of taste and decency" ...... a truly breathtaking statement.
This evening, referring to an Iraqi car-bomb which killed 4 British soldiers, a British forces spokesman said this indicated the 'depths of depravity of this regime', adding "the fact that such terrorist action is state-sponsored, and that the terrorist is being awarded posthumous medals, is simply incomprehensible". No mention was made of British forces decision to bombard densely populated areas of Basra with artillery shells contained radioactive depleted uranium.
Lt.Gen John Abizaid, dep. commander of Us CentCom said the decision taken by cable channel Al Jazeera to air pictures of dead Iraqi civilians slaughtered in a missile attack on a busy public market was "absolutely unacceptable" and "disgusting". British Air Marshall Brian Burridge described it as "deplorable", adding "all media outlets must be aware of the limits of taste and decency" ...... a truly breathtaking statement.
This evening, referring to an Iraqi car-bomb which killed 4 British soldiers, a British forces spokesman said this indicated the 'depths of depravity of this regime', adding "the fact that such terrorist action is state-sponsored, and that the terrorist is being awarded posthumous medals, is simply incomprehensible". No mention was made of British forces decision to bombard densely populated areas of Basra with artillery shells contained radioactive depleted uranium.
Irish public vote with their wallet ... for now.
An opinion poll to be published tomorrow shows 75% of the Irish public believe the atack on Iraq is "in our best economic interests", yet a majority (49% v 43%) believe it's wrong to allow US Armed Forces transit through Shannon Airport - indicating a growing level of public discomfort with the behavior of the US & UK. In Dublin today 20,000 people marched in an Anti-War protest. Two arrests were made in an isolated incident when a US flag was burned, which featured heavily on the TV news despite the fact that 19,998 people behaved peacefully. With reference to the question of whether people should protest, the following quotation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was read:
Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular;
but one must take it because it is right.
So it seems that for both the Irish public and their elected representatives, expediency is the key word ....
An opinion poll to be published tomorrow shows 75% of the Irish public believe the atack on Iraq is "in our best economic interests", yet a majority (49% v 43%) believe it's wrong to allow US Armed Forces transit through Shannon Airport - indicating a growing level of public discomfort with the behavior of the US & UK. In Dublin today 20,000 people marched in an Anti-War protest. Two arrests were made in an isolated incident when a US flag was burned, which featured heavily on the TV news despite the fact that 19,998 people behaved peacefully. With reference to the question of whether people should protest, the following quotation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was read:
Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular;
but one must take it because it is right.
So it seems that for both the Irish public and their elected representatives, expediency is the key word ....
Potential conflicts abound for independent panel on 9/11 attacks
WASHINGTON – Members of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks have numerous professional ties to industries and organizations that could come under their scrutiny, financial disclosure reports show. San Diego Union Tribune
WASHINGTON – Members of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks have numerous professional ties to industries and organizations that could come under their scrutiny, financial disclosure reports show. San Diego Union Tribune
March 28, 2003
Bush Backs SUV's - More Oil for the Mile
"The Bush administration's economic plan would increase by 50 percent or more the deductions that small-business owners can take right away on the biggest sport utility vehicles and pickups. The plan would mean small businesses could immediately deduct the entire price of S.U.V.'s like the Hummer H2, the Lincoln Navigator and the Toyota Land Cruiser, even if the vehicles were loaded with every available option. Or a business owner, taking full advantage, could buy a BMW X5 sport utility vehicle for a few hundred dollars more than a Pontiac Bonneville sedan, after the immediate tax deductions were factored in" (AP) Truth in Politics
"The Bush administration's economic plan would increase by 50 percent or more the deductions that small-business owners can take right away on the biggest sport utility vehicles and pickups. The plan would mean small businesses could immediately deduct the entire price of S.U.V.'s like the Hummer H2, the Lincoln Navigator and the Toyota Land Cruiser, even if the vehicles were loaded with every available option. Or a business owner, taking full advantage, could buy a BMW X5 sport utility vehicle for a few hundred dollars more than a Pontiac Bonneville sedan, after the immediate tax deductions were factored in" (AP) Truth in Politics
The word from the CIA: it's the oil, stupid
Who should be more worried, asks Kenneth Davidson, Saddam; or the French and Russian oil companies presently in Iraq?
Heres something to bear in mind as the post-Iraq 'administration' emerges from the ashes. "A client oil state was first defined by Lord Curzon, who was the British foreign secretary after World War I. He said it was an "Arab facade ruled and administered under British guidance and controlled by a native Mohammedan and, as far as possible, by an Arab staff . . . There should be no actual incorporation of the conquered territory in the dominions of the conqueror, but the absorption may be veiled by such constitutional fictions as a protectorate, a sphere of influence, a buffer state and so on". The Age
Who should be more worried, asks Kenneth Davidson, Saddam; or the French and Russian oil companies presently in Iraq?
Heres something to bear in mind as the post-Iraq 'administration' emerges from the ashes. "A client oil state was first defined by Lord Curzon, who was the British foreign secretary after World War I. He said it was an "Arab facade ruled and administered under British guidance and controlled by a native Mohammedan and, as far as possible, by an Arab staff . . . There should be no actual incorporation of the conquered territory in the dominions of the conqueror, but the absorption may be veiled by such constitutional fictions as a protectorate, a sphere of influence, a buffer state and so on". The Age
The *Ultimate* hostile take-over
It's now clear that Bush will use the oil wealth of Iraq to finance it's take-over. As with that popular corporate take-over manouver whereby you take-over a company by borrowing against that company's assets, the Bush Administration now confirm they will fund Iraq's reconstruction from Iraqi oil revenues. So 'holding Iraq's oil wealth in trust for the Iraqi people' means selling their oil to repair the destruction of their country. Go Figure!
It's now clear that Bush will use the oil wealth of Iraq to finance it's take-over. As with that popular corporate take-over manouver whereby you take-over a company by borrowing against that company's assets, the Bush Administration now confirm they will fund Iraq's reconstruction from Iraqi oil revenues. So 'holding Iraq's oil wealth in trust for the Iraqi people' means selling their oil to repair the destruction of their country. Go Figure!
SUV OWNERS SUPPORT WAR WITH IRAQ
The Center for the Institute of Studies recently polled SUV owners about their attitude toward war with Iraq. By a 60/40 margin, they support it. "I just can't wait until we can gas up the the Escalade for 75 cents a gallon!" said Susan Wellington, a member of Promontory Plaines Country Club. SUV story
The Center for the Institute of Studies recently polled SUV owners about their attitude toward war with Iraq. By a 60/40 margin, they support it. "I just can't wait until we can gas up the the Escalade for 75 cents a gallon!" said Susan Wellington, a member of Promontory Plaines Country Club. SUV story
Bogus Reasons for the War
Clear the 'Fog of War' and see why the "Three Great Lies" simply don't stand up to scrutiny
Clear the 'Fog of War' and see why the "Three Great Lies" simply don't stand up to scrutiny
"Cakewalk"
Bush administration officials and their hawkish supporters now say they never promised an easy war -- but the record shows otherwise.
"I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. Let me give simple, responsible reasons: (1) It was a cakewalk last time; (2) they've become much weaker; (3) we've become much stronger; and (4) now we're playing for keeps" Ken Adelman, former U.N. ambassador, in the Washington Post, Feb. 13, 2002." SALON
Bush administration officials and their hawkish supporters now say they never promised an easy war -- but the record shows otherwise.
"I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. Let me give simple, responsible reasons: (1) It was a cakewalk last time; (2) they've become much weaker; (3) we've become much stronger; and (4) now we're playing for keeps" Ken Adelman, former U.N. ambassador, in the Washington Post, Feb. 13, 2002." SALON
Richard Perle resigns
March 27, 2003 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- "Former Pentagon official Richard Perle resigned Thursday as chairman of a group that advises Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on policy issues, saying he did not want a controversy over his business dealings to distract from Rumsfeld's management of the war in Iraq" Salon
March 27, 2003 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- "Former Pentagon official Richard Perle resigned Thursday as chairman of a group that advises Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on policy issues, saying he did not want a controversy over his business dealings to distract from Rumsfeld's management of the war in Iraq" Salon
Baghdad Diary
WEDNESDAY March 19: "I was not meant to be here. If all had gone according to plan, by now I should have been sipping a large gin and tonic at the bar of the Intercontinental in Amman. But yesterday, at 6am, myself and a group of other journalists were arrested by Iraqi officials at the Jordanian border for attempting to take our dollars out of the country without the proper paperwork. " Irish Independent (free registration req'd)
WEDNESDAY March 19: "I was not meant to be here. If all had gone according to plan, by now I should have been sipping a large gin and tonic at the bar of the Intercontinental in Amman. But yesterday, at 6am, myself and a group of other journalists were arrested by Iraqi officials at the Jordanian border for attempting to take our dollars out of the country without the proper paperwork. " Irish Independent (free registration req'd)
QUOTES OF THE DAY
"This enemy is different to the one we war-gamed. We didn't think they'd fight like this"
General William Wallace
"Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction"
Sir Isaac Newton
"This enemy is different to the one we war-gamed. We didn't think they'd fight like this"
General William Wallace
"Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction"
Sir Isaac Newton
Whoever wins the war, the US has lost the peace
"In the Allies' Central Command HQ in Doha, they produce images to show the precision of Western bombing and the rapidity of the US push on Iraq. Walk down the road and the studios of al-Jazeera are pumping out images of a Third World country trying vainly to fight back against a hyperpower of infinite technological superiority. There is no doubt which version most of the world believes. Even in India, where anti-Muslim feelings lie close to the surface, you don't meet a single person who thinks this is anything other than an American enterprise fought for selfish reasons. "Why," they ask you in genuinely concerned terms, "is Blair going along with it?" INDEPENDENT
"In the Allies' Central Command HQ in Doha, they produce images to show the precision of Western bombing and the rapidity of the US push on Iraq. Walk down the road and the studios of al-Jazeera are pumping out images of a Third World country trying vainly to fight back against a hyperpower of infinite technological superiority. There is no doubt which version most of the world believes. Even in India, where anti-Muslim feelings lie close to the surface, you don't meet a single person who thinks this is anything other than an American enterprise fought for selfish reasons. "Why," they ask you in genuinely concerned terms, "is Blair going along with it?" INDEPENDENT
Britain and US at odds over port rebuilding project
Barely a day after Blair's climb-down over the UN role in post-war Iraq, another moment of truth arrives:
British forces are determined to engage an Iraqi director and staff to run the country's only deep-water port, which is expected to provide the gateway for humanitarian aid and military supplies. But the US Agency for International Development has already awarded the contract to Stevedoring Services of America, a Seattle company. The British Army is pressing ahead with its plan to reinstall the man who directed the port before the Allied invasion. Britain sees this as the first big test of the proclaimed Allied intention to ensure that Iraqi resources are used for the benefit of the Iraqi people. INDEPENDENT
Barely a day after Blair's climb-down over the UN role in post-war Iraq, another moment of truth arrives:
British forces are determined to engage an Iraqi director and staff to run the country's only deep-water port, which is expected to provide the gateway for humanitarian aid and military supplies. But the US Agency for International Development has already awarded the contract to Stevedoring Services of America, a Seattle company. The British Army is pressing ahead with its plan to reinstall the man who directed the port before the Allied invasion. Britain sees this as the first big test of the proclaimed Allied intention to ensure that Iraqi resources are used for the benefit of the Iraqi people. INDEPENDENT
The truth is out there, under the shifting sands
"Al-Jazeera is remarkably consistent in its presentation of horrific, chaotic and disturbing imagery, regardless of its potential for swaying audience opinion. [It] is presenting a coherent and convincing picture and that picture is of an American war effort going disastrously wrong." Sydney Morning Herald
"Al-Jazeera is remarkably consistent in its presentation of horrific, chaotic and disturbing imagery, regardless of its potential for swaying audience opinion. [It] is presenting a coherent and convincing picture and that picture is of an American war effort going disastrously wrong." Sydney Morning Herald
"Shut your mouth"
This was posted previously, but in case you missed it, here's a deeply disturbing piece about the insidious errosion of civil liberties now taking place in the US.
"As radio giants censor antiwar musicians, TV networks bully pro-peace actors, and Attorney General John Ashcroft prepares a new assault on civil liberties, a climate of intimidation creeps over America." SALON
This was posted previously, but in case you missed it, here's a deeply disturbing piece about the insidious errosion of civil liberties now taking place in the US.
"As radio giants censor antiwar musicians, TV networks bully pro-peace actors, and Attorney General John Ashcroft prepares a new assault on civil liberties, a climate of intimidation creeps over America." SALON
PENTAGON KNOWS LARGE PERCENT OF "SMART" BOMBS MALFUNCTION AND CIVILIAN DEATHS ARE A CERTAINTY
An article in yesterday's Washington Post begins: "Breakfast was simple, but late. Days of bombing had left the Khalil family sleepless. When a respite arrived at noon today, a moment of ease in an uneasy time, they sat down, picking anxiously at boiled eggs, tomatoes and bread. "Nine-year-old Shahid told stories, and her 12-year-old brother, Ahmed, laughed. The older family members, with harrowing memories of bombings in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, sat uneasily, their silence an eloquent testament to worry.
"Then a whisper sounded, ever so slight. In seconds, the house was shattered by a cruise missile, the family said. Um Aqeel, the mother of five children, and her daughter-in-law Sahar, were killed. Two sons and a daughter were wounded. "Hours later, weary and angry, Aqeel, the oldest son, looked out at his bandaged siblings laying dazed in their hospital beds."
He shouted, "'There are no soldiers in my home, there's no gun in my home! How can God accept this?" Democracy Now!
An article in yesterday's Washington Post begins: "Breakfast was simple, but late. Days of bombing had left the Khalil family sleepless. When a respite arrived at noon today, a moment of ease in an uneasy time, they sat down, picking anxiously at boiled eggs, tomatoes and bread. "Nine-year-old Shahid told stories, and her 12-year-old brother, Ahmed, laughed. The older family members, with harrowing memories of bombings in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, sat uneasily, their silence an eloquent testament to worry.
"Then a whisper sounded, ever so slight. In seconds, the house was shattered by a cruise missile, the family said. Um Aqeel, the mother of five children, and her daughter-in-law Sahar, were killed. Two sons and a daughter were wounded. "Hours later, weary and angry, Aqeel, the oldest son, looked out at his bandaged siblings laying dazed in their hospital beds."
He shouted, "'There are no soldiers in my home, there's no gun in my home! How can God accept this?" Democracy Now!
FASCINATING interview with Robert Fisk in Baghdad - at Democracy Now!
"we’ve already got a situation down in Basra where the British army have admitted firing artillery into the city of Basra, and then winging on afterward talking about ‘We’re being fired at by soldiers hiding among civilians’. Well, I’m sorry; all soldiers defending cities are among civilians. But now the British are firing artillery shells into the heavily populated city of Basra. When the British were fired upon with mortars or with snipers from the cragg on the state or the bogside in Delhi and in Northern Ireland, they did not use artillery, but here, apparently, it is ok to use artillery on a crowded city. What on Earth is the British army doing in Iraq firing artillery into a city after invading the country? Is this really about weapons of mass destruction? Is this about al Qaeda? It’s interesting that in the last few days, not a single reporter has mentioned September 11th. This is supposed to be about September 11th. This is supposed to be about the war on terror, but nobody calls it that anymore because deep down, nobody believes it is. So, what is it about? It’s interesting that there are very few stories being written about oil. We’re told about the oil fields being mined and booby-trapped, some oil wells set on fire- but oil is really not quite the point. Strange enough, in Baghdad, you don’t forget it, because in an attempt to mislead the guidance system of heat seeking missiles and cruise missiles, Iraqis are setting fire to large berms of oil around the city. All day, all you see is this sinister black canopy of oil smoke over Baghdad. It blocks out the sun, it makes the wind rise and it gets quite cold; here, you can’t forget the word oil. But I don’t hear it too much in news reports"
"we’ve already got a situation down in Basra where the British army have admitted firing artillery into the city of Basra, and then winging on afterward talking about ‘We’re being fired at by soldiers hiding among civilians’. Well, I’m sorry; all soldiers defending cities are among civilians. But now the British are firing artillery shells into the heavily populated city of Basra. When the British were fired upon with mortars or with snipers from the cragg on the state or the bogside in Delhi and in Northern Ireland, they did not use artillery, but here, apparently, it is ok to use artillery on a crowded city. What on Earth is the British army doing in Iraq firing artillery into a city after invading the country? Is this really about weapons of mass destruction? Is this about al Qaeda? It’s interesting that in the last few days, not a single reporter has mentioned September 11th. This is supposed to be about September 11th. This is supposed to be about the war on terror, but nobody calls it that anymore because deep down, nobody believes it is. So, what is it about? It’s interesting that there are very few stories being written about oil. We’re told about the oil fields being mined and booby-trapped, some oil wells set on fire- but oil is really not quite the point. Strange enough, in Baghdad, you don’t forget it, because in an attempt to mislead the guidance system of heat seeking missiles and cruise missiles, Iraqis are setting fire to large berms of oil around the city. All day, all you see is this sinister black canopy of oil smoke over Baghdad. It blocks out the sun, it makes the wind rise and it gets quite cold; here, you can’t forget the word oil. But I don’t hear it too much in news reports"
March 27, 2003
McCarthyism Watch
March 20, 2003 - Airline Passenger Finds Nasty Note in His Suitcase - An airline passenger who'd attended an anti-war demo had his bags searched, and later found in his bags a handwritten note that said, "Don't appreciate your anti-American attitude." Progressive.org
March 20, 2003 - Airline Passenger Finds Nasty Note in His Suitcase - An airline passenger who'd attended an anti-war demo had his bags searched, and later found in his bags a handwritten note that said, "Don't appreciate your anti-American attitude." Progressive.org
THE IRISH TIMES special IRAQ WAR pages - bookmark this
sample article:
'We did nothing. We are innocent... Why are they doing this to us?'
There were body parts and pools of blood on the pavements of ash-Shaab, a working class suburb of north-west Baghdad yesterday, after a US aircraft is believed to have fired two missiles into a busy shopping and residential area.Lara Marlowe hears witnesses tell of the attack on the ash-Shaab market
sample article:
'We did nothing. We are innocent... Why are they doing this to us?'
There were body parts and pools of blood on the pavements of ash-Shaab, a working class suburb of north-west Baghdad yesterday, after a US aircraft is believed to have fired two missiles into a busy shopping and residential area.Lara Marlowe hears witnesses tell of the attack on the ash-Shaab market
No major role for UN in new Iraq, says Blair -
BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair has ruled out a major role for the United Nations in running Iraq immediately after the war, saying yesterday that there would be no "rushed" handover of power. Speaking to reporters as he flew to Washington for talks with President Bush, the Prime Minister hinted that he supported the US' opposition to the swift introduction of a UN-led government.
Irish Independent
BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair has ruled out a major role for the United Nations in running Iraq immediately after the war, saying yesterday that there would be no "rushed" handover of power. Speaking to reporters as he flew to Washington for talks with President Bush, the Prime Minister hinted that he supported the US' opposition to the swift introduction of a UN-led government.
Irish Independent
Robert Fisk: 'It was an outrage, an obscenity'
27 March 2003
It was an outrage, an obscenity. The severed hand on the metal door, the swamp of blood and mud across the road, the human brains inside a garage, the incinerated, skeletal remains of an Iraqi mother and her three small children in their still-smouldering car. Two missiles from an American jet killed them all – by my estimate, more than 20 Iraqi civilians, torn to pieces before they could be 'liberated' by the nation that destroyed their lives. Robert Fisk
27 March 2003
It was an outrage, an obscenity. The severed hand on the metal door, the swamp of blood and mud across the road, the human brains inside a garage, the incinerated, skeletal remains of an Iraqi mother and her three small children in their still-smouldering car. Two missiles from an American jet killed them all – by my estimate, more than 20 Iraqi civilians, torn to pieces before they could be 'liberated' by the nation that destroyed their lives. Robert Fisk
"Blair a war criminal"
British Labour Party MP Tam Dyall, in an interview this afternoon with Dublin's NewsTalk 106, said that Tony Blair should be "prosecuted for war crimes" adding "this is an illegal war, and innocent people in Iraq are being illegally slaughtered by British and American weapons. That is a war crime." He expressed the view that Blair's party are now "split in two" over the war, and feels the party will take years to recover from this "debacle".
British Labour Party MP Tam Dyall, in an interview this afternoon with Dublin's NewsTalk 106, said that Tony Blair should be "prosecuted for war crimes" adding "this is an illegal war, and innocent people in Iraq are being illegally slaughtered by British and American weapons. That is a war crime." He expressed the view that Blair's party are now "split in two" over the war, and feels the party will take years to recover from this "debacle".
New motto for Bush's America?
Tattoo seen on the bicep of a US Marine on the front this week - it says "Nobody likes us - we don't care"
Tattoo seen on the bicep of a US Marine on the front this week - it says "Nobody likes us - we don't care"
Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences
by US Senator Robert Byrd
Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003
by US Senator Robert Byrd
Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Norman Mailer: Gaining an empire, losing democracy? Iraq is an excuse
"There is a subtext to what the Bushites are doing ... in Iraq. My hypothesis is that President George W. Bush and many conservatives have come to the conclusion that the only way they can save America and get if off its present downslope is to become a regime with a greater military presence and drive toward empire. My fear is that Americans might lose their democracy in the process." By Norman Mailer (Tribune Media Services)
"There is a subtext to what the Bushites are doing ... in Iraq. My hypothesis is that President George W. Bush and many conservatives have come to the conclusion that the only way they can save America and get if off its present downslope is to become a regime with a greater military presence and drive toward empire. My fear is that Americans might lose their democracy in the process." By Norman Mailer (Tribune Media Services)
London's 'Congestion Charge' cameras serve Security agenda
"London's new charging zone helps to form 'ring of steel' guarding capital against al-Qaeda bombers. Security cameras will be able to zoom in on the faces of drivers entering London's congestion charge zone. The system was developed with the intelligence services and allows hundreds of cameras to register individual faces. Images will be cross referenced to intelligence and police databases of suspects. The Observer has discovered that MI5, Special Branch and the Metropolitan Police began secretly developing the system after the 11 September attacks." (does that pre-date Ken Livingston's decision to introduce congestion charging?) ... The Observer
"London's new charging zone helps to form 'ring of steel' guarding capital against al-Qaeda bombers. Security cameras will be able to zoom in on the faces of drivers entering London's congestion charge zone. The system was developed with the intelligence services and allows hundreds of cameras to register individual faces. Images will be cross referenced to intelligence and police databases of suspects. The Observer has discovered that MI5, Special Branch and the Metropolitan Police began secretly developing the system after the 11 September attacks." (does that pre-date Ken Livingston's decision to introduce congestion charging?) ... The Observer
Iraq, Afganistan and 9/11
Persistent public utterances of the Bush/Cheney White House spuriously linking the 9/11 attrocities with Sadam appear, if anything, to give credence to a theory put forward by prominent US writer Gore Vidal last October in which he claimed what he calls the 'Bush junta' was complicit in 9/11 .
America's most controversial novelist calls for an investigation into whether the Bush administration deliberately allowed the terrorist attacks to happen
Persistent public utterances of the Bush/Cheney White House spuriously linking the 9/11 attrocities with Sadam appear, if anything, to give credence to a theory put forward by prominent US writer Gore Vidal last October in which he claimed what he calls the 'Bush junta' was complicit in 9/11 .
America's most controversial novelist calls for an investigation into whether the Bush administration deliberately allowed the terrorist attacks to happen
Opinions Begin to Shift as U.S. Public Weighs War Costs
Americans say the war in Iraq will last longer and cost more than they had initially expected, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The shift comes as the public absorbs the first reports of allied setbacks on the battlefield.
The percentage of Americans who said they expected a quick and successful effort against Iraq dropped to 43 percent on Monday night from 62 percent on Saturday. And respondents who said the war was going "very well" dropped 12 points, to 32 percent, from Sunday night to Monday night, an erosion that followed an increase in allied casualties and the capture of several Americans. The poll also found an increase in the respondents who fear an imminent retaliatory terrorist attack on American soil, now that images of the allied assault on Baghdad have been televised around the world, though two-thirds of respondents said the nation was adequately prepared to deal with another terrorist strike. By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JANET ELDER
Americans say the war in Iraq will last longer and cost more than they had initially expected, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The shift comes as the public absorbs the first reports of allied setbacks on the battlefield.
The percentage of Americans who said they expected a quick and successful effort against Iraq dropped to 43 percent on Monday night from 62 percent on Saturday. And respondents who said the war was going "very well" dropped 12 points, to 32 percent, from Sunday night to Monday night, an erosion that followed an increase in allied casualties and the capture of several Americans. The poll also found an increase in the respondents who fear an imminent retaliatory terrorist attack on American soil, now that images of the allied assault on Baghdad have been televised around the world, though two-thirds of respondents said the nation was adequately prepared to deal with another terrorist strike. By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JANET ELDER
March 26, 2003
Protests Turn Violent in Australia and Spain - (Clearly these people are not 'on message' )
Protests against the war in Iraq continued around much of the world today, with demonstrators turning violent in Australia and Spain, and defacing in France a pre-eminent American symbol: a replica of the Statue of Liberty. New York Times
Protests against the war in Iraq continued around much of the world today, with demonstrators turning violent in Australia and Spain, and defacing in France a pre-eminent American symbol: a replica of the Statue of Liberty. New York Times
The Fifty-first State?
Going to war with Iraq means shouldering all the responsibilities of an occupying power the moment victory was achieved. These would include running the economy, keeping domestic peace, and protecting Iraq's borders—and doing it all for years, or perhaps decades. Is the US ready for this long-term relationship? asks James Fallows
Going to war with Iraq means shouldering all the responsibilities of an occupying power the moment victory was achieved. These would include running the economy, keeping domestic peace, and protecting Iraq's borders—and doing it all for years, or perhaps decades. Is the US ready for this long-term relationship? asks James Fallows
This is not America
"In increments, we have become a different nation. Will I have to flee my country as my ancestors did theirs?" By Gregory Dicum
"In increments, we have become a different nation. Will I have to flee my country as my ancestors did theirs?" By Gregory Dicum
No dead bunnies, no dead soldiers
A Florida Web-hosting company pulls the plug on a site that dared to show graphic images of war. Salon
A Florida Web-hosting company pulls the plug on a site that dared to show graphic images of war. Salon
A Secret Letter from Beijing (Thx to Salon)
"No one here in Beijing questions the supremacy of American might. But we recognize America’s status as a sole superpower as an interim. It will be followed in the not-distant future by a world in which multilateralism is the basis of order — and where no one can act alone. That is the lesson the Americans have to learn to their great surprise. China is not as powerful now as it one day will be. But it is making itself strong. America is now powerful, but it is making itself weak. It is isolating itself internationally at precisely the moment it should be maturing as a world leader." link: Globalist
"No one here in Beijing questions the supremacy of American might. But we recognize America’s status as a sole superpower as an interim. It will be followed in the not-distant future by a world in which multilateralism is the basis of order — and where no one can act alone. That is the lesson the Americans have to learn to their great surprise. China is not as powerful now as it one day will be. But it is making itself strong. America is now powerful, but it is making itself weak. It is isolating itself internationally at precisely the moment it should be maturing as a world leader." link: Globalist
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE ... every call you make … (apologies to Sting)
He knows what you've been checking out - The USA PATRIOT act gives the government broad new powers to seize library and bookstore records -- and prevents librarians and booksellers from complaining. By Christopher Dreher. 03/06/02 SALON
The FBI is asking for more information about what you do on the phone, and no one is saying no. By Jeffrey Benner 06/18/02 SALON
The Washington Post reported Monday that Ashcroft has authorized more than 170 secret searches and/or wiretaps -- more than three times the total authorized over the past 23 years by all other attorneys general combined. Meanwhile, the Post reported, FBI field offices have issued scores of so-called national security letters, a PATRIOT Act tool that requires businesses to provide the FBI with information about an individual's finances, telephone calls, e-mail messages and the like -- all without a warrant and all without prior court approval. Washington Post
McCarthyism returns?
A story on the Oscars in the New York Times this week hinted at the possibility that outspoken war critics may find themselves blacklisted in Hollywood. New York Times
He knows what you've been checking out - The USA PATRIOT act gives the government broad new powers to seize library and bookstore records -- and prevents librarians and booksellers from complaining. By Christopher Dreher. 03/06/02 SALON
The FBI is asking for more information about what you do on the phone, and no one is saying no. By Jeffrey Benner 06/18/02 SALON
The Washington Post reported Monday that Ashcroft has authorized more than 170 secret searches and/or wiretaps -- more than three times the total authorized over the past 23 years by all other attorneys general combined. Meanwhile, the Post reported, FBI field offices have issued scores of so-called national security letters, a PATRIOT Act tool that requires businesses to provide the FBI with information about an individual's finances, telephone calls, e-mail messages and the like -- all without a warrant and all without prior court approval. Washington Post
McCarthyism returns?
A story on the Oscars in the New York Times this week hinted at the possibility that outspoken war critics may find themselves blacklisted in Hollywood. New York Times
Who's 'next for shaving' ?
German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, has told German news magazine "Der Spiegel" that last September (2002), Paul Wolfowitz, US Deputy Secretary for Defence, and the ideologue for this war, told him (Fischer) "the US has to liberate a whole string of countries from their terrorist rulers, if necessary by force"
German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, has told German news magazine "Der Spiegel" that last September (2002), Paul Wolfowitz, US Deputy Secretary for Defence, and the ideologue for this war, told him (Fischer) "the US has to liberate a whole string of countries from their terrorist rulers, if necessary by force"
Heard in the Dail (Irish Parliament)
(referring to US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld) " .. he is a criminal psychopath" said Joe Higgins T.D., to which Ireland's Foreign Minister Brian Cowan replied "You think you have a monoploy on moral indignation."
(referring to US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld) " .. he is a criminal psychopath" said Joe Higgins T.D., to which Ireland's Foreign Minister Brian Cowan replied "You think you have a monoploy on moral indignation."
THE BROADER CONTEXT – The Arms trade
Irish Times' Moscow Correspendent Dan McLaughlin reports there is anger at US accusations regarding alleged Russian arms supplies to Iraq. Reacting to the US accusations yesterday, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev pointed out that international inspectors in Iran had found a centifuge complex to produce weapons-grade uranium. "The media have already published reports that it was the British-Dutch firm Urenco that supplied Iran the equipment & technology to make weapons of mass destruction" adding that he has raised this with the British and US authorities but nothing has been done. (Interfax News Agency)
Irish Times' Moscow Correspendent Dan McLaughlin reports there is anger at US accusations regarding alleged Russian arms supplies to Iraq. Reacting to the US accusations yesterday, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev pointed out that international inspectors in Iran had found a centifuge complex to produce weapons-grade uranium. "The media have already published reports that it was the British-Dutch firm Urenco that supplied Iran the equipment & technology to make weapons of mass destruction" adding that he has raised this with the British and US authorities but nothing has been done. (Interfax News Agency)
Bush fiddles with economy while Baghdad burns
"Could a faltering dollar and global rebellion against its values presage the decline, and eventual fall, of the American empire," asks Mark Tran, adding " ... the great economic expansion turned out not to be so great after all, culminating in a wave of financial misreporting and outright fraud at Enron and WorldCom. The twilight of empires can last a long time, but judging from his reckless unilateralism and his economic vandalism, George Bush seems to be determined to do his level best to hasten that decline." the Guardian
"Could a faltering dollar and global rebellion against its values presage the decline, and eventual fall, of the American empire," asks Mark Tran, adding " ... the great economic expansion turned out not to be so great after all, culminating in a wave of financial misreporting and outright fraud at Enron and WorldCom. The twilight of empires can last a long time, but judging from his reckless unilateralism and his economic vandalism, George Bush seems to be determined to do his level best to hasten that decline." the Guardian
Spread the Word and Go Figure!
Clearly this blog is proving of some service to a lot of people. Traffic to the site is currently doubling every 8 days, which is remarkable given that it's not advertised. If this is coming through word-of-mouth recommendations, it's much appreciated. Thank you. Please continue to spread the word. These are momentous times for every member of our global village. The world we knew is being torn down and reconstructed to a plan. The architects of that plan make no secret of it, but they don't mention that it does involve stirring up some very dangerous hornets nests - with results that no-one can predict. So given the broader context of current events (just read some of the postings here, and then "join the dots" for yourself), now is truly the time for us all to wake up ! think for yourself ! question those in power ! Go Figure! for yourself.
Above all, don't wait until you wake up some day soon and realise your living in a nightmare world of constant danger, jungle rule and restricted freedoms, with no way out. Now is the time to be aware. Wake up your friends, co-workers and family to what's happening right now. Oh, and send your comments to 'feedback' (see left). Thank you.
Clearly this blog is proving of some service to a lot of people. Traffic to the site is currently doubling every 8 days, which is remarkable given that it's not advertised. If this is coming through word-of-mouth recommendations, it's much appreciated. Thank you. Please continue to spread the word. These are momentous times for every member of our global village. The world we knew is being torn down and reconstructed to a plan. The architects of that plan make no secret of it, but they don't mention that it does involve stirring up some very dangerous hornets nests - with results that no-one can predict. So given the broader context of current events (just read some of the postings here, and then "join the dots" for yourself), now is truly the time for us all to wake up ! think for yourself ! question those in power ! Go Figure! for yourself.
Above all, don't wait until you wake up some day soon and realise your living in a nightmare world of constant danger, jungle rule and restricted freedoms, with no way out. Now is the time to be aware. Wake up your friends, co-workers and family to what's happening right now. Oh, and send your comments to 'feedback' (see left). Thank you.
Pause for thought - First verse of the U.S. National anthem:
"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
Which coalition is your country part of ?
Theres an e-mail circulating around the financial services industry at the moment which tries to clarify the exact make-up of the co-called "Coalition of the Willing", identifying each country's likely reason for getting involved. It runs like this:
Apparently the following is a list of the countries in the "Coalition of the Willing". Perhaps it's better to classify them under the heading that best describes why they appear to be so willing!!...........
"Coalition of the Willing"...........all countries who have actually committed troops to fight.
"Coalition of the Drilling..............all oil rich countries who want to see the price of oil remain high
"Coalition of the Shilling............all poor countries, and some not so poor, who rely on US financial aid and/or Foreign Direct Investment
"Coalition of the Billing............all countries who expect to get lucrative contracts after the war is over.
"Coalition of the Chilling..........all countries who are so small that they sh#t themselves that the US will turn on them next.
Afghanistan - Shilling
Albania - Shilling
Australia - Willing/Billing
Azerbaijan - Drilling/Shilling
Bulgaria - Shilling
Colombia - Drilling/Shilling
Czech Republic - Shilling
Denmark - Shilling/Billing
El Salvador - Shilling/Drilling
Eritrea - Shilling
Estonia - Shilling
Ethiopia - Shilling
Georgia - Shilling/Drilling
Hungary - Shilling
Iceland - Shilling/Chilling (on account of the local temperatures)
Ireland - Shilling/Chilling
Italy - Billing
Japan - Billing
Korea - Shilling/Billing
Latvia - Shilling
Lithuania - Shilling
Macedonia - Shilling
Netherlands - Billing
Nicaragua - Shilling/Drilling/Chilling
Philippines - Shilling/Drilling/Chilling
Poland - Shilling/Willing
Romania - Shilling
Slovakia - Shilling
Spain - Shilling?
Turkey - Shilling/Drilling/Chilling and Billing!!
United Kingdom - Willing/Billing
Uzbekistan. - Drilling/Shilling/Chilling
In addition, 15 nations do not want to be named . . .nations like Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudia Arabia. These countries are actually part of the "Coalition of the Drilling".
Interestingly there's no mention of Israel but then we all know they have been fully paid up members of the Coalition of the Shilling for a long number of years. What most people don't know perhaps is that they are also part of the Coalition of the Killing (along with the US, UK and Australia)!
Theres an e-mail circulating around the financial services industry at the moment which tries to clarify the exact make-up of the co-called "Coalition of the Willing", identifying each country's likely reason for getting involved. It runs like this:
Apparently the following is a list of the countries in the "Coalition of the Willing". Perhaps it's better to classify them under the heading that best describes why they appear to be so willing!!...........
"Coalition of the Willing"...........all countries who have actually committed troops to fight.
"Coalition of the Drilling..............all oil rich countries who want to see the price of oil remain high
"Coalition of the Shilling............all poor countries, and some not so poor, who rely on US financial aid and/or Foreign Direct Investment
"Coalition of the Billing............all countries who expect to get lucrative contracts after the war is over.
"Coalition of the Chilling..........all countries who are so small that they sh#t themselves that the US will turn on them next.
Afghanistan - Shilling
Albania - Shilling
Australia - Willing/Billing
Azerbaijan - Drilling/Shilling
Bulgaria - Shilling
Colombia - Drilling/Shilling
Czech Republic - Shilling
Denmark - Shilling/Billing
El Salvador - Shilling/Drilling
Eritrea - Shilling
Estonia - Shilling
Ethiopia - Shilling
Georgia - Shilling/Drilling
Hungary - Shilling
Iceland - Shilling/Chilling (on account of the local temperatures)
Ireland - Shilling/Chilling
Italy - Billing
Japan - Billing
Korea - Shilling/Billing
Latvia - Shilling
Lithuania - Shilling
Macedonia - Shilling
Netherlands - Billing
Nicaragua - Shilling/Drilling/Chilling
Philippines - Shilling/Drilling/Chilling
Poland - Shilling/Willing
Romania - Shilling
Slovakia - Shilling
Spain - Shilling?
Turkey - Shilling/Drilling/Chilling and Billing!!
United Kingdom - Willing/Billing
Uzbekistan. - Drilling/Shilling/Chilling
In addition, 15 nations do not want to be named . . .nations like Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudia Arabia. These countries are actually part of the "Coalition of the Drilling".
Interestingly there's no mention of Israel but then we all know they have been fully paid up members of the Coalition of the Shilling for a long number of years. What most people don't know perhaps is that they are also part of the Coalition of the Killing (along with the US, UK and Australia)!
TRUTH IN THE NEWS : Al-Jazeera websites 'hit by hackers'
Dominic Timms, Wednesday March 26, 2003
The English-language and Arabic websites of Qatar-based broadcaster al-Jazeera were forced down this morning after a spate of suspected hacker attacks last night.
Dominic Timms, Wednesday March 26, 2003
The English-language and Arabic websites of Qatar-based broadcaster al-Jazeera were forced down this morning after a spate of suspected hacker attacks last night.
Quote of the Day
"The solution to terrorism is justice"
(unattributed)
"The solution to terrorism is justice"
(unattributed)
Roles of the US, UN and EU
Ireland's former ambassador to the UN, Noel Dorr, speaking on RTE Radio today summed up some of the traditional roles in global disputes as "The US fights, the UN feeds, and the EU pays" - although he observes that this time around, the EU may well baulk at discharging it's usual role, since it's a fight it never agreed with. Interesting times ahead.
Ireland's former ambassador to the UN, Noel Dorr, speaking on RTE Radio today summed up some of the traditional roles in global disputes as "The US fights, the UN feeds, and the EU pays" - although he observes that this time around, the EU may well baulk at discharging it's usual role, since it's a fight it never agreed with. Interesting times ahead.
Heartbreak time
May God rest the souls of the innocent civilians killed by bombs & cruise misiles in Iraq today. Whereas those killed in Basra may well, as US-led forces claim, have been cynically & brutally put in the front lines as 'human shields by Sadam's forces, there seems no credible excuse for a daytime attack on a busy market in a residential area. Obviously details are sketchy and truth hard to divine, but it's hard to see how these dead civilians could ever be dismissed as 'collateral damage'.
May God rest the souls of the innocent civilians killed by bombs & cruise misiles in Iraq today. Whereas those killed in Basra may well, as US-led forces claim, have been cynically & brutally put in the front lines as 'human shields by Sadam's forces, there seems no credible excuse for a daytime attack on a busy market in a residential area. Obviously details are sketchy and truth hard to divine, but it's hard to see how these dead civilians could ever be dismissed as 'collateral damage'.
"TODAY is a day of shame for the British military as it declares the Iraqi city of Basra, with a stricken population of 600,000, a "military target". says John Pilger.
"I have walked the city's streets, along a road blown to pieces by a US missile. The casualties were children, of course, because children are everywhere. I held a handkerchief over my face as I stood in a school playground with a teacher and several hundred malnourished youngsters.
The dust blew in from the southern battlefields of the 1991 Gulf War, which have never been cleaned up because the US and British governments have denied Iraq the specialist equipment. The dust, Dr Jawad Al-Ali told me, carries "the seeds of our death". In the children's wards of Basra's main hospital, deaths from a range of hitherto unseen cancers are common and specialists have little doubt that up to half the population of southern Iraq will die from cancers linked to the use of a weapon of mass destruction used by the Americans and British - uranium tipped shells and missiles." MIRROR
"I have walked the city's streets, along a road blown to pieces by a US missile. The casualties were children, of course, because children are everywhere. I held a handkerchief over my face as I stood in a school playground with a teacher and several hundred malnourished youngsters.
The dust blew in from the southern battlefields of the 1991 Gulf War, which have never been cleaned up because the US and British governments have denied Iraq the specialist equipment. The dust, Dr Jawad Al-Ali told me, carries "the seeds of our death". In the children's wards of Basra's main hospital, deaths from a range of hitherto unseen cancers are common and specialists have little doubt that up to half the population of southern Iraq will die from cancers linked to the use of a weapon of mass destruction used by the Americans and British - uranium tipped shells and missiles." MIRROR
Will America crumple at the sight of its own blood?
Peggy Noonan - The question on everyone's mind that nobody in the US can bear to discuss Times Online
Peggy Noonan - The question on everyone's mind that nobody in the US can bear to discuss Times Online
War-watching Couch potatoes everywhere - be careful
Man trapped in sofa bed
Kenzingen, Germany: A German was trapped for hours in his folding sofa bed after it sprang shut on him when he tried to get something out of it, police in the western town of Kenzingen said. "Unfortunately, he was so stuck that he couldn't move," a police spokesman said. It was only after he had been knocking and shouting for several hours that neighbours in his apartment block alerted police and he was hospitalised. (AFP)
Man trapped in sofa bed
Kenzingen, Germany: A German was trapped for hours in his folding sofa bed after it sprang shut on him when he tried to get something out of it, police in the western town of Kenzingen said. "Unfortunately, he was so stuck that he couldn't move," a police spokesman said. It was only after he had been knocking and shouting for several hours that neighbours in his apartment block alerted police and he was hospitalised. (AFP)
'Unfreedom' rules in a war for freedom
Heaven help the open society at war. So many of its political instincts must be suppressed even while their rituals are maintained. The right of the citizen to hold his government accountable - the access to information about what is being done in your country's name - must be denied and maintained at the same time. SMH
Heaven help the open society at war. So many of its political instincts must be suppressed even while their rituals are maintained. The right of the citizen to hold his government accountable - the access to information about what is being done in your country's name - must be denied and maintained at the same time. SMH
Make wanderlust, not war
Americans should stop listening to the fear-mongers and travel overseas. It's the best way to start bringing the U.S. back into the world community. SALON
Americans should stop listening to the fear-mongers and travel overseas. It's the best way to start bringing the U.S. back into the world community. SALON
DickCheney's Halliburton gets Iraq firefighting nod
March 25, 2003 | HOUSTON (AP) -- A unit of Houston-based oilfield services giant Halliburton Co. will organize the oil well firefighting and rehabilitation effort in Iraq just as it did after the 1991 Gulf War, officials said. SALON
March 25, 2003 | HOUSTON (AP) -- A unit of Houston-based oilfield services giant Halliburton Co. will organize the oil well firefighting and rehabilitation effort in Iraq just as it did after the 1991 Gulf War, officials said. SALON
"Shut your mouth"
As radio giants censor antiwar musicians, TV networks bully pro-peace actors, and Attorney General John Ashcroft prepares a new assault on civil liberties, a climate of intimidation creeps over America. SALON
As radio giants censor antiwar musicians, TV networks bully pro-peace actors, and Attorney General John Ashcroft prepares a new assault on civil liberties, a climate of intimidation creeps over America. SALON
America's military forces around the world are run by five men. A new book looks at their power and influence—and claims it is excessive. ECONOMIST
A Post-Saddam Scenario
Iraq could become America's primary staging ground in the Middle East. And the greatest beneficial effect could come next door, in Iran. ATLANTIC
Iraq could become America's primary staging ground in the Middle East. And the greatest beneficial effect could come next door, in Iran. ATLANTIC
"Are We Winning Yet?" Speed bumps on the road to Baghdad.
By Fred Kaplan
Posted Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at 3:45 PM PT
As U.S. tanks sit poised on the outskirts of Baghdad, the question arises: What's next? Officials had assumed—or at least hoped—that, by the time the 3rd Infantry Division and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force dashed through the desert and neared the capital, Saddam Hussein's regime would be teetering, if not toppled. SLATE
By Fred Kaplan
Posted Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at 3:45 PM PT
As U.S. tanks sit poised on the outskirts of Baghdad, the question arises: What's next? Officials had assumed—or at least hoped—that, by the time the 3rd Infantry Division and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force dashed through the desert and neared the capital, Saddam Hussein's regime would be teetering, if not toppled. SLATE
Has the MOAB cluster bomb been used?
All reporters is Baghdad are speaking of "biggest blasts yet seen" in recent days. Nothing is being said by CentCom, but it seems that MOAB has almost certainly been used against Republican Guard divisions outside Baghdad last night. This is a weapon that cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians.
According to Jim "Jake" Swinson, public affairs officer at Eglin Air Force Base, where the new bomb was developed, MOAB is meant to be a "modernization" of the Daisy Cutter. It's a fair inference, therefore, that it will be used for much the same kinds of missions. The Daisy Cutters not only make a huge explosion, they are designed to go off about six feet before they hit the ground. They don't plow much of a crater, but they flatten almost everything (people and most buildings) within a radius of a few hundred feet. In Vietnam, they were used to create instant helicopter landing-pads in the middle of thickly foliated jungles.
Some Daisy Cutters—how many has never been revealed—were used in the '91 Gulf War. According to the official U.S. Air Force study of that war, they were dropped from MC-130 gunships "to clear mine fields and support psychological operations." Swinson explains what is meant by this latter term: "If you're facing a couple of divisions and you wanted to give them an opportunity to surrender, you could drop a few of these things. They'd see and hear how effective they were, and the commander could calculate that they might all do better to give up. Or if they didn't give up, they'd be so frightened, they'd dig themselves in to the point where they'd no longer be effective combatants."
More on MOAB
All reporters is Baghdad are speaking of "biggest blasts yet seen" in recent days. Nothing is being said by CentCom, but it seems that MOAB has almost certainly been used against Republican Guard divisions outside Baghdad last night. This is a weapon that cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians.
According to Jim "Jake" Swinson, public affairs officer at Eglin Air Force Base, where the new bomb was developed, MOAB is meant to be a "modernization" of the Daisy Cutter. It's a fair inference, therefore, that it will be used for much the same kinds of missions. The Daisy Cutters not only make a huge explosion, they are designed to go off about six feet before they hit the ground. They don't plow much of a crater, but they flatten almost everything (people and most buildings) within a radius of a few hundred feet. In Vietnam, they were used to create instant helicopter landing-pads in the middle of thickly foliated jungles.
Some Daisy Cutters—how many has never been revealed—were used in the '91 Gulf War. According to the official U.S. Air Force study of that war, they were dropped from MC-130 gunships "to clear mine fields and support psychological operations." Swinson explains what is meant by this latter term: "If you're facing a couple of divisions and you wanted to give them an opportunity to surrender, you could drop a few of these things. They'd see and hear how effective they were, and the commander could calculate that they might all do better to give up. Or if they didn't give up, they'd be so frightened, they'd dig themselves in to the point where they'd no longer be effective combatants."
More on MOAB
Rightwingers dismiss UN role in future Iraq - UK and US at odds in talks on reconstruction - Guardian
TRUTH IN THE NEWS - Shock, awe and precision porkies
Rod Liddle, The Guardian
"Our military people haven't been telling us the truth, have they? Every day they tell us stuff - either directly, through press conferences and statements, or through private briefings with our more credulous television journalists - and 12 hours later the reverse of what they've told us turns out to have happened"
Rod Liddle, The Guardian
"Our military people haven't been telling us the truth, have they? Every day they tell us stuff - either directly, through press conferences and statements, or through private briefings with our more credulous television journalists - and 12 hours later the reverse of what they've told us turns out to have happened"
Guardian ARCHIVE on Iraq, conflict in the region, and historical comparisons
Iraqi state television 'off air'
Iraqi state-run television may have been one of the casualties of the latest round of bombing raids on Baghdad today, according to the US military. link
Why did it take so long ??? What a dreadful miscalculation by the people running this 'war' - It gave Sadam major propaganda victories, encouraged his people to fight, and served as a subtle yet effective method of signalling orders to his troops. In the GW1, we heard a lot from Gen. Schwarzkopf about taking out Iraq's command and control structure. It's obvious that this is essential, yet C & C has barely even been mentioned to date, and they've allowed Sadam's C & C to remain in intact. Sadam must be thinking now Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
There are a growing signs of dissent between US military chiefs and their civilian masters as to how this war is being run. One former commander of US forces in Europe gave a remarkably candid interview to Jon Snow on Britain's Channel 4 last night. He said the military were unhappy to proceed without a Northern entrepot through Turkey, they are one mechanised division short of whats needed, and that Donald Rumsfeld is micromanaging this campaign. In GW1, the Bush administratrion pushed the button then stood back and left it to the generals. This time, Rumsfeld's influence is, quote, "daily & pervasive".
Iraqi state-run television may have been one of the casualties of the latest round of bombing raids on Baghdad today, according to the US military. link
Why did it take so long ??? What a dreadful miscalculation by the people running this 'war' - It gave Sadam major propaganda victories, encouraged his people to fight, and served as a subtle yet effective method of signalling orders to his troops. In the GW1, we heard a lot from Gen. Schwarzkopf about taking out Iraq's command and control structure. It's obvious that this is essential, yet C & C has barely even been mentioned to date, and they've allowed Sadam's C & C to remain in intact. Sadam must be thinking now Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
There are a growing signs of dissent between US military chiefs and their civilian masters as to how this war is being run. One former commander of US forces in Europe gave a remarkably candid interview to Jon Snow on Britain's Channel 4 last night. He said the military were unhappy to proceed without a Northern entrepot through Turkey, they are one mechanised division short of whats needed, and that Donald Rumsfeld is micromanaging this campaign. In GW1, the Bush administratrion pushed the button then stood back and left it to the generals. This time, Rumsfeld's influence is, quote, "daily & pervasive".
The theatre of war is no place for vain gesture
"Most haunting of all is what the man said on witnessing the Charge of the Light Brigade: "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." No, indeed, not; and the troubling and frightening thing about the "shock and awe" strategy is that it is not war, despite its magnificence, but a prelude to what may prove, if the fight comes to the streets of Baghdad, a bloody, protracted and above all untelegenic struggle.
Theatricality is dangerous, because its meanings are uncontrollable, and like all drama it may prove ambiguous. The theatrical flourish of Hitler's Luftkrieg was terrifying, as he intended, but it provided deathless symbols which he did not mean; the dome of St Paul's floating indestructibly above the flames, the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. And on the other side, there remains at the heart of Berlin the ruins of the Gedächtniskirche, the memorial church. The displays of theatre have a tendency to mean different things to different audiences, and it is a mistake to rely too greatly on them." By Philip Hensher
"Most haunting of all is what the man said on witnessing the Charge of the Light Brigade: "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." No, indeed, not; and the troubling and frightening thing about the "shock and awe" strategy is that it is not war, despite its magnificence, but a prelude to what may prove, if the fight comes to the streets of Baghdad, a bloody, protracted and above all untelegenic struggle.
Theatricality is dangerous, because its meanings are uncontrollable, and like all drama it may prove ambiguous. The theatrical flourish of Hitler's Luftkrieg was terrifying, as he intended, but it provided deathless symbols which he did not mean; the dome of St Paul's floating indestructibly above the flames, the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. And on the other side, there remains at the heart of Berlin the ruins of the Gedächtniskirche, the memorial church. The displays of theatre have a tendency to mean different things to different audiences, and it is a mistake to rely too greatly on them." By Philip Hensher
Robert Fisk: In the long hours of darkness, Baghdad shakes to the constant low rumble of B-52s
"Can you imagine the effect on the Arabs if Iraq gets out of this war intact?" he asked. "It took just five days for all the Arabs to be defeated by Israel in the 1967 war. And already we Iraqis have been fighting the all-powerful Americans for five days and still we have held on to all of our cities and will not surrender. And imagine what would happen if Iraq surrendered. What chance would the Syrian leadership have against the demands of Israel? What chance would the Palestinians have of negotiating a fair deal with the Israelis? The Americans don't care about giving the Palestinians a fair deal. So why should they want to give the Iraqis a fair deal?" Robert Fisk - Independent
"Can you imagine the effect on the Arabs if Iraq gets out of this war intact?" he asked. "It took just five days for all the Arabs to be defeated by Israel in the 1967 war. And already we Iraqis have been fighting the all-powerful Americans for five days and still we have held on to all of our cities and will not surrender. And imagine what would happen if Iraq surrendered. What chance would the Syrian leadership have against the demands of Israel? What chance would the Palestinians have of negotiating a fair deal with the Israelis? The Americans don't care about giving the Palestinians a fair deal. So why should they want to give the Iraqis a fair deal?" Robert Fisk - Independent
Of Gods and Mortals and Empire
By William Rivers Pitt
"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace." - Tacitus Link: t r u t h o u t
By William Rivers Pitt
"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace." - Tacitus Link: t r u t h o u t
Senate Votes to Gut Bush Tax Proposal
With the US at war, the last thing President Bush wants is a mutiny -- but that's exactly what he just got.
With the US at war, the last thing President Bush wants is a mutiny -- but that's exactly what he just got.
Stock Exchange Follies
One of the stated purposes of the war in Iraq is to bring freedom to the Iraqi people — including, presumably, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It is thus the height of irony, if not foolishness, that the New York Stock Exchange has now seen fit to revoke the credentials of two Al Jazeera reporters. The network has covered the exchange without incident for more than five years. NYT (free subscription req'd)
One of the stated purposes of the war in Iraq is to bring freedom to the Iraqi people — including, presumably, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It is thus the height of irony, if not foolishness, that the New York Stock Exchange has now seen fit to revoke the credentials of two Al Jazeera reporters. The network has covered the exchange without incident for more than five years. NYT (free subscription req'd)
March 25, 2003
US and British taxpayers could pay the price for a conflict that may cost trillions of dollars
As the hawks in Washington keep reminding the world, freedom is not free. In fact the true cost of liberating Iraq could run into trillions of dollars, says Philip Thornton
As the hawks in Washington keep reminding the world, freedom is not free. In fact the true cost of liberating Iraq could run into trillions of dollars, says Philip Thornton
Are we really witnessing the reality of war?
To remain hooked on the latest news of the conflict soon begins to feel ghoulish and morally demeaning - By Terence Blacker
To remain hooked on the latest news of the conflict soon begins to feel ghoulish and morally demeaning - By Terence Blacker
President Bush is right to condemn Iraq's treatment of captured soldiers - but his outrage rings hollow - Independent
Religious Fundamentalist leads attack on a secular state where 50% of the population are children under 12
If you missed it, be sure and check out Jack Beatty's essay in Atlantic Monthly, where he maintains ...
"To judge by his rhetoric, the President believes God has chosen him to lead the U.S. in a war against "Evil"; beside that eschatological assignment, NATO, the UN, our allies, Arab opinion, world opinion, the war on terror, the budget, are as nothing. God has played a salvific role in Bush's life. "You know I had a drinking problem," Bush told a group of clergy who met with him last September. "Right now I should be in a bar in Texas, not the Oval Office. There is only one reason that I am in the Oval Office and not in a bar. I found faith. I found God."
Speaking at the Yale Commencement in 2001, Bush suggested that God found him. "When I left here, I didn't have much in the way of a life plan," he said. "I knew some people who thought they did. But it turned out that we were all in for ups and downs.... Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story. And along the way, we start to realize we are not the author." In the State of the Union address, Bush applied the lesson of his life to the country: "We Americans have faith in ourselves—but not in ourselves alone. We do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind all of life, and all of history."
History, though, is a theatre of evil—and any God of history would be fiend, answerable for millennia of slaughtered children. But what if God has been holding his piece, waiting for the right man and the right nation and the right moment to act for Him and cleanse history of Evil? If this is what Bush believes, if his talk of Armageddon is not just catnip for the religious right, then he is in a fair way to becoming the American Ayatollah"
If you missed it, be sure and check out Jack Beatty's essay in Atlantic Monthly, where he maintains ...
"To judge by his rhetoric, the President believes God has chosen him to lead the U.S. in a war against "Evil"; beside that eschatological assignment, NATO, the UN, our allies, Arab opinion, world opinion, the war on terror, the budget, are as nothing. God has played a salvific role in Bush's life. "You know I had a drinking problem," Bush told a group of clergy who met with him last September. "Right now I should be in a bar in Texas, not the Oval Office. There is only one reason that I am in the Oval Office and not in a bar. I found faith. I found God."
Speaking at the Yale Commencement in 2001, Bush suggested that God found him. "When I left here, I didn't have much in the way of a life plan," he said. "I knew some people who thought they did. But it turned out that we were all in for ups and downs.... Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story. And along the way, we start to realize we are not the author." In the State of the Union address, Bush applied the lesson of his life to the country: "We Americans have faith in ourselves—but not in ourselves alone. We do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind all of life, and all of history."
History, though, is a theatre of evil—and any God of history would be fiend, answerable for millennia of slaughtered children. But what if God has been holding his piece, waiting for the right man and the right nation and the right moment to act for Him and cleanse history of Evil? If this is what Bush believes, if his talk of Armageddon is not just catnip for the religious right, then he is in a fair way to becoming the American Ayatollah"
Go Figure! Op Ed
This is a time when each individual, whether following the war on Iraq or disinterested in it, for it or against, must decide what they believe in, what they’ll stand up for and what type of world they want themselves and their children to live in.
In the current climate of disinformation, propaganda from all sides and just plain confusion, it may be timely to state what Go Figure! stands for. Lets start, though, by making clear what we’re not. We are NOT anti-American, anti-business, anti-Semite or even necessarily anti-war. There are just wars. This isn’t one of them. We are not socialists, communists, pro-terrorists or pro-Sadam.
We ARE believers in the primacy of International Law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the UN as the only proper forum for the resolution of global and regional conflicts. It’s all that separates civilised society from a headlong slide into a ‘law of the jungle’ world … perhaps already happening now.
We believe in the principles of equality and freedom enshrined in the American Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. We believe in the principles implicit in the “American Dream”, but see no reason why this should be available only to Americans. We believe in the rights of nations and peoples to self-determination without interference from outside force.
We also believe in the freedom of the press, and the absolutely necessity for a truly free and independent press in any society professing itself to be civilised.
We believe in the superiority of Western-style democracy, and the free market economy where the only regulation is that required to curb it’s worst excesses. We believe that international terrorism is a real & present danger to our way of life, and those those who plan & perpetrate it must be apprehended and brought to justice under International Law.
We believe that all illegal and unprovoked aggression is terrorism, be it of the free-market entrepreneurial variety or delivered in a Government-backed uniform.
We believe that Sadam Hussein is a brutal, amoral, psychopathic dictator who must be disarmed of WMD, if he has them, and brought to justice. However, we believe that the commencement of the invasion of Iraq by the US and UK is both illegal and counterproductive. There are already signs that it is destabilising the region further and increasing the dangers of even more widespread anti-western terrorism – the very danger it is supposed to be minimising.
It is a dangerous political miscalculation, executed by an over-confident military command structure which is now recklessly endangering the lives of Iraqi civilians, US, UK and Australian armed forces and, potentially, innocent victims of future terrorism. In pursuing this reckless path, the governments involved have blatantly ignored the clear wishes of millions of their own citizens.
However, now that the war is well under way, we believe it is vital that the invaders win, that they do swiftly, that Sadam’s evil regime be removed and that civilian casualties be minimised. Yet there are worrying signs that this is not by any means a foregone conclusion. Far from weakening Sadam, resistance to the invasion is emboldening and strengthening this evil despot. Frontline reports suggest that Iraqi nationalism and pride is blossoming. Iraqis are, reportedly, pouring across the border with Jordan – not as refugees fleeing Iraq, but as returning exiles going home to ‘fight the American & British aggressor’. The invading forces are clearly not being welcomed by the people they believe they are there to ‘liberate’. No amount of reassurances that everything is ‘going to plan’ can convince any intelligent observer that such is the case.
We believe that, as a result of the recklessly unilateral and misjudged actions now being taken in Iraq, we are moving into a far more dangerous world where there may well be no winners, but only losers. We believe the invaders will score a Pyric victory. Apart from Sadam himself, the Iraqi people, the people of the Middle East, the UN, NATO and the EU, other losers may yet include political casualties including Bush, Blair, Australia’s John Howard, Ireland’s Bertie Ahern, and others who are seen by their electorates as complicit in this reckless endangerment.
This is a time when each individual, whether following the war on Iraq or disinterested in it, for it or against, must decide what they believe in, what they’ll stand up for and what type of world they want themselves and their children to live in.
In the current climate of disinformation, propaganda from all sides and just plain confusion, it may be timely to state what Go Figure! stands for. Lets start, though, by making clear what we’re not. We are NOT anti-American, anti-business, anti-Semite or even necessarily anti-war. There are just wars. This isn’t one of them. We are not socialists, communists, pro-terrorists or pro-Sadam.
We ARE believers in the primacy of International Law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the UN as the only proper forum for the resolution of global and regional conflicts. It’s all that separates civilised society from a headlong slide into a ‘law of the jungle’ world … perhaps already happening now.
We believe in the principles of equality and freedom enshrined in the American Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. We believe in the principles implicit in the “American Dream”, but see no reason why this should be available only to Americans. We believe in the rights of nations and peoples to self-determination without interference from outside force.
We also believe in the freedom of the press, and the absolutely necessity for a truly free and independent press in any society professing itself to be civilised.
We believe in the superiority of Western-style democracy, and the free market economy where the only regulation is that required to curb it’s worst excesses. We believe that international terrorism is a real & present danger to our way of life, and those those who plan & perpetrate it must be apprehended and brought to justice under International Law.
We believe that all illegal and unprovoked aggression is terrorism, be it of the free-market entrepreneurial variety or delivered in a Government-backed uniform.
We believe that Sadam Hussein is a brutal, amoral, psychopathic dictator who must be disarmed of WMD, if he has them, and brought to justice. However, we believe that the commencement of the invasion of Iraq by the US and UK is both illegal and counterproductive. There are already signs that it is destabilising the region further and increasing the dangers of even more widespread anti-western terrorism – the very danger it is supposed to be minimising.
It is a dangerous political miscalculation, executed by an over-confident military command structure which is now recklessly endangering the lives of Iraqi civilians, US, UK and Australian armed forces and, potentially, innocent victims of future terrorism. In pursuing this reckless path, the governments involved have blatantly ignored the clear wishes of millions of their own citizens.
However, now that the war is well under way, we believe it is vital that the invaders win, that they do swiftly, that Sadam’s evil regime be removed and that civilian casualties be minimised. Yet there are worrying signs that this is not by any means a foregone conclusion. Far from weakening Sadam, resistance to the invasion is emboldening and strengthening this evil despot. Frontline reports suggest that Iraqi nationalism and pride is blossoming. Iraqis are, reportedly, pouring across the border with Jordan – not as refugees fleeing Iraq, but as returning exiles going home to ‘fight the American & British aggressor’. The invading forces are clearly not being welcomed by the people they believe they are there to ‘liberate’. No amount of reassurances that everything is ‘going to plan’ can convince any intelligent observer that such is the case.
We believe that, as a result of the recklessly unilateral and misjudged actions now being taken in Iraq, we are moving into a far more dangerous world where there may well be no winners, but only losers. We believe the invaders will score a Pyric victory. Apart from Sadam himself, the Iraqi people, the people of the Middle East, the UN, NATO and the EU, other losers may yet include political casualties including Bush, Blair, Australia’s John Howard, Ireland’s Bertie Ahern, and others who are seen by their electorates as complicit in this reckless endangerment.
HUMOUR BREAK
War of a different kind is coming up in Dublin next weekend. Ireland's rugby team face England in a 6 Nations Championship Grand Slam decider. Tickets are already changing hands on the streets here for 1200 euros. Here's a joke from yesterday's Irish Times.
An English rugby-loving family head out for some shopping. The youngest son picks up an Irish rugby shirt and announces to his sister “I’ve decided to be an Irish rugby supporter, and I’d like this for my birthday”
Outraged by this, she slaps him ‘round the ear and says “Go talk to your Mother”
Off he trudges to his mother and says “I’ve decided to be an Irish rugby supporter, and I’d like this for my birthday”
Outraged by this, she slaps him ‘round the ear and says “Go talk to your Father”
Off he trudges to his father and says “I’ve decided to be an Irish rugby supporter, and I’d like this for my birthday”
Outraged by this, he whacks his son in the ear and says “No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!”
After a half hour, they’re in the car on the way home. The father turns to his son and says “Well I hope you learned something today, son”
“Yes Dad, I have” he replies “I’ve only been an Ireland supporter for an hour and already I hate you English B******S”
War of a different kind is coming up in Dublin next weekend. Ireland's rugby team face England in a 6 Nations Championship Grand Slam decider. Tickets are already changing hands on the streets here for 1200 euros. Here's a joke from yesterday's Irish Times.
An English rugby-loving family head out for some shopping. The youngest son picks up an Irish rugby shirt and announces to his sister “I’ve decided to be an Irish rugby supporter, and I’d like this for my birthday”
Outraged by this, she slaps him ‘round the ear and says “Go talk to your Mother”
Off he trudges to his mother and says “I’ve decided to be an Irish rugby supporter, and I’d like this for my birthday”
Outraged by this, she slaps him ‘round the ear and says “Go talk to your Father”
Off he trudges to his father and says “I’ve decided to be an Irish rugby supporter, and I’d like this for my birthday”
Outraged by this, he whacks his son in the ear and says “No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!”
After a half hour, they’re in the car on the way home. The father turns to his son and says “Well I hope you learned something today, son”
“Yes Dad, I have” he replies “I’ve only been an Ireland supporter for an hour and already I hate you English B******S”
Overheard in the White House
TIME magazine prints some interesing quotes from a staffer there. One of the first things said to him when he arrived for work in 2001 was "Hey, didn't see you at the prayer meeting yesterday" ... within days he overheard George Bush's parting words to Condaleeza Rice, as he was leaving her office, he turned to her and said "F**K Sadam. I'm gonna take him out"
TIME magazine prints some interesing quotes from a staffer there. One of the first things said to him when he arrived for work in 2001 was "Hey, didn't see you at the prayer meeting yesterday" ... within days he overheard George Bush's parting words to Condaleeza Rice, as he was leaving her office, he turned to her and said "F**K Sadam. I'm gonna take him out"
THE BROADER CONTEXT – The Arms trade
Paul Vallely, writing the London Independent yesterday, observed the following:
“In the heliport just outside Basra, troops from the Black Watch Regiment have discovered cruise missiles and warheads hidden in fortified bunkers as an arsenal abandoned by the Iraqi army in the south. Cases of rockets, giant anti-shipping mines and other ammunition are piled up from floor to ceiling in dozens of bunkers at what is marked on maps as the Az Zubaya Heliport.
Some of the boxes – containing missiles date-marked 2002 – are clearly stamped with the names of British manufacturers. One pile of boxes in a store housing rocket propelled grenades bears the name of Wallop Industries Ltd., based in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. Other buildings have been looted by local people who have carried away anything that could be fitted into or on to a truck.”
Paul Vallely, writing the London Independent yesterday, observed the following:
“In the heliport just outside Basra, troops from the Black Watch Regiment have discovered cruise missiles and warheads hidden in fortified bunkers as an arsenal abandoned by the Iraqi army in the south. Cases of rockets, giant anti-shipping mines and other ammunition are piled up from floor to ceiling in dozens of bunkers at what is marked on maps as the Az Zubaya Heliport.
Some of the boxes – containing missiles date-marked 2002 – are clearly stamped with the names of British manufacturers. One pile of boxes in a store housing rocket propelled grenades bears the name of Wallop Industries Ltd., based in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. Other buildings have been looted by local people who have carried away anything that could be fitted into or on to a truck.”
TRUTH IN THE NEWS – Mining of the Oilwells
British Defence Minister Hoon was still insisting yesterday that Sadam’s troops had booby- trapped the Southern Oilfields. British troops on the ground have, so far, found no evidence of this. According to Terri Judd of the London Independent, Staff Sergeant Paul Rigg, of the 11 EOD RLC said “I was very surprised. I would have thought they would have been rigged to go off when US and British troops went in. If it had been blown it would have been catastrophic”
British Defence Minister Hoon was still insisting yesterday that Sadam’s troops had booby- trapped the Southern Oilfields. British troops on the ground have, so far, found no evidence of this. According to Terri Judd of the London Independent, Staff Sergeant Paul Rigg, of the 11 EOD RLC said “I was very surprised. I would have thought they would have been rigged to go off when US and British troops went in. If it had been blown it would have been catastrophic”
What U.S. can expect as battle for Baghdad nears, Hussein's last-ditch defense expected to be harsh - SF Chronicle
Shock tactics
Harlan Ullman, the former US navy pilot who convinced Washington to embrace his 'shock and awe' tactic, maintains that it is working. (The Guardian) but disagreed with the decision to invade. "Where we are is where we are, and this is not a criticism and don't write it as such, but if it had been up to me I would have waited months, perhaps, to get a second resolution, when it would have been clear that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction," he says. "I don't agree with the administration view that Iraq is a clear and present danger, an imminent threat"
Harlan Ullman, the former US navy pilot who convinced Washington to embrace his 'shock and awe' tactic, maintains that it is working. (The Guardian) but disagreed with the decision to invade. "Where we are is where we are, and this is not a criticism and don't write it as such, but if it had been up to me I would have waited months, perhaps, to get a second resolution, when it would have been clear that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction," he says. "I don't agree with the administration view that Iraq is a clear and present danger, an imminent threat"
Gauging Priorities
President Bush is seeking a suplementary budget of $75 billion to fund 30 days of war in Iraq. This includes 0.5 billion for humanitarian aid, which equals 1/3rd of the cost of the cruise missiles which hit Baghdad on Friday night alone. Go Figure!
President Bush is seeking a suplementary budget of $75 billion to fund 30 days of war in Iraq. This includes 0.5 billion for humanitarian aid, which equals 1/3rd of the cost of the cruise missiles which hit Baghdad on Friday night alone. Go Figure!
March 24, 2003
Problems were foreseen
"American land forces will ring Bagdhad, holding it under siege while tank detachments probe into the city to engage Saddam's praetorian guard—this according to informed military analysts. We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons against the Iraqis should they attack our forces with chemical weapons, Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, recently warned. The Pentagon says it might use nuclear weapons in any case, to blow up deep Iraqi bunkers. These leaks and statements may be a form of "psy-ops," calculated to foment a military coup to topple Saddam Hussein. If they do indicate how we will "win," however, then Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute may be conservative in estimating that Gulf War II could inflict from several to twenty-five thousand Iraqi civilian casualties and from several hundred to five thousand U.S. casualties. "The nightmare scenario," retired General Joseph Hoar, the former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate committee in September, "is that six Iraqi Republican Guard divisions and six heavy divisions with several hundred artillery pieces defend the city of Bagdhad. The result would be high casualties on both sides as well as in the civilian community. U.S. forces would certainly prevail but at what cost ... as the rest of the world watches while we bomb and have artillery rounds go off in densely populated Iraqi neighborhoods?" A leaked UN contingency planning report predicted that as many as 500,000 Iraqi civilians could be injured or have their health impaired by city fighting.
Afterwards, U.S. forces will be searching for evidence of weapons of mass destruction to retroactively justify our attack. What if they don't find any, or only a remnant decaying supply of no military utility? What if Saddam destroyed them, and his stonewalling of the UN weapons' inspectors was a bluff that backfired—by provoking the U.S. attack that the bluff was meant to deter? What if, as Senator Richard Lugar asked last summer, the successor Iraqi regime wants to preserve Saddam's weapons and hides them from us? Or what if, as the CIA predicted last fall, Saddam, concluding that a U.S. attack was inevitable, gave quantities of chemical and biological weapons to terrorists to attack the United States? In that case George W. Bush will have killed who knows how many human beings for worse than nothing, making his war not only a crime but a blunder, potentially the most catastrophic in American history.
.... The Road Better Not Taken, by Jack Beatty, written on Feb 5th 2003.
"American land forces will ring Bagdhad, holding it under siege while tank detachments probe into the city to engage Saddam's praetorian guard—this according to informed military analysts. We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons against the Iraqis should they attack our forces with chemical weapons, Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, recently warned. The Pentagon says it might use nuclear weapons in any case, to blow up deep Iraqi bunkers. These leaks and statements may be a form of "psy-ops," calculated to foment a military coup to topple Saddam Hussein. If they do indicate how we will "win," however, then Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute may be conservative in estimating that Gulf War II could inflict from several to twenty-five thousand Iraqi civilian casualties and from several hundred to five thousand U.S. casualties. "The nightmare scenario," retired General Joseph Hoar, the former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate committee in September, "is that six Iraqi Republican Guard divisions and six heavy divisions with several hundred artillery pieces defend the city of Bagdhad. The result would be high casualties on both sides as well as in the civilian community. U.S. forces would certainly prevail but at what cost ... as the rest of the world watches while we bomb and have artillery rounds go off in densely populated Iraqi neighborhoods?" A leaked UN contingency planning report predicted that as many as 500,000 Iraqi civilians could be injured or have their health impaired by city fighting.
Afterwards, U.S. forces will be searching for evidence of weapons of mass destruction to retroactively justify our attack. What if they don't find any, or only a remnant decaying supply of no military utility? What if Saddam destroyed them, and his stonewalling of the UN weapons' inspectors was a bluff that backfired—by provoking the U.S. attack that the bluff was meant to deter? What if, as Senator Richard Lugar asked last summer, the successor Iraqi regime wants to preserve Saddam's weapons and hides them from us? Or what if, as the CIA predicted last fall, Saddam, concluding that a U.S. attack was inevitable, gave quantities of chemical and biological weapons to terrorists to attack the United States? In that case George W. Bush will have killed who knows how many human beings for worse than nothing, making his war not only a crime but a blunder, potentially the most catastrophic in American history.
.... The Road Better Not Taken, by Jack Beatty, written on Feb 5th 2003.
In the Name of God
"Bush's rhetoric suggests that he feels God has chosen him to lead the U.S. against "Evil." Is that why Bush is dragging us into an unprovoked war?"
link: the Atlantic
"Bush's rhetoric suggests that he feels God has chosen him to lead the U.S. against "Evil." Is that why Bush is dragging us into an unprovoked war?"
link: the Atlantic
WMD being used in Iraq ... by Anglo/American forces
John Pilger, March 13th 2003
"Winston Churchill, when he was colonial secretary, said: "I do not understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes." Nothing has changed. That was 80 years ago. He was referring to Kurds and Iraqis.
When the Bush/Blair attack begins, the insidious equivalent of Churchill's poison gas will be used by the Americans and almost certainly by the British.
This is depleted uranium, a sinister component of tank shells and airborne missiles. In truth, it is a form of nuclear warfare, and all the evidence suggests that its use in the Gulf War in 1991 has caused an epidemic of cancer in southern Iraq: what the doctors there call "the Hiroshima effect", especially among children.
America and Britain have denied Iraq equipment with which to clean up its contaminated battlefields, and towns and villages, which are about to be poisoned all over again, just as they have denied cancer treatment equipment and drugs, just as this week they caused the United Nations to dismantle an efficient Iraqi food distribution system.
As the dissident reporter Robert Fisk asked recently: Who will have the courage to describe the effects of depleted uranium, a true weapon of mass destruction, a crime against humanity, as part of the "liberation" that will be the headlined propaganda?"
John Pilger, March 13th 2003
"Winston Churchill, when he was colonial secretary, said: "I do not understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes." Nothing has changed. That was 80 years ago. He was referring to Kurds and Iraqis.
When the Bush/Blair attack begins, the insidious equivalent of Churchill's poison gas will be used by the Americans and almost certainly by the British.
This is depleted uranium, a sinister component of tank shells and airborne missiles. In truth, it is a form of nuclear warfare, and all the evidence suggests that its use in the Gulf War in 1991 has caused an epidemic of cancer in southern Iraq: what the doctors there call "the Hiroshima effect", especially among children.
America and Britain have denied Iraq equipment with which to clean up its contaminated battlefields, and towns and villages, which are about to be poisoned all over again, just as they have denied cancer treatment equipment and drugs, just as this week they caused the United Nations to dismantle an efficient Iraqi food distribution system.
As the dissident reporter Robert Fisk asked recently: Who will have the courage to describe the effects of depleted uranium, a true weapon of mass destruction, a crime against humanity, as part of the "liberation" that will be the headlined propaganda?"
Flags in the dust
Although coalition forces may be winning the military battle on land and in the air, political incompetence means that Iraq is winning the battle of hearts and minds, writes Brian Whitaker
Although coalition forces may be winning the military battle on land and in the air, political incompetence means that Iraq is winning the battle of hearts and minds, writes Brian Whitaker
TRUTH IN THE NEWS - Al Jazeera
Western journalists have been commenting on the stark contrast between the unfiltered pictures being shown on arabic news network Al Jazeera, and the western TV networks. By comparison with the sanitised pictures shown in the West, Al Jazeera shows whatever the shoot, including dead Iraqi and US soldiers, dead and injured civilians. The images are said to be graphic and disturbing, but clearly serve to show reality, however disgusting it way be.
Western journalists have been commenting on the stark contrast between the unfiltered pictures being shown on arabic news network Al Jazeera, and the western TV networks. By comparison with the sanitised pictures shown in the West, Al Jazeera shows whatever the shoot, including dead Iraqi and US soldiers, dead and injured civilians. The images are said to be graphic and disturbing, but clearly serve to show reality, however disgusting it way be.
U.S. Losses Expose Risks, Raise Doubts About Strategy, says Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post, Monday, March 24, 2003
"I am burning with fury because my country has been betrayed"
If they elected a monkey as President of the United States, Tony Blair would ingratiate himself and do its bidding, says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
If they elected a monkey as President of the United States, Tony Blair would ingratiate himself and do its bidding, says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
Iraq claims that American Forces have exploded cluster bombs in Basra, killing 77 and injuring 330 civilians. If there is the slightest shred of truth in this claim it is deeply disturbing. Cluster bombing is illegal under international law due to the needless risk to civilians.
Unicef say the 100,000 children are in IMMEDIATE danger of dying in Basra, due to lack of power & water for three days.
Daytime bombing, now under way, massively increases the risk of civilian casualties. US cruise missiles are currently hitting targets in RESIDENTIAL areas. Last night, a direct hit on a civilian air-raid shelter, flattening 5 nearby homes and seriously damaging a school.
War is always barbaric, and there is barbarism pursued by both sides in this war.
One caller to RTE radio has posed the question “If this is an illegal war, which it apparently is, then are the British and American troops not, in fact, ‘unauthorised combatants’ as the Americans label the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and therefore not entitled to protection under the Geneva Convention.
Iraq claims that American Forces have exploded cluster bombs in Basra, killing 77 and injuring 330 civilians. If there is the slightest shred of truth in this claim it is deeply disturbing. Cluster bombing is illegal under international law due to the needless risk to civilians.
Unicef say the 100,000 children are in IMMEDIATE danger of dying in Basra, due to lack of power & water for three days.
Daytime bombing, now under way, massively increases the risk of civilian casualties. US cruise missiles are currently hitting targets in RESIDENTIAL areas. Last night, a direct hit on a civilian air-raid shelter, flattening 5 nearby homes and seriously damaging a school.
War is always barbaric, and there is barbarism pursued by both sides in this war.
One caller to RTE radio has posed the question “If this is an illegal war, which it apparently is, then are the British and American troops not, in fact, ‘unauthorised combatants’ as the Americans label the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and therefore not entitled to protection under the Geneva Convention.
MEDIA WARS : “The media want to be a fly on the wall. The military commanders know this, so they want to position the fly”
Dr. Tom Clonan, a military strategist interviewed on RTE radio today, neatly sums up the conflict between those prosecuting this invasion, and those reporting it.
“So far, they are not getting the images they want, and need, to win overwhelming public support. General Tommy Franks has failed to achieve media supremacy – a vital military skill which is taught at Westpoint and Annapolis. I think that the US Government will be concerned about this, despite the fact that casualties to date are only slightly above what would be consistent with vigorous military exercises"
Dr. Tom Clonan, a military strategist interviewed on RTE radio today, neatly sums up the conflict between those prosecuting this invasion, and those reporting it.
“So far, they are not getting the images they want, and need, to win overwhelming public support. General Tommy Franks has failed to achieve media supremacy – a vital military skill which is taught at Westpoint and Annapolis. I think that the US Government will be concerned about this, despite the fact that casualties to date are only slightly above what would be consistent with vigorous military exercises"
A MOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE: BRENDA POWER COLUMN
“Five Seven Live” RTE RADIO, Friday March 21st.
“ON THE FRONT of the Trocaire [charity] box, distributed for this year's Lenten collection, there's a picture of two grubby little Guatemalan kids.
The girl, whose wary, hopeful smile shows a mouthful of weak and crooked teeth, is ten years old and, on her back she's carrying her little brother, a toddler swaddled in a bundle of gaudy rags. Now, nothing quite catches a child's attention like the gaze of another youngster, and so my own kids are fascinated by the little Guatemalans, and intrigued by the notion of their need.
One day we discussed what they might buy, this girl and her baby brother, when they get all those coins unearthed from sofa cushions and donated from piggy banks and left over from shopping trips. It's hard to impress on an Irish child that there are some their age in the world who might actually want a pair of shoes or a warm sweater or medicine or food that wasn't sweet and sticky. So they listened politely to my suggestions for what Maria and Miguel might buy when they get their Trocaire money, and then they added their own: A Harry Potter video, a pogo-stick, an Easter egg, a Game boy cartridge.
These, to my children, are the limits of material desire, and they simply cannot put themselves inside the skin of these hungry, shabby, poor little creatures who will never enjoy a book or a toy or a childhood, never see a television or a Disney film or a classroom, never know what it's like to have a solid home or a carefree day or a full belly.
When news of the bombing of Iraq came through in the early hours of yesterday morning, for some reason it was the faces of Maria and Miguel, the waifs on the Trocaire box and half a world away in Guatemala, that came to my mind. I have seen so many pitiful, ragged, grubby Iraqi children smiling those same puzzled, timid smiles at western cameras this past while, that they have all fused into a composite image of doomed, bewildered innocence.
The little girl with her baby brother on her back, and a responsibility beyond her years on her shoulders, she trudges through every war zone, every famished landscape, every freezing refugee camp. She is there amongst the street children of Brazil, the child soldiers of Sierra Leone, the African Aids orphans, the ghosts of Sarajevo. She always wears the same odd uniform of home-made hand-me-downs, in dirt-dimmed jewel colours, mixed with the tattered remnants of Western cast-offs - all cartoon characters and sassy slogans - salvaged from charity hampers. She is curious and trusting when strangers come to her village or her encampment - she has yet to
learn contempt for well-dressed Western visitors with their cameras and their consciences because she is a child, after all, with a child's resilient expectation of love and protection.
Statistically, she is unlikely to live long enough to discover that she is wrong. No more than my own kids can imagine the deprivation of these countless hungry, needy children, I cannot put myself in their mothers' shoes.
I know how it feels to watch a baby show the first signs of a common illness – a chest infection or a stomach bug. Sleepless nights, you think, a lot more laundry to be done, a run on the disposable nappies, doctors visits to be arranged, cranky infants to be comforted. But to live with the knowledge that such trivial ailments could bring death, all for want of a few cents worth of everyday drugs - that, I just can't contemplate.
And that has been the daily reality for Iraqi families for the past 12 years. UN sanctions meant hundreds of thousands of tots died from the simplest complaints, but the same privations did not stop Saddam Hussein amassing a multi billion dollar fortune to become one of the world's richest men.
The hospitals of Iraq are quiet places, lacking the frantic bustle of normal emergency wards because there's no call for urgency when you don't have the drugs or the tools to save lives. But on the fifty new and lavish palaces that Saddam Hussein built himself since 1990, work went on unhindered.
I envy the certainty of those who know that this war is right, or that it is wrong, who are convinced that it was avoidable or inevitable, who have no doubt that it is a necessary humanitarian evil, or an exercise of greedy belligerence. I know I wish the allied forces hadn't gone to war, but now I hope to God they win. I know I'd rather they didn't have to use Shannon Airport to get to the Gulf, but I don't want their forces hindered by vain and foolish political posturing here.
And this, I know for sure. The little girl with her baby brother on her back, she will die many times over during the course of this war. She'll be trapped in bombed-out shelters, poisoned by tainted water, starved, frozen, gassed, burnt. And when it's all over, she'll still be there, foraging in the smouldering ruins, searching for dead parents, queueing for protein biscuits, hunting down a clean drink for her little brother, and smiling her hopeful smile for western cameras amid a landscape scarred with broken houses, broken lives, broken promises.” © Brenda Power / RTE Radio
“Five Seven Live” RTE RADIO, Friday March 21st.
“ON THE FRONT of the Trocaire [charity] box, distributed for this year's Lenten collection, there's a picture of two grubby little Guatemalan kids.
The girl, whose wary, hopeful smile shows a mouthful of weak and crooked teeth, is ten years old and, on her back she's carrying her little brother, a toddler swaddled in a bundle of gaudy rags. Now, nothing quite catches a child's attention like the gaze of another youngster, and so my own kids are fascinated by the little Guatemalans, and intrigued by the notion of their need.
One day we discussed what they might buy, this girl and her baby brother, when they get all those coins unearthed from sofa cushions and donated from piggy banks and left over from shopping trips. It's hard to impress on an Irish child that there are some their age in the world who might actually want a pair of shoes or a warm sweater or medicine or food that wasn't sweet and sticky. So they listened politely to my suggestions for what Maria and Miguel might buy when they get their Trocaire money, and then they added their own: A Harry Potter video, a pogo-stick, an Easter egg, a Game boy cartridge.
These, to my children, are the limits of material desire, and they simply cannot put themselves inside the skin of these hungry, shabby, poor little creatures who will never enjoy a book or a toy or a childhood, never see a television or a Disney film or a classroom, never know what it's like to have a solid home or a carefree day or a full belly.
When news of the bombing of Iraq came through in the early hours of yesterday morning, for some reason it was the faces of Maria and Miguel, the waifs on the Trocaire box and half a world away in Guatemala, that came to my mind. I have seen so many pitiful, ragged, grubby Iraqi children smiling those same puzzled, timid smiles at western cameras this past while, that they have all fused into a composite image of doomed, bewildered innocence.
The little girl with her baby brother on her back, and a responsibility beyond her years on her shoulders, she trudges through every war zone, every famished landscape, every freezing refugee camp. She is there amongst the street children of Brazil, the child soldiers of Sierra Leone, the African Aids orphans, the ghosts of Sarajevo. She always wears the same odd uniform of home-made hand-me-downs, in dirt-dimmed jewel colours, mixed with the tattered remnants of Western cast-offs - all cartoon characters and sassy slogans - salvaged from charity hampers. She is curious and trusting when strangers come to her village or her encampment - she has yet to
learn contempt for well-dressed Western visitors with their cameras and their consciences because she is a child, after all, with a child's resilient expectation of love and protection.
Statistically, she is unlikely to live long enough to discover that she is wrong. No more than my own kids can imagine the deprivation of these countless hungry, needy children, I cannot put myself in their mothers' shoes.
I know how it feels to watch a baby show the first signs of a common illness – a chest infection or a stomach bug. Sleepless nights, you think, a lot more laundry to be done, a run on the disposable nappies, doctors visits to be arranged, cranky infants to be comforted. But to live with the knowledge that such trivial ailments could bring death, all for want of a few cents worth of everyday drugs - that, I just can't contemplate.
And that has been the daily reality for Iraqi families for the past 12 years. UN sanctions meant hundreds of thousands of tots died from the simplest complaints, but the same privations did not stop Saddam Hussein amassing a multi billion dollar fortune to become one of the world's richest men.
The hospitals of Iraq are quiet places, lacking the frantic bustle of normal emergency wards because there's no call for urgency when you don't have the drugs or the tools to save lives. But on the fifty new and lavish palaces that Saddam Hussein built himself since 1990, work went on unhindered.
I envy the certainty of those who know that this war is right, or that it is wrong, who are convinced that it was avoidable or inevitable, who have no doubt that it is a necessary humanitarian evil, or an exercise of greedy belligerence. I know I wish the allied forces hadn't gone to war, but now I hope to God they win. I know I'd rather they didn't have to use Shannon Airport to get to the Gulf, but I don't want their forces hindered by vain and foolish political posturing here.
And this, I know for sure. The little girl with her baby brother on her back, she will die many times over during the course of this war. She'll be trapped in bombed-out shelters, poisoned by tainted water, starved, frozen, gassed, burnt. And when it's all over, she'll still be there, foraging in the smouldering ruins, searching for dead parents, queueing for protein biscuits, hunting down a clean drink for her little brother, and smiling her hopeful smile for western cameras amid a landscape scarred with broken houses, broken lives, broken promises.” © Brenda Power / RTE Radio
IRAQI STRATEGY BECOMING MORE CLEAR
It is increasingly clear that Sadam’s forces fully intend to cede vast areas of desert to the US/UK but will lie in wait for them in the cities. Dr. Tom Clonan, a military strategist interviewed on RTE, says that “This is the calm before the storm. The big story will be the battle in built-up areas. Traditionally, an attacking force needs a 6 to 1 manpower advantage to take a well defended city. We believe that Sadam has 50,000 troops to defend Baghdad. That means the US/UK need to mass 300,000 men outside Baghdad – more than they have in the theatre at present.”
It is increasingly clear that Sadam’s forces fully intend to cede vast areas of desert to the US/UK but will lie in wait for them in the cities. Dr. Tom Clonan, a military strategist interviewed on RTE, says that “This is the calm before the storm. The big story will be the battle in built-up areas. Traditionally, an attacking force needs a 6 to 1 manpower advantage to take a well defended city. We believe that Sadam has 50,000 troops to defend Baghdad. That means the US/UK need to mass 300,000 men outside Baghdad – more than they have in the theatre at present.”
Southern Iraq “not important” UK Defence Minister
Geoffrey Hoon said today it’s “not militarily necessary to secure southern Iraq”, despite the fact that it’s vital for the protection of the Anglo/American supply lines, now stretching over 200 miles towards Baghdad. Convoys of oil tankers ferrying the vast amounts of fuel required to keep this force moving forward are vulnerable to attack from Iraqi commandos. On BBC today was a report that Iraq has a force of 30,000 (!) commandos, highly trained in guerrilla warfare and loyal to Sadam – they are all volunteers. Note also that the POWs captured to date by the Iraqis are largely technical & support staff following along this now vulnerable supply line.
Geoffrey Hoon said today it’s “not militarily necessary to secure southern Iraq”, despite the fact that it’s vital for the protection of the Anglo/American supply lines, now stretching over 200 miles towards Baghdad. Convoys of oil tankers ferrying the vast amounts of fuel required to keep this force moving forward are vulnerable to attack from Iraqi commandos. On BBC today was a report that Iraq has a force of 30,000 (!) commandos, highly trained in guerrilla warfare and loyal to Sadam – they are all volunteers. Note also that the POWs captured to date by the Iraqis are largely technical & support staff following along this now vulnerable supply line.
TRUTH IN THE NEWS - the BBC
"Truth proves early casualty in a propaganda offensive"
Monday March 24th 2003 -
"SO FAR, the Anglo-American armies are handing their propaganda to the Iraqis on a plate", says Robert Fisk in Baghdad [link requires free subscription], adding "It's not just the misleading American and British reporting emanating from what would once have been called the "pool". It's also what we know is not being divulged to us. We know, for example, that the Americans are again using depleted uranium (DU) munitions in Iraq, just as they did in 1991. Before the war began, they stated that they intended to use these warheads, which are manufactured from the waste of the nuclear industry - to pierce armour - and which are believed by thousands of Gulf War Syndrome sufferers, along with Iraqi doctors, to be responsible for a plague of cancers.
Yesterday, the BBC told us that the US Marines had called up A-10 strike aircraft to deal with "pockets of resistance" but failed to mention that the A-10 uses DU rounds. So for the first time since 1991, we - the West - are today spraying these uranium aerosols in battlefield explosions in southern Iraq; and we're not being told. Why not? And where, for God's sake, does that wretched, utterly dishonest phrase "coalition forces" come from? There is no "coalition" in this Iraq war. There are the Americans and the British and a few Australians. That's it. The 1991 Gulf War "coalition" does not exist.
The "coalition" of nations willing to "help" with this illegitimate conflict includes, by a vast stretch of the imagination, even Costa Rica and Micronesia and, I suppose, poor old neutral Ireland with its transit rights for US military aircraft at Shannon. But they are not "coalition forces". Why does the BBC use this phrase? I repeat, why?"
"Truth proves early casualty in a propaganda offensive"
Monday March 24th 2003 -
"SO FAR, the Anglo-American armies are handing their propaganda to the Iraqis on a plate", says Robert Fisk in Baghdad [link requires free subscription], adding "It's not just the misleading American and British reporting emanating from what would once have been called the "pool". It's also what we know is not being divulged to us. We know, for example, that the Americans are again using depleted uranium (DU) munitions in Iraq, just as they did in 1991. Before the war began, they stated that they intended to use these warheads, which are manufactured from the waste of the nuclear industry - to pierce armour - and which are believed by thousands of Gulf War Syndrome sufferers, along with Iraqi doctors, to be responsible for a plague of cancers.
Yesterday, the BBC told us that the US Marines had called up A-10 strike aircraft to deal with "pockets of resistance" but failed to mention that the A-10 uses DU rounds. So for the first time since 1991, we - the West - are today spraying these uranium aerosols in battlefield explosions in southern Iraq; and we're not being told. Why not? And where, for God's sake, does that wretched, utterly dishonest phrase "coalition forces" come from? There is no "coalition" in this Iraq war. There are the Americans and the British and a few Australians. That's it. The 1991 Gulf War "coalition" does not exist.
The "coalition" of nations willing to "help" with this illegitimate conflict includes, by a vast stretch of the imagination, even Costa Rica and Micronesia and, I suppose, poor old neutral Ireland with its transit rights for US military aircraft at Shannon. But they are not "coalition forces". Why does the BBC use this phrase? I repeat, why?"
TRUTH IN THE NEWS - Irish radio & TV
In Ireland, the credibility of the national broadcaster RTE’s otherwise excellent & independent reporting of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq is being undermined by constant references to the “coalition forces” and the “Allies”. These labels were deliberately chosen by the US to give a cloak of legitimacy to their illegal invasion, evoking, as they do, echoes of WWII and the last Gulf War – a fully justified UN-backed campaign to repel Sadam’s illegal invasion of Kuwait.
Notwithstanding the above, there are some very interesting independent reports aired on RTE . This morning Christina Lamb of the Sunday Times – a “unilateral” (ie. Non-embedded) reporter in Southern Iraq, was interviewed.
“We were told by the US military that taking the South would be easy. That the Iraqis would surrender and the public would welcome us” she told RTE’s Pat Kenny Show. “In fact it’s not been like that at all. British and American forces and media have been given a hostile reception. There’s been stone throwing, spitting and jeering. More worrying is the fact that in the race to Baghdad, they are not securing the ground behind them. The port of Umm Qasr – vital for the influx of humanitarian aid - has still not been secured. Nine times we’ve been told it’s ‘fallen’. My strong impression is that the U.S. don’t actually control anything in Southern Iraq.
Safwan is just over the border from Kuwait, but 50 unilateral press have been told by the Americans to leave as the area is not safe. Either they’ve failed to secure this very small town, or else the US military are turning hostile towards the non-imbedded media.
In the battle for the hearts & minds of the Iraqi people, their behaviour actually suggests that they may even prefer the ‘devil you know’ to the Americans. [Go Figure! comment : These are the Shia people who remember being told by George Bush snr to ‘rise up’ against Sadam in 1991, only to be hung out to dry by the Americans].
“The US military chiefs had arranged a ‘press tour’ of Basra for us, where we were told we’d see Iraqi people welcoming their liberators. That’s been cancelled now. Basra is not safe. There seems to be a mad scramble to capture these “welcome the liberators” pictures, but it’s just not happening.
“It appears the Iraqis are fighting a guerrilla war, while the US are treated it as a conventional conflict, but it only takes a few people to upset their plans. It’s quite possible they will succeed in ‘taking’ Iraq, but it won’t actually be safe for anyone.
“So far today we’ve had 4 new air-raid warnings in Kuwait. The Rumaila oilfields, which was ‘secured’ days ago is still unsafe. We’re told that there’s what they call “guys with guns” wandering around there. Before this all started, they told us that nobody supported Sadam. I don’t know what Baghdad will be like when they get there”
Given the two deaths of unilateral press so far (one killed by the Americans), we pray that Christina and her fellow unilateral colleagues will remain safe.
In Ireland, the credibility of the national broadcaster RTE’s otherwise excellent & independent reporting of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq is being undermined by constant references to the “coalition forces” and the “Allies”. These labels were deliberately chosen by the US to give a cloak of legitimacy to their illegal invasion, evoking, as they do, echoes of WWII and the last Gulf War – a fully justified UN-backed campaign to repel Sadam’s illegal invasion of Kuwait.
Notwithstanding the above, there are some very interesting independent reports aired on RTE . This morning Christina Lamb of the Sunday Times – a “unilateral” (ie. Non-embedded) reporter in Southern Iraq, was interviewed.
“We were told by the US military that taking the South would be easy. That the Iraqis would surrender and the public would welcome us” she told RTE’s Pat Kenny Show. “In fact it’s not been like that at all. British and American forces and media have been given a hostile reception. There’s been stone throwing, spitting and jeering. More worrying is the fact that in the race to Baghdad, they are not securing the ground behind them. The port of Umm Qasr – vital for the influx of humanitarian aid - has still not been secured. Nine times we’ve been told it’s ‘fallen’. My strong impression is that the U.S. don’t actually control anything in Southern Iraq.
Safwan is just over the border from Kuwait, but 50 unilateral press have been told by the Americans to leave as the area is not safe. Either they’ve failed to secure this very small town, or else the US military are turning hostile towards the non-imbedded media.
In the battle for the hearts & minds of the Iraqi people, their behaviour actually suggests that they may even prefer the ‘devil you know’ to the Americans. [Go Figure! comment : These are the Shia people who remember being told by George Bush snr to ‘rise up’ against Sadam in 1991, only to be hung out to dry by the Americans].
“The US military chiefs had arranged a ‘press tour’ of Basra for us, where we were told we’d see Iraqi people welcoming their liberators. That’s been cancelled now. Basra is not safe. There seems to be a mad scramble to capture these “welcome the liberators” pictures, but it’s just not happening.
“It appears the Iraqis are fighting a guerrilla war, while the US are treated it as a conventional conflict, but it only takes a few people to upset their plans. It’s quite possible they will succeed in ‘taking’ Iraq, but it won’t actually be safe for anyone.
“So far today we’ve had 4 new air-raid warnings in Kuwait. The Rumaila oilfields, which was ‘secured’ days ago is still unsafe. We’re told that there’s what they call “guys with guns” wandering around there. Before this all started, they told us that nobody supported Sadam. I don’t know what Baghdad will be like when they get there”
Given the two deaths of unilateral press so far (one killed by the Americans), we pray that Christina and her fellow unilateral colleagues will remain safe.
Military action always involves uncertainties, but some of the biggest ones can be found in America's own plans to invade Iraq. From The Economist Global Agenda
Iraq: 'Shock and Awe' Attack - Amnesty International Seeks Urgent Clarification of Measures to Protect Civilians. Amnesty's IRAQ pages
Geneva Convention and the laws of war
Bush and Rumsfeld have invoked the Geneva Convention, so what are the International rules of war? The fullest statement of the rules governing the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict is in Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I). This Protocol, which was adopted in 1977, has been ratified by over 150 states, but the U.S. AND TURKEY ARE NOT PARTIES to Protocol I. Amnesty International give a primer here
Bush and Rumsfeld have invoked the Geneva Convention, so what are the International rules of war? The fullest statement of the rules governing the conduct of hostilities in international armed conflict is in Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I). This Protocol, which was adopted in 1977, has been ratified by over 150 states, but the U.S. AND TURKEY ARE NOT PARTIES to Protocol I. Amnesty International give a primer here
IMAGES TO EXPLODE THE MYTHS OF WAR Mar 24 2003
"THE men in suits assured us it would be swift, precise and decent. Those in khaki, such as General Tommy Franks, boasted the military machine was so efficient it would be "a campaign like no other in history". But, as we have seen in the images thrown up by the most televisual war ever, it's the same old dirty, nasty game. Daily Mirror
"THE men in suits assured us it would be swift, precise and decent. Those in khaki, such as General Tommy Franks, boasted the military machine was so efficient it would be "a campaign like no other in history". But, as we have seen in the images thrown up by the most televisual war ever, it's the same old dirty, nasty game. Daily Mirror
"A TERRIBLE DAY IN BUSH AND BLAIR'S TERRIBLE WAR" Daily Mirror
"George Bush said he was "feeling fine" with the way things were going. Then he launched an attack on the Iraqis for flouting the Geneva Convention by parading PoWs on TV. Pretty rich from the President who sanctioned the release of photos of Afghan PoWs in their hoods and shackles at Guantanamo Bay. A move that the Mirror campaigned against at the time precisely because it breached the Geneva Convention and would therefore compromise our troops in the future"
"George Bush said he was "feeling fine" with the way things were going. Then he launched an attack on the Iraqis for flouting the Geneva Convention by parading PoWs on TV. Pretty rich from the President who sanctioned the release of photos of Afghan PoWs in their hoods and shackles at Guantanamo Bay. A move that the Mirror campaigned against at the time precisely because it breached the Geneva Convention and would therefore compromise our troops in the future"
Michael Moore's acceptance speech at the Oscars
"We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons.
Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up"
"We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons.
Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up"
Quote of the Day
"the West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do." Samuel P. Huntington
"the West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do." Samuel P. Huntington
What's it all about?
Apart from securing the obvious and immediate resource - oil, it's about a new world order which permits America's unfettered access to whatever it needs to purse it's "way of life". Since recommending John Pilger's brilliant "New Rulers of the World" (updated) book, we've had lots of e-mails from people who want to see more extracts, so here's another interesting taste:
"We have 50 % of the world's wealth, but just 6% of it's population. Our real job is to maintain this position of disparity. To do so, we have to dispense with all sentimentality ... we should cease thinking about human rights, the raising of living standards and democratisation" George Kennan, US Strategic planner, 1948.
"This is World War Three" Thomas Friedman, New York Times, after 9/11. "The hidden hand of the market", says Friedman "will never work without a hidden fist. McDonald's cannot thrive without McDonnel Douglas (producer of the F-16). The hidden fist that keeps the world safe for silicon valley technologies is called the US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps."
"
Apart from securing the obvious and immediate resource - oil, it's about a new world order which permits America's unfettered access to whatever it needs to purse it's "way of life". Since recommending John Pilger's brilliant "New Rulers of the World" (updated) book, we've had lots of e-mails from people who want to see more extracts, so here's another interesting taste:
"We have 50 % of the world's wealth, but just 6% of it's population. Our real job is to maintain this position of disparity. To do so, we have to dispense with all sentimentality ... we should cease thinking about human rights, the raising of living standards and democratisation" George Kennan, US Strategic planner, 1948.
"This is World War Three" Thomas Friedman, New York Times, after 9/11. "The hidden hand of the market", says Friedman "will never work without a hidden fist. McDonald's cannot thrive without McDonnel Douglas (producer of the F-16). The hidden fist that keeps the world safe for silicon valley technologies is called the US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps."
"
Robin Cook's first interview since resigning from Blair's Government over the issue of Iraq
"... the US is left embarking on military action from a position of diplomatic weakness, unable to get any major international organisation to agree with it. We are heading for a very serious risk of a big gulf between the Western and Islamic world. That seems to me to have thrown away a powerful asset for the US which relates to its number one security concern.'" article
"... the US is left embarking on military action from a position of diplomatic weakness, unable to get any major international organisation to agree with it. We are heading for a very serious risk of a big gulf between the Western and Islamic world. That seems to me to have thrown away a powerful asset for the US which relates to its number one security concern.'" article
What's next ?
This coming week - unless things improve for the so-called "coalition" - expect a phoney WMD find to be trumpeted loudly - thereby "self-legitimating" (Bush's word) the war. AND then, god forbid, a FAKE report of chemical/biological weapons deployment against coalition troops, thereby JUSTIFYING the subsequent use by the US of the dreaded MOAB airburst weapon - which can INCINERATE everything for a square kilometer, or possibly an worse attrocity ... We pray this will not happen.
This coming week - unless things improve for the so-called "coalition" - expect a phoney WMD find to be trumpeted loudly - thereby "self-legitimating" (Bush's word) the war. AND then, god forbid, a FAKE report of chemical/biological weapons deployment against coalition troops, thereby JUSTIFYING the subsequent use by the US of the dreaded MOAB airburst weapon - which can INCINERATE everything for a square kilometer, or possibly an worse attrocity ... We pray this will not happen.
Operation Hypocrisy
As the US/UK media/war machine goes into overdrive, we must endure wall to wall hypocrisy.
Pictures of US POWs on Iraqi TV are "disgusting" - but pictures of clearly identifiable Iraqi POWS are, seemingly, OK.
Thousands of innocent Iraqi are surely lying dead as result of the nightly barbarism visited upon them by the west's killing machines - don't expect it to be reported, or to hear anyone suggest it's disgusting. A civilian air raid shelter was hit in Baghdad last night, along with 5 houses and a school in a residential area - even Sky news briefly reported it - But these are "non-people" who deserve no sympathy.
The men who unleash this horror, under orders from the War-mongering Washington Oil Cabal, are "brave" - yet they they CHOSE under their own free will to join a killing machine, and must accept the risks that go with that. The innocent civilians who die had NO CHOICE in this.
Rumsfeld protests the Iraqis for breaking the Geneva Convention on the POWs - yet slaughters non-combatants in direct violation of the same treaty, using Depleted Uranium tipped warheads on his cruise misiles - as in the last Gulf - again in direct violation of international law. No tears to be shed on this either.
Lies lies lies and more lies. This war will not be a cake-walk. It will not be, as a UK colonel told his men last week, "tea & medals in Baghdad". This will grind on, as the Iraqis clearly have not "read the script" for the war, as penned by the Neo Conservatives behind "Project for a New American Century". War is messy, and we deeply sympathise with the families of ALL who die in this needless conflict - be they in uniform or not.
As the US/UK media/war machine goes into overdrive, we must endure wall to wall hypocrisy.
Pictures of US POWs on Iraqi TV are "disgusting" - but pictures of clearly identifiable Iraqi POWS are, seemingly, OK.
Thousands of innocent Iraqi are surely lying dead as result of the nightly barbarism visited upon them by the west's killing machines - don't expect it to be reported, or to hear anyone suggest it's disgusting. A civilian air raid shelter was hit in Baghdad last night, along with 5 houses and a school in a residential area - even Sky news briefly reported it - But these are "non-people" who deserve no sympathy.
The men who unleash this horror, under orders from the War-mongering Washington Oil Cabal, are "brave" - yet they they CHOSE under their own free will to join a killing machine, and must accept the risks that go with that. The innocent civilians who die had NO CHOICE in this.
Rumsfeld protests the Iraqis for breaking the Geneva Convention on the POWs - yet slaughters non-combatants in direct violation of the same treaty, using Depleted Uranium tipped warheads on his cruise misiles - as in the last Gulf - again in direct violation of international law. No tears to be shed on this either.
Lies lies lies and more lies. This war will not be a cake-walk. It will not be, as a UK colonel told his men last week, "tea & medals in Baghdad". This will grind on, as the Iraqis clearly have not "read the script" for the war, as penned by the Neo Conservatives behind "Project for a New American Century". War is messy, and we deeply sympathise with the families of ALL who die in this needless conflict - be they in uniform or not.
Battles rage in Iraqi cities, bodies litter desert
Southern Iraq: Charred Iraqi corpses smoulder in burned-out trucks. Black smoke hangs over bombed cities where US troops battle Iraqi soldiers. Youths greet British tanks with smiles, then sneer when they have passed. link
Southern Iraq: Charred Iraqi corpses smoulder in burned-out trucks. Black smoke hangs over bombed cities where US troops battle Iraqi soldiers. Youths greet British tanks with smiles, then sneer when they have passed. link
March 23, 2003
After the Shock and Awe, next will come the despair
"look me in the eye and try to deny that, after the success of Shock and Awe, will come despair? Despair may not mount much resistance to a daisy-cutter, but, so long as there are jetliners and there are skyscrapers, despair will always be able to fly the one into the other" Full piece in London Times
"look me in the eye and try to deny that, after the success of Shock and Awe, will come despair? Despair may not mount much resistance to a daisy-cutter, but, so long as there are jetliners and there are skyscrapers, despair will always be able to fly the one into the other" Full piece in London Times
This is the reality of war. We bomb. They suffer
Veteran war reporter Robert Fisk tours a Baghdad hospital to see the wounded after a devastating night of air strikes. Why should anyone in the West be surprised if some of these wounded and innocent children grow up to become the next wave of Osama bin Ladens, hell-bent on exacting revenge ? This is lesson it took 30 years for the UK to learn in there ham-fisted efforts to squash the IRA, and the lesson still not learnt by the Israelis. When a people are pumelled, humiliated and denied basic rights and freedoms ... they WILL take desperate measures to seek redress - even tragically brutal ones. Unforgivable yes, but understandable.
Veteran war reporter Robert Fisk tours a Baghdad hospital to see the wounded after a devastating night of air strikes. Why should anyone in the West be surprised if some of these wounded and innocent children grow up to become the next wave of Osama bin Ladens, hell-bent on exacting revenge ? This is lesson it took 30 years for the UK to learn in there ham-fisted efforts to squash the IRA, and the lesson still not learnt by the Israelis. When a people are pumelled, humiliated and denied basic rights and freedoms ... they WILL take desperate measures to seek redress - even tragically brutal ones. Unforgivable yes, but understandable.
Perle's Plunder Blunder
WASHINGTON
"It's Richard Perle's world. We're just fighting in it. The Prince of Darkness, a man who whips up revelatory soufflés and revolutionary pre-emption doctrines with equal ease, took a victory lap at the American Enterprise Institute on Friday morning." go to New York Times
WASHINGTON
"It's Richard Perle's world. We're just fighting in it. The Prince of Darkness, a man who whips up revelatory soufflés and revolutionary pre-emption doctrines with equal ease, took a victory lap at the American Enterprise Institute on Friday morning." go to New York Times
March 22, 2003
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.
Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.
We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe."
Senate Remarks by Robert C. Byrd, March 19, 2003. See: "The Arrogance of Power"
"Today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.
Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.
We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe."
Senate Remarks by Robert C. Byrd, March 19, 2003. See: "The Arrogance of Power"
Giving Bush the Byrd
"My views, by now, are well known. I believe this war is a grave mistake, not because Saddam Hussein does not deserve to be disarmed or driven from power, not because some of our allies object to war, but because Iraq does not pose an imminent threat to the security of the United States. There is no question that the United States has the military might to defeat Saddam Hussein, but we are on much shakier ground when it comes to the question of why this nation, under the current circumstances, is rushing to unleash the horrors of war on the people of Iraq".
Ignored by US and western mainstream media, the speechs of Senator Robert Byrd, senior member of the US senate, represent a lone voice of sanity in a sea of madness.
Go to his website here
"My views, by now, are well known. I believe this war is a grave mistake, not because Saddam Hussein does not deserve to be disarmed or driven from power, not because some of our allies object to war, but because Iraq does not pose an imminent threat to the security of the United States. There is no question that the United States has the military might to defeat Saddam Hussein, but we are on much shakier ground when it comes to the question of why this nation, under the current circumstances, is rushing to unleash the horrors of war on the people of Iraq".
Ignored by US and western mainstream media, the speechs of Senator Robert Byrd, senior member of the US senate, represent a lone voice of sanity in a sea of madness.
Go to his website here
Brave new world of oil rising
Control of Iraq is the first step in a plan by the oil-hungry US to break open the Middle East's stranglehold on the world's biggest oil reserves. Saudi Arabia will be next, not with bombs but by a US-inspired toppling of the ruling elite. Article here
Control of Iraq is the first step in a plan by the oil-hungry US to break open the Middle East's stranglehold on the world's biggest oil reserves. Saudi Arabia will be next, not with bombs but by a US-inspired toppling of the ruling elite. Article here
Barbarism over Baghdad with reap a bitter blood-stained harvest
Violence begets violence, lest we forget. Far from making the world a safer place, even if only for Americans, Washington's extreme right-wing regime is now sowing the seeds of future terror for generations. U.N. envoy: N. Korea preparing for war
Violence begets violence, lest we forget. Far from making the world a safer place, even if only for Americans, Washington's extreme right-wing regime is now sowing the seeds of future terror for generations. U.N. envoy: N. Korea preparing for war
Get ready for black propaganda
"When America and Britain crush Iraq, a new phase of their black propaganda will emerge - for which the British public ought to be prepared. This new range of deceptions will be designed to justify attacking a sovereign state and killing innocent people: a crime under international law, with or without a second UN resolution.
There will be the "discovery of Saddam's secret arsenal," probably in the basement of one his palaces. This will be accompanied by the "discovery" of gruesome evidence of Saddam's oppression. This will not come as news to the many dedicated anti-war campaigners, who for years tried to stop the American and British governments from supplying Saddam with the tools of his oppression." John Pilger, Daily Mirror, Mar 13 2003
"When America and Britain crush Iraq, a new phase of their black propaganda will emerge - for which the British public ought to be prepared. This new range of deceptions will be designed to justify attacking a sovereign state and killing innocent people: a crime under international law, with or without a second UN resolution.
There will be the "discovery of Saddam's secret arsenal," probably in the basement of one his palaces. This will be accompanied by the "discovery" of gruesome evidence of Saddam's oppression. This will not come as news to the many dedicated anti-war campaigners, who for years tried to stop the American and British governments from supplying Saddam with the tools of his oppression." John Pilger, Daily Mirror, Mar 13 2003
INK DRY ON WAR SCRIPT A YEAR AGO
by Alan Ramsey, March 22 2003, Sydney Morning Herald
ALL THE DIPLOMATIC POSTURING BY THE US & UK FOR THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN A CHARADE
Gordon Jockel, a senior Australian diplomat for many years, wrote these words in April 2002 - a year ago - "This spring, the Administration will be talking to other countries about the invasion, trying to secure basing and overflight privileges, while Bush builds up a rhetorical case for it by giving speeches about the unacceptability of developing weapons of mass destruction. A drama involving weapons inspections in Iraq will play itself out over the spring and summer, and will end with the US declaring that the terms that Saddam offers for inspections, involving delays and restrictions, are unacceptable.
"Then, probably in late summer or early fall, the enormous US troop positioning, which will take months, will begin. The administration obviously feels the US can effectively parry whatever aggressive actions Saddam takes during the troop build-up, and hopes its moves will destabilise Iraq. The chain of events leading inexorably to a full-scale American invasion, if it hasn't already begun, evidently will begin soon." link to full article here
by Alan Ramsey, March 22 2003, Sydney Morning Herald
ALL THE DIPLOMATIC POSTURING BY THE US & UK FOR THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN A CHARADE
Gordon Jockel, a senior Australian diplomat for many years, wrote these words in April 2002 - a year ago - "This spring, the Administration will be talking to other countries about the invasion, trying to secure basing and overflight privileges, while Bush builds up a rhetorical case for it by giving speeches about the unacceptability of developing weapons of mass destruction. A drama involving weapons inspections in Iraq will play itself out over the spring and summer, and will end with the US declaring that the terms that Saddam offers for inspections, involving delays and restrictions, are unacceptable.
"Then, probably in late summer or early fall, the enormous US troop positioning, which will take months, will begin. The administration obviously feels the US can effectively parry whatever aggressive actions Saddam takes during the troop build-up, and hopes its moves will destabilise Iraq. The chain of events leading inexorably to a full-scale American invasion, if it hasn't already begun, evidently will begin soon." link to full article here
Any excuse to build an empire
March 22 2003
The US war on Iraq could signal the start of a new colonialism, with aircraft-carrier diplomacy replacing multilateral negotiations, writes Leon Fuerth in the Washington Post.
March 22 2003
The US war on Iraq could signal the start of a new colonialism, with aircraft-carrier diplomacy replacing multilateral negotiations, writes Leon Fuerth in the Washington Post.
War of words - an review of some press coverage from around the world
Sydney Herald reporter on U.S.-Iraq battle: "More like a massacre than a fight."
Hani Shukrallah in Al-Ahram Weekly: "An illegal war waged in blatant violation of the U.N. Charter and of international law; a war against which 30 million people throughout the world have already demonstrated on streets from Los Angeles to Tokyo; a war in which opinion polls in virtually all the world's nations, with the exception of the US and Israel, have produced a definitive 'no' -- how can such a war be recorded except in infamy? And this is before the body count"
Plus other coverage from the international press. at Salon
Sydney Herald reporter on U.S.-Iraq battle: "More like a massacre than a fight."
Hani Shukrallah in Al-Ahram Weekly: "An illegal war waged in blatant violation of the U.N. Charter and of international law; a war against which 30 million people throughout the world have already demonstrated on streets from Los Angeles to Tokyo; a war in which opinion polls in virtually all the world's nations, with the exception of the US and Israel, have produced a definitive 'no' -- how can such a war be recorded except in infamy? And this is before the body count"
Plus other coverage from the international press. at Salon
March 21, 2003
Project for the New American Century
For a list of some of the villains responsible for raining death from the skies over Baghdad tonight, go to the bottom of this page Any names look familiar ??
For a list of some of the villains responsible for raining death from the skies over Baghdad tonight, go to the bottom of this page Any names look familiar ??
Quotes of the Day
"They know we own their country ... we dictate the way they live and talk. And that's what's great about America right now. It's a good thing, especially when there's a lot of oil out there we need"
Brigadier-General William Looney, US Air Force. Director of bombing, Gulf War 1991.
"We think the price is worth it"
US Ambassador Madeleine Albright, when asked if the deaths of half a million Iraqi children were a price worth paying for sanctions
"They know we own their country ... we dictate the way they live and talk. And that's what's great about America right now. It's a good thing, especially when there's a lot of oil out there we need"
Brigadier-General William Looney, US Air Force. Director of bombing, Gulf War 1991.
"We think the price is worth it"
US Ambassador Madeleine Albright, when asked if the deaths of half a million Iraqi children were a price worth paying for sanctions
Pray for them
As we approach the crescendo of this disgusting festival of state-sponsored terrorism and obscene violence, pray for the souls of the innocent millions now cowering under the jackboot of George Bush.
As we approach the crescendo of this disgusting festival of state-sponsored terrorism and obscene violence, pray for the souls of the innocent millions now cowering under the jackboot of George Bush.
Eye Witness reports from Baghdad ...
"I watched al sahaf on al-jazeera. he said that the US has bombed the Iraqi sattelite channel, but while he was saying that the ISC was broadcasting and if it really did hit the ISC headquarters it would have been right in the middle of baghdad. what was probably hit were transmiters or something. all TV stations are still working"
:: salam 4:28 PM [+] :: bookmark this blog
"I watched al sahaf on al-jazeera. he said that the US has bombed the Iraqi sattelite channel, but while he was saying that the ISC was broadcasting and if it really did hit the ISC headquarters it would have been right in the middle of baghdad. what was probably hit were transmiters or something. all TV stations are still working"
:: salam 4:28 PM [+] :: bookmark this blog
Pilger Perspective
William Russell, the great correspondent who reported the carnage of imperial wars, may have first used the expression "blood on his hands" to describe impeccable politicians who, at a safe distance, order the mass killing of ordinary people. : John Pilger :29 Jan 2003
William Russell, the great correspondent who reported the carnage of imperial wars, may have first used the expression "blood on his hands" to describe impeccable politicians who, at a safe distance, order the mass killing of ordinary people. : John Pilger :29 Jan 2003
1,000 arrests at San Francisco demo
Galvanised by the Anglo-American attack on Iraq, thousands of anti-war activists around the world have taken to the streets, with more than 1,000 people arrested while demonstrating in San Francisco.
Galvanised by the Anglo-American attack on Iraq, thousands of anti-war activists around the world have taken to the streets, with more than 1,000 people arrested while demonstrating in San Francisco.
Perle of Wisdom ??
"Thank God for the death of the UN. Its abject failure gave us only anarchy. The world needs order" says Richard Perle, chairman of the defence policy board, an advisory panel to the Pentagon. Article in today's Guardian here
"Thank God for the death of the UN. Its abject failure gave us only anarchy. The world needs order" says Richard Perle, chairman of the defence policy board, an advisory panel to the Pentagon. Article in today's Guardian here
For a (right wing) Noo Yawk perspective ...
Go check out the Gabby Cabby - who also has some pretty cabby-esque views on the war
Go check out the Gabby Cabby - who also has some pretty cabby-esque views on the war
March 20, 2003
On a lighter note ... quote of the day:
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, and Germany doesn't want to go to war."
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, and Germany doesn't want to go to war."
Quote of the Day
“Do not pursue this war in our name. It will not defeat terrorism but simply create more terrorists out of people who had nothing to do with September 11th. I do not want more pain visited on other families around the world.”
Colleen Kelly of the Bronx, who lost a brother on 9/11, speaking today on Dublin’s NewsTalk 106FM
New Rulers of the World
It’s entirely appropriate that a copy of John Pilger’s new & updated paperback edition of “The New Rulers of the World” should drop through my letterbox on this first day of Gulf War II. Setting it all in context, Pilger describes this war as just the latest battle in a long global war of new colonialism. Here’s an extract:
“When American Vice-President Dick Cheney said that the ‘war on terrorism’ could last for fifty years or more, his words evoked George Orwell’s great prophetic work “1984”. We are to live with the threat and illusion of endless war, it seems, in order to justify increased social control and state repression, while great power pursues its goal of global supremacy. Washington is transformed into ‘chief city of Airstrip One’ and every problem is blamed on the ‘enemy’, the evil Goldstein, as Orwell called him. He could be Osama bin Laden, or his successors, the ‘axis of evil’.
The attacks of September 11th did not ‘change everything’, but accelerated the continuity of events, providing an extraordinary pretext for destroying social democracy. The undermining of the Bill of Rights in the United States and the further dismantling of trial by jury in Britain and a plethora of related civil liberties are part of the reduction of democracy to electoral ritual: that is, competition between indistinguishable parties for the management of a single-ideology state.”
The book is available from: www.versobooks.com or contact Marston Book Services
“Do not pursue this war in our name. It will not defeat terrorism but simply create more terrorists out of people who had nothing to do with September 11th. I do not want more pain visited on other families around the world.”
Colleen Kelly of the Bronx, who lost a brother on 9/11, speaking today on Dublin’s NewsTalk 106FM
New Rulers of the World
It’s entirely appropriate that a copy of John Pilger’s new & updated paperback edition of “The New Rulers of the World” should drop through my letterbox on this first day of Gulf War II. Setting it all in context, Pilger describes this war as just the latest battle in a long global war of new colonialism. Here’s an extract:
“When American Vice-President Dick Cheney said that the ‘war on terrorism’ could last for fifty years or more, his words evoked George Orwell’s great prophetic work “1984”. We are to live with the threat and illusion of endless war, it seems, in order to justify increased social control and state repression, while great power pursues its goal of global supremacy. Washington is transformed into ‘chief city of Airstrip One’ and every problem is blamed on the ‘enemy’, the evil Goldstein, as Orwell called him. He could be Osama bin Laden, or his successors, the ‘axis of evil’.
The attacks of September 11th did not ‘change everything’, but accelerated the continuity of events, providing an extraordinary pretext for destroying social democracy. The undermining of the Bill of Rights in the United States and the further dismantling of trial by jury in Britain and a plethora of related civil liberties are part of the reduction of democracy to electoral ritual: that is, competition between indistinguishable parties for the management of a single-ideology state.”
The book is available from: www.versobooks.com or contact Marston Book Services
War to cost millions in Oscar revenues
Aww geee ... who's spoiled the party? War in Iraq is threatening to cost hundreds of millions of dollars in Oscars-generated revenue from services ranging from coveted advertising time to Botox shots for ageing movie stars. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Aww geee ... who's spoiled the party? War in Iraq is threatening to cost hundreds of millions of dollars in Oscars-generated revenue from services ranging from coveted advertising time to Botox shots for ageing movie stars. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Americans' support for War based on a lie
"We will meet the threat now with our army, air force, coast guard and marines, so that we do not have to meet it later with our police, firefighters and doctors on the streets of our cities" ..... President George W.Bush, addressing the American people last night, reinforcing the spurious link between Sadam, Iraq and the attrocities of 9/11. Who can blame any reasonable American for supporting their President 100% on that basis ..... if only it were true. Unquestionably Sadam is evil & dangerous despot, but the current strategy for removing him is nothing if not Machiavellian.
Forty-four percent of Americans believe that most or some of the Sep11 hijackers were Iraqi. None of them were.
If you missed Kane Pryor's seminal piece in Salon on Feb 6th, check it out. Here are some extracts:
"The Bush propaganda machine has convinced Americans that Saddam and the no-longer-mentioned Osama are the same person -- and the polls prove it .....At the end of the first week of January, the Princeton Survey Research Associates polled more than 1,200 Americans on behalf of the Knight Ridder newspaper chain. They asked a very simple question: "To the best of your knowledge, how many of the September 11 hijackers were Iraqi citizens? ....... Of those surveyed, only 17 percent knew the correct answer: that none of the hijackers were Iraqi. Forty-four percent of Americans believe that most or some of the hijackers were Iraqi; another 6 percent believe that one of the hijackers was a citizen of that most notorious node in the axis of evil. That leaves 33 percent who did not know enough to offer an answer. In another question contained within the same poll, asking whether there was a relationship between al-Qaida and Iraq, 65 percent of the Americans surveyed believe that the two are closely collaborating allies. In fact, there is scant evidence to suggest a linkage in any form, despite unrelenting efforts by the Bush administration to demonstrate otherwise."
"We will meet the threat now with our army, air force, coast guard and marines, so that we do not have to meet it later with our police, firefighters and doctors on the streets of our cities" ..... President George W.Bush, addressing the American people last night, reinforcing the spurious link between Sadam, Iraq and the attrocities of 9/11. Who can blame any reasonable American for supporting their President 100% on that basis ..... if only it were true. Unquestionably Sadam is evil & dangerous despot, but the current strategy for removing him is nothing if not Machiavellian.
Forty-four percent of Americans believe that most or some of the Sep11 hijackers were Iraqi. None of them were.
If you missed Kane Pryor's seminal piece in Salon on Feb 6th, check it out. Here are some extracts:
"The Bush propaganda machine has convinced Americans that Saddam and the no-longer-mentioned Osama are the same person -- and the polls prove it .....At the end of the first week of January, the Princeton Survey Research Associates polled more than 1,200 Americans on behalf of the Knight Ridder newspaper chain. They asked a very simple question: "To the best of your knowledge, how many of the September 11 hijackers were Iraqi citizens? ....... Of those surveyed, only 17 percent knew the correct answer: that none of the hijackers were Iraqi. Forty-four percent of Americans believe that most or some of the hijackers were Iraqi; another 6 percent believe that one of the hijackers was a citizen of that most notorious node in the axis of evil. That leaves 33 percent who did not know enough to offer an answer. In another question contained within the same poll, asking whether there was a relationship between al-Qaida and Iraq, 65 percent of the Americans surveyed believe that the two are closely collaborating allies. In fact, there is scant evidence to suggest a linkage in any form, despite unrelenting efforts by the Bush administration to demonstrate otherwise."
Bloggers the new free press?
Just as the last Gulf War *made* CNN, this one may well put blogging on the global media map. For a real-time, uncensored and non-embedded view of what's happening, check out these links:
Raed in Baghdad
Iraqi exile blog
Andrew Sullivan.com
Just as the last Gulf War *made* CNN, this one may well put blogging on the global media map. For a real-time, uncensored and non-embedded view of what's happening, check out these links:
Raed in Baghdad
Iraqi exile blog
Andrew Sullivan.com
March 19, 2003
Continental Drift
Heads duck and plates smash against walls. Insults are hurled; accusations made and so-called diplomats behave petulantly. U.S./European relations deteriorate towards the 'irreconcilable differences' stage. How did things come to this?
This spat is not just about differences over Iraq. As with fighting couples, the real row is always about something else. As with geology, geopolitical continental drift happens gradually. Intercontinental comment, particularly in the U.S. media, gradually started turning sour in late 1999. This coincided with the end of the tech boom.
A trend emerged in such 'respected' organs as the Wall Street Journal, the Herald Tribune and the New York Times where front-page prominence was given to stories that would embarrass European companies or governments. As Europe progressed towards increasing political/economic union, editors led with stories about silly EU laws/standards. Europe's blocking of G.E.'s takeover of Honeywell was greeted with howls of outrage, the introduction of the Euro was declared a "dismal failure" by Time magazine, and technology pages delighted in stories about European Mobile Operators financially disastrous splurge on 3G licenses. Shadenfreude became the new black.
This trend gathered momentum, and soon, openly hostile pieces were featured. As the tech boom ended, it became apparent that wireless / mobile data was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise gloomy marketscape. It was also, coincidently, one of the few areas where Europe had a real technological and market lead, with the success of the global GSM standard and a healthy industry supplying it. As their attention swung from the Internet towards mobile, this fact visibly maddened many US tech-market cheerleaders. The pace and fervour of the media attacks grew. I finally lost patience and cancelled my subscription to the online Wall Street Journal. Why should I pay good money to receive such anti-European vitriol? Now, with deep differences over Iraq and the role of the U.N., hostilities have reached fever pitch.
As one who has lived and worked extensively in the U.S., have many good friends there and a huge fondness for that country and it's people, it saddens me greatly that it's come to this. Funnily enough, I did witness a somewhat similar public mood in the U.S. while working there back in the early '80s. On that occasion, the bogeyman was Japan. Those crafty Japanese were going to steal all decent hard-working Americans' jobs and take over all of America's iconic companies and her most famous buildings. Indeed the CEO of the company I worked for took full-page ads in U.S. newspapers urging his fellow-Americans to fight back and protect American manufacturing jobs ... "otherwise we'll end up as a nation of burger-flippers" ran the ad. In fact it was the tsunami of Japanese investment that fuelled US economic growth more than any other factor for the following 2 decades.
During Clinton's reign, Mexico became the bogeyman as the NAFTA trade agreement was characterised as threatening the American economy. It didn't. NAFTA boosted the U.S. economy. Perhaps the longest running open sore has been the hostility of the US business media towards Airbus Industrie, and it's success at beating Boeing in the marketplace. As true champions of the free market, their not-unreasonable objection was to the direct public subventions Airbus enjoyed from European governments. "Unfair competition" they howled. But similar taxpayer funding for Boeing, McDonnell Douglas et al by way of defence contracts were conveniently ignored.
Sadly, any country or trading bloc even PERCEIVED to threaten America's economic supremacy will cop U.S. media and official hostility. Is there any hope that they'll eventually realise that trade requires trading partners and mutual respect? Grow up and share your toys with the other kids, guys! Being the schoolyard bully is a lonely destiny. Meantime, Europeans can rest assured that they're only the bogeyman-du-jour. Watch out for the emergence of America's next one ...... my money's on China.
Heads duck and plates smash against walls. Insults are hurled; accusations made and so-called diplomats behave petulantly. U.S./European relations deteriorate towards the 'irreconcilable differences' stage. How did things come to this?
This spat is not just about differences over Iraq. As with fighting couples, the real row is always about something else. As with geology, geopolitical continental drift happens gradually. Intercontinental comment, particularly in the U.S. media, gradually started turning sour in late 1999. This coincided with the end of the tech boom.
A trend emerged in such 'respected' organs as the Wall Street Journal, the Herald Tribune and the New York Times where front-page prominence was given to stories that would embarrass European companies or governments. As Europe progressed towards increasing political/economic union, editors led with stories about silly EU laws/standards. Europe's blocking of G.E.'s takeover of Honeywell was greeted with howls of outrage, the introduction of the Euro was declared a "dismal failure" by Time magazine, and technology pages delighted in stories about European Mobile Operators financially disastrous splurge on 3G licenses. Shadenfreude became the new black.
This trend gathered momentum, and soon, openly hostile pieces were featured. As the tech boom ended, it became apparent that wireless / mobile data was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise gloomy marketscape. It was also, coincidently, one of the few areas where Europe had a real technological and market lead, with the success of the global GSM standard and a healthy industry supplying it. As their attention swung from the Internet towards mobile, this fact visibly maddened many US tech-market cheerleaders. The pace and fervour of the media attacks grew. I finally lost patience and cancelled my subscription to the online Wall Street Journal. Why should I pay good money to receive such anti-European vitriol? Now, with deep differences over Iraq and the role of the U.N., hostilities have reached fever pitch.
As one who has lived and worked extensively in the U.S., have many good friends there and a huge fondness for that country and it's people, it saddens me greatly that it's come to this. Funnily enough, I did witness a somewhat similar public mood in the U.S. while working there back in the early '80s. On that occasion, the bogeyman was Japan. Those crafty Japanese were going to steal all decent hard-working Americans' jobs and take over all of America's iconic companies and her most famous buildings. Indeed the CEO of the company I worked for took full-page ads in U.S. newspapers urging his fellow-Americans to fight back and protect American manufacturing jobs ... "otherwise we'll end up as a nation of burger-flippers" ran the ad. In fact it was the tsunami of Japanese investment that fuelled US economic growth more than any other factor for the following 2 decades.
During Clinton's reign, Mexico became the bogeyman as the NAFTA trade agreement was characterised as threatening the American economy. It didn't. NAFTA boosted the U.S. economy. Perhaps the longest running open sore has been the hostility of the US business media towards Airbus Industrie, and it's success at beating Boeing in the marketplace. As true champions of the free market, their not-unreasonable objection was to the direct public subventions Airbus enjoyed from European governments. "Unfair competition" they howled. But similar taxpayer funding for Boeing, McDonnell Douglas et al by way of defence contracts were conveniently ignored.
Sadly, any country or trading bloc even PERCEIVED to threaten America's economic supremacy will cop U.S. media and official hostility. Is there any hope that they'll eventually realise that trade requires trading partners and mutual respect? Grow up and share your toys with the other kids, guys! Being the schoolyard bully is a lonely destiny. Meantime, Europeans can rest assured that they're only the bogeyman-du-jour. Watch out for the emergence of America's next one ...... my money's on China.
Dunphy plays out timed-honoured role
It's not often you'll see journalist Eamonn Dunphy mentioned along with Myles na gCopaleen, Samuel Johnson, W. B. Yeats, Conor Cruise O'Brien and Brendan Behan in the same article ..... but Englishman Geoffrey Wheatcroft manages it here
It's not often you'll see journalist Eamonn Dunphy mentioned along with Myles na gCopaleen, Samuel Johnson, W. B. Yeats, Conor Cruise O'Brien and Brendan Behan in the same article ..... but Englishman Geoffrey Wheatcroft manages it here
Atlantic Monthly breaks ranks ...
and carries a story entitled "Worldwide Tide of Anti-Bush Feeling - The president's black-and-white vision is regarded as dangerously simplistic". Link here
and carries a story entitled "Worldwide Tide of Anti-Bush Feeling - The president's black-and-white vision is regarded as dangerously simplistic". Link here
Bulldozer Diplomacy, Israeli style
Sadly, this story of how an American peace activist was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza city may not get much coverage in the U.S. right now.
Sadly, this story of how an American peace activist was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza city may not get much coverage in the U.S. right now.
Quote of the Day
"What we have here is a complete failure to communicate"
Cool Hand Luke [1967]
"What we have here is a complete failure to communicate"
Cool Hand Luke [1967]
March 18, 2003
War Inc.
American corporations with close ties to the White House are poised to cash in on Saddam's defeat. French companies need not apply. Story at Salon
American corporations with close ties to the White House are poised to cash in on Saddam's defeat. French companies need not apply. Story at Salon
Significant? You decide
The BBC received more than 1,000 complaints from viewers after a controversial film comparing Iraq with Israel was axed just minutes before it was due to air. Guardian story here
The BBC received more than 1,000 complaints from viewers after a controversial film comparing Iraq with Israel was axed just minutes before it was due to air. Guardian story here
March 14, 2003
HAD to bring this one to your attention....
Spotted this on Dave Barry's Blog. Actor Don Johnson (remember Miami Vice?) went shopping for a new car ... with $8 BILLION in his briefcase.
Spotted this on Dave Barry's Blog. Actor Don Johnson (remember Miami Vice?) went shopping for a new car ... with $8 BILLION in his briefcase.
St Patrick’s Weekend
Go Figure! takes off for the St.Patrick’s weekend, but that puts us in mind of what it means to be Irish. This was best summed up for this blogger by a frustrated German businessman some years ago at an International trade fair held in Germany. Having expressed his disgust that an Irish colleague failed to conduct business “auf deutsche”, he was assured that there was no problem.
“We both speak English, so we have a common language through which to conduct our business” he was told.
“But English is NOT my first language” our German friend protested.
“Neither is it mine” countered the Irishman, somewhat mischievously.
“My first language is Irish”
“But Irish is NOT a language!” protested the German, looking utterly baffled. Then countering, after a suitable pause “It’s more of a state of mind”
So, whoever you are, wherever you are, if you ARE of an appropriate state of mind – go ahead and drown the shamrock. Sure you’re as Irish as anyone.
Go Figure! takes off for the St.Patrick’s weekend, but that puts us in mind of what it means to be Irish. This was best summed up for this blogger by a frustrated German businessman some years ago at an International trade fair held in Germany. Having expressed his disgust that an Irish colleague failed to conduct business “auf deutsche”, he was assured that there was no problem.
“We both speak English, so we have a common language through which to conduct our business” he was told.
“But English is NOT my first language” our German friend protested.
“Neither is it mine” countered the Irishman, somewhat mischievously.
“My first language is Irish”
“But Irish is NOT a language!” protested the German, looking utterly baffled. Then countering, after a suitable pause “It’s more of a state of mind”
So, whoever you are, wherever you are, if you ARE of an appropriate state of mind – go ahead and drown the shamrock. Sure you’re as Irish as anyone.
Can anyone decipher this?
See if you can, as Politicos here love to say, “square the circle” from the following extracts from today’s Irish Times:
“The government is prepared to let the US land military aircraft at Shannon even if it invades Iraq without a United Nations mandate, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has indicated in Washington…
Mr Ahern said Ireland would not “engage or involve ourselves in” an invasion unless backed by a second UN resolution…
Acknowledging that a significant number of people opposed Shannon’s continued availability, Mr Ahern said the Government had not made a final decision and it would return the issue to the Dail for a final decision”
So, that’s perfectly clear then! All options covered – nothing ruled in or out (see Go Figure! posting of Feb 28, 2003)
Is there any chance that US inward direct investment in Ireland had rendered Bertie ‘a little bit pregnant’?
See if you can, as Politicos here love to say, “square the circle” from the following extracts from today’s Irish Times:
“The government is prepared to let the US land military aircraft at Shannon even if it invades Iraq without a United Nations mandate, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has indicated in Washington…
Mr Ahern said Ireland would not “engage or involve ourselves in” an invasion unless backed by a second UN resolution…
Acknowledging that a significant number of people opposed Shannon’s continued availability, Mr Ahern said the Government had not made a final decision and it would return the issue to the Dail for a final decision”
So, that’s perfectly clear then! All options covered – nothing ruled in or out (see Go Figure! posting of Feb 28, 2003)
Is there any chance that US inward direct investment in Ireland had rendered Bertie ‘a little bit pregnant’?
Quote of the Day
Michael Corleone: "My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator."
Kay Adams: "Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed!"
Michael Corleone: "Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?"
"The Godfather", 1972
Michael Corleone: "My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator."
Kay Adams: "Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed!"
Michael Corleone: "Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?"
"The Godfather", 1972
March 12, 2003
Quote of the Day
"This is an America I simply do not recognise. It has become a deeply disturbing country to live in"
Muscian Art Garfunkel, speaking today on RTE Radio in Dublin.
"This is an America I simply do not recognise. It has become a deeply disturbing country to live in"
Muscian Art Garfunkel, speaking today on RTE Radio in Dublin.
Deja Vu all over again?
During the recession-torn early '80s two economists, one Irish, one British, met at international conference. While comparing notes on the state of their respective economies, the British economist said the downturn in the UK was "serious, but not desperate". His Irish counterpart said matters in Ireland were, in fact, desperate ... "but not serious". It neatly captured a key aspect of the Irish outlook on life.
This week, as (unauthorised) war looms in Iraq, the UN, EU and NATO strain to breaking point, the Irish public health service stumbles towards virtual collapse, the Freedom of Information Act is about to be severely restricted and Europe's most draconian measures on data-retention are being introduced ..... where are Irish Government Ministers to be found ? At a horse racing festival in Cheltenham, England, or packing their bags for St.Patricks Day festivities in the 4 corners of the globe. Once again, to Irish eyes, the situation is "desperate, but not serious". Go Figure!
During the recession-torn early '80s two economists, one Irish, one British, met at international conference. While comparing notes on the state of their respective economies, the British economist said the downturn in the UK was "serious, but not desperate". His Irish counterpart said matters in Ireland were, in fact, desperate ... "but not serious". It neatly captured a key aspect of the Irish outlook on life.
This week, as (unauthorised) war looms in Iraq, the UN, EU and NATO strain to breaking point, the Irish public health service stumbles towards virtual collapse, the Freedom of Information Act is about to be severely restricted and Europe's most draconian measures on data-retention are being introduced ..... where are Irish Government Ministers to be found ? At a horse racing festival in Cheltenham, England, or packing their bags for St.Patricks Day festivities in the 4 corners of the globe. Once again, to Irish eyes, the situation is "desperate, but not serious". Go Figure!
Make him an offer he can't refuse
Actor James Gandolfini is emulating his alter-ego, Tony Soprano, by playing hardball with HBO in a pay dispute which is threatening the planned fifth series of "the Sopranos". Full story here.
Actor James Gandolfini is emulating his alter-ego, Tony Soprano, by playing hardball with HBO in a pay dispute which is threatening the planned fifth series of "the Sopranos". Full story here.
That'll teach those Frenchies!!!!
So ... they've actually done it (see Go Figure! post of Thurs 27th Feb). The moronic meanderings of a minor Florida county official have reaching the US Congress ... and guess what .... they've dumped the name "French Fries" in Congress !! What an inspired move. Truly these are great, wise and intelligent leaders .... what CAN you say?
Asked whether they ought to go even further, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said at a news conference that applying legislative sanctions to France was not necessary. "I don't think we have to retaliate against France. They've isolated themselves pretty well," he said. I wonder if Mister DeLay will be consistent ... and change his name? Full story here.
So ... they've actually done it (see Go Figure! post of Thurs 27th Feb). The moronic meanderings of a minor Florida county official have reaching the US Congress ... and guess what .... they've dumped the name "French Fries" in Congress !! What an inspired move. Truly these are great, wise and intelligent leaders .... what CAN you say?
Asked whether they ought to go even further, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said at a news conference that applying legislative sanctions to France was not necessary. "I don't think we have to retaliate against France. They've isolated themselves pretty well," he said. I wonder if Mister DeLay will be consistent ... and change his name? Full story here.
March 11, 2003
SMS revenues safe for now
Based on the following comment overheard among some schoolgirls on a DART train today, Mobile operators can rest easy ... as long as 12 year old girls have mobile phones. "Ooooh look ... I've got messages. I'm popular!"
Based on the following comment overheard among some schoolgirls on a DART train today, Mobile operators can rest easy ... as long as 12 year old girls have mobile phones. "Ooooh look ... I've got messages. I'm popular!"
Schumacher's $10m pay-cut
Perhaps the recession really has arrived when the world's highest paid "sportsman" is asked to take a $10m pay-cut. Poor old Michael Schumacher is now expected to get by on just $30m a year ... how WILL he manage? story here
Perhaps the recession really has arrived when the world's highest paid "sportsman" is asked to take a $10m pay-cut. Poor old Michael Schumacher is now expected to get by on just $30m a year ... how WILL he manage? story here
Got Broadband?
You will have if you have electricity and live in Hampshire or Stonehaven, Scotland.
Full story in the London Independent. Hello ESB ... want a new revenue stream?
You will have if you have electricity and live in Hampshire or Stonehaven, Scotland.
Full story in the London Independent. Hello ESB ... want a new revenue stream?
The Ultimate Garage Sale ?
ESTONIA has sold it's gene pool to a private firm from Redwood City, CA. The country's government and a Silicon Valley start-up called EGeen International are treating the Estonian gene pool as a commodity to be exploited for medical research and profit. So another piece of the Brave New World jigsaw puzzle slots into place.
Article at Salon
ESTONIA has sold it's gene pool to a private firm from Redwood City, CA. The country's government and a Silicon Valley start-up called EGeen International are treating the Estonian gene pool as a commodity to be exploited for medical research and profit. So another piece of the Brave New World jigsaw puzzle slots into place.
Article at Salon
March 07, 2003
Ready for the BIG RIP ?
Maybe if you're a surfer dude ... but do you want to hang around to see every living thing ripped apart? The latest Game Over scenario for the Universe has it ending in a so called "Big Rip". . "In the last moments, even atomic nuclei will be ripped apart," say experts.
Link to New Scientist story.
Maybe if you're a surfer dude ... but do you want to hang around to see every living thing ripped apart? The latest Game Over scenario for the Universe has it ending in a so called "Big Rip". . "In the last moments, even atomic nuclei will be ripped apart," say experts.
Link to New Scientist story.
Know a 'Diamond Geezer' who's recently passed away?
Do you want to commemorate him in an appropriate fashion?? How about turning his remains into actual diamonds !!
Do you want to commemorate him in an appropriate fashion?? How about turning his remains into actual diamonds !!
How Blogger could do more than improve Google's Web searches
"Why did Google buy Blogger? Ever since the news leaked a few weeks ago, the Web has been awash with speculation. So far, most theorizing has focused on the ways that Blogger could enhance Google's ability to search for Web pages. But the Blogger acquisition could open up an entirely new service for Google. Instead of just helping you find new things, Google could help you keep track of what you've already found. Right now Google is a kind of information detective, and a brilliant one at that. But it could be something more: an extension of your memory." article on Slate.com by by Steven Johnson
"Why did Google buy Blogger? Ever since the news leaked a few weeks ago, the Web has been awash with speculation. So far, most theorizing has focused on the ways that Blogger could enhance Google's ability to search for Web pages. But the Blogger acquisition could open up an entirely new service for Google. Instead of just helping you find new things, Google could help you keep track of what you've already found. Right now Google is a kind of information detective, and a brilliant one at that. But it could be something more: an extension of your memory." article on Slate.com by by Steven Johnson
Bush to buy voter support for war on Iraq ?
WASHINGTON, DC—Amid growing anti-war protests and polls indicating eroding public support for an invasion of Iraq, President Bush is offering U.S. taxpayers a rebate in the amount of $300 if they go to war, according to The Onion
"Things have been pretty tight lately, so this sure would come in handy," said Ray Kilty, 48, an Akron, OH, screen-door-factory worker. "I don't know much about what's going on with Iraq, but I do know what's going on with my truck. The brakes are set to go any day now."
WASHINGTON, DC—Amid growing anti-war protests and polls indicating eroding public support for an invasion of Iraq, President Bush is offering U.S. taxpayers a rebate in the amount of $300 if they go to war, according to The Onion
"Things have been pretty tight lately, so this sure would come in handy," said Ray Kilty, 48, an Akron, OH, screen-door-factory worker. "I don't know much about what's going on with Iraq, but I do know what's going on with my truck. The brakes are set to go any day now."
Quote of the Day
"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer."
- Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer."
- Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
March 05, 2003
To Yawn .. or not ?
As the bought-and-paid-for mass media keep reminding us, Formula 1 is back on our screens this weekend. Feeling underwhelmed ? Once/twice bitten, three times shy? Fed up watching sham races proceed towards their predictable outcome ? Well they've shook the board hard and tried to rearrange the pieces to improve The Show. It CAN ONLY get better !
Well the good news is that THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE. There is a World Drivers Championship already underway - after three rounds, we've had three different winners. The championship leader has yet to win a round. They compete on REAL roads in REAL cars against REAL obstacles ... on snow, gravel, rocks and tarmac. They are seriously talented drivers, and the SHOW needs little to improve it .... except maybe more media coverage.
It's .... the World Rally Championship
As the bought-and-paid-for mass media keep reminding us, Formula 1 is back on our screens this weekend. Feeling underwhelmed ? Once/twice bitten, three times shy? Fed up watching sham races proceed towards their predictable outcome ? Well they've shook the board hard and tried to rearrange the pieces to improve The Show. It CAN ONLY get better !
Well the good news is that THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE. There is a World Drivers Championship already underway - after three rounds, we've had three different winners. The championship leader has yet to win a round. They compete on REAL roads in REAL cars against REAL obstacles ... on snow, gravel, rocks and tarmac. They are seriously talented drivers, and the SHOW needs little to improve it .... except maybe more media coverage.
It's .... the World Rally Championship
PEACE now illegal
Heres' a good indication of how bizarre the athmosphere in the U.S. has become. According to Reuters, a lawyer was arrested late on Monday and charged with trespassing at a public mall in the state of New York after refusing to take off a T-shirt advocating peace.
link: ABC News story
Heres' a good indication of how bizarre the athmosphere in the U.S. has become. According to Reuters, a lawyer was arrested late on Monday and charged with trespassing at a public mall in the state of New York after refusing to take off a T-shirt advocating peace.
link: ABC News story
But can he think of a just reward for Spammers?
If you haven't sampled Dave Barry's Blog, go check it out. Here's a sample:
I have a dream that a guy who designs popup ads is having a major colonoscopy, and the proctologist is saying, "It's the darnedest thing! Every time I snip a polyp, two more spring up in its place!"
If you haven't sampled Dave Barry's Blog, go check it out. Here's a sample:
I have a dream that a guy who designs popup ads is having a major colonoscopy, and the proctologist is saying, "It's the darnedest thing! Every time I snip a polyp, two more spring up in its place!"
March 04, 2003
Shark boosts exports
Australia's trade balance was boosted in January by golfer Greg Norman's new yacht purchase. Exports included $70 million from The Shark's purchase of the 69.5-metre Aussie Rules, which counts as an export because he lives in the United States.
Built in Perth, the yacht has seven auxiliary boats, two hyperbaric chambers, an observation lounge, a $1 million home theatre, a gym, a tackle room containing 200 fishing rods, several jet skis and an outdoor spa. Let's see if Eddie Irvine can beat that!
Sydney Morning Herald article
Australia's trade balance was boosted in January by golfer Greg Norman's new yacht purchase. Exports included $70 million from The Shark's purchase of the 69.5-metre Aussie Rules, which counts as an export because he lives in the United States.
Built in Perth, the yacht has seven auxiliary boats, two hyperbaric chambers, an observation lounge, a $1 million home theatre, a gym, a tackle room containing 200 fishing rods, several jet skis and an outdoor spa. Let's see if Eddie Irvine can beat that!
Sydney Morning Herald article
The life of O'Leary
Reaction to the news that RyanAir boss Michael O'Leary commutes in bus lanes by virtue of having bought a Taxi plate gives an interesting insight into Irish attitudes. The "fair play to ya / wish I'd thought of it / had the money to do it" camp reflect the age-old Irish distrust of all forms of authority. But the "It's disgraceful / whadabout the wurkin' man / he's a fat cat" brigade represent the second great strand of Irish consciousness - the Begrudgers.
So what happens if you're a Begrudger who Hates Authority ?? What to do ? It's been hilarious to hear various trade unionists/wurkin' men struggle for words while impaled on the horns of this particular dilemma.
Just for good measure, a third canon of Irish life was also thrown up by this affair - the automatic acceptance that legislators & civil servants will be incompetent no matter what. The hand wringing by residents of the high moral ground (eg. the Labour party's Roisin Shortall) has been directed, predictably, at O'Leary and his ilk for not acting "in the spirit of the law". No one questions the ineptitude of a legislature / administration which drafted a law with a loophole big enough for an S-class Mercedes to waft through. Don't hold your breath waiting .....
Reaction to the news that RyanAir boss Michael O'Leary commutes in bus lanes by virtue of having bought a Taxi plate gives an interesting insight into Irish attitudes. The "fair play to ya / wish I'd thought of it / had the money to do it" camp reflect the age-old Irish distrust of all forms of authority. But the "It's disgraceful / whadabout the wurkin' man / he's a fat cat" brigade represent the second great strand of Irish consciousness - the Begrudgers.
So what happens if you're a Begrudger who Hates Authority ?? What to do ? It's been hilarious to hear various trade unionists/wurkin' men struggle for words while impaled on the horns of this particular dilemma.
Just for good measure, a third canon of Irish life was also thrown up by this affair - the automatic acceptance that legislators & civil servants will be incompetent no matter what. The hand wringing by residents of the high moral ground (eg. the Labour party's Roisin Shortall) has been directed, predictably, at O'Leary and his ilk for not acting "in the spirit of the law". No one questions the ineptitude of a legislature / administration which drafted a law with a loophole big enough for an S-class Mercedes to waft through. Don't hold your breath waiting .....
March 03, 2003
