New Article: Jupiter, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and the Return of the Mongols - Laura Knight-Jadczyk

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Picture of the Day

Arcus
©2004 Pierre-Paul Feyte

Today is the day that Bush and Cheney meet with the 9/11 commission in a "classified" session. Missing from the US media is the fanfare that surrounded the testimony of Condi Rice or George Tenet. The president and vice president have placed themselves completely above the law, and the citizens have given their seal of approval by remaining silent.

As far as the Signs team can tell, there has not been any objection from, well, anyone. Kerry knows that he must keep his mouth shut. If the Democratic presidential candidate were to speak out against Bush's secret testimony, he would undermine his own position in support of the War on Terror.

Bush preps for September 11 questioning

April 29, 2004

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are to appear for questioning before the panel investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, amid a controversy over White House-imposed restrictions.

The joint appearance -- the White House rebuffed the commission's request for an individual meeting with the president -- and the insistence on no recordings or transcripts of the private meeting at the White House has raised eyebrows.

Bush was to meet at 9:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) in the Oval Office with all 10 members of the "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States," behind closed doors and for an unspecified amount of time.

Bush and Cheney will not be sworn to tell the truth, and the White House has also refused to back off its opposition to recording or officially transcribing the meeting, citing the possibility of classified material being discussed. [...]

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Bush and Cheney won't even take an oath to tell the truth. It is rather interesting that there is nary a peep from the American people. They firmly believe that there is no need for the president to swear to tell the truth, because after all, he's the president! He would never lie, and if he did, he must have a good reason, be it national security, the current Crusade, etc. The people must believe that their leaders would never lie. To admit that the Leader of the Free World is a liar would be to slay a sacred cow or two.

The lies that we tell ourselves are like a giant stone wall built up around us. Generally, there may be a few foundational lies of a larger magnitude than the rest. These lies are typically the lies we tell ourselves. The lies we believe about our external world rest on top of the foundation. In the case of a man like Bush, calling a spade a spade would be to pull one of the stones out of the middle of the wall, causing a shifting of the other stones. Some of the newer stones on top of the wall may even shake loose and tumble to the ground.

Until we begin the work of eliminating lies to the self, we must believe the rest of the lies that form our own little prisons. At some point, it may be possible to tear down most of the wall of lies, and begin to truly free ourselves from their influence. At this point, we may realize that we are exposed to the harsh reality outside our previously impenetrable enclosure. Each stone that represented a lie must be replaced with the rock of truth. Tearing down our original enclosure can be, not surprisingly, rather terrifying. It is never easy.

But we each have a choice. We can choose to persevere and continue to tear down the old enclosure while strategically building a new fort around ourselves. The new castle will have a hearty drawbridge that will allow us to leave if we so choose. We will no longer be a prisoner to the lie - we will be the king of our own castle. This process certainly cannot happen in a day, or two, or three - it is an ongoing process. If we see our prison and begin to tear it down without building a new home, we will remain exposed to the elements or wandering raiders.

The world outside our enclosure certainly appears to be harsh and cold. If we so choose, we can decide to see the "good" in everything and begin to once again construct a new enclosure based on denial of what is. Seeing any "good" in Paul Wolfowitz has not and will not stop him from pushing his twisted agenda. The events and people of this world are as they are, of course, and we do not wish to change them.

Consider that the "good" in this world may only be able to be created by those who fully realize the Terror of the Situation. Perhaps it is the energy continually generated by such realizations that can be transmuted and utilized on an individual level to support the creative principle. It appears that in our reality, there are many types of lies crafted into cleverly concealed traps. If we are not careful, if we are not observing reality objectively, we will almost always walk right into the trap.

Speaking of lies and traps, it seems Wolfy is up to his old tricks again:

Saddam's agents planned bomb attacks before invasion: Pentagon

April 29, 2004

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A branch of Saddam Hussein's secret service is behind a wave of bombings and other attacks in Iraq in a guerrilla campaign planned even before the US-led invasion, according to a newly disclosed Pentagon report.

The insurgency waged by a directorate of the old Iraqi intelligence service called M-14 was disclosed last week in congressional testimony by Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, with details elaborated Thursday by The New York Times.

Wolfowitz submitted a report from the Pentagon's Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) on the old M-14, ironically dubbed by Saddam the anti-terrorism directorate, that specialised in hijackings, assassinations and bombings.

The report said former M-14 agents were "currently involved in planning and conducting (attacks throughout Iraq with) numerous improvised explosive devices, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and radio-controlled improvised explosive devices." [...]

He said the Iraqi intelligence service established cells in an organisation that was "purposely decentralized so attacks could be carried out in the event that cell leaders were captured and killed." [...]

But the new Pentagon report was the first indication that Saddam, who was captured in December, might have been planning for guerrilla warfare at the outset. US officials still refer to insurgents as isolated thugs and terrorists.

The New York Times said the DIA report was based on interrogations of captured M-14 members and seized documents. It quoted US officials as saying M-14 officers were responsible for "the majority of attacks" today in Iraq.

One senior US official who read the seven-page DIA report told the Times "we know the M-14 is operating in Fallujah and Ramadi," two bastions of resistance to the occupation west of Baghdad.

The paper said the guerrilla plan was dubbed "The Challenge Project" and was drafted as US-led forces prepared to strike Iraq. It called for M-14 officers to scatter and lead an insurgency using bombings and other attacks.

"They carefully laid plans to occupy the occupiers," another US official told the Times. "They were prepared to try and hijack the country. The goal was to complicate the stabilisation mission and democratization" of Iraq. [...]

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Well there you have it, folks. Please go back to sleep. Remember the Project for a New American Century? Remember the WMD's that were so nonexistent, it seems the US may be smuggling them into Iraq? Once again, Wolfowitz is conducting damage control. Once again, we are faced with a new and terrifying enemy - a decentralized, mysterious organization that has no uniform and no face.

Actually, it would be a rather clever plan, if it wasn't so sick and twisted. As with Al-Qaeda, Americans will view all Iraqis as potential M-14 operatives. Never mind the lack of WMD's, and the almost overwhelming evidence regarding the lies Bush and his administration told - by god, there's a new enemy to crush! As an added bonus, the focus is taken off of Al-Qaeda and placed on Saddam, who was the original reason for the invasion of Iraq. Remember? Saddam had WMD's and he was prepared to use them.

We also note that the motive for the war in Iraq has shifted once again. In recent times, we ran several articles in which members of the US government and military referred to Al-Qaeda operatives inciting violence in Iraq. Now it seems it has changed to M-14. But not to worry, America has already forgotten - at least until Wolfowitz declares that M-14 has ties to Osama. But that's next week...

Meanwhile in Iraq, more details have emerged regarding abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops:

Court Martial In Iraq

April 28, 2004
CBS

Last month, the U.S. Army announced 17 soldiers in Iraq, including a brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of mistreating Iraqi prisoners.

But the details of what happened have been kept secret, until now.

It turns out photographs surfaced showing American soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held at a prison near Baghdad. The Army investigated, and issued a scathing report.

Now, an Army general and her command staff may face the end of long military careers. And six soldiers are facing court martial in Iraq -- and possible prison time.

Correspondent Dan Rather talks to one of those soldiers. And, for the first time, 60 Minutes II will show some of the pictures that led to the Army investigation. According to the U.S. Army, one Iraqi prisoner was told to stand on a box with his head covered, wires attached to his hands. He was told that if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted.

Iraqi man being instructed on US "freedom and democracy" by US troops

It was this picture, and dozens of others, that prompted an investigation by the U.S. Army. On Tuesday, 60 Minutes II asked Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of coalition operations in Iraq, what went wrong.

"Frankly, I think all of us are disappointed by the actions of the few," says Kimmitt. "Every day, we love our soldiers, but frankly, some days we're not always proud of our soldiers."

For decades under Saddam Hussein, many prisoners who were taken to the Abu Ghraib prison never came out. It was the centerpiece of Saddam’s empire of fear, and those prisoners who did make it out told nightmarish tales of torture beyond imagining – and executions without reason.

60 Minutes II talked about the prison and shared pictures of what Americans did there with two men who have extensive interrogation experience: Former Marine Lt. Col. Bill Cowan and former CIA Bureau Chief Bob Baer.

"I visited Abu Ghraib a couple of days after it was liberated. It was the most awful sight I've ever seen. I said, ‘If there's ever a reason to get rid of Saddam Hussein, it's because of Abu Ghraib,'" says Baer. "There were bodies that were eaten by dogs, torture. You know, electrodes coming out of the walls. It was an awful place."

"We went into Iraq to stop things like this from happening, and indeed, here they are happening under our tutelage," says Cowan.

Former CIA man and interrogator Bob Baer visited Abu Ghraib, eh? The article doesn't bother to mention what he was doing in Iraq. As for Cowan's comment regarding torture happening under the tutelage of US organizations, the CIA has a long history of supporting dictators in other countries and even teaching torture techniques. There is even the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia that is notorious for teaching "interrogation" techniques to Latin American soldiers.

"Winning hearts and minds" in Iraq

It was American soldiers serving as military police at Abu Ghraib who took these pictures. The investigation started when one soldier got them from a friend, and gave them to his commanders. 60 Minutes II has a dozen of these pictures, and there are many more – pictures that show Americans, men and women in military uniforms, posing with naked Iraqi prisoners.

There are shots of the prisoners stacked in a pyramid, one with a slur written on his skin in English.

In some, the male prisoners are positioned to simulate sex with each other. And in most of the pictures, the Americans are laughing, posing, pointing, or giving the camera a thumbs-up.

60 Minutes II was only able to contact one of the soldiers facing charges. But the Army says they are all in Iraq, awaiting court martial.

"What can the Army say specifically to Iraqis and others who are going to see this and take it personally," Rather asked Kimmitt, in an interview conducted by satellite from Baghdad.

"The first thing I’d say is we’re appalled as well. These are our fellow soldiers. These are the people we work with every day, and they represent us. They wear the same uniform as us, and they let their fellow soldiers down," says Kimmitt.

As the deputy chief of military operations in Iraq, Kimmitt should be held responsible at least in part for the actions of his men. It is also ridiculous to believe that he had no idea what the soldiers under his command were doing. If Kimmit didn't know what his troops were doing, he was negligent in his duties. If he did know, he is still guilty of complicity in the torture even if he didn't personally take part. Of course, we are meant to believe that he had nothing to do with the torture - it's just a few bad apples, right? Perhaps, but we doubt it.

"Our soldiers could be taken prisoner as well. And we expect our soldiers to be treated well by the adversary, by the enemy. And if we can't hold ourselves up as an example of how to treat people with dignity and respect … We can't ask that other nations to that to our soldiers as well."

"So what would I tell the people of Iraq? This is wrong. This is reprehensible. But this is not representative of the 150,000 soldiers that are over here," adds Kimmitt. "I'd say the same thing to the American people... Don't judge your army based on the actions of a few."

Good old US freedom and democracy, so this is what Bush meant by the "war for hearts and minds?" According to Kimmitt torturing Iraqis is not representative of the rest of the US army in Iraq. What then do we call the use of AC-130 "Specter" gunships and snipers on the residents of Fallujah? What do we call the massacreing and maiming of 15,000 innocent Iraqi civilians? If that is not torture, then what is? The truth is that the US invasion of Iraq, at the behest of Israel, was designed to torture the entire Iraqi nation into submission. So, okay, we won't judge based on the actions of a "few" - we'll also consider the slaughter of civilians by those soldiers on the front lines as well as stories such as the following:

FLASHBACK!

U.S. Snipers Seen As 'Weapons' in Iraq

By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer
April 19, 2004

NAJAF, Iraq - A U.S. Army patrol stops suspicious vehicles on the edges of this insurgent-controlled city.

Some 500 yards away, lying prone and hidden in the sand, two expert marksmen stalk Iraqis emerging from cars through the cross-hairs of their rifles.

If they detect a sudden, hostile move, the snipers should be able to kill the assailant with a single bullet before the patrol itself can react. [...]

Officers say snipers in Iraq have inflicted the greatest number of casualties during counter-sniper fire or protecting an advancing unit by hanging back and watching for an insurgent to appear at a window or peer around a corner.

Despite thermal targeting devices and other battlefield wizardry, the technological advantage of U.S. forces drops sharply the moment a unit moves into the warrens of alleys, walled compounds and low, flat-roofed buildings that dominate Iraq's urban centers.

At such times, the finely honed skills of the snipers must kick in, and the fighting becomes close-up and dependent on raw instinct.

"It's more personal than regular combat. You see the man's expression before you pull the trigger, then the blood and the fall," says Cpl. Omar Torres, a sniper with the 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. [...]

Pokos says snipers often move into a targeted area 24 to 48 hours before an attack to observe and pick targets, avoiding detection at all costs. "You measure your movement in inches, not in feet," the 26-year-old master marksman says.

Before deploying to Iraq, his men had brown-colored sheets sewn into camouflage wear, making them appear like just another small rise in the desert sand.

The standard M-24 sniper rifle is of the same hue, a bolt-action weapon with which a sniper is expected to make "head shots" at up to 600 yards and "body kills" at a maximum range of 1,000 yards.

Sometimes snipers accomplish more by inspiring fear than by pulling triggers. [...]

Pokos, who like some snipers declines to talk about how many people he has killed, says that total concentration and calculation must be brought to bear on the moment when the trigger is pulled, as well as the distance, weather, state of the rifle, the amount of sleep and coffee one has had.

"It's just you and your buddy and you've got to make the call on the ground and the one call is all you get," he says. "The only thing you must think about are those cross-hairs."

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Wow! It's just like a video game! One wonders how many of Pokos' victims were guilty of nothing more than fighting against the occupation of their country and the murder of their families. But wait, it gets better! These people actually enjoy their "work":

FLASHBACK!

"It's a sniper's dream"

By Mike Davis

The young American Marine is exultant. "It's a sniper's dream,' he tells a Los Angeles Times reporter on the outskirts of Fallujah. "You can go anywhere and there so many ways to fire at the enemy without him knowing where you are."

"Sometimes a guy will go down, and I'll let him scream a bit to destroy the morale of his buddies. Then I'll use a second shot."

"To take a bad guy out," he explains, "is an incomparable "adrenaline rush." He brags of having "24 confirmed kills" in the initial phase of the brutal U.S. onslaught against the rebel city of 300,000 people.

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And so it appears that it isn't just the "actions of a few" with which we concern ourselves - it is the actions of many that we find so disturbing. It is the murder of civilians in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq, oftentimes for no other reason than the fact that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other Iraqis are fighting for their freedom from US rule. Remember this photo?

Are far as we can see, there is only one Iraqi standing on the burning Humvee in this photo who has what looks like a gun. The rest have pipes, axes, and even a wrench. Does anyone truly believe that these people are Saddam sympathizers? How about M-14 operatives? If Bush and Co. were actually concerned with the wellbeing of Iraqis, wouldn't they pause for even just a moment and consider that if Iraqis are taking up wrenches against US forces, perhaps they feel the same patriotic fervor that currently grips the US? Of course, such empathy seems to be absent in the psychopath.

If you were currently living in Iraq, what would you think if the former US-supported dictator was replaced with an even more powerful US puppet government? And if this "coup" was carried out by leveling much of the infrastructure of the country in order that US companies could make billions on reconstruction projects, do you think you might also pick up a wrench or an axe and stand atop a burned symbol of your new oppressors' might?

Returning to the CBS article:

One of the soldiers facing court martial is Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Chip Frederick.

Frederick is charged with maltreatment for allegedly participating in and setting up a photo, and for posing in a photograph by sitting on top of a detainee. He is charged with an indecent act for observing one scene. He is also charged with assault for allegedly striking detainees – and ordering detainees to strike each other.

60 Minutes II talked with him by phone from Baghdad, where he is awaiting court martial.

Frederick told us he will plead not guilty, claiming the way the Army was running the prison led to the abuse of prisoners.

"We had no support, no training whatsoever. And I kept asking my chain of command for certain things...like rules and regulations," says Frederick. "And it just wasn't happening."

Six months before he faced a court martial, Frederick sent home a video diary of his trip across the country. Frederick, a reservist, said he was proud to serve in Iraq. He seemed particularly well-suited for the job at Abu Ghraib. He’s a corrections officer at a Virginia prison, whose warden described Frederick to us as "one of the best."

Frederick says Americans came into the prison: "We had military intelligence, we had all kinds of other government agencies, FBI, CIA ... All those that I didn't even know or recognize."

Frederick's letters and email messages home also offer clues to problems at the prison. He wrote that he was helping the interrogators:

"Military intelligence has encouraged and told us 'Great job.' "

"They usually don't allow others to watch them interrogate. But since they like the way I run the prison, they have made an exception."

"We help getting them to talk with the way we handle them. ... We've had a very high rate with our style of getting them to break. They usually end up breaking within hours." According to the Army’s own investigation, that’s what was happening. The Army found that interrogators asked reservists working in the prison to prepare the Iraqi detainees, physically and mentally, for questioning.

"What, if any actions, are being taken against the interrogators?"

"I hope the investigation is including not only the people who committed the crimes, but some of the people that might have encouraged these crimes as well," says Kimmitt. "Because they certainly share some level of responsibility as well."

It is not surprising that Kimmit would make this statement. As a commanding officer, he certainly would want to distance himself from the crimes that have been committed on his watch.

But so far, none of the interrogators at Abu Ghraib are facing criminal charges. In fact, a number of them are civilians, and military law doesn’t apply to them.

One of the civilian interrogators at Abu Ghraib was questioned by the Army, and he told investigators he had "broken several tables during interrogations, unintentionally," while trying to "fear up" prisoners. He denied hurting anyone.

These "civilians" will no doubt escape prosecution. That is how intelligence operatives work. They will use whoever they need to use to get the job done, and then slip away quietly while everyone else takes the heat.

In our phone conversation, 60 Minutes II asked Frederick whether he had seen any prisoners beaten.

"I saw things. We had to use force sometimes to get the inmates to cooperate, just like our rules of engagement said," says Frederick. "We learned a little bit of Arabic, basic commands. And they didn't want to listen, so sometimes, you would just give them a little nudge or something like that just to get them to cooperate so we could get the mission accomplished."

Attorney Gary Myers and a judge advocate in Iraq are defending Frederick. They say he should never have been charged, because of the failure of his commanders to provide proper training and standards.

"The elixir of power, the elixir of believing that you're helping the CIA, for God's sake, when you're from a small town in Virginia, that's intoxicating," says Myers. "And so, good guys sometimes do things believing that they are being of assistance and helping a just cause. ... And helping people they view as important."

Frederick says he didn't see a copy of the Geneva Convention rules for handling prisoners of war until after he was charged.

Why are we not surprised... After all, when the Commander in Chief of the US military shows so little regard for the Geneva Convention, why should the troops under his command give them a second thought?

The Army investigation confirms that soldiers at Abu Ghraib were not trained at all in Geneva Convention rules. And most were reservists, part-time soldiers who didn't get the kind of specialized prisoner of war training given to regular Army members.

Does anyone actually believe that this was a mere oversight on the part of the US military leadership? Furthermore, what difference would the training have made since the prisoners are technically not POW's?

Frederick also says there were far too few soldiers there for the number of prisoners: "There was, when I left, there was over 900. And there was only five soldiers, plus two non-commissioned officers, in charge for those 900 -- over 900 inmates."

Rather asked Kimmitt about understaffing. "That doesn't condone individual acts of criminal behavior no matter how tired we are. No matter how stretched we are, that doesn't give us license and it doesn't give us the authority to break the law," says Kimmitt.

"That may have been a contributing factor, but at the end of the day, this is probably more about leadership, supervision, setting standards, abiding by the Army values and understanding what's right, and having the guts to say what's right." Brig. Gen. Janice Karpinsky ran Abu Ghraib for the Army. She was also in charge of three other Army prison facilities that housed thousands of Iraqi inmates.

The Army investigation determined that her lack of leadership and clear standards led to problems system wide. Karpinski talked with 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft last October at Abu Ghraib, before any of this came out.

"This is international standards," said Karpinski. "It's the best care available in a prison facility."

But the Army investigation found serious problems behind the scenes. The Army has photographs that show a detainee with wires attached to his genitals. Another shows a dog attacking an Iraqi prisoner. Frederick said that dogs were "used for intimidation factors."

Part of the Army's own investigation is a statement from an Iraqi detainee who charges a translator - hired to work at the prison - with raping a male juvenile prisoner: "They covered all the doors with sheets. I heard the screaming. ...and the female soldier was taking pictures."

We suggest rereading the last two sections. Freedom and democracy? Horse hockey!

There is also a picture of an Iraqi man who appears to be dead -- and badly beaten.

"It's reprehensible that anybody would be taking a picture of that situation," says Kimmitt.

But what about the situation itself?

"I don't know the facts surrounding what caused the bruising and the bleeding," says Kimmitt. "If that is also one of the charges being brought against the soldiers, that too is absolutely unacceptable and completely outside of what we expect of our soldiers and our guards at the prisons."

And yet, as a commanding officer, did Kimmitt or any other military leader make sure that the troops possessed a thorough understanding of the treatment of POWs according to the Geneva Convention? Of course not. You see, they aren't called POWs anymore. They are called "terrorists" or "detainees". That way, the international rules don't apply. The masses in the US are no doubt mostly unaware of such details. If Americans weren't so engrossed in Reality TV, perhaps they might know something about Reality Itself.

Is there any indication that similar actions may have happened at other prisons? "I'd like to sit here and say that these are the only prisoner abuse cases that we're aware of, but we know that there have been some other ones since we've been here in Iraq," says Kimmitt. When Saddam ran Abu Ghraib prison, Iraqis were too afraid to come ask for information on their family members.

When 60 Minutes II was there last month, hundreds had gathered outside the gates, worried about what is going on inside.

"We will be paid back for this. These people at some point will be let out," says Cowan. "Their families are gonna know. Their friends are gonna know."

This is a hard story to have to tell when Americans are fighting and dying in Iraq. And for Cowan, it’s a personal issue. His son is an infantry soldier serving in Iraq for the last four months.

Rather asked Cowan what he would say to "that person who is sitting in their living room and saying, ‘I wish they wouldn't do this. It's undermining our troops and they shouldn't do it.’"

"If we don't tell this story, these kinds of things will continue. And we'll end up getting paid back 100 or 1,000 times over," says Cowan. "Americans want to be proud of each and everything that our servicemen and women do in Iraq. We wanna be proud. We know they're working hard. None of us, now, later, before or during this conflict, should wanna let incidents like this just pass."

Americans certainly do want to be proud of the actions of their military. When those actions are revealed to be hideous perversions of the justice that so many US leaders talk about, the same Americans will allow such incidents to pass. It seems that we all hate to have our illusions shattered. We will perform amazing feats of mental gymnastics to prevent our sacred cows from being sent to the slaughterhouse.

Kimmitt says the Army will not let what happened at Abu Ghraib just pass. What does he think is the most important thing for Americans to know about what has happened?

"I think two things. No. 1, this is a small minority of the military, and No. 2, they need to understand that is not the Army," says Kimmitt. "The Army is a values-based organization. We live by our values. Some of our soldiers every day die by our values, and these acts that you see in these pictures may reflect the actions of individuals, but by God, it doesn't reflect my army."

Yes indeedy, the US military is all about values. What was it that the snipers in the above articles said?

"It's more personal than regular combat. You see the man's expression before you pull the trigger, then the blood and the fall," says Cpl. Omar Torres, a sniper with the 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

"Sometimes a guy will go down, and I'll let him scream a bit to destroy the morale of his buddies. Then I'll use a second shot."

It seems that Kimmitt's definition of "values" is not exactly what we had in mind. The idea of values and morals is, at best, nebulous. US soldiers believe that they are defending their way of life, their Christian morals, and their country's values. Similarly, Iraqis believe that they are fighting for their freedom and their Islamic morals and values. So, which group is right - the Americans or the Iraqis?

Two weeks ago, 60 Minutes II received an appeal from the Defense Department, and eventually from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, to delay this broadcast -- given the danger and tension on the ground in Iraq.

60 Minutes II decided to honor that request, while pressing for the Defense Department to add its perspective to the incidents at Abu Ghraib prison. This week, with the photos beginning to circulate elsewhere, and with other journalists about to publish their versions of the story, the Defense Department agreed to cooperate in our report.

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The following is another article regarding the head of the prison system in Iraq:

US woman general under investigation over prison abuses in Iraq

April 29, 2004

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The general in charge of the US-run prison system in Iraq has been suspended and put under investigation over the alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers, a senior military spokesman revealed.

Brigadier General Janis Karpinski was suspended from her duties in late January after six US soldiers were indicted for mistreating prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

She and another six officers are under administrative investigation that could result in letters of reprimand, he said.

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Letters of reprimand... Ooo, sounds serious! Meanwhile, terrorists are spooking New Zealanders again...but who are they really?

Terrorists May be Using New Zealand Passports

NZ City – April 29, 2004

Police fear al Qaeda terrorists using NZ passports following arrest of 2 men in Thailand and seizure of fake NZ passports.

There are fears al Qaeda terrorists may be roaming the world, passing themselves off as New Zealanders.

It follows the arrest of two men in Thailand, and the seizure of 11 fake New Zealand passports.

Police picked up the Thai and his Pakistani accomplice in an undercover raid in Bangkok on Monday.

The forged New Zealand documents are among 23 fake passports found in their apartment.

The arrests followed the arrest last month of another Pakistani suspect, found with 12 fake New Zealand passports.

The Bangkok Post newspaper says the passports might have been used by al Qaeda-linked terrorist suspects or human traffickers.

The documents have serial numbers beginning with N379, which allows visa-free entry to several countries.

Thai police say terrorist suspects arrested in Europe have travelled to several nations carrying fake passports with such serial numbers.

Comment: So "al-Qaeda" have got their hands on fake New Zealand passports. We wonder where they might have got those from? We wonder who "al-Qaeda" really is? We also wonder who really carried out the 9/11 attacks? We also wonder who is really behind the "war on terror"? And finally we wonder when people are going to put two and two together?

Flashback: Government demands Israel return any bogus passports

New Zealand Herald – April 19, 2004

The Government called in an Israeli diplomat over suspected Mossad spies arrested in New Zealand and demanded the Israeli Government return any bogus New Zealand passports it might have.

Flashback: Israeli man entered NZ using Canadian passport, court told

New Zealand Herald April 22, 2004

Documents produced at the Auckland District Court show an Israeli man who allegedly tried to obtain a false New Zealand passport previously came to this country on a Canadian passport.

Flashback: Israelis in passport case show their disguise talents

The New Zealand Herald
April 24, 2004

Flashback: New Zealand vows "strong response" to alleged Israeli bid to get passports

AFP – Saturday April 17, 2004

AUCKLAND – New Zealand vowed to make a strong response after two Israelis reported to be Mossad spies were arrested and charged with attempting to obtain New Zealand passports.

Secondary explosions in WTC reported by Newscasters on 9/11

Comment: The above links to an audio file of a news report on 9/11 where the reporters describe explosions just before the towers fell.

Mossad Threatening Americans On American Soil Again?

By John Anast Al-Jazeerah
4-28-4

There is a current theory, which is making some sense to investigators with regard to operations by Mossad and its operatives living in the United States, conducted against American citizens some of whom are critical of Israeli policies.

Mossad, its criminal elements, other Israeli operatives, and Zionists living in America are known to engage in criminal activities many of which target unsuspecting Jewish Americans. Agents of Mossad then make direct or indirect contact with the victim of the crime and offer assistance suggesting that using the Israeli intelligence apparatus will assist the victim beyond what local US or Federal law enforcement are capable of. In some instances there is a cost to the service, including travel expenses et cetera.

Once the level of trust or kinship is established with the victim of a crime, Mossad then identifies a person or persons critical of Israeli policy as the suspected perpetrator of that particular crime. It should come as no shock that Mossad and in fact members of the Israeli Government are involved in any number of criminal activities not the least of which being the designer drug trade. This form of trade craft goes much further however, as it seeks to defame and impugn Americans who view the systematic murder of Palestinians and the siege of Palestine by Israel as immoral and a crime against humanity.

The informational requirement for Mossad to operate in the United States is significant and essential not only to its espionage activities but in its criminal activities as well. For its purposes, Mossad relies upon Zionist Americans living in proximity to a particular target to play a role. In many instances these are rather insignificant people desiring to be part of something they might perceive as more important than their otherwise insignificant lives. Some of the people are older Zionist Americans who in the twilight of their years feel some nostalgia for the notion of assisting the Zionist enterprise having been fed holocaust propaganda for decades. Most if not all of these individuals choose Florida over Israel, however, to call their home, but are reminded by Israelis and Zionist Jews to remember distorted terms like - terrorism, which is really a euphemism, a code if you will, for a danger almost exclusively to Jews.

In the same way the tragedy of September 11th has been used dishonorably by the Zionist enterprise to elicit emotions amongst the average American and foster the false notion that somehow their holy war against Arabs is our war -- when clearly it is not. Albeit one would be hard pressed to find an Iraqi to dispute that notion. As Americans continue to die in Iraq and as your tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund the Iraq war and its collateral costs the reality is no benefit accrues to the United States, its economy or its people. US major media plays its role too, whereas, Zionist editors working at cable and network media do not allow criticism of Israel, Israeli policies, or Israeli crimes to be aired. In fact these same editors do not allow any meaningful debate regarding Israel. It might surprise many Americans to learn that the major ìexstasyî drug dealers in the world today and the largest suppliers of the so-called designer drug to America are Israelis. Some of the profits from that illegal drug trade, which are not sent to the Greek Islands to fund gaming, are funneled into Israeli operations including operations in the United States against American citizens.

Much of the information, which is required, compiled and used by the Israelis in their various nefarious plots, is obtained and supplied by various Zionist organizations and Zionists working for US law enforcement. Currently Zionist organizations not only maintain files on Americans, which are routinely exchanged with the Israeli Government, but are actively involved as accessories after the fact in criminal activity perpetrated against Americans. The files include pictures, purported statements, personal information as well as other information pertaining to travel patterns and local markets, churches and shopping malls frequented. Mossad has also been known to set up surveillance near the homes of people critical of Israeli policies and use electronic equipment to gain access to private conversations, as well as use tracking devices placed on vehicles.

In most cases the targets of the false accusations are unaware as to what is transpiring. Yet the harassment includes not only surveillance but also a tactic of advising the victim of the criminal act perpetrated by the Israelis themselves, to harass the suspect falsely identified by the Israeli agents as the perpetrator. In rare instances merely identifying someone, as anti-Israel is sufficient to elicit hate amongst a sub-culture of American Jews seemingly left out of the American dream.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is receiving some information with regard to these activities by the Israelis and their US accomplices. Local law enforcement agencies in conjunction with the Office of Homeland Security need to begin to ferret out the Israeli criminal enterprise rooted in suburbia and responsible not only for drug traffic but other crimes as well -- in order to identify, arrest and charge the Israelis and their accomplices. It would be a travesty for the US Government to merely deport these Israeli criminals as they deported many suspected Israeli terrorists after September 11th.

The first place US law enforcement must look is within its own organizations as it is more than likely that Israeli agents and their accomplices have infiltrated and maintained surveillance and monitor Federal and local police agencies in order to avoid detection.

Sharon evidence lacking: Experts: Bribery case threatens to topple Israeli PM

JERUSALEM—An interim legal report has found Israeli prosecutors lack enough evidence to charge Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a bribery scandal that has threatened to topple him, says a TV report.

The news will give Sharon a welcome boost as he heads toward a neck-and-neck referendum of his right-wing Likud party on Sunday on a Gaza Strip pullout plan that has shaken Middle East peacemaking to the core.

Comment: Greek islands, gambling, drug smuggling - all in day's work for an Israeli PM like Sharon.

Sharon Concealing the Depth of the Concessions

17:10 Apr 28

Mr. Sharon and his staffers are said to be hiding the truth from the public regarding the depth of his planned pullback from Judea and Samaria. "If the Likud members would know what Sharon is really planning," Likud leaders told Yossi Elituv of Mishpachah [Family] magazine, "they would be storming his office and demanding his immediate resignation."

The Likud seniors told Elituv that Sharon has given the order to "hide the evacuation from Judea/Samaria, and concentrate only on the pullback from Gaza. His purpose is to lull the Likud members, obtain their consent for the disengagement from Gaza, and then to use that to move on to the next stage - a massive evacuation of Judea and Samaria." Specifically, the quoted sources in Elituv's article say, 20 Yesha communities are on the chopping block - involving the expulsion of some 100,000 Jews. This is in addition to the four towns that are to be uprooted simultaneously with Gush Katif, namely, Kadim, Ganim, Sa-Nur and Chomesh.

Comment: Where is all this going? Does Sharon know what he is doing? He certainly thinks he does, but then, as with all hierarchies, the members are only useful until they have served their purpose and in their manipulating are liable to being manipulated themselves. Do not doubt that what you are witnessing in current events is the careful laying of pieces of "grand" plan. Whether it will achieve it's ultimate goal or not ultimately depends on you and I.

America warns its citizens to leave Gaza immediately

AP in Gaza City
Thursday April 29, 2004
The Guardian

The US state department warned US citizens early today to leave Gaza immediately and not to travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The new advice was issued "due to current safety and security concerns" and cited "the killings of two Hamas leaders" in Gaza and threats of revenge, including kidnappings, as the reason for the new warning.

The Israeli military has been conducting a campaign against leaders of the Islamist group Hamas over recent weeks, killing its founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and his successor, Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi. Israel has vowed to kill all Hamas leaders and said that the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, could be targeted.

In Gaza City early today, a large remote-controlled bomb went off in a house after the Gaza security chief, Ghazi Jabali left, witnesses said. No one was hurt but there was considerable damage.

His wife lives in the house in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City. Witnesses found a 25-metre wire leading from the scene of the blast, attached to a switch.

The explosion shook the neighbourhood at 2.30am. Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene.

The Israeli military denied being responsible for the blast, and Palestinian police investigators did not name Israel among the possible suspects. They said all avenues were being checked.

On Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said that though the Palestinian Au thority has 30,000 police in Gaza, it was not working to stop Hamas attacks because it was involved in terrorism.

However, Israeli forces have not used such remote-controlled bombs in Gaza in the past. There have been cases of such devices being used by rival Palestinian groups against each other. Last October, a similar bomb blew up a US embassy convoy outside Gaza City, killing three American guards.

Comment: How easy it is for the IDF to create mayhem in the occupied territories and blame it on everyone else.

Two Key Accomplices of the Perpetrators of Madrid Bombings were Police informants

Translated from "El Mundo"
29/04/2004

MADRID.- Two people arrested for the Madrid massacre on 11th March were police informants. The Morrocan Rafá Zuher, the link man who obtained the explosives used, worked for the Guardia Civil and the retired miner Emilio Suárez Trashorras, who sold the 200 kilos of explosives for a quantity of Cannabis resin, was a regular informer for the National Police. [...]

Comment: The simple conclusion from the above is that the Spanish police have no idea who carried out the attacks. The current ongoing investigation and arrests are merely a ruse to pacify the public. Once again, The Mossad gets clean away.

Rajoy Calls for Anti Terrorist Meeting in Reponse to Criticism from Spanish Interior Minister Over Madrid Bombings

MADRID.- General Secretary of the Popular Party Mariano Rajoy,has asked Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to convoque a meeting of the Anti-terrorist pact group, in response to criticisms by the current Minister of the interior, of the previous government and its lack of foresight in dealing with the Madrid bombings.

Comment: Rajoy is the Spanish ex minister of the interior and candidate to succeed ex PM Aznar. He was defeated in the recent Spanish general elections by new Spanish PM Zapatero. It seems that, behind the scenes, it is being realised that there was much more to the Madrid bombings that crazed Islamic terrorists. Certainly the current government will be realising that there were serious mistakes, or perhaps even complicity, on the part of the ousted Spanish government. But who to blame?

Spain indicts fugitive on Sept. 11 charges

By Maria jesus Prades
Associated Press
28/04/2004

MADRID, Spain - A Moroccan fugitive sought in connection with the March 11 train bombings in Madrid was indicted Wednesday on charges of helping to plan the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States - the first suspect linked to both attacks.

Amer Azizi, 36, helped organize a meeting in northeast Spain in July 2001 that key plotters in the U.S. attacks, including suicide pilot Mohamed Atta, used to finalize details, Judge Baltasar Garzon said in the indictment.

Azizi also was included in an indictment Garzon handed down last September against al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and 34 other terror suspects. Azizi was charged then with belonging to a terrorist organization. Bin Laden and nine others were charged with planning the Sept. 11 attacks.

In the new indictment, Azizi is charged with multiple counts of murder - "as many deaths and injuries as were committed" on Sept. 11, 2001 - for helping to plan the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Azizi provided lodging for people who attended the July 2001 meeting in the Tarragona region of Spain and acted as a courier, passing on messages between plotters, Garzon said in the indictment.

According to a U.S. congressional investigation, Atta flew to Madrid in July 2001, where authorities believe he met with co-conspirator Ramzi Binalshibh to discuss the plot. Binalshibh, who provided money to many of the hijackers, is now in U.S. custody at an undisclosed overseas location. The U.S. investigation did not mention the presence of any other conspirators in Spain. [...]

Comment: As Mossad continues to carry out the attacks that perpetuate the phony "war on terror", they create an increasingly complicated web of lies and deception involving an increasing number of phony terrorists making it increasingly difficult for the authorities to present a coherent case to the public. While to a large extent Mossad and similar organisations in the US can count on public apathy and stupidity, there may be a limit to the public's apetite for blatant horse hockey. There is a chance that, in their arrogance, they may overplay their hand. Recent events in New Zealand suggest that it can happen.

U.N. Security Council OKs WMD Resolution

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 28,10:26 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS - The Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday requiring all 191 U.N. states to pass laws to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists.

President Bush urged the council in September to close a loophole that could allow terror groups to get hold of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

International treaties target weapons proliferation by governments — but there are no laws to prevent "non-state actors" such as corrupt scientists, black marketeers and terrorists from obtaining such weapons.

Bush called the resolution an "important achievement" and urged states to implement it.

"We must continue to press these efforts to ensure that the world's most destructive weapons are kept from the world's most dangerous regimes and organizations," he said in a statement released at the White House Wednesday evening.

The measure was adopted under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter which allows for military enforcement if necessary. But it makes clear that there will be no unilateral action by any country. [...]

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Disregarded Iraq Warnings Appear Prescient

By KEN GUGGENHEIM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The warnings came not from anti-war Democrats, but from Republicans who were backing their president: Planning for a postwar Iraq was inadequate, they said. More U.S. troops would be needed. The United Nations should have a larger role.

In each case, the warning wasn't heeded. And in each case, critics now say it appears to have been on target.

Some senators say U.S. efforts in Iraq might be better off today if the Bush administration had worked more closely with Congress. They are encouraging the administration to keep that in mind as it makes plans for handing over control of Iraq on June 30.

Postwar planning was inadequate "and I'm hopeful that's not being repeated," said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In February and March 2003, Lugar and Sen. Joseph Biden, the panel's top Democrat, warned that the administration had not given enough consideration to what would happen in Iraq after the fighting ended. [...]

Comment: Of course, the vast majority in Congress kept their mouths shut while Bush and Co. trampled over Afghanistan and Iraq. Now it seems that questioning Gulf War II is becoming "fashionable", and so numerous representatives are jumping on the bandwagon. Nothing has really changed.

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Oil hits 13-year high amid low US inventories

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BP ready to quit in blow to rebuilding hopes

Terry Macalister
Thursday April 29, 2004
The Guardian

BP's chief executive delivered a serious setback to hopes of rebuilding Iraq when he said that the oil company has no future there.

John Browne, one of Tony Blair's favourite industrialists, indicated he had given up on Iraq because the political and security situation in the country had deteriorated so much.

Yet only 18 months ago he was extremely enthusiastic about prospects, lobbying in Washington and London to ensure American rivals did not cut him out of the action.

"We need a government, we need laws and we need decisions. We have not got any of that yet. A whole range of steps need to be taken," said the BP boss as he unveiled new record profits this week. [...]

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The Quiet Americans: Why can't the media call Bush a liar?

by Judith Lewis

[...] But here’s what they did know: That while almost everyone suspected Hussein had chemical and biological weapons in his arsenal, no one thought he had nuclear weapons or the ability to produce them (“Lumping them together,” said Blix, “is like lumping together apples and pears and . . . mushrooms”); that both Bush and Tony Blair used intelligence they knew was faulty as they sold their respective countries on the war; that at no point did any credible intelligence suggest that Hussein was an immediate threat to anyone but his own people. Nearly everyone knew for certain what Bush’s war was not. But no one I heard could explain what it was.

To raise the issue of profit-based warmongering in this crowd — to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the Bush administration, a group of men and women lousy with conflicts of interest and oil-industry money, was engaged in a duplicitous grab for resources, strategic position and an illegal expansion of military power, ambitions consistent with the plan laid out in a widely circulated September 2000 manifesto by the Project for a New American Century — well, that would have sounded like a conspiracy theory. The closest anyone came was Italian journalist Frederico Rampini, who accused the U.S. government of “ripping off the American taxpayer” in its rebuilding and redevelopment efforts in Iraq. “I don’t see a U.S. media campaign on this issue,” he remarked. “Even in Italy, the champion of conflicts of interest, this would be on the front page for weeks.” Not even Rampini, however, suggested that this ripping off was on Rumsfeld’s mind on September 12, 2001, when the defense secretary advised his colleagues that there were no good targets in Afghanistan but plenty in Iraq. That would have been simplistic.

US deploys heavy armour in Iraq

The US is sending additional heavy tanks and armoured vehicles to Iraq to combat the recent upsurge in attacks on its forces there.

The move is at the request of military commanders on the ground.

BBC Pentagon correspondent Nick Childs says it marks a sharp reversal of strategy, and highlights their concern about the escalating violence in Iraq.

Renewed fighting shakes embattled Falluja

Wednesday 28 April 2004, 20:05 Makka Time, 17:05 GMT

Gunfire and explosions have rattled Falluja as President Bush insists his forces will do what it takes to control the city.

Shelling and fierce exchanges of gunfire broke out mid-afternoon on Wednesday in three districts of Falluja, which had already been pounded by airborne gunships overnight.

US forces to pull out of Falluja

George Wright and agencies
Thursday April 29, 2004

US forces today announced an end to their siege of Falluja, saying they will pull out immediately to allow a newly-created, Iraqi security force to secure the city.

The new force, known as the Falluja Protective Army, will consist of up to 1,100 Iraqi soldiers led by a former general from the military of Saddam Hussein and will begin moving into the city tomorrow.

Lieutenant Colonel Brennan Byrne said the agreement was reached late last night between US officials and Falluja police and civilian representatives. "The plan is that the whole of Falluja will be under the control of the FPA," Lt Col Byrne told the Associated Press.

Under the new agreement, marines will pull back from their positions in and around Falluja, while the FPA forms a new cordon around it and then moves into the city. According to one report, marines in the city's southern industrial area have already begun packing up gear and loading heavy trucks today after receiving orders to withdraw.

Lt Col Byrne identified the commander of the FPA as General Salah, a former division commander under Saddam. The force will be made up of former Iraqi soldiers and police and be subordinate to the marine 1st Expeditionary Force. [...]

Comment: Look at the image above of a US soldier and an Iraqi policeman, notice anything?

Warplanes Hit Fallujah After Pull Out Agreed

US warplanes have reportedly carried out three strikes in the Iraqi city of Fallujah - hours after a new peace deal was agreed.

The attacks have raised fears the battle with an estimated 2,000 Muslim Sunni insurgents holed up in the town is far from over.

American commanders and city leaders said they had reached an agreement that could end the month-long siege by US troops.

Burning with anger: Iraqis infuriated by new flag that was designed in London

For many Iraqis it was the final insult. Again and again they expressed outrage yesterday that Iraq's United States-appointed and unelected leaders had, overnight, abolished the old Iraqi flag, seen by most Iraqis as the symbol of their nation, and chosen a new one. "What gives these people the right to throw away our flag, to change the symbol of Iraq?" asked Salah, a building contractor of normally moderate political opinions. "It makes me very angry because these people were appointed by the Americans. I will not regard the new flag as representing me but only traitors and collaborators."

The outburst of fury over the flag highlights the extraordinary ability of US leaders and the Iraqi Governing Council to alienate ordinary Iraqis, already angered by the bloody sieges of Fallujah and Karbala. And yesterday, in the hotbed of Iraqi rebellion, the flag was burnt in public in a demonstration of public anger...

A further reason for popular anger is that many Iraqis are convinced that their new flag is modelled on the Israeli flag.

Comment: Greater Israel anyone?

Iraq attackers kill 10 US troops

Thursday, 29 April, 2004

Eight American troops have been killed and four wounded in a car bombing in Iraq, the US military reports.
The attack took place in Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad, at about 1130 local time.

Thursday also saw two US soldiers killed in two separate attacks in Baghdad and the surrounding area.

More than 120 US troops have been killed in Iraq this month - the bloodiest for American forces since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Interview with a Mujahedeen, Observations from a Political Scientist

by Dahr Jamail
April 27

Dr. Womidhe Nidal is a Senior Political Science Professor at Baghdad University. Last night during an interview in his home, he stated, “Once you abide by the policy of the U.S.A. you are not a terrorist anymore. In 1991, Syria was not a terrorist because they supported the war against Iraq. Syria opposed the recent invasion, so now they are a terrorist.”

When asked what he thought about the Bush Administration referring to the situation in Iraq as the front lines of the “War on Terror,” he replied, “Here, one would have to distinguish between terrorism and resistance. Terror was unseen here before the invasion. In Falluja, it is not terrorism, it is resistance.”

In an ominous prelude to a very different meeting I had tonight with a member of the resistance, Dr. Nidal had said, “The American’s war against Iraq is over. Now we have the war of Iraq against America. A war of Iraqis fighting for their country, their homes, their money, and their lives.”

Tonight, I await a mujahedeen fighter, sipping tea impatiently until the door opens at the pre-set location.

He enters the room, his presence larger than that which his tall height and bulky body projects.

A blue ski mask hides his face, and he chooses to be called “Ahmed” to protect his identity. With a deep, course voice he introduces himself with the greeting ‘Salam Aleikum’ (Peace be upon you), and asks my translator and I to join him in sitting.

I am lucky to have been granted an interview with this man. Only by promising anonymity and having this pre-arranged has he allowed it.

“I want to tell the truth, but the media does not cooperate with the resistance. The media concentrates on the Americans, and does not care about Iraqis,” he says firmly, “This is not a rebellion, this is a resistance against the occupation.”

When asked what he thought about the Bush Administration referring to the situation in Iraq as the front lines of the “War on Terror,” Dr. Nidal had stated, “Here, one would have to distinguish between terrorism and resistance. Terror was unseen here before the invasion. In Falluja, it is not terrorism, it is resistance.”

Tonight I’m speaking with a 26 year-old member of the growing resistance who used to work as a portrait photographer and maintained his trade even whilst in the Iraqi Army, when he was a guard at the presidential palace.

Yet he was against Saddam Hussein and rejoiced when the U.S. military managed to topple his brutal regime. In fact, he says he didn’t even fight in the resistance against the U.S. during the invasion. But he grew weary of watching his fellow countrymen humiliated, mistreated and killed by the aggression of his occupiers, and like so many others he took up arms to fight against them.

He says, “We were under great stress during the time of Saddam. He put me in prison. We were never loyal to Saddam, but now he is representative of us because he is a native of Iraq, he is Muslim, and he is Iraqi.”

He says he is a member of a group of 20 who carry out attacks. His group has a “narrow” relationship with other groups in the resistance. He says, “We meet on the day we have a job, then after we complete the job, we don’t know each other until it is time for another job.”

He says his last job was yesterday.

He says his group has carried out 250 attacks and he, personally, has participated in 70 of them.

How does he know when it is time to meet with his group? He says, “When a house or city is attacked by the Americans, we meet and decide what job to do.” His group uses Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s), Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s), grenades and Kalashnikovs. “We have so many arms,” he says gruffly, “All that we need to do our jobs.”

When asked who comprises the resistance, he hold his hands out and says, “Some are Shia, Ba’athists, Sufis, tribes, and Arab fighters.” He adds pointedly, “I have been fighting for a year now, and I have not seen one Al-Qaeda fighter, nor have I heard of one fighting in the resistance.”

He adds that around half of the Iraqi Police are members of the resistance.

He says the resistance is growing--that even just this week five more men have joined his group. He leans forward and says, “As more Iraqis are provoked, more are joining the resistance. Even children who have had their parents killed by the soldiers are joining.”

Of a particular 12 year-old boy, he says, “He joined because he watched the Americans kill his mother and father. His father was not a fighter, didn’t even own a gun. He was looking over a fence and an American sniper shot him. When his mother went to help the father, she too was shot. So he joined us and has killed 22 soldiers. They are now frightened of him, because he carries out attacks on his own.”

He says nobody is his group is paid, and many hold regular jobs.

He tells a story of a Sheikh who was not in the resistance, yet US soldiers invaded the Sheikh’s home and he was beaten and detained in front of his seven daughters.

Ahmed says he personally knows 120 people, both men and women, who have been detained.

Dr. Nidal had also commented, “The crimes against humanity in Palestine are shown daily on the television; this does not indicate that the current U.S. administration is committed to democracy or human rights. Thus, how can a war criminal in Palestine (the U.S.) be accepted as a state builder in Iraq?”

Another story Ahmed tells vehemently is that of when he was detained, along with his sister. While in Abu-Ghraib prison he says he watched his sister raped by soldiers, and after three months she was released, pregnant. “Why do we not hear about these atrocities in the media? They try to portray us as barbarians when we are defending our homes and our families against U.S. terrorism?”

He continues his angry and firm tone, sitting on the edge of his chair while he says, “I will stop fighting when the last American soldier leaves Iraq.” He takes a deep breath and continues, “The Americans are the terrorists. Their military has killed millions of people all around the world. Is killing people like this accepted?”

Last night Dr. Nidal stated, “Bremer’s decision to attack Falluja and Sadr simultaneously has brought more unity between the Sunni and Shia than all my work of negotiating to bring them together. The unity is good, because of this I think things are getting better here. National unity is growing. Now people speak of Falluja and Najaf at the same time, although I am sad that it must be under these horrendous conditions.”

Tonight when Ahmed is asked how he feels about Muqtada Al-Sadr, he states, “They are Muslims and belong to our Prophet Mohammed. Our blood and our ground is the same. They are our brothers.”

He is asked what he will do if Falluja is invaded by the military. He again opens his arms and says, “We will gather and fight them-the same in Najaf and Kerbala. We are Muslim, because I am a son of Iraq, as they are. We all have the same aim now.”

He says he does not know how many soldiers he has killed. He says, “So many. During one attack my group killed 35 soldiers. We hit six Humvees with IED’s, then RPG’s and grenades, and killed everyone. When we inspected the convoy after we attacked it, nobody was alive, and we took their ammunition.”

The statement poignantly reminded me of something Dr. Nidal said just the previous evening, “I feel pity for soldiers who are ordered to come here-they are not choosing to come. Then they are killed. And of course this will continue with no policy change.”

I then ask Ahmed if there will be increased fighting around the June 30th “transfer of sovereignty,” even though today the U.S. military admits there are already over 40 attacks on them each day. He says, “There is no June 30th for us because the resistance is always growing here. June 30th is irrelevant. Sometimes the resistance lets up and people think it will end. But it will never end. It will never stop.”

I thank him for his time and he promptly leaves. As with the agreement, I sit back down and wait 10 more minutes before leaving myself. I take deep breaths and try not to ponder the horrendous days ahead for the Iraqis, the resistance, and the U.S. soldiers here.

As Dr. Nidal had eloquently put it just last night, “Violence creates counter-violence, and it always spirals out of control, like we are seeing now.”

Treating the Lasting Wounds of War

Originally published Wednesday, April 28, 2004
The Washington Post

[...] While attention remains riveted on the rising count of Americans killed in action -- more than 100 so far in April -- doctors at the main combat support hospital in Iraq are reeling from a stream of young soldiers with wounds so devastating that they probably would have been fatal in any previous war.

More and more in Iraq, combat surgeons say, the wounds involve severe damage to the head and eyes -- injuries that leave soldiers brain damaged or blind, or both, and the doctors who see them first struggling against despair.

How America's media backs Bush's war

By Antony Loewenstein
April 28, 2004

[...] Todd Gitlin, a Professor of Journalism and Sociology at Columbia University, argued that the vast majority of American journalists “were not thrilled to be considered instruments of the Pentagon’s imposing exercise in informational domination”. But while many reporters knew their legitimacy had been severely damaged by blindly reporting Saddam’s supposed WMD, they were still missing the big stories of the unfolding occupation, including “Ba’athist thugs promoted to high palaces and protected there by the Americans who now find them useful”. Far too few lessons had been learned, Gitlin said.

[...] “The death toll from small arms dwarfs that of all other weapons systems – and in most years [it] greatly exceeds the toll of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In terms of the carnage they cause, small arms, indeed, could well be described as “weapons of mass destruction.”

Re: is committing genocide kosher?

The following message was forwarded to Israel Shamir's TogetherNet list as an example of the kind of justification that Jews give for conquering Palestine. The message was written by a supporter of the State of Israel and the illegal settlements:

How does one justify eating the flesh of a kosher animal slaughtered in a kosher manner? What gives a Jewish person the moral and ethical justification to take the beast's life even of the animal the Torah says is fitting to eat.

Only when the neshoma/ soul of the destroyed animal's flesh is consumed to give the person consuming the flesh energy, to bring light and g-dly actions into the world. So the soul of the slaughtered animal gets a spiritual elevation when the behaviour of the person eating the flesh does the appropriate ma'asim tovim, mitzvot, good deeds.

So too, the establishment of settlements in the re-conquered Jewish Holy Land , being elevated spiritually, infinitely more than a Moslem could ever hope, to lift the land spiritually to benefit all mankind in general and G-d too.

To which Shamir made the following comment:

I am truly horrified by their racism. For these Fishers non-Jews are some sort of animals. They write of 'Muslims' but as their reference to kashrut makes it clear, they actually mean 'goyim'...

Israel Adam Shamir

Comment: The comments from the Zionists above are racist. They are intolerant. They are the justification for genocide. Although they speak of Moslems, Shamir points out that "they actually mean 'goyim'". And we repeat that these are not just words in that following from these words have been decades of terrorist attacks on the part of the Zionists and their Jewish supporters on the Palestinians, first in terror groups and then after 1948 through state terrorism, stealing the land, pushing them into camps, destruction of olive groves, and the massacre of thousands, not to mentioning uprooting them from their homes. The words and the actions coincide.

Our study of the world has led us to pose the possibility that there may be "souled" and soulless beings on the planet, or to be more precise, people who have the potential to grow a soul and those who do not. There are those who would lump us together with Zionist racists for this idea. There are important differences, however, that we would like to underline:

1. Given that in this world, we all start off as if we were soulless, and it is only through years of hard work that the soul can be nourished, it is very difficult to make the distinction between the two types. It is easy to be wrong in one's judgement. In fact, perhaps everyone has the potential for growing a soul and the only difference is the Will to do so.

2. Everyone has the right to be who they are. We have the right to defend ourselves, but we do not have the right to transgress the free will of another. Simply recognising difference is not in itself a mark of intolerance. It is only if differences lead to hierarchical relations of power. We do not wish to have any power over anyone whatsoever, other than ourselves.

There are those that find our outlook on the world to be pessimistic. We think, rather, that it is realistic. But it is not without hope, for anyone who is willing to make the effort can reap the fruits of their labours. However, the first step is to have the courage to see the world as it is.

Bougainville volcano concern

THE Mt Bagana volcano in central Bougainville is throwing up lava, and government authorities are concerned about the safety of people living in the area.

The volcanological observatory at the department of mining reported receiving reports of new lava coming out of the Bagana Volcano.

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Blair Would Fine Citizens $4,500 For Not Getting National Id Card

BBC - People who refuse to register for the government's planned ID card scheme could face a "civil financial penalty" of up to £2,500, it has emerged. David Blunkett said not making registering a criminal issue would avoid "clever people" becoming martyrs. [...]

Comment: Modern "democracy", enjoy its "benefits" - or else!

Florida town will soon have cameras and computers running background checks on every car and driver

The Associated Press

MANALAPAN, Fla. — One of the nation's wealthiest towns will soon have cameras and computers running background checks on every car and driver that passes through.

Police Chief Clay Walker said cameras will take infrared photos recording a car's tag number, then software will automatically run the numbers through law enforcement databases. A 911 dispatcher is alerted if the car is stolen or is the subject of a "be on the lookout" warning.

Next to the tag number, police will have a picture of the driver, taken with another set of cameras — upgraded versions of the standard surveillance cameras already in place.

Comment: It's for your own safety, really it is!

Asia Koreans die 'saving Kim portraits'

Reuters in Seoul
Thursday April 29, 2004
The Guardian

Many North Koreans died a "heroic death" after last week's train explosion by running into burning buildings to rescue portraits of the country's leader, Kim Jong-il, and his father, the North's official media reported yesterday.
Portraits of Mr Kim and his late father, the national founder Kim Il-sung, are mandatory fixtures in every home, office and factory in the hardline communist state of 23 million people. All adults are required to wear lapel pins bearing images of one or both Kims.

Last Thursday's blast in the town of Ryongchon, near the Chinese border, killed at least 161 people and injured 1,300, according to international relief agencies. Many of the victims were children.

The dead also included workers and teachers who died clutching the portraits of the Kims, the official KCNA news agency said.

"Many people _ evacuated portraits before searching after their family members or saving their household goods," it said. "Upon hearing the heavy explosion on their way home for lunch, Choe Yong-il and Jon Tong-sik, workers of the county procurement shop, ran back to the shop.

"They were buried under the collapsing building to die a heroic death when they were trying to come out with portraits of President Kim Il-sung and leader Kim Jong-il.

"Teacher Han Jong-suk, 56, also breathed her last with portraits in her bosom."

Comment: The above is clearly propaganda. American citizens read this and are either appalled or thankful that they do not live under such a repressive regime. The North Koreans more than likely simply accept it as a way of life and ignore it. Most Americans believe that everything American is vastly superior and more advanced than other countries. While for most things this is untrue and the product of crass propaganda similar to that employed by Kim Jung, there is one area in which the American government and it's people lead the field - deceiving and being deceived respectively.

EU clears last hurdle to ending GM food ban

April 29, 2004

The European Commission has the legal power to rubberstamp a request for imports of the GM maize. The last approval for any GM product was in October 1998 for a type of carnation. The last food product to be approved, a type of maize, was in April that year.

"The Commission will most likely approve it," Beate Gminder, Commission spokeswoman for food safety, told Reuters.

There is no time limit for this, but officials say Commission approval is likely in a matter of a few weeks.

The ending of the biotech ban is likely to be welcomed by the EU's major trading partners, such as the United States, which, along with Argentina and Canada, have challenged the EU ban on GM foods at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Two Md. Teen Girls Plead Guilty in Beating

Thu Apr 29, 2:24 AM ET
By BRIAN WITTE, Associated Press Writer

BALTIMORE - Two teenage girls admitted Wednesday they attacked a 12-year-old girl at a birthday party because a boy kissed her on the cheek. The beating put the girl in a coma for three weeks.

The girls, ages 14 and 13, pleaded guilty in juvenile court to two counts of second-degree assault in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault and reckless endangerment, said Roland Walker, an attorney for the older defendant.

In the Feb. 28 attack, Nicole Townes was pummeled, stomped and scratched until her body went limp. Authorities believe Nicole suffered brain damage.

Walker said the defendants' ages and their "collateral" role in the attack were taken into account by the state. [...]

Another 13-year-old girl, a 15-year-old and two women were also charged in the assault and police charged a 24-year-old woman who lived with Nicole with child abuse and neglect for leaving the girl at the party.

Police and prosecutors said Nicole's beating began when a boy at the party, acting on a dare, kissed her on the cheek. The mother of the girl celebrating her birthday was apparently offended because the boy was supposed to be her daughter's boyfriend. The mother allegedly urged her daughter to "handle your business," which said meant the girl was supposed to defend the family's honor.

Nicole was attacked by as many as six women and girls, police said. The birthday girl and her 36-year-old mother were among those charged.

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Cop Suspended for Hitler Salute

April 29, 2004

BERLIN (Reuters) - A policeman guarding Britain's embassy in Berlin has been suspended after he gave a fellow officer the stiff-armed Hitler salute at the start of his shift.

The 42-year-old is under investigation for making the outlawed salute and subsequent Nazi greeting, believed to be either "Sieg Heil" or "Heil Hitler."

He could face prosecution for the use of illegal symbols, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

"The officer raised his right arm upon arrival in the police duty office at the British embassy and greeted his colleague by making an outlawed statement," police said in a statement.

Inciting racial hatred, displaying Nazi emblems like the swastika and performing the Hitler salute are crimes punishable by imprisonment in Germany.

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Israelis design DNA 'computer' to fight disease

By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 28, 2004, 3:27 PM PDT

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science say they have devised a "biological computer" that could detect and help cure diseases such as cancer.

Described in a paper in the journal Nature, the team's biological computer is a designer version of DNA that can identify mutating cells.

When inserted into a biological environment, the designer molecule begins to sense ribonucleic acid (RNA), a similar molecule crucial to the replilcation of DNA, the chemical building block of genes. In particular, it is attracted to abnormal forms of RNA that are associated with lung or other types of cancer. The attraction occurs, because the sequence of the enzymes on the DNA strand corresponds to complementary sequences found on RNA from malignant cells.

Once detected, the designer molecule can then release chemicals to inhibit growth of malignant cells or even kill them. [...]

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Flying saucer fever grips Iran

By Christian Oliver
Wednesday April 28, 04:14 PM

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Is Iran about to be invaded by little green men or are the Americans racing through the night sky in spaceships to spy on their arch-foe the Islamic Republic?

Flying saucer fever has gripped Iran after dozens of sightings in the last few days. Fanciful cartoons of alien spacecraft have adorned the front pages.

State television on Wednesday showed a sparkling white disc it said was filmed over Tehran on Tuesday night.

More colourful Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have been spotted beaming out green, red, blue and purple rays over the northern cities of Tabriz and Ardebil and in the Caspian Sea province of Golestan, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Newspapers and agencies reported people rushing out into the streets in eight towns on Tuesday night to watch a bright extraterrestrial light dipping in and out of the clouds.

An airforce officer in the Revolutionary Guards was quoted in the reformist Vagha-ye Etefaghiyeh daily saying Iran's Supreme National Security Council should investigate whether these visitors from afar had hostile intent.

But Sa'dollah Nasiri-Qeydari, head of the Astronomical Society of Iran, told Reuters the stories were unfounded.

"In my opinion, flying saucers do not exist," he said, insisting his telescopes would have picked up invaders from outer space.

"The people who have seen these things are not experts - farmers, villagers and pilots," he added.

He said what people reported was consistent with the planet Venus, whose intense light in its current position would be given different hues by being filtered through the atmosphere.

Comment: Ah, yes - it's the old, "The witnesses aren't experts, but I am and I say it was the planet Venus" routine. We would like to add our own "expert" opinion on this matter: The "UFOs" described were certainly just swamp gas that was ionized by a bird grounding a nearby 35kV power line. Air currents of differing temperatures refracted the light from the ionized swamp gas, resulting in the appearance of motion.

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