Citizens for Legitimate Government, News Archives

October 2005 Archives, Page Two

CLG has been informed that Christopher Wolf, counsel for Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph Wilson, will be making a statement on behalf of Ambassador Wilson at 3 PM in front of the U.S. Courthouse, 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Office of Special Counsel Media Advisory 28 Oct 2005 "U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald will hold a press conference at 2:00 P.M. EDT today, Friday October 28, 2005, regarding the status of the Special Counsel's criminal investigations."

Cheney Aide Likely to Be Indicted Today; Rove Under Scrutiny 28 Oct 2005 Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, is expected to be indicted today for making false statements to the grand jury in the C.I.A. leak case, lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Source: Rove Won't Be Indicted Today 28 Oct 2005 Karl Rove escaped indictment in the CIA leak case Friday but remained under investigation as the embattled White House braced for charges against Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney's top adviser.

White House Fears Indictment for Libby 28 Oct 2005 Working against the clock, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald weighed criminal charges against top presidential aides at the end of a two-year investigation that put the White House in a state of high suspense Thursday night.

Aide to Cheney Appears Likely to Be Indicted in C.I.A. Leak Case 28 Oct 2005 Associates of I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney's chief of staff, expected an indictment on Friday charging him with making false statements to the grand jury in the C.I.A. leak inquiry, lawyers in the case said Thursday. Karl Rove, President [sic] Bush's senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, will not be charged on Friday, but will remain under investigation, people briefed officially about the case said. As a result, they said, the special counsel in the case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was likely to extend the term of the federal grand jury beyond its scheduled expiration on Friday.

CIA leak prosecutor prepares for Friday decision 27 Oct 2005 With the fate of at least two top White House advisers hanging in the balance, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald conferred in secret with his legal team and lawyers before an expected final decision on Friday on charges over the leaking of a covert CIA operative's identity.

Cheney, Libby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Panel 27 Oct 2005 Vice President [sic] Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources.

US troops in Iraq hit record number 27 Oct 2005 The United States has increased its forces in Iraq to the highest total of the war at 161,000 troops, and the Pentagon said on Thursday it expected a similar number in place for the December 'elections.'

Kerry Calls for Pulling 20,000 Troops 27 Oct 2005 Sen. John Kerry says pResident Bush should bring home 20,000 troops from Iraq over the Christmas holidays if the December parliamentary 'elections' there are successful. [Which they won't be, because Halliburton will keep right on blowing up that which they have perpetual no-bid contracts to rebuild.]

Three Soldiers Killed In Iraq 27 Oct 2005 Sunni Arab militants killed 14 Shiite militiamen and a policeman Thursday in a clash southeast of Baghdad — another sign of rising tensions among Iraq's rival ethnic and religious communities. The U.S. military reported three more American soldiers died in combat.

Undercover raid kills twenty-seven in Iraq 27 Oct 2005 At least 27 people, most of them police, were killed in clashes with civilians in Nahrawan township, 30 kilometres south of Baghdad, Thursday, said Iraqi army sources.

Mother of slain US soldier arrested in Iraq war protest 27 Oct 2005 US police arrested Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq who has become a prominent war opponent, along with two dozen people for demonstrating without authorization in front of the White House.

US Coalition Complicity in 0.4 Million Drug Deaths By Gideon Polya 26 Oct 2005 "Since 2001, there have been about 0.4 million global drug deaths linked to US Coalition re-establishment of globally-dominant Afghan opium production (destroyed by the Taliban in 2000-2001 but 76% and 86% of global production in 2002 and 2004, respectively, after US Coalition invasion and conquest)."

Feds Investigate DC Jail Abuse Allegations 25 Oct 2005 If they're true the stories are horrible even if the victims are behind bars. Inmates are claiming they're being tortured inside the DC Jail and now the US Attorney's office is investigating. Women from "MUST" - Mothers United To Stop Torture And Abuse - testified before the city council Monday, charging that what goes on behind the DC jail's walls is not unlike the abuses in Abu Ghraib; the physical and emotional torment of prisoners.

FBI Dealt Setback on Cellular Surveillance 28 Oct 2005 The FBI may not track the locations of cell phone users without showing evidence that a crime occurred or is in progress, two federal judges ruled, saying that to do so would violate long-established privacy protections.

University presidents file lawsuit against FCC 25 Oct 2005 An alliance of university presidents filed a lawsuit Monday challenging a federal ruling that would force universities to re-engineer their networks by June 2007 to make wiretapping easier. The Federal Communications Commission ruled that universities must renovate their broadband networks to allow law enforcement officials easier access for surveillance. The American Council on Education said that the upgrades are expensive and unnecessary because a procedure already exists to install wiretaps.

School snoops (San Francisco Chronicle) 27 Oct 2005 "U.S. universities are reeling from the looming $7 billion cost of providing federal law enforcement with instant investigative access to the computer networks honeycombing every up-to-date campus... The Federal Communications Commission has ordered this costly revamping of campus computer facilities as a technological updating of a 1994 wiretap law (the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act). The freshly updated rule, however, is a spectacular example of the 'unfunded mandate' -- a government requirement for which the government does not pay."

N.J. Students Ordered to Take Down Blogs 27 Oct 2005 Roman Catholic high school has ordered its students to remove personal blogs from the Internet in the name of protecting them from cyberpredators [?!?]. Students at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta appear to be heeding a directive from the principal, the Rev. Kieran McHugh, to remove personal postings about the school or themselves from Web sites like myspace.com or xanga.com, even if they were posted from the students' home computers.

Bush's Supreme Court nominee Miers withdraws 27 Oct 2005 Dictator George W. Bush's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, White House counsel Harriet Miers, abruptly withdrew from consideration on Thursday after mounting criticism from the right and the left about her credentials for the lifetime job.

Noe indicted in Bush money-laundering case 27 Oct 2005 A federal grand jury has indicted Tom Noe, the former Maumee coin dealer suspected of laundering money into Dictator Bush’s re-selection campaign, Mr. Noe’s attorney told The Blade today.

Shipwrecked --Bush has so thoroughly destroyed the Republican establishment that no one, not even his dad, can rescue him now. By Sidney Blumenthal "There is no one left to rescue the Republican Party from George W. Bush. He is home alone. The Republican-establishment wise men whose words were once quiet commands are shouting unheeded warnings. The Republican leaders of Congress are distracted and obsessed with their own crises of corruption."

Court Blocks Ga. Photo ID Requirement 27 Oct 2005 A federal appeals court refused Thursday to let Georgia demand photo identification from all voters at the polls. Last week, a federal judge barred the state from enforcing the new photo-ID law during local elections next month, saying it amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax that could prevent poor people, blacks and the elderly from the voting.

Cities Reserve Bus Seats to Honor Parks 27 Oct 2005 In the city where she died and the city where she sparked the civil rights movement, the front of the bus is reserved for Rosa Parks. Detroit and Montgomery, Ala., are reserving the first seats of their buses as a tribute to Parks' legacy until her funeral next week.

Senate OKs $8 bln for Rumsfeld's vaccine company to 'fight' avian flu 27 Oct 2005 The U.S. Senate, increasingly concerned with the possibility of a deadly influenza pandemic, on Thursday approved nearly $8 billion to help the government stockpile vaccines and other drugs to fight [foment] the disease.

Tamiflu Gilead Chair Was ... Rummy (FreeMarketNews.com) 21 Oct 2005 "...Donald Rumsfeld, until he resigned and joined the Bush Administration, was the chairman of something called Gilead which just happened to make something called Tamiflu. Now anyone who hasn't been on Mars for the last month or two, knows that there were only two things that were going to stop the human version of bird flu. One was a bird flu vaccine (which probably would work better if you were a bird) and the other was something called Tamiflu."

Borders would close to stop bird flu: Abbott 28 Oct 2005 Health Minister Tony Abbott says Australia would be prepared to close its borders if bird flu caused a global pandemic.

Exxon Mobil Quarterly Profit Skyrockets to Nearly $10 Billion 27 Oct 2005 Soaring energy prices sent profits and revenues gushing at Exxon Mobil Corp., which today reported record high quarterly earnings of nearly $10 billion on revenues of more than $100 billion. During the third quarter, Exxon Mobil said its third quarter profits jumped nearly 75% from year-ago results to $9.92 billion for the Irving, Texas-based company.

Exxon Mobil, Shell Post Record Profits 27 Oct 2005 High prices for oil and natural gas propelled Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC to their best quarterly results ever on Thursday, with Exxon becoming the first U.S. company ever to ring up quarterly sales of $100 billion. To put Exxon's performance into perspective, its third quarter revenue was greater than the annual gross domestic product of some of the largest oil producing nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

ConocoPhillips Profit Rises 89% to Record $3.8 Bln 26 Oct 2005 ConocoPhillips, the No. 3 U.S. oil company, said third-quarter profit jumped 89 percent to a record $3.8 billion... Net income rose to $2.68 a share from $2.01 billion, or $1.43 a share, a year earlier, the Houston-based company said today in a statement. [Where are the Iraqi 'insurgents,' when you need them?]

House Panel Approves Medicaid Cuts 28 Oct 2005 A key House committee late Thursday approved a proposal to curb Medicaid spending by about $9.5 billion by the end of the decade, advancing a plan to slow spending on the federal government's health care program for the poor and disabled. [Just use Exxon Mobil's quarterly profit to cover it.]

La. AG Subpoenas 73 in Hospital Deaths 27 Oct 2005 The Louisiana attorney general's office subpoenaed 73 employees of Memorial Hospital on Wednesday as part of its investigation of deaths at hospitals and nursing homes in the New Orleans area during and after Hurricane Katrina.

Tropical Storm Beta Forms in Caribbean Sea 27 Oct 2005 Tropical Storm Beta formed Thursday in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, extending this year's record of named storms in the Atlantic hurricane season. Beta is the season's 23rd tropical storm, the most since record keeping began in 1851.

Record heat raises climate fears 28 Oct 2005 Just four days before Hallowe'en, Britain was enjoying the warmest 27 October since records began in 1880... The 10 hottest years on record - and these are based on average global temperature - have occurred in the past 14 years. The previous four years have all been hotter than any other year except for 1998.

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Vice President for Torture (The Washington Post) 26 Oct 2005 "Vice President [sic] Cheney is aggressively pursuing an initiative that may be unprecedented for an elected official of the executive branch: He is proposing that Congress legally authorize human rights abuses by Americans... In other words, this vice president has become an open advocate of torture... The CIA is holding an unknown number of prisoners in secret detention centers abroad. In violation of the Geneva Conventions, it has refused to register those detainees with the International Red Cross or to allow visits by its inspectors. Its prisoners have 'disappeared,' like the victims of some dictatorships."

The ties that bind Cheney, Halliburton 27 Oct 2005 Last year Halliburton more than doubled its defense contracts from $3.9 billion to $8 billion... In December 2001, Vice pResident Dick Cheney oversaw the awarding by the U.S. Department of Defense of a contract referred to as LOGCAPIII. The successful company: Halliburton. A little more than a year later, in March 2003, the United States, in a virtual-joint venture with Halliburton, invaded Iraq.

Grand Jury Hears Summary of Case On CIA Leak Probe 27 Oct 2005 The prosecutor in the CIA leak investigation presented a summary of his case to a federal grand jury yesterday and is expected to announce a final decision on charges in the two-year-long probe tomorrow, according to people familiar with the case. Even as Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald wrapped up his case, the legal team of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has been engaged in a furious effort to convince the prosecutor that Rove did not commit perjury during the course of the investigation, according to people close to the aide.

Poll: Few doubt wrongdoing in CIA leak 26 Oct 2005 Only one in 10 Americans said they believe Bush administration officials did nothing illegal or unethical in connection with the leaking of a CIA operative's identity, according to a national poll released Tuesday.

New York Times Reporter Miller Is in Talks Over Her Job Status 26 Oct 2005 New York Times reporter Judith Miller has begun discussing her future employment options with the newspaper, including the possibility of a severance package, a lawyer familiar with the matter, said yesterday.

Fabricated Links? A CIA report casts new doubt on links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball 26 Oct 2005 "A secret draft CIA report raises new questions about a principal argument used by the Bush administration to justify the war in Iraq: the claim that Saddam Hussein was 'harboring' notorious terror leader Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi prior to the American invasion... An updated CIA re-examination of the issue recently concluded that Saddam's regime may not have given Zarqawi 'safe haven' after all."

Italy denies role in fake documents on Iraq 26 Oct 2005 The Italian government denied on Wednesday reports that its secret services passed fake documents to the United States to help bolster claims about Baghdad's pre-war nuclear ambitions.

Bush at bay --Senior White House officials face indictment over CIA leak. Protests across US as military death toll in Iraq passes 2,000. Republicans may force retreat over Supreme Court nomination. 27 Oct 2005 The Bush administration and all Washington were on tenterhooks yesterday as Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor, wrapped up his inquiry into the CIA leak affair, amid suspense akin to the election of a pope.

Two US soldiers killed in Baghdad 27 Oct 2005 Two U.S. soldiers were killed when their convoy struck a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

Papers, Ignoring Pentagon Plea, Mark 2,000th U.S. Death in Iraq 26 Oct 2005 Going against the expressed wishes of the Pentagon, several top U.S. newspapers treated the tragic arrival of the 2,000th American military death in Iraq as a major milestone Wednesday.

US toll landmark in Iraq sets off peace rallies 26 Oct 2005 The death of the 2,000th US soldier in Iraq is expected to trigger peace rallies in Washington and across America today as anti-war campaigners use the milestone to demand that the Bush Administration withdraws US troops.

US told to give data on Guantanamo hunger strikers 26 Oct 2005 A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the U.S. government to provide medical records on Guantanamo prisoners who are being force-fed while on a hunger strike and to notify their lawyers about forced feedings.

US, Britain, France drum up support for resolution against Syria 26 Oct 2005 Western powers sought to enlist broad support from other UN Security Council members for a draft resolution demanding individual sanctions against Syrians found to have been implicated in the murder of a Lebanese ex-premier.

US military retreats over Japanese base after protests by islanders 27 Oct 2005 The United States has been forced to back down over its plan to build a large offshore military base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa after local protests stalled construction.

Clarke signals concessions to Labour MPs over anti-terror laws 27 Oct 2005 (UK) Charles Clarke signalled concessions over the new anti[pro]-terror legislation as a procession of Labour MPs served notice they were prepared to defeat the Government on the issue.

Terrorism laws: states may prompt hold-up 27 Oct 2005 (AU) The federal government will almost certainly have to delay introducing its counter-terrorism laws, as state and territory leaders demand more time to look over the controversial measures.

CIA invests in no-fuel power generators 18 Oct 2005 The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is reportedly investing in a power unit that can generate substantial electrical energy without using any fuel.

FEMA extends Brown's contract by 30 days 26 Oct 2005 Former FEMA Director Michael Brown said Wednesday he was asked to stay on the job another 30 days [*barf*] to help the agency complete its review of the response to Hurricane Katrina, a "completely legitimate thing to do."

Katrina Survivors Storm Capitol 25 October 2005 "I can't believe that some people in Washington think that after a category 5 hurricane the solution is to unleash a category 5 assault on working families." That was the sentiment of Hurricane Katrina survivors, brought to Washington to draw attention to mounting needs that continue to go unanswered.

New Orleans Security Opportunities --Blackwater USA has an immediate need for Security Professionals for the New Orleans area. 26 Oct 2005 Interested candidates must possess the following: Current Law Enforcement Officer (if not current, must have maintained credentials and been separated or retired within the last two years.) At least four (4) years Military Experience with duties involving carrying a weapon Ability to commit to a 30 day contract. This opportunity is for immediate deployment [?!?]. Earning potential up to $9000 a month [US taxpayers' money]. Interested, qualified candidates, contact Blackwater at 252-435-2488, ext. 360 and forward resume to bwkatrina@blackwatersecurity.com.

No $9000 per month for them: Bush Regime Will Reinstate Prevailing Wages on Katrina Contracts 26 Oct 2005 The Bush administration will reinstate rules requiring that companies awarded federal contracts for Hurricane Katrina pay prevailing wages, usually an amount close to the pay scales in local union contracts.

Delphi's demand: Take $9 an hour 26 Oct 2005 If Delphi Corp. has its way, workers for the nation's largest auto parts supplier would be paid as little as $9 per hour under 65% wage cuts, and be hit with a tenfold increase in health-care costs, no dental and vision care and other sharp reductions in benefits, according to a proposal revealed on the Web site of a UAW local.

ConocoPhillips profit soars 89 pct, beats forecasts 26 Oct 2005 ConocoPhillips, the No. 3 U.S. oil company, on Wednesday reported quarterly profit surged 89 percent, surpassing Wall Street forecasts, driven by record oil prices and sharply higher refining margins.

Six more months of gasoline pain? 03 Oct 2005 Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said consumers can expect to see at least six months of high gasoline and heating fuel prices until energy production 'recovers' from hurricane damage. [Gee, it sure looks like ConocoPhillips has recovered from 'hurricane damage' --a record $3.8 billion quarterly profit!]

Senate Votes Down Heating Aid Increase 27 Oct 2005 The Senate decided Wednesday the money wasn't there for a substantial spending boost for the federal home heating program, deflecting arguments that soaring energy prices could force the poor to choose between heat and food this winter. [Or, force the poor to chose between arming themselves and putting an end to this illegitimate dictatorship or continuing to accept the Bush campaign to eradicate them.]

Senate panel backs $10 billion in health care cuts 26 Oct 2005 The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved $10 billion in Medicaid and Medicare savings as part of a broader effort by congressional Republicans to trim spending and approve additional tax cuts.

Lawmakers vote to allow privatizing US food stamps 26 Oct 2005 House and Senate negotiators working on a $100 billion agriculture spending bill voted on Tuesday to allow states to privatize the food stamp program, which helps 25 million people put food on the table monthly.

"This process is utterly corrupt." Lawmakers Postpone Meat Origin Labels 26 Oct 2005 Grocery shoppers will have to wait two more years for labels telling where their meat comes from, under a bill moving toward approval in Congress... "This process is utterly corrupt," said Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D.

Powerful Government Accounting Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings By Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman October 26, 2005 "The non-partisan GAO [General Accounting Office] report has now found that, 'some of [the] concerns about electronic voting machines have been realized and have caused problems with recent elections, resulting in the loss and miscount of votes.' The United States is the only major democracy that allows private partisan corporations to secretly count and tabulate the votes with proprietary non-transparent software."

Protecting the Presidential Seal. No Joke. 24 Oct 2005 You might have thought that the White House had enough on its plate late last month, what with its search for a new Supreme Court nominee, the continuing war in Iraq and the C.I.A. leak investigation. But it found time to add another item to its agenda - stopping The Onion, the satirical newspaper, from using the presidential seal. [We want George W. Bush to stop using it, too.]

UK says two parrots had lethal flu 26 Oct 2005 The UK Government is to bring forward new regulations to combat the threat of a bird flu pandemic after it was revealed that a second parrot in quarantine probably died from the lethal strain of the disease.

Traveller may have H5N1 bird flu 26 Oct 2005 Preliminary tests conducted on a 43-year-old man who returned to the French island of Reunion after a trip to Thailand have indicated he may have the H5N1 bird flu virus, authorities have said.

Early Nor'easter Dumps Mounds of Snow 26 Oct 2005 An early nor'easter fed by Hurricane Wilma dumped heavy rain and up to 20 inches of wet snow from New England to West Virginia... The wintry blast Tuesday brought the leaf-peeping fall foliage season to an abrupt end as branches still bearing leaves broke beneath the snow's weight, pulling down power lines.

White Sox end 88-year drought, sweep Astros to win World Series 26 Oct 2005 The Chicago White Sox are World Series champions again at last, and yet another epic streak of futility is not just wiped away but swept away.

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Charges in CIA Leak Probe Could Come Wednesday --White House Sidesteps Questions About Vice pResident 26 Oct 2005 With charges expected as early as Wednesday, federal officials investigating the exposure of CIA operative Valerie Plame conducted last-minute interviews with her neighbors and associates of Karl Rove and other top White House aides, lawyers said on Tuesday. White House spokesman Scott McClellan would neither confirm nor deny a New York Times report that Vice pResident Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, learned about Plame in a conversation with Cheney on June 12, 2003, weeks before her identity appeared in a newspaper column on July 14, 2003.

Cheney linked to leaking of CIA agent's identity 26 Oct 2005 The name of Vice-pResident Dick Cheney has surfaced unexpectedly in the inquiry into who might have leaked the identity of the undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame to journalists, increasing the pressure on the White House as the special prosecutor in the case prepares to file possible criminal charges.

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Notes Show 24 Oct 2005 I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice pResident Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday. Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby’s testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said.

CIA Leak Linked to Dispute Over Iraq Policy --As Grand Jury Term Nears End, Officials' Critique of Administration Gains Attention 25 Oct 2005 The alleged leaking of a CIA operative's name had its roots in a clash over Iraq policy between White House insiders and their rivals in the permanent bureaucracy of Washington, especially in the State Department and the CIA.

Cheney Plan Exempts CIA From Bill Barring Abuse of Detainees 25 Oct 2005 The Bush regime has proposed exempting employees of the Central Intelligence Agency from a legislative measure endorsed earlier this month by 90 members of the Senate that would bar cruel and degrading treatment of any prisoners in U.S. custody.

U.S. Military Death Toll in Iraq Hits 2,000 26 Oct 2005 The number of U.S. troops who have died in the Iraq war hit 2,000 yesterday, a toll felt deeply at big military bases across America that active-duty soldiers and families call home, as well as in hundreds of communities where the National Guard and reservists work, live and train.

U.S. military death toll in Iraq reaches 2,000 25 Oct 2005 The U.S. military's death toll in Iraq has reached 2,000. CNN's count of U.S. fatalities reflects reports from military sources and includes deaths in Iraq, Kuwait and other units assigned to the Iraq occupation.

21 homicides among U.S. prisoners overseas 24 Oct 2005 At least 21 detainees who died while being held in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan were killed, many during or after interrogations, according to an analysis of Defense Department data by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Autopsy reports reveal homicides of detainees in U.S. custody (Documents released by the ACLU) 24 Oct 2005

Government Documents on Torture (ACLU.org) "The ACLU filed a request on Oct. 7, 2003 under the Freedom of Information Act demanding the release of information about detainees held overseas by the United States. This page contains records the government has released under court order."

20 killed by three explosions at Baghdad hotels --Cement mixer used as bomb breaches defences --Journalists the target, says Iraqi security chief 25 Oct 2005 At least 20 people were killed and 13 injured yesterday when suicide bombers launched an orchestrated attack on one of the main bases of international journalists in Baghdad, according to the Iraqi police.

Attack goes to the heart of Baghdad 25 Oct 2005 A central Baghdad hotel used by foreign journalists and mercenaries, and guarded by American troops, has been hit by three huge suicide bombs.

The Republican Rift (The New Yorker) 24 Oct 2005 "...Jeffrey Goldberg writes about Brent Scowcroft, the national-security adviser under President [sic] George H. W. Bush—and the former President’s best friend—who has been at odds with the current Administration."

U.S., France, Britain turn up heat on Syria 25 Oct 2005 The United States, France and Britain on Tuesday demanded that Syria detain government officials suspected of involvement in the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister and ensure their co-operation with a UN probe or face possible sanctions.

Al Franken Jokes About Execution for Treason of Rove, Libby and Bush 22 Oct 2005 "And so basically, what it looks like is going to happen is that Libby and Karl Rove are going to be executed" because "outing a CIA agent is treason," left-wing author and radio talk show host Al Franken asserted Friday night, to audience laughter, on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman.

Security Chief Worries About D.C. Plans 25 Oct 2005 Responding to [their own] catastrophes in the nation's capital could prove more challenging than elsewhere in the country, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday, saying he was concerned with preparedness plans in the city.

Anti-terrorism laws lack UK-style safeguards: expert 25 Oct 2005 A British legal expert says the Federal Government's proposed new anti-terrorism laws offer limited protection against human rights violations, in comparison to UK laws.

Beattie warns terrorism laws 'unconstitutional' 25 Oct 2005 Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has warned his state and territory counterparts the Federal Government's proposed new counter-terrorism laws may be unconstitutional... The ABC [AM program] understands the advice warns there is a risk High Court judges would conclude judges and magistrates should not be recruited to aid the work of police in secretly detaining people who have committed no offence.

Cornell president condemns intelligent design 21 Oct 2005 Cornell University Interim President Hunter Rawlings III on Friday condemned the teaching of intelligent design as science, calling it "a religious belief masquerading as a secular idea. Intelligent design is not valid science," Rawlings told nearly 700 trustees, faculty and other school officials attending Cornell's annual board meeting.

Land deal gets new scrutiny as Bush resists requests on Miers' work 24 Oct 2005 The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Monday that he wanted to probe a land-condemnation proceeding in 1999 that awarded Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers more than $100,000 for a half-acre of family-owned land in Dallas.

Conservatives Escalate Opposition to Miers --Web Sites and Ad Campaign Seek Nominee's Withdrawal 25 Oct 2005 Conservative activists intensified their opposition to the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers yesterday, launching two Web sites and planning radio and television advertising aimed at forcing her withdrawal.

In New Orleans, landlords to begin evicting absent tenants 24 Oct 2005 A flood of legal battles is set to be unleashed Tuesday in New Orleans when Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco lifts a post-Hurricane Katrina ban on evictions and 8,000 to 10,000 absentee tenants face the losses of their homes and possessions.

New Orleans seeks federal aid for courts, jail 25 Oct 2005 New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said on Monday he had asked for temporary federal funding for courts, a jailhouse and other critical functions in the storm-ravaged city, which he suggested was near bankruptcy.

Rosa Parks: An American hero 26 Oct 2005 All she did was to refuse to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger. But Rosa Parks' stand was the spark that lit the fire of a nation's civil rights movement. Rupert Cornwell reports on the death of a woman who transformed American society.

Bird Flu Scam to Cost Us Plenty By John Hanchette 25 Oct 2005 "...[P]roposed legislation will strip Americans of the right to a trial by jury if they are harmed by either an experimental or licensed drug or vaccine they are forced by the government to take whenever federal health officials declare a public health emergency... "This proposed legislation," said NVIC's Fisher, "like the power and money grab by federal health officials and industry in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Project Bioshield Act of 2004, is an unconstitutional attempt by some in Congress to give a taxpayer-funded handout to pharmaceutical companies for drugs and vaccines." Further, Fisher points out, the government, under this bill, "could force all citizens to use these drugs and vaccines while absolving everyone connected from any responsibility for injuries and deaths which occur" in their wake.

Urgent CLG Action!! By Pamela "Here is the list of politicians pushing for us to face forced vaccines and forced drugging with untested/experimental drugs and vaccines giving freedom from liability to drug companies. Contact them ALL. Keep this list of these traitors for your voting records. They ALL need to go! This bill is called 'The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005.' You will find the wording under Senate Bill 1873 [S. 1873]."

Bird flu could hit U.S. next year 25 Oct 2005 Could bird flu reach North America through migrating birds? Biologists in Alaska and Canada are keeping an eye out and say it's possible by next year.

Ministers consider bird imports ban after avian flu hits Germany 26 Oct 2005 A ban on the import of all captive birds from around the world plus a ban on all bird fairs, exhibitions and shows to protect Britain and Europe from the deadly avian flu virus is to be in place within 24 hours.

Bird flu may have been brought into UK earlier than thought 25 Oct 2005 The possibility that bird flu could already be present in Britain is being studied by Government vets who are investigating whether the potentially lethal strain contaminated a quarantine "facility" in Essex much earlier than thought.

Taiwanese slam British vets 24 Oct 2005 A top Taiwanese health official on Monday called British veterinary experts irresponsible for saying a South American parrot infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu picked up the virus from Taiwanese birds in British quarantine.

The Big Melt: No Escape: Thaw Gains Momentum 25 Oct 2005 Many scientists say it has taken a long time for them to accept that global warming, partly the result of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, could shrink the Arctic's summer cloak of ice. But many of those same scientists have concluded that the momentum behind human-caused warming, combined with the region's tendency to amplify change, has put the familiar Arctic past the point of no return.

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Death toll of US troops in Iraq approaches 2,000 24 Oct 2005 The number of American soldiers killed in Iraq was climbing inexorably towards 2,000 yesterday, with the announcement of the 1,996th casualty since the invasion in 2003. US forces suffered 15,220 wounded over the same period.

U.S. Marine Killed 24 Oct 2005 The number of American military men and women killed in Iraq is edging closer to the 2,000 mark. The number has reached at least 1,997, with Monday's announcement that a Marine was killed Sunday by small arms fire in the western part of the country.

2 Hotels Used by Foreigners in Baghdad Are Attacked by Rebels 24 Oct 2005 Three enormous explosions, at least one of which was a car bomb, struck near two hotels popular with foreign journalists and mercenaries this evening, causing heavy structural damage to at least one of the buildings and shattering glass throughout the neighborhood.

17 Dead as Bombs Hit Baghdad Hotel Housing Foreign Journalists 24 Oct 2005 Three enormous bombs, including a cement-mixing truck packed with explosives, blew up near an Iraqi police post outside the Palestine Hotel -- home to many foreign journalists in Iraq. Iraqi officials said 17 people were killed. A second bomb exploded inside a car not far from the police position on the northeast side of Firdous Square and more than 100 yards east of the hotel grounds.

Iraq resistance fighters step up attacks, hit oil pipelines 24 Oct 2005 Stepped-up attacks by resistance fighters over the last two days have killed at least 44 Iraqis, including 12 labourers - five of them brothers - who were gunned down at a construction site, police said on Monday. In addition, the bodies of eight Iraqis who apparently were kidnapped and killed in captivity, were found in the capital on Monday, police said.

US military denies American 'contractors' bodies were burned by mob 24 Oct 2005 The U-S military is denying a newspaper report that the bodies of four American mercenaries killed in Iraq were set on fire by a mob. A British newspaper that first reported the attack yesterday said a mob dragged the bodies from the vehicles and set them on fire.

Torture in Iraq By Human Rights Watch (The New York Review of Books) 03 Nov 2005 "The following article is an excerpt, in somewhat modified form, from 'Leadership Failure: Firsthand Accounts of Torture of Iraqi Detainees by the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division,' a report issued by Human Rights Watch on September 25, 2005." Click here for the full report.

Four U.S. soldiers injured in Afghanistan 24 Oct 2005 Four U.S. soldiers were injured after their chopper made a hard landing during a combat operation against resistance fighters in Afghanistan, a U.S. military statement said on Monday.

GOP senator links indictment, resignation 23 Oct 2005 A Republican senator said Sunday that it would be appropriate for any White House aide to step aside if indicted in the CIA leak investigation. President [sic] Bush was urged by a Senate Democrat to make clear whether a White House adviser under indictment would remain on the job.

As CIA leak probe winds up, White House "following developments" 24 Oct 2005 As the C-I-A leak probe heads toward a conclusion, the White House says it's "following developments" -- but concentrating on other matters.

Colleagues assail Times 'reporter' 23 Oct 2005 As the White House waits to see whether any of its top officials will be indicted in connection with the leaking of a CIA officer's name, The New York Times is engaged in an extraordinary dispute with one of its 'reporters' over her work on the story.

Letters Show Frist Notified of Stocks in 'Blind' Trusts --Documents Contradict Comments on Holdings 24 Oct 2005 Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was given considerable information about his stake in his family's hospital company, according to records that are at odds with his past statements that he did not know what was in his stock holdings. Managers of the trusts that Frist once described as "totally blind," regularly informed him when they added new shares of HCA Inc. or other assets to his holdings, according to the documents.

Howard seeks compromise on shoot-to-kill 24 Oct 2005 The Prime Minister, John Howard, is considering a compromise [?!?] in the counter-terrorism legislation to allow shoot-to-kill police powers only when a suspect resists arrest. This follows the premiers' rejection of a broader shoot-to-kill provision in the proposed legislation.

County OKs Extra Security at Bengals Game 19 Oct 2005 The Cincinnati Bengals and Hamilton County officials have reached an agreement allowing the team to pat down fans entering Paul Brown Stadium for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

US prison population continued to grow in 2004 24 Oct 2005 The U.S. prison population, already the largest in the world, grew by 1.9 percent in 2004, leaving federal jails at 40 percent over capacity, according to Justice Department figures released on Sunday.

Bush: Foreign workers needed 23 Oct 2005 Dictator Bush tried Saturday to give his temporary guest worker plan a nudge by promising strong enforcement. He highlighted the $2.3 billion it contains to help hire 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, improve technology and install barriers such as fencing and lighting; and the bill's $3.7 billion for enforcement, including expanding detention facilities by 10 percent so that fewer non-Mexican illegal immigrants are simply released.

Bush approval at 38 percent: ARG Poll 24 Oct 2005 George W. Bush's job approval ratings are unchanged from September. 65% of Americans say the national economy is getting worse. [Note: Link is to ARG Index, no permanent link available.]

Professor points to politics as Yale fails to renew contract 23 Oct 2005 By all accounts, Yale anthropology professor David Graeber is one of the brightest minds in his field... Graeber is an anarchist whose counterculture writings are nearly as popular as his academic work. So when Yale recently told Graeber not to return next year, it touched off a letter-writing campaign from professors worldwide, some of whom suggested that the Ivy League university is letting politics influence its hiring.

Get ready for Red State Nutjob Nation: Christian group wants to 'redeem' US states 23 Oct 2005 Cory Burnell wants to set up a Christian nation within the United States where abortion is illegal, gay marriage is banned, schools cannot teach evolution, children can pray to Jesus in public schools and the Ten Commandments are posted publicly. [Uh, will the Blue state taxpayers *still* have to subsidize the Red States, as we've done all along?]

Longing for Home in a Sealed New Orleans Ward 24 Oct 2005 "They're treating us like we're already dead," Willie L. Calhoun Jr. said after he was turned away at three checkpoints and took his leave of a local police officer - "All right, then, brother" - who informed him that he needed an escort from a City Council member. There were no council members present. "Where are our elected representatives?" Mr. Calhoun said. "Why are we not being addressed? They don't even have so much as a leaflet out here to tell the people of the Lower Ninth Ward what is going on."

Roche makes a killing --As panic spreads over avian flu, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant is accused of putting profits before people. 23 Oct 2005 Twenty members of the founding family control Roche, which industry analysts estimate will benefit from the Tamiflu drug thought to relieve the symptoms of avian flu, with extra profits of £500 million this year and £1bn next. And since the family owns about 10 per cent of shares and crucially 50.01 per cent of voting rights, they will ensure that no outside interests seize their company and enjoy the profits...

Dead parrot did have killer strain of bird flu 24 Oct 2005 The first case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has already killed 61 people in the Far East, has been identified in Britain.

Breakup of Glaciers Raising Sea Level Concern 23 Oct 2005 The rapid structural breakdown of some important parts of the ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica is possible, has happened in the distant past, and some "startling changes" on the margin of these ice masses has been observed in recent years -- raising disturbing concerns about sea level rise.

Record Levels of Toxic PFCs In Minnesota Fish --Bioaccumulations in Food Chain Are Building; Fish Advisory May Be Needed Washington, DC (PEER Press Release) 24 Oct 2005 "Alarmingly high levels of a new toxic chemical have been found in Minnesota fish in the Mississippi River near a 3M disposal site, according to new state figures released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The record high levels of the chemical found in the livers of predatory fish will be magnified in the livers of mammals, including humans, who eat those fish."

Belarus Resumes Farming in Chernobyl Radiation Zone 22 Oct 2005 The winter rye is already sprouting green in the undulating fields of the state cooperative farm here. The summer's crop - rye, barley and rapeseed - amounted to 1,400 tons. Best of all, the farm's director, Vladimir I. Pryzhenkov, said, none of it tested radioactive.

Poachers Looting National Parks of Treasures 24 Oct 2005 A self-described "old-timer," Skip Wissinger has spent 32 years traversing the park's 300 square miles and identifying its natural treasures. But now many of the park's most prized resources -- its American ginseng plants, black bears and unusual butterflies -- are disappearing.

Hurricane Wilma hammers Florida, floods Keys 24 Oct 2005 Hurricane Wilma crashed into Florida on Monday, swamping the popular tourist island Key West and hammering the densely populated Miami-Fort Lauderdale area after killing 17 people in a rampage through the Caribbean. Wilma hit the state as surprisingly strong Category 3 hurricane after feeding for days over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

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Secret MoD poll: Iraqis support attacks on British troops 23 Oct 2005 Millions of Iraqis believe that suicide attacks against British troops are justified, a secret military poll commissioned by senior officers has revealed. The poll, undertaken for the Ministry of Defence and seen by The Sunday Telegraph, shows that up to 65 per cent of Iraqi citizens support attacks and fewer than one per cent think 'Allied military involvement' [occupation] is helping to improve security in their country.

US hurricane review focuses on military use laws 21 Oct 2005 A White House review of the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina is looking at whether U.S. laws need to be changed on the role of the military in responding to disasters, the official in charge of the review said on Friday.

'We have proof UK bombed us' 21 Oct 2005 Iran said yesterday it has proof that Britain was involved in a double bomb attack last week that killed six people and injured more than 100 in Ahvaz. "Information obtained show that Britain is the main accused in the recent events," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told state TV.

US, UK urge action against Syria over Hariri murder 23 Oct 2005 The United States and Britain ratcheted up pressure on Syria on Sunday, saying a U.N. probe implicating it in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was "very serious" and the world must act.

Blasts rattle Iraq cities as US toll rises 23 Oct 2005 At least three car bombs and several roadside bombs hit U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk on Sunday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens more, Iraqi police said.

Seven killed in Iraqi attacks, four of them children 23 Oct 2005 Seven people, including four children, were killed and more injured on Sunday in separate attacks around Iraq.

Iraq resistance shows no signs of slowdown 23 Oct 2005 With the grim milestone of the 2,000th U.S. military death looming in Iraq, many wonder about the direction of the resistance that killed most of them. [No. Bush's *sending* the soldiers to Iraq killed them.]

Another Iraq war legacy: badly wounded U.S. troops 23 Oct 2005 The human toll for the U.S. military in the Iraq war is not limited to the nearly 2,000 troops deaths since the March 2003 invasion. More than 15,220 also have been wounded in combat, including more than 7,100 injured too badly to return to duty, the Pentagon said. Thousands more have been hurt in incidents unrelated to combat.

Colonel quits as troops are denied armoured land rovers in Iraq 23 Oct 2005 The commanding officer of a battalion serving in Iraq has resigned after failing to obtain armoured Land Rovers for his patrols.

'Mouse journalism' is the only way we can report on Iraq — Fisk 13 Oct 2005 Robert Fisk, who has previously accused colleagues of practising "hotel journalism" in Iraq, said that "mouse journalism" is now the best he can do in the country. Speaking at a bookshop in Golders Green, he said: "You cannot imagine just how bad things are in Iraq." ...He continued: "This country is nowhell — a disaster. You cannot imagine how bad it is."

Hussein trial is falling into chaos, claims barrister after defence lawyer found dead 23 Oct 2005 Defence lawyers in Saddam Hussein's trial are demanding American bodyguards after one of them was kidnapped by gunmen at his office in Baghdad and later found dead.

Fearful lawyers threaten boycott of Hussein trial 23 Oct 2005 Lawyers for Saddam Hussein and his six co-defendants announced yesterday that they would boycott their trial unless the court was moved to another country for their own safety. Their decision followed the kidnapping and murder last week of Saadoun al-Janabi, the lawyer of Awad Hamed al-Bandar.

Anti-war protester arrested in Clearwater for carrying sign that looks a lot like THIS ONE By Carol Schiffler 23 Oct 2005 (FL) "On Saturday, October 22, a peaceful demonstration at the corner of Curlew Road and U.S. 19 in Clearwater attracted no less than five squad cars due to the presence of a sign deemed 'obscene' by some anonymous motorist that phoned in a complaint. In yet another display of spectacularly heavy-handed police tactics, the protester was arrested instead of merely being asked to put down his sign." [Must see photo! The 'F*ck Bush' sign is pictured atop *police car!!*]

Release US Conscientious Objector Kevin Benderman (Letter-writing campaign from amnestyusa.org) "On July 28, a US court-martial sentenced Sergeant Kevin Benderman to 15 months' imprisonment, after he refused to return for a second tour of duty with the US army in Iraq. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for his conscientious objection to the war in Iraq."

C.I.A. to Avoid Charges in Most Prisoner Deaths 23 Oct 2005 Despite indications of C.I.A. involvement in the deaths of at least four prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan, C.I.A. employees now appear likely to escape criminal charges in all but one of those incidents, according to current and former intelligence and law enforcement officials.

Police to probe US 'torture flights' landing in Scotland 23 Oct 2005 Scottish police are to launch an investigation into CIA "torture flights" which fly in and out of Glasgow and Prestwick airports, ferrying kidnapped war on [of] terror suspects around the world. The police action is a result of last week’s disturbing investigation by the Sunday Herald into the so-called "extraordinary rendition flights", which see suspects kidnapped overseas by the CIA, drugged and then flown to "friendly" states, such as Egypt, Uzbekistan and Morocco, where they are tortured on behalf of British and American intelligence.

Contractor Accused of Overbilling U.S. --Technology Company Hired After 9/11 Charged Too Much for Labor, Audit Says 23 Oct 2005 Federal auditors say the prime contractor on a $1 billion technology contract to improve the nation's transportation security system overbilled taxpayers for as much as 171,000 hours' worth of labor and overtime by charging up to $131 an hour for employees who were paid less than half that amount.

Pentagon program costing taxpayers millions in inflated prices 23 Oct 2005 The Pentagon paid $20 apiece for plastic ice cube trays that once cost it 85 cents. It paid a supplier more than $81 apiece for coffeemakers that it bought for years for just $29 from the manufacturer. That's because instead of getting competitive bids or buying directly from manufacturers like it used to, the Pentagon is using middlemen who set their own prices.

Lawyers in CIA-leak case say charges possible this week 23 Oct 2005 Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald appears to be laying the groundwork for indictments this week over the outing of a covert CIA operative, including possible charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, lawyers involved in case said on Sunday.

NY Times, Miller Fight Over CIA Leak Probe 23 Oct 2005 In the latest fallout from the CIA leak investigation, reporter Judith Miller and The New York Times are engaging in a very public fight about her seeming lack of candor in the case.

White House List of Foiled Plots Puzzling --White House Document Mixes Half-Baked Plans With Serious Terrorist Threats 23 Oct 2005 A White House list of 10 terrorist plots disrupted by the United States has confused counterterrorism experts and officials, who say they cannot distinguish between the importance of some incidents on the list and others that were left off.

Workers at Homeland Security discouraged, survey finds 21 Oct 2005 At the Department of Homeland Security, only 12 percent of the more than 10,000 employees who returned a government questionnaire said they felt strongly that they were "encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things." In the agency... only 3 percent of employees said they were confident that personnel decisions in their department were "based on merit."

U.K. Police Arrest Man Under Terrorism Act in Northern England 23 Oct 2005 West Yorkshire Police's anti- terrorist unit arrested a 27-year-old man in the Dewsbury area of West Yorkshire, northern England, late yesterday, the police said in an e-mailed statement.

Three held in UK for 'terror probe' 22 Oct 2005 Three men in their 20s arrested during investigations into international terrorism were being questioned on Saturday in a London police station, police said. A statement from the London police headquarters said the arrests were not linked to the July 7 attacks on the British capital’s transport system.

Terrorism laws in place 'before Xmas' 23 Oct 2005 The federal government's proposed anti[pro]-terrorist laws have all the right balances, protections and safeguards, Prime Minister John Howard says. The prime minister on Sunday said he hoped the laws would be passed before Christmas but said he could not speculate about when they would be used.

Dean calls for end to 'culture of corruption' 23 Oct 2005 The Bush White House is the most corrupt administration in U.S. history since President Warren G. Harding's, said Howard Dean during his first visit to Maine as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "I'm tired of the ayatollahs of the right wing," Dean said. "We're fighting for freedom in Iraq. We're going to fight for freedom in America."

Schumer: Miers Lacks Vote to Be Confirmed 23 Oct 2005 Harriet Miers does not have the votes now in the GOP-controlled Senate to be confirmed for the Supreme Court and confirmation hearings "will be make or break ... in a way they haven't been for any other nominee," a leading Democratic senator said Sunday. [Now, Bush can get *real* Nazi in, which was his goal from the outset.]

Dead parrot bird flu is H5N1 strain 23 Oct 2005 The parrot which died in quarantine in the UK has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said.

Warning over 'unique' spread of avian flu 22 Oct 2005 The avian flu - recently arrived in the UK - which is causing chaos around the world is "unique" because of the simultaneous way in which it is spreading, a veterinary expert has warned. [LOL, 'unique.' Looks like the Bush bioterror team is a busy little bee, poised to start the mandatory vaccines with no legal liability for the pharma-terrorists.]

Thousands of Demolitions Are Likely in New Orleans 23 Oct 2005 As crews begin inspecting thousands of rotting houses and preservationists begin efforts to save them, city and federal officials say that 30,000 to 50,000 of the city's houses will probably have to be demolished.

Alpha drenches Dominican Republic, Haiti 23 Oct 2005 The newest tropical storm, Alpha, battered Haiti and the Dominican Republic with heavy rains Sunday. Having used up all of the common names for the season's previous 21 storms, forecasters had to switch to the Greek alphabet for Alpha.

Record-breaking Tropical Storm Alpha forms in Caribbean Sea 22 Oct 2005 Tropical Storm Alpha formed Saturday in the Caribbean Sea, setting the record for the highest number of storms in an Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said. Alpha is the season's 22nd tropical storm and marks the first time a letter from the Greek alphabet has been used because the list of storm names was exhausted. The previous record of 21 storms stood since 1933.

Did global warming cause Katrina? Some scientists say a trend toward warmer oceans is creating more-intense hurricanes 22 Oct 2005 With nearly two months to go, the 2005 hurricane season is already one of the most active - and deadly - on record. A growing number of scientists suspect nature may be getting a nudge from global warming. Two studies this summer found the destructive power of hurricanes has been increasing worldwide, in parallel with a rise in ocean and air temperatures.

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Central witness to Mehlis report revealed as a paid swindler 22 Oct 2005 The most prestigious German political news-magazine, Der Spiegel, revealed today that the central witness, Zuheir al-Siddiq on whom Detlev Mehlis had relied during his investigations into the assault on Rafiq Hariri, was a dubious person with a criminal record as a convicted felon and swindler. Even the UN Commission which had submitted the Mehlis report to the UN Security Council yesterday, is raising serious doubts about the reliability and credibility of al-Siddiq's declarations, since it was revealed that the alleged former officer of the Syrian secret services had in reality been convicted more than once for penal offences related to money subtraction.

Blix says US misled itself, the world on Iraq --WMD reports, satellite photos called lacking 22 Oct 2005 Bush administration officials misled themselves on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and ''then they misled the world," Hans Blix, the former United Nations chief weapons inspector said yesterday.

US troops fighting losing battle for Sunni triangle 22 Oct 2005 Within minutes, four American contractors, all mercenaries of the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root, were dead. The jubilant crowd dragged their corpses through the street, chanting anti-US slogans... Perhaps fearful of public reaction in America, where support for the war is falling, US officials suppressed details of the Sept 20 attack, which bore a striking resemblance to the murder of four other mercenaries in Fallujah last year.

Iraqi police infiltrated by militia: journalist 22 Oct 2005 An Irish journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq while covering the trial of Saddam Hussein says the police in Baghdad have been infiltrated by militia. "We know that police moonlight as kidnappers. Now, whether the men in police uniforms who abducted me were pretending to be police or were real police who happen to be moonlighting as kidnappers, I don't know," said the freed correspondent of The Guardian, Rory Carroll.

Lawyer Representing Defendant in Hussein Trial Is Found Dead 21 Oct 2005 A lawyer representing one of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants was found dead with a bullet wound to the head in Baghdad, the Iraqi government said today. Reuters reported today that witnesses said Sa'doun Antar Nsaif Al Jana had been dragged from his office by men who identified themselves as Interior Ministry employees. He was taken into a car, and about an hour later, found dead.

Kidnapped Attorney of Hussein Codefendant Found Dead 21 Oct 2005 The body of Saadoun Sughaiyer Janabi, a defense lawyer for one of eight men accused in Saddam Hussein's mass murder trial was discovered near a Baghdad mosque one hour after gunmen kidnapped him from his office, Iraqi authorities said today.

Five U.S. Troops Killed in Three Iraq Operations 21 Oct 2005 Three Marines and a soldier assigned to a Marine expeditionary force were killed in Iraq on Oct. 20, military officials reported. A fourth Marine was killed during operations on Oct. 19.

Karzai Condemns Burning of Afghan Bodies 22 Oct 2005 President Hamid Karzai on Friday condemned the reported burning and desecration of two dead Taliban fighters by American troops in southern Afghanistan, and said he had ordered an investigation.

Syria rejects U.N. report linking it to assassination 22 Oct 2005 Syria on Friday hotly dismissed a U.N. report linking President Bashar Assad's regime to the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, and Damascus geared up to fight growing Western sentiment to punish it with economic sanctions.

Bush and Rice Urge Action on Syria's Ties to Lebanon Killing 21 Oct 2005 Dictator Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called today for the Security Council to take urgent action in response to a United Nations report implicating high-ranking members of the Syrian government in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon.

Transcript: Colonel Wilkerson on US foreign policy --The following is a partial transcript of remarks made by Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former secretary of state Colin Powell, to the New America Foundation, a Washington think-tank. 20 Oct 2005 "And if something comes along that is truly serious, truly serious, something like a nuclear weapon going off in a major American city, or something like a major pandemic, you are going to see the ineptitude of this government in a way that will take you back to the Declaration of Independence. Read it some time again... Read in there what they say about the necessity of people to [inaudible] tyranny or to throw off ineptitude or to throw off that which is not doing what the people want it to do." [Yes. Then, read: Arming the Left: Is the time now? --by Charles Southwell "As long as we pose no REAL threat to the powers-that-be, to what is shaping up into a dictatorship, we will continue to be ignored. Right now, we are ignored because we present no organized power to fight this onslaught of anti-democratic, totalitarian government that we are up against..."]

Former Insider Lashes Out By Dan Froomkin 20 Oct 2005 "It didn't make the front page this morning, but it seems to me that it's a big deal when a former top administration official declares that a secret cabal led by the vice president has hijacked U.S. foreign policy, inveigled the president, condoned torture and crippled the ability of the government to respond to emergencies. Lawrence Wilkerson, who was chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell until both men resigned in January, unleashed his blistering attack on the Bush White House yesterday at a luncheon at a Washington think tank."

Times Editor Expresses Regrets Over Handling of Leak Case 22 Oct 2005 Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, told the newspaper's staff yesterday that he had several regrets over his handling of Judith Miller, the Times 'reporter.'

Times: Miller Misled Paper About Role 22 Oct 2005 The New York Times' Judith Miller belatedly gave prosecutors her notes of a key meeting in the CIA leak probe only after being shown White House records of it, and her boss declared Friday she appeared to have misled the newspaper about her role. In a dramatic e-mail, Executive Editor Bill Keller wrote Times' employees he wished he'd more carefully interviewed Miller and had "missed what should have been significant alarm bells" that she had been the recipient of leaked information about the CIA officer at the heart of the case.

Text of N.Y. Times editor's e-mail to staff --Keller expresses regrets over handling of reporter in CIA leak case 21 Oct 2005

Fitzgerald Launches Web Site By Dan Froomkin 21 Oct 2005 "Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has just launched his own brand-new Web site. Could it be that he's getting ready to release some new legal documents? Like, maybe, some indictments? It's certainly not the action of an office about to fold up its tents and go home."

Office of Special Counsel --Patrick J. Fitzgerald's (DoJ) website

Death Watch at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue By Doug Thompson 21 Oct 2005 "For all practical purposes, governing the nation has stopped at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as aides deal with an increasingly despondent President [sic], mounting scandals and defecting dissidents from the Ship of State... Aides say gallows humor has descended on the White House, where the West Wing is now referred to as 'death row' and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, along with Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Scooter Libby, are known as 'dead men walking,' a reference to the last walk death row inmates take to the execution chamber."

DIA pressures 9/11 whistleblower 21 Oct 2005 A Republican congressman is calling for a new investigation into what he says is a "witch-hunt" by defense chiefs against a 9/11 intelligence whistleblower, and has threatened to resign from Congress if the matter is ignored. Representative Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania told the US House of Representatives on Wednesday that officials at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) were embarked on "an attempt to prevent the American people from knowing the facts about how we could have prevented" the 11 September 2001 attacks.

80 face house arrest under new laws 22 Oct 2005 Up to 80 Australians could immediately be placed under effective house arrest under the federal government's proposed anti-terror laws. The laws mean they could be forced to wear tracking devices, or be prevented from working, or using the telephone or internet, or communicating with certain people.

Terror laws 'open to abuse' 22 Oct 2005 Encouraging ill-feeling against Prime Minister John Howard will be illegal under the federal Government's proposed anti-terror laws, Greens senator Bob Brown said. Senator Brown was addressing several hundred people gathered on the steps of Victoria's Parliament House today to rally against the anti-terror laws.

There's no place like home for the new anti-terrorism laws By Adele Horin 22 Oct 2005 "I think I can see a way under the proposed anti-terrorism laws for powerless parents to enlist the help of the Australian Federal Police and ASIO. The anti-terrorism laws may do little to prevent a hothead blowing up Town Hall station. But they offer much scope in subduing insubordinate teens who want to go clubbing at midnight instead of studying for their exams... The best bet lies in the proposed control orders, which sound like every parent's dream. Under these orders a person who has committed no crime can have severe restrictions placed on their daily lives for a year - or for those aged 16 to 18, for three months. You have to persuade the Federal Police your child may be thinking of committing a terrorist act... The police can take away most of his rights and freedoms without having to charge him with a crime. And nor must they tell him the grounds for their actions (or that you dobbed him in)."

Protest is criminalised and the huffers and puffers say nothing --The police abuse terror and harassment laws to penalise dissent while we insist civil liberties are our gift to the world. By George Monbiot 04 Oct 2005 "On Friday, six students and graduates of Lancaster University were convicted of aggravated trespass. Their crime was to have entered a lecture theatre and handed out leaflets to the audience..."

Men questioned on package near Capitol 21 Oct 2005 Police questioned two men and examined a suspicious package in their car on Friday after the men suggested the vehicle contained an explosive device, U.S. Capitol Police said.

Suspicious package shuts area near Capitol 21 Oct 2005 An unidentified man who claimed to have a suspicious device in his car was taken into custody close to the Capitol on Friday, and police cordoned off several streets as a precaution, officials said. Brian Doyle, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said hazardous materials teams had been dispatched to the site. "We don’t know if it’s an explosive device," he said. [Hold on to your hats! Here comes a weekend filled with bogus (and real) terror threats and alerts as the Bush regime seeks to deflect attention from the CIA leak investigation.]

Homeland Security drops 'bubble' on Series 21 Oct 2005 Officials will establish a "security bubble" around U.S. Cellular Field for the World Series this weekend, dispatch thousands of police officers, search vehicles and crack down on everything from ticket scalping to illegal parking businesses.