No end to Iraq 'torture and deaths' 31 Aug 2009 More than 1,000 prisoners in Iraq are facing the death penalty, Amnesty International said. The human rights organisation called for an "immediate moratorium" on all executions and said hundreds of people were still facing "a grisly death at the end of a rope". Amnesty said the Iraqi government had widened both the scope and application of the death penalty since it was restored [by the US-installed dictatorship] in August 2004, and the punishment could now be used for "a wide range of offences", from murder to the membership and support of armed groups.
West faces losing battle over Afghan poll fraud 01 Sep 2009 Widespread and systematic fraud during the Afghan presidential elections has tarnished the legitimacy of any future government and undermined the Nato campaign there, Western and Afghan officials have admitted. Two more British soldiers were killed yesterday and the commander of the Nato forces in Afghanistan warned President Obama that the eight-year war was in a "serious" state and that big changes were needed if victory was to be achieved.
Groundwork Is Laid for New Troops in Afghanistan --Revised strategy by McChrystal would invest US more extensively in Afghanistan than it has since American forces helped topple Taliban government following attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 01 Sep 2009 A new report by the top commander in Afghanistan detailing the deteriorating situation there confronts President Obama with the politically perilous decision of whether to deepen American involvement in the eight-year-old war amid shrinking public support at home. The classified assessment submitted Monday by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who took over American and NATO forces in Afghanistan in June, did not request additional American troops, American officials said, but they added that it effectively lay the groundwork for such a request in coming weeks.
Two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan 31 Aug 2009 Two more British soldiers have died in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said today, bringing the total number of deaths of UK personnel since operations began in 2001 to 210. The soldiers from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed in an explosion while on foot patrol north of Lashkar Gah district, southern Helmand, this morning.
US officials cancel contract to profile reporters 31 Aug 2009 U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan have terminated a contract with a public affairs propaganda company that was producing background profiles of reporters covering a war that's becoming increasingly unpopular with the American public. The work being done by The Rendon Group had become a "distraction to our main mission here," Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, director of communications for U.S. Forces Afghanistan, said Monday in an e-mailed statement. [What, exactly, *is* the 'mission' in Afghanistan?]
US Hummers Enter Pakistan, Undercover American Soldiers In Islamabad By Ahmed Quraishi 01 Sep 2009 Undercover armed Americans are swarming the Pakistani capital in the latest sign that the elected government has allowed Washington to dispatch what is believed to be a large number of American special operations agents and contractual security guards, including the infamous Blackwater private militia... The latest evidence of the growing American military presence in the Pakistani capital is the arrest of four Americans carrying automatic weapons in a part of the Pakistani capital that foreigners seldom visit. The four were arrested in Sector G-9 of Islamabad in the evening of Saturday, Aug. 29.
Nato tankers blown up in Pakistan 31 Aug 2009 Suspected militants have blown up more than 20 vehicles carrying Nato supplies from Pakistan's Karachi port to Kandahar in Afghanistan, police said. Two people have been injured in the attack, they said. No one has claimed responsibility for the [Xe?] attack.
Blackwater Tapped Foreigners on Secret CIA Program --Nearly a dozen Blackwater 'surrogates' were recruited to join the Blackwater-CIA death squad program. 30 Aug 2009 When the CIA revived a plan to kill or capture terrorists in 2004, the agency turned to the well-connected security company mercenaries then known as Blackwater USA... The former senior CIA official said that close to a dozen Blackwater "surrogates" were recruited to join the death squad program. The recruits, the former official said, were not told they were working for the CIA. The program reportedly cost millions of dollars over an eight-year span.
'The detainee is 'in the complete control of Americans.'' New CIA Docs Detail Brutal "Extraordinary Rendition" Process By Scott Horton 28 Aug 2009 Deep among the documents released to the ACLU on Monday afternoon was a curious memo dated 30 December 2004 and directed to Dan Levin, then acting head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel... The name of the sender, based at the CIA, has been obliterated. The document provides a step-by-step manual for extraordinary renditions. The process starts with "capture shock..." During the flight, the detainee is securely shackled, and is deprived of sight and sound through the use of blindfolds, earmuffs and hoods. The detainee is "in the complete control of Americans." ...A medical officer and a psychologist play key roles in the process (though their professional ethics rules would prohibit such conduct.) All of these practices are carefully engineered to facilitate the interrogation process.
The Secret History of Hurricane Katrina By James Ridgeway 28 Aug 2009 The Blackwater operators described their mission in New Orleans as "securing neighborhoods," as if they were talking about Sadr City. When National Guard troops descended on the city, the Army Times described their role as fighting "the insurgency in the city." Brigadier Gen. Gary Jones, who commanded the Louisiana National Guard's Joint Task Force, told the paper, "This place is going to look like Little Somalia. We're going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control." ...And while the government couldn't seem to keep people from dying on rooftops or abandoned highways, it wasted no time building a temporary jail in New Orleans.
NORAD to assist security efforts at Vancouver Olympics 21 Aug 2009 In hopes of preventing terrorist attacks, 2010 Olympic organizers will deploy 8,000 security personnel, spend as much as $1 billion in Canadian government funds and elicit help from the North American Aerospace Defense Command. NORAD leaders are finalizing plans with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to provide fighter jets and radar support in Vancouver, where 5,500 athletes from 80-plus countries will converge in February.
Over 400 immigrant kids in UK detention 31 Aug 2009 Britain is once again under fire for abusing children by locking up hundreds of minors in immigration detention centers. According to a Home Office report, 470 children --mostly under the age of 5 --were held unnecessarily in detention facilities along with their families in the first half of 2009.
500 groups urge Obama to halt immigration police program 31 Aug 2009 A coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to President Obama last week demanding that the administration end a program that allows local police to enforce federal immigration law. The program, known as 287(g), deputizes police to turn over suspects or criminals to immigration authorities for possible deportation. Immigrant rights groups said the program has led to civil rights violations and racial profiling.
White House to Brief Obama on H1N1 Flu 31 Aug 2009 The White House is expected to hold a special briefing for President Barack Obama Tuesday on U.S. government preparations to combat H1N1 swine flu, a senior administration official confirmed.
Colombia president Uribe infected with swine flu 31 Aug 2009 Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has contracted swine flu during a summit of Latin American leaders, a Colombian minister says. Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio said on Sunday that the 57-year-old leader began showing symptoms of the A(H1N1) virus on Friday, upon returning from a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina.
New flu hit estimated 10 percent of New Yorkers 30 Aug 2009 The new H1N1 swine flu is estimated to have infected about 800,000 people in New York City in the spring, a top U.S. health official said on Sunday, citing a study due to be released later this week.
Flu shot or get fired --About 25,000 Capital Region hospital workers 'need' the state-mandated shield, and the area's top sites say comply or quit 29 Aug 2009 (Albany, NY) Workers at Capital Region hospitals are going to have to get a flu shot this year or face losing their jobs. The hospital, which will pay for the vaccine, is insisting that almost all of its 7,000 employees get the shots, even those who work at off-site buildings such as the finance center in Delmar.
Hartsfield clinic to add kiosks for flu shots 30 Aug 2009 The medical clinic at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport plans to open seven kiosks offering seasonal flu shots starting Sept. 15. The clinic dispensed about 10,000 flu shots last year, and the company that runs it is expanding the service this year because it expects heavier demand, said Rosemary Kelly, chief marketing officer of the AeroClinic.
Missouri veteran injured by vaccine ineligible for benefit 30 Aug 2009 It wasn’t a bullet or roadside bomb that felled Lance Cpl. Josef Lopez three years ago, after just nine days in Iraq. It was an injection into his arm before his Marine Corps unit left the United States. It left Lopez in a coma, paralyzed and unable for a time to breathe on his own. He can walk now, but with a limp... Yet the Springfield, Mo., man does not qualify for a special GI benefit of up to $100,000 for troops who suffer traumatic injuries.
U.S. Meetings With Lobbyists Go Unreported 31 Aug 2009 Since the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February, federal agencies have reported 197 contacts with lobbyists about stimulus grants. In August, the entire government reported only eight such lobbying contacts. The Pentagon, which controls about $7.4 billion in stimulus spending, reported just one lobbying contact so far this year. The Homeland Security Department, with at least $3 billion to spend, reported none.
Massachusetts governor backs naming Kennedy successor 31 Aug 2009 Democrats pushed Monday to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward Kennedy, with the Massachusetts governor throwing his support behind a proposal to name an interim successor and help Democrats retain a critical margin in the chamber. Massachusetts lawmakers said they would hold a public hearing on September 9 to discuss changing state law so the Democratic governor could make a temporary appointment to the Senate.
'Polar bears are facing so many threats right now - from global warming to poaching, trophy hunting and commercial trade - that scientists say they could vanish from the United States by the middle of the century.' Wildlife Groups Seek Halt to Polar Bear Trade 31 Aug 2009 The International Fund for Animal Welfare, Humane Society International, and Defenders of Wildlife have urged the United States to lead the way to end international commercial trade in polar bears, including hides, trophies, rugs and other polar bear parts. The United States has an opportunity to submit a proposal to stop the trade at next year's meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The meeting is set for 13-25 March in Doha, Qatar.
California wildfire more than doubles on sixth day 31 Aug 2009 A massive wildfire roaring through mountains north of Los Angeles forced some firefighters to retreat on Monday as it menaced foothill homes and Mount Wilson, a broadcasting hub and site of an historic observatory. The so-called Station Fire more than doubled in size as it burned out of control for a sixth day, charring 105,000 acres (42,500 hectares), up from 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) late on Sunday, and sending up towering plumes of smoke that fouled the air for miles (km) around.
Satire: GOP Town Hall Handbook Revealed --Excerpts from the book entitled "Taking My Country Back from Those People" By R J Shulman 31 Aug 2009 Chapter One: Fail to the Chief - As you know, job one for the true patriot is to do whatever is necessary to make Barack Obama fail. Whatever he is in favor of you know is just his sick subversive plan to take away your guns, have illegal aliens take over your house, and grant abortions on demand to legally married gays. (You will notice we don't call him 'President' because as you all know, he imported dozens of thugs from Kenya where he was born a Muslim, to rig the last election which he stole from our real president, Sarah Palin.) ...Ignore all the America-hating liberals who tell lies that there is anything wrong with our health care system. Remember, if you don't have health care or your health insurance plan has just said they won't pay for your illness, it's only because you haven't been praying enough. (Satire)
Previous lead stories: 'I'll Reveal True Identity of Bomber' --Sources close to Megrahi believe he may actually have been a double agent working for the FBI or the CIA. 23 Aug 2009 An American citizen is to be named by the Lockerbie bomber as the man who really carried out the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103. Lawyers for the bomber were to argue that an "elusive" terrorist codenamed Abu Elias planted the bomb in December 1988, causing the deaths of 270 innocent people. Megrahi is now expected to identify the man behind this alias. The Scottish Sunday Express tracked this man down to his home in the US, and he strongly denied having anything to do with the atrocity. However, we can reveal that he has connections to at least two international terrorists and a Palestinian terror group, as well as links to the US intelligence services. The man, who works as a schools engineer for the US government, was to become the central figure in Megrahi’s aborted appeal. [What's interesting about all of this is that if it's proven that a CIA agent carried out oh-but-another terrorist attack, the US media will stop referring to him as a terrorist and start referring to him as an 'activist,' 'militant' or 'rebel,' just like they do with abortion clinic bombers and Luis Posada Carriles. Carriles, another CIA-backed terrorist, is wanted in Venezuela for the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed all 73 people on board. They're busy little bees at the CIA. When they're not drilling or waterboarding people, they're blowing up airplanes. --LRP]
Cheney says cooperation with CIA probe "will depend" [OMG --just arrest his a*s!] McCain concerned about effect on 'CIA morale' [Yes, we wouldn't want to keep a good waterboarder down.] 30 Aug 2009 Former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney said he might refuse to speak with a prosecutor investigating suspected CIA prisoner abuses, a probe he branded as political and bad for national security. Cheney has been one of the fiercest critics of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's decision last week to name a new special prosecutor to look deeper into harsh interrogations torture of captured terrorism suspects during the Bush regime. The cases under investigation include a mock execution, use of a power drill to scare a prisoner and the waterboarding of accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 times.
