Earths.net

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-12-07.asp

"We Cover the Earth For You"

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MAY BE SACRIFICED FOR HOMELAND SECURITY

WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2002 (ENS) - The Bush administration's proposed new Department of Homeland Security could cause a variety of harmful environmental side effects, ranging from increases in invasive species to restricting the types of information available to the public. Conservation groups warned this week that the drive to boost the nation's security could overrun efforts to protect the nation's natural resources.

COLORADO HAZWASTE DUMPING BRINGS RECORD SENTENCE

DENVER, Colorado, July 12, 2002 (ENS) - A California business man has been handed the longest jail sentence in Colorado history for an environmental crime. Hormoz Pourat was sentenced to spend 17 years in jail and pay a $100,000 fine for violating Colorado's Organized Crime Control Act by illegally disposing of hazardous wastes from a dry cleaning business.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-12-06.asp

U.S., AUSTRALIA CLIMATE PLAN CUTS NO EMISSIONS

WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2002 (ENS) - The governments of the United States and Australia have announced an initial work program under the U.S.-Australia Climate Action Partnership. This bilateral agreement announced in February takes the place of the Kyoto climate protocol, an international treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions that neither country will ratify.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-12-02.asp

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 12, 2002

ENERGY TASK FORCE LAWSUITS TO PROCEED

ARIZONA PLANTS TREES, SAVES WILDLIFE AFTER FIRE

AGENCY ASKED TO PROTECT WHITE-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS

WORLD TRADE CENTER DEBRIS SCREENING CLOSES

CONGRESS HEARS TESTIMONY ON BUSHMEAT HUNTING

EAGLE SHOOTERS FINED IN TEXAS

VIRGINIA RESEARCHERS EXPLORE CORRODING PIPES

BRUSH-TAILED POSSUM BANNED FROM U.S.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-12-09.asp

7/15/02
1:36:00 PM

A Look At The Powerful Jewish Lobby In America

by Mark Weber, July 12, 2002

"It makes no sense at all to try to deny the reality of Jewish power and prominence in popular culture." -- Michael Medved, well-known Jewish author and respected film critic.

For decades Israel has violated well established precepts of international law and defied numerous United Nations resolutions in its occupation of conquered lands, in extra-judicial killings, and in its repeated acts of military aggression.

Most of the world regards Israel's policies, and especially its oppression of Palestinians, as outrageous and criminal. This international consensus is reflected, for example, in numerous UN resolutions condemning Israel, which have been approved with overwhelming majorities.

"The whole world," United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recently said, "is demanding that Israel withdraw [from occupied Palestinian territories]. I don't think the whole world ... can be wrong." [note 1]

Only in the United States do politicians and the media still fervently support Israel and its policies. For decades the US has provided Israel with crucial military, diplomatic and financial backing, including more than $3 billion each year in aid.

Why is the U.S. the only remaining bastion of support for Israel?

Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, has candidly identified the reason: "The Israeli government is placed on a pedestal [in the US], and to criticize it is to be immediately dubbed anti-Semitic," he said. "People are scared in this country, to say wrong is wrong because the Jewish lobby is powerful -- very powerful." [note 2]

Bishop Tutu spoke the truth. Although Jews make up only about three percent of the US population, they wield immense power and influence -- vastly more than any other ethnic or religious group.

As Jewish author and political science professor, Benjamin Ginsberg, has pointed out: [note 3]

"Since the 1960s, Jews have come to wield considerable influence in American economic, cultural, intellectual and political life. Jews played a central role in American finance during the 1980s, and they were among the chief beneficiaries of that decade's corporate mergers and reorganizations."

Today, though barely two percent of the nation's population is Jewish, close to half its billionaires are Jews. The chief executive officers of the three major television networks and the four largest film studios are Jews, as are the owners of the nation's largest newspaper chain and the most influential single newspaper, the New York Times ... The role and influence of Jews in American politics is equally marked.

Jews are only two percent of the nation's population yet comprise eleven percent of what this study defines as the nation's elite. However, Jews constitute more than 25 percent of the elite journalists and publishers, more than 17 percent of the leaders of important voluntary and public interest organizations, and more than 15 percent of the top ranking civil servants.

Stephen Steinlight, former Director of National Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, similarly notes the "disproportionate political power" of Jews, which is "pound for pound the greatest of any ethnic/cultural group in America." He goes on to explain that "Jewish economic influence and power are disproportionately concentrated in Hollywood, television, and in the news industry." [note 4]

Two well-known Jewish writers, Seymour Lipset and Earl Raab, pointed out in their 1995 book, Jews and the New American Scene: [note 5]

"During the last three decades Jews [in the United States] have made up 50 percent of the top two hundred intellectuals ... 20 percent of professors at the leading universities ... 40 percent of partners in the leading law firms in New York and Washington ... 59 percent of the directors, writers, and producers of the 50 top-grossing motion pictures from 1965 to 1982, and 58 percent of directors, writers, and producers in two or more primetime television series."

The influence of American Jewry in Washington, notes the Israeli daily Jerusalem Post, is "far disproportionate to the size of the community, Jewish leaders and U.S. official acknowledge. But so is the amount of money they contribute to [election] campaigns." One member of the influential Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations "estimated Jews alone had contributed 50 percent of the funds for [President Bill] Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign." [note 6]

"It makes no sense at all to try to deny the reality of Jewish power and prominence in popular culture," acknowledges Michael Medved, a well-known Jewish author and film critic. "Any list of the most influential production executives at each of the major movie studios will produce a heavy majority of recognizably Jewish names." [note 7]

One person who has carefully studied this subject is Jonathan J. Goldberg, now editor of the influential Jewish community weekly 'Forward.' In his 1996 book, Jewish Power, he wrote: [note 8]

"In a few key sectors of the media, notably among Hollywood studio executives, Jews are so numerically dominant that calling these businesses Jewish-controlled is little more than a statistical observation ... Hollywood at the end of the twentieth century is still an industry with a pronounced ethnic tinge. Virtually all the senior executives at the major studios are Jews. Writers, producers, and to a lesser degree directors are disproportionately Jewish -- one recent study showed the figure as high as 59 percent among top-grossing films."

The combined weight of so many Jews in one of America's most lucrative and important industries gives the Jews of Hollywood a great deal of political power. They are a major source of money for Democratic candidates.

Reflecting their role in the American media, Jews are routinely portrayed as high-minded, altruistic, trustworthy, compassionate, and deserving of sympathy and support. While millions of Americans readily accept such stereotyped imagery, not everyone is impressed.

"I am very angry with some of the Jews," complained actor Marlon Brando during a 1996 interview. "They know perfectly well what their responsibilities are ... Hollywood is run by Jews. It's owned by Jews, and they should have a greater sensitivity about the issue of people who are suffering." [note 9]

A Well-Entrenched Factor

The intimidating power of the "Jewish lobby" is not a new phenomenon, but has long been an important factor in American life.

In 1941 Charles Lindbergh spoke about the danger of Jewish power in the media and government. The shy 39-year-old -- known around the world for his epic 1927 New York to Paris flight, the first solo trans-Atlantic crossing -- was addressing 7,000 people in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 11, 1941, about the dangers of US involvement in the war then raging in Europe. The three most important groups pressing America into war, he explained, were the British, the Jews, and the Roosevelt administration.

Of the Jews, he said: "Their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government." Lindbergh went on:

"For reasons which are understandable from their viewpoint as they are inadvisable from ours, for reasons which are not American, [they] wish to involve us in the war. We cannot blame them for looking out for what they believe to be their own interests, but we must also look out for ours. We cannot allow the natural passions and prejudices of other peoples to lead our country to destruction."

In 1978, Jewish American scholar Alfred M. Lilienthal wrote in his detailed study, The Zionist Connection: [note 10]

"How has the Zionist will been imposed on the American people?... It is the Jewish connection, the tribal solidarity among themselves and the amazing pull on non-Jews, that has molded this unprecedented power ... In the larger metropolitan areas, the Jewish-Zionist connection thoroughly pervades affluent financial, commercial, social, entertainment, and art circles."

As a result of the Jewish grip on the media, wrote Lilienthal, news coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict in American television, newspapers and magazines is relentlessly sympathetic to Israel. This is manifest, for example, in the misleading portrayal of Palestinian "terrorism." As Lilienthal put it: "One-sided reportage on terrorism, in which cause is never related to effect, was assured because the most effective component of the Jewish connection is probably that of media control."

One-Sided 'Holocaust' History

The Jewish hold on cultural and academic life has had a profound impact on how Americans look at the past. Nowhere is the well-entrenched Judeocentric view of history more obvious than in the "Holocaust" media campaign, which focuses on the fate of Jews in Europe during World War II.

Israeli Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer, a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has remarked: [note 11]

"Whether presented authentically or inauthentically, in accordance with the historical facts or in contradiction to them, with empathy and understanding or as monumental kitsch, the Holocaust has become a ruling symbol of our culture ... Hardly a month goes by without a new TV production, a new film, a new drama, new books, prose or poetry, dealing with the subject, and the flood is increasing rather than abating."

Non-Jewish suffering simply does not merit comparable attention. Overshadowed in the focus on Jewish victimization are, for example, the tens of millions of victims of America's World War II ally, Stalinist Russia, along with the tens of millions of victims of China's Maoist regime, as well as the 12 to 14 million Germans, victims of the flight and expulsion of 1944-1949, of whom some two million lost their lives.

The well-financed Holocaust media and "educational" campaign is crucially important to the interests of Israel. Paula Hyman, a professor of modern Jewish history at Yale University, has observed: "With regard to Israel, the Holocaust may be used to forestall political criticism and suppress debate; it reinforces the sense of Jews as an eternally beleaguered people who can rely for their defense only upon themselves. The invocation of the suffering endured by the Jews under the Nazis often takes the place of rational argument, and is expected to convince doubters of the legitimacy of current Israeli government policy." [note 12]

Norman Finkelstein, a Jewish scholar who has taught political science at City University of New York (Hunter College), says in his book, 'The Holocaust Industry,' that "invoking The Holocaust" is "a ploy to delegitimize all criticism of Jews."[note 13] "By conferring total blamelessness on Jews, the Holocaust dogma immunizes Israel and American Jewry from legitimate censure. ... Organized Jewry has exploited the Nazi holocaust to deflect criticism of Israel's and its own morally indefensible policies." He writes of the brazen "shakedown" of Germany, Switzerland and other countries by Israel and organized Jewry "to extort billions of dollars." "The Holocaust," Finkelstein predicts, "may yet turn out to be the 'greatest robbery in the history of mankind'."

Jews in Israel feel free to act brutally against Arabs, writes Israeli journalist Ari Shavit, "believing with absolute certitude that now, with the White House, the Senate and much of the American media in our hands, the lives of others do not count as much as our own." [note 14]

Admiral Thomas Moorer, former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has spoken with blunt exasperation about the Jewish-Israeli hold on the United States: [note 15]

"I've never seen a President -- I don't care who he is -- stand up to them [the Israelis]. It just boggles the mind. They always get what they want. The Israelis know what is going on all the time. I got to the point where I wasn't writing anything down. If the American people understood what a grip those people have got on our government, they would rise up in arms. Our citizens certainly don't have any idea what goes on."

Today, the danger is greater than ever. Israel and Jewish organizations, in collaboration with this country's pro-Zionist Christian fundamentalist "amen corner," are prodding the United States -- the world's foremost military and economic power -- into new wars against Israel's enemies.

As the French ambassador in London recently acknowledged, Israel -- which he called (a quote which shocked millions -ed) "that shitty little country" -- is a threat to world peace. "Why should the world be in danger of World War III because of those people?," he said. [note 16]

In summation:

Jews wield immense power and influence in the United States.

The "Jewish lobby" is a decisive factor in US support for Israel.

Jewish-Zionist interests are not identical to American interests. In fact, they often conflict.

As long as the "very powerful" Jewish lobby remains entrenched, there will be no end to the systematic Jewish-Zionist distortion of current affairs and history, the Jewish-Zionist domination of the U.S. political system, Zionist oppression of Palestinians, the bloody conflict between Jews and non-Jews in the Middle East, and the Israeli threat to peace.

Notes

1. Quoted in Forward (New York City), April 19, 2002, p. 11. 2. D. Tutu, "Apartheid in the Holy Land," The Guardian (Britain), April 29, 2002. 3. Benjamin Ginsberg, The Fatal Embrace: Jews and the State (University of Chicago, 1993), pp. 1, 103. 4. S. Steinlight, "The Jewish Stake in America's Changing Demography: Reconsidering a Misguided Immigration Policy," Center for Immigration Studies , Nov. 2001. http://www.cis.org/articles/2001/back1301.html 5. Seymour Martin Lipset and Earl Raab, Jews and the New American Scene (Harvard Univ. Press, 1995), pp. 26-27. 6. Janine Zacharia, "The Unofficial Ambassadors of the Jewish State," The Jerusalem Post (Israel), April 2, 2000. Reprinted in "Other Voices," June 2000, p. OV-4, a supplement to The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. 7. M. Medved, "Is Hollywood Too Jewish?," Moment, Vol. 21, No. 4 (1996), p. 37. 8. Jonathan Jeremy Goldberg, Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment (Addison-Wesley, 1996), pp. 280, 287-288. See also pp. 39-40, 290-291. 9. Interview with Larry King, CNN network, April 5, 1996. "Brando Remarks," Los Angeles Times, April 8, 1996, p. F4 (OC). A short time later, Brando was obliged to apologize for his remarks. 10. A. Lilienthal, The Zionist Connection (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1978), pp. 206, 218, 219, 229. 11. From a 1992 lecture, published in: David Cesarani, ed., The Final Solution: Origins and Implementation (London and New York: Routledge, 1994), pp. 305, 306. 12. Paula E. Hyman, "New Debate on the Holocaust," The New York Times Magazine , Sept. 14, 1980, p. 79. 13. Norman G. Finkelstein, The Holocaust Industry (London, New York: Verso, 2000), pp. 130, 138, 139, 149. 14. The New York Times, May 27, 1996. Shavit is identified as a columnist for Ha'aretz, a Hebrew-language Israeli daily newspaper, "from which this article is adapted." 15. Interview with Moorer, Aug. 24, 1983. Quoted in: Paul Findley, They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby (Lawrence Hill, 1984 and 1985), p. 161. 16. D. Davis, "French Envoy to UK: Israel Threatens World Peace," Jerusalem Post, Dec. 20, 2001. The French ambassador is Daniel Bernard.6/02

About the author

Mark Weber is director of the Institute for Historical Review. He studied history at the University of Illinois (Chicago), the University of Munich, Portland State University and Indiana University (M.A., 1977). For nine years he served as editor of the IHR's Journal of Historical Review.

Source: http://www.ihr.org

7/15/02
1:31:08 PM

The Insider Game

by Paul Krugman, July 12, 2002

The current crisis in American capitalism isn't just about the specific details — about tricky accounting, stock options, loans to executives, and so on. It's about the way the game has been rigged on behalf of insiders.

And the Bush administration is full of such insiders. That's why President Bush cannot get away with merely rhetorical opposition to executive wrongdoers. To give the most extreme example (so far), how can we take his moralizing seriously when Thomas White — whose division of Enron generated $500 million in phony profits, and who sold $12 million in stock just before the company collapsed — is still secretary of the Army?

Yet everything Mr. Bush has said and done lately shows that he doesn't get it. Asked about the Aloha Petroleum deal at his former company Harken Energy — in which big profits were recorded on a sale that was paid for by the company itself, a transaction that obviously had no meaning except as a way to inflate reported earnings — he responded, "There was an honest difference of opinion. . . . sometimes things aren't exactly black-and-white when it comes to accounting procedures."

And he still opposes both reforms that would reduce the incentives for corporate scams, such as requiring companies to count executive stock options against profits, and reforms that would make it harder to carry out such scams, such as not allowing accountants to take consulting fees from the same firms they audit.

The closest thing to a substantive proposal in Mr. Bush's tough-talking, nearly content-free speech on Tuesday was his call for extra punishment for executives convicted of fraud. But that's an empty threat. In reality, top executives rarely get charged with crimes; not a single indictment has yet been brought in the Enron affair, and even "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap, a serial book-cooker, faces only a civil suit. And they almost never get convicted. Accounting issues are technical enough to confuse many juries; expensive lawyers make the most of that confusion; and if all else fails, big-name executives have friends in high places who protect them.

In this as in so much of the corporate governance issue, the current wave of scandal is prefigured by President Bush's own history.

An aside: Some pundits have tried to dismiss questions about Mr. Bush's business career as unfair — it was long ago, and hence irrelevant. Yet many of these same pundits thought it was perfectly appropriate to spend seven years and $70 million investigating a failed land deal that was even further in Bill Clinton's past. And if they want something more recent, how about reporting on the story of Mr. Bush's extraordinarily lucrative investment in the Texas Rangers, which became so profitable because of a highly incestuous web of public policy and private deals? As in the case of Harken, no hard work is necessary; Joe Conason laid it all out in Harper's almost two years ago.

But the Harken story still has more to teach us, because the S.E.C. investigation into Mr. Bush's stock sale is a perfect illustration of why his tough talk won't scare well-connected malefactors.

Mr. Bush claims that he was "vetted" by the S.E.C. In fact, the agency's investigation was peculiarly perfunctory. It somehow decided that Mr. Bush's perfectly timed stock sale did not reflect inside information without interviewing him, or any other members of Harken's board. Maybe top officials at the S.E.C. felt they already knew enough about Mr. Bush: his father, the president, had appointed a good friend as S.E.C. chairman. And the general counsel, who would normally make decisions about legal action, had previously been George W. Bush's personal lawyer — he negotiated the purchase of the Texas Rangers. I am not making this up.

Most corporate wrongdoers won't be quite as well connected as the young Mr. Bush; but like him, they will expect, and probably receive, kid-glove treatment. In an interesting parallel, today's S.E.C., which claims to be investigating the highly questionable accounting at Halliburton that turned a loss into a reported profit, has yet to interview the C.E.O. at the time — Dick Cheney.

The bottom line is that in the last week any hopes you might have had that Mr. Bush would make a break from his past and champion desperately needed corporate reform have been dashed. Mr. Bush is not a real reformer; he just plays one on TV.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

7/15/02
1:24:23 PM

Controlling Technologies--Part 1

THE IMPORTANCE OF SURPRISES

The scientists who first split the atom, in 1942, were no doubt some of the smartest people in the world: Enrico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Hans Bethe, Neils Bohr, Glenn Seaborg, and dozens of others. For the next 50 years, nuclear technology served as a magnet for brainy people, attracting graduate students who were excited to work at the cutting edge of technology where research funds were nearly limitless. In the field of nuclear weapons, nuclear power or nuclear medicine, if you had a bright idea, you could probably find the funds to explore it, so smart people flocked into nuclear technology.

Despite all this brain power, in 60 short years nuclear technology has created an array of problems that now rank among the most difficult, dangerous and long-lived that the world has ever faced, and which grow larger each passing year. What went wrong?

This is an important question because -- despite all the problems it has already created -- the nuclear industry is redoubling its efforts to expand. [NY TIMES May 7, 2001, pg. A17] Furthermore, nuclear is not the most complex technology humans have set out to master: biotechnology and the now-emerging nanotechnology[1] are intrinsically much more complex. (Nanotechnology is the attempt to create molecule-sized machines, some of which can themselves create more molecule-sized machines.) If we are having trouble controlling nuclear technology, shouldn't we think twice before deploying new technologies that are far more complicated, much less understandable and therefore far less predictable?

What went wrong with nuclear? The people who gave us nuclear technology evidently didn't notice that our ability to control complex systems is limited by surprises that arise from three sources: (1) technical misunderstanding of the underlying chemistry, physics, or biology; (2) an astonishing range of management lapses (including simple errors, unwillingness to confront the troublesome parts of a problem, a tendency to doze off on the job after a few uneventful years, and the human desire to hide and deny embarrassing mistakes); and (3) the shifting sands of politics and economic dislocations, including commercial competition.

The history of nuclear power tells us that these three kinds of surprises (technical, managerial, and political) set pretty narrow limits on the human capacity to control complex technologies. Nuclear technology has clearly exceeded our human capacity for control, while biotech and nanotech make nuclear seem simple and easy by comparison.

Where is the evidence that nuclear is uncontrollably complex? It's in the newspapers almost every week. Let's take a look.

** Because it operates 51 nuclear power plants to generate electricity, Japan justifiably ranks high among the high-tech nations. However, on Sept. 30, 1999, an atomic fuel plant in the town of Tokaimura, 87 miles northwest of Tokyo, spewed radioactivity into the air. At least 35 workers were exposed and 300,000 nearby residents were told to shut their windows and stay indoors. [NY TIMES October 1, 1999, pgs. A1, A10.] When the accident occurred, the Tokaimura plant was in its 17th year of commercial operation.

The accident began when workers poured 35 pounds of uranium --instead of the usual 5 pounds -- into a tank containing nitric acid. (Management surprise.) The tank happened to be surrounded by a shell filled with water, which reflected neutrons back toward the uranium, thus promoting a chain reaction. (Technical surprise.) There was an ominous blue flash of light as the 35 pounds of uranium "went critical," meaning a nuclear chain reaction had begun spewing deadly gamma rays and neutrons into the surrounding area.

Japanese nuclear safety officials had previously scrutinized the plant and concluded that an accidental chain reaction was impossible, so the plant had no emergency plan. (Management surprise.) [NY TIMES Oct. 23, 1999, pg. A4.]

It took Japanese authorities 17 hours to bring the atomic reaction under control. The Tokyo Electric Power Company rushed 880 pounds of sodium borate to the plant to absorb radiation and quench the nuclear reaction, but they discovered they had no way of getting close enough to the chain reaction to dump the powder onto it. (Management surprise).

Japanese authorities requested help from the U.S. military stationed in Japan but were told those troops were not equipped to deal with nuclear accidents. (Management surprise.) [NY TIMES October 1, 1999, pgs. A1, A10.]

Workers finally brought the chain reaction under control by smashing a pipe connected to the water shell, letting the water drain out. [NY TIMES Oct. 23, 1999, pg. A4.]

The Japanese Government Nuclear Safety Commission immediately blamed the workers involved. One member of the Commission said, "If they had done their job as they were supposed to, there is no way something like this could have happened." [NY TIMES Oct. 1, 1999, pg. A10.]

However, a few days later it became apparent that the Government Nuclear Safety Commission had misunderstood the situation. (Management surprise.) The NEW YORK TIMES reported that, for years, the plant's managers had been pressuring workers to skip important safety steps, to increase productivity and improve competitiveness. One of the injured workers said he had routinely used procedural shortcuts following directions given in an illegally-drafted plant manual that allowed workers to speed up production. [NY TIMES Oct. 4, 1999, pg. A8.] For their part, plant managers continued to blame the workers' "lack of sufficient expertise," as if employee training were not a management responsibility. (Management surprise.) Plant managers refused to acknowledge that they had urged workers to speed up production, "But company officials have acknowledged that the plant had recently faced intense foreign competition," the NEW YORK TIMES reported. (Management surprise, political surprise.)

The most highly-irradiated worker in the September accident, Hisashi Ouchi, 35, died of his injuries December 22. The Japanese government had made heroic efforts to keep him alive, transfusing 10 pints of fresh blood into his body each day for several months before his death. Just as the government feared, his death catalyzed a citizen movement to oppose the expansion of nuclear power in Japan, and especially to stop the use of MOX, or "mixed oxide fuel." (Political surprise.) [NY TIMES Jan. 13, 2000, pg. A1.] MOX fuel combines plutonium with uranium into fuel for nuclear power plants, as a way of (1) avoiding the need for new uranium fuel; and (2) in some cases, reducing the world's supply of pure plutonium, 18 pounds of which can be used to make a crude but effective A-bomb. [NY TIMES November 12, 2001, pg. B1.]

Japan had been planning to purchase mixed oxide fuels (MOX) from a British plant known as Sellafield, an industrial complex on the edge of the Irish Sea employing 10,000 workers. Sellafield had begun operating a nuclear power plant in 1956, but the plant caught fire Oct. 10, 1957, exposing workers and nearby residents to excessive radioactivity. (Technical surprise.) In 1957, the British government denied anyone had been harmed but in 1983 the British National Radiological Protection Board estimated that the doses received by the public during the 1957 fire could cause hundreds of thyroid cancers.[2] (Technical surprise, management surprise.) The British government released its health report in 1988, 31 years after the fire, and some of the health data remain secret to this day. (Management surprise.)

Sellafield survived the disaster of 1957 and went on to expand its operation to include nuclear fuel reprocessing and nuclear waste management. In anticipation of a growing market for MOX fuels, Sellafield invested $480 million in a new fuel fabrication facility in 1999. Japan agreed to buy 1/3 of the plant's output.

Unfortunately, shortly after Sellafield shipped its first batch of MOX fuel to Japan, British authorities discovered that Sellafield workers had falsified inspection documents related to the fuel rods sent to Japan. (Management surprise.) A union representative blamed commercial competition: "Clearly there was commercial pressure to meet customers' demands," he said. (Political surprise.) [NY TIMES Apr. 20, 2000, pg. C4.]

In Japan, news of the falsified inspection documents created such an uproar that the fuel was rejected and shipped back to Sellafield. [NY TIMES Jan. 13, 2000, pg. A1.] Switzerland and Sweden then suspended shipments of spent fuel to Sellafield. (Political surprise.)

Germany, too, said it had received MOX fuels from Sellafield accompanied by falsified documents. Subsequently Germany raised concerns about "irregularities" in MOX fuel manufactured at La Hague in France, engulfing the entire MOX fuel industry in scandal and controversy. (Management surprise, political surprise.) [NY TIMES April 20, 2000, pg. C1.] Two months later, Germany announced that it would phase out and shut down all 19 of its nuclear power plants. (Political surprise.) [NY TIMES June 16, 2000, pg. A6.]

But Sellafield's troubles did not stop there. Two months after the revelation of falsified documents, British government inspectors reported "systematic management failures" at the Sellafield complex and found fault with Sellafield's entire "safety culture." (Management surprise.) [NY TIMES April 20, 2000, pg. C4.] Shortly after this embarrassing revelation, British authorities announced that "a saboteur had severed cables controlling robotic operations in a radioactive area of the installation." (Management surprise.) [NY TIMES March 27, 2000, pg. A8.] Ireland and Denmark then began an international campaign to have the Sellafield plant closed for good. (Political surprise.)

With its MOX fuel investment in serious trouble and its reputation in tatters, Sellafield announced that recent events had forced it to increase the price for cleaning up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state, USA, one of the most contaminated places on Earth, where DuPont, Westinghouse and other private firms made plutonium for weapons between 1943 and 1987. In October 1998, Sellafield has offered to solidify -- for a fee of $6.6 billion\- -- 54 million gallons of DuPont's and Westinghouse's discarded radioactive liquids, sludges and salts held in 177 tanks at Hanford. But 18 months later, in late April 2000, Sellafield management said the Hanford cleanup would now cost U.S. taxpayers $15.2 billion. The U.S. Department of Energy balked, canceled the contract with Sellafield and declared its attempt to "privatize" the Hanford cleanup a failure. Evidently, the private sector can affordably create one of the world's largest radioactive stews but cannot affordably clean it up. (Management surprise, political surprise.) [NY TIMES April 27, 2000, pg. C4; NY TIMES May 9, 2000, pg. C4.]

The Hanford cleanup is itself a technical frontier. Of the 177 waste tanks at Hanford, 149 are made of a single shell of steel. So far, 68 tanks have leaked and "all the single-shell tanks are expected to leak eventually," the NY TIMES reported March 23, 1998, pg. A10. (Technical surprise.)

For 50 years, private-sector and governmental managers at the Hanford Reservation steadfastly maintained that leaks of radioactive liquids were inconsequential because the soil would bind the radioactive particles tightly, preventing them from moving into the Columbia River. However, in 1997 officials announced that they had been wrong and that leaked wastes had already entered the river. (Technical surprise.) [NY TIMES Oct. 11, 1997, pg. A7.]

Of the 54 million gallons of wastes abandoned by DuPont and Westinghouse at Hanford, so far at least 900,000 gallons have escaped into the soil on their way to the river. No one has any idea how to retrieve them. (Technical surprise.) [NY TIMES Mar. 23, 1998, pg. A10.]

To be continued.

Peter Montague, Editor

[1] http://www.foresight.org/NanoRev/FIFAQ1.html#FAQ1 and

http://www.nanozine.com/WHATNANO.HTM#whatsa

[2] Jean McSorley, LIVING IN THE SHADOW (London: Pan Books, 1990; ISBN 0330313312).

Source: http://www.Rachel.org

7/15/02
1:19:41 PM

DAILY GRIST

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13A.crooks.arrest.htm

EV-ING CAN'T WAIT

Some people reuse old yogurt containers. Ken Norwick reuses old cars. A year ago, Norwick rescued a weather-beaten 1996 Saturn four-door sedan, gutted it, and reinvented it as an electric vehicle (EV). That makes him one of a growing group of EV enthusiasts around the world who could not or would not wait for the auto industry to mass-produce cars that emit no pollution and so took matters into their own hands. In this week's diary, Norwick recounts the joys (and occasional hassles) of living and commuting with an electric vehicle, only on the Grist Magazine website.

only in Grist: Try this at home -- a day in the life of Ken Norwick, electric vehicle advocate <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dearme/norwick070802.asp?source=daily>

BALKAN DEATH GRIP

Fleeing extreme poverty, thousands of Albanians are squatting in and near the abandoned Porto Romano chemical plant -- one of the most severely contaminated sites in the Balkans, with soil and groundwater pollutants at 4,000 times the levels considered acceptable by the European Union. Despite admonitions from United Nations experts, the Albanian government has failed to put up fences or warning signs around the plant, which produced pesticides and leather-tanning chemicals until its closure in 1990. It's not clear that such signs would deter the squatters, currently numbering about 6,000, given widespread distrust of the government and the lack of options. "We know it's bad for us here, but we have nowhere else to go. The authorities don't do anything to help us," said Flutorime Jani, whose family lives in a former pesticide warehouse within the plant.

straight to the source: Christian Science Monitor, Colin Woodward, 12 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=250>

THE BOYS, A BUMMER, ARE GONE

Boys exposed to certain pollutants during adolescence are far less likely to have sons in adulthood, according to a study published in today's edition of the British scientific journal the Lancet. The study looked at thousands of people in the Taiwanese city of Yucheng who used cooking oil containing high concentrations of PCBs. It found that young men exposed to PCBs before the age of 20 were 35 percent less likely to have sons than those who did not come into contact with the toxic compounds. The results mirrored those of an earlier study of men in Italy who were exposed to extremely high levels of dioxin and were also far more likely to father daughters than sons. The study supports long-held fears that environmental toxins can have dramatic effects on the human reproductive system.

straight to the source: Toronto Globe and Mail, Andre Picard, 12 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=251>

TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS

A plan by the Bush administration to speed cleanups of highly radioactive military waste is provoking the ire of some powerful foes. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said the plan -- which offers an extra $800 million in cleanup funds for the next fiscal year to states that can decide by Aug. 1 how to spend the money -- could give states an incentive to lower their environmental standards. Cantwell and Washington state Attorney General Christine Gregoire aired their concerns yesterday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, whose chair, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), agreed that the money could be seen as encouraging laxer cleanup standards. The Washington state officials suggested that the plan might be a way for the feds to back out of a longstanding agreement to clean up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. In 1989, the Energy Department promised to clean up at least 99 percent of the more than 53 million gallons of radioactive waste at Hanford, but has already altered the terms of the cleanup deal considerably.

straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Charles Pope, 12 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=252>

straight to the source: New York Times, Matthew L. Wald, 12 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=253>

ALWAYS A BRIBE'S MADE

Apparently inspired by the 2000 Gore-Nader brouhaha, the head of New Mexico's GOP tried to bribe Green Party leaders to field candidates in upcoming elections in order to drain votes away from Democrats. The state's Republican Party chair, John Dendahl, spoke with Green leaders about the possibility of making a six-figure contribution to their party in exchange for running candidates in two New Mexico congressional districts. Dendahl said the contribution offer came not from himself but from a Republican in Washington, D.C., whom he refused to identify, saying only that the person was not an elected official or party officer. The Green Party refused the money, and New Mexico's Democratic Party chair, Jamie Koch, called on Dendahl to resign and said he planned to alert the Federal Elections Commission. Tuesday was the filing deadline for minor-party candidates, and, unlike in past years, no Green filed for a congressional seat in New Mexico.

straight to the source: Santa Fe New Mexican, Steve Terrell, 12 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=254>

7/15/02
1:14:50 PM

t r u t h o u t

Man Who Taped Police Beating Arrested in L.A.

Video: Cheney Sings the Praises of Anderson

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13B.cheney.ander.vid.htm

Secrecy Surrounds Bush Stock Deal

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13C.bush.stock.htm

Paul Krugman | The Insider Game

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13D.krug.insider.htm

Nicholas D. Kristof | The Anthrax Files

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13E.kris.anthrax.htm

Arianna Huffington | Undercover Brothers: The Anti-Reformers Blend In

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13F.arianna.blend.htm

Colin Powell: 'Bastards Won't Drive Me Out'

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.13G.powell.bastards.htm

7/15/02
1:10:02 PM

Trumpeter Swans Rebound In Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisconsin, July 11, 2002 (ENS) - Fifty-one pairs of endangered trumpeter swans nested in Wisconsin this year, more than double the state's initial recovery goal of having 20 pairs nesting in the state by the year 2000.

"The trumpeter swan reintroduction effort is making great strides," said Sumner Matteson, an avian ecologist who coordinates the trumpeter swan recovery program for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Bureau of Endangered Resources. "The nesting population and productivity are increasing, and they're becoming abundant enough that it is difficult for us to track all the nests with our own staff and volunteers."

Last year there were 45 known nests in the state and 44 in 2000, Matteson said. Biologists estimate that the entire statewide population of trumpeter swans - including adult and juvenile birds - is about 300, and nest numbers should increase as more juvenile birds reach breading age, which begins at age two.

While the number of nests is more than double the preliminary recovery goal of 20 pairs, Matteson says that goal was established in 1986, when biologists had much less information about reestablishing the species. Biologists are hoping to have a new population model complete this year that will use actual data gathered from birds in the wild in Wisconsin to determine the number of nesting pairs and young needed to sustain a viable population in the state.

Trumpeter swans can be distinguished from the non-native mute swan by the way they hold their necks: straight up expect when feeding or grooming.

Trumpeter swans - named for their resonant, trumpet like call - are the largest native waterfowl species in North America. Adults have white plumage and can stand up to four feet tall and weigh between 20 and 30 pounds. Trumpeter swans were found in Wisconsin until the 1880s, when market hunting and feather collecting almost drove the species extinct.

Beginning in 1989, Wisconsin biologists flew to Alaska for nine consecutive years to collect surplus trumpeter swan eggs that were then hatched in incubators at the Milwaukee County Zoo. After they hatched, the young swans were either placed in a captive rearing program or decoy rearing program until they were released to the wild.

With so many pairs now nesting in the state, biologists are asking for help from the public in reporting any observations of the large white birds nesting in wetland areas around the state, particularly in central Wisconsin where the number of reported nesting pairs has declined in recent years.

People who think they may have seen a swan nest should contact DNR swan program field coordinator Pat Manthey in La Crosse at: 608-789-5651 or: Sumner Matteson at: 608-266-1571.

Source: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-11-09.asp

7/15/02
1:05:22 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-11-06.asp

"We Cover the Earth For You"

CONFLICTING REPORTS SHADE FOREST FIRE DEBATE

By Cat Lazaroff

WASHINGTON, DC, July 11, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Forest Service released a report this week charging that lawsuits from environmentalists are preventing the agency from effectively managing forests to reduce wildfire risk. Environmentalists counter that the agency report ignores a number of fire management tools that the conservation community supports, and warn that the Forest Service is misspending funds provided for forest management.

LIQUID CO2 DUMP IN NORWEGIAN SEA CALLED ILLEGAL

OSLO, Norway, July 11, 2002 (ENS) - The world's first attempt to demonstrate sequestration of carbon in the oceans by injecting liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) into the Norwegian Sea is set to begin this summer. Environmentalists are campaigning to stop the experiment and claim it is illegal.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-11-02.asp

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 11, 2002

El Niño is Back in Town

EPA Must Reexamine Birmingham Air Quality

By Ship, By Plane, Researchers Study Air Pollution

Hot Temperatures Drive Smelly Algae Blooms

New Climate Simulations Offer Sharper Focus

Hazwaste Cleanups Need Community Advisors

Lake Champlain Anglers Collect Tagged Sea Lamprey

Trumpeter Swans Rebound in Wisconsin

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-11-09.asp

7/15/02
1:02:09 PM

SciTech Daily Review

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0710_020710_chadskull.html

Scientists in northern Chad have unearthed the skull of a previously unknown hominid that lived six to seven million years ago -- making it the oldest known ancestor of humans

Caesarean deliveries can affect women's future fertility, though doctors are not sure why

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=311127

When white rhinos go off to explore new territory, they like to take along a buddy

http://www.nature.com/nsu/020701/020701-11.html

The physics of sandcastles: An upcoming shuttle mission will carry small columns of sand into space -- and will return with valuable lessons for earthquake engineers, farmers and physicists

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/11jul_mgm.htm

Feeling our way: How do we think? Psychologist Peter Hobson, author of The Cradle of Thought [review], says the key is the way we relate to each other as babies

http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opinterview.jsp?id=ns23515

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/07/09/mmorpg/index.html Showdown in cyberspace: If online role-playing games are ever going to break out of the hardcore gamer ghetto, they'll have to do more than please the geeks

Is the greenhouse effect "green"? Tiny pollutant particles thrust into the atmosphere may slow plant growth but they also enhance the ability of the earth to act as a sink for carbon

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20020509225827data_trunc_sys.shtml

Avoiding the impact: After a recent near miss with an asteroid 100 meters in diameter, former astronaut Rusty Schweickart discusses what to do about the danger to Earth from huge space rocks

http://sciam.rsc03.net/servlet/cc?lJpDUAUEsHkhNJoLFpoNnDJhDgSE0EX

League tables listing the success rates of IVF clinics are encouraging bad practices such as implanting too many embryos

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992523

7/15/02
12:59:35 PM

UTNE WEB WATCH

The Best of the Alternative Web

THE NEW ECONOMY OF NATURE

by Gretchen C. Daily and Katherine Ellison, Orion

-- Stamping a price sticker on nature may be the ticket to protecting our future.

KNOCK, KNOCK--LET US IN, BANGING ON THE CELLULOID CLOSET

by Justine Barda, Seattle Weekly

-- Despite the success of several recent films, queer movies have a long way to go to achieve respect from the establishment.

MEETUP.COM

-- Ready to return to actual conversation instead of postings in chatrooms? Meetup.com makes the transition easy.

Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch

7/15/02
12:57:14 PM

"It is of interest to note that while some dolphins

are reported to have learned English --

up to fifty words used in correct context --

no human being has been reported

to have learned dolphinese."

Carl Sagan, 1934 - 1996 - Astronomer and Writer

7/15/02
12:50:51 PM

Don't Gut The Clean Air Act

New York's Attorney General Speaks Out

Eliot Spitzer Attorney General of New York.

Listen to the Audio:

http://stream.realimpact.net/rihurl.ram?file=realimpact/tompaine/spitzer20020710.rm

Sharon Basco produced this piece, July 11, 2002

President Bush has proposed gutting a key provision of the federal Clean Air Act. If he is successful, it will mean dirtier air for all Americans.

Coal-burning power plants are major sources of air pollution that contribute to summertime smog, acid rain, respiratory distress and cardiovascular disease. To combat these environmental and public health threats, I and other state Attorneys General sued a number of utilities in 1998 and 1999 to require their compliance with a key section of the Clean Air Act known as New Source Review. New Source Review requires that when old power plants undergo major modifications or upgrades they must also install state-of-the-art air pollution controls. The power plants we are suing did not do that.

These are strong lawsuits. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined them and brought additional cases. But soon after President Bush took office, lobbyists for the coal and oil industries began work to undermine the lawsuits. They know the law is strong, so they are attempting to change it, by urging EPA to administratively gut the program and by asking Congress to repeal this section of the law. Unfortunately, they found a willing ally in the Bush administration.

President Bush has now proposed gutting New Source Review in exchange for a weaker, badly flawed approach. Under his proposal, power plants could replace multi-million dollar boilers, effectively rebuilding the facility, without installing pollution controls -- readily available equipment that will reduce air pollution by over 90 percent. Congress clearly wanted to move the country to cleaner air either by having dirty old plants replaced by cleaner new ones or by requiring that if the old plants are refurbished, they install modern air pollution controls.

It is troubling that EPA -- the very agency with a legal mandate to protect public health and the environment -- wants to open large loopholes in the Clean Air Act.

To provide cover as he attempts to dismantle the Clean Air Act, President Bush has also proposed a new program called "Clear Skies." This would allow dirty power plants and other sources of pollution to buy pollution credits from cleaner plants, rather than install pollution controls on their own smokestacks. This approach would damage the northeast and communities near coal-burning power plants and would achieve little real improvements for a generation. Despite much fanfare when it was announced in April, "Clear Skies" still has not been introduced in the Congress.

The overall Bush plan would leave the skies cloudy for another generation. I will challenge these illegal changes in Court to maintain the health and environmental protections intended by the law.

This is New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for TomPaine.com.

Source: http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5975

7/15/02
12:42:45 PM

TomPaine.com

http://www.TomPaine.com

Independent, Commercial-free

A MAJOR NEWS STORY THE AMERICAN MEDIA MISSED

Didn't Think Arthur Andersen Could Be Involved In The Scandal At The Catholic Church? Think Again.

by Michael Ryan

Here's an incident that neatly unites the two most outrageous news stories of the year in one tidy package: the moral bankruptcy of Arthur Andersen, and the corruption of the Catholic Church.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5968

DON'T GUT THE CLEAN AIR ACT

New York's Attorney General Speaks Out

by Eliot Spitzer

The EPA -- the very agency with a legal mandate to protect public health and the environment -- wants to open large loopholes in the Clean Air Act.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5975

ONE (CONSTITUTIONALLY ILLITERATE) NATION UNDER GOD

The Constitution Can't Protect Our Rights If We Don't Understand Them

by Jamin B. Raskin

America's "conservatives" are prepared to push constitutional amendments to deal with a host of symbolic or even supernatural problems ... We need constitutional literacy as a basic tool of intellectual self-defense.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5966

THE PRESIDENT AND THE STREET

An Interview With Mary Zepernick Of The Program On Corporations, Law And Democracy

by Steven Rosenfeld

President Bush's promises to clean up corporate accounting scandals are a ruse. The name of the game is damage control for his political patrons, not real reform for the public.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5969

THE SECOND CASUALITY OF WAR: ACCOUNTABILITY

Why Won't The U.S. Acknowledge Mistakes In Kakrak?

by David Corn

Bush asserted there were "ample indications" the assault in Kakrak was mounted in response to anti-aircraft fire. Maybe so, but there were also "ample indications" that the wrong target -- and people -- were struck.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5972

And from out CHECK IT OUT! department...

FACT-CHECKING COULTER

Glaring out from nearly every bookstore window in Washington, DC nowadays is the face of outspoken right-wing pundit Ann Coulter. The author of the bestselling anti-Clinton tome High Crimes and Misdemeanors, Coulter is the neo-con postergirl, a shock-jock commentator who doesn't seem to mind trading in accuracy for invective. Her newest book, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right, includes more of the Democrat-bashing and conservative jargon we all know and have grown accustomed to.

But fear not! One of our favorite online weblogs, Tapped, has been running a series of "fact checks" debunking the conservative myths running rampant through Slander. The lists of pseudo-facts and outright distortions keep pouring in from astute readers, and some are listed below in this recent posting.

From crediting Ronald Reagan for ending the Cold War to misrepresenting Jim Jeffords' voting record, Tapped quips, "if Ann Coulter had a movie made about her, it would have to be titled "Say Anything.""

CHECK IT OUT! http://www.tompaine.com/check_it_out/

7/15/02
12:37:42 PM

AlterNet Headlines

http://www.alternet.org

AN ALTERNET EDITORIAL: GIVE IT BACK, MR. PRESIDENT If Bush hopes to lead by example and practice what he preaches, then shouldn't he give back any gains he made through that questionable loan?

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13582

SPECIAL REPORT: ARE YOUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS KILLING YOU?

Matt Wheeland, AlterNet

A new report linking birth defects and health risks with a chemical used in trendy cosmetics, gives a long overdue wake-up call to the FDA, consumers and the beauty industry.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13530

OSAMA BIN LADEN: NOW YOU SEE HIM, NOW YOU DON'T

Tai Moses, AlterNet

Dead or alive, missing or found, bin Laden is the unwitting author of Bush's global war on terrorism -- a drama with an ever-changing script.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13581

GEORGE W. BUSH: CORPORATE CONFIDENCE MAN

Lee Drutman and Charlie Cray, AlterNet

The President's long-awaited "New Ethic of Corporate Responsibility" falls far short of the fundamental corporate reforms needed to protect workers, the environment, consumers and shareholders.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13565

WHY I DOWNLOAD: CONFESSIONS OF A MUSIC JUNKIE

Mike Prevatt, Las Vegas CityLife

The major labels' sorry attempt to push their own music downloading services leaves the true music addict little choice but to stick with free MP3 applications like Gnutella and Kazaa.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13577

RENOUNCING SINS AGAINST THE CORPORATE FAITH

Norman Solomon, AlterNet

Bush blames corporate scandals on a few bad apples. But he should be wondering if the barrels of capitalism are rotten.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13569

YOU GO, GIRL

Michelle Goldberg, Salon

Backpacker fiction like "The Beach" explores the authenticity-grubbing subculture of the dreadlocked, ganja-scented travelers, but women have been left out -- until now.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13538

BUSH THREATENS FUTURE OF PEACEKEEPING

Jim Lobe, AlterNet

European allies fear the White House's threat to withdraw from international peacekeeping operations is evidence of an agenda to put the U.S. beyond the reach of international law.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13554

MICHAEL'S NEW RACIAL MAKEOVER -- PHONY OR FOR REAL?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Pacific News Service

Is Michael Jackson's diatribe against "devilish" Sony executives just the bitterness of an artist whose time has come and gone or is it true racial consciousness?

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13558

Dubya Trouble

From Dallas to Barcelona, it's been a lousy week for the Bush Administration. Laura Flanders and a roundtable of journalists size up the week's coverage on Friday's Working Assets Radio. Listen online from 10-11amPT/1-2pmET, or call in: 866-798-TALK.

http://www.workingassetsradio.com

7/15/02
12:22:12 PM

Bush Smells Like Old Money

In Which Dubya and Dick Snicker at Corruption Charges, and the War Excuse Weakens

by Mark Morford

Of course we're at war. Just look at those horrible lines at the airport.

Just look at that man having his scruffy topsiders screened four times, that woman's lovely underwire bra setting off the metal detector, that huge pile of confiscated nail files. Don't we all feel safer now.

Of course we're at war. Just look at all those flags stuck in all those manicured lawns, the ominous United We Stand billboards, the all-new 2003 Ford Excursion now with room for 13 and a full 10mpg Highway/7mpg City, all the cheap plastic stars-and-stripes kitsch at the Hallmark store, Made in Malaysia.

And look at all the billions being unquestioningly appropriated for more military action and more "homeland security" and more mysterious attacks and more clandestine operations, random budget-busting expenditures you will never fully know about.

Simply because this is one of the most secretive and blatantly unreported wars in American history and if you think all the cover-up is merely in the name of security, I've got a fabulous time-share on a Saudi oil field to sell you, cheap.

And look, just look how the Bush administration has no intention of telling anyone anything about anything except ooh that evil evil Saddam we're gonna get him and oooh that evil evil bin Laden we're gonna get him too, maybe, doubtful but maybe, someday, but probably not, and never you mind all those eerie Bush/bin Laden family connections. Hush now.

Of course we're at war. Witness all the angry puffed-up deflections, every reproach of the president and every suspicious glance in the direction of his corporatized administration instantly retorted with a nice "how dare you don't you know we're at war" or maybe "the president has a great deal on his very compact little mind right now and he can't be bothered with the details of, you know, rampant favoritism and hypocrisy."

And meanwhile isn't that Bush appointee and former conniving, pro-accounting industry, anti-SEC lawyer, current SEC chairman Harvey Pitt investigating malfeasance at WorldCom? Cherish the irony.

You just know we're at war because clearly there is just no room for accusations of Bush's former corporate wrongdoings or economic bilking, or of Cheney's simply astonishing connection to the oleaginous Halliburton corporation, which signed a cool $73 mil worth of oil deals with Iraq while Dickie was still CEO just a handful of years ago. Whoops, shhh. War.

And who knew everyone's favorite inviolate meta-doyenne Martha Stewart would have so much in common with Geedubya? Cashing in on a cool $230K worth of ImClone stock just before the company tanks, Martha?

Not bad, but try nearly a cool $1 mil for Bush back in '90, cashing in on Harken Energy stock just prior to the company reporting a huge loss, and then accidentally whoops gosh "forgetting" to disclose the sale to the SEC for oh, eight months, give or take. Aw, shucks. "Clerical error," they say.

And it's becoming increasingly difficult to find anyone but the truest I-believe-everything-Ari-Fleischer-says jingoists who actually believes this "war" has become anything but a grand excuse, a marvelously leveragable plaything which the Bush cadre can point to as their very own personal holy shroud, some sort of sacrosanct shield to protect them from criticism and claims of blatant impropriety and selling the nation's soul for pennies on the barrel.

The more pleasant idea is that the war excuse is becoming thinner and thinner, the populace increasingly fatigued and wary of false terrorist warnings, fearmongering, lopsided Us-versus-Them posturing, the sucking dry of the budget in the name of accidentally bombing Afghan weddings.

Wary, in addition, of the idea that simply sending in troops and bombing caves and infuriating Middle Eastern countries even further will somehow solve the problem, stem the tide of terrorism, eradicate the numinous, germinating terrorist cells, make everyone look away as Bush Sr.'s sinister investment company the Carlyle Group rakes in millions from War on Terror defense contracts. Shhh.

Maybe it won't last much longer. Maybe the day will come very soon when the scales will tip in the other direction, the fearmongering and the falsely hyped patriotism will no longer outweigh the increasing piles of proof that we are being misled, that all is not what it seems.

Maybe we will realize that what was, very briefly, a necessary and urgent need to defend our pride and our national identity in the wake of brutish hatred and an unspeakably barbaric attack, has become a cheap political pawn, a bureaucratic commodity, the national soul bought and sold like so many artillery shells for the Carlyle Group's $11 billion Crusader tank.

Of course that day will come. Of course you hope the populace cannot and will not be lied to for very long, the karmic tide cannot help but begin to change, and maybe we will finally realize the need for a different, long-term tack to defend our nation, change our oil-desperate foreign policy, commit fewer corporate atrocities and political puppeteering in foreign lands that tend to spawn all that hate in the first place.

Yes, that will be the day. Unless that's the day Bush declares war on Iraq. Whoops, shhh.

Source: http://www.SFGate.com

7/15/02
12:18:22 PM

Planet Ark World Environment News

Crocodile Hunter takes wildlife pitch to Hollywood - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16821/story.htm

Californian man faces life in prison for beheading dog - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16827/story.htm

Grisly animal abuse cases puzzle Colorado police - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16826/story.htm

Colorado group fights coalbed methane wells - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16824/story.htm

UPDATE - Cosmetics full of suspect chemicals, group says - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16822/story.htm

Green groups sue Alaska regulators over oil-spill plans - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16819/story.htm

UPDATE - California sweats through new energy crunch - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16818/story.htm

Utilities to press for Utah nuclear waste dump - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16812/story.htm

Organic bread targeted to show absurd health scares - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16823/story.htm

South Africa, UN press for Earth Summit blueprint - UNITED NATIONS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16829/story.htm

UK CHP power investment falls, threatens green goals - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16813/story.htm

Sixty mln southern Africans face hunger, disease - UN - SWITZERLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16832/story.htm

Singapore seizes tonnes of ivory bound for Japan - SINGAPORE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16830/story.htm

INTERVIEW - Earth summit collapse better than toothless pact - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16811/story.htm

Dutch launch criminal probe into hormone - laced feed - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16833/story.htm

Weakening typhoon brings heavy rains to Japan - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16817/story.htm

Fiat to cut output by another 40,000 cars - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16825/story.htm

Italy lacks irrigation plan as droughts worsen - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16815/story.htm

Storms sweep Germany leaving at least four dead - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16820/story.htm

Storm lashes Berlin leaving seven dead - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16816/story.htm

Germany wants to double renewable power - minister - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16814/story.htm

EU wants Dutch action in hormone feed scare - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16828/story.htmv

New power station to be built in West Australia - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16831/story.htm

7/15/02
12:15:21 PM

t r u t h o u t

Julian Bond | Freedom Under Fire

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12A.bond.freedom.htm

Jennifer Van Bergen | Patriotism and Religion

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12B.jvb.pledge.htm

Bush Received Company Loans He Now Wants Banned

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12C.bush.loans.htm

Stocks Scrape Out Lows on Accounting Woes

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12D.stock.lows.htm

Senate Backs Tough Measures to Punish Corporate Misdeeds

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12E.senate.corps.htm

Amnesty Condemns Palestinian Attacks

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12F.amnesty.pa.htm

Whole World Responsible for AIDS, Says Clinton

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.12G.clinton.aids.htm

7/11/02
4:31:12 PM

Can Or Bottle, Bill Wants Makers To Pay For Recycling

by Greg Winter

The first Congressional hearings on recycling in at least a decade begin today as environmental advocates in the Senate push to hold the beverage industry, not states, cities or consumers, responsible for salvaging the billions of bottles and cans thrown away every year.

Senator James M. Jeffords, the Vermont independent who became chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works when he broke with the Republican Party last year, called the hearings to build momentum behind a national bottle bill. It is an issue Mr. Jeffords has raised in Washington for nearly 30 years but has never had the power to force until now.

Under the Senate bill, much as in legislation that is expected to be introduced in the House as early as this week, beverage companies would be required to ensure that 80 percent of bottles and cans are recycled within two years. Now, less than half of aluminum cans, the most valuable of beverage containers, are recycled.

Despite the proliferation of curbside pick-up programs, recycling rates have dropped over the last decade, in part because Americans consume so many beverages outside the home.

Sixty-five percent of aluminum cans were recycled in 1992, for example, but only 49 percent were salvaged in 2001, the lowest rate in 15 years, according to a study released this week by the Container Recycling Institute. As a consequence, the report concluded, more than 760,000 tons of aluminum cans were thrown away last year.

That is the equivalent of about two Empire State Buildings, 3,800 Boeing 747's or nearly half a million Ford Mustangs.

"There is no good reason why this nation is not doing a better job of recycling its cans and bottles," Mr. Jeffords said.

That Mr. Jeffords even succeeded in reviving the recycling debate, which has virtually lain dormant in the Capitol for the last decade, is a symbolic victory, prompting environmental groups nationwide to rally in support of his bill.

Nevertheless, the legislative effort to shift the burden onto industry has elicited fierce opposition from soft drink and beer makers, who depict it as a tax on consumers, not to mention themselves.

Under the bill, Americans would have to pay an upfront deposit of at least 10 cents on virtually all cans and bottles, which could be redeemed upon recycling, essentially superseding the 11 states that already have bottle laws.

Until beverage companies reached the 80 percent recycling rate, they would have to surrender much of the deposits they amass from wasted containers to the states, an amount that could easily reach into the billions of dollars.

"We have a fundamental problem understanding why there's always this focus on beverage containers," said Drew Davis, vice president for federal affairs at the National Soft Drink Association, arguing that bottles and cans account for less than 4 percent of the garbage generated by most cities. "Why not focus on paper or yard waste?"

Beyond that, the industry contends, it would have to spend up to $10 billion to get a national recycling system operating. Warehouses and trucks would have to make room for empty bottles. Drivers would have to make more trips, requiring more fuel. Much of the cost, the industry warns, would be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/11/politics/11RECY.html

7/11/02
4:22:05 PM

DAILY GRIST

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020722&s=nichols

STUPID IS WHERE STUPID LIVES

Maybe you live in a city. Maybe you live in the suburbs. Or maybe, like writer Michelle Nijhuis, you live in the Stupid Zone -- at the bottom of an avalanche chute, on top of an earthquake fault, or in the middle of a floodplain, for example. Nijhuis lives on a hot, dry mesa in Colorado, which, with fires raging out of control throughout the West this summer, is the most newsworthy Stupid Zone of them all. When you live in the line of fire, she writes, you have to make some adjustments -- say, less attachment to your personal effects (especially the more flammable of them) and closer relations to your neighbors, not to mention a crash-course in fire-fighting. Read about life in the Stupid Zone, on the Grist Magazine website.

only in Grist: In the Line of Fire -- life in the Stupid Zone -- in our Soapbox section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/soapbox/nijhuis071102.asp?source=daily>

COCA IS IT!

Efforts by the United States to combat cocaine production in Colombia by spraying coca crops with herbicides are coming up against a provision requiring the spraying to meet the same safety standards as those in the U.S. Translation: The U.S. EPA must certify that the spraying "does not pose unreasonable risks or adverse effects to humans or the environment." The herbicide in use in Colombia is a more toxic variant of a product known in the U.S. by the trade name Roundup. Moreover, watchdog organizations suspect the compound used in Colombia may be mixed with surfactants to cause it to adhere to coca plants, making it even more hazardous. Last year, the U.S.-funded program fumigated 207,000 acres of Colombian land, a number that may climb to 370,000 this year. Critics say the spraying has caused "gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., severe bleeding, nausea, and vomiting), testicular inflammation, high fevers, dizziness, respiratory ailments, skin rashes, and severe eye irritation."

straight to the source: New York Times, Christopher Marquis, 11 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=246>

only in Grist: A tale of two mayors -- the improbable story of how Bogota, Colombia, became somewhere you might actually want to live -- in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/maindish/jones040402.asp?source=daily>

DESPERATELY SEEKING SNOOZIN'

Despite mounting evidence that global warming has already begun to exact steep tolls on the environment, the Bush administration told Congress yesterday that it needs up to five years of additional scientific research before it will be ready to formulate a plan to address climate change. Speaking in front of the House Science Committee, Commerce Assistant Secretary James Mahoney said the administration was ready to "move into a new time of differentiation and strategy evaluation" extending for the next two to five years. Some committee members responded by expressing frustration about the White House's lack of a coherent climate change policy; using somewhat clearer language than Mahoney's, Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said, "We really don't have a policy [on climate change]. There's a lot of rhetoric and not a lot of action."

straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Associated Press, John Heilprin, 10 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=247>

only in Grist: Pret-a-poor taste -- climate change is, like, inevitable, dude -- animation by Mark Fiore in our Soapbox section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/soapbox/fiore061002.asp?source=daily>

do good: Take action to tell Bush to tackle global warming <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/climate.asp?source=daily#kyoto>

SURVEY SAYS ...

It would seem the American public is far less equivocal about climate change than the Bush administration: Three-fourths of voters want the government to impose mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions on industry, according to a poll released this week by the environmental group Union of Concerned Scientists. Seventy-six percent of survey respondents favored mandatory emissions standards for power plants, oil refineries, and other industries, and 16 percent supported voluntary standards, while 8 percent were undecided. Moreover, 78 percent of polltakers said they believe global warming is already a serious problem or will be in the future. The Bush administration supports only voluntary emissions cuts and has rejected any cap on carbon dioxide emissions, saying such a move would gravely harm the U.S. economy.

straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 11 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=248>

only in Grist: Lovey-dovey scientists -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/ha/ha092099.stm?source=daily>

99 BOTTLES OF BEER IN A DUMPSTER

For the first time in at least a decade, Congress is considering a national bottle bill, thanks to the efforts of Sen. James Jeffords (I-Vt.), head of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Jeffords, who has battled for such a bottle bill for nearly 30 years, introduced a measure today that would shift the burden of recycling from states, cities, and consumers to the beverage industry, which would be responsible for recycling at least 80 percent of its containers within two years of passage of the bill. Under the terms of the bill, Americans would pay a deposit of at least 10 cents on cans and bottles, which could be redeemed upon recycling. Unsurprisingly, the measure has made industry reps grumpy: "We have a fundamental problem understanding why there's always this focus on beverage containers," said Drew Davis, vice president for federal affairs at the National Soft Drink Association. "Why not focus on paper or yard waste?"

straight to the source: New York Times, Greg Winter, 11 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=249>

only in Grist: Can you recycle a beer bottle with a lime wedge stuck in it? -- astute advice on all things environmental -- in our Ask Umbra column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/ask/ask062102.asp?source=daily#lime>

7/11/02
4:15:48 PM

Justice Department To Attempt Shut Down of 9/11 Evidence Friday

by Tom Flocco, July 11th, 2002

On June 20, Bush Administration officials quietly informed a New York judge of their intention to commence legal actions likely to be far-reaching in their constitutional, political, and individual rights implications pertaining to current lawsuits and government secrecy related to the attacks on September 11, 2001. The moves were revealed in a letter obtained from a confidential source, with two other sources corroborating its existence, adding additional information.

U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Robert D. McCallum, Jr. and United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York James B. Comey advised U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, also of the Southern District of New York, that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will intervene to control access to all evidence and documents related to all private litigation before Hellerstein’s court regarding the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 -- citing “grave national security concerns” as their motivation.

The McCallum and Comey correspondence advised Judge Hellerstein of their intention to “seek [court] entry of a global discovery order [effectively controlling evidence obtained from any country],” requiring that 1) “Transportation Security Administration (TSA) be served with [have prior access to] all requests for party and non-party discovery,” 2) “defendants and non-parties submit all proposed discovery responses that may contain ‘sensitive security information’ (SSI) to the TSA prior to releasing such material to plaintiffs,” and 3) “TSA have the necessary opportunity to review such material and to withhold ‘sensitive security information’ ” [from victim-family attorneys].

One victim family plaintiff -- speaking off the record -- told Scoop Media that family members and their attorneys have not yet sought internal memos, electronic mail, facsimiles, and documents which would shed public light upon what had to be extraordinary legal maneuverings. However, added high stakes related to the publicly undisclosed contents of the controversial August 6, 2001 Presidential intelligence briefing prior to the attacks, and a secret July, 2001 FBI memo -- said to be "50 times more significant than the August 6 briefing," by a Congressional investigator (New York Times, 5-18-2002), will only serve to heighten the importance of the June 20 letter.

The victim family source complained to Scoop Media that "now the White House is trying to control or block the evidence we need to prove our negligence cases in court." The source then added that offices of United Airlines defense firm Mayer-Brown and lead attorney Michael Feagley, TSA, Bush Attorney General John Ashcroft’s Justice Department, Judge Hellerstein’s District Court, and the White House Counsel’s office were all likely involved in the legal machinations.

The resumes of TSA Director, John McGaw, and his personnel security chief, David Holmes, are already controversial enough to draw probing questions on many fronts; but plaintiff attorneys for the victim families may find the Administration's TSA appointee attempts to exert government control over their clients' private cases to be the proverbial last straw.

The DOJ letter to Judge Hellerstein reveals that Bush Administration officials at TSA have also been contacting witnesses already subpoenaed by attorneys for the plaintiff families, telling them that they should send all Plaintiff-subpoenaed evidence and documents to the TSA for initial inspection, prior to directly cooperating with family plaintiff attorneys and Judge Hellerstein's Court in New York. Thus, constitutional questions arise as to why the New York District Court is permitting Bush Administration bureaucratic appointees to tamper with witnesses and evidence in the private civil actions of American citizens.

Some 33 families have already chosen to forego financial awards from the congressionally authorized victim compensation fund in favor of seeking justice and accountability. Their lawsuits are attempting to recover damages for negligence, ticket contract safeguards, and failure to prevent the attacks, even as more evidence regarding prior knowledge of the terrorism recently leaked out from Capitol Hill -- from congressmen and senators themselves.

The letter also disclosed that Ashcroft’s Office will push for “the appointment of lead counsel,” effectively exerting a consolidated supervisory role over all victim family attorneys, while seeking “adoption of uniform [similarly controlled] discovery requests to streamline litigation, reduce costs for all parties and conserve judicial resources.”

Informed sources close to the case told Scoop Media that actions brought by the Justice Department will dilute and trivialize the more clear-cut and important cases which seek answers to many of the questions related to security, negligence, and prior knowledge of the attacks.

Moreover, the legal moves will be seen by some to help Bush attorneys shut down and cut off victim family access to important government documents which would likely lead to the accountability and justice their attorneys have sought through litigation. This, while other victim families watch -- deciding whether or not to introduce their own civil actions against airline companies or other government entities.

RESPONSIBLE ACTIVISM

Some of the unknowing victim family members soon to be affected by imminent but discreet Justice Department legal action [which literally assumes total control over evidence gathering, depositions, testimony, and government reports] were at the Capitol just last month on June 10 and 11 to attend events related to calls for open September 11 probes.

Some family members attended a Monday National Press Club media conference sponsored by the 9/11 investigative organization UnansweredQuestions.org, an independent, non-partisan online community of concerned citizens, researchers, independent investigators, and journalists asking and exploring the unanswered questions of September 11. Believing in transparency, the group’s panel members told gathered TV, radio, and print media attendees that good questions lead to answers and solutions.

On Tuesday, busloads of 9/11 victim families descended on Capitol Hill to voice their concerns at a rally also attended by more media and some congressmen and senators. The families were pleading for open, aggressive, and complete investigations in Congress, but also for a truly independent, non-partisan investigative commission with lawyers and serious researchers totally in concert with the families’ goals of justice and accountability. Meanwhile, Bush attorneys were moving to take control over needed evidence for their civil actions against the airlines.

BUSH LAWYERS THREATEN VICTIM PLAINTIFFS

Curious indications of additional Administration political machinations linked to Special Master Kenneth Feinberg and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund were also revealed in Justice’s letter to Hellerstein’s court: “The Government has been advised that the Court is developing a procedure by which all Plaintiffs in the September 11 Tort Litigation must formally acknowledge the ramifications of pursuing a lawsuit rather than filing a claim with [the Fund].”

This action will permit Feinberg to force families to listen to his attempts to convince them to give up their lawsuits -- accepting his reduced financial offers, instead of taking their chances for fair compensation in court, but also for justice and accountability. However, Feinberg might be losing his battle, as only 10 families out of 3,200 have thus far completed applications permitting him to determine their financial futures, rather than a judge and jury, according to wide press reports.

DOJ lawyers McCallum and Comey further advised Judge Hellerstein that “In making their election, plaintiffs should be fully informed of the risks that accompany litigation.” However, the Administration added that the “TSA’s vigorous enforcement of the rules governing non-disclosure of sensitive security information may present significant litigation consequences for all plaintiffs, and the Government respectfully requests that the Court include a statement to this effect in any finalized protocol,”-- clearly the letter’s most controversial statement.

Some might consider the Administration’s statement a veiled threat, warning that any victim family continuing with or thinking about suing either the airlines, security firms, or other government entities would likely lose any civil action because the Government is going to take complete control of their access to the very evidence needed to prove their cases in court.

Moreover, these and other statements in the Justice Department’s correspondence to Hellerstein could well test the legal ire of many of the families -- given the staggering individual, legal, and constitutional implications.

“CONSOLIDATING” THE CONTROL

Constitutional separation of powers notwithstanding, the Executive Branch is also attempting additional circumnavigation of treacherous legal waters that some might consider blatant usurpation of judicial branch authority in order to control access to evidence in legitimate private lawsuits.

The Assistant Attorney General and U.S. Attorney advised that “the Government will seek to intervene in these cases, and will move to implement a consolidated litigation plan that would enable TSA to enforce both statutory and regulatory aviation safety measures effectively and efficiently.”

On the heels of its strict enforcement intentions, Ashcroft’s Office requested “that the Court -- on its own motion [acting by itself] -- stay [suspend] all discovery in the September 11 Tort Litigation pending the July conference.” McCallum and Comey then asked the Judge to “permit the Government to address these and other issues at the upcoming July status conference,” -- taking the unprecedented action of halting legal evidence discovery in all September 11 tort litigation. The undisclosed victim litigant told Scoop Media that the conference will be held on Friday.

DOJ USING SSI TO CLOAK TSA AND FAA NEGLIGENCE IN USA

Bush Administration lawyers at Attorney General Ashcroft’s Department of Justice (DOJ) may be employing legerdemain in their efforts to suppress useful court evidence, adding that “Congress charged TSA with prohibiting the disclosure of SSI, an entire category of information relating to transportation security.”

They also said that [the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security] “shall prescribe regulations prohibiting disclosure of information obtained or developed in carrying out security or research and development activities” the release of which would “be detrimental to the safety of passengers in transportation.” Justice lawyers then said that “SSI includes, but is not limited to, any approved, accepted, or standard security program; Security Directives and Information Circulars; any selection criteria used in any security screening process; and any security contingency plan.”

Brian Sullivan, former Special Agent for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) New England Region, pointed out to Scoop Media in an interview that “the purpose of protecting information should be in the interests of defending national security. SSI should not be used as a shield to hide FAA and TSA negligence and incompetence.”

Sullivan added that “the intent of the SSI designation was not to hide the ineptitude of the failed FAA civil aviation security apparatus; nor was it intended to preclude legitimate legal inquiry, as government lawyers carry out White House orders to cloak bureaucratic incompetence in a blanket of ‘sensitive security.’ ”

THE PRESIDENT'S PROTECTORS OF AIRPORT INSECURITY

Victim families will be relieved to know that the recent Bush-appointed protector of the nation’s airport security, TSA Director John McGaw, is a 26-year Secret Service veteran. What the families won’t want to know is that wide reports cite McGaw as spearheading the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) investigations into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, the bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and the national church-arson task force -- packing enough controversy into a couple years to last a couple lifetimes.

McGaw was also criticized by Senator Arlen Specter at a recent Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing for defending the actions of BATF agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, where the government paid Randy Weaver $3.5 million because the agents killed his wife and son in the altercation.

And notwithstanding Bush appointee McGaw’s controversial and questionable new power to “prescribe regulations prohibiting disclosure of information” [controlling evidence] and “security or research and development activities” at the nation’s airports, his newly-recruited TSA personnel security chief David Holmes may be America’s worst security nightmare.

Former Commerce Department colleagues charge that, as favors for politicians and friends, “David Holmes signed off on Commerce applicants with criminal or other derogatory information in their background files. One felon even got Top Secret clearance,” according to WorldNetDaily.com. (4-24-2002)

WorldNetDaily added that a senior Commerce official said “TSA is under enormous pressure to meet that Nov.19 deadline [for hiring 30,000 new baggage screeners].” He then added: “And then you have a guy, who’s already predisposed to looking the other way, making critical decisions on the people who are essentially our last line of defense against armed hijackers. You do the math.”

SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER

At this point, not knowing whether to laugh or cry over such bumbling incompetence -- or worse, victim families and their attorneys will now watch Bush Administration lawyers madly shuffling legal paperwork over to the Southern District of New York, using every desperate and unprecedented creative legal theory available in an attempt to steal their constitutionally-given right to a fair civil trial in front of a jury of American citizens.

The Ashcroft lawyers will try to pull it off by smothering access to critical evidence required to win victim family cases, even as some are forced to listen to their Special Master Kenneth Feinberg reiterate the Justice Department’s coming threats to their previously filed litigation.

The letter Americans were not supposed to know about tells it all. And implications for the U.S. rule of law will be seen by many as truly astonishing. However, Fall elections will reveal whether Americans will tolerate what one 9/11 victim plaintiff told Scoop Media is nothing more than “slick government shenanigans."

Grieving families, on the whole, are still emotionally unable to demand that Judge Hellerstein allow their attorneys the right of legitimate legal inquiry and discovery of evidence. It will likely take righteous outrage and responsible citizen activism to halt taxpayer-funded DOJ lawyers attempting to innovatively cloak what many will describe as inside-the-beltway negligence, ineptitude, and abuse of power by Bush Administration appointees at TSA.

Moreover, the anguished victim litigants, their first-rate attorneys, and other potential 9/11 plaintiff families closely watching the lawsuits already filed, may now have to rethink their strategy: It just might take a coterie of constitutional attorneys to prevent the Administration’s impending assaults upon the Constitution’s separation of powers.

This, while having waited nine months for sequestered congressional hearings to commence behind closed doors in a sound-proof room at the Capitol -- to all intents and purposes, placing a 9/11 evidence blackout via a) the Legislative Branch’s secret, soft, and un-aggressive “hearings,” and b) the Executive Branch’s legal lapdogs snapping at the heels of justice, fairness, and God-given rights. How sad for the country that such are the “leaders” placed in power by the citizenry -- corrupt and unresponsive. But Americans get to vote again in November.

Tom Flocco is an independent American investigative journalist, having previously written for Scoop.co.nz, AmericanFreePress.net, WorldNetDaily.com, FromTheWilderness.com, NewsMax.com, NarcoNews.com, and JudicialWatch.org.

Contact: mailto:TomFlocco@cs.com

Source: http://www.UnansweredQuestions.org

7/11/02
3:29:52 PM

The Nation

When Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen comes before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the hearing on her nomination to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, she will face an unprecedented level of criticism from individuals and organizations familiar with her record of extreme right-wing judicial activism.

For the full story on Owen, read John Nichols's cover-story from the July 22/29, 2002 issue of The Nation.

Currently available at:

And for background info on Owen and other upcoming judicial appointments, see a special report issued by NOW at:

http://www.now.org/issues/legislat/nominees/index.html

Also check out IndependentJudiciary.com, a special site sponsored by the Alliance for Justice at:

http://www.independentjudiciary.com/

And don't miss these other editorials, columns and articles from the July 22/29, 2002 double-issue of The Nation:

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Tinkering With the Death Machine

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020722&s=hitchens

BRUCE SHAPIRO: Rethinking the Death Penalty

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020722&s=shapiro

JIM HIGHTOWER: POP-ing the Bankers

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020722&s=hightower

EDWARD HOAGLAND: 1776 and All That

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020722&s=hoagland

HERMAN SCHWARTZ: The Court's Terrible Two

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020722&s=schwartz

7/11/02
3:26:49 PM

MoJournal

http://www.motherjones.com/

Free thinking, non-conforming, investigative reporting

In the July/August issue of Mother Jones, available on news stands now, Bob Burtman explains how the Bush administration, in making energy production a sweeping priority, has touched off a new gold rush across the West.

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtoa4pkFbb/

The effects of the White House initiative are being seen from the high alpine wilderness of Montana to the pristine grasslands of New Mexico. We at MotherJones.com take a look at ten wild areas that face new threats as a result of the push for more drilling.

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtpa4pkFbb/

Been Grocery Shopping Lately?

Here is your chance to help build a nation-wide, non-profit labeling system for everyday items in your local grocery store. A public-interest group is interested in knowing if consumers want this type of label.

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtra4pkFbb/

WEB EXCLUSIVES

News - A Coup in the Hague - Is Washington's unilateralist bent a threat to multinational organizations? Jose Bustani, ousted as director of the world's largest chemical weapons control group, certainly thinks so.

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtsa4pkFbb/

Cartoon - For God We Sue - It's the Atheist Attorney, savior to a complacent nation facing a slide into Godlessness --and politicians facing a campaign season without empty, hot-button issues.

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtta4pkFbb/

Updates - 7UP No Longer Laughing, Breaking Up the Bakassi Boys, Easing Access to Bush's Texas Records

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtua4pkFbb/

Daily Briefing - Charting the Court's Course; The WorldCom Blame Game; Backlash in Barcelona; Life After Watts; Dumping on Nevada; Dissecting the Surgeon General Nominee

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtva4pkFbb/

Radioactive Recycling - If the Department of Energy has its way, the nation's nuclear garbage could end up in everyday items like bicycles, frying pans, and baby strollers.

http://click.topica.com/maaaq7HaaSLtwa4pkFbb/

7/11/02
2:16:41 PM

SciTech Daily Review

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_2120000/2120982.stm

Doctors in Australia are to use a revolutionary technique to try to treat spinal paralysis -- using cells from inside the patient's nose

Going against the flow: Heat can flow without temperature differences -- but thermodynamics remains intact

http://www.nature.com/nsu/020624/020624-1.html

Stephen Jay Gould's final tome, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, is a platitudinous parcel of impenetrable ponderosity, regrettably but manifestly lacking in clarifying conciseness or concatenated cogency, says David P Barash. Yet Gould remains one of the greatest polemicists in the history of biology

http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/gould.html

There will be 10 billion people on Earth by 2100 -- and all of them can live comfortably if advances in energy-saving technology continue, says Richard A Muller

http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_muller061402.asp

It's a small world: every person on Earth is only a few acquaintances removed from any other. What's scary is that a similar rule applies to natural life, and the extinction of species probably matters more than you think

http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/200207080015.htm

7/11/02
2:14:30 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-10-01.asp

NZ GOVERNMENT GENE CONTAMINATION COVERUP EXPOSED

By Bob Burton

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, July 10, 2002 (ENS) - For an extraordinary seven hours today, in the middle of an election campaign, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark refused to answer journalists' questions on her government's coverup of the illegal release of over 15,000 genetically engineered corn plants.

COSTLY CLEANUP EXPECTED AFTER ALASKA DRILLING

WASHINGTON, DC, July 10, 2002 (ENS) - Oil companies drilling in Alaska's North Slope are required to post bonds amounting to just a tiny fraction of the money needed to clean up and restore the land after drilling is complete, finds a new report from the General Accounting Office. The study concludes that the bill for removing drilling structures and restoring tundra could run as high as $6 billion.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-10-06.asp

CLEANUP OF WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR WASTE SITE FUNDED

BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 10, 2002 (ENS) - A fund to tackle environmental and nuclear waste problems in Northern Europe was launched Tuesday in Brussels at a pledging conference that raised ?110 million (US$108.8 million).

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-10-02.asp

BEAUTY PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN CONTROVERSIAL CHEMICALS

WASHINGTON, DC, July 10, 2002 (ENS) - Hair sprays, perfumes and other brand name cosmetics contain toxic chemicals that may be absorbed into the human body, warns a report released today. The report includes the first ever independent tests for phthalates in over the counter products, say the three environmental and public health groups who sponsored the testing.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-10-07.asp

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 10, 2002

Report: Ocean Management Needs Overhaul

Utility's Pollution Plan Supports Clean Air Act

Red-Legged Frog Habitat Rule Overturned

Golf Course Water Hazards Filter Runoff

Florida Environment Agency Buys Hybrid Cars

Nantucket Sound Wind Farm Raises Controversy

Salmon in Study Travel by Helicopter

Admire Dolphins - But From a Distance

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-10-09.asp

7/11/02
2:12:13 PM

'WHY I QUIT BUSH'S EPA'

Eric Schaeffer spent 12 years of his life working at the EPA to hold companies accountable for their air pollution, only to watch President Bush systematically roll back enforcement of the Clean Air Act and other key laws upon taking office. So last spring, Schaeffer resigned in protest from his post as director of EPA's Office of Regulatory Enforcement.

In an impassioned account in The Washington Monthly, Schaeffer explains the reasons for his principled resignation:

"Enforcing environmental laws has never been easy. Even in the Clinton administration there were bureaucratic turf battles, truculent congressmen, and relentless industry lobbyists to contend with. But hard work yielded progress ... Under Bush, the balance has shifted, to a degree few outside the bureaucracy may realize....

"[P]ublic efforts to roll back regulations are only half the story. Behind the scenes, in complicated ways that attract less media attention (and therefore may be politically safer), the administration and its allies in Congress are crippling the EPA's ability to enforce laws and regulations already on the books. As a result, some of the worst pollution continues unchecked."

http://www.tompaine.com/check_it_out/

7/11/02
2:10:54 PM

TomPaine.com

http://www.TomPaine.com

Independent, Commercial-free

WAR AGAINST WHAT?

Absent A Goal In The War On Terror, We've No Shortage Of Enemies

by Brendan O'Neill

If bin Laden the man is no longer the enemy and bin Laden the symbol has been defeated, who or what is the target of the ongoing war on terror? Bush has been less than specific, but at least a third of the globe has been implicated.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5941

Dispatch: Philadelphia

THE LONG JOURNEY HOME

A Tale Of Wandering Waste Ash

by Brad Linder

"The best option would have been that ash wasn't created in the first place. But now, the morally correct thing, the environmentally correct thing is that it should come back to where it was generated."

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5899

PUBLIC OPINION WATCH:

July 1 - 5, 2002 A Weekly Compendium And Commentary

by Ruy Teixeira

Will the School Voucher Movement Surge Forward? ... Scandals Drive Support for Business Regulation ... Turnout Falls -- Even Without an Election!

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5944

FORMER SENATOR BOB KERREY STILL UNDER THE FOG OF WAR

New Memoir Raises More Questions Than It Answers About Vietnam Slaughter

by Richard Blow

Former Nebraska senator Bob Kerrey writes about his youth in his memoir, but the most defining event is still cloaked in confusion: an atrocity he committed as a soldier in Vietnam.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5950

BUSH'S NOT-SO-HARD STANCE ON CORPORATE CRIME

Euphemisms Abound When Fraud Is "Restatement of Earnings"

by Arianna Huffington

Admonishing crooked CEOs not to "fudge the numbers" is like suggesting that suicide bombers not "spoil the day" of their intended victims.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5943

7/11/02
2:07:49 PM

Markets Dump Bush Stock: A response to Bush's corporate accountability speech

By Robert Kuttner - 7.9.02

Bush's New York speech on corporate accountability was one of the weakest of his presidency. It was long on platitudes, short on structural reforms. The Dow Jones responded to his call for restored confidence in America's financial markets by plunging 189 points.

Ever since he took office, Bush's short run political strategy has been to blur differences with Democrats. He can get away with this, perhaps, on issues like prescription drug coverage, where the details are numbingly complex and few voters are paying attention. But America's corporate meltdown is real, and Bush is way behind the curve.

It's more than a little ironic that Bush's mandateless presidency was rescued by a foreign policy crisis that is now being upstaged by what could be the most serious economic threat since the Great Depression. For Bush's own rise to fame and fortune in Texas was a small-bore version of the Enron and WorldCom scandals.

There is no way that Bush can do a Nixon-to-China on this issue and get back ahead of the curve because Bush's closest cronies epitomize precisely the kind of capitalism that is imploding. While his father was President of the United States, Bush himself received 200,000 shares of stock in Harken Energy Corp, in exchange for serving on its board and doing ill-defined consulting. Harken engaged in Enron-style manipulation of its reported profits. Eight days before Harken had to restate its profits, Bush dumped the stock for more than $848,000. The SEC general counsel who gave Bush a free pass was Bush's own former lawyer.

Before the current scandals, this kind of manipulation and insider profiting was considered small potatoes. But now it is a near-perfect echo, in miniature, of everything wrong with corporate America. Bush can moderate his rhetoric as the occasion fits, but he can't escape his own history. CLIP

http://www.prospect.org/webfeatures/2002/07/kuttner-r-07-09.html

7/11/02
2:05:47 PM

Gephardt Statement on Corporate Accountability

(...) The opportunity for bipartisan reform is being met by opposition from special interests, Republicans in Congress, and an administration that offers tough talk without meaningful legislative action. So far, the administration's approach has been a familiar strategy: use harsh rhetoric to condemn wrongdoers while delaying and watering down whatever reforms might come out of Congress." CLIP

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10D.gep.corp.acc.htm

All the President's Enrons

(...) Mr. Bush keeps saying all the right things. He is "deeply concerned." He will "hold people accountable." But words, like stocks, lose value when nothing backs them up. It is now more than six months since the president promised "a lot of government inquiry into Enron." Since then, Playboy has done a better job of exposing the women of Enron than the Bush administration has done at exposing its men. Just as the Justice Department rounded up some 1,000 alleged Sept. 11 suspects and failed to indict a single one of them for terrorist activity, so it has made a big show of its shaky Andersen conviction while failing to indict a single Enron executive or individual Andersen accountant. (...) WorldCom is a political boon to the president because it allows him to moralize about epic-scale crime without mentioning Enron, Halliburton or Harken. But the Enron bomb hasn't been defused. Its next detonation may come the day someone outside the administration unearths the as-yet mostly secret names of those buddies of Enron executives who were let into the hundreds of side partnerships that overnight yielded multimillion-dollar plunder on nominal stakes (with ordinary stockholders left paying the bill). "Not in memory has a single major company grown so big in tandem with a presidential dynasty and a corrupted political system," wrote the Republican political analyst Kevin Phillips in The Los Angeles Times five months ago, tracing Bush family favor-swapping with Enron back to 1988 and likening Enron's potential damage to that of the Harding administration's Teapot Dome scandals. "The question now is whether what went up together will come down together." CLIP

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.08C.rich.enrons.htm

Bush Brushes Off Question About His Business Past

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06D.bush.brush.htm

The Loyal Opposition: Our Insider President

Bush Owes His Wealth -- And Office -- To Political Connections by David Corn - The bottom line of the recent business scandals: the rules ain't the same for corporate high-flyers as for everyone else. And Bush is not well-positioned to deal with this problem. After all, he is president because of insider capitalism.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5945

Digging For Dirt On The Bush Clan?

Did you know that Prescott Bush was once fined for doing business with the Third Reich? Or that George W. Bush's first oil venture -- Arbusto -- was funded largely in part by one of the seventeen brothers of Osama Bin Laden? Or maybe you're interested in digging up some dirt of your own on the Bush dynasty? If so, we advice that you check out Bushology Interactive, a regularly-updated service providing links to public-information sources for those investigating members of the Bush family and their political and financial interests. It's all verifiable information; no conspiracy theories or anything like that.

http://www.moldea.com/bushology.html

No SEC Questions Yet for Cheney

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney, who ran Halliburton Co. when it adopted accounting practices that now are the subject of a federal inquiry, has not been contacted by Securities and Exchange Commission investigators. The investigation of Halliburton is more than one month old and SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt said over the weekend that Cheney is not immune to inquiries. But vice presidential spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise said Monday the agency has not approached Cheney for an interview or documentation. CLIP

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06E.sec.cheney.htm

No One Is Above The Law - Cheney In The Hot Seat

Vice President Dick Cheney and Halliburton Co., the oil company he ran for five years before becoming vice president, are being accused of accounting fraud by Judicial Watch, the conservative watchdog group that previously sued for access to Cheney's energy taskforce records. The SEC hasn't filed any charges against Cheney or Halliburton, but Judicial Watch is alleging that the company knowingly defrauded investors by reporting cost overruns on construction jobs as profits, a practice for which Halliburton has drawn only minimal scrutiny from the SEC. Judicial Watch chairman and general counsel Larry Klayman had this to say on June 9: "We're looking to hold Vice President Cheney and others accountable. We have no faith in the Bush administration and we have no faith in the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation."

http://www.judicialwatch.org/

Complaint Filed Against Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney, and others

http://www.judicialwatch.org/cases/92/complaint.htm

Anti-corruption group sues Cheney

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_2119000/2119129.stm

Cheney sued for stock fraud

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28218

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Cheney Led Halliburton To Feast at Federal Trough

State Department Questioned Deal With Firm Linked to Russian Mob

http://www.public-i.org/story_01_080200.htm

DIRT ON DICK CHENEY?

The former boss at Halliburton and U.S. Vice President has blood on his hands and an environmental reputation to make Bush blush. Find out about the Oil Man...

http://www.moles.org/ProjectUnderground/pr_archive/pr000725.html

Dick Cheney Needed to Come Clean; Why Joe Lieberman Didn't Out Him.

In the best exchange of the night, Cheney claimed that the government didn't have anything to do with the improvement in his fortunes over the last eight years. Oh, really? (...) In part through trading on his personal relationships with government officials and buying influence through contributions to politicians, Cheney reportedly expanded his personal fortune to approximately $50 million while chairman and chief executive officer of Halliburton. CLIP

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/3728

THE CAMPAIGN ISSUE THAT WASN'T

Cheney's oil company in shady business deals with Iraq. Cheney left Halliburton with a $34 million retirement package.

http://www.sfbg.com/reality/04.html

White House Stonewall: Day 136 & 137

The White House Stonewall goes on, as the Bush administration continues to deny the non-partisan General Accounting Office's request for information on who the White House Energy Task Force met with while formulating national energy policy. For the first time in history, the GAO has sued the executive branch for access to the records. It has been 136 days since the GAO filed their suit against the Bush administration and 428 days since the White House first received the GAO request. Why is the White House going to such lengths? What are they trying to hide?

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10G.stone.136.137.htm

Bush Defends Sale of Stock and Vows to Enhance S.E.C.

Secretive Group Re-emerges With Advertising Hostile to Bush http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/10/business/10ADS.html WASHINGTON, July 9 - A small, secretive group that used television advertisements to attack George W. Bush during his campaign for president has re-emerged to point to links between oil companies with questionable accounting practices and the Bush administration. The group, American Family Voices, paid for a 30-second commercial that will be shown until Thursday on cable news programs here and in New York. The commercial calls President Bush "sly like a fox" for talking down his dealings with Harken Energy, an oil company on whose board he once sat. CLIP

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10B.harken.follow.htm

In-depth coverage about Bush Administration

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Bush_Administration/

7/11/02
2:00:48 PM

"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable."

George Orwell

7/11/02
1:59:01 PM

Vice President Cheney Sued Personally For Alleged Stock Fraud

Alleged Fraudulent Accounting Practices Occurred At Halliburton

(Washington, D.C., July 10, 2002) Judicial Watch, the group that investigates and prosecutes corruption by government officials, announced today that it is filing a shareholders suit in Dallas, Texas, against Vice President Dick Cheney and the other involved directors of Halliburton, as well as Halliburton itself, for alleged fraudulent accounting practices which resulted in the overvaluation of the company’s shares, thereby deceiving investors and others.

The suit comes one day after President George W. Bush, who himself is enmeshed in allegations of insider trading when he was an executive, who sat on the audit committee of Harken Energy Company, announced a “plan” to crack down on corporate fraud. Ironically, it would appear that the President’s rush to propose more regulation of private industry is intended to deflect attention away from his and his Vice President’s own alleged improper business practices. President Bush has maintained that he was cleared by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Others have countered that the head of the agency was then an appointee of his father, President George H.W.Bush.

President Clinton and the Democratic Party used a similar gambit when they were caught taking money illegally from foreign donors, including the Communist Chinese. Instead of prosecuting vigorously the Clintons and other guilty politicians, new campaign finance laws were proposed to deflect attention away from alleged crimes.

Whether it is the Enron, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing, or now the Halliburton and Harken scandals, there is a dangerous intersection between politicians of all stripes, Democrat and Republican, attempting to feed at the trough of business greed. As is true of the Clinton scandals, the American people cannot look the other way just because the President and Vice President are allegedly involved. Indeed, Judicial Watch has already sued Democrat and Republican officials in the Enron and Global Crossing scandals. To look the other way for the Vice President would be to set a precedent that the Washington elite are above the law. This cannot be permitted if our democracy is to survive,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

In 1995 Halliburton was prosecuted and forced to plead guilty to trading with Libya, a terrorist state on the U.S. watch list.

A press conference will be held in Miami today at 9:00 A.M. at the Sheraton Hotel at 495 Brickell Avenue to announce and detail this suit.

View the complaint: http://www.judicialwatch.org/cases/92/complaint.htm

Source: http://www.judicialwatch.org/2088.shtml

7/11/02
1:47:04 PM

The Union of Concerned Scientists

Needs YOU to help prevent the misuse of antibiotics!

We need your help more than ever! Your Senators will soon make a decision on an act that will safeguard antibiotic effectiveness. They need to hear from you, tell them to support the "Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act."

Click Here: It's Free! http://www.care2.com/go/z/1505

WILL ANTIBIOTICS STILL WORK IN TEN YEARS? Each year an estimated 325,000 people in the U.S. go to the hospital for food poisoning! Nearly 5,200 die because of food-borne illnesses. Although food poisoning is currently treated effectively with antibiotics, this might not always be true. The same antibiotics we depend on to treat people with food poisoning, anthrax, teburculosis and strepp throat are becoming increasingly less effective! Antibiotic misuse is contributing to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains that cause serious human illnesses. Already a recent study showed that 25 percent of Strepp patients were found to have a strain that is resistant to several antibiotics. Help Now! It's Free! http://www.care2.com/go/z/1505

WHY? There is rampant misuse of antibiotics in the agriculture industry! The "nontherapeutic" use of antibiotics in healthy pigs, poultry and beef cattle constitutes an estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States. Any time, that bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, only the resistant germs survive to reproduce resistant offspring. In order to reduce antibiotic resistance, we MUST reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

How does animal antibiotic use affect humans? The types of antibiotics given to farm animals are closely linked to the antibiotics used in humans. Similarly resistance to those drugs can easily spread from germs that infect animals to those that infect humans.

Already antibiotic resistance costs the health-care system billions of dollars each year -- a figure that will only increase as resistance continues to worsen. And more importantly, it endangers lives... potentially your life, or the lives of friends and family!

WHAT CAN YOU DO? The Union of Concerned Scientists needs YOU to help prevent the misuse of antibiotics! Tell your Senators to support the "Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act. It is a critical piece of legislation which is currently under debate in the Senate. The act will phase out the routine feeding of medically important antibiotics to healthy livestock and poultry and phase out the use of Cipro-like drugs in treating sick poultry.

Join thousands of other concerned citizens, the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and the World Health Organization in opposing the nontherapuetic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. Urge your Senators to vote YES on the "Preservation of Antibiotics for Human Treatment Act". Add your voice and press for fast action on this vital legislation today!

ACT NOW! IT'S FREE! YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

http://www.care2.com/go/z/1505

7/11/02
1:43:06 PM

Planet Ark World Environment News

Zambia changes stance, seeks GM maize for food aid - ZAMBIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16793/story.htm

US overfishing, pollution threaten oceans - report - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16785/story.htm

Army Corps, green group to work together on dams - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16786/story.htm

California urges conservation to avoid power emergency - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16800/story.htm

US voters want strict greenhouse gas cuts - survey - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16805/story.htm

US Congress approves Yucca nuclear waste dump - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16789/story.htm

Nevada vows to fight on against Yucca nuclear dump - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16790/story.htm

Cooper Cameron says sued over water contamination - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16807/story.htm

UPDATE - Firms unprepared for Alaska oil cleanup cost - report - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16803/story.htm

Phillips to build sulfur removal units at 2 refineries - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16801/story.htm

EPA to meet with GOP lawmakers on clean diesel rules - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16784/story.htm

Gorbachev warns against new U.S.-led arms race - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16792/story.htm

Russia to restrict GM feed imports from Oct 1-AgMin - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16802/story.htm

Europe's farmers wary of EU farm policy changes - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16798/story.htm

One missing as typhoon Chata'an lashes Japan - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16795/story.htm

Small water leak found at Japan nuclear reactor - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16791/story.htm

Green activists say Italy lax on forest fires - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16787/story.htm

EU farm reform to make spending efficient-Fischler - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16796/story.htm

Genetics "fashion" boosts EU animal testing - expert - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16804/story.htm

FEATURE - Shrimps and seawater make Eritrean desert bloom - ERITREA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16794/story.htm

China Health Min to accept GMO applications in December - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16797/story.htm

Canada eyes Friday return home for orphan whale - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16806/story.htm

UPDATE - Panel backs approval for Australia's Basslink - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16788/story.htm

7/11/02
1:41:01 PM

Public Citizen

July 10, 2002

Alabama Auto Dealership Should Not Be Allowed to Restrict Speech on the Internet

First Amendment Protects Web Site Critical of Hoover Business, Public Citizen to Argue in Friday Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Web site created by Birmingham consumer Thomas Ballock to air his frustrations with a local auto dealer not only is permissible under trademark law but is speech that should be protected by the First Amendment, Public Citizen concluded in a brief filed July 1 with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

In April 2002, the auto dealer, Crown Pontiac-Nissan of Hoover, Alabama, sought and received a preliminary injunction to prevent Ballock from posting criticism about Crown on the Internet. Ballock did not have an attorney representing him at the time. The injunction prohibited Ballock from using Crown's name in the domain name, meta tags or anywhere in the text of any Internet site. Ballock then retained the Public Citizen Litigation Group to represent him.

Public Citizen has filed a motion to dissolve that injunction on the grounds that Ballock's use of Crown's name is permissible under federal trademark law and constitutes the type of consumer commentary that has long been protected by the First Amendment. Amanda Frost, an attorney with Public Citizen, will be in Birmingham July 12 for a hearing on the case.

In its response to Ballock's motion to dissolve the injunction, Crown has retreated from the arguments on which the court's injunction relied. Crown's original complaint was that Ballock's Web site - www.crownpontiacnissan.com - infringed on its trademark, an untenable argument because it relied on a section of law that requires a trademark to be registered, and Crown had never registered its name. Crown now concedes that Ballock had a right to use Crown's name in the text of the site, but maintains he could not in the meta tags and domain name. The court injunction, barring all three uses, still holds.

"Crown has realized that Ballock had a right to criticize it by name in the text, and now it's backpedaling," Frost said. "Crown is simply doing whatever it can to silence criticisms on the Internet. Ballock should be able to use Crown's name in the domain name and meta tags, too."

Crown now claims trademark infringement based on a law that protects non-registered trademarks. However, the law does not apply to the noncommercial use of a mark. Ballock's site was noncommercial; he built it to educate consumers about Crown and the hazards of mandatory arbitration clauses that many Birmingham auto dealerships require customers to sign, and he did not sell any goods or services on the site.

Furthermore, the First Amendment protects Ballock's use of Crown's name in the text, domain name and meta tags of his Web site, Public Citizen's reply argued. The domain name is similar to the title of a creative work in that it uses Crown's name to draw attention to the content of the site. The site in no way attempted to confuse users or mislead them to believe that it was Crown's official site. In fact, Ballock's Web site included many prominent disclaimers explaining that the site was not sponsored by or affiliated with Crown. Because Ballock used Crown's name merely to identify it as the subject of his criticism, his Web site is protected by the First Amendment.

Crown also erroneously claims that Ballock violated the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. The anti-cybersquatting law was designed to prevent private citizens from registering domain names of prominent businesses and then offering to sell them to those businesses. Ballock made no attempt to sell the domain name to Crown or to profit in any way from the Web site.

"Crown's arguments just don't hold water," Frost said. "The First Amendment protects Ballock's speech from these types of attempts to silence criticism."

Public Citizen became involved in the case because it has a history of defending free speech on the Internet. The hearing will be held 9:30 a.m., July 12, at 1729 5th Ave. North in Birmingham.

A copy of the reply brief is at

http://www.citizen.org/documents/ballockreply.pdf.

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

For more information, please visit http://www.Citizen.org

7/11/02
1:38:28 PM

George W.'s Bloody Folly

by Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian

That was a fantastic speech. Quite literally, fantastic. George Bush's address on the Middle East, delivered outside the White House on [June 24], consisted, from beginning to end, of fantasy.

It bore so little relation to reality that diplomats around the world [were] shaking their heads in disbelief, before sinking into gloom and despair. Our [U.K.] Foreign Office tried gamely to spot the odd nugget of sense in the Bush text - but, they admitted, it was an uphill struggle. Israelis committed to a political resolution of the conflict were heartbroken. Even Shimon Peres, foreign minister in Ariel Sharon's coalition, reportedly called the speech "a fatal mistake," warning: "A bloodbath can be expected."

To read the entire column, go to:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4448474,00.html

7/11/02
1:27:13 PM

World Bank Rebel Wages War Against Wall Street

Nobel prize-winner Joseph Stiglitz turns his back on US establishment to fight the cause of impoverished nations being exploited by IMF and global powers

JOSEPH Stiglitz is a rare breed, an heretical economist who has ruffled the self-satisfied global establishment that once fed him.

When I met him in the fashionable surroundings of One Aldwych last week, Stiglitz warned that current fears about the reliability of corporate accounts could easily extend to the national UK governmental level.

Stiglitz says: 'We've been seeing the same lack of ethics in accounting in the Bush administration on the public side. Misleading accounting practices are pervasive and were very extensively engaged in by the Bush administration in the context of the last tax cut.'

In his book, Globalization And Its Discontents, the Nobel laureate and former World Bank chief economist goes beyond attacking Dubya. He declares war on the entire Washington financial and economics establishment, of which he was once a part, over its failure to reduce disparities between rich and poor countries.

Stiglitz accuses the agents of US economic policy -- the US Treasury, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- of having subverted the process of globalisation for many years, turning it into a one-way street which benefits only the developed world.

'I tried in my book to describe the lack of intellectual coherence in the World Bank,' said Stiglitz. 'Even Milton Freidman would reject most of what they are doing.'

With capitalism at what he terms a 'crossroads', just as it was during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and with the IMF weakened after its maladroit handling of the Asian, Russian and Argentine crises, the neo-Keynesian Stiglitz believes we have a wonderful opportunity to encourage the IMF and World Bank to mend their ways.

Rather than continuing to use the IMF as a cudgel to push discredited Reaganite/Thatcherite free market policies on troubled emerging markets, he believes the IMF and World Bank must become less ideologically driven and ensure their prescriptions are no longer mere blood-letting.

In common with Will Hutton, author of The World We're In, Stiglitz believes the developed world must also set an example by dismantling its own trade barriers -- such as farm tariffs and the Common Agricultural Policy -- before it brutalises poorer countries into opening up their own markets to Western goods.

He accuses the IMF of gross hypocrisy, especially when it claims not to believe in subsidies yet spends 'billions of dollars in bail-outs -- which are nothing more than subsidies for foreign exchange markets'.

Stiglitz also wants to ensure IMF loans no longer come with strings attached. At the moment, they are loaded with conditions which almost invariably undermine the recipient countries' 'ownership' of the prescribed reforms -- and hence their willingness to carry them out.

He points out that at times of crisis the IMF's medicine usually has the unfortunate side-effect of worsening the country's affliction, crippling its economy for years to come and causing lasting social problems.

He professes admiration for countries such as China, Malaysia and Botswana which have seen off the IMF. 'China and Malaysia both saw maintaining social stability was of first order importance. They protected their own citizens more than the democracies did.'

Stiglitz adds: 'IMF decisions were made on the basis of a curious blend of ideology and bad economics, dogma that sometimes seemed to be thinly veiled special interests.'

The most shocking thing, he says, is that the real winners are advanced economies such as the US and UK -- and investment banks on Wall Street. He suggests such firms earn millions of dollars by shifting capital in and out of countries which are prone after succumbing to the IMF treatment.

The most controversial passage in his book alludes to conflicts of interest in Washington which allow 'masters of the Universe' from big banks to shift effortlessly in and out of the IMF or even US Treasury.

Robert Rubin, for example, went from Goldman Sachs, to the Treasury Secretary and left to become chairman of Citigroup, the world's largest bank.

Stiglitz writes: 'Stan Fischer, the deputy managing director [of the IMF] went directly from the IMF to become a vice-chairman at Citibank. One could ask: Was Fischer being richly rewarded for having faithfully executed what he was told to do?'

This was like a red rag to a bull for the IMF, which rose to the bait last week. Ken Rogoff, the former Harvard University professor and chess grand master who recently became economic counsellor and research director at the IMF, responded with a furious tirade against Stiglitz, which is published on the IMF's website.

Rogoff said: 'You slander Fischer, implying Citibank may have dangled a job offer in front of him in return for his co-operation in debt renegotiations. Fischer is well known to be a person of unimpeachable integrity. Of all the false inferences and innuendos in this book, this is the most outrageous. I'd suggest you should pull this book off the shelves until this slander is corrected.'

Rogoff also accused Stiglitz of 'carelessly slandering' IMF staff, 'ignominiously sabotaging' interest defence policies, and of fuelling the panic during the Asian crisis 'by undermining confidence in the very institutions you were working for'.

Yet Stiglitz showed no signs of toning down his critiques when I met him last week, after emerging unscathed from a BBC studio in which he was confronted by Jeremy Paxman and Economist editor Bill Emmott on Radio 4's Start the Week.

Stiglitz resigned in summer 1999 as the World Bank's chief economist to become a professor of economics and finance at New York's Columbia University precisely because he wanted the freedom to speak out about such things. He isn't likely to allow himself to be muzzled now --especially since post Seattle and Genoa he believes the battle is already half won.

According to Stiglitz, capital market liberalisation was a crazy policy to inflict on East Asia during the economic crisis of 1997-98. 'You can't argue that more capital was needed in East Asia because they were saving 30-35% of their GDP. They were having a hard time investing their own savings.

'So why was capital market liberalisation pushed on them? Because it benefited Wall Street.'

Born in 1943 in Gary, Indiana, Stiglitz became a Yale professor at the age of 26. In 1993 joined Bill Clinton's team of economic advisers, and was eager to play his part in creating a more equitable and balanced America. He has since aimed at ensuring globalisation is handled in ways that are more palatable to the developing world. If this could not be achieved from inside, he wants to fight the same fight from without.

He says: 'One point that I make in the book is that all the activities of the IMF have been in developing countries and yet it's still run by G7 and particularly by the United States. The US Treasury, always the most conservative American institution, has a disproportionate voice.'

Stiglitz mistrusts the current system whereby the World Bank is always headed by an American with the IMF always run by a European, with an American as IMF number two. 'It's a global institution and it should be the best qualified person in the world.'

When the German Horst Kohler replaced Michel Camdessus as IMF head, Stiglitz notes the ridiculousness of the situation. 'Despite the fact that all the IMF's work has been in the developing world since 1976, nobody said the next head should be from a developing country.'

He questions the appointment of Anne Krueger, a Bush nominee, as IMF number two. 'People all around the world were saying this institution needs to open up to new ideas. And so who do they appoint? Somebody who was a throwback to the Reagan era: it was really quite astounding.'

But does Stiglitz detect any glimmers of hope? And is there any chance that the people at the World Bank and IMF are going to listen to his impassioned pleas for change?

'I'm very hopeful. There's been an enormous amount of change, especially at the World Bank in the last eight years. Many of the issues I raised six years ago have already resulted in change. They are now talking about the importance of [national] bankruptcy. I started talking about reducing the burden of conditionality they are now talking about that.'

'There's been some movement at the IMF. But there's still a long, long way to go.'

Many citizens of the third world will be hoping that Stiglitz is not burned at the stake before we finally get there.

Globalization And Its Discontents (Penguin £16.99) is out now

Source: http://www.sundayherald.com/25987

7/11/02
1:21:38 PM

Women serving time

Average daily number of women in local jails in the U.S.:

1990 37,198 1995 52,300 2001 76,621

*Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics

7/11/02
1:16:00 PM

Utopia: All It's Not Cracked Up To Be

by David Batstone

Have you ever noticed how much of our political language relies on binary logic? "Binary what?" you say - think the North and South Poles.

Here's an axiom that's half a binary pair: Before making an appeal for political action, describe a moment when the problem did not exist, at least in the form or to the degree it does now. Creating this mental space will then enable people to make progress by looking backward, effectively re-creating a past social order.

Alternative to axiom one: Promise freedom and justice in a world that is yet to come. Although here and now life is alienated, the future will break into history and transform what we have here into an entirely new place.

Both these axioms of political language have their theological counterpart, of course. Since there is no place outside the Garden of Eden that is free from the traps of history, release from bondage can only truly occur in the realm of the ideal.

In the Judeo-Christian West, "time" was destined to become our holy grail. Redemption can be found in time past (the Garden) or time future (heaven), both of which are bound by eternity. Time so conceived has no organic link to place. The forthcoming (future) and the antecedent (past) are not contingent on the horizon of the present.

But understandings of time are by no means universal, a fact depicted exceptionally well in the 1991 movie "Black Robe." The film relates the awkward and tragic relationships that evolved between North American Indians and the French Jesuits who came to bring them salvation. The Huron tribe is convinced that the clock is the foreigners' god, since it tells them what to do and when to do it. In one of the more poignant scenes in the movie, the Hurons are brought to the mission chapel where they sit down patiently, turn away from the altar, and face the clock. They wait in reverent silence for the cuckoo god to arrive and to announce the next sacred hour: Time is the transcendent, arriving from beyond history.

The European missionaries, for their part, are frustrated with their inability to communicate to these "primitives" a world of eternal destiny autonomous from their tribal relationships. The Hurons could only conceive the future in continuity with their present.

If we read the Garden of Eden story through the eyes of the Hurons - filtered by a logic of lived relationships rather than time - the thrust of the story would change dramatically. The much-maligned serpent would be the key to this reading. First, it is noteworthy that in many sacred traditions the serpent is a symbol for the primal relation of opposites, life and death. The serpent sheds its skin once its use has been exhausted; the death of its own being yields forth its life.

A second way that the serpent represents the vulnerability of living is in its mode of survival. The snake's body is one long digestive canal that is fed by eating other life. The survival of life demands feeding off life itself. Finally, the snake, which usually kills not by overcoming its victim but by injecting the victim with its venom, represents the fear of internalizing the forces of destruction. Social relationships imply inevitable infection.

When we read the story this way, the physical, ethical, and spiritual awareness of difference - in which we feel compelled, if not damned, to judge "good" and "evil" - is inevitable. That is the cost of living. Finding the unity of force that lies behind the differences is to tap into the mystery of transcendence.

A theological or political language dominated by binary logic, on the other hand, masks how terrifying reality can be. It splits off the differences, the contradictions, of reality and creates spaces where contradictions do not exist. They call these spaces "utopia," which literally means "no place," because they depict a space where the day-to-day occurrences of life are not implicated by their contradictions.

Therein lies the power of the imagination. Our mind can spin images that give visibility to the place where I am not, yet where I want to be. Sounds like a fertile womb for hope. But imagination can just as easy produce false hope when it calls me to identify with utopia, so that the place where I actually am becomes the illusion.

And that is what makes me suspicious of any language rooted in theological or political utopia rather than the language of lived relations. It asks me to move within a space where I am absent.

Source: http://www.SoJo.net

7/11/02
1:08:57 PM

"I maintain that we are born and grow up with a fondness for each other, and that we have genes for that. We can be talked out of that fondness, for the genetic message is like a distant music, and some of us are hard of hearing. Societies are noisy affairs, drowning out the sound of ourselves and our connection. Hard of hearing, we go to war. Stone-deaf, we make thermonuclear missiles. Nonetheless, the music is there, waiting for more listeners."

Lewis Thomas

7/11/02
12:35:22 PM

Yucca Mountain: Senate OKs Dump

Nuclear Lobby Wins By Count Of 60-39

by SteveTtetreault Stephens, Washington Bureau, July 10, 2002

WASHINGTON -- Fifteen years after Congress passed the "Screw Nevada Bill," the deed was done Tuesday as senators voted decisively to store the nation's deadliest nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

On a key procedural vote, senators voted 60-39 in favor of the Yucca Mountain Project, all but ending more than two decades of legislative fighting.

The site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been the only place under consideration since 1987, when Congress passed legislation that bitter Nevada officials said all but ensured the state would become the nation's nuclear dumping ground.

Nevada's senators had lobbied their colleagues incessantly in the weeks preceding Tuesday's vote.

"It feels like somebody has punched me about 100 times in the gut," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Yucca Mountain supporters were in a decidedly sunnier mood.

"What happened today was good for this country," Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said. "This was an important vote for our nation's energy security and national security."

Gov. Kenny Guinn expressed disappointment, but vowed the state will mount a spirited legal battle.

"The U.S. Senate vote today is the beginning of Nevada's legal and regulatory fight to stop the Yucca Mountain Project," Guinn said. "Now the process moves to the federal courts, where the playing field is level and Nevada's factual, scientific arguments will be heard by impartial judges."

Guinn's likely opponent in the fall election, state Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, said the vote means Nevada should start negotiating for benefits to hold the repository.

"We must consider seriously changing our position and trying to get something out of a bad situation," said Neal, a retired Nevada Test Site worker who is running for governor. "We must get benefits."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that is not in the cards.

"There's no deal to be made," said Reid, for whom Yucca Mountain has been a defining issue since he was elected to the Senate in 1986.

Instead, Reid, the Senate's majority whip, said he will continue to keep the heat on the federal government through his leadership post and chairmanships of two key energy subcommittees.

"I thought I'd feel worse than I do," the former amateur boxer said after Tuesday's vote. "I feel kind of invigorated. I feel in my heart I did the right thing, and I'm energized to keep fighting. They may have knocked me down, but I'm not out."

Tuesday's showdown capped a series of events precipitated by President Bush's February recommendation that 77,000 tons of the nation's deadliest nuclear waste be stored at Yucca Mountain.

In April, Guinn vetoed that recommendation. In May, the House voted 306-117 to override the veto. Senators followed in kind Tuesday.

Voting to store waste at Yucca Mountain were 45 Republicans and 15 Democrats. Two Republicans joined Ensign, 35 Democrats, and Vermont independent Sen. James Jeffords in opposition. The other Republicans were Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.

Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., recovering from surgery, did not vote. The White House and Republican leaders did not require him to show up, an early indication they were confident of prevailing.

Jeffords voted against the repository after intense lobbying by Reid and environmental groups. Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, however, voted for Yucca Mountain.

In the seven states, including Vermont, where Nevada spent tens of thousands of dollars for television advertisements, three of 14 senators took Nevada's side.

Abraham said he hopes the Senate vote will mark a clearer path for the Yucca program, which has been dogged by escalating costs and missed deadlines. The Yucca resolution will be sent to President Bush for his signature.

The Energy Department must submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before it can build the repository. The Energy Department says the earliest waste could be shipped to the site is 2010.

"Nevada has had its day," Abraham said. "Nevada had a chance to veto this, which it did. Nevada had a chance in the House and the Senate to make its case, which it certainly has. My hope is that after this process a majority will support the (spending) levels we need to finish the job."

The showdown brought to an end frantic maneuvering by Nevada's congressional delegation to kill or stall the repository in the face of insurmountable opposition from the Bush administration, the nuclear power industry and the national business community.

Reid and Ensign said their lobbying was picking up support in recent weeks. But they said they quickly lost ground when the Bush administration began a serious lobbying campaign of its own in the past 10 days.

"I don't know if there was anything we could have done differently," Ensign said. "If anything, I learned you can't beat the White House, and the White House weighed in very heavily."

Senators engaged in nearly five hours of debate, nearly all of it echoing arguments each side raised over the past year.

For instance, as he argued against the transportation of nuclear waste, Ensign displayed a photograph of a missile punching a hole in a nuclear waste cask.

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said opponents' focus on transportation was a scare tactic, adding that federal agencies will develop secure routes to Nevada.

Ensign also argued that senators were setting a disastrous precedent by calling for a vote on Yucca Mountain over the objections of Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

"This vote will make a loud noise and will change the way the Senate operates," he said.

Opponents disagreed, saying the 1982 federal nuclear waste law allowed for the process. "Nobody is trying to undermine the Senate leaders," said Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska.

Daschle said senators were being pushed to an early verdict.

"We're being forced to decide this issue prematurely without sufficient scientific information," he said. "The administration is doing the bidding of an industry that wants to make deadly nuclear waste somebody else's problem.

"I think we'll regret this someday," Daschle said.

But Lott said senators had no choice under federal law but to act now or risk having to start from scratch to find a resting place for the nation's nuclear waste.

"This is not something we're rushing into," he said. "This has been 20 years in the making. With all the time, all the effort, all the science put into this, I don't know what we'd do" if the Yucca Mountain Project were killed.

Yucca Mountain has been the only site under consideration for storage of the nation's nuclear waste since 1987, when Congress passed legislation that Silver State officials dubbed the "Screw Nevada Bill." Before that, sites in Washington and Texas had been under consideration.

Near the close of Tuesday's debate, Reid railed against nuclear power companies, saying "big money" had colored the issue. He motioned up to the visitors' gallery, in which industry lobbyists and executives were ensconced.

"All you people here, bill your hours, because you're perpetrating a travesty on our country," he said.

Alluding to a Robert Frost poem, Reid urged senators to "take the road less traveled" and surprise everyone by shelving the project.

Moments later, during the final voice vote in which senators were asked to approve the Yucca Mountain Project, Reid bowed his head and muttered, "No."

Review-Journal staff writers Jane Ann Morrison and Ed Vogel contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jul-10-Wed-2002/news/19156082.html

xoxox

Senate Approves Storage Of Nuclear Waste In Nevada

by Eric Pianin and Helen Dewar,Washington Post, July 10, 2002; Page A01

The Senate approved a Bush administration plan yesterday to store much of the nation's nuclear waste beneath Nevada's Yucca Mountain, giving final legislative approval to a project that has been debated for nearly a quarter-century.

Despite strong objections from Nevada officials, gambling industry leaders and environmentalists, the Senate voted 60 to 39 to affirm President Bush's finding that the $58 billion project is "scientifically sound and suitable" and would enhance protection against terrorist attacks by consolidating the radioactive waste underground.

Fifteen Democrats joined 45 Republicans in approving the project, underscoring widespread concern over management of growing nuclear waste piles at power plants in 39 states. Maryland Democrats Barbara A. Mikulski and Paul S. Sarbanes voted against the project while Virginia Republicans John W. Warner and George Allen voted for it. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) did not vote.

In the late 1980s, Congress authorized the Energy Department to consider Yucca Mountain as the sole site to collect and bury nuclear waste, which remains radioactive for thousands of years. It gave Nevada veto rights, however. Yesterday, the Senate joined the House in overriding Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn's objection to Bush's Feb. 15 decision endorsing the plan to bury as much as 70,000 metric tons of radioactive waste in desert tunnels 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The vote was a victory for Bush and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who said the project was critical to their efforts to expand domestic energy production. It dealt a blow to Majority Whip Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who led the effort to sidetrack the project.

The Senate "cast a very vital and important vote in favor of America's national security, in favor of America's energy security and in favor of this country's environmental security," Abraham said.

The vote ended an intense lobbying effort by the nuclear energy industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spent about $72 million since 1994 lobbying for the project. Senate supporters said the vote will help ensure the future of the U.S. nuclear power industry by keeping it from "choking on its own waste," as Sen. Frank H. Murkowski (R-Alaska) put it.

Reid, Ensign and other opponents called the administration plan "the big lie," a project riddled with technical and transportation problems that will not solve the waste storage problem because spent fuel will continue to pile up at nuclear power plants around the country even with a centralized repository.

"We are being forced to decide this issue prematurely, without sufficient scientific information, because this administration is doing the bidding of special interests that simply want to make the deadly waste they have generated someone else's problem," said Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.).

While the legislative issue appears settled, the Energy Department still must obtain a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build and operate the repository -- a process that could take four or five years -- and overcome a series of lawsuits brought by Nevada state officials.

"Our view is that this process is just beginning, not ending," said Joe Egan, Nevada's lead nuclear attorney.

By relying on a combination of geological barriers and hardened steel-alloy storage casks, the administration says the government could safely bury the radioactive refuse for at least 10,000 years without it leaching into underground water or escaping into the environment in harmful doses.

More than 40,000 tons of spent nuclear materials are stored in 131 aboveground sites in 39 states, and about 2,000 tons of new waste is generated annually. The Energy Department's goal is to ship the waste to the Yucca site by rail and truck, beginning in 2010. Critics and the General Accounting Office say that is highly optimistic.

Yesterday's vote followed months of intense efforts by Sens. Reid and Ensign to turn the tide running against them as nuclear waste accumulated at power plants and military weapons sites. From the start, Reid had the backing of most Senate Democrats, and he ardently wooed Democratic freshmen who had not previously voted on the Yucca issue. Ensign had a far harder job.

Day after day, Ensign went to the offices of nearly 40 of his 49 GOP colleagues, toting an inch-thick binder about the project, including detailed maps of possible rail and highway routes through each senator's state. He won praise for diligence, but earned no votes beyond those of the two GOP senators who supported him from the outset -- Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Colo.) and Lincoln D. Chafee (R.I.) -- and independent James M. Jeffords (Vt.).

Several senators expressed concerns about risks to their states as trucks and trains carry radioactive waste to the Nevada repository. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) wanted to rid Illinois of its large reservoir of nuclear waste, but was deeply troubled by the transportation dangers. After struggling for weeks, he decided to support the project, saying he was satisfied with its safety and would address transportation concerns in separate legislation.

For Utah Republican Sens. Orrin G. Hatch and Robert F. Bennett, there was a different dilemma. They feared that an Indian reservation in Utah's Skull Valley, about 40 miles from Salt Lake City, could become a privately developed waste repository if Yucca was rejected. After a White House meeting on Monday, the two senators pledged support for the Yucca Mountain plan.

"Given the choice before us, I would rather have the waste go through Utah than to Utah," Bennett said.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46590-2002Jul9.html

xoxox

Congress Approves Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Site, But Many Obstacles Remain

AP, July 10, 2002

WASHINGTON (AP) _ After a favorable Senate vote, the political verdict on Yucca Mountain is in, but the proposed nuclear waste dump in Nevada still faces major hurdles, including lawsuits and a long licensing process.

The Senate gave President Bush the green light on Tuesday to proceed with the Yucca site, where the administration wants to entomb 77,000 tons of highly radioactive materials, most of it building up at power plants in 31 states.

The Senate voted 60-39 to override Nevada's veto of the project following action by the House in May. Under a 1982 law Nevada could have killed the project if Congress hadn't intervened.

A disappointed Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., nevertheless, insisted, ``this is not over'' and said the fight would continue before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in the federal courts.

In Las Vegas, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn promised to pursue at least five lawsuits the state has filed challenging the Yucca project. ``We have made considerable headway in convincing others that Yucca Mountain is a bad idea,'' Guinn said.

But that message didn't reach enough senators.

Despite sharp criticism of the Yucca site by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and an intense lobbying effort by Reid and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., 15 Democrats and all but three Republicans sided with Bush on the issue.

The vote ``confirms the president's decision very forcefully'' and clears the way for the department to prepare a license application to the NRC by 2004, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said.

The Nevada lawsuits focus on a broad range of issues challenging everything from the failure of the Energy Department to develop a clear transportation plan to the Yucca engineers' use of man-made barriers to contain waste and the Environmental Protection Agency's health standard.

The NRC's review also is expected to be complex and lengthy, taking at least three or four years as the agency decides whether to issue a construction license and then a permit for the Yucca facility to accept waste.

``I believe it is a safe repository,'' Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said, adding that whatever issues remain to be resolved, it's up to the NRC to do it during its licensing review.

The target date for opening the facility, located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is 2010.

Nevadans expressed mixed views of the Senate vote.

Dave Hall, 55, who farms alfalfa about 15 miles southwest of Yucca Mountain, said he didn't think the Yucca Mountain repository was an inevitability. ``Maybe they've decided here's the spot,'' he said. ``But there's still a long way to go and there are a whole lot of obstacles.''

Hall said he disagreed with neighbors and some Nevada political leaders who said the state should begin bargaining with the federal government for benefits such as improved roads, schools, water and sewers.

``No use fighting,'' said Doris Jackson, a saloon owner and chairwoman of the elected advisory board in Amargosa Valley, a rural Nevada desert town of 1,271 residents. ``It's done. Let's get what we can out of this.''

The Nevada senators tried for months to convince colleagues the issue was much broader than a single state because of the thousands of shipments of highly radioactive used reactor fuel that would be sent over highways and rail lines in 43 states if Yucca Mountain became a central repository.

But more senators appeared to be concerned about finding a way to get rid of wastes at reactors in their state, rather than worrying about wastes moving through. Many of the Democrats who voted for Yucca _ among them Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Bob Graham of Florida and John Edwards of North Carolina _ are from states where utilities are heavily committed to nuclear power.

Asked why he couldn't muster more opposition to the Yucca dump, Ensign replied: ``Nimby. Not in my backyard.''

Reid lashed out at nuclear lobbyists and their ``unending source of money'' for perpetuating ``the big lie'' that the Nevada dump was urgently needed. The waste _ most of it from nuclear power plants _ can be kept safely where it is, avoiding the transportation risks, Reid insisted.

Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, said if Congress let the Yucca project die, nuclear power itself would be threatened and a new hunt for a waste site would begin with no assurance where the search would lead.

``Looking for another site ... is not realistic,'' Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., argued, noting that Yucca Mountain has been studied for 24 years at a cost of $4.5 billion. While there are still uncertainties to be resolved, he said, ``we're not likely to find a better site next time.''

But Daschle, D-S.D., whose state has no nuclear power plant, complained that there were still ``far too many questions'' about the Yucca site's suitability to give it the go-ahead now.

Opponents also accused the Energy Department of failing to ensure that waste shipments _ anywhere from 175 to 2,200 a year, depending on the mix of rail and truck shipments _ will be safe and secure.

Abraham promised a transportation plan before the end of next year and said stringent safety requirements will provide an ``effective first line of defense'' against terrorist threats.

Source: http://www.AP.org

7/11/02
12:10:55 PM

North Slope Cleanup Not Guaranteed

REPORT: Will oil firms provide funds to pick up after rigs run dry?

by Liz Ruskin, Anchorage Daily News, July 9, 2002)

Washington -- Once the North Slope oil is gone, it will cost the oil companies billions of dollars to dismantle all the buildings, roads and gravel. But the state of Alaska has required that the companies post bonds of only $500,000 to cover all their oil and gas leasing on state land, the General Accounting Office noted in a report it is releasing this week.

"These amounts represent a small fraction of the funds that may be needed for dismantlement, removal and restoration of state lands on the North Slope should a company refuse to or be unable to pay," the report's authors said.

It comes as no surprise that the area will take billions to dismantle, remove and restore -- DR&R for short -- said Bob King, Gov. Tony Knowles' spokesman.

"These are huge, world-class companies, and I don't think there's any reason to believe they won't have the wherewithal when it comes time to shut down the North Slope," he said.

But Peter Van Tuyn, an attorney at the Anchorage-based law firm Trustees for Alaska, said the report validates what he and other environmentalists have been arguing for years, usually regarding tearing down the trans-Alaska oil pipeline: The state has no guarantee that the cleanup money will be available when it's needed.

Among other things, the report faults the state for not establishing clear DR&R standards. Essentially, the report says, the companies are obligated to clean up to the state's satisfaction and the state hasn't said what that means exactly. That makes it impossible, the GAO said, to accurately estimate how much the work will cost. Nonetheless, the report's authors came up with the figure: $2.7 billion to $6 billion.

The lack of clear standards from the outset could make the DR&R requirements the state eventually imposes tough to enforce in court, Van Tuyn said.

And smaller operators often take over when a field declines, he said.

"We keep changing the players, but we don't guarantee the cleanup costs at any stage," he said. "There's kind of a 'trust me' issue that's very disturbing from an environmental and a public policy perspective."

Saying a company is big and established isn't good enough, he said.

"Look at Enron," he said. "It was huge. Now it's vaporized."

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who led the charge in the House last year against opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, requested the GAO -- the investigating arm of Congress -- to look into the matter. He said the report is a "powerful indictment" against the existing permitting process and the companies. He also compares the issue to the recent corporate disgraces. "Hiding $6 billion in cleanup liabilities is a world-class accounting scandal in the same league as WorldCom and Enron," Markey wrote Monday.

There's no basis for that accusation, according to Ronnie Chappell, spokesman for BP Alaska.

"That statement is disappointing and irresponsible," he said. "Our balance sheets make full accounting of the DR&R costs."

The companies disclose the worldwide total of those liabilities.

The money may be set aside on paper, said Van Tuyn, "but where is the money?"

It's not set aside in any escrow account, Chappell acknowledged, but he said BP has already begun making good on its commitment.

The company, for example, is reclaiming old pits where chemical-laced drilling lubricants and cuttings were dumped. The material is ground up and injected down drilling holes.

The companies have committed to performing the dismantling and they are legally obligated to do it, the governor's spokesman said. Cleanup technologies improve over time, so why should the state have set standards in the 1970s for a cleanup that might happen 30 years from now, King said.

If Alaska's big three oil producers -- BP, Phillips and Exxon Mobil -- were to post gigantic bonds, they would go to a bonding company that would likely have less financial might than the oil companies, King said.

"What sense would that make?" he asked.

Richard Fineberg, an oil industry critic who lives in Ester, said it makes plenty sense.

"It's like insurance. You have safeguards to ensure that the far distant, unlikely occurrence is covered," he said. "You come up with a financial arrangement to make sure it is covered."

He and Van Tuyn said they provided information to the GAO investigators.

Reporter Liz Ruskin can be reached at 1 202 383.0007 or lruskin@adn.com

Source: http://www.adn.com/front/story/1386125p-1504813c.html

7/11/02
12:05:51 PM

DAILY GRIST

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11A.sheriff.in.chief.htm

YUCK.

The U.S. Senate voted yesterday to approve storage of nuclear waste from around the nation at Nevada's Yucca Mountain, ending, for the moment, one of the most contentious environmental battles of recent decades. The 60-to-39 vote was a blow for environmentalists and Nevadans, who dubbed the plan the "Screw Nevada Bill" when it was preliminarily approved by Congress 15 years ago. The Energy Department must now seek permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build facilities to store as much as 70,000 metric tons of highly radioactive waste in desert tunnels 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, a process that could take up to five years. Work on Yucca Mountain is expected to be further delayed by challenges in the courts, the last refuge of opponents to the plan. One of the most outspoken foes, Nevada Sen. John Ensign (R), who met individually with the great majority of his party's 49 senators to try to win them over to his side, said of the vote, "It feels like somebody has punched me about 100 times in the gut."

straight to the source: Washington Post, Eric Pianin and Helen Dewar, 10 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=239>

straight to the source: Las Vegas Review Journal, Steve Tetrault, 10 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=240>

only in Grist: Yucky Mountain -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/ha/ha030402.asp?source=daily>

A THOUSAND ACRES ...WELL, MAKE THAT 4.7

Global standards of living will plummet by mid-century unless human beings drastically decrease their use of natural resources, according to a report issued yesterday by the World Wildlife Fund. The main culprits in the overuse of resources are the world's richest countries: the U.S., Canada, Japan, and most of Western Europe, according to "Living Planet Report 2002." The report found that more than 20 percent more natural resources are used every year than can be regenerated, meaning that by 2050, a second Earth would be necessary to meet human demand. To mitigate the problem, the report suggested using technology to cut down on waste, gradually abandoning reliance on fossil fuels, and promoting health care and education to control population growth. Implicitly, it also suggested living more like people in Africa, where each household consumes on average natural resources from 3.4 acres -- compared to the Western European average of 12.5 acres. There are about 28.5 billion productive acres of land and sea on Earth, or about 4.7 acres for each of the planet's 6 billion people.

straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Reuters, 09 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=241>

do good: Take action to turn the tide against consumption <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/consumption.asp?source=daily#tide>

SLIPPERY SLOPE

Cleaning up the mess left by the oil industry on Alaska's North Slope could cost anywhere from $2.7 billion to $6 billion, but oil companies have so far set aside just a fraction of that money and are not under any legal obligation to meet specific cleanup standards, the General Accounting Office announced yesterday. The report, which was requested by congressional Democrats opposed to additional oil drilling in the Arctic region, found that oil companies operating on federal land need only be bonded for about $500,000 each, and that cleanup standards imposed by the state of Alaska are "generally insufficient to ensure that any federal lands disturbed by oil industry activities will be restored." State officials criticized the report as a partisan ploy and defended their regulations, saying the vagueness was deliberate and would allow specific standards to be established when the oil fields actually close, some 30 to 50 years in the future. There are more than 3,000 active wells in the North Slope, connected by a massive network of roads, drilling pads, production facilities, and pipelines, all of which will have to be removed when the industry leaves the area.

straight to the source: Anchorage Daily News, Liz Ruskin, 09 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=242>

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Kim Murphy, 10 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=243>

only in Grist: 10 reasons to drill-- the case for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- satire in our opinions section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/imho/imho032201.stm?source=daily>

WE DO MORE SPINNING BEFORE 9 A.M. THAN MOST PEOPLE DO ALL DAY

It seems the General Accounting Office has been busy of late; in a report completed in May that surfaced yesterday at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the congressional auditors found little evidence to support the Bush administration's claims that environmental regulations are interfering with military training. The administration has asked Congress to exempt the military from some major environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but the GAO rejected the assertion that environmental "encroachment" on military bases had hampered training efforts. In response to the report, Gen. John Keane, Army second-in-command, said, "It is true we have not documented any environmental degradation [of the military's ability to train], but we all know it's true."

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, John Heilprin, 09 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=244>

only in Grist: Sharps shooter -- Colorado man cleans up war-game carnage <http://www.gristmagazine.com/limb/limb072601.asp?source=daily>

LIMA BEANED

Roughly 1,000 Peruvian peasants arrived in their nation's capital this week to demand that the government take action against contamination or seizure of land by mining companies. Peru is the world's fifth-largest producer of copper and eighth-largest producer of gold, and the mining industry is responsible for half of the nation's annual export income. But big mining companies, often foreign-owned or backed by foreign investments, frequently clash with local farmers, who say their livelihood is imperiled by uncontrolled exploitation of the land. And the government hasn't helped, instead upholding a "law of mining servitude" whereby mining companies negotiate a price for agriculture lands and the state relocates the inhabitants. "The government is not interested in solving our problems caused by mining companies that contaminate land, rivers, and undermine our health," said Miguel Palacin, head of an organization representing 1,135 communities affected by mining.

straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, Teresa Cespedes, 10 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=245>

do good: Take action to protest a Peruvian mine <http://www.gristmagazine.com/dogood/mining.asp?source=daily#peru>

7/11/02
12:01:28 PM

President Bush says he’s getting tough on corporate fraud. But look at the record: Bush played a key role at Harken Energy -- they used Enron style accounting to hide losses... Bush sold out early.

The Bush team? Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton... more Enron-style accounting. And the guy running the SEC, Harvey Pitt... he's the accounting industry’s top lawyer.

Bush thinks tough talk can hide the record. Yet his administration has done nothing to hold Enron accountable in the seven months since that scandal broke. We simply can’t count on this group to get to the bottom of corporate piracy and restore public trust.

Join us in calling on Congress to get the job done

Go to this site http://www.moveon.org/jailthebastards/ and submit the form.

7/11/02
11:57:55 AM

t r u t h o u t | 07.11

WashPost: Sheriff-in-Chief Will Fall Short

Bush, on Wall Street, Offers Tough Talk and Softer Plans

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11B.talk.plans.htm

Judicial Watch to Sue Cheney, Halliburton

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11C.klayman.halli.htm

A Decade Later New Videotaped Beating by LA Police Sparks Outrage

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11D.la.beating.htm

Investors Not Inspired by Bush Speech

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11E.not.inspired.htm

Nevada Vows to Continue Nukes Fight

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11F.NV.will.fight.htm

GAO Report on Environment, Military Contradicts Bush

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.11G.gao.report.htm

7/11/02
11:53:22 AM

Congress Approves Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Site, But Many Obstacles Remain

AP, july 10, 2002

The Senate voted 60-39 to override Nevada's veto of the project following action by the House in May. Under a 1982 law Nevada could have killed the project if Congress hadn't intervened.

A disappointed Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., nevertheless, insisted, ``this is not over'' and said the fight would continue before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in the federal courts.

But that message didn't reach enough senators.

The vote ``confirms the president's decision very forcefully'' and clears the way for the department to prepare a license application to the NRC by 2004, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said.

``I believe it is a safe repository,'' Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said, adding that whatever issues remain to be resolved, it's up to the NRC to do it during its licensing review.

The target date for opening the facility, located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is 2010.

Nevadans expressed mixed views of the Senate vote.

Asked why he couldn't muster more opposition to the Yucca dump, Ensign replied: ``Nimby. Not in my backyard.''

But Daschle, D-S.D., whose state has no nuclear power plant, complained that there were still ``far too many questions'' about the Yucca site's suitability to give it the go-ahead now.

Opponents also accused the Energy Department of failing to ensure that waste shipments _ anywhere from 175 to 2,200 a year, depending on the mix of rail and truck shipments _ will be safe and secure.

Abraham promised a transportation plan before the end of next year and said stringent safety requirements will provide an ``effective first line of defense'' against terrorist threats.

Source: http://www.AP.org

7/11/02
11:40:28 AM

THEY ARE EIGHT, WE ARE 6 BILLION: INSIDE G6B

http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3

7/11/02
11:37:32 AM

SciTech Daily Review

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992498

Persuasion is replacing coercion in some animal experiments. Proponents say gaining the animals' cooperation makes tests easier to do and produces more reliable results

Bacteria can now prevent tooth decay, as well as cause it. But GM yogurt isn't likely to be on supermarket shelves any time soon

http://www.nature.com/nsu/020624/020624-9.html

Elephants may stomp, scream, and make the ground rumble to communicate with each other over long distances, warning other elephants of predators, directing them toward food and water, or even helping a lonely elephant find a mate

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0701_020702_elephantvibes.html

The US Army is an elite, well-oiled force. Soldiers get to play with cool guns, and no one ever gets hurt that bad. As evidence, look no further than a new online shoot-em-up game cum recruitment tool

http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,53663,00.html

Ghana's digital dilemma: The lesson from West Africa is that good computers and fast modems don't matter if you can't get a dial tone and the power keeps going out

http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/zachary0702.asp

Small wonders Nanotech's biggest breakthroughs won't come overnight. But they will come -- and when they do, they'll change everything from computers and vaccines to airplanes and TVs

http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,41548,00.html

7/11/02
11:29:08 AM

UTNE WEB WATCH

The Best of the Alternative Web

THE BROTHERHOOD OF INVENTION

by Cindy Burda, Mountain Xpress

-- Prison art is an evocative genre in a generally exclusive field.

PETROLEUM INDUSTRY CAUSES HOUSTON SMOG

-- Researchers have discovered that Texas' famed industry--petroleum--is the cause of its famed smog.

THE DEATH OF ROLLING STONE

by Sean Elder, Salon.com

-- The once-vital magazine has lost its "reason to be," and its new managing editor, fresh from his post at a British men's magazine, won't do much to revive it.

Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch

7/11/02
11:26:12 AM

Award Winners Restore Wetlands In Danger

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 9, 2002 (ENS) - A private winemaker in Australia, a government agency in India, and a consortium of nongovernmental organizations in Central Europe have been named as the 2002 Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award winners for their outstanding conservation of wetlands.

The Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award is given by the secretariat of the international treaty known as the Convention on Wetlands, signed 30 years ago in Ramsar, Iran. The award was established in 1996, and first presented in 1999 during the conference of Parties to the Convention, who meet once every three years. This year's winners are the second group to be honored.

Each of the three Ramsar Award winners will also receive an Evian Special Prize, consisting of US$10,000 donated by the Danone Group of France, owner of Evian Mineral Waters.

From the Murray River region of Australia, Banrock Station Wines of the BRL Hardy Wine Company has been chosen for its innovative approach to supporting the sustainable use of wetland resources.

Formerly subjected to regular natural flooding, the Banrock property on the floodplain of the River Murray was permanently inundated after the installation of a dam. In addition, the impacts of the invasive species European carp, sheep and rabbit grazing, and rising saline groundwater, degraded the wetland complex. Since 1992, measures have been taken to reinstate a semi-natural cycle of wet and dry periods in the floodplain and to remove the invasive carp, sheep and rabbits in cooperation with Wetland Care Australia.

Adjoining woodland has been rehabilitated. The company practices conservation viticulture, and conducts public awareness activities through its onsite Wine and Wetland Centre.

In eight other countries, Banrock allocates a percentage of its sales revenue to wetland conservation projects in those countries. BRL Hardy has announced that its cash award will be devoted to wetland projects in developing countries, in consultation with the Ramsar Bureau.

In India, the Chilika Development Authority has been chosen for its outstanding achievement in restoring the Chilika Lake, designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. The largest lagoon on the east coast of India, Chilika Lake in the state of Orissa was listed as a threatened Ramsar site in 1993 due to siltation and choking of the seawater inlet channel, resulting in the proliferation of invasive freshwater species, the decrease in fish productivity, and an overall loss of biodiversity.

The Chilika Development Authority, under CEO Ajit Pattnaik, has carried out the restoration with the participation of the local people who share in the decision making. Physical work has restored natural flows of water and salinity levels, economic incentives have discouraged poaching, and training programs in ecotourism have improved socio-economic conditions in local villages.

In addition to its importance for waterbirds - over one million migratory birds winter there - and biodiversity in general, significant numbers of people are dependent upon the lake's resources. Education and environmental awareness initiatives have been undertaken to ensure the understanding that will support long term restoration.

Covering three countries – Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic - the NGO Trinational Initiative for the Morava-Dyje Floodplain has been selected for the third 2002 Ramsar Award.

"The Morava-Dyje riverine landscape is one of the last regions in Europe where traditional land use has secured a rich biodiversity, and it serves today as a model area for the reconciliation of nature and humankind," the Ramsar Bureau says.

The NGOs involved are Daphne in the Slovak Republic, Distelverein in Austria, and Veronica in the Czech Republic, with the support of WWF International’s Danube Carpathian Programme.

Through their efforts, the Ministries for the Environment of the three countries have established a transboundary Trilateral Ramsar Platform for the Morava-Dyje Floodplain. Under this arrangement, a body of 15 experts from the ministries, water management agencies, national Ramsar committees, and NGOs is meeting regularly to ensure collaborative and sustainable management.

In addition to the three Ramsar Awards for 2002, a Recognition of Excellence has been conferred upon two individuals whose distinguished service has furthered the cause of wetland conservation.

Dr. Monique Coulet

Dr. Monique Coulet of France is being recognized for her scientific research and for her commitment to making practical use of the knowledge acquired in the field. A specialist in the ecology of large rivers, she works with the evolution of riparian wetlands and their response to various kinds of disturbances. Dr. Coulet has contributed to the development of the concept of connectivity between ecosystems such as between wetlands and rivers or underground water.

She has worked tirelessly for the long term conservation of the Loire River and the complex of the Doubs-Saône-Rhône rivers, most notably as cofounder of the influential Loire vivante and Saône-Doubs vivants campaigns which have helped shape government development policies in these regions.

Dr. Max Finlayson of Australia is being honored for his contributions to the progress of wetland science and in providing leadership to the work of the Ramsar Convention’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel in the 10 years since its creation.

Dr. Max Finlayson

In addition to his research both in Australia and abroad, Dr. Finlayson was instrumental in the establishment of the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet) and has worked closely with Wetlands International, serving on its Board of Directors and now as its newly elected President.

The Awards, together with the Evian Special Prize and the Recognitions of Excellence will be presented to the winners during the opening ceremony of the next Conference of the 132 Ramsar member countries on November 18, 2002, in Valencia, Spain.

The Ramsar treaty provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Currently, there are 132 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1,178 wetland sites, totaling 102.1 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

Source: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-02.asp

7/11/02
11:23:18 AM

Pesticides, Parasites Spell Double Trouble For Frogs

by Cat Lazaroff

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania, July 9, 2002 (ENS) - Scientists at Penn State may have resolved the conflicting evidence regarding why so many frogs and other amphibians are developing deformities. Their research shows that a combination of infection by parasites and exposure to pesticides, rather than either problem alone, leads to the most deformities.

A decade of scientific research has resulted in two prominent hypotheses about the causes of frog deformities: one is that they are caused by human induced contamination of the frogs' environment with chemicals like pesticides, and the other is that they are caused by a common naturally occurring parasite, the trematode worm.

Scientists had found evidence to support each hypothesis, but the research results were not conclusive enough to resolve the controversy.

Now, a study by Penn State researchers combining both field and laboratory studies has linked deformities in Pennsylvania wood frogs to the combination of their infection by parasites and a weakening of their immune system caused by exposure to pesticides.

"The field experiments showed that only the tadpoles that were infected with trematodes developed limb deformities and that these deformities occurred with more frequency in the groups of tadpoles that also were exposed to pesticides," said Joseph Kiesecker, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State and the leader of the research team. "The lab experiments show that pesticides can weaken the immune response of the tadpoles, which can result in more infections, making these tadpoles more likely to develop limb deformities."

"More rigorously designed experiments were required to determine which factor is more important and how these two factors work together," explained Kiesecker.

Two of these frogs developed normally. The others are deformed, either missing a limb or developing duplicate limbs.

The research, which appears in today's issue of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," includes the first experimental studies of amphibian deformities conducted in ponds where the animals live.

The discoveries, which show the effect of environmental stress on disease outbreaks, may help to explain how disease affects the distribution, growth, development, and survival of frogs, which have been disappearing during recent years at alarming rates worldwide.

"It is not uncommon now for 20 to 30 percent of the frogs at many locations to have limb deformities," said Kiesecker.

Since the early 1990s, when school children and amateur naturalists first began finding frogs with deformed legs in U. S. wetlands, scientists have been trying to determine the reason for the problem's escalating occurrence. These deformities in frogs bear a chilling resemblance to the deformities in human caused decades ago by the drug Thalidomide.

"Both the general public and scientists suspect that whatever is causing these problems in frogs may also cause harm to humans," Kiesecker said.

Kiesecker's breakthrough was in designing a study that combined field experiments at the ponds where the frogs live with experiments in the laboratory.

"The kind of field experiments that we did in this study have never been done before," Kiesecker said.

The Kiesecker team collected tadpoles from ponds in Centre County, Pennsylvania, then used some of those tadpoles in a series of laboratory experiments and some in a series of field experiments conducted in six ponds within the same region. Half of the ponds receive runoff from agricultural fields and contain detectable levels of pesticides, and half are free of pesticides and agricultural runoff.

The Kiesecker team designed the experiments to test four key hypotheses regarding the relationship between pesticides, trematode parasites, and limb deformities in frogs.

The first hypothesis was that limb deformities occur in frogs that are infected with the trematode parasite. Trematode parasites inhabit a series of host species during their life cycle, including pond snails. When they leave the snail, in the form of trematode larvae called cercariae, they swim around in the pond in search of a tadpole, which is the next host they need to invade in order to survive.

The researchers placed groups of their tadpoles in the six ponds within two kinds of enclosures located side by side - one with a fine screen that prevented the trematode larvae from entering the enclosure, and the other with a larger mesh screen that allowed the trematode larvae to infect the tadpoles.

"These same trematode larvae cause 'swimmer's itch,' which is a common problem among people who swim in lakes in this part of the country," Kiesecker said, explaining that the swimmer's immune system eventually kicks the larvae out, leaving just an annoying rash. "A more serious problem for people occurs in tropical climates, where trematodes cause an infection known as Schistosomiasis that kills millions of people every year."

The only tadpoles that developed limb deformities in the first experiment were from cages that were exposed to the trematode larvae, while tadpoles in cages that protected them from the larvae did not get any limb deformities.

"We learned from the first field experiment that tadpoles have to be exposed to trematode infection for limb deformities to develop," Kiesecker explained.

The second hypothesis the team tested is that limb deformities in trematode infected tadpoles are affected by pesticides. When they analyzed the rates of limb deformities among their research animals, they found much higher rates of deformities in trematode infected tadpoles at the three ponds that receive agricultural runoff and contain pesticides than in the ponds that do not.

The team then moved into the lab to test their third hypothesis, which is that pesticide exposure - not some other factor - influenced the increased rates of deformities developed by the trematode infected tadpoles in the field study. These laboratory experiments involved three groups of tadpoles that the researchers exposed to three different pesticides, plus one group that they did not expose to pesticides.

The pesticides were atrazine - the most commonly used pesticide in North America; malathion - a common household pesticide that also is used to control insect pests in agricultural fields; and esfenvalerate - a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide.

"Synthetic pyrethroids have become increasingly popular during the last couple of years because they are not very toxic to birds and mammals," Kiesecker noted. "However, they are highly toxic to many other kinds of organisms."

The researchers also took a blood sample from each tadpole, and then exposed the four groups of tadpoles to trematode larvae under conditions that assured the tadpoles would be invaded by the parasites. Trematode infections can cause limb deformities if the larvae are able to evade the defenses of the tadpole's immune system long enough to transform themselves into hard cysts.

If the location of the cyst is on cells that are supposed to develop into legs, the cyst will cause growth disruptions that lead to missing limbs, split limbs, or multiple limbs.

The researchers counted the number of cysts that developed in each infected tadpole and found a higher number of cysts in the animals that were exposed to pesticides.

"From this experiment, we learned that a trematode infected tadpole that is exposed to pesticides is more likely to develop limb deforming cysts than is an infected tadpole that is not exposed to pesticides," Kiesecker said.

Kiesecker and his team designed their experiments to learn how pesticide exposure affects the immune response of the animals and their ability to fight off trematode parasites. They studied the blood of all the trematode infected tadpoles - both those that were and were not exposed to pesticides during the laboratory experiments - to determine the prevalence of a type of white blood cell that fights parasites like trematode larvae.

Kiesecker's team then compared this measure of immune system strength with the number of trematode cysts that had formed in each animal.

"The tadpoles that we exposed to pesticides had fewer of this particular kind of white blood cell compared to the tadpoles that we did not expose to pesticides, suggesting that pesticides make these animals more susceptible to parasitic infections," Kiesecker said. "The kicker is that the concentrations that caused deformities were incredibly low for esfenvalerate and atrazine - low enough for humans to drink, based on Environmental Protection Agency standards."

Kiesecker said the experiments offer an early warning that human health problems may be just over the horizon.

"We can learn a lot from experiments with amphibians because they are particularly sensitive to environmental changes that appear to be associated with the recent emergence of new diseases and resurgence of old diseases that infect humans," Kiesecker said. "Frogs may be a sentinel species that is warning us about the interplay between human caused environmental change and disease susceptibility. Hopefully, people will listen."

Source: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-06.asp

7/11/02
11:16:32 AM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-01.asp

"We Cover the Earth For You"

SENATE VOTES TO ENTOMB NUCLEAR WASTE IN NEVADA

WASHINGTON, DC, July 9, 2002 (ENS) - The Senate has voted to move ahead with a repository for high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Voting 60 to 39 on a procedural matter this afternoon, the Senate signaled its determination to override the April veto of Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn.

PESTICIDES, PARASITES SPELL DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR FROGS

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-06.asp

AWARD WINNERS RESTORE WETLANDS IN DANGER

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-02.asp

WWF: HUMANS RUNNING AN OVERDRAFT WITH THE EARTH

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 9, 2002 (ENS) - A report issued today by the environmental group WWF predicts that global living standards will fall rapidly from 2030 unless urgent action is taken to address unsustainable consumption patterns. "Significant" efforts to improve resource efficiency could stave off this doomsday scenario and limit the world's huge resource consumption "overdraft," WWF says.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-03.asp

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 9, 2002

Ballast Water Rules Need Enforcement, Penalties

House Committee Boosts Conservation Funding

Acid Rain Threatens Forests in Unexpected Ways

Judge Orders Protection for California Plants

Industry Groups Oppose New Diesel Standards

Corps, Nature Conservancy Join Forces to Save Rivers

Wild Horses Dead of Dehydration in Utah

Drought Impacts Breeding Waterfowl

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-09-09.asp

7/11/02
10:58:58 AM

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right."

Thomas Paine from the introduction to "Common Sense" 1776

7/11/02
10:55:53 AM

PR WATCH - THE WEEKLY SPIN, Wednesday, July 10, 2002

http://www.prwatch.org

1. SPINSANITY'S INANITY

http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20020701-rampton.html

The Spinsanity.org website has on occasion published insightful commentaries on misleading uses of political rhetoric in the United States. In July 2002, however, Spinsanity itself published a deceptive attack on the media watchdog organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). After FAIR criticized U.S. newspapers for applauding the April 2002 attempted military coup against Venezuela's elected president, Spinsanity editor Ben Fritz rose to the defense of the newspapers. Spinsanity has published a portion of Fritz's exchange with PR Watch editor Sheldon Rampton, but Rampton's final response can only be found here. More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/July_2002.html#1026265213

2. FREE THE INFO

http://www.freedominfo.org/

In the last decade, 26 countries have enacted formal statutes guaranteeing their citizens' right of access to government information. Now freedom of information advocates have a global internet link: freedominfo.org, a virtual network that offers summaries of existing laws governing access to information in 45 countries, along with current news and analysis. More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/July_2002.html#1026016423

3. LOOPHOLE LETS LOBBYISTS HIDE CLIENTS' IDENTITIES

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/05/politics/05LOBB.html

"Thanks to a loophole in the federal lobbying law, some companies and individuals - especially those pursuing controversial or potentially embarrassing causes - are using coalitions to conceal their identities," writes New York Times reporter Alison Mitchell. Examples of these "stealth coalitions" include the "Section 877 Coalition," which lobbied to help wealthy Americans evade taxes by giving up U.S. citizenship.

SOURCE: New York Times, July 4, 2002

4. TOXIC SLUDGE -- STILL NOT GOOD FOR YOU!

http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=16699

Seven years ago our book, Toxic Sludge Is Good For You, broke the story of how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was disposing of toxic sewage sludge by calling it "biosolids, a natural organic fertilizer," and allowing it to be dumped on farmland across the US. Today 70% of the nation's toxic sewage sludge is spread on cropland, a major environmental scandal and a threat to public health. Reuters reports that a National Academy of Sciences panel, led by Thomas Burke of Johns Hopkins University's department of health policy, urged the EPA to assess the risks from sludge. "There is a serious lack of health-related information about populations exposed to treated sewage sludge," Burke said. Meanwhile EPA microbiologist David Lewis, who has broken ranks with the agency's official pro-sludge position, has published a study of people living near areas where sewage sludge is used as fertilizer, showing that they are often "plagued with infections" and symptoms including burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and other symptoms of chemical irritation. Notwithstanding the courage of whistleblowers like Lewis, however, asking the EPA to investigate sewage sludge is like asking Enron to investigate itself. As citizen activists like Jim Bynum have proven, the EPA has been the driving force behind dumping toxic sludge on farmland and then harassing and belittling victims of sludge poisoning.

SOURCE: Reuters, July 4, 2002

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/July_2002.html#1025755200

5. MAKEOVER FOR MARTHA STEWART

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB1025549570614405320,00.html

Martha Stewart has hired the Brunswick Group to massage her image in the wake of allegations that she profited from insider trading.

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2002

7/10/02
8:15:54 PM

Kucinich Rocks The Boat

by John Nichols, The Nation, March 25, 2002

Dennis Kucinich never doubted that millions of Americans had deep concerns about George W. Bush's ever-expanding war on ill-defined foes abroad and on civil liberties at home. But the Congressional Progressive Caucus chair admits he underestimated the depth of the discomfort until February 17, when he delivered a speech to the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action, in which he declared, "Let us pray that our country will stop this war."

Recalling the Congressional vote authorizing the President's response to the September 11 terrorist attacks--a resolution supported by Kucinich and all but one member of Congress, California Democrat Barbara Lee--the Ohioan thundered, "We did not authorize an eye for an eye. Nor did we ask that the blood of innocent people, who perished on September 11, be avenged with the blood of innocent villagers in Afghanistan. We did not authorize the Administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases. We did not authorize war without end. We did not authorize a permanent war economy. Yet we are upon the threshold of a permanent war economy."

Kucinich's "Prayer for America" speech was interrupted by repeated standing ovations. But the real measure of the message's resonance came as the text of the speech circulated on the Internet--where a genuine worldwide web of opposition to the Administration's actions led to the posting of Kucinich's words on websites (including www.thenation.com) and dispatched them via e-mail. Within days, Kucinich received 10,000-plus e-mails. Many echoed New Jerseyan Thomas Minet's sentiments: "Since the 'Axis of Evil' State of the Union Address, I have been searching like Diogenes with his lantern for one honest person in Congress who would have the guts to speak out about the attack on Democracy being mounted by the Bush Administration. It has been a frustrating search indeed, and I was just about ready to give up hope when I ran across 'A Prayer for America.' Thank God for this man's courage." Others simply read, "Kucinich for President."

For Kucinich, a former Cleveland mayor who led Democratic opposition to the US bombing of Yugoslavia and proposed establishing a Cabinet-level Department of Peace, speaking out against military adventuring is not new. But he says he's never experienced so immediate and enthusiastic a response. "We can't print out the messages as fast as we are receiving them," he says. "But I've read through a lot of them now, and they touch on the same themes: The Administration's actions are no longer appropriate, and it is time for Congress to start asking questions. The people understand something most of Congress does not: There is nothing unpatriotic about challenging this Administration's policies."

Kucinich was not the first Congressmember to express concern about Bush's plans. Lee cast her cautionary vote in September. In October, responding to reports of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Representative Jim McDermott criticized the speed with which the Administration had taken military action and the failure of the White House to adequately consult Congress. In December, Kucinich, McDermott and Lee joined five other House Democrats in signing a letter to Bush, written by Representative Tammy Baldwin, which noted, "We are concerned by those in your Administration and among our own ranks in the Congress who appear to be making the case for broad expansion of this military campaign beyond Afghanistan. Without presenting clear and compelling evidence that other nations were involved in the September 11 attacks, it is inappropriate to expand the conflict." Another letter, by Representative Peter DeFazio, called on the White House to comply with the War Powers Resolution before expanding the war. In February Senator Robert Byrd said that Congress should no longer hand the President a "blank check." Senate majority leader Tom Daschle suggested the war "will have failed" without the capture of Osama bin Laden--a statement rebuked by Republicans, who want no measure of success or failure applied to this war.

But Kucinich's speech was a clarion call. "For most people, Kucinich's speech represents the clearest Congressional criticism they have heard about the conduct of the war, and of the Administration's plans to expand it. That's enormously significant," said Midge Miller, who helped launch Senator Eugene McCarthy's antiwar challenge to President Lyndon Johnson in 1967. "Citizens look for Congressional opposition to organize around--they look for leaders to say something. When I read Kucinich's speech, I thought, This could be a turning point."

It has certainly been a turning point for Kucinich. Overwhelmed by invitations to speak, he says his top priority will be to work with Baldwin and others to encourage a broader Congressional debate over international priorities, Pentagon spending and the stifling of dissent. Expect battles in the House Democratic Caucus, where minority leader Dick Gephardt has been more cautious than Daschle about criticizing Bush. But Kucinich thinks more Democrats will begin to echo Senator Byrd's challenge to blank-check military spending in a time of tight budgets. Kucinich plans to encourage grassroots activists to tell members of Congress it is not merely necessary but politically safe to challenge "the Patriot Games, the Mind Games, the War Games of an unelected President and his unelected Vice President."

Kucinich, whose working-class district elected a conservative Republican before him, is confident Democrats from even the most competitive districts can safely join him in questioning the war. "The key," he says, "is to recognize that there is a great deal of unity in America around some basic values: peace and security, protection of the planet, a good quality of life for themselves and for others. When people express their patriotism, they are not saying--as some would suggest--that they no longer believe in these things. There's nothing unpatriotic about asserting human values and defending democratic principles. A lot of Americans are telling me this is the highest form of patriotism."

Source: http://www.TheNation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020325&s=nichols

7/9/02
10:35:10 PM

t r u t h o u t | 07.10

William Rivers Pitt | The Burning Season, Part One

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10A.wrp.burning.htm

Harken Follows Bush to the Podium

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10B.harken.follow.htm

Daschle Seeks SEC File on Bush

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10C.dash.bush.sec.htm

Gephardt Statement on Corporate Accountability

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10D.gep.corp.acc.htm

Arianna Huffington | Crime And The President's Restatement Of Yearnings

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10E.arianna.yearn.htm

WorldCom Feels Heat in House Hearing

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10F.worldcom.heat.htm

White House Stonewall: Days 136 & 137

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.10G.stone.136.137.htm

7/9/02
10:33:12 PM

Planet Ark World Environment News

Missouri river barge traffic nearly dead in water - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16769/story.htm

Yucca project headed to US Senate approval - aides - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16772/story.htm

US nuclear plants to add 994 megawatts in 2002 - EIA - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16773/story.htm

Living standard seen slumping as resources run out - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16777/story.htm

Firms fail to disclose Alaska cleanup costs - GAO - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16778/story.htm

Mitsubishi OEM deal to boost engine output - paper - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16779/story.htm

EU rules seen doubling cost of UK waste dumping - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16770/story.htm

Annan urges action for Earth Summit - SOUTH AFRICA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16780/story.htm

Singapore contains oil spill after ships collide - SINGAPORE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16774/story.htm

Construction begins on Ireland's largest wind farm - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16775/story.htm

Peru peasants march to Lima, protest mining damage - PERU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16767/story.htm

Donors agree aid to clean nuclear waste in Russia - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16776/story.htm

German wind power market up 33 pct yr/yr in Jan-Jun - DENMARK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16771/story.htm

FEATURE - Colombian U'wa Indians brace for new battle - COLOMBIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16781/story.htm

Quebec wildfires spread smoke, smog over wide area - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16768/story.htm

7/9/02
10:30:12 PM

Whitewashing The Bush Boys

by Stephen Pizzo

If Robert Fiske finds that Bill and Hillary have committed crimes in the so-called Whitewater-gate matter, they should pay the price. But according to our Special Prosecute-o-Meter (to come), it would seem that the Clintons' behavior is being measured differently from alleged banking misdeeds by the Bush family--Neil (Silverado Savings), $1 billion; Jeb (Broward Savings), $221.8 million; and George (BNL-Iraqgate), $5 billion. All proved a good deal more costly than the up-to-$50 million involved in the Madison Savings-Whitewater mess.

But while the national media--and specifically the New York Times--has focused its high-caliber lens on the Clintons, they apparently have forgiven and forgotten the Bushes' banking practices.

Consider the remarkably kind November 30 Times front-page profile of Bush boys George Jr. (running for Texas governor) and Jeb (running for Florida governor). The story, by Times veteran Maureen Dowd, was an extraordinary triumph of style over substance.

Dowd kicked off the piece by describing a campaign stop in St. Petersburg, Fla., where a woman directed a stream of idiotic "One World tool of the Communist-Wall Street international conspiracy" accusations at Jeb Bush (coyly described as a "slender six-foot-four"). Dowd jumped to Jeb's defense, labeling the woman's accusations "wacky."

Fair enough. But in her 2,000-word article Dowd neglected to mention any of the other, far more serious allegations of wrongdoing that have been leveled at the Bush boys, leaving readers with the impression that these accusations are also just the "wacky" complaints of nuts out to harass the poor Bush family. After all, the "Newspaper of Record" has declared them so.

Had Dowd done her background work she would have found no shortage of decidedly unwacky Bush stories. Among others: a 1987 front-page article in the Wall Street Journal chronicling how Jeb helped a Cuban con man bilk Medicare out of millions of dollars; MoJo's Sept./Oct. 1992 cover story ("My Three Sons") on the Bush sons' long list of dubious business transactions (including George Jr.'s alleged violation of security laws governing insider stock sales when he sold his shares of Harken Oil on the eve of the Gulf War); and a recent New Yorker article detailing sleazy activities by Neil and number-four son Marvin Bush. The Times even ran an April 1992 story listing some of the Bushes' questionable deals (perhaps all motivated by the "Bush creed of competition" that Dowd notes approvingly).

When contacted by MoJo, Dowd wouldn't defend her story, saying, "Look, I'm not an investigative reporter, and clearly I wish now that I'd written a different piece. The Bush family never really liked me anyway." They may like her better now.

Short memories are also evident in Washington, D.C., where Bob Dole is complaining that House Banking Chairman Henry Gonzalez, D-Tex., is dragging his feet on Whitewater, but "held weeks of hearings" when Neil Bush got swept up in the failure of Silverado, even though he "had no direct involvement."

Actually, Neil sat on Silverado's board of directors until the thrift was declared functionally insolvent. That's about as "involved" as you can get.

Republicans are also upset over a Small Business Administration loan of $300,000, taken out by Susan McDougal, that went into Whitewater Development and later into default. Guess they've forgotten that $2.35 million SBA loan Neil received for his new company, Apex Energy, after bugging out of Silverado. (He walked away from this obligation, too.)

But there may be a silver lining: If our meter is used as a gauge, then Gonzalez's demand for a special prosecutor in the BNL-Iraqgate affair should get serious consideration. Republicans ought to meditate on the old adage, "Beware what you wish for. You may just get it."

Source: http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/MA94/pizzo.html

7/9/02
10:24:34 PM

Whitewashing The Bush boys

by Stephen Pizzo

But while the national media--and specifically the New York Times--has focused its high-caliber lens on the Clintons, they apparently have forgiven and forgotten the Bushes' banking practices.

Actually, Neil sat on Silverado's board of directors until the thrift was declared functionally insolvent. That's about as "involved" as you can get.

Source: http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/MA94/pizzo.html

7/9/02
8:58:10 PM

The Bush 9/11 Scandal For Dummies

by Bernard Weiner, OnlineJournal.com, June 4, 2002

Don't know about you, but all this who-knew-what-when pre-9/11 stuff is mighty confusing. So once again, I head to that all-purpose reference series for some comprehensible answers.

Q. I've heard all these reports about the government knowing weeks and months in advance of 9/11 that airliners were going to be hijacked and flown into buildings, and yet the Bush administration apparently did nothing and denied they did anything wrong. They claimed the fault lay in the intelligence agencies "not connecting the dots," or that it was the "FBI culture" that failed. Can you explain?

A. Most of the "it's-the-fault-of-the-system" spin is designed to deflect attention from the real situation. Bush and his spokesmen may well be correct in saying they had no idea as to the specifics-they may not have known the exact details of the attacks-but it is more and more apparent that they knew a great deal more than they're letting on, including the possible targets.

Q. You're not just going leave that hanging out there, are you? Just bash Bush with no evidence to back it up?

A. There's no need to bash anybody. There is more than enough documentation to establish that the Bush administration was fully aware that a major attack was coming from Al-Qaeda, by air, aimed at symbolic structures on the U.S. mainland, and that among mentioned targets were the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the White House, the Congress, Statue of Liberty. (According to Richard Clarke, the White House's National Coordinator for Anti-Terrorism, the intelligence community was convinced 10 weeks before 9/11 that an Al-Qaeda attack on U.S. soil was imminent.) Q. If they knew in advance that the, or at least an, attack was coming, why did the Bush administration do nothing to prepare the country in advance: get photos of suspected terrorists out to airlines, have fighter jets put on emergency-standby status or even in the air as deterrents, get word out to the border police to stop these "watch-list" terrorists, put surface-to-air missiles around the White House and Pentagon, etc.?

A. The explanation preferred by the government is to admit, eight months late, to absolute and horrendous incompetence, up and down the line (although Bush&Co., surprise!, prefer to focus the blame lower down, letting the FBI be the fall guy). But let's try an alternate explanation. Think about it for a moment. If their key goal was to mobilize the country behind the Bush administration, get their political/business agenda through, have a reason to move unilaterally around the globe, and defang the Democrats and other critics at home-what better way to do all that than to have Bush be the take-charge leader after a diabolic "sneak attack"?

Q. You're suggesting the ultimate cynical stratagem, purely for political ends. I can't believe that Bush and his cronies are that venal. Isn't it possible that the whole intelligence apparatus just blew it?

A. Possible, but not bloody likely. There certainly is enough blame to spread around, but the evidence indicates that Bush and his closest aides knew that bin Laden was planning a direct attack on the U.S. mainland-using airplanes headed for those icon targets-and, in order to get the country to move in the direction he wanted, he kept silent.

Q. But if that's true, what you've described is utterly indefensible, putting policy ahead of American citizens' lives.

A. Now are you beginning to understand why Bush&Co. are fighting so tenaciously against a blue-ribbon commission of inquiry, and why Bush and Cheney went to congressional leaders and asked them not to investigate the pre-9/11 period. Now do you understand why they are trying so desperately to keep everything secret, tightly locked up in the White House, only letting drips and drabs get out when there is no other way to avoid congressional subpoenas or court-ordered disclosures? They know that if one thread of the cover-up unravels, more of their darkest secrets will follow.

Q. You're sounding like a conspiracy nut.

A. For years, we've avoided thinking in those terms, because so many so-called "conspiracies" exist only in someone's fevered imagination. Plus, to think along these lines in this case is depressing, suggesting that American democracy can be so easily manipulated and distorted by a cabal of the greedy and power-hungry. But I'm afraid that's where the evidence leads.

Q. You mean there's proof of Bush complicity in 9/11 locked up in the White House?

A. We wouldn't use the term complicity. So far as we now know, Bush did not order or otherwise arrange for al-Qaeda's attacks on September 11. But once the attacks happened, the plans Bush&Co. already had drawn up for taking advantage of the tragedy were implemented. A frightened, terrorist-obsessed nation did not realize they'd been the object of another assault, this time by those occupying the White House.

Q. This is startling, and revolting. But I refuse to jump on the conspiracy bandwagon until I see some proof. Bush says he first heard about a "lone" pre-9/11 warning on August 6, and that it was vague and dealt with possible attacks outside the U.S. Why can't we believe him? After all, the FBI and CIA are notorious for their incompetence and bungling. You got a better version that makes sense, I'd love to hear it.

A. Bush and his spinners want us to concentrate on who knew what detail when; it's the old magician's trick of getting you to look elsewhere while he's doing his prestidigitation. We're not talking about a little clue here and another little clue there, or an FBI memo that wasn't shared. We're talking about long-range planning and analysis of what strategic-intelligence agencies and high-level commissions and geopolitical thinkers around the globe-including those inside the U.S.-saw for years before 9/11 as likely scenarios in an age of terrorist attacks.

The conclusion about al-Qaeda, stated again and again for years by government analysts, was basically: "They're coming, by air. Get prepared. They're well organized, determined, and technically adept. And they want to hit big targets, well-known symbols of America." (There was a 1999 U.S. government study, for example, that pointed out that al-Qaeda suicide-bombers wanted to crash aircraft into a number of significant Washington targets; during the 1995 trial of Ramsi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, he revealed plans to dive-bomb a plane into CIA headquarters, and earlier he had told FBI agents that the list was expanded to include the Pentagon and other D.C. targets.)

Elements in the FBI, all over the country, who suspected what was coming, were clamoring, begging, for more agents to be used for counter-terrorism investigations, but were turned down by Attorney General Ashcroft; Ashcroft also gave counter-terrorism short shrift in his budget plans, not even placing anti-terrorism on his priority list; John O'Neill, the FBI's NYC anti-terrorism director, resigned, asserting that his attempts at full-scale investigating were being thwarted by higher-ups; someone in the FBI, perhaps on orders of someone higher-up, made sure that the local FBI investigation in Minneapolis of Zacaria Moussauoi was compromised. All this while Ashcroft was shredding the Constitution in his martial law-like desire to amass information, and continues even now to further expand his police-state powers.

(Note: An FBI agent has filed official complaints over the bureau's interfering with anti-terrorism investigations; his lawyers include David Schippers, who worked for the GOP side in the Clinton impeachment effort; Schippers says the agent knew in May 2001 that "an attack on lower Manhattan was imminent." A former FBI official said: "I don't buy the idea that we didn't know what was coming . . . Within 24 hours [of the attack], the Bureau had about 20 people identified, and photos were sent out to the news media. Obviously this information was available in the files and someone was sitting on it.")

One can accept the usual incompetency in intelligence collection and analysis from, say, an anti-terrorist desk officer at the FBI, but not from the highest levels of national defense and intelligence in and around the president, where his spokesman, in a bald-faced lie, told the world that the 9/11 attacks came with "no warning." More recently, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, in a quavering voice, tried to characterize the many warnings as mere "chatter," and concerned attacks "outside the U.S."

But the many warning-reports focused on terrorist attacks both inside and outside the United States; the August 6 briefing dealt with planned attacks in the United States. Not only were there clear warnings from allies abroad, but the U.S., through its ECHELON and other electronic-intercept programs, that may well have broken bin Laden's encryption code; for example, the U.S. knew that he told his mother on September 9: "In two days you're going to hear big news, and you're not going to hear from me for a while."

And, the word of an impending attack was getting out: put options (hedges that a stock's price is going to fall) in enormous quantities were being bought on United Airlines and American Airlines stock, the two carriers of the hijackers, as early as September 7; San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown was warned by "an airport security man" on September 10 to rethink his flight to New York for the next day; Newsweek reported that on September 10, "a group of top Pentagon officials suddenly canceled travel plans for the next morning, apparently because of security concerns;" many members of a Bronx mosque were also warned to stay out of lower Manhattan on September 11, etc. etc.

Q. You're giving me intriguing bits and pieces. Can't you tie it all together and make it make sense?

A. OK, you asked for it, so we're going to provide you with a kind of shorthand scenario of what may well have gone down, a kind of narrative that attempts to tie a lot of disparate-seeming events together. There is voluminous, multi-source evidence that establishes this scenario. It's scary, so prepare yourself. We believe that the HardRight began serious planning for a 2000 electoral victory-and then implementation of a HardRight agenda, and the destruction of a liberal opposition-a year or two after Clinton's 1996 victory. (The impeachment of Clinton was a key ingredient to sully Democrat opposition.)

The GOP HardRight leaders decided early to select George W. Bush, a none-too-bright and easily malleable man with the right name and pedigree. They ran into a speed-bump when John McCain began to take off in the public imagination, and so with dirty tricks they wrecked his campaign in the South and elsewhere, and continued on their merry course. For a while, they fully expected an easy victory over dull Al Gore, tainted goods for a lot of conservative Republicans and others because of his association with Clinton, but, given the obvious limitations of their candidate, they weren't going to take a lot of chances. In Florida, for example, where it looked as if the race might be tight, they early on arranged things-through Bush's governor-brother Jeb, and the Bush campaign's Katherine Harris, Florida's Secretary of State-so that George W. couldn't lose. An example: removing tens of thousands of eligible African-American voters from the rolls.

As it turned out, Gore won the popular vote by more than a half-million votes nationwide, and, we now know, would have won Florida's popular vote had all the ballots been counted, but the U.S. Supreme Court HardRight majority, despite its longtime support for states' rights, in a bit of ethical contortionism did a philosophical reverse in midair and ordered the Florida vote-counting to stop and declared Bush the winner, installing a president rather than letting the people decide for themselves.

Q. That's ancient history. I'm interested in 9/11, not tearing at an old scab.

A. Okay. We're merely trying to indicate that the HardRight's campaign to take power was not an overnight, post-9/11 whim but worked out long in advance. After so many near-chances to take total control, they would do anything to guarantee a presidential victory this time around-which would give them full control over the reins of power: Legislature (where HardRightists dominated the House and Senate), the Courts (where the HardRight dominated the U.S. Supreme Court and many appellate courts), and the Executive branch, not to mention the HardRight media control they exerted in so many areas.

They had followed the news, they knew that the al-Qaeda terrorist network was engaged in a maniacal jihad against America, and was quite capable-as they had demonstrated on many occasions, from Saudi Arabia to East Africa to the first attempt on the World Trade Center-of carrying out their threats. They also knew, from innumerable intelligence reports from telecommunications intercepts, and from various commissions, CIA and foreign agents that al-Qaeda liked to blow up symbolic icon structures of countries targeted, and that al-Qaeda, and its affiliates, had an affinity for trying to use airplanes as psychologic or actual weapons. (The French had foiled one such attack in 1994, where a hijacked commercial airliner would be flown into the Eiffel Tower.)

By early 2001 and into the summer, warnings were pouring in to U.S. intelligence and military agencies from Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, and other Middle East and South Asian intelligence sources, along with Russia and Britain and the Philippines, saying that a major attack on the U.S. mainland was in the works, involving the use of airplanes as weapons of mass destruction.

Indeed, in June and July of 2001, the alerts started to be explicit that air attacks were about to go down in the U.S.; even local FBI offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis began passing warnings up the line about Middle Eastern men acting suspiciously at flight schools. In July, Ashcroft stopped flying on commercial airliners and traveled only by private plane, and Bush, after but a few months in office, announced he was going to ground, spending the month of August on his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Cheney disappeared from view, and our guess is that he was coordinating the overall, post-attack strategy.

Under this scenario, in mid-Summer 2001, Bush&Co. decided this was it. Bin Laden unknowingly was going to deliver them the gift of terrorism, and they were going to run with it as far and as fast and as hard as they could. The various post-attack scenarios had been worked out, the so-called USA Patriot Act-which contained various police-state eviscerations of the Constitution-was polished and prepared for a rush-job (with no hearings) through a post-attack Congress, the war plans against the Taliban in Afghanistan were readied and rolled out, the air-base countries around Afghanistan were brought onboard, and so on. All during the summer of 2001.

Q. I don't understand how war against Afghanistan could have been anticipated so early.

A. Follow the money. Various oil/gas/energy companies had wanted a Central Asian pipeline to run through Afghanistan (costing much less to build, but also so it wouldn't have to go through Russia or Iran); that project was put on hold during the chaos in Afghanistan, but when the Taliban took over and brought stability to that country, the U.S. began negotiating with the Taliban about the pipeline deal. Even after sending them, via the United Nations, $43million dollars for "poppy-seed eradication," and inviting them to talks in Texas, the Taliban began to balk. At a later meeting, the U.S. negotiator threatened them with an attack unless they handed over bin Laden and reportedly told them, in reference to the pipeline, that they could accept "a carpet of gold" or be buried in "a carpet of bombs." (The later U.S. government spin was that the bin Laden issue and the pipeline issues were separate, and that the U.S. threats didn't mix the two and there were misunderstandings of what was said.) Shortly thereafter, bin Laden, hiding out in Afghanistan, initiated the September 11 attacks, and the U.S. bombing of that country began. Oh, by the way, in case you haven't noticed, under the new U.S.-friendly government in Kabul, the pipeline project is back on track and the pipeline will terminate reasonably close to the power plant in India built by Enron that has been lying dormant for years, waiting for cheap energy supplies.

Q. You're saying that U.S. war and foreign policy have been dictated by greed?

A. Among other unpleasant motivations, such as hunger for domination and control, domestically and around the globe-which always ties in with greed. That's why Bush&Co. play such political and military hardball. That's why the arrogant, take-no-prisoners, in-your-face attitude to bully and frighten potential opponents into silence and acquiescence, even questioning their patriotism if they demur or raise embarrassing issues.

Q. But this is a democracy, people are still speaking their minds, right?

A. Certainly, there are areas of America's democratic republic that have not yet been shut down. But where there should be a vibrant opposition party, raising all sorts of questions about Bush administration policy and plans, America receives mostly silence and timidity. However, as more and more of the ugly truth begins to emerge-and Enron, anthrax, and pre-9/11 knowledge are just the tips of the iceberg-the Democrats (and moderate Republicans) are beginning to feel a bit more emboldened. But just a bit, preferring to run for cover whenever Bush&Co. accuse them of being unpatriotic when they raise pointed questions.

Q. You're so critical and negative about the Bush administration. Can't you say anything good about what they're doing?

A. Yes. They have moved terrorism-the new face of warfare in our time-front and center into the world's consciousness, and have mobilized a global coalition against it. They may be making mistakes, which could lead to horrifying consequences, or acting at times out of impure motives, but at least the issue is out there and being debated and acted upon. Now, having said that, we must point out that the institutions in this country-the Constitution, the courts, the legislative bodies, civil liberties, the Bill of Rights, the press, etc.-are in as much danger as they've ever been in. And the U.S.'s bullying attitude abroad may well lead to disastrous consequences for America down the line.

Q. So, what's to be done?

A. The most important thing at the moment-even, or especially when, the inevitable next terrorist attack occurs-is to break the illusion of Bush&Co. invulnerability. The best way to do that, aside from ratcheting up the Enron and anthrax and 9/11 investigations (and it may turn out that those scandals are deeply intertwined), is to defeat GOP candidates in the upcoming November elections. If the Democrats hang on to the Senate and can take over the House, the dream of unchallengeable HardRight power will be broken. Bush&Co. will become even more desperate, overt, nasty, and in their arrogance and bullying ways, will make more mistakes and alienate more citizens. The edifice will begin to crumble even more; there will be more and deeper congressional and media investigations; resignations and/or impeachments (of both Bush & Cheney, and Ashcroft) may well follow.

Q. You're asking me to support all Democrats, even though in a particular race a moderate GOP conservative would be better?

A. Yes. In some cases, you may have to hold your nose and send money to, canvass for, and vote for a Democrat; we can get rid of the bad ones later. The objective right now-for the future of the Constitution, and for the lives of our soldiers in uniform and civilians around the globe-has to be to break the momentum of the HardRight by taking the House and keeping the Senate from returning to GOP control. Doing so would be even more important than what happened when that courageous senator from Vermont, Jim Jeffords, appalled by the HardRight nastiness and greed-agenda of the Bush folks, resigned from the GOP and turned the Senate agenda over to the Democrats.

Q. And you think if the GOP gets its nose bloodied in the November election that will convince Bush to resign or lead to his impeachment? I don't get that.

A. Churchill once told the Brits during World War II that "this is not the beginning of the end, but it is the beginning of the beginning of the end." There is a lot of hard work and organizing and educating to be done, but the recent exposure of Bush cover-up lies about pre-9/11 knowledge is "the beginning of the beginning of the end." With a GOP defeat in November, Democrats will be emboldened to speak up more, investigate deeper, and those inquiries will unlock even more awful secrets of this greed-and-power-hungry administration. And that will be the beginning of the end-and the beginning of the beginning of a new era of more humane values for America and the rest of the world.

Bernard Weiner, Ph.D., has taught American government and international relations at Western Washington University and San Diego State University; he was with the San Francisco Chronicle for nearly 20 years, and has published in The Nation, Village Voice, The Progressive, Northwest Passage and widely on the Internet.

Source: http://www.onlinejournal.com

A related article

"A Laymans Guide to the Supreme Court Decison in Bush V. Gore"

by Mark H. Levine, Attorney at Law

http://www.flybynews.com/cgi-local/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid978235295,95845,m

7/9/02
8:49:00 PM

The Family That Preys Together

by Jack Colhoun

George Jr.'s BCCI Connection, 1992

"This is an incredible deal, unbelievable for this small company," energy analyst Charles Strain told Forbes magazine, describing the oil production sharing agreement the Harken Energy Corporation signed in January 1990 with Bahrain.

Under the terms of the deal, Harken was given the exclusive right to explore for gas and oil off the shores of the Gulf island nation. If gas or oil were found in waters near two of the world's largest gas and oil fields, Harken would have exclusive marketing and transportation rights for the energy resources. Truly an "incredible deal" for a company that had never drilled an offshore well.

Strain failed to point out, however, the one fact that puts the Harken deal in focus: George Bush, Jr., the eldest son of George and Barbara Bush of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, is a member of Harken's board of directors, a consultant, and a stockholder in the Texas-based company. In light of this connection, the deal makes more sense. The involvement of Junior-George Walker Bush's childhood nickname-with Harken is a walking conflict of interest. His relationship to President Bush, rather than any business acumen, made him a valuable asset for Harken, the Republican Party benefactors, Middle East oil sheikhs and covert operators who played a part in Harken's Bahrain deal.

In fact, Junior's track record as an oilman is pretty dismal. He began his career in Midland, Texas, in the mid-1970s when he founded Arbusto Energy, Inc. When oil prices dropped in the early 1980s, Arbusto fell upon hard times. Junior was only rescued from business failure when his company was purchased by Spectrum 7 Energy Corporation, a small oil firm owned by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. As part of the September 1984 deal, Bush became Spectrum 7's president and was given a 13.6 percent share in the company's stock. Oil prices stayed low and within two years, Spectrum 7 was in trouble.

In the six months before Spectrum 7 was acquired by Harken in 1986, it had lost $400,000. In the buyout deal, George "Jr." and his partners were given more than $2 million worth of Harken stock for the 180-well operation. Made a director and hired as a "consultant" to Harken, Junior received another $600,000 of Harken stock, and has been paid between $42,000 and $120,000 a year since 1986.

Junior's value to Harken soon became apparent when the company needed an infusion of cash in the spring of 1987. Junior and other Harken officials met with Jackson Stephens, head of Stephens, Inc., a large investment bank in Little Rock, Arkansas (Stephens made a $100,000 contribution to the Reagan-Bush campaign in 1980 and gave another $100,000 to the Bush dinner committee in 1990.)

In 1987, Stephens made arrangements with Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) to provide $25 million to Harken in return for a stock interest in Harken. As part of the Stephens-brokered deal, Sheikh Abdullah Bakhsh, a Saudi real estate tycoon and financier, joined Harken's board as a major investor. *5 Stephens, UBS, and Bakhsh each have ties to the scandal-ridden Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).

It was Stephens who suggested in the late 1970s that BCCI purchase what became First American Bankshares in Washington, D.C. BCCI later acquired First American's predecessor, Financial General Bankshares. At the time of the Harken investment, UBS was a joint-venture partner with BCCI in a bank in Geneva, Switzerland. Bakhsh has been an investment partner in Saudi Arabia with Gaith Pharoan, identified by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board as a "front man" for BCCI's secret acquisitions of U.S. banks.

Stephens, Inc. played a role in the Harken deal with Bahrain as well. Former Stephens bankers David and Mike Edwards contacted Michael Ameen, the former chief of Mobil Oil's Middle East operations, when Bahrain broke off 1989 talks with Amoco for a gas and oil exploration contract. The Edwardses recommended Harken for the job and urged Ameen to get in touch with Bahrain, which he did.

"In the midst of Harken's talks with Bahrain, Ameen- simultaneously working as a State Department consultant-briefed the incoming U.S. ambassador in Bahrain, Charles Hostler," the Wall Street Journal noted, adding that Hostler, a San Diego real estate investor, was a $100,000 contributor to the Republican Party. Hostler claimed he never discussed Harken with the Bahrainis.

Harken lacked sufficient financing to explore off the coast of Bahrain so it brought in Bass Enterprises Production Company of Fort Worth, Texas, as a partner. The Bass family contributed more than $200,000 to the Republican Party in the late 1980s and early 1990s. *9 On June 22, 1990, George Jr. sold two-thirds of his Harken stock for $848,560-a cool 200 percent profit. The move was well timed. One week after Junior sold his stock, Harken announced a $23.2 million loss in quarterly earnings and Harken stock dropped sharply, losing 60 percent of its value over the next six months. On August 2, 1990, Iraqi troops moved into Kuwait and 541,000 U.S. forces were deployed to the Gulf.

"There is substantial evidence to suggest that Bush knew Harken was in dire straits in the weeks before he sold the $848,560 of Harken stock," asserted U.S. News & World Report. The magazine noted Harken appointed Junior to a "fairness committee" to study possible economic restructuring of the company. Junior worked closely with financial advisers from Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Company, who concluded "only drastic action could save Harken."

George "Jr." also violated Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations which require "insider" stock deals to be reported promptly, in Bush's case by July 10, 1990. He didn't file the stock sale with the SEC until the first week of March 1991.

Meanwhile, a cloak-and-dagger aura surrounds Junior's business dealings. James Bath, a Texas entrepreneur who invested $50,000 in Arbusto Energy, may be a business cutout for the CIA. Bath also acted as an investment "adviser" to Saudi Arabian oil sheikhs, linked to the outlaw BCCI, which also has ties to the CIA.

Bill White, a former Bath partner, claims that Bath has "national security" connections. White, a United States Naval Academy graduate and former fighter pilot, charges that Bath developed a network of off-shore companies to camouflage the movement of money and aircraft between Texas and the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia.

Alan Quasha, a Harken director and former chair of the company, is the son of attorney William Quasha, who defended figures in the Nugan Hand Bank scandal in Australia. Closed in 1980, Nugan Hand was not only tied to drug-money laundering and U.S. intelligence and mi- litary circles, but also to the CIA's covert backing for a "constitutional coup" in Australia that caused the fall of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

The Harken deal with Bahrain raises another troubling question: Did the Bahrainis and the BCCI-linked Saudi oil sheikhs use the production sharing agreement with Harken to curry favor with the Bush administration and influence U.S. policy in the Middle East? Talat Othman's sudden rise to prominence in Bush administration foreign policy circles is a case in point. Othman, who sits on the Harken board as Sheikh Bakhsh's representative, didn't have access to President Bush before Harken's Bahrain agreement. "But since August 1990, the Palestinian-born Chicago investor has attended three White House meetings with President Bush to discuss Middle East policy," the Wall Street Journal pointed out. "His name was added by the White House to a select list of 15 Arab-Americans chosen to meet with President Bush, [then White House Chief of Staff John] Sununu and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft in the White House two days after Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait."

7/9/02
8:45:17 PM

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Following is a transcript of President Bush's speech Tuesday in New York addressing corporate misconduct:

"We've learned of some business leaders obstructing justice and misleading clients, falsifying records, business executives breaching the trust and abusing power. We've learned of CEOs earning tens of millions of dollars in bonuses just before their companies go bankrupt, leaving employees and retirees and investors to suffer. " President Bush - July 9, 2002

http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/07/09/bush.transcript/index.html

7/9/02
8:36:53 PM

Public Citizen issued two press releases and a letter today, July 9, 2002:

1) Public Citizen Calls on Bush Administration to Name Special Counsel to Probe Halliburton Accounting During Cheney Tenure

2) In Yucca Mountain Approval, Senators Bow to Nuclear Industry; Fight Will Continue

3) Letter to Johns Hopkins urging cancellation of "Botox Night"

Public Citizen Calls on Bush Administration to Name Special Counsel to Probe Halliburton Accounting During Cheney Tenure

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Public Citizen, in a letter to the president, called on the Bush administration to name a special counsel to investigate possible accounting irregularities or securities fraud at Halliburton Co., where Vice President Dick Cheney was chief executive officer until resigning to become Bush's running mate.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in May opened an investigation of Halliburton's accounting practices involving cost overruns on construction projects, methods that the company adopted during Cheney's tenure. Halliburton also faces investor lawsuits alleging that the company violated securities law by issuing false statements. Cheney ran the Dallas-based oil-services company from 1995 until August 2000.

"President Bush is talking a good game about getting tough on corporate criminals to avoid getting tainted during this corporate crime wave. But to have any credibility he needs to make sure his own house is in order," said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook, who sent the letter late Monday. "Like Enron, WorldCom, Xerox and others, Halliburton's books have been called into question. The public deserves an independent investigation to determine whether the vice president knew about or participated in any fraudulent accounting schemes."

Under current law, Attorney General John Ashcroft can appoint a special counsel who would operate independently of the Justice Department. Designating a special counsel would, theoretically, insulate investigators and prosecutors from possible political pressure coming from within the administration. The Independent Counsel Act, which was used to appoint an independent counsel to investigate former President Bill Clinton's involvement in the Whitewater real estate transactions, expired in 1999.

"We need a thorough airing of the issues involving Mr. Cheney and Halliburton," Claybrook said. "If the administration wants to restore faith in our capital markets, then it should leave no stone unturned in its search for corporate wrongdoers. No one should be above the law. If Mr. Cheney did nothing wrong, he should welcome such an investigation to clear his name."

A copy of the letter is available on the Web at http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/electricity/Enron/articles.cfm?ID=7975.

xoxox

July 9, 2002

In Yucca Mountain Approval, Senators Bow to Nuclear Industry; Fight Will Continue

Statement of Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook

Today's decision by the U.S. Senate to give a green light to the potentially disastrous Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump is disappointing, but we are pleased that more senators than ever - 39 - voted against it.

Still, this outcome was not unexpected, given that the nuclear industry spent millions of dollars to buy ads, contribute to politicians' campaigns and hire lobbyists to twist arms. In fact, senators and senatorial candidates took more than $5 million from the nuclear power industry in political action committee contributions from 1997 through February 2002. This vote was paid for, and records likely will show more contributions poured into campaign coffers in recent weeks. With today's vote, lawmakers have not only succumbed to industry influence but have again failed to check the Bush administration's inappropriate coziness with the energy industries.

Ahead of us are regulatory, legislative and legal battles. We hope common sense will prevail, because there are plenty of issues to be addressed:

· It is unclear whether enough money will be appropriated for Yucca Mountain to come to fruition. Already the government has spent $7 billion on this white elephant; today's total cost estimate is $58 billion and tomorrow's will be more.

· The Department of Energy (DOE) has not released the routes it would use to ship the nuclear waste to Nevada. This has enabled the administration to avoid the wrath of concerned lawmakers who may not yet know that these mobile Chernobyls could be coming through their districts. When routes are finally laid out, expect a huge amount of opposition from affected communities and their representatives.

· The DOE has estimated that nearly 300 crashes could occur while this dangerous waste is being shipped to Nevada. Yet it is unlikely that emergency workers would be prepared to adequately handle such potential disasters. Further, the transportation casks have not been fully tested to ensure they could withstand realistically severe crashes. Also, the waste will make a tempting terrorist target as it rolls across the country; the Yucca Mountain scheme calls for scattering dirty bombs all over the United States.

· Even the government's own scientists confess they cannot demonstrate that the proposed repository will not leak and contaminate the environment and drinking water supplies.

· Yucca Mountain will not solve our waste problems because the irradiated fuel must cool onsite for years before being moved. Whether or not Yucca Mountain is built, nuclear waste will always be scattered at nuclear reactors throughout the country as long as reactors continue to operate. Further, the total volume of this country's high-level nuclear waste is expected to exceed capacity at Yucca Mountain before the repository can open.

We applaud the efforts and leadership of Sens. Tom Daschle, Harry Reid and others. We hope they will continue to lead the fight against what is, and always will be, a terrible idea.

xoxox

July 9, 2002

Edward D. Miller, M.D. Chief Executive Officer Dean of the Medical Faculty Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 720 Rutland Avenue Room 100 Baltimore, MD 21205 Fax: (410) 955- 0889

Dear Dr. Miller:

If you wish to ensure that the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine maintains its reputation as one of the world's leading medical schools, you will immediately cancel the "Botox Night", similar in many respects to a so-called Botox Party, scheduled for Johns Hopkins' Outpatient Center this Thursday, July 11. This event is unseemly, unprofessional and undermines the core educational mission of the university.

Botox Parties have sprung up in the aftermath of the April 15, 2002, Food and Drug Administration approval of botulinum toxin for the treatment of "glabellar lines" (otherwise known as the frown lines between the eyebrows). Such events may occur in spas or in upscale private homes and often feature alcohol and on-the-spot injections with Botox. The average cost of a Botox injection (Allergan; Irvine, CA) is $497, according to a survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery conducted between January and April 2002. Although we do not believe that alcohol will be served at the Johns Hopkins event, one purpose of the party setting is to capitalize on the fact that people in large groups with persuasive speakers are easily swayed. Another purpose is that a vial of the very expensive Botox typically contains enough toxin for five injections; because the contents are intended to be discarded within four hours of the vial being opened, there is an incentive to use all the contents rapidly. The procedure must be repeated every three to six months, potentially providing a steady stream of patients (and income).

Shortly after Botox was approved for cosmetic uses, the American Academy of Dermatology went on record criticizing Botox parties. In an April 29, 2002, letter to all Academy members, Dr. Fred F. Castrow II, the Academy's president, stated that "Social gatherings of this kind in combination with botulinum toxin treatments are inappropriate and potentially dangerous settings for patients. As such, I strongly discourage you from participating in these kinds of medical/social activities." The adverse effects of Botox include drooping of the eyelids and reactions around the injection site.

It appears that everyone with an email account through the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (including students, faculty, residents and fellows) received an email on or before July 2 with a series of announcements of upcoming events at the medical school. Among these was the announcement for the Botox event with the title "It's Botox Night at Hopkins", printed on Johns Hopkins stationary (see attachment). The "host" of the event is Patrick J. Byrne, MD, who is an assistant professor and director of the Division of Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins.

The announcement promises an event in the Outpatient Center for which "Attendance is free." We have since learned that those who elect to receive an injection will pay $5 per unit of Botox, or about $100 per treatment, a sharply reduced rate (Dr. Byrne's receptionist, personal communication, July 9, 2002). The following information is provided under the "Details" section of the announcement:

Do you have fine lines and wrinkles that make you look older than you really are? Do you want to look younger without the cost and inconvenience of surgery? Curious what all the fuss is about Botox? (sic) Come join us after work for an infomation (sic) seminar including live demonstration of the many uses of Botox. Any (sic) interested in receiving Botox treatments may do so on the spot! Refreshments will be served and attendance is free. (Emphasis in original)

We are astonished that a respected institution like Johns Hopkins would permit so inappropriate an activity under its roof. With all the medical problems facing the U.S., and Baltimore in particular, can this be the most productive use of faculty members', students' or residents' time? What social or medical purpose is served by marketing cosmetic procedures to healthy Johns Hopkins employees, particularly those who, based on their age, will have few signs of aging?

Dr. Byrne may wish to characterize his efforts as an "infomation (sic) seminar," but, clearly, the main purpose of the event is to drum up business for Johns Hopkins. This event does not follow the pattern of educational events for either medical schools or patients. Educational events at medical schools and hospitals typically occur at lunchtime seminars or grand rounds, not after hours with promises of drugs for the attendees. Educational seminars for the public typically provide information on diseases and treatment options, not treatment demonstrations. Has anyone heard of a patient education seminar on arthritis with "on-the-spot Enbrel injections" or a seminar on cancer with "on-the-spot chemotherapy"?

Over the years, Johns Hopkins has developed a reputation for addressing the needs of patients by leading the nation in research, clinical services and education. The crass commercialism of this event sends the message to students that cosmetic procedures -- with the lure of a Botox injection at a reduced price -- are equally meritorious uses of physician time. Botox injections are medical procedures that should be delivered in a calm, private setting -- not in the festive atmosphere this announcement appears to contemplate. If you ensure that this event is immediately canceled, it will send a clear message to students that Johns Hopkins emphasizes professionalism over commercialism in medicine.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Lurie, MD, MPH Deputy Director Public Citizen's Health Research Group

Eileen Ringel, MD Researcher Public Citizen's Health Research Group Practicing Dermatologist Adjunct Clinical Professor Dartmouth Medical School

Sidney M. Wolfe, MD Director Public Citizen's Health Research Group

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

For more information, please visit http://www.citizen.org

7/9/02
8:10:37 PM

TomPaine.com

http://www.TomPaine.com

Independent, Commercial-free

BILL MAHER VOTED OFF THE ISLAND

Pleistocene Rivals Survive

by Michael Ryan

"The satirical late night ABC program ends its run a victim of...the lily-livered reactions of sponsors who believe that satire is a form of treason."

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5909

NOW HEAR THIS! NEW SHAKESPEARE PLAY

Bard Presents Bush As Unflattering Despot

by Shepherd Bliss

"People have gathered in the square, terrified by prophecies of doom. Trumpets blare. King George II enters. In the background the King's castle has begun to crumble. The whole world watches." A Shakespearan take on our world.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5832

ECONOMICS REPORTING REVIEW:

A Weekly Compendium and Commentary

by Dean Baker

Productivity in Europe...Privatization in Bolivia...Stock Returns...Doctor Shortages...Prescription Drug Benefits...and more...

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5933

AIRPLANES TO DEFEND THE RICH MAN'S WEALTH

A Song To Celebrate Airpower's History -- And Mourn Its Present

by Peter Kastner

"The times have changed, and the planes have changed, and their mission has gone sour/Since the days when the Memphis Belle went forth to defeat the Nazis power."

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5932

Book Excerpt

THE PUBLIC PAIN OF PRIVATE WATER

An Excerpt From Blue Gold

by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke

"In an arena [such as water trading] of such limited resources, a struggle ensues between those who have traditionally enjoyed these resources and those newcomers who look at these resources with covetous eyes."

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5903

7/9/02
8:07:57 PM

SciTech Daily Review

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/08jul_underfoot.htm

Auroras underfoot: A group of astronauts will never forget the day they flew right through a cloud of auroras while onboard the space shuttle Atlantis

A man with leukaemia has become the first adult in the UK to have a bone marrow transplant using blood from babies' umbilical cords

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_2116000/2116525.stm

Stressed and sore-footed Americans everywhere are clamoring for the exciting new MagnaSoles shoe inserts, which stimulate and soothe the wearer's feet using no fewer than five forms of pseudoscience (satire)

http://www.theonion.com/onion3512/new_insoles.html

Michael Gurian insists in The Wonder of Girls that women's brains are better suited for childrearing than calculus. Of course, brain "science" has long been used to underpin sweeping generalisations about human nature

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13525

Fats are bad for us, right? And carbohydrates are good. But what if the current dietary doctrine is wrong, and might even be responsible for the recent epidemic of obesity?

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/07FAT.html

7/9/02
8:05:17 PM

U.S. Plan for Iraq Is Said to Include Attack on 3 Sides

An American military planning document envisions tens of thousands of troops attacking Iraq from the north, south and west in a campaign to topple Saddam Hussein.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/05/international/middleeast/05IRAQ.html

Kurds, Secure in North Iraq, Are Cool to a U.S. Offensive

Washington's goal of a "regime change" in Baghdad is running into strong reservations from Kurdish leaders who would be crucial allies in any military campaign.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/international/middleeast/08IRAQ.html

Expecting Taliban, but Finding Only Horror

What began as a major operation against suspected Qaeda and Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan apparently turned into a slaughter of innocents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/international/asia/08VILL.html

7/9/02
8:03:37 PM

"The High Office of President has been used to foment a plot to destroy the American's freedom, and before I leave office I must inform the citizen of his plight."

John F. Kennedy, at Columbia University, November 12, 1963

10 days before his assassination on November 22, 1963

7/9/02
8:01:50 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-08-06.asp

"We Cover the Earth For You"

DISASTROUS TEXAS FLOODS SWEEP AWAY LIVES, HOMES

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas, July 8, 2002 (ENS) - At least eight people are dead and thousands have lost their homes as a week of flooding inundated several central Texas towns and cities. Continuing torrential rains are expected to cause even more damage as the floodwaters head for the south Texas coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

WIND ENERGY TURNS KINTYRE ECONOMY AROUND

GLASGOW, Scotland, July 8, 2002 (ENS) - Originally an area known best for its fishing fleet, its music festival, and the distillation of whisky, the Kintyre Peninsula is now host to the UK's most efficient windfarm, which officially opened today. The 46 wind turbines on the peninsula's highest hill will deliver an output of 30 megawatts, enough to supply electricity to 25,000 homes. Scottish Power's £21 million (US$32.4 million) wind energy project is able to produce its power so efficiently because the Kintyre Peninsula is one of the windiest spots in Europe. Minister for Energy Brian Wilson said, "This project shows that the technology is now available to produce not only clean but also efficient electricity from wind power."

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-08-03.asp

ENDANGERED BIRDS WILL NOT BE MOVED FOR BARGES

WASHINGTON, DC, July 8, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers not to move the nests of endangered birds to allow water to be released into the Missouri River. The decision, aimed at protecting the nests of the rare least tern and piping plover, could potentially block barge traffic from a 250 mile stretch of the river.

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-08-07.asp

PURIFIED ELBE RIVER DRAWS THOUSANDS OF SWIMMERS

HAMBURG, Germany, July 8, 2002 (ENS) - Once a stinking, polluted waterway running through Germany and the Czech Republic, the Elbe River has recovered enough to become a swimming attraction. On Sunday, people will flock to the river for the First International Elbe Swimming Day, a project of the Living Elbe campaign, symbolizing the reconciliation of the Elbe River with the people living nearby.

: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-08-04.asp

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JULY 8, 2002

Targeting Large Fish Favors Smaller Species

Biggest Fires Tamed, But Risk Still High

Population, Highways Lead to Amazon Deforestation

Individuals, Groups Honored for Protecting Wetlands

Rancher Recognized for Protecting His Lands

Groups Want Animal Research Information Restored

New Website Offers Advice on Fundraising

Teachers Head Underwater for New Curriculum

http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-08-09.asp

7/9/02
7:55:44 PM

Atta Flight School Owner Survives Suspicious Plane Crash

9-11 Clean Up Crew At Work?

By Daniel Hopsicker, Mad Cow Morning News, 7-6-2

VENICE, Fl - The owner of one of the two Venice, FL. flight schools at which Mohamed Atta and his terrorist cadre learned to fly barely survived the crash of a private plane last Wednesday when it nose-dived to earth after taking off from the Venice Airport.

The MadCowMorningNews has learned that subsequent events have left local aviation experts wondering if Arne Kruithof's near brush with death was just accident, or something more sinister.

Arne Kruithof, owner of Florida Flight Training, was one of three men who dragged themselves out of the mangled fuselage of a Twin Beech E18 and dashed to safety just moments before the plane's 300 gallons of fuel exploded in a fireball.

Onboard along with co-pilot Kruithof, whose school trained Siad Al Jarrah, the terrorist at the controls of the plane that went down in western Pennsylvania, were the pilot, Glenn Goodman, and passenger John Mills.

The men, who told investigators they were on their way for a pleasure trip to Cancun, were "shaken up, but essentially without injuries," according to a Venice Police spokesman.

"They were really lucky to walk away from this."

While 'mechanical failure' is believed to be responsible, the precise cause of the crash remains unknown.

"Did they check the fuel tanks for rubber balloons?"

The MadCowMorningNews has learned that Kruithof's near brush with death has local aviation experts wondering if the crash was just an accident.

Could someone now be attempting to ensure Kruithof's silence in the so-far anemic Congressional 9/11 investigation?

Does someone want Arne Kruithof dead?

This notion was bolstered late this week by the unseemly haste with which the plane's wreckage was destroyed... well before an FAA finding on the cause of the crash.

"The plane was almost immediately dragged off to be compacted even though the FAA hadn't yet determined the cause for the crash," one local aviation observer told us.

"That's not just irregular. It's highly irregular. So we're all kind of wondering just what the hell's going on. And besides... isn't it a little warm in Cancun in July?"

Magic Dutch Boys Two by Two

It was Dutch national Kruithof's purchase of one of the two Venice flight schools, at the same time fellow countryman Rudi Dekkers purchased the other, that led to them being dubbed the Venice 'Magic Dutch Boys.'

("Two damn Dutch boys training terrorist pilots is one damn Dutch boy too many," growled one famous Southern lawman to us last fall. "It's untidy.")

Even before the tragedy of September 11th, both men's dealings had lifted some eyebrows at the Venice Airport... And though both have gotten a free ride from the national press that has done nothing to lift the cloud of suspicion hanging over them locally among their aviation peers.

The two flight schools at Venice Municipal Airport cater almost exclusively to international students. Huffman President Rudi Dekkers has trained some 800 foreign students at his school during the past two years.

Venice residents said the city's other flight school, Florida Flight Training, also had numerous international students.

Kruithof is expected to testify at Congressional Hearings at some point both about his relationship with Rudi Dekkers--the other Dutch national flight school owner at the Venice Airport--and partner Pascal Schreier, a German national living in Munich.

"Say, didn't the terrorists come from Hamburg?"

Their company, Aviation Aspirations, (Kruithof is VP) provides both financial assistance and a "Mentor Programme."

Schreier recruited students in, among other places, Hamburg. The company's motto, somewhat ironically, is: "Better training because we care."

About their "mentoring programme," the company's literatures says: "The help is both financial and practical. We now provide one-to-one practical assistance from experienced Professional Pilots (our Mentors) whom we have established throughout the world.

Could 'mentor' be just a cute way to say 'handler?'

Do good recruitment prospects require special mentoring?

French newspaper Le Monde has reported that Osama Bin Laden's brother Yeslam sent student pilots to Venice for training.

Is Aviation Aspirations a front, being used as a vehicle to recruit and assess potential intel assets like terrorist pilots?

Birds of a Feather

The crash also threw a spotlight on some of Kruithof's curious associations.

Glen Goodman, the pilot of the downed Beech craft and Kruithof's partner in Florida Flight Maintenance, for example, incorporated a business in Florida in July of 2000, just after the terrorist pilots began training at the Venice Airport.

Named for the "N-Number" of the business's sole asset, an aging DC3, it never filed an annual report and was subsequently closed by the State of Florida--like many other companies related to the Venice 'Magic Dutch Boys--on September 21,2001.

When we ran the N number we discovered that the plane's colorful history includes long stints in exotic locales like Manuel Noriega's Panama, Costa Rica, and Fort Lauderdale, and is now resting in a military flight museum, exactly the same kind of venue from which the CIA has 'liberated' military planes in the past for use by foreign drug cartels.

Known as N90079, Inc., the company was set up as a "for profit" corporation, not as a "fund-raising sponsor or non-profit" that might otherwise associate with a program to raise money to restore planes for a museum.

In fact, the plane can be traced back to an infamous South Florida Customs airplane "boneyard," where "planes with checkered pasts" in a fenced storage yard... like the sister ship to the Fairchild C-123 shot down over Nicaragua in 1986 with Eugene Hasenfus aboard.

Goodman has apparently allowed a certain Christian missionary organization named Missionair to use the DC3 to ferry around the Caribbean something called the "Living Water Teaching Ministry."

Could the CIA be using Christian operations like Missionair, and Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing at the nearby Sarasota Airport, for cover in the Caribbean, just as Bin Laden's people use Muslim charities?

It is all probably just coincidence.

It is probably also just coincidence that the sister company to Magic Dutch Boy Rudi Dekkers' terrorist training school, a failed airline had in its brief lifespan just one celebrity endorser...

Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune:

"As one of Florida's top politicians, Katherine Harris doesn't have much time to do a lot of personal traveling. So she appreciates the convenience that Florida Air offers."

In the indifferently-motivated September 11th investigations so far, the one really burning question hasn't even come up. It is this:

"What's been going on in Florida?"

One Florida law-enforcement official involved in the probe of the Sept. 11 attacks shakes his head ruefully.

"First we couldn't count votes. Now we're training terrorists."

We think the state should post signs at all of its borders:

"Welcome to Terror-Land."

"Remain seated at all times."

Daniel Hopsicker is the author of 'Barry & The Boys: The CIA, the Mob and America's Secret History'

Source: http://www.madcowprod.com

7/9/02
7:45:40 PM

Documenting The Massacre In Mazar

by Genevieve Roja, July 8, 2002

A documentary film by Scottish filmmaker Jamie Doran titled "Massacre at Mazar" offers eyewitness testimony and film footage of human remains and mass graves of what may be damning evidence of mass killings at Sherberghan and Mazar-I-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan.

The massacre allegedly took place in November 2001, when Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum of the Northern Alliance took control of Kunduz, and accepted the surrender of about 8,000 Taliban fighters that included al-Qaeda, Chechens, Uzbeks and Pakistanis. Almost 500 suspected al-Qaeda members were taken to the Qala Jangi prison fortress (where a revolt would eventually leave one CIA agent dead and make John Walker Lindh a household name), while the remainder of the prisoners -- about 7,500 -- were loaded in containers and transported to the Qala-I-Zeini fortress, almost halfway between Mazar-i-Sharif and Sherberghan Prison. Human rights advocates say that close to 5,000 of the original 8,000 are missing.

Eyewitnesses in Doran's film claim that many of the prisoners may have suffocated in the nearly airless shipping containers en route to their destinations. Others were shot when Northern Alliance soldiers fired into the containers to create air holes. And their bodies may have been buried in mass graves.

Doran -- who has not released his film to the public in order to protect the identities of eyewitnesses -- recently showed 20 minutes of his film to members of the German parliament June 12 and to the members of the European parliament and press on June 13. The screening drew a prompt response from human rights activists, including Andrew McEntee, former Amnesty International UK chair, who demanded an independent investigation. French Euro MP Francis Wurtz said he would address the massacre at a parliament meeting this month, while his other colleagues said they would enlist the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross to conduct an investigation.

Doran, a veteran BBC filmmaker, says "Massacre at Mazar" includes key testimony from various eyewitnesses who offer compelling evidence of a human rights tragedy, including:

-- an Afghan general who explains how he helped unload and load "around 200, maybe up to 300 [prisoners] in each" container.

-- an anonymous Afghan soldier who says he "hit the containers with bullets to make holes for ventilation. Some of them were killed inside the containers and then we sent them on to Sherberghan." When asked who gave the order, he said "the commanders ordered me to hit the containers to make holes for ventilation and because of that some of the prisoners were killed."

-- a local taxi driver who says he "smelled something strange" when he stopped for gas. "I asked the petrol attendant where the smell was coming from. He said 'Look behind you,' and there were trucks with containers fixed on them ... Blood was leaking from the containers -- they were full of dead bodies."

-- two civilian drivers who say they drove trucks of men to Dasht Leili, "where [the prisoners] were shot." A driver tells Doran that there were American soldiers present at Dasht Leili. "How many Americans were with you?" Doran asks. The driver replies, "30 or 40."

-- an Afghan soldier who claims to have been present "when an American soldier broke one prisoner's neck and poured acid on others. The Americans did whatever they wanted. We had no power to stop them."

Doran's film -- and the allegations of mass killings -- has received extensive media coverage in Europe, but is getting little attention in the U.S. The lack of reaction, says Doran, puts the safety of the graves in jeopardy with each passing day.

The U.S. military is denying any knowledge of or involvement in a massacre.

A Pentagon official was quoted by the Guardian (U.K.) as saying that "the U.S. Central Command looked into it a few months ago, when allegations first surfaced when there were graves discovered in the area of Sherberghan prison. They looked into it and did not substantiate any knowledge, presence or participation of U.S. service members." Pentagon spokesman Marin Corps Lt. Col. Dave Lapan told reporters that he considered the allegations of torture to be "highly suspect."

"Our service members don't participate in torture of any type," said Lapan.

Doran is skeptical about the Pentagon's position.

"Military is about chain of command," he says, "and the question is who was running the show? Was it the Afghans or the Americans? If you've ever seen Western forces alongside foreign forces, there's never a question about who's in charge." Doran says even if there is no conclusive evidence of direct American participation, the U.S. troops are still responsible for tragedies that occur under their watch. "[I]f they're going to be involved, they need to answer for this. By law," he says.

While the extent of U.S. participation is still debatable, the evidence pointing to mass-scale executions is piling up.

Boston-based Physicians for Human Rights sent an investigative team in January and a forensics team to Afghanistan the following month. "We spoke to an NGO staff person who was an eyewitness to three large container trucks being backed into Sherberghan, which was being bulldozed," PHR consultant John Heffernan says. "There he saw a number of Northern Alliance soldiers, holding their arms up to their noses, indicating a bad smell."

"There was certainly evidence of skeletal remains and clothing and bulldozer tracks," he says. PHR's forensics experts were later "able to conduct a thorough assessment -- without exhuming the bodies -- that these were fresh remains." The organization compiled a report on their findings from two alleged mass graves and submitted it to the U.S. State Department, the Department of Defense and British government officials. They also sent a letter to President Karzai. "Our main focus was the protection of the sites so that the evidence yielded was not destroyed," says Heffernan. "We didn't get any response from the people in the States or in England."

In May, the U.N. exhumed 15 bodies and performed autopsies on three from a test trench. They concluded that the three had died from suffocation and that the victims were ethnically Pashtun, indicating that they were more than likely Taliban. But the U.N. has not released any statement or announced a course of action.

However, the human rights groups who are committed to taking action may be getting in the way of justice, as well.

"I've noticed in the last week, a rivalry kicking in," says Doran, who has been contacted by several government officials, human rights groups and NGOs. They're each claiming,"'We want to do the grave,' 'No, we want to do the grave.' Yet none of them are ensuring the safety (of the graves)," says an angry and frustrated Doran.

Heffernan agrees there is an urgent need for immediate action, be it exhuming the graves or ensuring their protection.

"PHR thinks it's essential that an accountability mechanism be a truth commission or a tribunal," he says. "Whatever will facilitate reconciliation and recovery so that this stuff doesn't happen again."

Genevieve Roja is an associate editor at AlterNet.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13540

7/9/02
7:40:18 PM

AlterNet Headlines

http://www.alternet.org

DOCUMENTING THE MASSACRE IN MAZAR

Genevieve Roja, AlterNet

A documentary film offers disturbing evidence that almost 5,000 Taliban prisoners were killed by Northern Alliance commanders -- perhaps with the help of U.S. soldiers.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13540

VOTE WITH YOUR REMOTE: PHIL DONAHUE FOR NATIONAL TV HOST

Don Hazen, AlterNet

Viewers who tune into Donahue's new talk show will send a message to TV execs that there is a huge audience for unconventional television programming with a decidedly progressive edge.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13549

THE 'GATE-LESS COMMUNITY

Joshua Green, Washington Monthly

In any other administration, Bush's scandal-plagued Army secretary, Thomas White, would be history. But the rules have changed.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13547

POWERPUFF GIRLS TO THE RESCUE

Heather Havrilesky, Salon

Three kindergarten girls are here to save the day. Are they making the world safe for female heroes, or making female heroes safe for the world? Who cares?

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13531

POLITICAL REQUIEM FOR A BLACK CONSERVATIVE

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, AlterNet

Retiring Republican congressman J.C. Watts was an effective symbol for conservatives but an unequal partner in the power of the Republican party.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13545

INSIDER DEALS CATCH UP WITH BUSH

David Corn, AlterNet

Thanks to business scandals involving WorldCom, Tyco International, Xerox, Enron, and Martha Stewart, the President's own shady corporate past has been revived.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13532

LIVE LONG, BE WISE

Walter Truett Anderson, Pacific News Service

Two questions of the longevity revolution are rarely asked: Who is living longer and who isn't? And does growing older mean growing wiser?

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13546

CRIME AND THE PRESIDENT'S RESTATEMENT OF YEARNINGS

Arianna Huffington, AlterNet

Every scandal produces at least one classic and defining euphemism -- a judiciously chosen word or phrase diligently employed to sugarcoat the sour reality at hand.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13539

THE MIX IS THE MESSAGE IV:

HOT TIME, SUMMER IN THE CITY AND THE LEFTIES ARE HEATING UP TOO

Don Hazen, AlterNet

Beneath the boiling, police-infested surface of New York City this Fourth of July week were healthy anti-establishment rumblings.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13533

A Tribute to June Jordan

Laura Flanders is joined by Adrienne Rich, Danny Glover, Angela Davis, and others in a birthday celebration of the life of June Jordan on Tuesday's Working Assets Radio.

Listen online from 10-11amPT/1-2pmET, or call in: 866-798-TALK.

http://www.workingassetsradio.com

7/9/02
7:37:40 PM

Planet Ark World Environment News

Largest Arizona fire contained - 400 homes lost - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16754/story.htm

Rushing rivers flood central, southern Texas - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16755/story.htm

British nuclear power company faces storm over ship - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16753/story.htm

Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline project to go ahead - THAILAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16748/story.htm

Swiss zoo names giraffes after Ronaldo and Rivaldo - SWITZERLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16761/story.htm

FEATURE - Paperwork, costs cloud Spain's solar potential - SPAIN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16749/story.htm

Raw hide run protests Pamplona's bull fiesta - SPAIN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16757/story.htm

Russia says US must learn to act with others - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16751/story.htm

Japan set to rate nuclear plants for safety - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16750/story.htm

Japan, Kazakhstan agree to CO2-cutting move - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16760/story.htm

Italy to suspend car tax for 3 yrs on some autos - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16756/story.htm

Belgium probes possible Irish link in feed scandal - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16762/story.htm

Impact of new Galapagos spill? too soon to tell - ECUADOR http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16758/story.htm

Tibet group slams oil giants over China pipeline - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16759/story.htm

EU to miss its target on boosting renewables - study - BELGIUM http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16752/story.htm

7/9/02
7:36:29 PM

Public Citizen issued the following press release and letter today:

1) Chamber of Commerce Pro-Yucca Ads Are Misleading, Deceptive

2) Letter to Sen. Edward Kennedy urging rejection of surgeon general nominee

Chamber of Commerce Pro-Yucca Ads Are Misleading, Deceptive

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Chamber of Commerce ads in support of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump are misleading, the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen charged today.

The radio ads have run over the past week in several states where U.S. senators are considered swing votes on the Yucca Mountain issue. A Senate vote is expected this week.

The main point of the Chamber's ads is that the Yucca Mountain plan would "get [nuclear waste] out of our communities." In fact, waste will remain at nuclear reactors throughout the country whether or not Yucca Mountain opens because the waste must cool for five years before it can be moved. If we continue to generate nuclear waste at the current rate, capacity limits at Yucca Mountain will be exceeded even before the repository could open. Also, far from removing waste from communities, the Yucca Mountain plan would send it through major cities in 44 states and the District of Columbia to get it to Nevada, making it susceptible to catastrophic crashes or terrorist attacks.

The ads also claim that the waste would be stored safely in Nevada. In fact, that is highly questionable. Yucca Mountain is located atop an aquifer, which is a source of drinking water, and in an earthquake zone. Even government officials have confessed that they haven't figured out how to safely contain the waste for the thousands of years it will remain radioactive.

"With the Yucca Mountain project facing an uncertain future in the Senate, the nuclear industry has turned to its friends in the business community to help market this dangerous plan," said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook, who today sent a letter to senators urging them to reject the dump. "But problems with the project extend far beyond the realm of marketing. The Senate should put public health and safety above the profit interests of the nuclear industry and reject the Yucca Mountain project."

Several local Chambers of Commerce in Utah and Nevada have passed resolutions opposing the Yucca Mountain plan. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the third largest in the country, resigned from the U.S. Chamber last December to protest the national body's pro-Yucca campaign.

The Alliance for Sound Nuclear Policy, a nuclear industry front group, also ran pro-Yucca ads last weekend. The Alliance has refused repeated requests by Public Citizen to disclose its funding sources and document the 26 million people it claims to represent.

xoxox

Senator Edward Kennedy Chairman Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

Dear Chairman Kennedy,

I am writing to strongly urge you and your committee to vote against the confirmation of Dr. Richard Carmona as Surgeon General at the hearing you will be chairing on his nomination tomorrow. According to a lengthy investigative article in today's Los Angeles Times, there are serious questions about his integrity that, in my view, disqualify him for the important office of Surgeon General.

Retired University of Arizona surgeon Dr. Charles Putnam, who has worked with Carmona, said, in a letter he sent you several months ago, that he opposed Carmona as Surgeon General because he "was removed from his two previous administrative appointments [in Tucson]*. because he could not work in an effective or even a civil manner with health professionals and other constituencies of those positions."

Based on other information in the article, there are also very serious questions about his integrity. When he applied to take the Board examination in Emergency Medicine, he said in a sworn statement that he had worked 5,000 hours as an emergency room physician, thereby apparently filling the training requirement necessary for him to take the Board examination. When the American Board of Emergency Medicine sought to verify this with the medical director of emergency services at the hospital where Carmona had worked, Dr. Keith Kaback, it was told that "Carmona had worked virtually no hours as an emergency physician." The Board's guidelines properly require those seeking certification as emergency room physicians to have worked on the diagnosis and treatment of the extraordinary variety of patients who come into emergency rooms and that being called there for special cases, such as performing trauma surgery, do not count towards the requirement.

Dr. Carmona, who had been physically present in the emergency room doing emergency trauma surgery, rather than diagnosing and treating the whole scope of cases which present to the emergency room, nevertheless attempted to get credit for hours present in the emergency room even though they were not spent learning the variety of skills necessary to become board-certified. When the Board learned of this, they rejected his application.

This and other questions about his character and integrity detailed in the Los Angeles Times article should cause the rejection of his nomination if the importance of the mission of the Surgeon General is to be maintained. From the beginning of this important position through the last Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, the holders of this office have been people of unquestioned integrity as Surgeons General and have properly used this public trust to educate people in this country about urgent public health issues such as smoking, AIDS, violence, diet, mental illness and many other issues. The common denominator and prerequisite for having public trust is unquestionable integrity. Knowing what is already known about Dr. Carmona raises so many questions about his integrity that when more people become aware of this, as they inevitably will, it will be difficult if not impossible for many people to believe the pronouncements he makes as Surgeon General. The field of public health has too many other physicians whose character and integrity have not been questioned and who have a much more extensive public health background than Dr. Carmona to make the serious mistake of confirming him. Although several physicians I know in Tucson have described him as a "charismatic cowboy", and I have no reason to doubt either attribute, these qualities are hardly sufficient to overcome the other problems concerning Dr. Carmona,

I am willing to speak with you about this important decision if that would be helpful.

Sincerely,

Sidney M. Wolfe, MD, Director, Public Citizen Health Research Group

Public Citizen is a national nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

For more information, please visit http://www.citizen.org

7/9/02
7:33:51 PM

The Nation

If ever there was proof needed that music and politics can be a powerful combination, the story of Belgrade's alternative rock radio station B92 is it. Armed with a stack of old punk records and a dream of freedom, this defiant radio station waged a ten-year war against Slobodan Milosevic's dictatorship --and eventually won.

They called themselves Serbia's "lost generation"; Milosevic's government called them traitors, spies and terrorists. Guerrilla Radio, by Matthew Collin, tells the astonishing story of a bunch of Belgrade kids and their now-legendary pirate radio station B92.

Founded in the late 1980s intending to simply play music, B92 ended up immersed in two wars, economic sanctions, violent police crackdowns and the attentions of armed gangsters as it ultimately became the focal point of a successful opposition movement against Slobodan Milosevic.

Before Milosevic was finally overthrown in October 2000, B92 had been closed down four times but thanks to an inspired combination of courage, imagination and black humor and a playlist that included The Clash's "White Riot" and Public Enemy's rap manifesto "Fight the Power" -- it miraculously persisted in broadcasting despite fierce government repression.

For the remarkable story of B92, check out Matthew Collin's Guerrilla Radio, recently released by NationBooks. It's available now as a high-quality paperback and makes a great gift.

For info, including online ordering info, go to:

http://www.nationbooks.org/book.mhtml?t=collin

And, don't miss these other recent NationBooks titles:

PERPETUAL WAR FOR PERPETUAL PEACE By Gore Vidal

Called the "master essayist of our age" by The Washington Post, Gore Vidal has also been a longtime voice of reason with his incisive political commentary, both in the US and abroad.

Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, Vidal's most recent collection of essays became an instant best-seller across Europe with its provocative analysis of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the reasons why so much of the world seems to currently hate America. http://www.nationbooks.org/perp.shtml

A JUST RESPONSE Edited by Katrina vanden Heuvel with an introduction by Jonathan Schell.

A Just Response features commentary from some of the most respected figures on the progressive left, in a series of thoughtful, informed, and provocative essays looking at the causes and consequences of September 11.

Contributors include Christopher Hitchens, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Edward Said, Richard Falk, Katha Pollitt, William Greider, John LeCarre, Ahmed Rashid, Eric Alterman, David Corn, Mary Kaldor, Patricia J. Williams and Alexander Cockburn, among many others.

http://www.nationbooks.org/justresponse.shtml

MOUNT RUSHMORE: An Icon Reconsidered

By Jesse Larner

Conceived in the 1920s as a tourist attraction, Mount Rushmore was quickly recast by the sculptor into an icon of democracy, freedom, and hope. The history of the Black Hills and the sense of manifest destiny that haunts the monument, however, render the faces more ironic than iconic.

In a compelling travel narrative combining personal experience in the American West with extensive primary research, Jesse Larner investigates the complex stories that have been edited out of the standard guidebooks on one of America's most well-known but least understood national icons. http://www.nationbooks.org/rushmore.shtml

These four titles are just a taste of what NationBooks has to offer. Please check them out. You can also see the imprint's entire back-list currently at:

http://www.nationbooks.org

7/9/02
7:05:01 PM

DAILY GRIST

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09A.worldcom.5th.htm

NATIONAL PARKING SERVICE

Washington, D.C., is cursed with some of the heaviest traffic and worst air pollution in the country. But the obvious solution -- reducing the number of drivers on the road -- faces a major obstacle: the federal government, which supplies free parking, thereby eliminating a major incentive to take public transportation. The federal government is the biggest employer in D.C. and owns some 38,000 parking spaces in the city and surrounding areas. It also pays for thousands more parking spaces, all at taxpayer expense. (The National Institutes of Health alone provides 8,844 free parking spaces on its main campus and spends about $6 million per year for 8,365 additional spaces at satellite sites.) Private companies have jumped on the parking-perk bandwagon as well; in all, 68 percent of D.C.-area commuters have free parking at work, according to a survey by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. A separate survey, conducted by Metro, the region's public transportation agency, found that those with free parking were half as likely to take the subway or bus as those without. "If you're giving someone $200 a month [worth of free parking], talk about an incentive to drive your car," said Dan Tangherlini, acting director of the D.C. Department of Transportation.

straight to the source: Washington Post, Katherine Shaver, 08 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=226>

RIGHT TERN

Barge traffic could grind to a halt on a 250-mile stretch of the Missouri River, after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled last week that two endangered species of shorebirds cannot be moved to accommodate the release of water from two dams in South Dakota. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned to release water from the dams to raise the level of the drought-stricken river. Doing so would have required relocating piping plovers and least terns, which nest on sandbars and islands in the Missouri, but the move was nixed by the USFS in the interest of protecting the birds. That means barges are up a creek; experts said there would be essentially no barge traffic between Kansas City and Sioux City unless heavy rains swell the river. American Rivers praised the decision for protecting the species, but said the low water levels raised concerns about the possibility of oil spills as barges ground on the river bottom.

straight to the source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sara Shipley and Lisa Eisenhauer, 07 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=227>

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Amy Shafer, Associated Press, 05 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=231>

UNBRIDLED LUST

Leaking underground storage tanks (LUST) of gasoline have contaminated at least 25,000 sites around Florida, giving rise to concerns that the state's drinking water supplies could be tainted, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Scientists say the contamination is a result of Florida's love affair with gas; the state ranks third, after California and Texas, in gas consumption, burning nearly 20 million gallons per day. Only California has more leak sites than Florida, but Florida's leaks pose a graver threat to drinking water. The DEP said that some 17 million Floridians drink water from public wells within a half-mile of leaking gas tanks. Last year, the state spent $151 million to expedite cleanups of contaminated sites, but a huge backlog remains. "We're going to be cleaning up gasoline contamination for the next 20 years or longer, said Michael Ashey, chief of the Bureau of Petroleum Storage Systems for the environmental agency.

straight to the source: St. Petersburg Times, Associated Press, 08 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=228>

UNDER LOCH AND KEY

After 50 years of debate, Scotland will get its first-ever national park this month. The area around Loch Lomond, where the park will be established, attracts 5 million visitors annually but currently lacks an effective management structure to balance the area's conflicting interests and protect the landscape and wildlife that are its main attraction. Establishment of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, which will be overseen by a 25-member board that began work today, will hopefully solve that problem. The board will work to conserve the natural and cultural heritage of the area, promote sound resource use, and encourage sustainable economic and social development in the region. But critics fear that the new national park will result in a flood of additional visitors and rampant development.

straight to the source: BBC News, 08 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=229>

DARWIN'S FLINCHES

Just weeks after scientists found that an apparently harmless oil spill in the Galapagos Islands in January 2001 in fact led to a massive iguana die-off, another spill has tainted the pristine archipelago. Late last week, a small barge spilled close to 2,000 gallons of diesel near the island of Puerto Villamil, home to turtles, iguanas, and sea lions. The spill was small and no animals were immediately affected, but scientists say it is too early to say what long-term effects it will have on microorganisms and marine species. The spill also heightened fears that Ecuador does not have the resources to effectively manage the famed islands, because the country failed to devise a safer way to transport fuel to electric plants in the archipelago after last year's disaster, which sent almost 240,000 gallons of fuel into waters around the Galapagos.

straight to the source: ABCNews.com, Reuters, 05 Jul 2002 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=230>

only in Grist: A week in the life of Roslyn Cameron, Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galapagos Islands <http://www.gristmagazine.com/week/cameron043001.stm?source=daily>

7/9/02
5:25:07 PM

Carter Goes To Venezuela To Help Faltering Talks

by Reuters and The New York Times, 6 July, 2002

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter arrived in Venezuela on Saturday to aid a faltering dialogue between the government and opposition parties three months after a coup against President Hugo Chavez left the oil-rich nation racked by bitter political divisions.

But just hours before Carter arrived in Caracas, a top business group pulled out of the talks, dealing another blow to attempts to bridge splits between supporters and foes of the outspoken South American president.

Carter, who has gained worldwide respect as a peace envoy in conflicts around the globe since leaving office, will hold four days of talks at the invitation of the Chavez government.

Last month Carter made headlines in Cuba when he criticized both the decades-old U.S. embargo against the communist-run island and President Fidel Castro for failing to grant his people greater political freedom and civil liberties.

On Sunday Carter is scheduled to meet Chavez, who greatly admires Castro and has been accused by his critics of trying to model Venezuela on Cuba.

``It is my hope that the Venezuelan government and opposition groups will pursue constructive talks to settle immediate pressing differences and then set in place a long-term process,'' the former U.S. president said in a brief statement released by his Carter Center in Atlanta.

Venezuela, the world's fifth largest oil exporter, has been rattled by political uncertainty since April when rebel and civilian leaders ousted Chavez for 48 hours before loyal troops restored him to power.

Since the coup Chavez has called repeatedly for dialogue and moved to appease his critics by promoting a more market-friendly economic Cabinet. But his political opponents say Chavez is unwilling to change the policies they believe are edging Venezuela closer to a Cuban-style authoritarian state.

SQUABBLING AND TRADING BLAME

Talks between the government and opposition leaders have descended into squabbling and trading blame for the political upheaval and the deaths of more than 60 people during the uprising.

Although Venezuela accepted the Carter visit, the government quickly rejected a U.S. proposal that the Organization of American States intervene directly in the nation's internal crisis talks.

U.S. relations with Venezuela have been badly strained by Washington's early reaction the to coup against Chavez. It was slow to condemn it and appeared initially to react favorably to his illegal ouster.

Even before the coup the administration of President Bush had made no secret of its distaste for Chavez's leftist rhetoric, criticism of U.S. actions in Afghanistan and friendship with countries the United States regards as hostile.

Opposition leaders have already expressed deep skepticism that Carter's visit can achieve anything and suggested that he will be manipulated to the advantage of the government.

Jose Luis Betancourt, president of the leading farming and ranchers group Fedenaga, told reporters on Saturday he had decided to reject the talks and dismissed Carter's visit as an attempt to divert attention from the country's real problems.

``The talks have failed and the government does not have the ability to achieve any dialogue right now,'' said Betancourt, a vocal critic of Chavez's left-wing policies. ``The Carter Center is not going to be able to bring about the dialogue that this country really needs.''

Reconciliation talks began to fall into disarray two months ago after several leading opposition groups declined to take part and others walked out, blaming Chavez's refusal to moderate his confrontational style.

Since Chavez's landslide election victory in December 1998, Venezuela has grappled with increasing political fractures over the former paratrooper's self-proclaimed ``revolution.''

Millions of poorer voters still see Chavez and his platform of social reform as the key to a better life. But political, business and some military leaders blame his left-leaning policies and ties to countries like Cuba and Libya for crippling Venezuela's economy and inflaming class tensions.

Opposition parties are now investigating constitutional measures to try and remove Chavez from power. These include a referendum, shortening his term in office or even possible indictments for embezzlement and a slew of other allegations.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-venezuela-carter.html

7/9/02
5:19:58 PM

t r u t h o u t

WorldCom Executives to Take Fifth

Business Scandals Force GOP to Consider Broader Reforms

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09B.force.gop.htm

Expecting Taliban, but Finding Only Horror

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09C.afghan.horror.htm

The Tarantula Tango: Despair & Hope in the Body Politic

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09D.bw.tango.htm

Nat Hentoff | Remembering Why We Are Americans

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09E.hentoff.why.htm

Sean Wilentz | From Justice Scalia, a Chilling Vision of Religion's Authority in America

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09F.scalia.chilling.htm

Carter Goes to Venezuela to Help Faltering Talks

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.09G.carter.venez.htm

7/9/02
5:17:05 PM

The Nation

Last Tuesday marked 100 days since twelve Florida State University students were arrested for setting up a "tent city" in front of the school's administration building. The uproar over the arrests, and the continuing presence of a group of anti-sweatshop activists camped out on an FSU quad, have left an indelible mark on this campus known more for holding national titles in football than for student protest activity.

For the full story on the latest ripple of the national student anti-sweatshop movement sweeping the US, read Jenny Stepp's Nation web report.

Exclusively available at:

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=stepp20020702

United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), heads a wave of anti-sweatshop organizing that has reached more than 180 American college campuses in the past two years. On campuses from the Northeast to the Southwest, public and private, large and small, students are insisting on one basic principle: clothing bearing university logos must be produced under safe working conditions with equitable compensation.

For an illuminating look at this new national student movement, check out frequent Nation contributor Liza Featherstone's newly-published account of a campaign that is shaking up the corporate campuses of America. Melding interviews, analysis, oral testimony and graphics, Featherstone has produced an inspiring and lucid work underscoring the vibrancy of a new student left.

For excerpts, reviews and online ordering information, go to:

http://www.versobooks.com/books/tuvwxyz/usas_sweatshops.shtml

For more information on USAS itself, including an organizational history, briefing papers, online activist campaigns and how you can help, check out:

http://www.usasnet.org/

And don't miss Jim Hightower's recent Nation magazine feature on SweatX, "a new brand of garment in every sense of the word." The Hot Fudge Social Venture Fund, set up by Ben Cohen, the entrepreneur and social activist of Ben & Jerry's ice cream fame, has invested $1 million to date in a new garment business in Los Angeles. The business, called SweatX, is based on the principle that garment workers don't have to be exploited in order to operate a financially successful apparel factory.

For more, check out:

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020624&s=hightower

7/9/02
5:15:29 PM

SciTech Daily Review

http://SciTechDaily.co

Push here to save energy. Bruce Nordman is heading an unlikely crusade: to overthrow the on/off button

http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_leo062702.asp

Amorphous alloys such as the super-strong LiquidMetals could be metallic superheroes. But like any superhero, they have a weakness: don't heat them too much, or they lose their strength

http://www.msnbc.com/news/776076.asp?cp1=1

Bigger isn't always better, say Canadian researchers who are building the smallest space telescope ever

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/most_telescope_020703-1.html

Ugandan women farmers are going high-tech, and learning how to get more from their farms thanks to an interactive CD-Rom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2078000/2078444.stm

Approximating life: Richard Wallace, the inventor of Alice, the world's most lifelike artificial-intelligence program, alienates his allies and frightens his colleagues

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/07WALLACE.html

To some he was a visionary anatomist of human nature, to others a talented writer who wove absurd theories into compelling narratives. The battle over the reputation of Sigmund Freud continues unabated

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,741376,00.html

How did we evolve to the point where we spend almost a third of our lives being small, vulnerable and unable to reproduce, asks Natalie Angier

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/02/science/social/02CHIL.html

7/9/02
5:12:04 PM

UTNE WEB WATCH

The Best of the Alternative Web

THE AGE OF GREEN PLASTICS MAY BE COMING SOON

by Dave Aftandilian, Conscious Choice

-- Is the bioplastics revolution at hand?

CAMPUS GREENS

Web site review by Abbie Jarman

-- The Campus Greens work to create radical democracy in high schools and colleges, pushing reform both locally and nationally.

ROBOTS WHO CRY

by Annalee Newitz, The San Francisco Bay Guardian

-- Are you emotionally attached to your computer? Someday it might feel the same way about you.

Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch

7/9/02
4:28:23 PM

"High Treason In The U.S. Government"

by Doreen Miller, YellowTimes.org, July 04, 2002

Q: Just who is a terrorist? A: Anyone (non-U.S. citizen or U.S. citizen alike) Attorney General Ashcroft designates as one.

Q: On what evidence can Ashcroft designate someone as a terrorist? A: Mere suspicion and hearsay.

Q: What legal rights and Constitutional protections does someone detained on the grounds of being a suspected terrorist have? A: Next to none.

It may be difficult for some hard-core, patriotic Americans to believe the veracity of the preceding question and answer series, but the answers to the questions are based upon the implications and dangerous ramifications of the USA PATRIOT Act (USAPA) that was passed last October by so-called congressional representatives who never bothered to read or debate it.

It slipped through at the midnight hour under the cover of darkness, voted on by men and women engulfed in a terrifying atmosphere of shock, fear, mass media hysteria, and suspiciously targeted anthrax mailings.

U.S. government officials would have us believe that this 342-page, complexly nuanced document was allegedly crafted after September 11 in the time span of a little over a month. To accomplish this feat would have required the in-depth study of fifteen other lengthy acts and statutes which it modifies and amends.

The act's extremely clever yet highly misleading acronym USA PATRIOT, which stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism," is an obvious attempt to intimidate and brand as "unpatriotic" and treasonous anyone who might dare to question its alarmingly overreaching provisions.

In light of the egregious evisceration of the Bill of Rights that this law undertakes, those who blindly supported and signed this blatantly unconstitutional act into law should be collectively condemned and charged for high treason to the Constitution and the people of the United States of America.

Careful perusal of the USAPA reveals that it defiantly and maliciously tramples on:

The First Amendment - the people's right to exercise freedom of religion, speech and peaceful assembly "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"

The Fourth Amendment - the right "to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures" whereby warrants - only to be issued upon "probable cause" -must be specific as to place to be searched and persons or things to be seized

The Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth amendments - which outline the right to due process - a trial by one's peers, to face one's accuser as well as view the evidence against oneself, and to have an attorney

The Eighth Amendment - which safeguards the people against excessive bale and fines, or cruel and unusual punishment

Under sections 411 and 802 in the USAPA, a terrorist is loosely defined as anyone being "a representative of a foreign terrorist organization, as designated by the Secretary of State," and domestically, anyone engaging in "activities that - involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state; APPEAR to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; TO INFLUENCE THE POLICY OF A GOVERNMENT BY INTIMIDATION OR COERCION..." [capitals mine]

The inclusion of the word "appear" leaves interpretation of the law wide open to subjectivity and personal whim, as anyone can rightfully claim something "appears" to be intended for a particular purpose. Note also that our first amendment right to gather in protest against what we may see as unjust government policies could easily fall under the concept of "influencing" government policy by "intimidation or coercion."

Anyone participating in activist groups such as Greenpeace, Earth Liberation Front, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or in protests like the 1999 demonstration in Seattle against the WTO could find himself suddenly stripped of his rights by the simple act of being declared a "terrorist" in keeping with the definition of this law. Under section 803 of this Act, even the simple act of giving food or shelter to a friend who may have been involved in any of the aforementioned activities could, in turn, have you incriminated and branded as a "terrorist" as well.

The USA Patriot Act absolutely shreds to bits the fourth amendment. Section 213 permits so-called "sneak and peek" searches. Translated, that means the government has the right to go into your home while you are away, copy your hard drive, files, or whatever, gather and take any information or items they please without ever serving you notice since "the execution of a warrant may have adverse effect." They can then delay serving you notice for up to 90 days after the fact. These newfangled warrants can now be issued for a flimsy "reasonable cause," further undermining the much more difficult to achieve "probable cause" stipulation of the fourth amendment.

Sections 216, 217 and 218 allow for unrestricted wiretapping, the tracing and spying on email messages and internet activities of anyone anywhere in the USA without the need to obtain a court order as long as "the information likely to be obtained... is relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation." How nebulous can that get? A lawyer of any worth would be able to argue the "relevance" of anything to an unspecified "ongoing criminal investigation." Kiss your protection from "unreasonable searches" good-bye and say hello to Big Brother USA.

If you think this law applies only to foreign nationals, think again. José Padilla, although by no means a model U.S.-born citizen, had his civil rights stripped from him this past May just by Ashcroft's uttering the magic words, "enemy combatant" and "suspected terrorist." To this day, no solid evidence has been produced to substantiate Ashcroft's claims - neither bomb parts, nor bomb assembly instructions, nor any plans or maps of intended strike areas.

A "suspected terrorist," according to section 112, needs only to be "certified" by the Attorney General on "reasonable grounds" that he "believes" someone to be engaged in terrorist activities. Again, no solid evidence is required, only a belief or suspicion suffices.

Section 236A gives the Attorney General unprecedented powers untouchable by any court, whereby he may detain a suspect in increments of up to six months at a time if he believes the suspect's release would threaten national security, or the safety of the community or any person. "At the Attorney General's discretion" [read: personal whims], "NO court shall have jurisdiction to review, by habeas corpus, petition, or otherwise, any such action or decision." [capitals mine]

In other words, the Attorney General's word is sacrosanct! To give one man such grave and all-encompassing power over the fate of any other individual is akin to what happens in fascist police states, not in a free and openly democratic society.

Whatever happened to one's right to face one's accuser, to have a fair trial by one's peers, to be allowed to view the evidence against oneself, or to have an attorney?

Is it not cruel and unusual punishment to be denied your civil rights, to be considered guilty until you can "prove yourself innocent" -which is, in fact, very difficult to do - to be held in prison on "secret evidence" for months or years on end with no access to a lawyer and no chance of defending yourself against false and unfounded accusations?

I heard President Bush on the news a few weeks ago boasting that the U.S. has so far "captured and detained over 2,400 suspected terrorists." Yet, by most accounts, most people being detained were initially brought in on minor violations (which in a saner world would not have resulted in incarceration), and have not had any terrorist-related charges brought against them.

To this day, it is my understanding that fewer than a dozen have actually been connected to any terrorist activity. Is that what a democracy does: imprison whole groups of people to catch the fewer than 1 percent who are actually committing criminal acts?

The USA PATRIOT Act also includes under the "crimes of terrorism" umbrella the destruction of property even if no one is hurt (section 808), telemarketing fraud (section 1011), as well as any kind of computer hacking (section 217). Under the rubric of "guilt by association," this act also permits the denial of entry to and even the imprisonment of "the spouse or child of an inadmissible alien" who's been "designated" as a terrorist within the past five years (section 211).

The FBI can now legitimately demand access to anyone's business, medical, student, bank, library or any other personal records in order "to protect against ... clandestine intelligence activities." (Sec. 501) The Associated Press reported on June 25 that the FBI has been reviewing the library records of several hundred individuals in libraries across the nation using a quick and largely secret process which is now legal under the PATRIOT Act.

Judith Krug, the American Library Association's director for intellectual freedom, in a straight-forward statement is quoted as saying, "... these records and information can be had with so little reason or explanation. It's super secret, and anyone who wants to talk about what the FBI did at their library faces prosecution. That has nothing to do with patriotism."

It seems we must now extend Ashcroft's warning about watching what we say in public to include what we may read as well. It is really not such a large leap to imagine our hyperparanoid government beginning to imprison people suspected of "aiding and abetting the enemy" based upon their "unpatriotic" ideologies and choice of reading material.

The USA PATRIOT Act creates and allows for a virtual police state with little to no judicial oversight. We, as a nation, are literally treading the razor's edge when it comes to flirting with the grave dangers inherent in giving up our rights for the empty promises of "safety" and "national security" masquerading under the guise of a "patriotic" PATRIOT Act. Once we fall off that edge, reclaiming and reinstating our rights, authority and power as "WE THE PEOPLE" of this great nation might prove very difficult.

The next obvious question is: just what can the average person do? Across this nation, wise and enlightened individuals have been forming groups to fight the injustices that the PATRIOT Act imposes on us. Resolutions have been passed unanimously by city councils in Amherst, Leverett, Northampton, Ann Arbor, Berkeley, Denver, and Cambridge. Other cities and towns are in the process of preparing their own resolutions and gathering signatures on petitions to protect our civil liberties against the offenses of this Act.

The Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee's website, (www.gjf.org/NBORDC), offers a wide range of organizing tools, links, and information about similar campaigns around the country to help you get started in your own community.

A rally in Boston this past June 22 kicked off a movement in Massachusetts to gather 100,000 signatures to petition our Mass. congressional delegates to introduce a bill that would call for the repeal or amendment of those sections of the PATRIOT Act that stand in clear violation of our constitutional rights. For more information or to get involved, you may contact the ACLU of Massachusetts at 617-482-3170 x 314.

At this critical juncture, to sit back and naïvely trust our government officials to protect anything other than maintaining their own uncontested, ill-gotten power is to risk losing the very liberties, rights, and freedoms our founding fathers fought so hard to procure for each and every one of us.

If we don't stand up for our rights, then who will? If we don't demand the extension of these same rights to all people within our borders, then we are nothing but accomplices in the hypocritical, haphazard, and biased application of our nation's core principles of democracy and equal rights.

In closing admonition, I have taken the liberty of adding a few lines to an excerpt taken from a sermon given in various times and places by Martin Niemoller, 1892-1984, a Protestant pastor in Nazi Germany:

They came for the "suspected" terrorists, and I didn't object -For I wasn't a "suspected" terrorist; They came for those of Middle Eastern descent, and I didn't object -For I wasn't of Middle Eastern descent; They came for the unpatriotic, and I didn't object -For I was not unpatriotic; They came for the dissenters and activists, and I didn't object -For I wasn't a dissenter or an activist; "They came for the Communists, and I didn't object -For I wasn't a Communist; They came for the Socialists, and I didn't object -For I wasn't a Socialist; They came for the labor leaders, and I didn't object -For I wasn't a labor leader; They came for the Jews, and I didn't object -For I wasn't a Jew; Then they came for me -And there was no one left to object."

Addendum: For those who may be interested, the final official version of the USA PATRIOT Act can be found at the following site:

http://216.110.42.179/docs/usa.act.final.102401.html

Doreen Miller lived, studied, worked and traveled abroad for several years, and is currently a Senior Lecturer and educator of international students. She dedicates part of her time to serving the elderly and Alzheimer patients. Mother, musician and poet, she pursues an avid interest in Buddhist and Eastern philosophy. She advocates human rights, social justice, fair trade, and environmental protection. Doreen lives in the United States.

eMail Doreen Miller: mailto:dmiller@YellowTimes.org

Source: http://www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=444

7/9/02
4:23:52 PM

The Global Economic Meltdown, a/k/a The Jack Stephens Challenge

by Al Martin

(July 4) Will we ever get our priorities straight? The global economic meltdown continues, and it made me think of the old adage about the American people being the most economically naïve people in the world. When will the American people ever learn that all issues of government and all policies of State (be they political, social, socio-religious, or military) are all ultimately subordinate to economic issues? We are unique among nations wherein the majority of the voting populace in this country votes based on party affiliation and on socio-religious issues such as abortion, planned parenthood, teaching of darwinism vs. creationism, whether the ten commandments should be hung up on the school wall, -- the typical so-called hot button issues. Even now as the economy goes from an economic slowdown to an economic meltdown, polls still indicate that socio-religious issues are still taking precedence over economic issues in the minds of the people. The reason why is because we are indeed the most economically naïve people on earth.

Americans have traditionally felt that they didn't have to know about economic issues because the United States was always Number One. We were always the largest creditor nation. The value of the US dollar was unquestioned. Our stock markets would gradually rise forever… And therefore Americans have always felt they didn't have to know about economic issues.

Two billion people, a third of the earth's population, live in post-economically collapsed nation-states. They live in circumstances where they wish they could afford the luxury of deciding where they stand on issues such as abortion etc., when in fact their Only Concern becomes the most ultimate economics -- how are they to find sufficient shelter and food clothing and medicine every day in order to survive?

The relevant question to ask then becomes -- how much deprivation do the American people have to suffer before they get their priorities straight?

Because in a post economically collapsed United States, the issues of abortion, creationism vs. Darwinism and so on will be meaningless. The only issue that's going to make any difference is food and water and clothing and medicine.

A third of the people of the world have learned that not only do they have to obtain the commodities to live they are beyond the concept of life as we know it. They use the word "survival." If one is living, "life" implies that one's life may get better or easier or things may change. But these other people who live in economically collapsed nation-states are the ultimate realists. They understand that their situation will not improve and the best that they can hope for is that they will still be breathing the next day. That's the most they can look forward to. American people do not realize this.

In my capacity, as a private citizen as a private businessman, of having been in the military, of having been an operative within the shadowy nooks an crannies of our government, have visited an awful lot of nations on earth, including some of the most downtrodden imaginable in Central and South America and Africa and Asia. I have witnessed first hand how people live in an economically collapsed state and how the people get a lesson pretty quick in the ultimate of hard realities.

All other issues (political, social, socio-religious, military) are meaningless. The only thing that makes any difference are the economic issues, not the lofty economic issues of monthly governmental statistics, or deficits or surpluses, but the most bottom line of all issues - how to survive.

You have to put life into perspective. If those two billion people in that situation had a diet of eight hundred calories a day, they'd think they died and went to heaven. This is a diet that equals about one-quarter of the caloric intake of the average American citizen since the average American citizen has a daily caloric intake that is 50% above what is recommended. That's why 50% of the nation is overweight.

In other words, in order to survive as a nation, we have to get our priorities straight, and we have to stop voting based on issues that don't amount to a hill of beans in the greater scheme of things.

The Republican Right has exploited these socio-religious issues for political gain, and therein lies part of the problem. People don't vote for the Republican Right based on their economic record, but because of their anti-abortion stance.

People have said to me that George Bush is a "good Christian." And I say - do "good Christians" drink Jack and take Prozac? Do "good Christians" shred documents? I don't get an answer.

On the one hand we have Republican Prozac takers and on the other hand we have liberal apologists who say that he needs these things for stress relief.

The Republican Right takes advantage of these Christian hot-button issues. They say we'll be anti-abortion for you and anti-Darwinism for you, but at the same time, we'll be picking your pockets.

And then there are the Log Cabin Republicans. Why doesn't the Bush Administration eschew the Log Cabin Republicans? Because they need their support. It should be pointed out to the Christian Right the absurdity of their position. They put blinders on which instead of being opaque are somewhat translucent, allowing you to see what you only want to see.

In the same day, Bush will make a speech to the Moral Majority types and then he will make a speech to the Log Cabin Republicans stressing the administration's new tolerance on gay and lesbian issues. In some cases he's giving the speeches almost back to back.

Family value Republicans who consider themselves "conservative" should just open their eyes. Bush's so-called Christianity is just a line and its just being used to garner votes and to divert public attention from massive fraud committed by the Bushonian Cabal. Bush is taking people he knows are much more interested in these hot-button issues than they are in economics and exploiting them.

How many Moral Majority types have seen the equity in their 401-K's and IRA's diminish? And how many are smart enough to realize why? Self-deception is the biggest problem in those who consider themselves to be Christians, yet continue to support Republican fraud by voting for leaders who betray them again and again. You need to be on Prozac to live under the weight of such self-delusion.

Of course, it's the Christian Right, people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell (The Praise the Lord and Send Me a Check Crowd), who have been virtually immune and haven't suffered in this economic downturn. The Good Reverends still have their private limousines and private jets and private yachts and multi-million dollar compounds.

In other news, the Office of Homeland Security has ordered the FBI to search public library records. It's not what mainstream media would have us believe. It's not just a selected search of would-be terrorists, but it's part and parcel of accumulating a file on every American citizen above the age of 18. This is the beginning of the database of information to be contained in our National Identification card files. The aim is to find out every book that every citizen has checked out of the library.

It's not people who have checked out books on the making of bombs or surveillance techniques. That's only part of it. This program is actually part of a national database effort undertaken by Homeland Security pursuant to the Office of Internal Security's CTAC Program (Civilian Threat Assessment Classification). They're looking for any books that "espouse views contrary to the security of the state."

This is from the CTAC Memorandum conducted under the auspices of the Office of Internal Security, a part of Homeland Security.

An example is the book "1984" by George Orwell. This book is now considered "seditious." It is the view of the Office of Homeland Security that 1984 promotes distrust of government, therefore constitutes a threat to security. Books that are critical of current state security measures and books critical of Bushonian policy are also on the list. The big program which is being orchestrated to establish a national database on all citizens, a national profile on all citizens by the Office of Internal Security to assign every American citizen a CTAC classification number. Numbers will go from 1 to 8; 1 means that you are a loyal naïve flag waving Republican white heterosexual blond haired blue eyed -- you get the idea. Their naiveté is beyond question. Number 8 will include people like me, people known to publicly espouse views contrary to the security of the state or critical of new state security measures and Bush regime policies.

These people will then be declared "Enemies of the State." They are now also extending this policy to all websites, which will also be classified under the CTAC program.

Encoded in the microchip on the National ID card will be everyone's CTAC number so that any law enforcement or military official can see what a citizen's CTAC number is - and act accordingly.

The library search program is part of a much larger program. It's being done by the FBI, which is complaining that it doesn't have enough personnel. They want to turn it over to the Civilian Defense Force. Any citizen with a CTAC classification number of 4 or above will have their file referred to the yet to be created Office of State Security, which will be under the auspices of the Department of Defense. The only thing that is holding up the creation of the Office of State Security is the overturning of posse comitatus. In other words, this can't be done until domestic law enforcement has been militarized.

The White House has also quietly pressured the SEC to give US publicly traded corporations a six week moratorium to bring their accounting practices up to snuff, as it were, or to reveal any further problems. Then they'll be immune from prosecution. Because of this, the State Department has put on extra people on their expatriation office staff because they expect an enormous increase in applications from wealthy Republicans seeking to flee the country.

And here's how the Fourth of July is celebrated around the world.

In Afghanistan, entire racks of lamb and special spiced rice is being flown in for Afghan tribesmen. They will also get fireworks and a special drop of Bennies (hundred dollar bills) -all courtesy of the US taxpayers. This is part of the ongoing effort to ingratiate us with the Afghan hills people and to teach them about the American way of life.

Caribbean News TV showed what the Fourth of July weekend would be like for wealthy Republican expatriates who have fled the United States with all their ill-gotten gains to the Cayman Islands. They will have an enormous bash for the Fourth of July in their multi-million dollar beach house estates on Cayman Brac. They import whole sides of beef from the United States for their barbeques. They showed all their Rolls Royces parked in their driveways and described how much money they spend on their Fourth of July expatriate parties.

The interviewer asked one of them, "Don't you think this is excessive considering you people are living here as expatriates in a tax-free non- extraditable jurisdiction, especially when most of you made your money in questionable Republican deals?"

One of them (he was wearing dark glasses and he refused to give his name) said, "What difference does it make to us? We stole all the money anyway."

Then imagine the scene with former Enron employees and former WorldCom and Global Crossing employees, all victims of Republican Fraud. Their Fourth of July weekend will consist of discounted Wal-Mart hot dogs, while sitting in their $5.95 lawn chairs.

This group, Victims of Republican Fraud, will be dogging George Bush wherever he goes and exposing Bush cabal fraud. One guy yells out at a speech, "Mr. President how are we to enjoy our Fourth of July weekend when all of your Republican fat cat chums took all the money and destroyed our companies.

This poor man said I couldn't even afford to buy charcoal fluid for my barbeque. I'm going to use my 401K plan statements to light the fire.

You can update the Janis Joplin song, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose - especially when your 401 K statement reads zero."

It was just announced by the heads of the New York, California and Florida State Public employee pension funds (the three biggest in the nation) that they've taken such a bath in the market that they will have to either raise contributions or cut people's pensions because the Bush Administration doesn't have any money left. Calpers, the California pension fund, took a $4 billion loss in Enron alone. The state of Florida's losses are even larger. The man from New York said he suspects that all across the United States the losses may be approaching a trillion dollars.

This is the first time that the C-word has been bandied about. There is nervousness about "collapse" that has never been seen before.

Even George Soros has just announced that the global financial situation is "grave."

The Bush Administration says there's nothing they can do. But that's a lie. They can use the Promis software to track the flows of money; and they can track it to all the offshore accounts; and they can seize the money back. They won't do it, but they have the technological ability.

WorldCom closed at two cents a share, an aggregate loss of $28 billion in market equity. It was a choice scam. Former Chairman and WorldCom founder Bernie Ebbers is a great friend of the Bushes and one of the big political contributors. One of the rumors is that his corporate jet is being fueled in preparation for his getaway to Cayman Brac.

We may be simpletons, but here's one way to cure the problem and recover all the Republican fraudsters' stolen money. You take your Promis software kit and you track the money from the principals of Enron, and WorldCom, and Global Crossing, and from the HUD scams and other scams.

You go to Systematics, Jack Stephens' company that owns Promis software, which tracks real time money flows and which was sold to all the banks in the world. The Old Man's got to know where the money is.

Jack Stephens, you're a world-class global scammer. You have the software. Where did the money go?

Source: http://www.almartinraw.com/column62.html

7/9/02
4:20:26 PM

Hi Meria,

I heard you first in an interview with Mark Elsis - you began with "Sound of Silence" - I hadn't heard it for many years and it affected me deeply. That night, I had a dream -

I Dream of Bush - On his way into Hell

It began in that darkest hour, just before the Dawn, a dark, dark dream of justice, and the relentless GRAVITY OF FATE.

The midnight blue lincoln convertible idled silently in front of the Whitehouse. JFK had just driven it over from Arlington. bush burst out of the front door of the Whitehouse after being forcefully ejected by both Lincoln and Washington. he had been awakened rudely, and wasn't quite sure where he was off to. This was a familiar feeling for him, as he rarely knew where his daddy was sending him until karen whispered it into his ear, but always the dutiful son, he knew wherever it was, it was just where he was supposed to go...

The lizard skin cowboy boots smeared black oil and barbecue sauce onto the back seat as bush climbed up to sit on the folded top of the limo. Standing in the dark just outside the gates as the silent car passed by, stood the stooped form of cheney. he was chained to a sewer cover and carried a large truck battery in his arms. The two large wires that ran from the battery into his chest were too short for him to put it down, so whenever he was forced to come above ground, he had to cradle it in his arms, like an 80lb lead baby.

The parade began at the pentagon. An officer from what used to be the Naval Intelligence office in the blackened building called his men to attention as their leader passed before them, their crisp dress uniforms wafting little tendrils of smoke and the unmistakeable aroma of jet fuel.

The trip from Washington to New York passed quickly through the countryside as bush looked hopefully for the signs and placards of his adoring fans. They were not to be found. As the limo approached the outskirts of New York, he could see the American People who stood in increasing numbers along the way. He smiled and waved as he passed them, but no smiles or waves welcomed his eyes. The people turned their backs upon him as he passed.

When he was about four blocks from where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood, the sky darkened and ash began to fall like confetti. Through the gloom, he saw something glittering in the grey dust of the street and asked Jack to stop and let him retrieve it. When he picked it up, he discovered it was a passport. In spite of the dust and ash of the rubble littered street, it was in pristine condition and had the name Mohammad Atta printed clearly upon it in bright, crisp letters. bush inexplicably thought it was his own (remember,this is a dream) and tucked it into his shirt pocket and climbed back into the lincoln.

When he arrived at the gigantic pit at the end of lower Manhattan, the throngs of backsides stretched as far as his eyes could see. Some where dressed in the ceremonial costumes of Afganistan, others wearing the hardhats and heavy jackets of firefighters. bush shouted out to them, thinking surely these folks would turn around and greet him, after all, the fire fighters had been so nice to him when he had been here the last time.

But no, still not a word from anyone. Then he noticed the news anchors - at last! here were people who were facing him! But no sound came from them. He could see their lips moving, but no words, only ashes passed from their mouths, falling in little piles in front of them. they appeared not to notice and went on, speaking words of silent ashspeak.

bush got out of the limo and walked to the observation platform. Former FBI agent John O'Neill was waiting there and stepped forward to ask bush to show him some ID. Finally, bush thought, somebody was speaking to him. he handed him Atta's passport. O'Neil checked to confirm that the picture inside of a man sitting before a group of school children was indeed bush, and then guided him down the steps to the edge of the pit.

As he gazed into the vast abyss before him, a dark, dank mist began to form. It rose up before him, a shapeless mass of seething energy. Twin tenacles, as if from a giant octopus reached out and twined their way around george w. bush and dragged him slowly into the pit.

The mist closed about him and became a swirling whirlpool, like the flushing of an enormous toilet, and down, down he went, into the bowels of the Earth.

At that moment, a gentle rain began to fall over all of Manhattan. Soon, it became a torrential downpour. It began to wash away the ash that covered the thousands of backstanders. Light began to shine out of them as the ash fell away, turning them into beautiful, winged beings of heavenly radiance.

At that moment, as the rain washed the last of the ashes into the pit, the victims of this heinous crime against Humanity rose up, in mass, into the sky with the Dawn of a New Day - and i was awakened.

7/9/02
4:17:53 PM

Planet Ark World Environment News

Away on Business - Green is still gold - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16743/story.htm

UK fridge pile nears one million, to shrink this year - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16733/story.htm

Liabilities of UK's BNFL rise, to be ringfenced - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16736/story.htm

Africa needs green growth to fight pollution - UN - UGANDA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16732/story.htm

Activists storm oil tanker in Turkey's Bosphorus - TURKEY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16731/story.htm

FEATURE - South Africa wages war on water-sucking invaders - SOUTH AFRICA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16742/story.htm

Ireland unhappy as UK nuclear cargo leaves Japan - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16735/story.htm

NZ says nuclear ships not welcome in waters - NEW ZEALAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16741/story.htm

Magnum ice cream GMO-free, Unilever says - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16737/story.htm

Tuna bred in captivity for first time in Japan - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16738/story.htm

BNFL hopes to resume MOX fuel supply to Japan - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16734/story.htm

Typhoon hits Guam - uproots trees but no casualties - GUAM http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16740/story.htm

EU eyes environment clean-up scheme in north Europe - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16744/story.htm

New oil spill in Ecuador's Galapagos islands - ECUADOR http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16745/story.htm

China Soy-Imports smooth as health min drags on GMO rules - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16739/story.htm

Belgium probes role in Dutch banned hormone use - BELGIUM http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16746/story.htm

7/9/02
4:16:54 PM

t r u t h o u t

Marc Ash | Fatal Innocence, Ours

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.08A.ash.innocence.htm

Paul Krugman | Succeeding in Business

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.08B.krug.succ.biz.htm

Frank Rich | All the President's Enrons

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.08C.rich.enrons.htm

NAACP to Focus on Voter Turnout

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.08D.naacp.turnout.htm

Buffalo News | The Latest in the Battle to Save the Wild Bison

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.08E.buffalo.news.htm

7/9/02
4:12:49 PM

Renegade Rattles Israeli Nuke Program

by Niles Lathem, The New York Post, July 6, 2002

WASHINGTON - A rare court appearance by Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu yesterday rekindled the worldwide debate over Israel's secret nuclear-weapons program, at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East.

Vanunu, a former nuclear technician who is serving an 18-year prison term for treason for giving a London newspaper pictures of Israel's nuclear reactor in the Negev Desert in 1988, appeared in court to seek permission to meet with his British lawyers and make public documents from his trial.

But the seemingly benign courtroom procedure, coming at a time of intense conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, once again kicked off the global controversy over Israel's long-standing policy of "nuclear ambiguity" and its continuing refusal to admit that it is the world's sixth-biggest nuclear power.

The CIA and the Pentagon believe that Israel now has between 200 and 400 enhanced radiation and hydrogen weapons.

"They are the only nuclear power in the Middle East and if you are sitting in Damascus or Baghdad you know that Israel is holding all the cards," said Tim Brown of Globalsecurity.org, a Virginia defense think tank.

"The U.S. has always made it a policy of actively looking the other way," Brown added.

Israel, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, refuses to formally acknowledge the existence of these weapons because it would trigger a series of U.S. laws that would result in the cutoff of U.S. military and economic aid to the Jewish state.

Source: http://www.NYPost.com

7/9/02
3:57:03 PM

IGNORAD

The Military Screw-Up Nobody Talks About

by Scott Shuger, Slate.com, January 16, 2002

For all its successes, the U.S. anti-terror war was conceived in sin, the sin of U.S. government negligence. As much post-9/11 journalism has pointed out, there was the foreign-policy error of abandoning post-Soviet Afghanistan after having infused it with weapons, the CIA's failure to act more forcefully on tips and intercepts regarding al-Qaida operatives overseas, and the FBI's and INS's similar failings regarding suspicious characters already in the United States. And the FAA's (and the airlines', the airports', and security firms') breakdown on airport security. However, there has been a good deal less focus on another federal fubar, that perpetrated by the Air Force's North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The NORAD home page declares its mission to include "the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles." It may seem ungallant to say the obvious, but since no one else has, I will: At the aircraft part of this mission, NORAD sucks.

How does NORAD explain its failure to intercept any of the hijacked airliners on 9/11? Its commander, Gen. Ed Eberhart, pointed out in congressional testimony that the FAA has the primary responsibility for hijackings in U.S. airspace, that NORAD can only help respond once the FAA notifies it, and that on 9/11 the FAA delayed precious minutes before doing so. Eberhart has also said that while before 9/11, NORAD had practiced responding to a hijacked plane trying to slam into a target in the United States, the exercises assumed that the flight had originated overseas, giving intercepting jet fighters more time. More important, he also said that even if his aircraft had practiced the domestic scenario, it wouldn't have mattered. Why? "I really think that, for sure in the first two instances, and probably in the third, the time and distance would not have allowed us to get an airplane to the right place at the right time."

It's certainly true that the FAA didn't give the Air Force the speediest heads up: Newsday reported that the FAA delayed 29 minutes (!) before telling the military about the third (!) suspicious plane, the one that ultimately hit the Pentagon. And before 9/11, a domestic-hijacked-airliner-suicide attack was admittedly not the most probable of worries. But it's simply wrong to say that therefore, there probably wasn't anything NORAD could have done to change history.

According to NORAD's official 9/11 time line, the FAA notified NORAD at 8:40 a.m. Eastern time that there was something peculiar going on with American Flight 11. But NORAD didn't issue an order for fighters to scramble until 8:46 a.m., the time when American Flight 11 hit the first WTC tower. Six minutes later, at 8:52 a.m., two F-15 fighters responded to the order by launching from a base 153 miles from New York City. They still were not on the scene at 9:02 a.m. when the second airliner, United Flight 175, hit the second WTC tower. They wouldn't get there for another eight minutes, at 9:10 a.m. A NORAD senior officer, Major Gen. Larry Arnold, told NBC that when the fighters took off, they were flying straight to New York City. He also said that they were going "about 1.5 Mach, which is, you know, somewhereâ€”11- or 1,200 miles an hour." But note that the F-15 fighters took 18 minutes to cover those 153 miles, which comes out to more like 510 mph. Yet, according to the Air Force, the F-15 has a top speed of 1,875 mph. So, you have to wonder, why were they flying at less than a third of what they're capable of?

According to NORAD, the FAA notified it at 9:24 a.m. that there was something suspicious with American Flight 77. Two F-16 fighters were immediately ordered launched, and they got airborne at 9:30 a.m. The New York Times reports that at first, they were headed to New York at "top speed" reaching "600 mph within two minutes," before vectoring toward Washington instead. These planes didn't arrive in the vicinity of the Pentagon until 9:49 a.m., 12 minutes after American Flight 77 hit it. (They then stayed in the skies above Washington to protect against the fourth errant airliner, United Flight 93, with orders to shoot it down if necessary, a command mooted by an apparent passenger insurrection that caused that plane to crash in a Pennsylvania field.) The F-16s covered the 130 miles of their journey in 19 minutes, which would be an average speed of about 410 mph. Now, that's artificially low because these fighters spent several minutes flying toward New York, but even allowing for this, you don't come up with anything like what the Air Force (which may know better than the New York Times) says is the plane's top speed of 1,500 mph. So, again, why didn't NORAD feel the need for speed? It wasn't because of FAA regulations prohibiting supersonic flight over land in U.S. civil airspace. A NORAD spokesman told me that fighters violate that speed restriction "when circumstances warrant."

That is, in both cases where NORAD launched fighters, a closer look suggests that it's just false that there was nothing they could have done. For one thing, they could have flown faster.

But the flawed time/distance argument isn't NORAD's only excuse. Gen. Arnold told NBC that even if U.S. jets had intercepted the airliners, "No one would have known the intent of the hijackers. And without that, I don't think anyone would have been able to order them to shoot down thatâ€”that aircraft."

That may be true, but it's misleading. Arnold leaves out other tactics the jet fighters could've tried. According to a Boston Globe article, when intercepting aircraft, NORAD practices a graduated response. The approaching fighter doesn't immediately shoot down the bogey: It can first rock its wingtips to attract attention, or make a pass in front of the plane, or fire tracer rounds in its path. So even though on 9/11, the NORAD pilots working the first three airliners didn't have shootdown authority (they got it only after the Pentagon was hit), they would or should have been ready to try these other techniques, which might well have spooked or forced the hijackers into turning, which might have given the fighters a chance to force them out to sea. And even if the hijackers decided instead to fly right into a fighter in their way, wouldn't an airburst have killed fewer people than two collapsed flaming skyscrapers did?

After 9/11, NORAD said it adjusted to the new realities. In October, Gen. Eberhart told Congress that "now it takes about one minute" from the time that the FAA senses something is amiss before it notifies NORAD. And around the same time, a NORAD spokesofficer told the Associated Press that the military can now scramble fighters "within a matter of minutes to anywhere in the United States."

But lo and behold, earlier this month when 15-year-old student pilot Charles Bishop absconded with a Cessna and flew it into a Tampa skyscraper, NORAD didn't learn of it until it overheard FAA radio calls about the situation, and it wasn't able to launch its fighter jets until 15 minutes after Bishop had already crashed into the building. Those fighters didn't arrive on the scene until 45 minutes after Bishop took off.

Source: http://slate.msn.com//?id=2060825

xoxox

GET PHOTO

Scott Shuger A Pioneer Of Internet Journalism

by Michael Kinsley, Slate.com, June 16, 2002

When we hired Scott Shuger back in 1997 to try his hand at a new Slate feature called "Today's Papers," we thought we were doing him a favor. Scott, who died Saturday at the age of 50 in a scuba diving accident, had been a casual friend of several of us from the small world of Washington journalism, and the even smaller world of alumni of the Washington Monthly. Scott at that time was a respected free-lance writer and was having some success moving into television. For a while he was under contract to develop stories for 20/20 on ABC. Scott was doing OK.

But he was not having the blistering career that he, among others, felt he deserved. One reason may be that he did not suffer foolsâ€”an essential tolerance for someone who needs to be in good favor with several editors and TV producers at the same time. Also, he had lovingly followed his wife, Debora, out to Los Angeles when UCLA offered her a professorship in medieval literature. Scott enjoyed L.A.â€”for the convenience of pursuing his passion for diving, among other reasonsâ€”but it was not the best place from which to peddle meaty articles about government policy. Scott could be cynical or playful, in life as well as in his writing, but an intenseâ€”patriotic, reallyâ€”earnestness about defective weapons or intelligence reform or homeless policy was one of Scott's endearing characteristics.

We asked Scott to do Today's Papers for two banal reasons: He was available, and he lived in the Pacific time zone. The job, we imagined, was a fairly straightforward one of reading the new editions of the five national newspapers as they were posted on the Internet throughout the night and summarizing them for Slate readers by early the next morning. Someone on the West Coast, we figured, could achieve this by staying up very late rather than getting up very earlyâ€”which most journalists would regard as a big advantage.

It turned out that the favor we were doing by hiring Scott was for ourselves. "Today's Papers" quickly became our most popular feature. The idea (from the staff member who is now Slate's editor, Jacob Weisberg) was a good one, but the execution was brilliant. Like a cook who knows instinctively just how much spice to put in a stew, Scott turned out to be a natural at knowing exactly the right balance between telling it straight and adding his own insights. He developed a style and a set of conventions that allowed him to deliver a tremendous amount of information in few words, without making the result seem like a deadly summary.

Some of Scott's best insights were about the press itself. TP, as we call it, became a daily course in how the media think, what they get right and wrong, all illustrated by the day's news. He used the different ways the five papers covered (or didn't cover) the same story as a controlled experiment in journalistic practice. Scott actually stopped writing TP last September, in order to become Slate's principal writer about the war on terrorism, but Scott's style and method were stamped so strongly on the feature that many readers thought Scott was still writing it.

It didn't take us long to realize we had a huge hit. In fact, it took less than 24 hours. The first day Today's Papers appeared, we got a message from Bill Gates asking when we were planning to make it available by e-mail. We had been planning to do this within a year or so, if possible, given our limited resources and other priorities and technical difficulties and so on. Miraculously, following the chairman's inquiry, we had e-mail delivery going within barely a week. Soon hundreds of thousands were getting Today's Papers by e-mail, and similar numbers were reading it on the Web. William F. Buckley e-mailed, distraught and begging for reinstatement, when his e-mail delivery was accidentally canceled.

One night early on Scott posted a notice, in place of the column, that he had a terrible cold and was too sick to write. By the next morning there were dozens of alarmed e-mails from loyal readers inquiring nervously about his health. The concern was human but also practical: They had come to depend on Scott to introduce the world to them each morning. One e-mail came to the editor (me, at the time) from Bill Gates Sr., the chairman's father, who spoke of "Scott in Los Angeles" with such personal affection that I thought at first that he was referring to another of his children, not to a Slate writer he had never met.

Scott Shuger was, in a way, the first complete Internet journalist, in that the Internet was essential to both his input and his output, and the result was something new and useful that couldn't be done before. Without the Internet, Scott couldn't have read five newspapers from across the countryâ€”and done it before the paper editions were even available. With the Internet, Scott could even write the columnâ€”about the day's major American newspapers, rememberâ€”from Berlin, where Debora Shuger had a visiting fellowship in 2000-2001. Scott used to say that the best place to write Today's Papers from would be Hawaii, where, he claimed, it would almost be a normal 9-5 job.

Having gathered his material from the Web (with the help, as it became popular and influential, of faxes and phone calls from the various papers' newsrooms), Scott would push a few buttons that would essentially publish his column to our Web site, where it could be read within seconds all over the world, and send it out by e-mail automatically. This is in the middle of the night, mind you, when editors and technicians prefer to be asleep.

(One rival claimant to the crown of first pure Internet journalist might be blog and scandal pioneer Matt Drudge. As it happens, Drudge first came to national attention in a Los Angeles Times story written by Scott Shuger shortly before he came to Slate.)

Scott became a regular visitor to Seattle, a friend of all his Slate colleagues, and a close friend of several, including me. A fitness buff, a master of judo and karate, an experienced scuba diver, he enthusiastically added the local sports of hiking and rafting to his repertoire and shared memorable adventures with several of us. On these outings he would delight in talk and argument as only a writer who ordinarily works alone all day can.

One subject that often came up was that of risk. Scott was an odd combination of macho daredevil and supercautious worrywart. (On one hike he carried a full-sized chair several miles up the side of a mountain, along with a heavy packâ€”an impressive feat of strength in service of a fastidious desire not to sit on the ground.) He was obsessed with personal security, carried various weapons (not firearms) for self-protection, and loved any opportunity to train women to repel attackers.

But he also was an explicit and adamant believer that experiencing life vividly is worth taking risks. Pending an autopsy, we do not yet know exactly what happened yesterday afternoon. I would be very surprised if this tragic accident were the result of some negligence or failure on Scott's part. At the same time, he was about as realistic as any human being can beâ€”not all that realistic, I suppose, but still ... about the unavoidable dangers of his avocations. He was not a gratuitous risk-taker, but he knew what he was doing and had thought intelligently about the potential cost.

Scott might not have enjoyed growing old. He treasured his good health and mental acuity and would have disliked watching them slip away even more than most of us will. He was in a good place in his life. He loved his job. He brimmed with pride in his daughter, Dale, who graduated from Harvard last year. He looked forward to a new period when he and Debora (who were married for 29 years) could adventure together, unfettered by child-rearing and tuition bills. He certainly wouldn't have chosen a sudden exit yesterday. But all of us who shared Slate editorial meetings with him can well imagine Scottâ€”puckishly, tentatively at first, but perhaps even adamantly as he got swept up in his argumentâ€”making the case.

Source: http://slate.msn.com/?id=2067029&device=

7/9/02
3:52:11 PM

t r u t h o u t

Greg Palast | A Tale of Two Coups

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.07A.palast.2.coups.htm

One Nation Plays the Great Game Alone

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.07B.game.alone.htm

Nicholas D. Kristof | Farm Subsidies That Kill

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.07C.kris.farm.kill.htm

NRDC Warns of Bush's Open Season on Wild West

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.07D.nrdc.wild.wst.htm

John McCaslin | Inside the Beltway: Al Gore, the Internet and Folks Not Voting

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.07E.mccaslin.gore.htm

7/9/02
3:49:11 PM

"Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day."

US President Theodore Roosevelt April 19, 1906

7/9/02
3:47:04 PM

t r u t h o u t

Pakistan Turning Against General 'Busharraf'

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06A.busharraf.htm

Nat Hentoff | Unleashing the FBI, 'There Would Be No Place to Hide'

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06B.hentoff.no.hide.htm

U.S. Plan for Iraq Is Said to Include Attack on 3 Sides

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06C.iraq.3.sides.htm

Bush Brushes Off Question About His Business Past

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06D.bush.brush.htm

No SEC Questions Yet for Cheney

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06E.sec.cheney.htm

Jobless Rate Edges Up to 5.9%; Payroll Growth Remains Weak

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.06F.jobless.5.9.htm

7/9/02
3:45:58 PM

SciTech Daily Review

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2089000/2089873.stm

Palaeontologists have pieced together the first walker: the most primitive walking foot yet discovered

Girls who have a view of nature through the windows of their homes may have a better chance for success than girls whose views are not as green

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-06/uoia-gwv062602.php

Big city, bright lightning: Hot, dirty conurbations are thunderstorm magnets

http://www.nature.com/nsu/020701/020701-8.html

Odd and eccentric behaviour increases with age -- but flamboyant behaviour becomes less pronounced, according to a new UK study

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992474

Scholars are finally beginning to tackle the question that has plagued humanity since time immemorial: How can people be so stupid?

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2002/06/19/stupid/index.html

Are holograms finally for real? This staple of sci-fi is starting to live up to its billing, and its potential is anything but an illusion

http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,41314,00.html

How did we evolve to the point where we spend almost a third of our lives being small, vulnerable and unable to reproduce, asks Natalie Angier

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/02/science/social/02CHIL.html

Gregory Stock, author of Redesigning Humans, considers the benefits of biotechnology and why he thinks we should trust parents to make the best choices for their children

http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000006D945.htm

Asteroid hunter David Morrison figures his long effort to keep the world safe has been very successful. In 11 years of protecting the planet from rogue space-rocks, not a single human has been killed

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/morrison_interview_020702-1.html

7/9/02
3:30:24 PM

A Prayer For America

by US Congressperson Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio)

(This speech was given on February 17, 2002 in Los Angeles, California at an event sponsored by the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action)

I offer these brief remarks today as a prayer for our country, with love of democracy, as a celebration of our country. With love for our country. With hope for our country. With a belief that the light of freedom cannot be extinguished as long as it is inside of us. With a belief that freedom rings resoundingly in a democracy each time we speak freely. With the understanding that freedom stirs the human heart and fear stills it. With the belief that a free people cannot walk in fear and faith at the same time.

With the understanding that there is a deeper truth expressed in the unity of the United States. That implicate in the union of our country is the union of all people. That all people are essentially one. That the world is interconnected not only on the material level of economics, trade, communication, and transportation, but innerconnected through human consciousness, through the human heart, through the heart of the world, through the simply expressed impulse and yearning to be and to breathe free.

I offer this prayer for America.

Let us pray that our nation will remember that the unfolding of the promise of democracy in our nation paralleled the striving for civil rights. That is why we must challenge the rationale of the Patriot Act. We must ask why should America put aside guarantees of constitutional justice?

How can we justify in effect canceling the First Amendment and the right of free speech, the right to peaceably assemble?

How can we justify in effect canceling the Fourth Amendment, probable cause, the prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure?

How can we justify in effect canceling the Fifth Amendment, nullifying due process, and allowing for indefinite incarceration without a trial?

How can we justify in effect canceling the Sixth Amendment, the right to prompt and public trial?

How can we justify in effect canceling the Eighth Amendment which protects against cruel and unusual punishment?

We cannot justify widespread wiretaps and internet surveillance without judicial supervision, let alone with it.

We cannot justify secret searches without a warrant.

We cannot justify giving the Attorney General the ability to designate domestic terror groups.

We cannot justify giving the FBI total access to any type of data which may exist in any system anywhere such as medical records and financial records.

We cannot justify giving the CIA the ability to target people in this country for intelligence surveillance.

We cannot justify a government which takes from the people our right to privacy and then assumes for its own operations a right to total secrecy.

The Attorney General recently covered up a statue of Lady Justice showing her bosom as if to underscore there is no danger of justice exposing herself at this time, before this administration.

Let us pray that our nation's leaders will not be overcome with fear. Because today there is great fear in our great Capitol. And this must be understood before we can ask about the shortcomings of Congress in the current environment.

The great fear began when we had to evacuate the Capitol on September 11.

It continued when we had to leave the Capitol again when a bomb scare occurred as members were pressing the CIA during a secret briefing.

It continued when we abandoned Washington when anthrax, possibly from a government lab, arrived in the mail.

It continued when the Attorney General declared a nationwide terror alert and then the Administration brought the destructive Patriot Bill to the floor of the House.

It continued in the release of the bin Laden tapes at the same time the President was announcing the withdrawal from the ABM treaty.

It remains present in the cordoning off of the Capitol.

It is present in the camouflaged armed national guardsmen who greet members of Congress each day we enter the Capitol campus.

It is present in the labyrinth of concrete barriers through which we must pass each time we go to vote.

The trappings of a state of siege trap us in a state of fear, ill-equipped to deal with the Patriot Games, the Mind Games, the War Games of an unelected President and his unelected Vice President.

Let us pray that our country will stop this war. "To promote the common defense" is one of the formational principles of America.

Our Congress gave the President the ability to respond to the tragedy of September the Eleventh. We licensed a response to those who helped bring the terror of September the Eleventh. But we the people and our elected representatives must reserve the right to measure the response, to proportion the response, to challenge the response, and to correct the response.

Because we did not authorize the invasion of Iraq.

We did not authorize the invasion of Iran.

We did not authorize the invasion of North Korea.

We did not authorize the bombing of civilians in Afghanistan.

We did not authorize permanent detainees in Guantanamo Bay.

We did not authorize the withdrawal from the Geneva Convention.

We did not authorize military tribunals suspending due process and habeas corpus.

We did not authorize assassination squads.

We did not authorize the resurrection of COINTELPRO.

We did not authorize the repeal of the Bill of Rights.

We did not authorize the revocation of the Constitution.

We did not authorize national identity cards.

We did not authorize the eye of Big Brother to peer from cameras throughout our cities.

We did not authorize an eye for an eye.

Nor did we ask that the blood of innocent people, who perished on September 11, be avenged with the blood of innocent villagers in Afghanistan.

We did not authorize the administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases.

We did not authorize war without end.

We did not authorize a permanent war economy.

Yet we are upon the threshold of a permanent war economy. The President has requested a $45.6 billion increase in military spending. All defense-related programs will cost close to $400 billion.

Consider that the Department of Defense has never passed an independent audit.

Consider that the Inspector General has notified Congress that the Pentagon cannot properly account for $1.2 trillion in transactions.

Consider that in recent years the Dept. of Defense could not match $22 billion worth of expenditures to the items it purchased, wrote off, as lost, billions of dollars worth of in-transit inventory and stored nearly $30 billion worth of spare parts it did not need.

Yet the defense budget grows with more money for weapons systems to fight a cold war which ended, weapon systems in search of new enemies to create new wars. This has nothing to do with fighting terror.

This has everything to do with fueling a military industrial machine with the treasure of our nation, risking the future of our nation, risking democracy itself with the militarization of thought which follows the militarization of the budget.

Let us pray for our children. Our children deserve a world without end. Not a war without end. Our children deserve a world free of the terror of hunger, free of the terror of poor health care, free of the terror of homelessness, free of the terror of ignorance, free of the terror of hopelessness, free of the terror of policies which are committed to a world view which is not appropriate for the survival of a free people, not appropriate for the survival of democratic values, not appropriate for the survival of our nation, and not appropriate for the survival of the world.

Let us pray that we have the courage and the will as a people and as a nation to shore ourselves up, to reclaim from the ruins of September 11th our democratic traditions.

Let us declare our love for democracy.

Let us declare our intent for peace.

Let us work to make nonviolence an organizing principle in our own society.

Let us recommit ourselves to the slow and painstaking work of statecraft, which sees peace, not war as being inevitable.

Let us work for a world where someday war becomes archaic.

That is the vision which the proposal to create a Department of Peace envisions. Forty-three members of Congress are now cosponsoring the legislation.

Let us work for a world where nuclear disarmament is an imperative. That is why we must begin by insisting on the commitments of the ABM treaty. That is why we must be steadfast for nonproliferation.

Let us work for a world where America can lead the way in banning weapons of mass destruction not only from our land and sea and sky but from outer space itself. That is the vision of HR 3616: A universe free of fear. Where we can look up at God's creation in the stars and imagine infinite wisdom, infinite peace, infinite possibilities, not infinite war, because we are taught that the kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.

Let us pray that we have the courage to replace the images of death which haunt us, the layers of images of September the Eleventh, faded into images of patriotism, spliced into images of military mobilization, jump cut into images of our secular celebrations of the World Series, New Year's Eve, the Superbowl, the Olympics, the strobic flashes which touch our deepest fears, let us replace those images with the work of human relations, reaching out to people, helping our own citizens here at home, lifting the plight of the poor everywhere.

That is the America which has the ability to rally the support of the world.

That is the America which stands not in pursuit of an axis of evil, but which is itself at the axis of hope and faith and peace and freedom. America, America. God shed grace on thee. Crown thy good, America.

Not with weapons of mass destruction.

Not with invocations of an axis of evil.

Not through breaking international treaties.

Not through establishing America as king of a unipolar world.

Crown thy good America. America, America.

Let us pray for our country.

Let us love our country.

Let us defend our country not only from the threats without but from the threats within.

Crown thy good, America. Crown thy good with brotherhood, and sisterhood. And crown thy good with compassion and restraint and forbearance and a commitment to peace, to democracy, to economic justice here at home and throughout the world. Crown thy good, America.

Crown thy good, America. Crown thy good America.

Crown thy good.

Thank you.

eMail Congressperson Dennis J. Kucinich: mailto:DKucinich@aol.com

7/9/02
3:23:14 PM

Planet Ark World Environment News

American French fry under attack by Californian group - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16717/story.htm

Non-DEET mosquito repellents ineffective - study - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16724/story.htm

Firefighters accused in record Western US blazes - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16718/story.htm

Californian governor likely to sign auto emissions bill - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16715/story.htm

US farm groups say Europe's GMO plan unworkable - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16714/story.htm

After foot and mouth, what future for UK farms? - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16720/story.htm

UK groups hail EU vote on GM labels, swipe at govt stance - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16728/story.htm

UK plans to revive nuclear power industry - report - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16711/story.htm

UK should speed up n-plant planning system - minister - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16709/story.htm

Britain set to ring-fence BNFL's liabilities - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16712/story.htm

Gentle persuasion eases animal testing furore - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16719/story.htm

Spain ushers in new, uncertain energy era - SPAIN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16726/story.htm

US, Russia edge closer to poultry agreement - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16725/story.htm

Banned hormone use by Dutch farmers more widespread - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16723/story.htm

Nuclear cargo ship leaves Japan, security tight - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16710/story.htm

Agency says Sicily can't tax Snam gas pipelines - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16721/story.htm

German tainted wheat sold to Jordan, Tunisia - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16727/story.htm

German can deposit plan seen cutting metals use - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16729/story.htm

EU MPs toughen chemicals rules after Toulouse blast - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16707/story.htm

Tanker hits Fiji reef, oil spill feared - FIJI http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16708/story.htm

BP to mull Colombian natural gas project - COLOMBIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16722/story.htm

Oil giants sign up for $20 bln China pipeline - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16713/story.htm

Quebec to ban most non-farm pesticides by 2005 - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16716/story.htm

7/9/02
3:16:17 PM

The Rogue State

America's Bid To Control The World

FOR 101 days, Royal Marines have been engaged in a farcical operation as mercenaries of the United States whose lawlessness now qualifies it as the world's leading rogue state.

Shooting at shadows, and the occasional tribesman, blowing up mounds of dirt and displaying "captured" arms for the media, all have been part of the Marines' humiliating role in Afghanistan - a role foisted upon them by the Blair government, whose deference to and collusion with the Bush gang has become a parody of the imperial courtier.

Gang is not an exaggeration. The word, in my dictionary, means "a group of people working together for criminal, disreputable ends". That describes accurately George W Bush and those who write his speeches and make his decisions and who, since their rise to power, have undermined the very basis of international law.

In Afghanistan, their record is beyond question. The killing on Monday of some 40 guests at a wedding was not a "blunder" but the direct result of a policy of shoot and bomb first and find out later, as announced by George W Bush in the weeks following September 11.

The capacity of the American military machine to smash impoverished countries was never in dispute - conditional, that is, on the absence of American ground troops and their substitution by "allied" forces, like the Royal Marines. (During the heyday of the British Empire, Indian and other colonial troops were used in a similar role, although the British, unlike the Americans, were also prepared to sacrifice their own soldiers).

Since last October, Afghan leaders have reported American aircraft destroying villages "too small to be marked on any map" with "more than 300 people killed" in one night. In a family of 40, only a small boy and his grandmother survived, reported Richard Lloyd Parry of the Independent.

Out of sight of the television cameras "at least 3,767 civilians were killed by US bombs between October 7 and December 10...an average of 62 innocent deaths a day", according to a study carried out at the University of New Hampshire in the US. This is now estimated to have passed 5,000 civilian deaths: almost double the number killed on September 11.

There is no evidence that a single leader of al-Qaeda has been captured or, to anyone's knowledge, killed. Neither has the leader of the Taliban. The change in Afghanistan is minimal compared with the murderous feudalism that ruled during the 1990s, and before the Taliban came to power.

FOR all the cosmetic changes in Kabul, the capital, women still dare not go unveiled. "The Taliban used to hang the victim's body in public for four days," quipped the new American-installed regime's Minister of Justice. "We will only hang the body for a short time, say fifteen minutes, after a public execution."

Describing this as a "triumph of good over evil", as Bush has said, with an echo from Blair, is like lauding the superiority of the German war machine in 1940 as a vindication of Nazism.

Not only the Marines but the British public ought to feel duped. Both Washington and Whitehall knew long ago al-Qaeda was finished in Afghanistan. Apart from the element of revenge, for home gratification, the Americans have set out to reassert the control of their favourite warlords: people responsible for thousands of deaths in their stricken country.

In October, the US planned to install a regime dominated by members of the Pashtun tribe, who, they predicted, would desert the Taliban. But the split in the Taliban never happened and the Americans have since changed tack and tried to put together a "coalition" of Tajik and Uzbek warlords. The current "interim president", Hamid Karzai, although a Pashtun, has neither a tribal nor military powerbase. He is simply America's man.

The presence of the Royal Marines, leading the so-called "International Security Assistance Force", is for reasons straight out of the nineteenth century. At the Americans' bidding, the Marines were meant to keep the favoured warlords from each other's throats until the region could be "stabilised" for American oil and other strategic interests.

Potential vast energy sources in Central Asia have become critical for the deeply troubled US economy, and for the Bush administration, which is dominated by oil industry interests, notably the Bush family itself. An investigation by the Hong Kong-based Asia Times in January found that the US was frantically developing "a network of multiple Caspian pipelines".

THE disgraced Enron Corporation, one of Bush's biggest campaign backers, conducted a feasibility study for a $2.5billion oil pipeline being built across the Caspian Sea. Top current and former American officials, including Vice President Cheney, "have all closed major deals directly and indirectly on behalf of the oil companies", says the Asia Times.

If there was a map of American military bases established in the region to fight "the war on terrorism" what would be immediately striking is that it would follow almost exactly the route of the projected oil pipeline to the Indian Ocean.

Blair and the voluble Geoffrey Hoon have, of course, offered none of this vital information to the British people, let alone to the British soldiers sent to play America's imperial game. Fortunately, the troops suffered only gastric flu. The Afghan people have not been as lucky.

Any doubt about the systematic murderous way the US military has operated in Afghanistan is dispelled by a report in the American press in May of children gunned down in wheat fields and as they slept. For four hours, American helicopter gunships saturated the fields and a village with bullets and rockets before landing to disgorge US troops who shot survivors and detained other "suspects".

In fact, the area was renowned for its opposition to the Taliban and the governor of Oruzgan province confirmed that those murdered "were ordinary people. There were no al-Qaeda or Taliban here."

In recent months, the American rogue state has torn up the Kyoto treaty, which would decrease global warming and the probability of environmental disaster. It has threatened to use nuclear weapons in "pre-emptive strikes" (a threat echoed by Hoon). It has tried to sabotage the setting up of an international criminal court, understandably, because its generals and leading politicians might be summoned as defendants.

It has further undermined the authority of the United Nations by allowing Israel to block a UN committee's investigation of the Israeli assault on the Palestinian refugee camp at Jenin; and it has ordered the Palestinians to get rid of their elected leader in favour of an American stooge.

It ignored the World Food Summit in Italy; and at summit conferences in Canada and Indonesia it has blocked genuine aid, such as clean water and electricity, to the most deprived people on earth. Proposals to increase American food subsidies by 80 per cent are designed to secure American domination of the world foodgrains market.

("When we get up from the breakfast table every morning," said the chief executive of the Cargill corporation, the world's biggest food company, "much of what we have eaten - cereals, bread, coffee, sugar and so on - has passed through the lands of my company." Cargill's goal is to double in size every five to seven years).

There is a desperate edge to most of America's rogue actions. The Christian "free market" fundamentalists running Washington are worried. The US current account deficit is running at a record $34billion. Foreign purchases of the huge US debt are falling rapidly. The US stockmarket is heavily over-valued, and the dollar is uncertain.

As one commentator has put it, the "Bush doctrine" looks like "one last attempt to order the world entirely around the requirements of US monopoly capital, before it can long hope to do so".

IN other words this may well be the last throw of the dice before the US economy goes into serious decline - as yesterday's dramatic fall in the stock markets indicated.

This means controlling the oil and fossil fuel riches in Central Asia. It means attacking Iraq, installing a replacement Saddam Hussein and taking over the world's second-largest source of oil. It means surrounding a new economic challenger, China, with bases, and intimidating the leaders of its principal economic rival, Europe, by undermining NATO, and setting off a trade war.

I have just visited the United States, and it is clear many people there are worried. And many dare not say so. Their views are seldom reported in the American mainstream media, which is self-censored and controlled, perhaps as never before.

Instead, the air is thick with the views of the likes of Charles Krauthammer, of the Washington Post. "Unilateralism is the key to our success," he wrote, in describing the world of the next fifty years: a world without protection from nuclear attack or environmental damage for the citizens of any country except the United States; a world where "democracy" means nothing if its benefits are at odds with American "interests"; a world in which to express dissent against these "interests" brands one a terrorist and justifies surveillance and repression.

There is only one way such rogue power can be resisted. It is by speaking out and urgently. If our government won't, we must.

John Pilger's new book, The New Rulers of the World, is published by Verso.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk

7/9/02
3:11:56 PM

t r u t h o u t

William Rivers Pitt | 125 Days to Save the World

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.05A.pitt.125days.htm

Bush Will Resume Shooting Down Small Planes in South America

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.05B.shoot.down.htm

David Mccullough | Bold Men in Ruffled Shirts

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.05C.david.mac.j4.htm

Bush Seeks to Deflect Blame for Tardy SEC Filings

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.05D.bush.sec.htm

Afghans Describe Bloody Scene After U.S. Attack

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.05E.afghan.attack.htm

7/9/02
3:09:06 PM

"ABM Treaty Still Lives"

"ABM Treaty still lives, say Congressmen Dennis J. Kucinich who sue to undo its 'unconstitutional' knifing by Bush without OK of Congress"

A War and Law League (WALL) News Report, June 21, 2002

Although President George W. Bush may consider the Anti-Ballistic Missile Limitation Treaty of 1972 (ABM Treaty) dead as of the 13th of June, 33 members of Congress headed by Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) maintain that it is still legally alive.

A lawsuit was filed against President Bush, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld on June 11. Congressmen asked the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, to declare Bush's action in terminating the treaty without congressional authorization unconstitutional. Bush's six-month termination notice to Russia expired as June 13 arrived.

"This is a case arguing that the president does not have the authority under the Constitution to terminate a treaty without a majority of both houses of Congress or two-thirds of the Senate," said Peter Weiss, the lead attorney, a constitutional lawyer of New York City, in a telephone conversation.

The 33 plaintiffs, all representatives, include nine from California, four from New York, and three each from Illinois and Ohio. All are Democrats except for one independent, from Vermont.

The Californians are Rep. Bob Filner of Chula Vista; Reps. Hilda Solis, Maxine Waters, and Dianne Watson, all of Los Angeles; Rep. Lynn Woolsey of Marin and Sonoma Counties; Rep. Sam Farr of Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz; and Reps. Barbara Lee, George Miller, and Fortney H. (Pete) Stark, all from the Oakland-East Bay area. (Others are listed below.)

Rep. Kucinich, the lead plaintiff, from Cleveland, Ohio, has introduced bills to ban "the weaponization of space" and to establish a U.S. "Department of Peace."

Senators such as Russell D. Feingold (D-WI) who had thought of joining the suit were forbidden to do so by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, headed by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). The reason given had to do with legal services that the lawyers had offered without charge

The complaint

Pointing out that the issue of presidential termination of treaties has never been decided by the courts, the "Complaint for Declaratory Relief" calls the issue "of supreme importance to the constitutional framework of this nation as well as the treaty-based system of international law."

The complaint refers to "ample evidence that the Framers intended Congress to have a role in the termination as well as the making of treaties."

It charges that President Bush's "proposed termination" of the ABM Treaty on his own violates the treaty power in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution and "is inconsistent with two centuries of practice and with the overall design of separation of powers and checks and balances of the Constitution."

Furthermore, the complaint charges, "Since treaties have the status of laws, the President's proposed termination of the ABM Treaty without the assent of Congress violates Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution, which obliges the President to take care that the laws be faithfully executed."

The plaintiffs seek a court order with two main parts

"(a) Declaring that the President's withdrawal from the ABM Treaty is without force and effect until such time as the President has requested and received the assent of a majority of both Houses of Congress or two thirds of the Senate;

"(b) Ordering that the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and their subordinate officers are enjoined from taking any action in violation of the ABM Treaty until its termination has received the assent of a majority of both Houses of Congress or two thirds of the Senate."

The above was from a report by the War and Law League. The complete report is posted:

http://warandlaw.homestead.com/files/index.html

7/9/02
2:56:14 PM

"Peace In Space And On Earth" Videos Released

Featuring Speeches by Congressman Denis J. Kucinich

Los Angeles, CA - Mobilizing citizens to support legislation and a companion world treaty that will ban weapons in space is the aim of two new amazing videotapes, one 85-minute video and one 25-minute video, that features impassioned, informative and inspirational speeches by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, (D-OH) in programs sponsored by the Institute for Cooperation in Space (ICIS).

"We have a responsibility to challenge those who are so filled fear, to challenge those who feel that somehow we live in a unipolar world where America is king, to recognize that every man and woman on this planet is a king...and ought to be given the chance to live out their lives in dignity and decency without fear of destruction," said Kucinich to the frequent standing ovations of 1400+ people in attendance at the Agape International Spiritual Center. "We can reach millions of people in one month through the Internet," and "we can ban all space-based weapons," he told another group of about 250 people who packed a home meeting in Malibu, California, where emphasized "We must do this!"

As Chair of the House Progressive Caucus and Co-Chair of the Aviation and Space Caucus, Kucinich speaks about H.R. 3616, the Space Preservation Act of 2002, as well as the companion international treaty that can be signed now by all nation-state leaders. These documents are designed to permanently ban weapons from being deployed in outer space. He also addresses many subject areas including what it's like to work in Washington these days, and the abrogation of various long-standing treaties by the present administration that were to reduce and eliminate nuclear warheads, as well as many other issues, with the primary focus being on banning space-based weapons - and how to do it. Kucinich also talks about his pending legislation, H.R. 2459, that will create a cabinet level Department of Peace, and emphasized the urgency of supporting and passing HR 3616 and the companion world treaty into law. Kucinich sites a U.S. Space Command report, entitled "Vision for 2020" which openly proclaims its intentions to "dominate the High Heavens."

Kucinich, whose recent speeches and essays have been receiving widespread dissemination over the Internet and in print, delivered an impassioned plea, stating, "I maintain that there is a power within each of us..that can bring love to the world and compassion to the world and understanding to the world - that as we focus our conscious intent on making the world a better place, so it is. And we need to communicate that all across this country. This has to be a part of the promise of America. A new America... Not an America of fear, but an America of hope."

The VHS videos are excellent educational tools for home and community forums. Your donation of $25.00 for each video or $40 for both, will be deeply appreciated, and will help ICIS's efforts for the permanent ban on all space-based weapons by legislation Congressman Kucinich introduced, the Space Preservation Act of 2002 -- H..R. 3616 -- and companion world "Space Preservation Treaty." For inquiries on bulk and promotional copies, contact Carol Rosin, via tel. (805) 641-1999; or email: rosin@west.net. You can order online at the ICIS web site, or send your tax-deductible check to ICIS:

ICIS (Institute for Cooperation in Space) PO Box 25040

Ventura, CA. 93001

USA

Web Site: http://www.peaceinspace.com

7/9/02
2:52:04 PM

MoJournal

http://www.motherjones.com/

Free thinking, non-conforming, investigative reporting

From the Editor

The Bush administration's penchant for unilateral action may be front and center these days, but the behavior is hardly new. While Washington's antipathy towards the International Criminal Court may be hogging the headlines, Hannah M. Wallace interviews a man who has seen the result of US brinksmanship up close. A respected and seasoned Brazilian diplomat, Jose Bustani was forced from his post as director of the world's largest chemical weapons control group after a lengthy US-led campaign to unseat him. Now, Bustani predicts that his experience is merely a sign of things to come.

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQla4pkFbb/

Will Tacy

Editor, MotherJones.com

Sunscreen, sandals, and savvy investgative reporting.

This summer take a vacation from work, not the issues that matter most. Subscribe to Mother Jones magazine! 1 year (6 issues) just 10 bucks.

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQma4pkFbb/

WEB EXCLUSIVES

News - A Question of Pride - As the gay pride movement has grown, both in size and influence, so has the fight over corporate sponsorship of pride events.

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQna4pkFbb/

Cartoon - Fine Corporate Dining - Delicious, nutritious and oh so enriching!

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQoa4pkFbb/

Updates - 7UP No Longer Laughing, Breaking Up the Bakassi

Boys, Easing Access to Bush's Texas Records

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQpa4pkFbb/

Daily Briefing - CEO's Fall From Grace; Pyongyang Perplexes;

Truth on Trial in Mexico; Ashcroft's Love of the Death Penalty; Church and State, Pt. II; Our Stand-Up President

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQqa4pkFbb/

FROM THE MAGAZINE

Radioactive Recycling - If the Department of Energy has its way, the nation's nuclear garbage could end up in everyday items like bicycles, frying pans, and baby strollers.

http://click.topica.com/maaaqGlaaSHQra4pkFbb/

7/9/02
2:45:09 PM

SciTech Daily Review