World-News

Senator Jack Reed, Democrat - Rhode Island, a former Army officer and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in an interview Tuesday that "No one has misread history more than Rumsfeld. It's a political rant to cover up his incompetence."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006C.shtml

http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17374&ch=biztech


Informant: Lew Rockwell

nlnews@archant.co.uk

30 August 2006

CONCERN has been raised by residents of plans to install a mobile phone mast inside a historic listed church tower.

The Church of All Hallows, Church Lane, Tottenham, is undertaking a public consultation on proposals to place a mobile phone mast inside the church tower.

But Matthew Bradby, chairman of Tottenham Civic Society, was cautious about the plans for the Grade II* listed building.

He said: "The Parochial Church Council and others involved in making this decision must make absolutely sure that the historic fabric and appearance of the church tower is not compromised by the proposed work, and must satisfy themselves that there are no health and safety risks posed to local residents and schools."

The church could afford to make essential repair work on the gutters and flooring if the mast is installed.

The applicants have assured the public that it would not alter the outer appearance of the tower in any way.

Members of the public have until September 14 to respond to the plan, by QS4 Ltd on behalf of Vodaphone.

They should send their comments, with reference number A06535, to john.horsley@qs4.com or by post to John Horsley, QS4 Ltd, Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 0LX.

Copyright © 2006 Archant Regional. All rights reserved.

http://tinyurl.com/z5qtt

"Love him or hate him," writes Larry C. Johnson, "President Bush is having a terrible week while trying to catch some downtime in Maine. Watching the self-immolation of the Bush Presidency is certainly a spectacularly sad show. When this week is over and opinion polls are taken, we are likely to see Bush close in on low thirties or high twenties in terms of public support for his presidency. The drumbeat of bad news is incessant."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006M.shtml

Critics say FEMA is impeding gulf coast rebuilding as disputes hold up nearly $1 billion in relief funds. The most costly disaster in US history is fast becoming its most contentious, with appeals and disputes worth nearly a billion dollars bogging down repairs of critical public systems and delaying the return of residents.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006O.shtml

State Department investigators have concluded that Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the head of the federal agency that oversees most government broadcasts to foreign countries, improperly hired a friend on the public payroll for nearly $250,000 over two and a half years, according to a summary of their report made public this afternoon by Democratic Congressional staff members.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006P.shtml

Vicki Gray writes: "Once was a time when we used to joke that military justice is to justice as military music is to music. You musicians get the point. Trouble is, military justice is no longer a joking matter. And we have moved apace in other regards. Now we must add: military language is to language as ... well ... Orwellian 'newspeak' is to reality. And unfortunately for those in the 'reality-based community,' military newspeak has replaced standard American English as the lingua franca of the United States, thanks to the spinmeisters in the White House and a pusillanimous press corps eager to lap up whatever Karl Rove, Tony Snow, and Ken Mehlman feed them."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006B.shtml

The Warrant's Out On Judges

by Aziz Huq and James Sample, TomPaine.com
http://ga3.org/ct/np20pgF1rRmY/

Tom Paine
by Anya Kamenetz

08/29/06

Dr. Stephen Nelson, a Tulane University geologist, often leads field trips of the six major levee breaches that flooded 80 percent of New Orleans a full day after Hurricane Katrina passed. 'People are always amazed at the extent of the destruction,' he says. 'Miles and miles of empty streets with houses gutted or partially gutted, and dead vegetation everywhere.' ... A year after the hurricane, we have thousands of pages of independent autopsies of south Louisiana's flood protection system, and they point to a single conclusion. The American Society of Civil Engineers (PDF report here), the Independent Levee Investigation Team led by U.C. Berkeley, and Team Louisiana, a group of local experts, each reported that the 'catastrophic structural failure' after Katrina wasn't just a matter of crumbling mud. The real weakness was in the structure of the Army Corps of Engineers itself...

http://tinyurl.com/pwdcp


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

CounterPunch
by Dave Lindorff

08/29/06

But as for the 'war' on terror? It's going strong, but all along it's been all about not military, but police activity. In Europe, alleged terror cells have been efficiently infiltrated and busted. In Britain, there was the bust of a cell which succeeded in blowing up some buses and subway cars and another bust of an alleged plot to blow up multiple airliners. In the U.S., there have been ... well, not much in the way of productive busts of terror actions, but certainly a lot of police activity. ... This is what Bush's phony 'War on Terror' is about in reality: not a war, but an excuse for a police state...

http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff08292006.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

CounterPunch
by Paul Craig Roberts

08/29/06

Under the Nuremberg standard, Bush is definitely a war criminal. The US Supreme Court also exposed Bush to war crime charges under both the US War Crimes Act of 1996 and the Geneva Conventions when the Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld against the Bush administration's military tribunals and inhumane treatment of detainees. ... To make his war crimes legal after the fact, Bush has instructed the Justice (sic) Department to draft changes to the War Crimes Act and to US treaty obligations under the Geneva Conventions. ... Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice says that Bush's changes 'immunize past crimes.' Under the US Constitution and US legal tradition, retroactive law is impermissible. What do Americans think of their President's attempts to immunize himself, his government, CIA operatives, military personnel and civilian contractors from war crimes? Apparently, the self-righteous morally superior American 'Christian' public could care less...

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts08292006.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Hamdan

Boston Globe
by Chris Gabrieli

08/29/06

In the business world, if you have an idea but no plan to pay for it, you get laughed out of the room. If you make a promise you can't keep, there are consequences. If you ultimately fail to produce results, you lose your job. That's how businesses create accountability. I believe elected officials should be held equally accountable for getting results. In a recent television ad, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey says 'I'll be in there fighting every day to protect your money.' Yet since 2002, residential property taxes are up 32 percent, fees are up, critical government services have been cut, and, despite all the campaign promises, the income tax hasn't moved an inch...

http://tinyurl.com/lpwbz


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Liberty For All
by Joey B. King

08/29/06

One of the most important cases to wind its way through the military justice system since the Nuremburg trials at the end of World War II began in mid-August at Fort Lewis Washington. It involves the case of Honolulu-native First Lieutenant (1LT) Ehren Watada. In June 2006, he refused to deploy (known in the military as 'missing movement') to Iraq on the basis that doing so would be a war crime. He insists the war itself is illegal. He is the first officer to miss movement in this conflict. It is important to note that 1LT Watada agreed to deploy to Afghanistan...

http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=37


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Watada

Truthdig
by Molly Ivins

08/29/06

What I learned from Code Pink is that this is not an either-or question. The peace movement is a matter of And and And and And. You just keep adding more people, from those like Sheehan, who lost her son Casey in the stupid debacle, to the Iraqi Veterans Against the War, easily the strongest, most moving group of young people in America. They have learned in the hardest way what politics is. War is about rounding up people with Shock and Awe and really loud noises, and about thinking you can herd them by hurting and killing them. Politics is what you do if you're not so stupid you walk into an unnecessary and unprovoked war. I'm founding Cow Whisperers Against the War...

http://tinyurl.com/pwhkd


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Strike the Root
by Christopher Awuku

08/29/06

A 'North American Union' based upon the European Union would be a disaster for the United States, Canada and Mexico, certainly in relation to the continual pressures of big government that present themselves from supranational agreements. The aforementioned countries would possess freedom and liberty by remaining as sovereign nations, freely and willingly seeking to co-exist with their neighbours. Government always grows. This fact is so axiomatic that it's almost an iron law. There is no guarantee that the North American Cooperative Security Act would, or could, remain in its current limited form...

http://www.strike-the-root.com/62/awuku/awuku4.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

DOMINIC CHESSUM

30 August 2006 14:35

Angry families have vowed to fight plans to put up a mobile phone mast near their homes and a popular park.

Mobile phone operator 3 is consulting schools and ward councillors on proposals for a 15-metre mono-pole at the corner of Parmenter Road and South Park Avenue, in Norwich.

The site is only metres away from Eaton Park and is close to four schools and a community centre.

The phone company is expected to submit a full application to Norwich City Council after the pre-application consultation is over on September 12.

But nearby families, who found out about the proposals after ward councillor Judith Lubbock posted letters through their doors, have vowed to oppose any application.

Betty Nichols of Sotherton Road has drawn up the petition with her husband George and they have already collected more than 80 signatures.

She said: "We will fight this all the way until they find a better place for this.

"Everyone I have talked to is really angry. They think it is unfair to put it so close to their homes - one woman even knocked on our door and asked to sign the petition.

"There is a park close by and we have all the children at the school down the road and there's not enough information as to the health risks.

"We will collect all the signatures and take them to the council so its officers can see how we all feel."

Mother-of-four Tracey Thorndyke, lives on Parmenter Road, very close to where the mast would be situated.

She said: "We are all against it. There is such a debate going on about the health and safety of them and it is not really needed - 3 should put it elsewhere.

"I am worried for the safety of my children and it could cause a decrease in the value of our property."

William Comery, corporate affairs manager for South East Ericsson, the company installing the mast on behalf of 3, said: "We have contacted four schools and the three ward councillors during the pre-application consultation.

"That will be completed on September 12 and will then go through the council's public consultation process.

"There is a lack of coverage in this particular area and we looked at eight possible sights. This was the most appropriate.

"There has been a lot of research into health and mobile phones. Most recent was a World Health Organisation Report which came out in May. It concluded that there were no adverse short or long term health risks."

Omega this is not true. See under:
http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Wissenschaft+zu+Mobilfunk/
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Cancer+Cluster
http://www.buergerwelle.de/body_science.html

Are you worried about a mobile phone mast application in your area? Contact Dominic Chessum on 01603 772428
or e-mail dominic.chessum@archant.co.uk

AlterNet
by Sarah Anderson

08/30/06

In their glossy annual reports, military contractors are typically modest about how much loot they've gotten from a bloody and increasingly unpopular 'War on Terror.' But read the transcript of virtually any Q&A session with Wall Street and the truth comes out. While millions are suffering from the human and economic costs of the Iraq war, the violence has been very good for the bottom lines of military contractors and their top executives...

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/40962/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Cato Institute
by Peter T. Leeson and Russell S. Sobel

08/30/06

FEMA's failure was that it employed a command and control approach -- central planning -- as the basis for organizing relief activities. This compounded disaster with disaster, because the great weakness of central planning is its inability to respond quickly and adapt to changes and unforeseen circumstances. No centralized authority, no matter how well-intentioned its employees and well-functioning its internal operations, can overcome this problem. How could any one agency go about coordinating thousands of people with different needs with thousands of people who have supplies that could help them? FEMA's model required both the demands for relief and offers of supply to be communicated first to the agency for approval. Private individuals and local governments that attempted to bring in their own supplies quickly found that FEMA would not allow it...

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6641


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

08/30/06

Why are American armed forces in Iraq? There are two important reasons: error and empire. Although oil is an important focal element, it proxies for business interests in general, and they proxy for the American system extended under the umbrella of American control and protection, that is, empire. America didn't fight the Spanish-American War, World War I, or the Vietnam War for oil. If we are to understand the Iraq War as part of a longstanding process, oil cannot provide the explanation...

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rozeff/rozeff101.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Fox News

08/29/06

Sen. John Kerry didn't contest the results at the time, but now that he's considering another run for the White House, he's alleging election improprieties by the Ohio Republican who oversaw the deciding vote in 2004. An e-mail will be sent to 100,000 Democratic donors Tuesday asking them to support U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland for governor of Ohio. The bulk of the e-mail criticizes Strickland's opponent, GOP Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, for his dual role in 2004 as President Bush's honorary Ohio campaign co-chairman and the state's top election official. 'He used the power of his state office to try to intimidate Ohioans and suppress the Democratic vote,' said Kerry's e-mail...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,210967,00.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

National Review
by William F. Buckley, Jr.

08/29/06

The wires are heavy with the question of Iraq. The defeat of Senator Lieberman in the Democratic primary in Connecticut was a call to outright defiance by Democrats running for reelection. They have been warned now, by the unforgiving, that they must reject the war in Iraq and labor with the single end in mind of returning American troops and dissolving U.S. commitments. ... Good men will perhaps not be finally governed by consideration of the moral question in Iraq, but they will not conceal that the point is there for men of good will to weigh...

http://tinyurl.com/pqpm9


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

With the Bush administration pushing nuclear power as an "alternative energy," big utilities are looking to revitalize what was recently a dormant industry, and some local governments are keen on the potential industrial influx.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082906EC.shtml

The United States is resolute on establishing dominance over this area in a chess game that involves the heir to the Soviet Union—the post-Soviet Russian Federation—the Peoples’ Republic of China, and Iran.

http://tinyurl.com/zre6a


From Information Clearing House

"It would be unfortunate if other countries thought that because we have 136,000 troops in Iraq today, that we're not capable of defending our country or doing anything that we might need to do," he said in response to a question about military options for dealing with Iran.

http://tinyurl.com/epcvp


From Information Clearing House

New 'Caught Red-Handed' Report

Since the Iraq war began, the Republican-led Congress has spent more than $300 Billion on President Bush's failed policy. $18 billion has been awarded to Halliburton, much of which was in "no bid" contracts and $9 billion is missing.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14738.htm

Anti-War Candidates
http://antiwarcandidates.com/


From Information Clearing House

Republican operatives are already expressing outrage over the new Charles Sanders TV spot for the Ohio special election in the 3rd Congressional district on September 15th. It was posted on his web site this morning and is set to start running on multiple TV stations in his district tomorrow.

You can see this controversial new ad on this special page, where you can also encourage Mr. Sander for taking such a strong unapologetic stand by donating to help run these courageous ads.

VIDEO PAGE: http://www.charleswsanders.org/donations4a.php

STATEMENT OF CHARLES SANDERS:

The Bush Administration is perhaps the most unnerving, duplicitous band of pirates to ever occupy the White House. Most likely, it will be decades before the full magnitude of evasiveness and paranoia is known concerning how this Administration initiates policy. The Bush people have punished assistants who have become whistle blowers from its very beginning. It fired the photographer who took the picture featured in my new TV spot because it adequately frames the reality of the Bush occupation of Iraq. The American People deserve a representative who will expose surreptitious conduct by its government, whether done in my district or outside of it. And you can help me do it by submitting my action page to call for our troops to start coming home now.

ACTION PAGE: http://www.charleswsanders.org/petitions/pnum457.php

Many Veterans, including myself, do question this unholy war because of the sheer weight of the lies surrounding why it was initiated in the first place. Our heart and prayers go out to the hundreds of Military personnel who sacrificed all to maintain the United States integrity and mandated resolve to bring some semblance of order in this most unstable part of the world. With such a high price being paid, should we allow over the top politicians a pass on accountability? I should hope not. If each American family must take responsibility for its own, then surely each level of government should also be so regulated. It is a fact that most of our soldiers, Marines, sailors and airman were dispatched with inadequate body armor and shielding to protect military vehicles in the most vulnerable areas.

Military personnel, including our national guard, were sent to Iraq, with no formal training on how to defend against road side bombs and other improvised munitions. Our ad seeks to highlight the failures of the Bush Administration and those who acquiesce with it. Iraq must be allowed to stand up for itself, sooner not later. We simply cannot sit idly by and say "not my problem." The whole fiasco is all of our problems, so therefore, we must END it. Enough chicanery already, let the truth be known and maybe, just maybe, enough political will can emerge to force an end to this senseless war. My career minded baby brother is headed back to the middle East next month, I want what is best for him. I have been out of the military for thirty nine years, but I still actively care about our deployed military forces. Why can't we be honest and face reality that we are going nowhere in Iraq? We now must seek the honorable route out of Iraq before more antagonisms surface against the best that America has to offer.

Your humble representative,

CHARLES W. SANDERS
CANDIDATE FOR UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

By Charley Reese

President George Bush's ignorance of the Middle East and its people is well-known. So also is his habit of parroting words and sentences given to him by other people. He hit a new low when he referred to "Islamic fascists."

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14751.htm

By Brendan O'Neill

From the Muslim Brotherhood to Hamas: how the West and its allies created a layer of anti-secular radical Islamism.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14741.htm



The Big Lie About 'Islamic Fascism'
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14743.htm

Reclaiming The Issues: Islamic Or Republican Fascism?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14747.htm



Islamic Fascism?

By Ismael Hossein-zadeh

The Bush administration's labeling of radical Islamic movements and leaders as fascist, or "Islamofascism," is sheer nonsense. It betrays either blatant demagoguery, or shameful ignorance, or most probably, both.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article15482.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Islamic+Fascism

By Charles Sullivan

It is ironic that the people who think they are the freest are the most controlled people on earth. It is equally odd that those who think they are part of the greatest democracy the world has ever known do not participate in a democracy at all; nor do they recognize one when they see it. These facts attest to how thoroughly the American people have been propagandized by the corporate media.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14749.htm

by Greg Evensen

In the United States of America, there are only two directions left. Either we will reclaim our heritage, or we will surrender our constitution to the chains of slavery. The most compelling question that the people of the United States have always grappled with is how to build a government strong enough to preserve order and yet leave society free enough to prevent tyranny.....

http://www.newswithviews.com/Evensen/greg2.htm

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3305

Source: http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=149495;article=104079;show_archive=1

OPPOSITION is growing amongst Artane residents to the erection of a mobile phone mast on a site on Harmonstown Road. However, Vodafone Ireland PLC has moved to reassure one local resident recovering from cancer that the mast will not affect her health.

Noreen Downes, who lives opposite the proposed mast site, told Northside People she had to undergo nine serious facial operations when she was diagnosed with cancer three years ago.

“I spent four months in St James’s Hospital and lost an eye and a large part of my mouth due to cancer,” said Ms Downes.

“Of course I have worries about a mobile phone mast going up here. The jury is still very much out when it comes to determining if these masts are actually harmful to people’s health.

“I have genuine concerns as I feel I’m possibly that bit more vulnerable.”

Ms Downes said she first heard of the intention to erect a mast some weeks ago and immediately objected to Dublin City Council.

“I posted off my objection and I believe several other residents have done the same,” she said.

“Life hasn’t been easy since my operations and I live alone here.

“I still have to attend hospital with regard to my health but I intend to live a peaceful life here.

“I don’t need any extra worries and I don’t care if that upsets mobile phone operators.”

Olivia Dobbs, a spokesperson for Vodafone, moved to allay Ms Downes’ fears.

Ms Dobbs told Northside People that the mobile phone industry is one of the most regulated in the world today.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF), which emanate from the masts, pose no danger to people’s health,” said Ms Dobbs.

“While I do appreciate that if someone is ill, any change they may experience in their immediate environment could possibly cause stress. This is certainly not what Vodafone is about.

“However, we know that the science and the research that has been done on EMF points to the same conclusion – that there are no proven adverse health effects.

Omega this is not true. See under:
http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Wissenschaft+zu+Mobilfunk/
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Cancer+Cluster
http://www.buergerwelle.de/body_science.html

“I would be more than happy to talk personally to Ms Downes to reassure her or to send her out some information that she may find useful.”

Ms Dobbs pointed out that while Vodafone had applied for planning permission for a new mast at Harmonstown Road, they also intend to remove a mast from another site in the area, as it is not delivering the service required.

“This site is not delivering to our customers’ needs, so we are replacing it with the new one; it’s not like we are actually adding a new site to the area,” she said.

Another resident, Derek Quinn, who lives on Brookwood Rise, three doors from the proposed site for the new mast, said his concerns over the mast were mainly issues surrounding health.

“However, I also find the masts that are currently in position ugly to look at,” said Mr Quinn.

“I find these masts visually unpleasant and obtrusive and they can clearly be seen from my back garden.”

Cllr Sean Kenny (Lab) called for a special meeting of the North Central Area Committee with regard to the Vodafone planning application.

This meeting took place last week and was addressed by Dublin City Council planners.

Several residents from the Harmonstown Road area also attended.
Cllr Kenny said: “The granting of this new permission would bring the total number of masts to four in a relatively small area.

“This cluster of masts is close to residential housing at Harmonstown Road, Brookwood Rise, and Ennafort Road.”

Cllr Kenny is calling on the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, to review the operation of the Planning and Development Regulations in relation to mobile phone masts.

http://www.dublinpeople.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1589&Itemid=49

The number of Americans without health insurance probably rose to a record in 2005 as medical costs increased three times as fast as wages, according to forecasts for a Census Bureau report today. The total has climbed every year since President George W. Bush took office, a point Democrats are likely to seize on in this year's congressional election.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082906HB.shtml

Forests in the West are dying. Pat Rasmussen says, "As I look around, I see humans continuing life as usual, seemingly unaware that the planetary forests that make life possible are more and more stressed, pushed toward death, by our actions. We stand at the edge of a catastrophic precipice, where life as we know it may no longer be possible."

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082906EA.shtml

In the world's biggest economy one in eight Americans and almost one in four African-Americans lived in poverty last year, the US Census Bureau said on Tuesday. The survey also showed 15.9 percent of the population, or 46.6 million, had no health insurance, up from 15.6 percent in 2004 and the fifth increase in a row.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082906T.shtml

A Lockheed Martin engineer, frustrated that his supervisors failed to correct what he saw as critical security flaws in a fleet of refurbished Coast Guard patrol boats, did just about the only thing left he could think of to get action: He made a video and posted it on YouTube.com.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082906S.shtml

http://alternet.org/blogs/video/40755/


Informant: Neo Mulder

A statement released by the office of Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) states that Specter’s bill “gives him even more power than he has asserted under his illegal NSA wiretapping program.”

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/New_Specter_0829.html


From Information Clearing House

As cafe society blooms in the tourist areas of New Orleans, poor ex-residents struggle to survive.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1860225,00.html


From Information Clearing House

Foundering American property market could spark global slowdown worse than dotcom collapse.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1859024,00.html


From Information Clearing House

Capitalism, many radicals have long argued, needs war. It needs it to expand its geographical reach; it needs it to open up new markets; it needs it to access cheap raw materials; and it needs it to placate opposition at home and pacify rebellious populations abroad.

http://tinyurl.com/zkry9


From Information Clearing House