New Article: Will the REAL "Dr. Grant Gartrel(l)" please stand up? - "Aussie Bloke" exposed

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©2004 Pierre-Paul Feyte

The article below - "From the Wilderness" - analyzes the implications of the resignations last week of CIA chiefs Tenet and Pavitt, and the fact that both Bush and Cheney have recently consulted with criminal lawyers. The author (Michael Ruppert) claims that the leaking of the name of a CIA covert operative, Valerie Plame, wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who outted the Bush administration over their lies about Saddam's WMD, is the motivation for the current CIA "coup" that will ultimately lead to the ousting of Bush et al.

While the analysis of the facts is sound enough, yet again we see the tendency of "alternative" political commentators in the US to believe that the policies of the current US administration are merely the result of a "few bad men". In the first paragraph Ruppert talks of a "board of directors" who define the policies enacted by Bush and Co. In his analysis, Ruppert seems to be claiming that the Iraq invasion and the overall Middle East policies (spanning many administrations) of the members of this "board" are chiefly designed to offset the catastrophe that "peak oil" heralds for the western world. Sadly, Ruppert claims, Bush and Co, as CEOs of the "corporation known as America", have done a very poor job, and at present, plans are being laid to get rid of them so that the next "leader of the free world" (John Kerry) can get things back on track.

The idea then is that the CIA, under instruction of this "board of directors", are orchestrating the indictment and impeachment of Bush and Co. While this may well be true, what Ruppert and many others seem very reluctant to consider, is that if Bush and Co are the "CEO's" in the employ of this "board", then everything they have done to date has been right in line with the plans of the "board" itself. As such, Ruppert's "hope" for better times ahead, expressed in the last line of his comments below, is nothing more than wishful thinking.

If Ruppert, and people like him, were to extend their research into history, archeology, science etc., they might begin to see that the events that are unfolding at present on the global stage are merely the culmination of a grand experiment that stretches back thousands of years. Furthermore, there is much evidence to suggest that this planet has been subject to cyclical cataclysms which may well be related to, or at least somehow coincide with, cycles within the human experience.

The show must go on, but are you looking at the actors or at the man behind the curtain...?

Coup D'etat: The Real Reason Tenet and Pavitt Resigned from the CIA on June 3rd and 4th

"From the Wilderness"
Michael C. Ruppert

[...] The Bush administration has proved itself to be an insular group of inept, dishonest and dangerous CEO's of the corporation known as America. They have become very bad for business and the Board of Directors is now taking action. Make no mistake, the CIA works for "The Board" - Wall Street and big money. The long-term (very corrupt and unethical) agenda of the Board, in the face of multiple worsening global crises, was intended to proceed far beyond the initially destructive war in Iraq, toward an effective reconstruction and a strategic response to Peak Oil. But the neocons have stalled at the ugly stage: killing hundreds of thousands of people; destroying Iraq's industrial and cultural infrastructure as their own bombs and other people's RPGs blow everything up; getting caught running torture camps; and making the whole world intensely dislike America.

These jerks are doing real damage to their masters' interests.

But (not surprisingly) Tenet and the CIA were and remain much better at covert operations and planning ahead than the Bush administration ever was. Tenet and Pavitt actually prepared and left a clear, irrefutable and incriminating paper trail which not only proves that they had shunned and refused to endorse the documents, the CIA also did not support the nuke charges and warned Bush not to use them.

Where are those documents now? They're part of the Justice Department Plame investigation - and they're also in the hands of the Congressman who will most likely introduce and manage the articles of impeachment, if that becomes necessary: Henry Waxman (D), of California. If you would like to see how tightly the legal trap has been prepared, and how carefully the evidence has been laid out, I suggest taking a look around Waxman's web site at: http://www.house.gov/waxman/ .

THE SWARM

There are a multitude of signs that the Bush administration is being "swarmed" in what is becoming a feeding frenzy as opposition is surfacing from many places inside the government, including the military. The signs are not hard to find.

The June 3rd issue of Capitol Hill Blue , the newspaper published for members of Congress, bore the headline "Bush Knew About Leak of CIA Operative's Name". That article virtually guaranteed that the Plame investigation had enough to pursue Bush criminally. The story's lead sentence described a criminal, prosecutable offense: "Witnesses told a federal grand jury President George W. Bush knew about, and took no action to stop, the release of a covert CIA operative's name to a journalist in an attempt to discredit her husband, a critic of administration policy in Iraq."

A day later, on June 4th Capitol Hill Blue took another hard shot at the administration. Titled "Bush's Erratic Behavior Worries White House Aides"

The attacks have not stopped. On June 8th, the same paper followed with another story headlined, "Lawyers Told Bush He Could Order Suspects Tortured" .

Journalist Wayne Madsen, a Washington veteran with excellent access to many sources has indicated for this story that the Neocons have few remaining friends anywhere. All of this is consistent with a CIA-led coup. [...]

PLANNING FOR SUCCESSION

If both Bush and Cheney are removed or resign, what happens? Madsen reported that lobbyists and political consultants in Washington are dusting off their copies of the Constitution and checking the line of presidential succession.

One lobbyist said he will soon pay a call on Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens, who, as President pro tem of the Senate, is second in line to House Speaker Dennis Hastert to become President in the event Bush and Cheney both go.

It is one of the greatest ironies of the Plame affair that the Bush administration, spawned and nurtured by oil, might have committed suicide by vindictively, cruelly and unthinkingly exacting personal retribution on an intelligence officer who had committed no offense, and who was, quite possibly, providing the administration with critical oil-related intelligence which the President needed to manage our shaky economy and affairs of state for a while longer to squeak through to re-election. In our opinion, nothing better epitomizes the true nature of the Neocons.

That being said, they have to go. FTW wishes that it was as certain that what will come after them will be better.

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Rumsfeld ordered Torture

By Richard A. Serrano Times Staff Writer
June 9, 2004

WASHINGTON — After American Taliban recruit John Walker Lindh was captured in Afghanistan, the office of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld instructed military intelligence officers to "take the gloves off" in interrogating him.

The instructions from Rumsfeld's legal counsel in late 2001, contained in previously undisclosed government documents, are the earliest known evidence that the Bush administration was willing to test the limits of how far it could go legally to extract information from suspected terrorists.

The Pentagon and Congress are now investigating the mistreatment of inmates at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in late 2003 and trying to determine whether higher- ups in the military chain of command had created a climate that fostered prisoner abuse.

What happened to Lindh, who was stripped and humiliated by his captors, foreshadowed the type of abuse documented in photographs of American soldiers tormenting Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

At the time, just weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. was desperate to find terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. After Lindh asked for a lawyer rather than talk to interrogators, he was not granted one nor was he advised of his Miranda rights against self-incrimination. Instead, the Pentagon ordered intelligence officers to get tough with him.

The documents, read to The Times by two sources critical of how the government handled the Lindh case, show that after an Army intelligence officer began to question Lindh, a Navy admiral told the intelligence officer that "the secretary of Defense's counsel has authorized him to 'take the gloves off' and ask whatever he wanted."

Lindh was being questioned while he was propped up naked and tied to a stretcher in interrogation sessions that went on for days, according to court papers.

In the early stages, his responses were cabled to Washington hourly, the new documents show.

A Defense Department spokesperson said Tuesday evening that the Pentagon "refused to speculate on the exact intent of the statement" from Rumsfeld's office to the military authorities interrogating Lindh. [...]

Lindh, who pleaded guilty in return for a 20-year federal prison sentence for aiding the Taliban, was a young Northern California Islamic convert who joined the Taliban army before Sept. 11, attended a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan and was captured soon after U.S. troops invaded the country.

While Lindh was being interrogated in Afghanistan and later aboard a ship, senior Bush administration officials were strategizing on how to handle other prisoners being rounded up in Afghanistan, with an eye toward flexibility in interrogating them.

In a series of memos from late 2001 to early 2002, top legal officials in the administration identified the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a safe haven offshore that would shield the secret interrogation process from intervention by the U.S. judicial system.

The memos show that top government lawyers believed the administration was not bound by the Geneva Convention governing treatment of prisoners because "Al Qaeda is merely a violent political movement or organization and not a nation- state" that had signed the international treaty.

However, the memos also show that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell warned the White House that a tougher approach toward interrogation "will reverse over a century of U.S. policy and practices in supporting Geneva Conventions and undermine the protections of the law of war for our troops, both in this specific conflict and in general." [...]

The military, in contrast, has maintained in previous court documents that Lindh was treated well and that he was read his rights under the Miranda law against self-incrimination.

But the new records raise new questions.

According to the government documents, when Lindh was first under interrogation at the schoolhouse, authorities realized that as an American he was drawing the attention of the Defense and Justice departments. There was some initial discussion of whether Lindh, as an American, should be advised of his right against self-incrimination before military intelligence officers talked to him.

One Army intelligence officer said in the documents that he had been advised that "instructions had come from higher headquarters" for interrogators to coordinate with military lawyers about Lindh.

"After the first hour of interrogation, [the interrogator] gave the admiral in charge of Mazar-i-Sharif a summary of what the interrogators had collected up to that point," the documents say. "The admiral told him at that point that the secretary of Defense's counsel has authorized him to 'take the gloves off' and ask whatever he wanted."

The Army intelligence officer responded that if a "criminal investigator" wanted to later question Lindh, "that was fine."

But in the meantime, the officer said, he was "interested in tactical information. He was in the business of collecting [intelligence] information, not in the business of Mirandizing."

The officer did ask to be faxed a Miranda form, according to the documents, "but he never got it. He never gave Lindh a Miranda warning."

Rumsfeld's legal counsel is not named in the documents. The office was headed by William J. Haynes II.

On Dec. 14, 2001, Haynes' deputy, Paul W. Cobb Jr., told Lindh's San Francisco lawyers that "our forces have provided him with appropriate medical attention and will continue to treat him humanely, consistent with the Geneva Convention protections for prisoners of war."

But court documents suggest that Lindh was treated much as the prisoners later were at Abu Ghraib. Along with nudity and the sleep and food deprivation, Lindh was allegedly threatened with death. One soldier said he "was going to hang." Another "Special Forces soldier offered to shoot him."

At other times, soldiers took photos and videos of themselves smiling next to the naked Lindh, another image eerily similar to the Abu Ghraib photos.

Such actions appear to be in violation of the Geneva Convention, which requires that prisoners have adequate clothing, food and sleep and not be threatened or subjected to degrading treatment.

As the interrogation of Lindh was going on, officials in Washington were privately working out details for handling other prisoners from Afghanistan.

On Dec. 28, 2001, John Yoo, then deputy assistant attorney general, told Haynes at the Pentagon that Guantanamo Bay was a perfect place for detainees because it was not a part of the sovereign United States and therefore not subject to the federal courts. But, Yoo cautioned, "there remains some litigation risk that a district court might reach the opposite result."

The holding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay without charge or a court hearing has been challenged by several defense lawyers, and the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month on whether the government went too far.

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Flashback! Ashcroft Grilled About U.S. Rules on Torture

By Deborah Charles
Tue Jun 8, 5:20 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday refused to release memos detailing U.S. torture policy as lawmakers accused him of trying to hide how the Bush administration has justified the abuse of prisoners.

Several U.S. senators demanded he release copies of memos obtained by newspapers that showed Ashcroft's Justice Department had offered justification to use torture of al Qaeda detainees if it were done in the name of national security.

During three hours of testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee -- a session marked by several sharp exchanges -- Ashcroft refused to provide copies of the memos, saying they were part of his private advice to the president.

"We believe that to provide this kind of information would impair the ability of advice-giving in the executive branch," Ashcroft said. [...]

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Flashback! Cheney Faces Grilling Over Leak as Bush Election Hopes Slump

By Paul Harris
The Observer U.K.
Sunday 06 June 2004

Scandal of naming undercover CIA agent engulfs Vice-President and puts pressure on White House.

The growing sense of crisis within the Bush administration over the aftermath of the Iraq conflict deepened yesterday after it emerged that Vice-President Dick Cheney has been questioned as part of the intelligence scandals engulfing American politics.

He has been interviewed as part of a probe into the leaking last year of the identity of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame, wife of ex-diplomat Joe Wilson, a vocal critic of the administration in the build-up to the Iraq war, especially claims about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

News of Cheney's grilling follows the resignation of CIA chief George Tenet and will add to the pressure on a Republican party already sinking in the polls. George Bush's approval ratings are at an all-time low of 42 per cent, dangerously close to the 40 per cent level seen as the point beneath which victory is unlikely. [...]

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27-Year CIA Vet Ray McGovern On George Tenet's Surprise Resignation

I’m just fresh actually from writing an Op-Ed on the general question of the president seeking private counsel. I think he’s learned from one very large mistake. That is he’s learned by going to a private counsel to get advice on the Valerie Plame case. I think he’s probably by now read the memorandum of 25 January 2002 that Alberto Gonzalez, his chief White House counsel wrote to him. This is the one that says, well you know, Geneva Conventions, that’s kind of a nettle here.

We have US law actually, dated 1996 which makes it a crime punishable by death to rescind from or to ignore or to exempt people from the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war. But Ashcroft says it’s okay as far as the Al Qaeda people are concerned, and I think it’s probably okay to exempt the Taliban as well. And the only downside is that exempting people is a slippery slope and people might come up with some ambiguity with respect to which prisoners qualify for such protection and which do not. And so he finished up by saying, there’s a reasonable basis in law Mr. President, that you will not be prosecuted for war crimes under the US code, War Crimes Act of 1996. Now if I’m President Bush and I finally read that thing because Newsweek has it printed, and I say, my goodness, there’s a reasonable basis in law that I won’t be prosecuted? I’m going to have a couple of really second thoughts here. One is that next time I’m in a situation like this I’m certainly going to seek independent counsel.

But another is, my God, four more years becomes even more important to me and to Ashcroft and to Rumsfeld. Gonzalez specifically warns that who knows, some future administration or some future group might sue you for violating the Geneva Conventions. And not only the Geneva Conventions but to the degree that they are embedded in this US law of 1996, and so you’re really, we have a strong basis in law but we can’t exclude the possibility. So four more years? Why do I say all this? I say all this because I am more frightened now than at any time over the last three and a half years, that this administration will resort to extra-legal methods to do something to ensure that there are four more years for George Bush.

And Ashcroft’s statement last week, gratuitous statement, uncoordinated with the department of, CIA, with the Department of Homeland Security, his warning that there is bound to be a terrorist strike before the US elections. That can be viewed and this can be reasonably viewed as the opening salvo in the justification for doing, taking measures to ensure that whatever happens in November comes out so that four more years can be devoted to maybe changing that war crimes act or protecting at least these vulnerable people for four more years.

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Sept. 11 Panel Draft Slams CIA, FBI

By HOPE YEN
Jun 8, 9:51 PM (ET)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Draft portions of the Sept. 11 commission's final report offer a stinging rebuke of the FBI and intelligence agencies but refrain from assigning blame to individuals in government to avoid the appearance of partisanship, several commissioners say.

The 10-member panel still is wrestling over recommendations to shore up the intelligence gaps and communications breakdowns that allowed the hijackers to succeed, four commissioners told The Associated Press in separate interviews.

"There's broad consensus that major changes are needed. This is not just a question of running faster, jumping higher," said Republican commissioner John Lehman, a former secretary of the Navy. "We need to ensure the fusion and sharing of all intelligence that could have helped us to avoid 9/11."

Among the ideas under consideration is a domestic intelligence agency modeled after Britain's MI5. [...]

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World Majority Oppose Bush

June 8, 2004

A FRENCH opinion poll found that 84% of French people and 51% of the American people hope that Bush will lose the November presidential election.

It now looks as though Bush may be on his way out but without a doubt the next American election will be more closely watched by the world than any other in history.

The neo-conservative project to remould the world in the image of America through its doctrine of pre-emptive action has been disastrous. The Middle East has been destabilised and al-Qaeda given fresh impetus.

It is tempting to imagine what would have happened if the more moderate Al Gore had been president.

It is even possible that September 11 might not have happened since the Clinton administration was actively pursuing Bin Laden unlike the Bush administration that was obsessed with unfinished business in Iraq.

Afghanistan would still have been invaded after September 11 because all nations of the world agreed that it was necessary to deal with the Taliban and Bin Laden. But Iraq would not have been invaded since the United Nations was against it.

The world under Al Gore would today be a more stable place with more flexibility in resolving the Palestine problem and less incentive for disenfranchised Muslims to join terrorist organisations.

The vast majority of the global population, like the French, hope that Bush will not be re-elected. John Kerry should hammer home the point in his political campaigning that a fundamental shift in American foreign policy is needed if the global image of the United States is not to be permanently tarnished.

Comment: Wow. Things are not looking good for our dear Neocon friends in Washington. It seems that just about the only thing that could save the Bush clan now is another terrorist attack. Remember those moving vans piloted by Israelis that have been spotted in the US recently?

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More Enron Tapes, More Gloating

June 8, 2004

(CBS) The Department of Justice reportedly has thousands of hours of Enron employees recorded during the West Coast power crisis. Now, some in Congress want all the tapes released.

"I want to make sure that no federal agency suppresses this information, makes the case harder for us to get relief," says U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

After CBS broadcast the voices of Enron energy traders gloating over the crisis they helped create, more tapes were released.

In one tape, an employee says, "You gotta think the economy is going to f-----g get crushed, man. This is like a recession waiting to f-----g happen."

The tapes show Enron tried to bring California to its knees.

Elsewhere on the tapes, another employee says, "This is where California breaks."

"Yeah, it sure does man," says another.

And they proposed to do that by exporting energy out of the state so the company could drive up prices even more.

"What we need to do is to help in the cause of, ah, downfall of California," an employee is heard saying on the tapes. "You guys need to pull your megawatts out of California on a daily basis."

"They're on the ropes today," says another employee. "I exported like a f-----g 400 megs."

"Wow,'' says another employee, "f--k 'em, right!"

Traders can be heard manipulating the market, using now-infamous schemes with names like death star, ricochet and fat boy.

One employee is heard asking, "You want to do some fat boys or, or whatever, man, you know, take advantage of it."

In fat boy, Enron traders used fake power sales to hide megawatts, shrinking the supply of energy and driving up prices. They also used the oldest trick in the book: lies.

"It's called lies. It's all how well you can weave these lies together, Shari, alright, so," an employee is heard saying.

The other employee says, "I feel like I'm being corrupted now."

The first employee adds, "No, this is marketing,"

"OK.''

The tapes could affect dozens of cases already filed against the company by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

"If these are ever heard by a jury, they're going get strung up," says Lockyer.

After hearing the tapes, the state's two U.S. senators demanded an immediate $8.9 billion refund.

At a recent hearing Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. said, "All I can tell you is you have to listen to what's happening out there to ordinary people who you are responsible to help through this."

With Enron and other major energy companies in bankruptcy, big refunds are unlikely. But the tapes could provide the evidence states and cities need to break contracts they were forced to sign at the height of the energy crisis.

Comment: See Laura's commentary on Game Theory and Enron.

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All Iraq Prison Abuse Papers to Senate - Pentagon

Tue Jun 8, 7:03 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon claims it has sent to a Senate committee all documents from the Army investigation into Iraqi prisoner abuses omitted from a report sent earlier to Congress, a senator said on Tuesday.

Senate Armed Services CommitteeChairman John Warner said the Army sent a memo on Monday "certifying that the committee now has 'a true and accurate copy' of the report by U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba on the sexual humiliation and physical abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.

Warner's office declined to describe the latest batch of documents, as lawmakers try to determine whether the abuses were the work of a few rogue soldiers or resulted from policies set higher up the chain of command.

The Senate committee, which is leading the congressional probe of U.S. abuses of Iraqi prisoners, has been seeking all of the documents since May 13 after lawmakers realized that some 2,000 pages of legal reviews and other documents were not included in its copy of the report submitted by the Pentagon. [...]

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Saboteurs Blow Up Iraqi Oil Pipeline

June 9, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saboteurs blew up an important oil pipeline Wednesday, forcing authorities to cut output on the national power grid by 10 percent, police and Iraqi officials said.

The blast occurred about 9:30 a.m. near Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, said Col. Sarhat Qadir of the Kirkuk police.

Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told Dow Jones Newswires that the attack would not affect exports from the northern oil fields. However, Jihad said the blast cut supplies to the Beiji electric power station, forcing a reduction of 400 megawatts.

Iraq now produces about 4,000 megawatts of power. Cuts in the country now last more than 16 hours a day, making it difficult to cope with soaring heat which is already topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The U.S.-run coalition had made its ability to guarantee adequate electricity supplies a benchmark of success in restoring normalcy to Iraq. However, sabotage and frayed infrastructure have impeded efforts to eliminate power outages, especially in the capital. [...]

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Just How Bizarre Have Things Become? Take This Quiz and Find Out

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The Re-United Nations

By David Usborne in New York Colin Brown in Georgia and Anne Penketh
The Independent
09 June 2004

The world's powers yesterday called a diplomatic truce over the tragedy in Iraq as the United Nations Security Council at last gave unanimous backing to a new resolution charting Baghdad's next perilous steps towards self-determination.

Tony Blair, as he arrived for the G8 summit in Georgia, said the resolution would herald a new era in the post-war approach on Iraq. "This is an important milestone for the new Iraq," he said. "We all now want to put the divisions of the past behind us and unite behind a modern, democratic and stable Iraq that could be a force for good, not just for Iraqis, but for the whole region and therefore the wider, whole world.''

The 15-0 vote marked a moment for the acrimony over Iraq, which has crippled the Security Council and pitted allies against allies, to be set aside. As one, the world has concluded that one thing matters now: finding a way to end the bloodshed and chaos.

While the wrangling persisted until the end on the precise content of the resolution, the atmosphere in the council could not be more changed compared with a little over a year ago when the majority flatly refused to endorse the US-led invasion.

The new text returns sovereignty to Iraq and gives international legitimacy to the new interim government, which is to take control after 30 June. It endorses for the first time the American-led forces that will remain there and defines the role of the UN in assisting in the transition towards democracy. The resolution's broad intent is in its second article, which states that "by 30 June 2004, the occupation will end and the Coalition Provisional Authority will cease to exist, and that Iraq will reassert its full sovereignty". [...]

But as Iraq remains consumed by violence, words on a page cannot in themselves quell the mounting insurgency or show Iraqis the way to long-term peace. The text offers a new underpinning to the interim government, both domestically and abroad, but there is no predicting what convulsions Iraq may yet suffer. And only if the violence can be better contained can the UN even begin its job of guiding the country towards direct elections. But achieving unity in the Security Council on Iraq is a breakthrough that had once seemed beyond reach. [...]

The coincidence of the UN with the start of the G8 summit was no accident. America pushed hard for it. But it also gave much ground. The breakthrough in negotiations came last weekend when the interim Prime Minister of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, sent a letter to the council addressing the most sensitive issue of all: the nature of the relationship between his government and the multinational force. He said that Iraq wanted the force to stay and that he would create a security committee that would form a partnership with foreign commanders.

France tried to push the issue further, asking that the resolution give the interim government the power to veto sensitive offensive operations by the foreign forces. It did not win that argument. However, at the last moment, London and Washington agreed not only to annex Mr Allawi's letter on security arrangements to the resolution, as well as a positive reply from Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, but also to insert a paragraph into the body of the text referring to the letters and their description of a "security partnership between the interim government of Iraq and the multinational force". [...]

France's Foreign Minister, Michel Barnier, acknowledged yesterday that Paris was not entirely satisfied with the outcome but that it was ready to vote in favour to "help find a positive way out of this tragedy". His government had "obtained lots of improvements". And he described a different face of American policy. "There was real dialogue for the first time in this affair." The resolution sets out a schedule for political transition beginning with the assumption of control by the interim government on 30 June and culminating ­ if all goes as foreseen ­ with direct elections for a fully fledged government in January 2006. That is also the date by which the multinational force will in theory be withdrawn.

In Berlin, the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said he hoped "that now there will finally be a stabilisation of the security situation in Iraq".

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G8 wants world peacekeeping force

Wednesday June 9, 09:59 AM

SAVANNAH, Georgia (Reuters) - The Group of Eight industrial nations intends to help create a global peacekeeping force of more than 50,000 people over the next five to six years, senior U.S. officials say.

The two officials, briefing reporters at the G8 summit, said the initiative grew out of African requests for assistance in ending the wars that plague the continent.

"The centrepiece of this initiative will be a pledge by the G8 countries to train a certain number, we hope well in excess of 50,000 peacekeepers around the world, but beginning in Africa, over the next five or six years," said one of the officials, who spoke on condition that they not be identified.

"And it really is sort of unique -- it's the first time the G8 has taken on a specific -- a pledge like this, and has said we are going to train this number of peacekeepers over this time frame, and we're going to seek to equip them, and we're going to seek to help them get to where they want to be," the official said.

They said that although the initiative would be launched in Africa, where the need was greatest, its scope was global. "The idea is to train peacekeepers and equip them and enable them to get to where they're needed all over the world," one official said. [...]

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A Template for 9-11?

Excerpt From The Other Side of Deception by former Mossad Agent, Victor Ostrovsky, Harper Collins Publishers New York 1994.

{p. 32} It seemed that the whole building was going berserk. Everybody and his dog were looking for information that could stop Jordan's King Hussein's efforts for a peace initiative...

The American Jewish community was divided into a three-stage action team. First were the individual sayanim (if the situation had been reversed and the United States had convinced Americans working in Israel to work secretly on behalf of the United States, they would be treated as spies by the Israeli government).

Then there was the large pro-Israeli lobby. It would mobilize the Jewish community in a forceful effort in whatever direction the Mossad pointed them.

And last was B'nai Brith. Members of that organization could be relied on to make friends among non-Jews and tarnish as anti-Semitic whomever they couldn't sway to the Israeli cause. With that sort of one-two-three tactic, there was no way we could strike out.

{p. 113} "It's the old Trojan dick trick." He lit a cigarette.

"What's that?" I couldn't help smiling; I'd never heard it called that before.

"I knew that would get your attention," he said, grinning. "Shimon activated Operation Trojan in February of this year." {the only Shimon in the index is Shimon Peres}.

I nodded. I'd still been in the Mossad when that order was given, and because of my naval background and acquaintance with most of the commanders in the navy, I participated in the planning for the operation as liaison with the navy.

A Trojan was a special communication device that could be planted by naval commandos deep inside enemy territory. The device would act as a relay station for misleading transmissions made by the disinformation unit in the Mossad, called LAP {footnote: LAP: LohAma Psicologit. Psychological warfare, or, as it's known in the West, disinformation}, and intended to be received by American and British listening stations. Originating from an IDF navy ship out at sea, the prerecorded digital transmissions could be picked up only by the Trojan. The device would then rebroadcast the transmission on another frequency, one used for official business in the enemy country, at which point the transmission would finally be picked up by American ears in Britain.

The listeners would have no doubt they had intercepted a genuine communication, hence the name Trojan, reminiscent of the mythical Trojan horse. Further, the content of the messages, once deciphered, would confirm information from other intelligence sources, namely the Mossad. The only catch was that the Trojan itself would have to be located as close as possible to the normal origin of such transmissions, because of the sophisticated methods of triangulation the Americans and others would use to verify the source. [...]

By the end of March, the Americans were already intercepting messages broadcast by the Trojan, which was only activated during heavy communication traffic hours. Using the Trojan, the Mossad tried to make it appear that a long series of terrorist orders were being transmitted to various Libyan embassies around the world (or, as they were called by the Libyans, Peoples' Bureaus). As the Mossad had hoped, the transmissions were deciphered by the Americans and construed as ample proof that the Libyans were active sponsors of terrorism. What's more, the Americans pointed out, Mossad reports confirmed it.

The French and the Spanish, though, were not buying into the new stream of information. To them, it seemed suspicious that suddenly, out of the blue, the Libyans, who'd been extremely careful in the past, would start advertising their future actions. They also found it suspicious that in several instances Mossad reports were worded similarly to coded Libyan communications. They argued further that, had there truly been after-the-fact Libyan communications regarding the attack, then the terrorist attack on the La Belle discotheque { La Belle discotheque: The terrorist attack on this location was said to have been linked to the Libyans and was the catalyst for the April 14 bombing of Llbya by the Amerlcans} in West Berlin on April 5 could have been prevented, since surely there would have been communications before, enabling intelligence agencies listening in to prevent It. Since the attack wasn't prevented, they reasoned that it must not be the Libyans who did it, and the "new communications" must be bogus.

The French and the Spanish were right. The information was bogus, and the Mossad didn't have a clue who planted the bomb that killed one American serviceman and wounded several others.

But the Mossad was tied in to many of the European terrorist organizations, and it was convinced that in the volatile atmosphere that had engulfed Europe, a bombing with an American victim was just a matter of time. Heads of the Mossad were counting on the American promise to retaliate with vengeance against any country that could be proven to support terrorism.

The Trojan gave the Americans the proof they needed. The Mossad also plugged into the equation Qadhafi's lunatic image and momentous declarations, which were really only meant for internal consumption. It must be remembered that Qadhafi had marked a line in the water at that time, closing off the Gulf of Sidra as Libyan territorial waters and calling the new maritime border the line of death (an action that didn't exactly give him a moderate image).

Ultimately, the Americans fell for the Mossad ploy head over heels dragging the British and the Germans somewhat reluctantly in with them.

Operation Trojan was one of the Mossad's greatest successes. It brought about the air strike on Libya that President Reagan had promised - a strike that had three important consequences. First, it derailed a deal for the release of the American hostages in Lebanon, thus preserving the Hizballah (Party of God) as the number one enemy in the eyes of the West. Second, it sent a message to the entire Arab world, telling them exactly where the United States stood regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. Third, it boosted the Mossad's image of itself, since it was they who, by ingenious sleight of hand, had prodded the United States to do what was right. It was only the French who didn't buy into the Mossad trick and were determined not to ally themselves with the aggressive American act. The French refused to allow the American bombers to fly over their territory on their way to attack Libya.

On April 14, 1986, one hundred and sixty American aircraft dropped over sixty tons of bombs on Libya. The attackers bombed Tripoli international airport, Bab al Azizia barracks, Sidi Bilal naval base, the city of Benghazi, and the Benine airfield outside Benghazi. The strike force consisted of two main bodies, one originating in England and the other from flattops in the Mediterranean. From England came twenty-four F-111s from Lakenheath, five EF-111s from Upper Heyford, and twenty-eight refueling tankers from Mildenhall and Fairford. In the attack, the air force F-111s and the EF-111s were joined by eighteen A-6 and A-7 strike and strike support aircraft, six FA-18 fighters, fourteen EA-6B electronic jammer planes, and other support platforms. The navy planes were catapulted from the carriers Coral Sea and America. On the Libyan side, there were approximately forty civilian casualties, including Qadhafi's adopted daughter. On the American side, a pilot and his weapons officer were killed when their F-111 exploded.

After the bombing, the Hizballah broke off negotiations regarding the hostages they held in Beirut and executed three of them, including one American named Peter Kilburn. As for the French, they were rewarded for their nonparticipation in the attack by the release at the end of June of two French journalists held hostage in Beirut. (As it happened, a stray bomb hit the French embassy in Tripoli during the raid.)

Ephraim had spelled it all out for me and confirmed some of the information I'd already known. He then went on. "After the bombing of Libya, our friend Qadhafi is sure to stay out of the picture for some time. Iraq and Saddam Hussein are the next target. We're starting now to build him up as the big villain. It will take some time, but in the end, there's no doubt it'll work."

"But isn't Saddam regarded as moderate toward us, allied with Jordan, the big enemy of Iran and Syria?"

"Yes, that's why I'm opposed to this action. But that's the directive, and I must follow it. Hopefully, you and I will be done with our little operation before anything big happens. After all, we have already destroyed his nuclear facility, and we are making money by sellmg hlm technology and equipment through South Africa."

{p. 254} In the following weeks, more and more discoveries were made regarding the big gun and other elements of the Saddam war machine. The Mossad had all but saturated the intelligence field with information regarding the evil intentions of Saddam the Terrible, banking on the fact that before long, he'd have enough rope to hang himself.

It was very clear what the Mossad's overall goal was. It wanted the West to do its bidding, just as the Americans had in Libya with the bombing of Qadhafi. After all, Israel didn't possess carriers and ample air power, and although it was capable of bombing a refugee camp in Tunis, that was not the same.

The Mossad leaders knew that if they could make Saddam appear bad enough and a threat to the Gulf oil supply, of which he'd been the protector up to that point, then the United States and its allies would not let him get away with anything, but would take measures that would all but eliminate his army and his weapons potential, especially if they were led to believe that this might just be their last chance before he went nuclear.

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Flashback! New al-Qaida threat: 15-ship mystery navy

U.S., Brits fear high-seas terror posed by bin Laden's vessels

WorldNetDaily.com
September 29, 2003

Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network has purchased at least 15 ships in the last two years – creating, perhaps, the first terrorist naval force, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Lloyds of London has reportedly helped Britain's MI6 and the U.S. CIA trace the sales made through a Greek shipping agent suspected of having direct contacts with bin Laden, the online intelligence newsletter reported.

The ships fly the flags of Yemen and Somalia – where they are registered – and are capable of carrying cargoes of lethal chemicals, a "dirty bomb" or even a nuclear weapon, according to G2 Bulletin's sources. British and U.S. officials worry that one or more of these ships could hit civilian ports on a suicide mission.

The freighters are believed to be somewhere in the Indian or Pacific oceans. When the ships left their home ports in the Horn of Africa weeks ago, some were destined for ports in Asia.

The U.S. Department of State Friday warned citizens overseas that the threat of terror attacks did not end with the passing of the September 11 anniversary – specifically mentioning the threat of maritime terrorism.

"We are seeing increasing indications that al-Qaida is preparing to strike U.S. interests abroad," said the State Department's "Worldwide Caution."

"It is being issued to remind U.S. citizens of the continuing threat that they may be a target of terrorist actions, even after the anniversary date of the September 11 attacks and to add the potential for threats to maritime interests."

"Looking at the last few months, al-Qaida and its associated organizations have struck in the Middle East in Riyadh, in North Africa in Casablanca and in East Asia in Indonesia," the State Department said.

The report continued: "We expect al-Qaida will strive for new attacks that will be more devastating than the September 11 attack, possibly involving non- conventional weapons such as chemical or biological agents. We also cannot rule out the potential for al-Qaida to attempt a second catastrophic attack within the US. US citizens are cautioned to maintain a high level of vigilance, to remain alert and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness," the warning said.

G2 Bulletin sources say other potential targets of the al-Qaida armada, besides civilian ports, include oil rigs. Another threat is the ramming of a cruise liner.

Some British navy officials have expressed concerns about not being able to patrol its coasts adequately against such a threat.

If a maritime terror attack comes, it won't be the first. In October 2000, the USS Cole, a heavily armed ship protected with the latest radar defenses, was hit by an al-Qaida suicide crew. Seventeen American soldiers died. Two years later, following the attacks on the Twin Towers, a similar attack was carried out against a French supertanker off the coast of Yemen.

Comment: This is beginning to sound just like the Trojan operations of Mossad described by Victor Ostrovsky...

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The Emperor has no Clothes, and this Plane has no windows!

The above is a website with pictures which appear to show that one of the planes that hit the WTC had no windows and fired a missle just prior to impact. It seems likely that the Bush administration were aware that an attack was planned, but did not know when or how. This concept is troubling indeed. It suggests that there is a power, beyond that of the US government, that has the ability to pull of an attack of the magnitude if 9/11 and convince the public that it was "Arab terrorists". Logically we can hypothesise that the goal of the 9/11 attacks was everything that has happened since and everything that is yet to happen...

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9-11: The Flight of the Bumble Planes

Article on the possible details of how the entire operation was planned and executed. A small jet loaded with explosives hits the firts WTC tower. A dummy remote controlled 757 hits the second tower. No passengers on either, the real passenger airlines having landed in secret at an airforce base.

What is almost beyond doubt is that a small aircraft or missle hit the Pentagon, and that Flight 93 was shot down over Pensylvannia.

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Flight 11 - The Twin Flight

More evidence that there was indeed two flight 11s the morning of September 11th 2001.

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Did the Saudis know about 9/11?

A new book claims that Saudi princes and a Pakistani official knew Osama bin Laden would strike America that day. But some critics say the whole story could be a neoconservative fabrication.

By Mark Follman

Oct. 18, 2003 | When U.S. and Pakistani special forces raided a house on the outskirts of Faisalabad, Pakistan, on March 28, 2002, and successfully nabbed top al-Qaida operative Abu Zubaydah, the mood at CIA headquarters was upbeat. Langley watched the early morning raid via satellite, and once a Pakistani intelligence officer and some quick voice prints confirmed Zubaydah's identity, the CIA knew it had captured one of its most sought-after adversaries, a figure who could potentially reveal the full story of the 9/11 terrorist plot. Shot several times in the raid, Zubaydah was given enough medical treatment to ensure his survival and hauled away for questioning. According to a new book, what Zubaydah said -- after being subjected to highly controversial interrogation methods -- stunned intelligence officials.

In his book "Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11," Gerald Posner makes an explosive allegation: Top figures in the Saudi and Pakistani governments had been directly assisting Osama bin Laden for years and knew al-Qaida was going to strike America on Sept. 11. Posner cites two unnamed U.S. government sources, both of whom he asserts are "in a position to know," who he said gave him separate, corroborating reports. One source is from the CIA and the other is a senior Bush administration official "inside the executive branch," he told Salon in an interview.

According to Posner's account, four Saudi princes and the head of Pakistan's air force were deeply involved with Osama bin Laden for years, some of them meeting with him well after al-Qaida began its terror attacks on U.S. targets overseas in the mid-1990s. The fact that some of the figures were so highly placed makes it hard to dismiss the possibility, if the allegations are true, that the heads of the Saudi and Pakistani governments signed off on the policy.

Saudi, Pakistani and U.S. government officials (the latter off the record) have dismissed the story as false. Zubaydah himself subsequently recanted his claims, saying he lied to avoid torture, according to Posner. But Posner thinks the allegations are credible -- not least because four of the five supposed conspirators died under strange circumstances -- and believes the U.S. wants to downplay them for an obvious reason: They're too hot to handle, painting as they do two crucial allies as working hand-in-hand with America's Public Enemy No. 1.

But several intelligence analysts and experts on Saudi Arabia doubt the story's authenticity. While acknowledging that Saudi Arabia has supported fiery proponents of militant Islam and took an early see-no-evil approach to bin Laden, they say it would be highly unlikely that top members of the Saudi royal family would be so deeply involved with a global terrorist organization -- one that seeks to destroy the Saudi regime itself as part of a worldwide jihad against infidels and their allies.

Comment: If we are to believe that the Saudi and Pakistani regimes, with their close ties to the Bin Laden family, were not involved in the 9/11 attacks, then why were 19 members of the Bin Laden family flown out of the US on September 11th, when all other aircraft were grounded? Why did the head of the Pakistani ISI General Mahmoud Ahmad. authorise the wiring of 100,000 to Mohamend Atta, the supposed ringleader of the attacks? Why also, on the morning of September 11th 2001 was this same General Mahmoud Ahmad having breakfast with Florida's senator, Bob Graham - chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee? Why was Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. Maleeha Lodhi also present along with other members of the Senate and House Intelligence committees? Why indeed...

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Sharon loses his majority

But coalition appears able to stay in power

AP
Wednesday, June 9, 2004

JERUSALEM The leader of a pro-settler party resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday, dealing a further blow to Ariel Sharon's governing coalition after the approval of the prime minister's Gaza withdrawal plan. [...]

"This government and prime minister must be removed from power," Eitam said at a news conference after submitting his resignation Tuesday. A fellow party hard-liner, Deputy Minister Yitzhak Levy, also resigned. [...]

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Before 9/11, One Warning Went Unheard

By Richard C. Paddock Times Staff Writer
Mon Jun 7, 7:55 AM ET

PERTH, Australia — When Jack Roche telephoned Australia's intelligence agency in July 2000, he offered a tantalizing story: He had been to Afghanistan and ate lunch with Osama bin Laden. He had received training in explosives and plotted with Al Qaeda leaders to carry out a bombing in Australia.

A Muslim convert, Roche was prepared to become an informant, his attorney says, and provide information about Al Qaeda; its Southeast Asian affiliate, Jemaah Islamiah; and their goal of staging an attack in a Western country.

But at the time — 14 months before the Sept. 11 attacks — no one was interested.

It wasn't until 2 1/2 years later that authorities decided to take Roche seriously and arrested him on terrorism charges. Last week he was sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiring with Al Qaeda leaders to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Canberra. [...]

According to evidence presented in court, Australian and U.S. authorities bungled at least six chances to learn what Roche knew, including the whereabouts of alleged terrorist mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who, it is said, was even then plotting the Sept. 11 attacks. U.S. authorities had been trying to catch Mohammed since the mid-1990s.

"He had their phone numbers," said Hylton Quail, Roche's lawyer. "He had their e-mail addresses. He knew where they lived. He knew how they worked. He was like a spy who tried to come in from the cold and found the door was locked."

Roche, now 50, says he first telephoned the U.S. Embassy in Canberra to offer intelligence on Al Qaeda and was told to contact Australian authorities. An embassy official says Roche may have called, but the embassy has no record of it. Roche subsequently called the Australian Security Intelligence Organization three times to give information, but the agency never pursued his offer. [...]

Australian Atty. Gen. Philip Ruddock said the Roche case prompted the intelligence agency to conduct an internal investigation and obtain passage of a law allowing it to record all incoming calls from the public.

Authorities said that when they finally questioned Roche after the Bali bombing, they were surprised that he gave them so much useful information.

"Basically, he was putting a noose around his own neck by participating in those long interviews," intelligence agent Michael Duthie said outside the court, according to the newspaper the Australian. "Certainly, from our perspective, the type of information that he was passing on was fairly unique." [...]

Roche, who wears a full beard but no mustache, is described by people who know him as intelligent with a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor and an apparent streak of naivete.

Born Paul George Holland in Hull, England, he legally changed his name to Jack Roche in 2001, in part because he hated his father. Roche was the maiden name of his mother, who died of cancer when he was 13. He left home at 17 and drifted from Britain to Germany to Australia, finding work as a laborer and taxi driver. He became an Australian citizen in 1978.

Roche says he was persuaded by Muslim co-workers in Sydney in 1992 to convert to Islam to overcome a drinking problem, and for the first time found a sense of belonging. [...]

In letters to journalist Colleen Egan written before the trial, Roche said that he was a "small fish" but feared he would be severely punished because of the Bali bombing. He accused prosecutors of engaging in "amateur theatrics" by having him handcuffed and shackled when bringing him to court.

"They flatter themselves with the minnow they have," he wrote.

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OKC Cover-Up Exploding

FBI Whistleblower Blasts FBI Perjury

By James P. Tucker Jr.

A government scientist lied about key physical evidence found at the Oklahoma City bombing, including some materials that were alleged to have been used to make the bomb, an FBI whistle blower testified in the murder trial of Terry Nichols. FBI forensic scientist Steve Burmeister lied twice, Frederic Whitehurst told jurors.

Burmeister, whom Whitehurst had trained, had testified in the federal trial of Timothy McVeigh and both the federal and state trials of Nichols that ammonium nitrate crystals found on bombing debris had been embedded by the force of the blast and that the crystals came from the kind of fertilizer believed used in the bombing.

Both statements were false, Whitehurst testified May 19. There was insufficient evidence to support either of Burmeister’s conclusions about the bomb that federal investigators claimed destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, he said.

“He is my student and I trust him like a brother,” Whitehurst said of Burmeister. “But he lied under oath.”

The case is expected to go to the jury soon.

Whitehurst began questioning Burmeister’s veracity after examining transcripts of his testimony at the federal trials of Nichols and Timothy McVeigh, who was executed in 2001. Burmeister testified substantially the same at the current state trial of Nichols.

Whitehurst exposed shoddy work at the FBI’s laboratory in Washington during the mid-1990s, which led to extensive changes.

The inspector general at the Justice Department investigated the lab for 18 months and accused the facility of flawed scientific work and inaccurate, pro-prosecution testimony in major cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing. The lab had no comment.

The Associated Press reported a year ago that Burmeister himself told the inspector general that shoddy work and contamination problems had tainted the bombing evidence, then recanted the allegation a few months before testifying in the McVeigh trial.[...]

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Israel's Attack on the USS Liberty

Justin Cowgill

On June 8, 1967, the armed forces of Israel attacked the American intelligence ship USS Liberty for 90 minutes in international waters following several hours of close, low-level reconnaissance. Israel was later to claim the attack was a mistake, a simple case of misidentification, but survivors maintain otherwise. And some researchers contend that the attack was a deliberate attempt to prevent US Intelligence from witnessing the massacre of Egyptian Prisoners Of War.

According to eyewitness accounts by Israeli officers and journalists, the Israeli Army executed as many as 1,000 Arab POW's during the 1967 war. Historian Gabby Bron wrote in the Yediot Ahronot in Israel that he witnessed Israeli troops executing Egyptian prisoners on the morning of June 8, 1967, in the Sinai town of El Arish.

Bron reported that he saw about 150 Egyptian POWs being held at the El Arish airport where they were sitting on the ground, densely crowded together with their hands held on the back of their necks. Every few minutes, Bron writes, Israeli soldiers would escort an Egyptian POW from the group to a hearing conducted by two men in Israeli army uniforms. Then the man would be taken away, given a spade, and forced to dig his own grave.

"I watched as (one) man dug a hole for about 15 minutes,?Bron wrote. afterwards, the (Israeli military) policeman told him to throw the shovel away, and then one of them leveled an Uzi at him and shot two short bursts, each of three or four bullets.?

Bron says he witnessed about ten such executions, until the grave was filled. Then an Israeli Colonel threatened him with a revolver, forcing him to leave the area.

As these executions were underway, America's most sophisticated intelligence platform, USS Liberty, was less than 13 miles from El Arish.

Could the USS Liberty have intercepted voice radio messages authorising these killings? Did senior Israeli officers sanction the murders, or did they learn of them? How would they have reacted to the knowledge that USS Liberty was nearby and might have heard incriminating radio traffic?

We may never know because Israel, America's Ally, launched a murderous attack on the virtually unarmed American intelligence ship.

To this day, many Americans are unaware that this attack even took place. But recently, PRAVDA.Ru took the opportunity to interview Mr. Hrankowski, a survivor and crew member of the USS Liberty.

Greetings Mr. Hrankowski! We at PRAVDA.Ru greatly appreciate this exclusive interview. We feel that, as a USS Liberty survivor, you are in the unique position to shed light on actually what happened and why. It is a great tragedy that 34 young American sailors died while serving their country. It is an even greater tragedy that the general public knows next to nothing about this event.

What position did you serve on the USS Liberty?

My position on the USS Liberty was in the Engineering Department. I was a boilerman. I also worked for the chief engineer in the log room office.

One of the main questions regarding this attack is whether or not the Israeli attackers knew that they were attacking an American ship. The Israelis have claimed that they misidentified the Liberty for the Egyptian horse carrier El Quseir, but it has been reported that the USS liberty flew an American flag and was distinctly marked with US markings. It is also known that slow moving recon plans flew over the USS Liberty numerous times. Is there any doubt in your mind that the Israeli military knew that they were attacking an American ship?

There is no doubt in my mind that the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was deliberate. Israel has claimed that it was a mistake and that they were firing upon an Arab horse freighter. The El Quesir was the name of the Arab ship. It was tied up and not sea worthy during the Six Day War, and the Israelis knew this.

As for our Flag. All American ships fly the flag. Ours was flying until the Israelis shot it down and within seconds another was put up. It was our holiday Ensign, sized 9 feet by 13 feet.

As for the slow moving aircraft. Planes started flying over us and checking us out at 5:30am and did so 9 to 13 times until the attack at 2:00PM. There is no doubt in my mind that they knew who they were attacking.

It has been reported that the USS Saratago, responding to a SOS from the Liberty, launched jets to help the Liberty approximately 15 minutes into the Israeli attack. Why were the jets recalled? One could say that this act left American sailors to be murdered by an enemy force?

A message from the USS Liberty got to the USS Saratoga 9 minutes into the attack. The USS Saratoga launched a flight of fighters immediately and they were called back. This happened three different times throughout the attack. Robert MacNamara called them back twice, and President Johnson called them back once, saying his thoughts were not for the USS Liberty. He did not want to embarrass his ally Israel. That act did leave us to get murdered, and what it actually is called is abandonment.

Once your captain, William Loren McGonagle, realized that the Liberty was in danger of sinking, he ordered the crew to abandon ship. At this point, there were only three life rafts left that weren't damaged. Your crew placed as many wounded into the life rafts and lowered them over the side of the Liberty. Please tell us what happened next.

The order was given by the captain to abandon ship, because he thought we were going to sink. Three life rafts were in the water, but then Israeli Torpedo boats came up to them and shot two of them up and grabbed one on the boats. That is against the Geneva Convention.

What prompted the Israelis to terminate their assault?

I'm not sure what caused them to terminate the attack, but after 2 hours, they could not sink us. I would think that their time had run out.

How long did it take for American help to arrive?

It took 16 hours for the American fleet to get to us. But that night, while we were sailing to the sixth fleet, a Soviet ship offered help to us. They said that they would stay just at the horizon and if our ship was going to go down, they would help us.

In a recent letter to President Bush, survivor Phillip F. Tourney claimed that the crew of the USS Liberty were ordered to remain silent under threat of court martial, imprisonment, or worse, and we all know what worst meant.?Did you yourself experience such threats?

Admiral Kidd was the one who ordered us silent. That was a direct order to all of the crew. I heard it myself that day.

If what has been reported is true, the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty can only be described as deliberate. In your opinion, why did this attack take place?

As for why the Israelis attacked us, I'm not sure. I would not be able to give you a reason, because it would only be a guess. There is a new film out by the BBC called Dead in the Water. It was released in England on 6-10-02 and it gives some startling new evidence as to why the attack happened.

Has the American government considered reinvestigating the attack?

There are a few Congressional personal interested in helping us. We're hoping that they are really willing.

It would seem that this event has been covered up. Given all the information that has come forth and the testimony of such people as Secretary of State Dean Rusk and former JCS Chairman Admiral Thomas Moorer, the version that this attack was a mistake is very hard believe, which means that it was covered up for some reason. Why, in your opinion, was such a tragic event as an attack on US sailors covered up?

You ask if the USS Liberty attack was covered up. My answer is simple: yes, it was. The question still remains today as to why. And with a Congressional Investigation, all the facts should be laid out and the reasons known.

Your commanding officer, Captain William Loren McGonagle, received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his services to his country. However, unlike tradition, when the president of the United States bestows the Congressional Medal of Honor, Captain McGonagle was awarded his medal in the Washington Navy Yard. In your opinion, why wasn't your captain awarded the medal according to tradition?

Our Captain did receive the Congressional Medal of Honor but not in the White house like it usually is given, but in a shipyard in Washington DC. Not many of us knew that he got it until many years later. On his written citation, there is no mention that Israel was the attackers. The same goes for all of our medals and citations; the Israelis are not mentioned at all.

In your opinion, if the general American public were to become fully aware of Israel's attack on the Liberty, could this affect the special relationship that America shares with its ally Israel? For instance, if many Americans learned of the attack and the cover-up, they might be less willing to bankroll Israel with financial and military aid.

I'm not sure if that would happen. I think that if the truth be known about the attack it would hurt for a little while, but it would be a piece of history finally put to bed.

Do you keep in contact with fellow Liberty survivors? If so, do they express hope that American will reinvestigate the attack?

We USS Liberty survivors are always in contact. We all fight for the same thing. They want the investigation to happen soon, so we can all go on with our lives.

New York Times Apologises for Flawed Reporting

The New York Times has published a self-critical note to its readers, in effect apologising for some of the paper's reporting on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq which was "not as rigorous as it should have been". Some of the stories relied on Iraqi exiled leader Ahmed Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress Group, whose prewar information on WMDs has now largely been discredited.

Comment: Oh well, sorry! But it's done now, and the public already believes the lies peddled by the New York Times etc., so let's just move on and deal with it - until the next big lie of course. So why was the New York Times reporting "not as rigorous as it should have been"? Surely someone within the paper had to decide to be "less rigorous" in investigating an issue of extreme national and global importance? If honesty were really their intention, the editors of the New York Times would tell their readers the truth - that there is no independent media of any significance left in the US. They would tell their readers to simply ignore everything that appears in print in the major publications and to do their own research. But it would never work. The major media would never do such a thing, and even if they did, the public themselves would speak out and demand that they continue to receive their daily dose of lies and illusion. Comfort zones are comfortable, they have little to do with truth.

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Boston to search train commuters

Wed Jun 9
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY

Subway and commuter train passengers in Boston will be randomly stopped starting in July to have their bags searched and identifications checked in a first-in-the-nation program to protect trains from terrorism.

Officials said the new policy was prompted by the March 11 train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 commuters. It is expected to be in place before the Democratic National Convention in Boston July 26-29.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said it is developing "a program that strikes a proper balance between individual rights and the (system's) obligation to ensure its customers' safety."

But the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) says the searches may be unconstitutional. The group is reminding passengers that they have the right to refuse ID checks. Carol Rose, director of the state ACLU, said the searches could target people based on appearance. She called it "pretend security."

The federal government took over airline security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, it has spent more than $12 billion on upgrades at airports and on planes. But little has been done until now to secure other modes of transportation.

Some bus passengers will see security upgrades this summer. Greyhound will increase the use of metal detectors and luggage searches. It also will begin installing shields to protect drivers in their 2,400 buses, as well as communications systems to connect drivers to 911 operators.

Although it would be impossible to secure the nation's vast rail system, Amtrak is encouraging passengers to report suspicious activity or unattended bags. Police with bomb-sniffing dogs increased patrols.

Experiments are underway to see if rail security can be tightened further. In May, passengers at a Maryland station had to pass through an explosives-detection machine. In Washington, D.C., the government is screening checked bags on five trains a day; passengers will be screened in July.

Comment: When the concept that you must give up freedoms to secure freedom is actually given credence by many US citizens, what hope can there be?...

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What Price Freedom?

How Big Brother Is Watching, Listening and Misusing Information About You

By TERESA HAMPTON & DOUG THOMPSON
Jun 8, 2004, 08:19

You're on your way to work in the morning and place a call on your wireless phone. As your call is relayed by the wireless tower, it is also relayed by another series of towers to a microwave antenna on top of Mount Weather between Leesburg and Winchester, Virginia and then beamed to another antenna on top of an office building in Arlington where it is recorded on a computer hard drive.

The computer also records you phone digital serial number, which is used to identify you through your wireless company phone bill that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency already has on record as part of your permanent file.

A series of sophisticated computer programs listens to your phone conversation and looks for "keywords" that suggest suspicious activity. If it picks up those words, an investigative file is opened and sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

Congratulations. Big Brother has just identified you as a potential threat to the security of the United States because you might have used words like "take out" (as in taking someone out when you were in fact talking about ordering takeout for lunch) or "D-Day" (as in deadline for some nefarious activity when you were talking about going to the new World War II Memorial to recognize the 60th anniversary of D-Day).

If you are lucky, an investigator at DHS will look at the entire conversation in context and delete the file. Or he or she may keep the file open even if they realize the use of words was innocent. Or they may decide you are, indeed, a threat and set up more investigation, including a wiretap on your home and office phones, around-the-clock surveillance and much closer looks at your life.

Welcome to America, 2004, where the actions of more than 150 million citizens are monitored 24/7 by the TIA, the Terrorist Information Awareness (originally called Total Information Awareness) program of DARPA, DHS and the Department of Justice. [...]

Going on a trip? TIA knows where you are going because your train, plane or hotel reservations are forwarded automatically to the DARPA computers. Driving? Every time you use a credit card to purchase gas, a record of that transaction is sent to TIA which can track your movements across town or across the country.

Use a computerized transmitter to pay tolls? TIA is notified every time that transmitter passes through a toll booth. Likewise, that lunch you paid for with your VISA becomes part of your permanent file, along with your credit report, medical records, driving record and even your TV viewing habits.

Subscribers to the DirecTV satellite TV service should know – but probably don't – that every pay-per-view movie they order is reported to TIA as is any program they record using a TIVO recording system. If they order an adult film from any of DirecTV's three SpiceTV channels, that information goes to TIA and is, as a matter of policy, forwarded to the Department of Justice's special task force on pornography.

"We have a police state far beyond anything George Orwell imagined in his book 1984," says privacy expert Susan Morrissey. "The everyday lives of virtually every American are under scrutiny 24-hours-a-day by the government." [...]

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Pentagon Scandal: $100m Flies Out the Window

The Defense Department spent an estimated $100 million for airline tickets that were not used over a six-year period and failed to seek refunds even though the tickets were reimbursable, congressional investigators say.

"At a time when our soldiers are patrolling the streets of Iraq in unarmored Humvees, and when the Bush administration is asking for record Defense spending, Secretary [Donald H.] Rumsfeld is letting hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used to protect our troops and our country go to waste," said Representative Jan Schakowsky, Democrat of Illinois, one of three lawmakers who ordered the studies.

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Giuliani to replace Cheney on ticket?

By Joseph Farah
WorldNetDaily.com
June 9, 2004

WASHINGTON – There are whispers among high-level political advisers to President Bush suggesting the possibility of replacing Dick Cheney with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as the vice presidential running mate prior to the Republican National Convention in New York beginning Aug. 30.

Cheney, who has no aspirations to run for president in 2008 and has had well-publicized heart problems, has been involved in the discussions and is open to the idea if it strengthens the ticket and helps position a viable Republican candidate to succeed Bush, sources tell WND.

Originally, Cheney was asked by Bush to lead the effort to find the best running mate in 2000. After months of interviews and offering advice, Bush surprised many by picking Cheney.

Giuliani, as well as New York Gov. George Pataki, has been expected to play a starring role at the convention. Both are also considered possible presidential candidates in 2008. Securing the vice presidential nomination, however, would instantly make Giuliani the front-runner among all potential Republican candidates. [...]

Giuliani became a national star in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers, killing almost 3,000 people. He became known as "America's mayor."

"They'll make the most of 9-11, the most of Rudy," Cuomo said. "He is now still iconic, you saw that in 9-11 and that's it," the Democrat added. "He's received a stature which is, for the time being, absolutely unshakable." [...]

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150 Arrested Outside Biotech Conference

By BILEN MESFIN, Associated Press Writer
June 9, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - Police and anti-biotech protesters faced off outside a conference hall where the $40 billion industry is meeting. More than 150 people arrested.

About 125 people who would not disperse from a busy intersection were arrested Tuesday. That came after 33 people were taken into custody earlier in the day, according to police spokesman Dewayne Tully.

An estimated 18,000 biotechnology scientists, executives and government officials are in town for the convention, which started Sunday and ends Wednesday.

"Arrest them, shoot them!" protesters shouted when police helped attendees cross the barricaded street in front of the Moscone Convention Center, where the Biotechnology Industry Organization is being held.

Police wouldn't say how many officers were at the scene, but it appeared their number equaled that of the protesters. Police also wouldn't estimate the number of protesters.

Most of the protesters, such as Kamala Stuart, 53, of Oakland, were demonstrating against genetically modified food. "They should label the food, if they think it's so good," she said, waving a sign that stated, "label GM Foods." "We want people to know, to question this stuff."

BIO officials have said they support the right of protesters to peacefully demonstrate, but wondered how anyone could be against fighting disease, which they say is the main focus of most of the industry.

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Colombia: Killings double under USbacked president

Wednesday, 9 June 2004, 9:03 am
Press Release: Anncol

The United States plays a primary role in the massive violation of human rights in eastern Colombia, says Colombian human rights advocate Yenly Méndez. In the Department of Arauca, killings and torture have doubled under the current US backed president Alvaro Uribe. US oil company denounced for finanzing judicial frame ups against community leaders. [...]

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DAN & TOM: ENOUGH REAGAN

New York Post
June 9, 2004

DAN Rather and Tom Brokaw work for dif ferent networks but agree one thing — coverage of Ronald Reagan's death has been excessive, they say.

"Even though everybody is respectful and wants to pay homage to the president, life does go on," Rather told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"There is other news, like the reality of Iraq," said the "CBS Evening News" anchor. "It got very short shrift this weekend."

Networks have been going almost wall-to-wall with coverage since Reagan passed away Saturday at the age of 93. The former president was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease nearly 10 years ago.

"Once the herd starts moving in one direction, it's very hard to turn it, even slightly," Rather said. "Nationally, the herd has grown tremendously." [...]

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The Great Matrix Revealed - But Who Will Notice!

By John V Panella
6-9-4

[...] For nearly 30 years I have been involved with computer technology, most of which I taught myself, learning to program, design, create, and write. For many years I used to write and share countless hours of information on the NET, until I realized the truth about this process many years ago and slowly stopped writing on the NET!

Strangely when the INTRA-NET was nefariously instituted via the military to the unknowing public, it became a big hit! All of a sudden people could link up from the four corners of the earth. International, language and ethnic barriers seemed to disappear as the NET began to wrap the world into a nice little accessible ball!

Yes I was also excited to be part of this breakthrough technology that made those 3-5 day letter snail mails the thing of the past. And even then, that was only limited to a few within one's own circle of family and friends. But with the Internet we had access to new vistas. Friends from places around the world that once were a literary difficulty to explain their exact location, were now a common place right in your very own living room sector, as if the globe's occupants materialized within your own world box!

The Internet opened up the globe like a kid busting into the cracker jack box to retrieve that secret prize. All of a sudden the impossible was not only made possible it became a reality that eroded the gap, which separated the world. On all appearances this was a fabulous breakthrough with undeniable favor.

It seemed that nothing would be withheld from anyone to advance through amazing levels of communication. News events and stories that were once limited and portioned via the controllers of the ten o'clock news became an instant fix for anyone using a simple spidered web search engine!

Libraries became like the old man that was awaiting his end staring out into the sunset while reminiscing over the past, uttering, "the way things used to be..." Now anytime anyone wants they can secure whatever information needed by a few clicks of the mouse, that would take them into a new world of information with megalithic horizons.

This new device which dwarfs all previous communication systems was greeted and used with the passion never before seen in the history of this planet. Yet sadly few comprehend that what has indeed been opened to them was not a magic box of wonders, but instead, Pandora's box - military style!

I wonder as I write this how many people understand how this technology has warped them beyond all recognition. [...]

What I am trying to unveil here is it is not the technology that is the evil, it is those that are using and controlling it with utter scandalous intentions!

This magic little box was not handed to us on a silver platter because someone decided it would be great for the world to be closer connected. It was given to us offering us substantial rewards as blinders, while at the same time hiding the real purpose for this weapon of mass destruction!

A long time ago it was uttered that the pen is mightier than the sword. This has not changed in principle although it has changed in the mode of operation, as the keyboard has now become the pen!

Beware of strangers offering gifts...

I was inspired to write this article because as of late I have witnessed the Internet deteriorate into a cesspool of poison. From propaganda, to all out black-op psyop controls being waged upon people that have been sucked into a trap via transference of all knowledge mixed with error!

You see nothing is ever free, there is no free ride and the Internet was not a free gift. It was a weapon engaged to be launched once it had fully circulated the global web matrix. It was intended to trap, separate, conquer and divide, all while masquerading as a wonderful communication device offering unlimited potential! [...]

The destruction mankind faces is the loss of personal integrity, character, and spiritual defense. And most of all the loss of INTERNAL MIND, warping the SOUL - the only link to truth!

The Internet has become a weapon to create mass confusion, fear, terror, and worst of all spiritual emptiness, all while parading as a vehicle of power.

I have never been so horrified as I have been as of late to watch fellow humans deteriorate lower than the animal kingdom. Their speech has become a cesspool of ignorance and profanity. Their conscience has fallen beneath the dark edges of hell itself. And Spiritual knowledge has all but ceased to exist as people continue to turn their hearts away from truth and enter the world of illusion produced daily by thrill seekers engaged in spidering negative kill shots into the arena of MIND!

Truth is being bartered with lie after lie as it becomes impossible to wade through the pollution of garbage while trying to ferret out that one little splice of perfection while being buried hip deep in the confusion!

So many fail to understand that this type of military weapon is powerful beyond words. For I have often stated that 95% water mixed with only 5% arsenic is still deadly, it will kill you. It is not how much truth is being shared, it is the small percentage of lie mixed with truth like a spirited drink of rum and coke that will eventually lose its taste while numbing your mind into servitude and delusion.

The trail of truth drags behind the lowest form of lie conceived and buried within its own vomit because the individuals fail to decode and separate that which is spiritually sanctified from the unholy!

Instead the lie rises to the top as cream and the entire glass is discarded in favor of the new poison desiring ever so patiently for the new arousal to perform its necessary agenda on the dark recesses of the gray matter! [...]

It is time that you all begin to understand, the INTERNET is not your toy that you play with, it is a violently conceived military initiative to fill the world mind with 95% truth and 5% lie, thereby leaving no need for anyone becoming a problem ever again!

For when the truth of the lie is revealed by decree, then there will be no truth left! To them that hath an ear let them hear...

The Internet is indeed the MATRIX come alive from behind the hidden secret places into the open consciousness of the world. It is the controller. Yet even after me saying all of this, I know that it will be instantly mixed with the 5%, which will cause it all to be discarded, as your minds continue to take hits by the real weapon's of mass destruction, the GREAT ERADICATOR OF TRUTH - THE TRUTH MIXED WITH ERROR!!!

Being this is the case and nothing can change it; all I ask of you is this one simple request. The next time you access anything on the Internet, do not instantly accept it, nor discard it. Bring the knowledge within you and separate it there, not on the INTERNET, and then know the truth shall indeed set you free! Remember no matter what you bring as your offering to Pandora's box it will become mixed with poison shortly thereafter. This is the law of the INTRA-NET and you cannot change it, for it was never yours to change! All you can do is to not let it compromise or destroy you! Remember, do not let the Internet USE YOU, turn it all around and begin to USE IT!

John V. Panella
vwait@ifox.com
a.k.a. (John the Gnostic)
Author of: The Gnostic Papers - The Undiscovered Mystery of Christ!

BL: Why did you write this article after years of being silent?

JP: Because I have been watching people slowly being compromised as their soul is taking hits of destruction. Too many are gullibly falling into the trap of fear generating terror, completely forgetting who they are and why they were put here, and instead awaiting a time of total destruction as if this will wipe out all responsibility for their own lack! They do not seem to be able to identify who it is that wants them to be filled with fear and terror!

BL: Do you think this article it will do any good?

JP: Sadly the only ones it will do any good for are those that already understand, now isn't that a shame, preaching to the choir again, aren't I?

BL: So why bother?

JP: YES INDEED, WHY??? THE GREAT PARADOX... Why did the chicken cross the street?

BL: To get to the other side?

JP: No, Because he could!!!

BL: Final question, what do you see is the biggest problem on this planet?

JP: Spiritual and metaphysical ineptness... it's that simple!!! Nothing else matters, and never will!

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Spain sends planes to fight locust swarms

By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
08 June 2004

Spain has sent nine planes to Morocco to combat a plague of locusts that is sweeping the southern Maghreb and threatens to head for Europe. Clouds of desert locusts have darkened Moroccan skies for months in the worst such plague since 1986.

Light aircraft sent by the Spanish foreign ministry are combating the creatures with insecticide, spraying hundreds of thousands of hectares from the Atlantic coastline to the Algerian border.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warns that if the plague is not stopped, the locusts - which can measure up to 15cm - could devastate crops throughout southern Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. With a favourable wind, they could reach Europe where they would be more difficult to control, the FAO says.

Desert locusts, or Shistocerca gregaria, travel in swarms millions strong and devour any vegetation in their path. The creatures' usual habitat is the Sahara, and they move between north and south according to the season.

But if the wind changes, they can head north across the Mediterranean. In 1956, locusts reached Extremadura in south-western Spain and in 1987 they descended upon Rome. [...]

Spain mounted the aid project as a matter of urgency, said Juan Peña, Spain's aid and co-operation organiser in Morocco. "It's in the interests of both our countries to stop the locusts crossing the Gibraltar Strait," Mr Peña said.

"It's much easier to control the plague in the desert than in Spain." He recalled his experience of the last plague, between 1984 and 1987. "If you get caught up in a cloud of locusts you have to stop the car because they blot out the sun," he said yesterday. [...]

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Alert issued as storm Conson approaches Taiwan

TAIPEI (AFP) Jun 07, 2004

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau issued an alert Monday as tropical storm Conson approached the island, bringing with it the possibility of torrential rains that could trigger landslides and floods.

At 8:00 pm (1200 GMT) the center of the storm was 560 kilometersmiles) south-southwest of Oranpi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan.

With a radius of 150 kilometers, the storm was moving north-northeast at an hourly speed of 14 kilometers.

The bureau said the edge of the storm may swipe at Taiwan late Tuesday if it kept moving at the present direction and speed.

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Two Indonesian Volcanoes Spew More Smoke, Hot Ash

By Heri Retnowati
June 9, 2004

MOUNT BROMO, Indonesia (Reuters) - Hot ash and thick smoke spewed out of two Indonesian volcanoes Wednesday, a day after an eruption from one killed two tourists and rumblings at the other forced thousands of people to evacuate.

Local vulcanologist Hendrasto described the simultaneous activity at Mount Bromo and Mount Awu as "pure coincidence." Indonesia sits astride the geologically active Pacific "ring of fire" and has more than 100 active volcanoes.

Thick brown smoke hung over the 7,846-foot Mount Bromo in densely populated East Java province. But there were no fresh eruptions of rocks like the ones that killed two tourists, an Indonesian and a 12-year-old Singaporean boy, on Tuesday.

At least three people were reported missing and officials said it was too dangerous to search for them on the higher slopes of the volcano, some 470 miles east of Jakarta. [...]

"The character of this volcano is different from the others. Small earthquakes that were recorded two days ago are quite usual for active volcanoes but suddenly it erupted," he said.

Another vulcanologist said Mt Bromo's status remained one level below the highest alert with no need yet to evacuate local residents. The other volcano that has been unusually active in recent days, Mount Awu on Sangihe island some 1,400 miles northeast of Jakarta, belched out more hot smoke and ash on Wednesday.

"At around 5:12 a.m. there was a quite a large eruption of hot ash and at the top of the mountain. There is now a column of smoke 6,562 feet high," Samuel Dalompha, an official of the Directorate of Vulcanology on the island, told El Shinta radio.

Officials had yet to see imminent signs of a lava eruption, he said.

THOUSANDS TAKE REFUGE

As many as 20,000 people on Sangihe, which is near the Philippines, have been evacuated from the mountain's slopes and immediate vicinity. Most of them have taken shelter at schools and churches in the island's main city, Tahuna, which although showered by ash is still considered safe. [...]

The island has a population of nearly 200,000, and other islands in the area have a combined population of around 60,000.

Mount Awu, one of the most active volcanoes in the sprawling archipelago, has erupted repeatedly since the 17th century. Nearly 3,000 people died when it blew up in 1812.

The volcano's last fatal eruption was in 1966 when 40 people were killed. It has erupted on a number of occasions since then. [...]

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UPDATE: Bunker siege enters second day

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Police: Man decapitates grandmother, ex-girlfriend

CNN
Wednesday, June 9, 2004 Posted: 6:52 AM EDT (1052 GMT)

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, New Jersey -- Authorities said a man decapitated and cut off the hands and feet of his grandmother and former girlfriend Tuesday.

Rosario Miraglia, 31, called police after emerging from his grandmother's two-story home covered in blood, said county prosecutor John Kaye.

When police entered the home they discovered the bodies of 87-year-old Julia Miraglia and 31-year-old Leigh L. Martinez.

Officials said Martinez was the mother of Miraglia's child and lived with the older woman.

A carving knife and a meat cleaver were found on the first floor next to the grandmother's body. [...]

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The forgotten heroes of Normandy

The Independent
07 June 2004

When Stefan Barylak came to the small Normandy town of Potigny in 1929, he did so as an outsider - the seven-year-old son of impoverished Polish labourers seeking work in the surrounding iron mines.

On a summer's day in 1944, he came back. This time as the liberator of his adopted hometown - known locally as "the French Warsaw" - in the wake of the D- Day landings at the heart of a column of tanks manned by men from the land of his birth.

Mr Barylak, 82, did not change his routine yesterday. He got up and conducted his morning inspection of what he calls "mes amis" - the graves of his friends and comrades from the 1st Polish Armoured Division who are buried in a dedicated cemetery just a few miles from Potigny. Then he attended a ceremony in the town to commemorate the role of Poland's soldiers in Operation Overlord, a memory that he has been keeping alive. "I lived here," he said. "I came back here with the liberation. It's my job to make sure those who never left are honoured."

It was by pure coincidence that the Polish armoured division, 17,000 men who had fled Hitler's invasion of their country in 1939 by escaping to Britain, became the liberators of Potigny as they fought across Normandy from the D-Day beaches beside the Canadian army. But for its inhabitants, no more appropriate force could have ended the German occupation. By the end of the 1930s, the influx of Polish immigrants to this small town of neat brick-built houses had been so large that Poles made up 60 per cent of the population.

Mr Barylak, a silver-haired grandfather with a hint of a Polish accent, said: "I was 17 when the war broke out. A friend and I decided immediately that we wanted to join up, to fight to liberate Poland with the Allies.

"But it did not happen that way. France herself was defeated so we had to flee to England. We built a force and it was a great privilege to come back and help set Potigny free. It was my homeland, where I had built my life. When I reached my home, I found my father. I was 22. It was a precious moment."

While the battles fought by their American, British and Canadian allies are at the forefront of popular memory of D-Day, the role of the Polish force - the fourth largest - has been, at times, overlooked.

Under the command of General Stanislaw Maczek and equipped with 380 American Sherman tanks, the 1st Armoured Division played a vital role in a ferocious battle just to the south of Potigny at the town of Falaise. The Allies had managed to cut off a large number of German regular army and SS divisions but it fell to the Poles to close the pocket, a task which they performed despite being low on ammunition and facing multiple counter-attacks by better-armed opponents. The Poles lost more than 500 men.

The reunification of Mr Barylak and his father after D-Day was part of a wider embrace between the Polish soldiers and the population of Potigny, who by the outbreak of the war had helped to turn the region into a big producer of iron and steel.

Mr Barylak, who has dedicated himself to preserving the memory of his comrades by tending daily to the Polish war cemetery in nearby Urville, where 613 of his colleagues are buried, said: "I was injured later in the war. I was hit after we entered Belgium, but I came back. Potigny was my home. We were proud of what we helped to build. We were proud to get rid of the enemy. Of course, we did not reach Poland itself. We had to settle for our French Warsaw."

The émigré community in Potigny, which saw its last mine close in 1988, has now been established for more than four generations and is more French than Polish in outlook. None the less strong links remain; a bakery produces Polish specialties, and the population turned out in force to witness the unveiling of a plaque by Poland's President, Aleksander Kwasniewski. An honour guard of veterans was enthusiastically awarded a spontaneous rendition of "Stolat" or "One more hundred years", a traditional greeting song.

It has long been a courtesy among the French to laud the D-Day veterans as honorary Frenchmen. The same courtesy was extended by the naturalised Poles of Potigny yesterday. Genevieve Najuszwsky, 70, who was 11 when the D-Day landings took place, said: "I came from Poland but I am French. For what they did, I know that is how these men are also considered here."

But among some of the veterans who attended the short ceremony in the small town square, a sense lingered that, while the extraordinary endeavours of their comrades had justly been long celebrated, they had been cheated by history.

One former tank crewman, originally from Lodz, said: "Many of us had no chance to fight Hitler when he invaded. Then, after the war, the Communists took over and it was embarrassing to them that we had fought alongside capitalists. For a long time, it was only in places like Potigny that our dead comrades were recognised."

Some 20 miles to the north, on the coast at Arromanches, a glittering cast of 17 heads of state, whose presence brought much of north-east Normandy to a halt, were preparing to recognise the contribution of the one million men who poured ashore in the first days of Operation Overlord with the full pomp of an international pageant.

But in an unremarkable square in rural France, it fell to Mr Kwasniewski to give a nod towards past silences. "For these Polish soldiers, the battle for Normandy was a baptism of fire. Some never saw an independent Poland. We owe them great thanks for their profound sacrifice."

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Paris Goes After SUVs

June 9, 2004

PARIS (Reuters) - Bulky four-by-fours could be banned from clogging up the chic streets of Paris after a top official in the capital's left-wing government described them as a polluting "caricature of a car" unsuited to city life.

An anti-sports utility vehicle (SUV) resolution passed by the city council could lead to a ban on the popular vehicles in about 18 months if it is included in an overall project to improve traffic flow in the city, Deputy Mayor Denis Baupin said Wednesday.

"You have to wonder why people want to drive around in SUVs," Baupin, a Greens party member, said on Europe 1 radio.

"We have no interest in having SUVs in the city. They're dangerous to others and take up too much space." [...]

"Our idea is to limit the circulation of the most polluting vehicles," he said. "That means SUVs and lots of other vehicles that don't meet European pollution standards." [...]

"Let's be logical and only allow into the city cars that are adapted to it."

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Controversy Brews Over Hillary, Condoleezza 'Stepford Wives' Ad

June 9, 2004

'Stepford Wives' Ad Shows Hillary, Condoleezza In Strange Light

The spot shows an image of Rice made to look nude from the waist up, and a picture of Clinton that morphs into what looks like a cookie-baking Stepford wife.

The pictures move across the screen very quickly, but they caught the eye of a Kansas City woman, who recorded the spot to make sure of what she was seeing.

Becky Reynolds said when she taped and watched the ad again, she "realized it was even worse" than what she'd suspected.

"It's just inappropriate, and it needs to be stopped," Reynolds said.

For those who haven't seen the 1975 thriller by director Bryan Forbes, the 2004 version is pretty much the same, but with a dash of technical wizardry. Both films are based on a book by Ira Levin about a small Connecticut town where the women act too perfectly -- because their husbands have replaced them with robots.

Comment: Distasteful? Yeah the truth often is.., :-)

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