U.S. 'negation' policy in space raises concerns
abroad
By
Loring Wirbel
EE Times May 22, 2003 (1:26 p.m. ET)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — While much of the talk around
the Pentagon these days focuses on "transformation" of the
military, some of the United States' closest allies worry about
another buzzword being used in subtler ways at the National
Reconnaissance Office: "negation."
The
nation's largest intelligence agency by budget and in control of
all U.S. spy satellites, NRO is talking openly with the U.S. Air
Force Space Command about actively denying the use of space for
intelligence purposes to any other nation at any time—not
just adversaries, but even longtime allies, according to NRO
director Peter Teets.
At
the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs in early April,
Teets proposed that U.S. resources from military, civilian and
commercial satellites be combined to provide "persistence in total
situational awareness, for the benefit of this nation's war
fighters." If allies don't like the new paradigm of space
dominance, said Air Force secretary James Roche, they'll just have
to learn to accept it. The allies, he told the symposium, will have
"no veto power."
Beginning next year, NRO will be in charge of the new Offensive
Counter-Space program, which will come up with plans to
specifically deny the use of near- Earth space to other nations,
said Teets.
The
program will include two components: the Counter Communication
System, designed to disrupt other nations' communication networks
from space; and the Counter Surveillance Reconnaissance System,
formed to prevent other countries from using advanced
intelligence-gathering technology in air or space.
"Negation implies treating allies poorly," Robert Lawson,
senior policy adviser for nonproliferation in the Canadian
Department of Foreign Affairs, said at a Toronto conference in late
March. "It implies treaty busting."...
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Judd Blaisdell, director of the Air Force
Space Operations Office, said recently, "We are so dominant in
space that I pity a country that would come up against
us."
Missile-defense critic William Hartung, of the Institute for
Policy Studies, said none of this should be a surprise. U.S.
unilateralism in space was codified in a Sept. 20, 2002, document
titled the "National Security Strategy of the United
States."
After the administration renounced the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Treaty last year, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made it clear
that the abrogation of treaty constraints in the use of radar and
tracking devices was not just for the benefit of fielding a
missile-defense system, but to build better unilateral networks to
manage the planet from space.
In
fact, NRO director Teets said here and in earlier Congressional
testimony that it is artificial to see communication tools,
intelligence tools and missile-defense tools as separate. In
reality, he said, the programs all feed into each other and help
reinforce the Pentagon's current overwhelming space
dominance...
The
constellation of 27 satellites in the Global Positioning Satellite
navigation network were used in Iraq to turn dumb bombs into
precision weapons. With further upgrades planned in the GPS-III
system, DoD wants to be sure the United States holds the trump in
space-based navigation.
The
SBIRS-High infrared detection system, meanwhile, has become one of
the Defense Department's biggest white elephants.
Comment: The question of the control of
space is going to become an ever more important issue as the US
seeks to clamp down its total control of the world. It "implies"
treaty busting, but the US is a law unto itself. Below we report
that Bush is planning to stay at the three-day G-8 meeting for only
24 hours, an obvious affront tot he other members. He has a
schedule to maintain. Let's remember what happened tha last time he
started to waver....
C's Session
February 2, 2003
Ark,
Laura SF and HS
Q:
Hello.
A:
Hello group from Cassiopaea.
Q:
One of the first questions we want to ask tonight is about the
event of the Space Shuttle that was lost. First, was it an
explosion, or was it just disintegration, or breaking
up?
A:
It was a "direct hit."
Q: A
direct hit by what?
A:
EM pulse.
Q:
(S) What was the source of the EM pulse?
A:
3/4th density Consortium.
Q:
Well, I thought Bush was a puppet of the Consortium? (A) Well, we
know that the military are scrambling planes to go after
UFOs...there are even reports of firing on them and there have been
reports of military jets being disintegrated by UFOs. The UFOs are,
somehow, in cahoots with the consortium. It seems that Bush and the
gang are not in control of the Consortium and maybe they needed to
be "reminded?"
A:
It is not so much that he needs to be reminded, as he needs to be
stimulated to react.
Q:
(L) You once before said that Bush knows very little anyway - or
that the "White House" level is pretty much in the dark about the
plans of the Consortium - even if they are carrying them out. So,
you are suggesting that they are being driven by forces of which
they are unaware and do not understand?
A:
Exactly. Bush is a "reaction machine."
[...]
Q: (A) Where did the EM pulse come from?
A:
From space based satellite.
Q:
(A) Does NASA know about the cause?
A:
There are some who suspect.
Q:
(L) Which explains why they are so anxious to convince everyone
that it was NOT sabotage. Like Wellstone's death, there was "no
question" about it being a terrorist attack. The likelihood is that
the Bush Junta was behind Wellstone's death. In both cases they
"know" the cause and want to divert the attention away from it.
But, in the case of the shuttle, they aren't "dirty," but they most
definitely do NOT want anyone to realize that they also are not "in
charge." It makes me think of the remark the C's made a few years
ago about the reason for the Military Industrial Complex build-up
and manipulations. C's said that the REAL enemy is "out there" and
that war was just a "cover" to prevent the masses from realizing
what they were really doing. Maybe Bush and the gang are really
convinced, in their own minds, that they are acting to "protect"
humanity from this threat. Meanwhile, they are simply being drivent
to fulfill the agenda of the Consortium. And it is so interesting
that the shuttle broke up over Palestine, Texas... as though it was
saying to Bush: this is what is going to happen to you: Palestine
is going to be your destruction. But, of course, Bush would be
incapable of perceiving it in that context. Is it so that a message
was intended in this event?
A:
As always, confusion is the mask.
Q:
(L) In other words, everyone's reaction to the event will depend on
their own context. There is the view that it was a "message to
Bush." Bush and gang will, of course, see it only as a stimulus to
faster and more "decisive" military action. So, it will really work
on them the way it is wanted. (A) And of course, we wonder how they
will make use of this event.
A:
The primary effect among the masses will be shock, thus making them
less resistant to Bush's policies. Still other groups will see the
clear threat to Bush and Co. from their activities. Bush and Co.
will, of course, seek to capitalize on the event even while
remaining in the dark as to its meaning. But there most certainly
is awareness among them that there is a "Maverick" element at
loose. Bush has even "felt" a bit of primal fear in respect of this
event. [...]
Canada OKs missile defence talks with
U.S.
CBC
Online
Last Updated Thu, 29 May 2003 14:35:56
OTTAWA - Canada will begin talks with the United States on its
possible participation in a ballistic missile defence
system.
Defence Minister John McCallum made the announcement Thursday
in the House of Commons.
McCallum said Ottawa has three reasons for entering talks: to
protect Canadian lives, to preserve Norad's role in the defence of
North America, and to reinforce Canada's opposition to the
weaponization of space.
"It
is our responsibility to ensure any arrangement protects our
national interests. This will be at the forefront of our
discussions," said McCallum.
Missile defence can benefit Canada, he said, but our
participation is not unconditional.
McCallum stressed Canada's desire to keep space free from
weapons, saying the American position on the issue is
"unclear."
N Korea warns US of nuclear
retaliation
ABC
North Korea says any action
the United States takes against it will result in a nuclear war
that will reduce the peninsula to ashes.
The
communist country has been getting more warlike in its rhetoric
since the recent summit between US President George W Bush and his
South Korean counterpart, Roh Moo Hyun.
In
its latest outburst, Pyongyang warned that any steps taken against
it by the US and its allies will result in "nuclear disaster". The
statement said North Korea has developed a "powerful deterrent
force".
"Our
military deterrent force serves as a merciless sledgehammer to the
aggressors but an iron shield for the South Korean people," the
Korean Central News Agency said. "The compatriots in South Korea
should be highly proud of our powerful military deterrent
force."
G-8 nations seek reconciliation at unusual
summit, but Bush trimming visit
CBC
Online
03:47 PM EDT May 29
WASHINGTON (CP) - Even with pledges of reconciliation, this
year's summit of the world's eight most economically developed
countries promises to go down as one of the most
unusual.
The
Iraq war exposed a big rift in the transatlantic alliance. And
while leaders say they will seek agreement on boosting a sluggish
global economy, fighting poverty and AIDS in Africa and promoting
Middle East peace, President George W. Bush's decision to leave
early will be a sharp reminder of their differences.
France, Germany, Russia and Canada - the four Group of Eight
countries that opposed the war - have all sought in recent days to
heal the divisions with leaders insisting that they are looking
forward to a productive three days of talks starting Sunday in
Evian, a French alpine spa.
"Although there is some anxiety (about the recent differences),
I am convinced that Evian can convey a message of confidence in
world economic growth," French President Jacques Chirac said this
week in a newspaper interview.
But
the White House announced Wednesday that Bush will cut his time in
Evian to a little over 24 hours, leaving at mid-afternoon Monday so
that he can fly to the Mideast for an intensive round of talks with
Arab and Israeli leaders aimed at getting the Palestinian peace
talks back on track...
Bush
wants to convey to France and Germany that "there is a price to pay
for defying the United States in the way that they did," said Ivo
Daalder, a National Security Council European expert in the Clinton
administration.
Certainly, in the run-up to the summit, the administration went
out of its way to emphasize the close ties Bush enjoys with summit
leaders who supported the war - Britain's Tony Blair, Italy's
Silvio Berlusconi and Japan's Junichiro Koizumi, who was awarded a
prize visit to Bush's ranch last week. Likewise, Bush's visit to
Poland will reward a European country that committed troops to the
conflict...
Bush
would normally devote considerable time to a string of one-on-one
meetings with the other leaders, but this year he will meet briefly
only with summit host Chirac and Chinese President Hu
Jintao.
Comment: Game Theory is a form of strategy-making where those
without conscience, especially psychopathic types, will always win
when they have interactions with people who do have a conscience,
who are able to hurt for another. Looking at Bush's behaviour, it
is clear that his actions are being planned out according to Game
Theory: his constant pushing everyone else into situations where
they are obliged to accept his insults, his violence, his
psychopathology because it is clear he doesn't care one whit about
them and is willing to go to extremes to impose his will on others
regardless of the consequences.
French defence minister accuses US media of poisoning
ties
May 29, 2003
KUALA
LUMPUR (AFP) - French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie
Thursday accused the US media of poisoning French-US ties with a
disinformation campaign because of France's opposition to the Iraq
war.
Speaking
to reporters in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, she said
certain US media had "sowed disinformation which could poison
relations between the peoples of the two countries."
"There
are many lies and defamatory statements against France by some
newspapers, and the editors of those papers bear a heavy
responsibility," said Alliot-Marie after talks with Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad. [...]
White House insider cleans up Bush's image on
film
By
DOUG SAUNDERS From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
UPDATED AT 2:37 AM EDT
Trapped on the other side of the country aboard Air Force One,
the President has lost his cool: "If some tinhorn terrorist wants
me, tell him to come and get me! I'll be at home! Waiting for the
bastard!"
His
Secret Service chief seems taken aback. "But Mr. President . .
."
The
President brusquely interrupts him. "Try Commander-in-Chief. Whose
present command is: Take the President home!"
Was
this George W. Bush's moment of resolve on Sept. 11, 2001? Well,
not exactly. Actually, the scene took place this month, on a
Toronto sound stage.
The
histrionics, filmed for a two-hour television movie to be broadcast
this September, are as close as you can get to an official White
House account of its activities at the outset of the war on
terrorism.
Written and produced by a White House insider with the close
co-operation of Mr. Bush and his top officials, the movie The Big
Dance represents an unusually close merger of Washington's
ambitions with the Hollywood entertainment machinery.
A
copy of the script obtained by The Globe and Mail reveals a
prime-time drama starring a nearly infallible, heroic president
with little or no dissension in his ranks and a penchant for
delivering articulate, stirring, off-the-cuff addresses to
colleagues...
Lionel Chetwynd, the film's creator, sees nothing untoward
about his role as the semi-official White House apologist in
Hollywood. For him, having a well- connected Republican create the
movie was a way to get the official message around what he sees as
an entertainment industry packed with liberals and Democratic Party
supporters.
"A
feeding frenzy had started to develop around this story, and a lot
of people who wanted to do this story had a very clear political
agenda, very clear," Mr. Chetwynd said in an interview from his Los
Angeles home Tuesday. "My own view of the administration is
somewhat more sympathetic than, say, Alec Baldwin's. . . . In fact,
I'm technically a member of the administration [Mr. Chetwynd sits
on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities], so I let
it be known that I was also interested in doing it. I threw myself
on the mercies of my friend Karl Rove."
Mr.
Rove is the President's chief political adviser, so this was not a
typical Hollywood pitch.
Comment: For a
different take on the President's day...
More myths, misconceptions and unanswered questions
about the war in Iraq
By
Brendan Nyhan and Bryan Keefer May 28, 2003
Spinsanity
In
the wake of the war in Iraq, a number of questions have arisen
about events during the war and Iraq's alleged possession of
weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda. As in our earlier
columns about the Iraq debate, this article is intended to deal
only with claims that have been addressed definitively or
near-definitively in the public record. It is our hope that this
column will serve to clarify some of the key issues being debated
in the aftermath of the war and correct some of the most pervasive
myths in circulation.
Have
weapons of mass destruction been found in Iraq?
To
date, no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) have been found. During
and after the war, there were a number of highly publicized reports
of WMD finds, such as this April 2 report in the Minneapolis
Star-Tribune on the possible presence of chemical and biological
weapons and this April 11 Fox News report on a discovery of
possible weapons-grade plutonium. All have proven false or
inconclusive, however (and usually receive far less attention when
disproved).
On
April 24, President Bush suggested for the first time that Saddam
Hussein may have destroyed the WMDs Bush alleges he possessed
before the war. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld offered the
same suggestion yesterday for the first time during an appearance
at the Council on Foreign Relations.
The
administration has claimed that two trailers it has found in Iraq
were mobile laboratories used to produce biological weapons, but,
as the New York Times reported, experts reached this conclusion by
ruling out other possible uses of the trucks rather than finding
direct evidence of biological weapons or the production of
them.
Nonetheless, the White House has seized on these findings to
support its claims about Iraq's WMD programs before the war. Last
week, White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan cited the labs in
response to criticism from Senator Robert Byrd, D-VA, and Reuters
reported yesterday that Rumsfeld echoed these allegations at the
Council for Foreign Relations.
Saddam
organising resistance claims opposition
18:28 Thursday 29th May 2003
Associated Press
Saddam
Hussein is alive and co-ordinating terror attacks inside Iraq, a
leading opposition figure has claimed. But he says a wide-scale
resistance movement against coalition forces does not exist.
[...]
Chalabi
said Saddam was renewing his activities inside Iraq and his
supporters had been distributing leaflets in recent days. "They are
also trying to capitalise on the issues of occupation and presence
of foreign troops," he said.
Attacks
and ambushes against coalition forces have increased in recent
days. Nine American soldiers have died in the past week.
When
asked how strong the level of popular Iraqi resistance to the
occupying US and British forces was, Chalabi said: "There is no
resistance, there are acts of terrorism conducted by Saddam and his
associates against the coalition and against other
Iraqis."
US 'still fighting Saddam
forces'
BBC
A US commander in Iraq has said the war is not over, with coalition
forces still fighting organised remnants of the deposed
regime.
Lieutenant-General David
McKiernan said more forces may have to be deployed on combat
operations around the country.
US units
have been come under nearly daily attacks which General McKiernan
blamed on "thugs under [Saddam Hussein's] regime" who have "no
future in this country".
His
comments came as UK Prime Minister Tony Blair made the first visit
to Iraq by a Western leader since the toppling of Saddam
Hussein.
Mr Blair
told British troops in Basra that they took part in "a momentous
and mighty act" in liberating the country. [...]
Mr Blair
said history would look back on the Iraq conflict as "one of the
defining moments of the century". [...]
"But I
can assure you of one thing - there is absolutely no dispute in
Britain at all about your professionalism and your courage and your
dedication and not just in the way you won the war, which was
extraordinary, but the way you are conducting the peace, which is
remarkable." [...]
Comment: Horse
hockey. Blair is a consummate liar and most likely a
psychopath.
There
have also been reports of protests turning violent in the town of
Hit, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Baghdad.
[...]
Angry
residents surged into the streets, burning police cars and throwing
stones and hand-made grenades at US forces, the Reuters news agency
said.
Comment: First
we are told that coalition forces are fighting "organised remnants"
of Saddam's regime, and then we are told that it is angry residents
who are protesting and combatting the occupation of their country.
So which is it? The following article provides some
clarity:
Iraqi group formed to resist
coalition
5/29/2003
9:55 AM
BEIRUT,
Lebanon, May 29 (UPI) -- An Iraqi group that claims to have elected
its command committee from most of the country's provinces has been
formed to fight and prevent cooperation with U.S.-led coalition
forces in Iraq.
The
group, called the "Unification Front for the Liberation of Iraq,"
announced its existence with a statement published Thursday by the
Lebanese newspaper As Safir.
The group
said its principal mission was to "liberate the Iraqi territories
from foreign occupation," using "all adequate political and
military means." It called on all Iraqi national political forces
for quick resistance action, preventing cooperation with the
occupation and boycotting its "agents."
It blamed
the collapsed Baath Party regime of ousted President Saddam Hussein
for the presence of the U.S.-led coalition forces. [...]
Blair thanks troops in Iraq
for 'definfing moment of our century'
By PA
News Reporters
29 May 2003
Tony
Blair today thanked British troops in Iraq for the "magnificent"
job they had done in helping to liberate the country.
Addressing some 400 British
personnel in Basra, southern Iraq, Mr Blair said: "I know there are
a lot of disagreements in the country about the wisdom of my
decision to order the action, but I can assure you of one thing,
there is absolutely no dispute in Britain at all about your
professionalism and your courage and your dedication."
Mr Blair
told the troops they could be proud "not just of the way you won
the war, which was extraordinary, but the way that you are
conducting the peace, which is remarkable".
Mr Blair
told the troops: "I would just like to express the sense of pride
that everybody has in Britain over
the magnificent job you have done."
The Prime
Minister said the taking of the Al Faw peninsula and the city of
Basra with a minimum of civilian casualties was "famous right round
the world". [...]
Comment: This article contains
more excerpts from Blair's speech to his troops. It is an
exceptional example of the delusional drivel that seems to be the
standard in the US and UK these days.
Desert Rats soldier arrested over 'torture' of
Iraqi PoW
By Ben Hoyle
A BRITISH soldier serving with the Desert Rats in Iraq has been
arrested for allegedly torturing a prisoner of war.
He was held over photographs showing an Iraqi bound, gagged and
suspended from a forklift truck. His local photographic shop called
the police after he took in the roll of film to be
developed.
Details of the arrest emerged hours after the Prime Minister
visited the Desert Rats in Basra, lavishing praise on their conduct
and performance during the war. “There is absolutely no
dispute about your professionalism and your courage and your
dedication,” he said.
The
Ministry of Defence confirmed that a member of the 1st Battalion of
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers had been arrested after allegations
that he had photographs depicting maltreatment of prisoners and the
Army’s Special Investigations branch has launched a war
crimes inquiry. If the allegations are found to be true, they would
be a clear breach of the Geneva Convention.
Comment: What were Blair's words?
"Professionalism, courage and dedication in the way you won the
war" The above must be an example of what Blair means, and we can
be sure that the policy was rife with this one soldier being made a
scapegoat.
"We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong
for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost
the war, but that they started it," US Supreme Court Justice Robert
L. Jackson who was a representative to the International Conference
on Military Trials at the end of World War II. He further stated
that, "no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive
war. It is utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of
policy."
Iraq weapons dossier
'rewritten'
Thursday,
29 May, 2003, 17:16 GMT
BBC
A dossier compiled by the government on Saddam Hussein's weapons of
mass destruction was rewritten to make it "sexier", a senior
British official has told the BBC. The claim - hotly denied by
Downing Street - came as Prime Minister Tony Blair became the first
Western leader to visit post-conflict Iraq.
Published
last September, the dossier warned that Saddam Hussein had the
capacity to activate his biological and chemical weapons in just 45
minutes.
But the
US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has suggested that the
weapons might have been destroyed before the fighting began. The
intelligence official told the BBC the dossier had been
"transformed" a week before it was published on the orders of
Downing Street.
He said:
"The classic example was the statement that weapons of mass
destruction were ready for use within 45 minutes.
"That
information was not in the original draft. It was included in the
dossier against our wishes because it wasn't reliable.
"Most
things in the dossier were double source but that was single source
and we believe that the source was wrong." He said "most people in
intelligence" were unhappy about the changes because they "didn't
reflect the considered view they were putting forward".
[...]
Comment: Does anyone feel a little angry that we
have been deliberately duped and lied to? Many people mulled over
the information that was presented to make the case for war in
Iraq, perhaps giving the benefit of the doubt to Bush and Blair in
the belief that such impassioned conviction that Saddam must be
removed was based on some reliable evidence and that we should
trust them. Now we see that they are simply very adept liars, men
without conscience who have no problem blatantly lying to millions
of people on live television. These are the men who are ruling over
us, deciding our fate. Happy about that? If not, what are you gonna
do about it?
Former attorney general says
Bush should be impeached
By Askia
Muhammad
White House Correspondent
Updated May 28, 2003, 11:15 am
WASHINGTON
(FinalCall.com)—The U.S. invasion of Iraq was the most
serious act of aggression in the country's history and it was in
clear violation of the most important provisions of international
law, according to former Attorney General Ramsey Clark.
The
"crimes" committed by President George W. Bush and others in his
administration warrant the severest response from an alarmed
citizenry: impeachment, Mr. Clark told a luncheon audience at the
National Press Club May 12.
"I urge
everyone who cares about the integrity of our Constitution to take
back the Constitution by insisting that the House of
Representatives, which has the sole power of impeachment, process
impeachment proceedings now against President Bush for launching
this war of aggression," Mr. Clark said. [...]
Comment: We urge everyone to do the same, who
knows what a little pressure from a lot of people can
do...
Iraq Hospital: Lynch Rescue
Unnecessary
By
SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI, Associated Press Writer
NASIRIYAH, Iraq - The U.S.
commandos refused a key and instead broke down doors and went in
with guns drawn. They carried away the prisoner in the dead of
night with helicopter and armored vehicle backup — even
though there was no Iraqi military presence and the hospital staff
didn't resist.
In the
tale of Pfc. Jessica Lynch's rescue, this is the Iraqi
side.
New
attention has been drawn to the April 1 rescue since a BBC report
earlier this month created controversy by charging the Pentagon
(news - web sites) exaggerated the danger of the raid.
An
Associated Press reporter spoke to more than 20 doctors, nurses and
other workers at the hospital. In interview after interview, the
assessment was the same: The dramatics that surrounded Lynch's
rescue were unnecessary. Some also said the raid itself was
unneeded because they were trying to turn Lynch over, although they
conceded they made no attempt to notify U.S. troops of that
effort.
U.S.
military officers answer that the rescuers didn't know Iraqi troops
had left Nasiriyah General Hospital and that the Americans had to
storm in ready to deal with any circumstance. They add that U.S.
troops outside the hospital were fired on and that fighting was
still going on elsewhere in the southern city, which saw some of
the fiercest combat of the war.
"If they
had come to the door and asked for Jessica, we would have gladly
handed her over to them. There was no need for all that drama,"
said Dr. Hazem Rikabi, an internist.
"Why the
show? They just wanted to prove they were heroes," he said. "There
was no battle." [...]
Comment: More BS from the US war propaganda
machine.
Weapons of Mass Destruction:
Who Said What When
May 29,
2003
Counterpunch
Simply
stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of
mass destruction.
- Dick Cheney August 26, 2002
Right
now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for
the production of biological weapons.
- George W. Bush September 12, 2002
If he
declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once
again misleading the world.
- Ari Fleischer December 2, 2002
We know
for a fact that there are weapons there.
- Ari Fleischer January 9, 2003
Our
intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the
materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX
nerve agent.
- George W. Bush January 28, 2003
We know
that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass
destruction, is determined to make more.
- Colin Powell February 5, 2003
We have
sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi
field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the
dictator tells us he does not have.
- George Bush February 8, 2003
So has
the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of
mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? I think our judgment
has to be clearly not.
- Colin Powell March 8, 2003
Intelligence gathered by this
and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime
continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons
ever devised.
- George Bush March 17, 2003
Well,
there is no question that we have evidence and information that
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical
particularly . . . all this will be made clear in the course of the
operation, for whatever duration it takes.
- Ari Fleisher March 21, 2003
There is
no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of
mass destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will
be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them
and who guard them.
- Gen. Tommy Franks March 22, 2003
I have no
doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass
destruction.
- Kenneth Adelman, Defense Policy Board , March 23, 2003
One of
our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a
number of sites.
- Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clark March 22, 2003
We know
where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.
- Donald Rumsfeld March 30, 2003
Obviously
the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of mass
destruction U.S. forces find -- and there will be plenty.
- Neocon scholar Robert Kagan April 9, 2003
I think
you have always heard, and you continue to hear from officials, a
measure of high confidence that, indeed, the weapons of mass
destruction will be found.
- Ari Fleischer April 10, 2003
We are
learning more as we interrogate or have discussions with Iraqi
scientists and people within the Iraqi structure, that perhaps he
destroyed some, perhaps he dispersed some. And so we will find
them.
- George Bush April 24, 2003
There are
people who in large measure have information that we need . . . so
that we can track down the weapons of mass destruction in that
country.
- Donald Rumsfeld April 25, 2003
We'll
find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so.
- George Bush May 3, 2003
I am
confident that we will find evidence that makes it clear he had
weapons of mass destruction.
- Colin Powell May 4, 2003
I never
believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in
that country.
- Donald Rumsfeld May 4, 2003
I'm not
surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam
Hussein -- because he had a weapons program.
- George W. Bush May 6, 2003
U.S.
officials never expected that "we were going to open garages and
find" weapons of mass destruction.
- Condoleeza Rice May 12, 2003
I just
don't know whether it was all destroyed years ago -- I mean,
there's no question that there were chemical weapons years ago --
whether they were destroyed right before the war, (or) whether
they're still hidden.
- Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander 101st Airborne May 13,
2003
Before
the war, there's no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had
weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical. I expected
them to be found. I still expect them to be found.
- Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps May 21,
2003
Given
time, given the number of prisoners now that we're interrogating,
I'm confident that we're going to find weapons of mass
destruction.
- Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff May 26,
2003
They may
have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.
- Donald Rumsfeld May 27, 2003
For
bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass
destruction (as justification for invading Iraq) because it was the
one reason everyone could agree on.
- Paul Wolfowitz May 28, 2003
RUMSFELD QUERIED ON OFFSHORE BANKING
REFORM
by
Lucy Komisar
American Reporter Correspondent
NEW YORK -- It hasn’t been reported in the U.S. press –
until here, now – but Milan, Italy's chief prosecutor has
obtained thousands of documents that show how for more than 20
years Saddam Hussein used the Western bank and corporate secrecy
system to launder bribes skimmed from oil revenues to pay his
security forces and buy Western arms during international
embargoes.
The
key countries - whose governments openly allow these
money-laundering systems to exist – were Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, Panama and Nassau. Corporate registrations and bank
accounts there use "straw men" and secrecy rules to cover up true
owners of companies and accounts.
On Tuesday (May 27), Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was at the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and I asked him what the
U.S. planned to do about this system that financed and armed
Washington’s latest nemesis.
This
was the question:
"It’s been shown by investigations by the prosecutor of Milan
in Italy, which has gotten thousands of documents about banks
accounts in Europe, particularly Switzerland and Liechtenstein and
then also Panama, that these were the accounts through which Saddam
Hussein hid the rake-offs he was getting from Western companies
that were buying his oil -- that allowed him to get money for
weapons over the 80s and 90s. This bank and corporate secrecy is
what allowed this to happen. I assume the Americans know about
this. Are you going to do anything about this system that allows
criminals like Saddam Hussein — this was during the embargo,
of course - are you going to do anything about this system that
allows them to get weapons illegally?"
For
the record, Rumsfeld's answer: "The Department of the Treasury has
been working with other countries and attempting to locate the
assets that the Saddam Hussein family and regime have placed in
other countries. They found some, and I’m sure they have not
found additional sums, and I’m sure they’re working on
it."
Rumsfeld clumsily
side-stepped the question, because the Bush administration has
reversed the Clinton-era policy that attempted at least minimal
reforms of the offshore system. It has blocked European efforts to
pierce bank secrecy by allowing tax authorities to share
information on non-residents' bank accounts. It does not want to
change the offshore system, because its corporate and wealthy
supporters use it to evade taxes.
Rumsfeld would know how
that works, because he was CEO of G.D. Searle & Co, a worldwide
pharmaceutical company, and of General Instrument Corporation,
which deals in broadband technologies. International corporations
routinely use the offshore system for "transfer pricing" -
corporatespeak for the practice of moving bookkeeping entries
around the globe so they can report near-zero profits to the
IRS.
The Beat Goes On: Despite
Thin Intelligence Reports, the US Plans to Overthrow Iranian
Regime
May 29,
2003
By JASON LEOPOLD
Counterpunch
Here we
go again. While postwar Iraq continues to crumble, the Bush
administration is now setting its sights on a new target--Iran--in
its so-called effort to reshape most of the Middle East and bring
democracy to countries ruled by vicious dictators. But the Bush
administration is again relying on flimsy evidence and thin
intelligence information in claiming that the Iran poses an
immediate threat to the United States.
The U.S.
still hasn't uncovered any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,
which was the prime reason for launching an attack against the
country. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in an interview
reported by CNN Tuesday that it's possible the WMD in Iraq may have
been destroyed prior to the war. So, right now, the Bush
administration has a credibility problem similar to that of The New
York Times, which is still reeling from a spectacular scandal that
one of its reporters fabricated dozens of national
stories.
In taking
a hardline stance against Iran, the Bush administration is going to
have to do better than "trust us" and this time offer some hard
evidene that countries like Iran pose an immediate threat to U.S.
interests.
Still, if
the rhetoric coming out of the White House this week is any
indicator, the U.S. is gearing up for war, again. The reasons,
however, are based on accusations, not tangible evidence.
[...]
The Iran Debate
Pentagon Eyes Massive Covert Attack on Iran
ABC
News
May
29— The Pentagon is advocating a massive covert action
program to overthrow Iran's ruling ayatollahs as the only way to
stop the country's nuclear weapons ambitions, senior State
Department and Pentagon officials told ABCNEWS.
The proposal, which would include covert sponsorship of a group
currently deemed terrorist by the U.S. government, is not new, and
has not won favor with enough top officials to be acted
upon.
But
sources say it is a viable option that is getting a new look as the
administration ramps up its rhetoric against Iran, and it is likely
to be one of the top items on the agenda as high-level U.S.
policymakers meet today to discuss how to deal with the Islamic
republic.
The
Pentagon's proposal includes using all available points of pressure
on the Iranian regime, including backing armed Iranian dissidents
and employing the services of the Mujahedeen e Khalq, a group
currently branded as terrorist by the United States.
The MEK,
which had been primarily supported by Iraq and was responsible for
numerous attacks inside Iran, agreed after the Iraq war to a truce
with U.S. forces.
The
Pentagon specifically set aside a proposal to reconstitute the MEK
under a different banner and promote their armed incursions into
Iran, much as the MEK had been doing under Saddam. As the State
Department insisted, and the White House concurred, the MEK has
been disarmed but their forces are still in place and their weapons
are in storage.
The State
Department argument was that MEK is on the terrorist list and any
failure to disarm it would be an act of hypocrisy, which was the
same line taken by the Iranians in confidential meetings that have
been ongoing in Geneva, until the United States recently cut them
off. [...]
Russia Says Only UN Body Can Object to Iran
Plant
Thu May
29, 2003 02:20 PM ET
By Andrei Shukshin
MOSCOW
(Reuters) - Russia ignored U.S. objections on Thursday and vowed to
keep building a nuclear power plant in Iran, saying only a special
U.N. meeting could assess whether Tehran was violating promises not
to use it to produce weapons.
Days
before Russia hosts summit talks with U.S. President George Bush,
the station at Bushehr remained a serious irritant as President
Vladimir Putin tries to soothe differences over his refusal to back
the war to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Russia's Foreign
Ministry said Moscow would defer to the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog in
determining whether Iran was keeping promises to confine its
nuclear program to peaceful purposes.
"We do
note that unofficial information has recently appeared about
military applications of Iran's nuclear program," spokesman
Alexander Yakovenko said in a statement.
"Russia
considers that only the International Atomic Energy Agency, as a
competent international body, can evaluate Iran's non-proliferation
commitments." [...]
Russia, China Call for Reforms at United
Nations
Thu May
29, 2003 11:04 AM ET
By Andrei Shukshin
MOSCOW
(Reuters) - Russia and China called on Thursday for reform of the
United Nations to uphold its pivotal role in world
affairs.
Both
countries are permanent veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security
Council, the organization's decision-making body circumvented by
the U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq without explicit U.N.
backing.
Moscow
and Beijing restated their commitment to the world body at a
meeting of presidents from the six nations of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, which also includes four ex-Soviet states
in Central Asia.
"The
United Nations can and should be reformed in line with the rapidly
changing situation in the world, priority being given to the need
to solve in an effective way the problems of world politics and
security," a post-summit declaration said.
No
specifics were given in the statement. But heads of state,
including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu
Jintao, stressed they wanted to see the U.N. Security Council
preserve its key position. [...]
New Fighting in Congo as World Casually
Assembles Peacekeepers
Printed on Monday, May 26, 2003 @ 20:58:53 CDT
Report by YellowTimes.org NewsFromtheFront.org
TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- Fighting erupted May 22 in troubled Ituri
province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
(Background Report), near the border with Uganda. It is not known
if there are significant fatalities but the fighting appears to be
the result of in-fighting in the rebel group Forces armées
pour le Congo (FAPC) which is a breakaway faction of the Union des
patriots congolais (UPC). UPC is a militia force of the Hema tribe
which has been in fierce conflict with the Lendu tribe for several
weeks prior to last weekend's truce.
More New Fighting in Congo
Printed on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 @ 23:37:30 CDT
Report by YellowTimes.org NewsFromtheFront.org
TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- The United Nations says that tribal
leaders and rebels who hold control of parts of northeastern
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Background Report) are
preventing their efforts to deliver humanitarian aid. Vicious
fighting occurred for several weeks in and around the town of Bunia
in Ituri province until a truce that took effect on May 17. But to
complicate matters further, fighting erupted in Bunia again Tuesday
with renewed clashes between rival Hema and Lendu militias, the
principle groups who agreed to the truce only 10 days
ago.
While the exact reasons for the flare-up are not clear, there
are suggestions by the U.N. personnel that it may be linked to a
weekend theft and destruction of some 300,000 units of various
vaccines from the Bunia General Hospital; the vaccines were funded
by the U.N. Children's Fund. There was also a break-in at a World
Health Organization warehouse where medical equipment and
refrigerators were taken. It isn't known who staged these raids
although most assume that since the Hema militia currently controls
Bunia, the Lendu were likely responsible.
Media Ahead of Themselves in Congo Relief
Stories
Printed on Thursday, May 29, 2003 @ 10:23:43 CDT
Report by YellowTimes.org NewsFromtheFront.org
TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- Multiple international news agencies
began reporting on May 28 that an international force, led by
France, will begin deploying in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
(Background Report) next week. Ituri province in northeastern DRC
has been the scene of bloody ethnic violence for several weeks and
although there is a shaky truce in place at this moment, everyone
involved agrees the ceasefire is quite precarious.
While the news of an international force is welcome, the media
appear to be getting ahead of the facts. France has urged the
United Nations Security Council to approve such a force and it is
expected that a vote on the issue will be held on May 30. But
France has been urging this force for about a month and the
Security Council has so far not felt sufficiently aroused to take
urgent steps.
Villagers seek refuge in
school as Indonesian troops target civilians
By Kathy
Marks in Bantayan, Aceh
29 May 2003
Aceh is a
place where soldiers shoot the fingers off a 14-year-old boy out of
spite and an elderly man can no longer read a newspaper after being
beaten up for the fifth time.
The man
and the boy live in Bantayan, a village undistinguished apart from
its location: between an Indonesian military post and the jungle
hideout of separatist guerrillas.
Routinely
accused of helping the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) rebels, villagers
are accustomed to random acts of violence by the security forces.
But after a crackdown on Gam was launched last week, they fled
their homes and moved into the school, becoming refugees in their
own village.
The
events that prompted their flight began with yet another firefight
on their doorstep. With tensions high after martial law was
declared, guerrillas attacked the military post with grenades and
AK-47 assault rifles last Friday. Marines chased them through the
village, in Bireuen district, but they escaped to the
jungle.
A few
hours later, troops killed four men who were walking to a nearby
village, carrying sugar, eggs and rice. The military claimed they
were taking supplies to the rebels. Locals insist that all four
were civilians. They were reportedly shot at point-blank range and
their bodies tossed into a river. [...]
India's heat wave toll hits
566
Associated Press
HYDERABAD
(India) -- The death toll from a two-week heat wave in a southern
Indian state climbed to 566 on Thursday, a relief official
said.
Scores of
people suffering from dehydration and sunstroke were being treated
at hospitals across Andhra Pradesh state, said Mr D.C. Roshaiah,
the chief relief official in the state.
The
official number of people dying from extreme heat jumped from 494
on Wednesday as more districts sent updates on casualties, he
said.
It was
not immediately clear whether there were more deaths on Wednesday
and Thursday. Weather officials have said the heat was subsiding in
many parts of the state.
Only
three of the 23 districts in the state have not been affected.
[...]
UFO probably two planets
29/05/2003
09:56 - (SA)
Gerjo Hoffman
Cape
Town - The unidentified flying object seen hovering in the sky on
Tuesday, could have been two planets.
Numerous listeners telephoned Kfm 94.5 on Tuesday morning to
say they saw a UFO at about 06:45 hovering in the sky above
Worcester.
One
listener told breakfast show DJ, Nic Marais, that he was driving on
the N1 and saw a cigar-shaped UFO gliding above the clouds just
below the moon in the Worcester area.
Doctor Dave Laney of the planetarium in Cape Town said on
Wednesday that the shape of the UFO could indicate that the
listeners saw the Mercury and Venus planets.
Laney said Mercury was on the right-hand side of Venus on the
morning of May 27. Both were directly below the moon.
"Fast moving clouds could easily create the illusion that
objects are moving in the sky. If Venus and Mercury were glowing
mistily through the clouds, it could create the illusion of a
cigar-shaped object", said Laney.
Laney said it was impossible that the alleged UFO could be an
iridium torch. This phenomenon occurs when one of the panels of the
numerous communication satellites circling the earth, reflects
sunlight.
Comment: This is a good example of the
"reality bending" abilities of many people. This guy's explanation
is comical.
U.S. Team Clones First
Mule
Stefan Lovgren
for National Geographic News
May 29, 2003
First there was Dolly, the sheep. Now, scientists at the University
of Idaho have successfully cloned a mule. Born on May 4, Idaho Gem
is the first member of the horse family to be cloned.
The
successful cloning of a mule, and the groundbreaking research on
which it was based, could have a significant impact on fields as
diverse as cancer research and racehorse breeding, according to
Gordon Woods, a professor of animal and veterinary science at the
University of Idaho in Moscow, who led the research
team.
Bugs, Weeds, Houseplants Could Join The War
On Terror
When June Medford came up with the idea to use tiny weeds as
weapons in the war against terrorism, she figured most people would
call it a joke. But the federal government didn't laugh.
Now,
armed with a half million-dollar grant from the Pentagon, the
Colorado State University plant biologist is trying to genetically
engineer Arabidopsis plants to change color rapidly if they sense a
biological or chemical agent.
If
her plan works, the technology could be used to turn forest
evergreens, backyard shrubs or even pond algae into sentinels for
scientists. One day, everyone in America might be able to use a
cheap houseplant as an early-warning system. It could be the
proverbial canary in a coal mine for the post-Sept.11
age.
Company brings drug-sniffing dog to the
home
Last
Updated Thu, 29 May 2003 13:10:24
OTTAWA - Sniffer dogs don't just sniff down airports and high
schools across the country. Now a company is providing the service
for parents worried that their kids are consuming illegal
substances.
"I
was concerned that my daughter might have gotten drugs because of
some personal problems that she had, and I wanted to be there to
help her if she was on drugs," said one mother who did not want to
be identified. The mother called Gary Houldsworth and his German
Sheppard Bear to search her daughter's bedroom and the rest of the
house for drugs, while her daughter was away at school.
And Finally...
New form of terrorism
At Heathrow Airport today, an individual, later discovered to be
a public school teacher, was
arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a compass,
a protractor, and a graphical calculator.
Authorities believe he is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra
movement. He is being charged with carrying weapons of math
instruction.
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