By Mark Follman
America can't take it anymore
Tue Dec 6, 2005 21:47
America can't take it anymore
The Bush administration has embraced torture as a key part of the "war on terror." Finally, members of Congress, the military and the CIA are speaking out against the abuse.
By Mark Follman
Five days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney instructed the nation that the U.S. government would begin working "the dark side" to defeat its enemies in a new global war. "A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion," Cheney declared on NBC's "Meet the Press." He added, "It's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11231.htm
===
Bombing at Baghdad Police Academy kills 43:
Two men strapped with explosives detonated themselves at Baghdad's police academy on Tuesday, killing at least 43 people and wounding 73 more, officials said, while Al-Jazeera broadcast an insurgent video of a man purported to be a U.S. security consultant.
http://rdu.news14.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=77777
===
Twenty found shot dead in Iraq:
The U.S. military and Iraqi police discovered the bodies of 20 Iraqis killed by gunshots in two separate locations in Iraq, reports said Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/ca6g9
===
Attacks kill 11 nationwide:
An Iraqi army colonel and his driver were found shot dead on the road between Baghdad and Baquba, said police.
http://tinyurl.com/aye3p
===
Iraq militants threaten to kill US hostage: TV :
An Iraqi militant group has kidnapped a U.S. security consultant and is threatening to kill him in 48 hours unless Washington frees all Iraqi prisoners, according to a video aired by Al Jazeera television on Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/9g6ac
===
US-Iraqi troops wage military operation in Ramadi:
Approximately 100 Iraqi army soldiers and 400 US soldiers conducted their offensive, code-named Operation Rams, since Sunday,the military said in a statement.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3884813.htm
===
IRAQ: Hundreds of families flee fighting in Ramadi:
Hundreds of families have fled Ramadi, capital of the western Anbar Province, amidst fierce fighting between US military forces and Iraqi insurgents, according to aid agencies.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/d8c0f5d0cd6df370adb2e9f0deb6b56f.htm
===
Insurgents dismiss Iraq polls, brace for battle:
"Expect black days. Elections won't change anything. This is a long-term struggle. We will fight for the next 20 years," said Abu Mohammed
http://tinyurl.com/crw86
===
Dean Questions Commitment to Iraq Strategy :
Democratic Chairman Howard Dean on Monday likened the war in Iraq to Vietnam and said, "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong," comments that drew immediate fire from Republicans.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Dean_Iraq.html?cxntnid=amn120605e
===
Rumsfeld assails U.S. news coverage from Iraq: -
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld assailed U.S. news coverage of the Iraq war on Monday and accused journalists of rushing to find fault with the United States and its military.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05243428.htm
===
Riverbend: Iraqi Girl Blog: Mother of All Trials...:
Couldn't they find more credible witnesses? They were fifteen and ten at the time... it just doesn't make sense.
http://tinyurl.com/9pf4w
===
Court showdown today over military recruiting :
A question before the U.S. Supreme Court today is whether colleges' free-speech rights are violated by a law that could allow the government to withhold money from schools that limit military recruiters' access to campus
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2005-12-05-court-debate_x.htm
===
Counter-Recruitment Day Sweeps U.S. Colleges :
"A military that is an unequal employer and that funnels people into an immoral war should not be able to recruit on campus,"
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1205-32.htm
===
9 Taliban killed, 6 arrested in south Afghanistan :
Nine Taliban were killed, six were arrested Tuesday in an offensive operation carried out by Coalition and Afghan forces in Afghan southern province of Uruzgan, the provincial governor said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3886088.htm
===
3 killed, 2 injured in Taliban attack in S. Afghanistan :
Three persons were killed and two were injured Monday under Taliban's attack in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, a local official said Tuesday
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3884884.htm
===
ElBaradei to 'Post': No 'smoking gun' in Iran:
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have found no "smoking gun" in Iran that would indicate a nuclear weapons program, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/9v7qc
===
War pimp alert:
AIPAC Blasts White House On Iran:
As time dwindles for diplomatic efforts to curtail Iran's drive for nuclear weapons, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington is criticizing the Bush administration's handling of the issue.
http://www.jewishtimes.com/News/5229.stm
===
Israel: The nuclear campaign issue:
Netanyahu, who is running for the Likud leadership, threatened on Israel Radio this week that if elected prime minister he would weigh military action to prevent Iran's attaining nuclear capability.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/654088.html
===
In case you missed it:
Armed Israeli aggression against the Iraqi nuclear installations :
Noting with concern that Israel has refused to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and, in spite of repeated calls, including that of the Security Council, to place its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/36/a36r027.htm
===
Russia Confirms SAM Sale To Iran:
Russia has confirmed that it has signed an agreement for the sale of anti-aircraft systems to Iran.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/december/12_07_1.html
===
EXCLUSIVE: Sources Tell ABC News Top Al Qaeda Figures Held in Secret CIA Prisons:
10 Out of 11 High-Value Terror Leaders Subjected to 'Enhanced Interrogation Techniques' = Torture
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1375123
===
CIA 'closes terror prisons':
Eleven al-Qaeda prisoners who were held in Eastern Europe have been transferred and were being relocated "to a CIA site somewhere in north Africa," ABC reported, citing CIA sources.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17478342-38200,00.html
===
Britain's role in war on terror revealed : ·
200 ghost flights logged across nearly 20 airfields. · MPs urge government to state level of cooperation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1659057,00.html
===
UK 'breaking law' over CIA secret flights :
The British government is guilty of breaking international law if it allowed secret CIA "rendition" flights of terror suspects to land at UK airports, according to a report by American legal scholars.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11230.htm
===
Victims Could Sue for Human Rights in European Court of Justice::
The Munich human rights attorney Georg Note speaks with Spiegel Online about Germany's responsibility and possible repercussions of the affair.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11232.htm
===
Torture Saves European Lives, Rice Tells Europe...s Leaders:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chastised European leaders on Monday, saying that before they complain about secret jails for terror suspects in European nations, they should realize that interrogations of these suspects have produced information that helped “save European lives.”
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V125/N59/59long4.html
===
No exceptions to the ban on torture :
The absolute ban on torture, a cornerstone of the international human rights edifice, is under attack. The principle we once believed to be unassailable - the inherent right to physical integrity and dignity of the person - is becoming a casualty of the so-called war on terror.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11233.htm
===
Ex-CIA Agent in Milan Asks for Immunity:
An Italian judge rejects the request of the retired station chief, wanted in a suspect's abduction.
http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news2/latimes960.html
===
UK: MPs dismiss US denials as 'disingenuous' and 'beyond belief' :
Assurances by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, that America did not send detainees abroad for torture were dismissed last night by a cross-party group of MPs as "beyond belief".
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article331462.ece
===
CIA Flights Made 50 Landings at Ireland's Shannon, Amnesty Says :
The group said the information contradicts U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said last week that Shannon had not been used for ``untoward'' purposes.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=ac_wVfU3t7So
===
Keep quiet about secret flights to secret jails, Rice tells Europe:
CONDOLEEZZA RICE challenged European leaders to back controversial American anti-terrorism tactics yesterday as she robustly defended the CIA’s extrajudicial seizure, transportation and interrogation of thousands of suspects.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,171-1905660,00.html
===
Months Of Terror For Man Held By Mistake:
With his arms held high behind his back he was driven to a plane, thrown on the metal floor and given an injection.
http://tinyurl.com/azb68
===
German Man Claims U.S. Tortured Him :
``I am asking the American government to admit its mistakes and to apologize for my treatment,'' al-Masri said in a written statement. ``I am hoping that an American court will say very clearly that what happened to me was illegal and cannot be done to others.''
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5460936,00.html
===
CIA ruse on missing cleric misled Italians:
Agency spread disinformation to cover its tracks
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10341210/
===
Australia approves tough new anti-terrorism laws:
Australia's parliament passed a tough new anti-terrorism package on Tuesday amid fears the laws will strip citizens of their civil rights and erode free speech.
http://tinyurl.com/77x9u
===
Democracy under threat :
Chávez will only gain from the US-backed opposition's ploy to undermine elections
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,12716,1659309,00.html
===
Video: Documentary 'Preventive Warriors':
The film examines a bold new foreign policy paper introduced by the White House in September 2002 entitled: “The National Security Strategy of the United States.” The document outlines a radical new doctrine in American foreign policy: one of so-called “pre-emptive warfare.” The Bush administration used this policy as a justification for the invasion of Iraq.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6268.htm
===
Panel gives U.S. five 'F's in attack-preparation :
Time, money and ever-present terror threats have done little to close gaping holes in the nation's security system, the former Sept. 11 Commission said Monday in accusing the government of failing to protect the country.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-terr06.html
===
Report: FBI botched terrorism probe:
FBI agents botched a terrorism investigation in Florida and tried to cover up mistakes, said Justice Department investigators, who also concluded that a high-ranking official retaliated against the veteran undercover agent who first pointed out the problems.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_FBI_Whistleblower.html
===
Charge against DeLay upheld:
A state judge upheld a felony money-laundering charge against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Monday, dealing a blow to the representative's bid to get his powerful job back.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13340012.htm
===
The king of congressional corruption:
THOSE OF US who are true fans of hypocrisy and corruption need to pause and salute Randy Cunningham on his way out of town toward the beckoning slammer.
http://tinyurl.com/b4g2k
===
Contractor 'knew how to grease the wheels':
In government documents, he is referred to as "co-conspirator No. 1": a man who gave more than $630,000 in cash and favors to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham for help in landing millions of dollars in federal contracts.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051204/news_1n4adcs.html
===
Number Of Iraqi civilians Slaughtered In America's War 100,000 +
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7170.htm
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Slaughtered In Bush's War 2131
http://icasualties.org/oif/
==================
A Time to Run
San Francisco Chronicle, United States - Nov 12, 2005
... After all, Boxer is primarily a politician, not a novelist, and so one should not hold "A Time to Run" to the same standards as that of, say, Toni Morrison. ...
The Bush administration has embraced torture as a key part of the "war on terror." Finally, members of Congress, the military and the CIA are speaking out against the abuse.
By Mark Follman
Five days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney instructed the nation that the U.S. government would begin working "the dark side" to defeat its enemies in a new global war. "A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion," Cheney declared on NBC's "Meet the Press." He added, "It's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11231.htm
===
Bombing at Baghdad Police Academy kills 43:
Two men strapped with explosives detonated themselves at Baghdad's police academy on Tuesday, killing at least 43 people and wounding 73 more, officials said, while Al-Jazeera broadcast an insurgent video of a man purported to be a U.S. security consultant.
http://rdu.news14.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=77777
===
Twenty found shot dead in Iraq:
The U.S. military and Iraqi police discovered the bodies of 20 Iraqis killed by gunshots in two separate locations in Iraq, reports said Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/ca6g9
===
Attacks kill 11 nationwide:
An Iraqi army colonel and his driver were found shot dead on the road between Baghdad and Baquba, said police.
http://tinyurl.com/aye3p
===
Iraq militants threaten to kill US hostage: TV :
An Iraqi militant group has kidnapped a U.S. security consultant and is threatening to kill him in 48 hours unless Washington frees all Iraqi prisoners, according to a video aired by Al Jazeera television on Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/9g6ac
===
US-Iraqi troops wage military operation in Ramadi:
Approximately 100 Iraqi army soldiers and 400 US soldiers conducted their offensive, code-named Operation Rams, since Sunday,the military said in a statement.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3884813.htm
===
IRAQ: Hundreds of families flee fighting in Ramadi:
Hundreds of families have fled Ramadi, capital of the western Anbar Province, amidst fierce fighting between US military forces and Iraqi insurgents, according to aid agencies.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/d8c0f5d0cd6df370adb2e9f0deb6b56f.htm
===
Insurgents dismiss Iraq polls, brace for battle:
"Expect black days. Elections won't change anything. This is a long-term struggle. We will fight for the next 20 years," said Abu Mohammed
http://tinyurl.com/crw86
===
Dean Questions Commitment to Iraq Strategy :
Democratic Chairman Howard Dean on Monday likened the war in Iraq to Vietnam and said, "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong," comments that drew immediate fire from Republicans.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Dean_Iraq.html?cxntnid=amn120605e
===
Rumsfeld assails U.S. news coverage from Iraq: -
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld assailed U.S. news coverage of the Iraq war on Monday and accused journalists of rushing to find fault with the United States and its military.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05243428.htm
===
Riverbend: Iraqi Girl Blog: Mother of All Trials...:
Couldn't they find more credible witnesses? They were fifteen and ten at the time... it just doesn't make sense.
http://tinyurl.com/9pf4w
===
Court showdown today over military recruiting :
A question before the U.S. Supreme Court today is whether colleges' free-speech rights are violated by a law that could allow the government to withhold money from schools that limit military recruiters' access to campus
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2005-12-05-court-debate_x.htm
===
Counter-Recruitment Day Sweeps U.S. Colleges :
"A military that is an unequal employer and that funnels people into an immoral war should not be able to recruit on campus,"
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1205-32.htm
===
9 Taliban killed, 6 arrested in south Afghanistan :
Nine Taliban were killed, six were arrested Tuesday in an offensive operation carried out by Coalition and Afghan forces in Afghan southern province of Uruzgan, the provincial governor said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3886088.htm
===
3 killed, 2 injured in Taliban attack in S. Afghanistan :
Three persons were killed and two were injured Monday under Taliban's attack in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, a local official said Tuesday
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3884884.htm
===
ElBaradei to 'Post': No 'smoking gun' in Iran:
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have found no "smoking gun" in Iran that would indicate a nuclear weapons program, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/9v7qc
===
War pimp alert:
AIPAC Blasts White House On Iran:
As time dwindles for diplomatic efforts to curtail Iran's drive for nuclear weapons, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington is criticizing the Bush administration's handling of the issue.
http://www.jewishtimes.com/News/5229.stm
===
Israel: The nuclear campaign issue:
Netanyahu, who is running for the Likud leadership, threatened on Israel Radio this week that if elected prime minister he would weigh military action to prevent Iran's attaining nuclear capability.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/654088.html
===
In case you missed it:
Armed Israeli aggression against the Iraqi nuclear installations :
Noting with concern that Israel has refused to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and, in spite of repeated calls, including that of the Security Council, to place its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/36/a36r027.htm
===
Russia Confirms SAM Sale To Iran:
Russia has confirmed that it has signed an agreement for the sale of anti-aircraft systems to Iran.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/december/12_07_1.html
===
EXCLUSIVE: Sources Tell ABC News Top Al Qaeda Figures Held in Secret CIA Prisons:
10 Out of 11 High-Value Terror Leaders Subjected to 'Enhanced Interrogation Techniques' = Torture
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1375123
===
CIA 'closes terror prisons':
Eleven al-Qaeda prisoners who were held in Eastern Europe have been transferred and were being relocated "to a CIA site somewhere in north Africa," ABC reported, citing CIA sources.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17478342-38200,00.html
===
Britain's role in war on terror revealed : ·
200 ghost flights logged across nearly 20 airfields. · MPs urge government to state level of cooperation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1659057,00.html
===
UK 'breaking law' over CIA secret flights :
The British government is guilty of breaking international law if it allowed secret CIA "rendition" flights of terror suspects to land at UK airports, according to a report by American legal scholars.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11230.htm
===
Victims Could Sue for Human Rights in European Court of Justice::
The Munich human rights attorney Georg Note speaks with Spiegel Online about Germany's responsibility and possible repercussions of the affair.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11232.htm
===
Torture Saves European Lives, Rice Tells Europe...s Leaders:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chastised European leaders on Monday, saying that before they complain about secret jails for terror suspects in European nations, they should realize that interrogations of these suspects have produced information that helped “save European lives.”
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V125/N59/59long4.html
===
No exceptions to the ban on torture :
The absolute ban on torture, a cornerstone of the international human rights edifice, is under attack. The principle we once believed to be unassailable - the inherent right to physical integrity and dignity of the person - is becoming a casualty of the so-called war on terror.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11233.htm
===
Ex-CIA Agent in Milan Asks for Immunity:
An Italian judge rejects the request of the retired station chief, wanted in a suspect's abduction.
http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news2/latimes960.html
===
UK: MPs dismiss US denials as 'disingenuous' and 'beyond belief' :
Assurances by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, that America did not send detainees abroad for torture were dismissed last night by a cross-party group of MPs as "beyond belief".
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article331462.ece
===
CIA Flights Made 50 Landings at Ireland's Shannon, Amnesty Says :
The group said the information contradicts U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said last week that Shannon had not been used for ``untoward'' purposes.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=ac_wVfU3t7So
===
Keep quiet about secret flights to secret jails, Rice tells Europe:
CONDOLEEZZA RICE challenged European leaders to back controversial American anti-terrorism tactics yesterday as she robustly defended the CIA’s extrajudicial seizure, transportation and interrogation of thousands of suspects.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,171-1905660,00.html
===
Months Of Terror For Man Held By Mistake:
With his arms held high behind his back he was driven to a plane, thrown on the metal floor and given an injection.
http://tinyurl.com/azb68
===
German Man Claims U.S. Tortured Him :
``I am asking the American government to admit its mistakes and to apologize for my treatment,'' al-Masri said in a written statement. ``I am hoping that an American court will say very clearly that what happened to me was illegal and cannot be done to others.''
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5460936,00.html
===
CIA ruse on missing cleric misled Italians:
Agency spread disinformation to cover its tracks
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10341210/
===
Australia approves tough new anti-terrorism laws:
Australia's parliament passed a tough new anti-terrorism package on Tuesday amid fears the laws will strip citizens of their civil rights and erode free speech.
http://tinyurl.com/77x9u
===
Democracy under threat :
Chávez will only gain from the US-backed opposition's ploy to undermine elections
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,12716,1659309,00.html
===
Video: Documentary 'Preventive Warriors':
The film examines a bold new foreign policy paper introduced by the White House in September 2002 entitled: “The National Security Strategy of the United States.” The document outlines a radical new doctrine in American foreign policy: one of so-called “pre-emptive warfare.” The Bush administration used this policy as a justification for the invasion of Iraq.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6268.htm
===
Panel gives U.S. five 'F's in attack-preparation :
Time, money and ever-present terror threats have done little to close gaping holes in the nation's security system, the former Sept. 11 Commission said Monday in accusing the government of failing to protect the country.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-terr06.html
===
Report: FBI botched terrorism probe:
FBI agents botched a terrorism investigation in Florida and tried to cover up mistakes, said Justice Department investigators, who also concluded that a high-ranking official retaliated against the veteran undercover agent who first pointed out the problems.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_FBI_Whistleblower.html
===
Charge against DeLay upheld:
A state judge upheld a felony money-laundering charge against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Monday, dealing a blow to the representative's bid to get his powerful job back.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13340012.htm
===
The king of congressional corruption:
THOSE OF US who are true fans of hypocrisy and corruption need to pause and salute Randy Cunningham on his way out of town toward the beckoning slammer.
http://tinyurl.com/b4g2k
===
Contractor 'knew how to grease the wheels':
In government documents, he is referred to as "co-conspirator No. 1": a man who gave more than $630,000 in cash and favors to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham for help in landing millions of dollars in federal contracts.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051204/news_1n4adcs.html
===
Number Of Iraqi civilians Slaughtered In America's War 100,000 +
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7170.htm
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Slaughtered In Bush's War 2131
http://icasualties.org/oif/
==================
A Time to Run
San Francisco Chronicle, United States - Nov 12, 2005
... After all, Boxer is primarily a politician, not a novelist, and so one should not hold "A Time to Run" to the same standards as that of, say, Toni Morrison. ...
Main Page -
Thursday, 12/08/05
Message Board by American Patriot Friends Network [APFN]
