Iran: US feeding forged intelligence to U.N. nuclear watchdog 05 Sep 2009 A senior Iranian official has accused the United States of feeding "forged" intelligence to the U.N. nuclear watchdog that says Iran had studied ways to make atomic bombs... Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh told the IAEA in a letter seen by Reuters that the agency had not provided genuine documents on the alleged studies and the matter was "closed." "The government of the United States has not handed over original documents to the agency since it does not in fact have any authenticated document and all it has are forged documents," Soltanieh wrote in a letter to IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.
Chalabi aide: I went from White House to secret U.S. prisoner 'His bizarre tale appears to be another example of how the Bush administration turned to Shiite Iraqi exiles, including Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, for intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism, most of which turned out to be false or exaggerated, then later accused them of collaborating with Iran against the U.S. presence.' 04 Sep 2009 U.S. authorities detained a top aide to former Iraqi exile leader and Bush administration ally Ahmad Chalabi last year and accused him of helping Iranian-backed militants kidnap and kill American and British soldiers and contractors. The aide, Ali Feisal al Lami, said he was quizzed about Iranian agents, senior Shiite Muslim politicians and deadly bombings. Then, Lami said, he asked his American interrogator: Have you ever been to the White House? "He said, 'No,' " Lami told McClatchy. "I told him, 'Well, I have.' "
Outrageous Behavior: Bogus Bluster From Bigwigs Hides Lockerbie Truth By Chris Floyd 05 Sep 2009 As soon as he [Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi] was freed, we heard howls of outrage from Washington: how could such a heinous killer be allowed to walk free? ...You can bet that every single official trumpeting their moral outrage at al-Megrahi's release knew the truth of the matter: he was not released because he was dying, but because the slow-turning wheels of his appeals process was about to force the release of hundreds of pages of damning documents that would confirm, yet again, that he had been, as the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission put it, the victim of a "miscarriage of justice" -- a frame job by the US and UK governments which has been covered up, in admirable bipartisan fashion, for years.
Islamabad: No Blackwater in Pakistan 05 Sep 2009 Islamabad has rejected reports that the US Blackwater security contractor, which has gained ill-fame in Iraq, has now expanded its activities to Pakistan. "Blackwater is not operating in Pakistan, we have our own system, rules and regulations and will not allow any body to operate from here," Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Friday, Press TV's correspondent reported from Islamabad. Malik's comments came after sources from among the Pakistani intelligence agencies, citizens and political parties reported that Blackwater USA was present in the country.
Nato fireball in Afghanistan burns 90 people alive --Nato officials have conceded [after their initial lie] a large number of those killed were civilians 04 Sep 2009 A Nato air strike in Afghanistan has killed dozens of people. Nato officials have conceded a large number of those killed were civilians. As at Saturday the death toll was at least 90. President Hamid Karzai has set up a panel to investigate the attack, saying the targeting of civilians is unacceptable to Afghanistan.
Consumed by fireball, the Afghan village devastated by Nato strike 04 Sep 2009 The two fuel tankers would have looked out of place, stuck by a river bank outside a small Afghan village. Local people came out to take a look and help carry makeshift containers with siphoned fuel inside from the stricken vehicles. That is when the Nato missiles struck, wiping out much of the village of Omar Kheil.
Gates Assails News Agency for Publishing Photo of Marine Killed in Afghanistan 05 Sep 2009 A furious Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has upbraided The Associated Press for its decision to go against the wishes of a young Marine’s family and publish a photograph of him taken after he was mortally wounded in Afghanistan. In a scathing letter to Tom Curley, president and chief executive of The A.P., Mr. Gates said that the news agency’s decision was "appalling" and that the issue was one not of constitutionality but of "judgment and common decency." The A.P. defended the decision, which editors said they made only after careful review and sharing the pictures with the family. In an explanation of its deliberations, The A.P. said it decided "to make public an image that conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it."
AP photo of dying Marine draws fire from Pentagon 04 Sep 2009 Defense Secretary Robert Gates has condemned the Associated Press decision to release a photograph of a US Marine wounded during a battle in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. The Marine, Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush on Aug. 14. He later died of his wounds. The caption, titled "Afghanistan Death of a Marine," identifies the location as the village of Dahaneh.
Brown rocked as aide quits over war --Former army officer resigns from Government with savage attack on conduct of conflict in Afghanistan 04 Sep 2009 The British Government's strategy in Afghanistan was thrown into crisis last night after the Defence Secretary's right-hand man resigned in protest about the handling of the war. Eric Joyce, a former major in the Black Watch, announced that he was standing down as the parliamentary private secretary to Bob Ainsworth... Mr Joyce, who had been regarded as an ultra-loyalist Labour MP, said he could no longer justify the growing death toll in Afghanistan by arguing that the war would prevent terrorism in Britain.
Naked mercenary pool parties we can believe in: Naked Pool Parties, Alleged Sex Acts at Kabul U.S. Embassy Force Out 10 Guards --POGO: Contractor forced out suspected whistleblower 04 Sep 2009 Following the release of shocking photos showing barely clothed and naked private security guards mercenaries at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul engaging in lewd hazing, eight guards have been fired and two others resigned, the Embassy said today. An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General has begun and senior management of ArmorGroup, which has a contract with the State Department to provide security at the Kabul embassy, is "being replaced immediately," the Embassy also said. A guard who spoke with ABC News this week on the condition of anonymity said the drunken parties had been held regularly for at least a year and a half and that guards were pressured to participate, as well as perform sex acts, in order to gain promotions or assignment to preferable shifts. The guard, a U.S. military veteran, said top supervisors at Armor Group were not only aware of the "deviant sexual acts" but helped to organize them.
Reliving the Past By Bob Herbert 05 Sep 2009 The president should listen to Joe Biden. Mr. Biden has been a voice of reason, warning the administration of the dangers of increasing our military involvement in Afghanistan. President Obama has not been inclined to heed his advice, which is worse than a shame. It’s tragic. Watching the American escalation of the war in Afghanistan is like watching helplessly as someone you love climbs into a car while intoxicated and drives off toward a busy highway. No good can come of it. The war, hopelessly botched by the Bush crowd, has now lasted nearly eight long years, longer than our involvement in World Wars I and II combined... We're fighting on behalf of an incompetent and hopelessly corrupt government in Afghanistan. [Yeah, but KBR, Fluor, ArmorGroup, Blackwater/Xe, and DynCorp are getting their Obusha b***jobs -- that's why we're there and why we'll remain there. That's change we can deceive in. --LRP]
CIA asks Justice to probe leaks of secrets 04 Sep 2009 The CIA has asked the Justice Department to examine what it regards as the criminal disclosure of a secret program to kill foreign terrorist leaders abroad assassinate people, The Washington Times has learned. Two U.S. intelligence officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because of the sensitivity of the case, said the leak investigation involved a program that CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told Congress about in June and that surfaced in news reports just a month later.
C.I.A. Resists Disclosure of Records on Detention 02 Sep 2009 The Central Intelligence Agency is refusing to make public hundreds of pages of internal documents about the agency's defunct detention and interrogation program, saying such disclosures would jeopardize national security by revealing classified intelligence sources and operations. The C.I.A.’s argument to withhold the material, laid out Monday in a declaration to a federal court in New York, comes a week after the Obama administration declassified documents about abuses in the C.I.A.’s secret overseas prisons and the Justice Department began investigating the actions of C.I.A. operatives.
We're birds of a feather, bees of a sting
Listen to the words that the stylo bring
'Cause we're living in the shadows of yesterday
And nobody can make that fade away
You can't make it fade away
--Stereo MC's
Proposed bill would allow state authorities to forcefully quarantine people during pandemic 04 Sep 2009 (MA) A new proposed bill designed to combat the threat of the H1N1 virus would allow the state to forcefully quarantine people in the event of a pandemic. Anyone who refuses to comply with the quarantine order could face jail time or a $1000 per day fine. The "Pandemic Response Bill" would also force health providers to vaccinate people, authorize forcible entry into private homes, and impose fines or prison sentences on anyone not complying with isolation or quarantine orders.
Mass Vaccination Hubs Are Part of D.C. Swine Flu Plan 05 Sep 2009 District officials said Friday that they are working to set up mass vaccination centers, potentially at city recreation centers, as part of a broad push to minimize the number of people sickened by swine flu this fall and beyond. A network of doctor offices, schools, clinics and hospitals is also being put together for the vaccinations. The city will update its flu Web site with case counts and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it is preparing radio and TV spots.
Some 2,000 reported sick with swine flu at WSU 05 Sep 2009 Swine flu has sickened some 2,000 people in and around Washington State University in Pullman following an outbreak that apparently started almost as soon as the university reopened for the fall term. The vast majority suffered mild illnesses.
'The exercise will last three days with Soldiers and Fort Lee Police going over all aspects of protecting of the military installation, whether its protesters or terrorists.' Fort Lee Soldiers and Police Stage Anti-terror Drill With Mock Protesters 01 Sep 2009 (NJ) Some of the soldiers meeting today's tough military standards put their skills to the test this morning at Fort Lee. It's part of a three day long anti-terrorism drill. The Army post staged a fake protest to show how well soldiers and Fort Lee Police are equipped handle the situation. Fort Lee Chief of Police Joe Metzger says in times of emergency's everyone has to work together "We forget one's wearing blue, one's wearing a uniform. We all come together for the same cause." Private Tiffany Saunders was another solider who participated. "I learned over here we also have missions back in the U-S to protect our families and friends and this is a part of doing so."
Tennessee cops shoot 59 rounds to kill one man --Killer cops have since returned to work. 19 Aug 2009 Alonzo Heyward carried a rifle around his low-rent Chattanooga neighborhood one day last month, ranting about suicide and ignoring the pleas of friends for hours before six city police officers surrounded him on his front porch and decided it had to end. Police, who tried unsuccessfully to disarm Heyward, fired 59 rounds to kill him on July 18... As questions continue to surround the shooting, Heyward's family and civil rights leaders take issue with the police response. Heyward, a moving company employee, was black. The six officers are white. They were temporarily placed on administrative leave but have since returned to work
Bush's attorney general might face trial 05 Sep 2009 A US court has paved the way for the indictment of former President [sic] George W. Bush's Attorney General, John Ashcroft, over his 'wrongful' judgments. The three-member legal panel of the 9th federal Circuit Court of Appeals issued a statement on Friday, which holds the former Attorney General liable for the illegal detention of suspects captured in the wake of the September 11 incident in which a number of US government and financial centers came under attack.
Court Says 9/11 Witnesses Can Sue Ashcroft --Material witness laws used detain former student for two weeks 04 Sep 2009 A federal appeals court has ruled that former Attorney General John Ashcroft may be held liable for people who were wrongfully detained as material witnesses after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In a harshly worded ruling handed down Friday, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals called the government's use of material witnesses after Sept. 11 "repugnant to the Constitution and a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history." The court found that [U.S. citizen] Abdullah Al-Kidd who was detained as a witness in a federal terrorism case can sue Ashcroft for allegedly violating his constitutional rights.
Conservatives call for Obama boycott 04 Sep 2009 N.C. Republican Party chairman Tom Fetzer is blasting the White House for a speech President Obama is scheduled to make to school students across the country on Tuesday. The President's address will be shown live on the White House Web site and on C-SPAN at noon EDT, a time when classrooms across the country will be able to tune in. While Fetzer did not call for parents to keep their kids home from school, some conservatives racists, driven by radio pundits and bloggers, are urging schools and parents to boycott the address.
Job Losses in U.S. Slow as Unemployment Climbs to 26-Year High 05 Sep 2009 The U.S. economy lost fewer jobs in August as unemployment climbed to a 26-year high, indicating the recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s will be slow to gain speed. Companies cut payrolls by 216,000 workers, less than forecast, after a 276,000 drop in July, Labor Department data showed yesterday in Washington. The jobless rate rose to 9.7 percent, higher than anticipated, from 9.4 percent.
Pictured: Haunting face crying a river of tears as glacier melts into the sea 03 Sep 2009 At first glimpse it looks like any other glacier you might find in the freezing Arctic wastes of Norway. But on closer inspection an eerie face is depicted in the melting ice wall that appears to be crying a river of tears. The forlorn-looking 'Mother Nature' figure appeared to locals during a thaw, with the melting ice and snow falling towards the sea below. [A must-see]
Help Stop the International Polar Bear Trade 03 Sep 2009 In some countries, collectors can still buy polar bear skin rugs, claws, skulls and other parts of these animals -- even as these beloved bears struggle for survival in a warming world. The U.S. can strengthen protections for polar bears under international law by proposing to restrict trade in polar bear products -- a move that could save the lives of hundreds of polar bears each year. But officials need to hear from you. Take action now -- Urge the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to propose an international ban on the trade of polar bear products. Please take action today -- the deadline for comments is Friday, 11 September.
Previous lead stories: US probes USAID funds in Afghanistan --US funding contractors who pay Taliban 03 Sep 2009 The State Department said Thursday that an investigation has begun into whether U.S. development funding for Afghanistan is being diverted to local warlords and extremists following allegations that road and bridge contractors were paying "protection" money to the Taliban. Spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. Agency for International Development is looking into reports that some funds may be going to the Taliban and others as part of a larger probe into other diversions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in Afghanistan.
Gates Open to Troop Increase --Meanwhile, Army Will Extend Tours In Afghanistan 04 Sep 2009 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates indicated Thursday that he is open to increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, voicing a shift in his position as the administration ponders a military assessment expected to lead to a formal request for additional forces. Gates, in a briefing at the Pentagon, also defended the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, rebutting suggestions that it is time to pull out. His remarks came just hours before the Army announced that it will extend the tours of about 3,000 soldiers in Afghanistan for between two weeks and two months amid an intensifying Taliban 'insurgency.'
Obama to spend another $2.7 bln to fight H1N1 02 Sep 2009 The Obama administration will spend an additional $2.7 billion to buy swine flu drugs and vaccines, just days after White House science advisers called the pandemic "a serious threat to our nation." The money is on top of $1.8 billion the administration earmarked in July for tackling the virus. Obama said the $2.7 billion would go toward buying new vaccines, antiviral drugs and preparing for a vaccination [propaganda] campaign.
