Human Rights Watch: Ousting Saddam 'no cause for war':Only mass slaughter might permit the deliberate taking of life in using military force for humanitarian purposes,
Brutal as Saddam Hussein's reign had been, the scope of the Iraq Government's killing in March 2003, was not of the exceptional and dire magnitude that would justify humanitarian intervention.
The Bush administration cannot justify the war in Iraq as a humanitarian intervention, and neither can Tony Blair.

Arundhati Roy: The New American Century: A must read outline of the new empire.

Naomi Klein on US plans for Iraqi 'Democracy': "Got that? Iraqi sovereignty will be established by appointees appointing appointees to select appointees to select appointees. Add the fact that Bremer was appointed to his post by President Bush and Bush to his by the US Supreme Court, and you have the glorious new democratic tradition of the appointocracy: rule by an appointee's appointee's appointees' appointees' appointees' selectees.
...
Given the widespread perception that the US is not out to rebuild Iraq but to loot it, if Iraqis were given the chance to vote tomorrow, they could well decide to expel US troops immediately and to reverse Bremer's privatisation project, opting instead to protect local jobs. And that frightening prospect - far more than the absence of a census - explains why the White House is fighting so hard for its appointocracy."

Thomas Friedman is an arrogant ignoramus, Part 5: "they want a presidential candidate who is serious about fighting the war against the Islamist totalitarianism threatening open societies
...
Without a serious Democratic critique of the war — and I define "serious" as one that connects with the gut middle-American feeling that the Islamist threat had to be confronted"

This guy is supposed to be the "paper of record"'s expert on the Middle East, yet seems unaware that Hussein's Iraq was

1. Most definately not Islamist.


2. Not a threat to its neighbors let alone the US

Mr. Friedman. Repeat after me.
"Iraq did not have WMD"
"Iraq was not an Islamist state"
"Iraq was not a threat"
"I will read the news and the history books"

Friedman Aaaarggggg last

To the Editor:

Re "War of Ideas, Part 5" (column, Jan. 22):
Thomas L. Friedman claims that the invasion of Iraq was justified because the "Islamist threat had to be confronted". Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a secular state and hardly a threat to any of its neighbors let alone the United States. Whatever reasons this administration had to attack Iraq had nothing to do with "Islamists", unless one is to take Bush's early utterances about Crusades seriously, nor was there threat. Mr. Freidman perpetuates the simple caricatures and lies used by this administration to demonize all Moslem and Arabs and perpetuate the false association between Islam and terror.

Bush and his friend confront terror: "So America is pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East. We will challenge the enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror, and expect a higher standard from our friend."

I assume the friend referred to is Israel?
Does this mean our friend will need to increase its daily kill rate?
Or must it liberate Syria?
Or maybe it is Lebanon that is yearning for freedom?
I understand our friend's neighbor's population is picking the rose petals, polishing the rice to welcome the friendly liberators.

State of the Union Address: "Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens. You need to renew the Patriot Act.

Already, the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.

Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life. Unless you act, Americans face a tax increase. What Congress has given, the Congress should not take away. For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent.

We will double federal funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life: Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually-transmitted diseases.

On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs.

It's also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the compassion of America's religious institutions.

My fellow citizens, we now move forward, with confidence and faith. Our nation is strong and steadfast. The cause we serve is right, because it is the cause of all mankind. The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable -- and it is not carried forward by our power alone. We can trust in that greater power who guides the unfolding of the years. And in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true.

May God continue to bless America."

Scary Shit.

According to Israel, repulsing a border incursion is terrorism: "Israeli Government spokesman Avi Pazner said the raid was "a measured response to a terrorist attack, while we do not want an armed escalation"
'Unifil [UN Interim Forces in Lebanon] can confirm that the Israeli bulldozer was on the Lebanese side when it was hit,' said Unifil spokesman Milos Strugar."

Why the US is running scared of elections in Iraq: "Above all, Washington's plans for handing power to an unelected group of Iraqis is being strongly challenged by Iraq's majority Shia community. The occupiers who invaded Iraq in the name (partly) of bringing democracy are being accused of flouting democracy themselves.
Oh yes, and then there's the small matter of the weapons of mass destruction on which Saddam increasingly appears to be the man who had truth on his side. When he said he had destroyed them years ago, he, rather than Bush and Blair, was the man not lying."

Thomas Friedman is an arrogant ignoramus part 4: " After Israel withdrew from Lebanon, the Hezbollah militia, on the other side, went on hating Israel and harassing the border but it never tried to launch an invasion. Why? Hezbollah knew it would have no legitimacy in the world or in Lebanon for breaching that U.N.-approved border. And if it tried, Israel would be able to use its full military weight to retaliate."

Much more obvious reason why Hezbollah "never tried to launch an invasion" is that Hezbollah, unlike Israel, is not an invader of other lands nor a colonial power. It was a resistance organisation against the Israeli invasion. Once the invader had withdrawn there was no reason to keep fighting.

The arrogant ignoramous sees 3 reasons why Israel should withdraw from the occupied territories, but the human rights of the Palestinians is not one of them. Racist moron. The occupation must end not because occupation is bad, unjust, brutal but because of the benefits to the state of Israel.

As Avi Shlaim writes today: "Over the past 36 years, Israel has tried every conceivable method of ending the conflict with the Palestinians except the obvious one - ending the occupation. And as long as the occupation continues, there will be no peace and no stability in the Middle East."

Potassium iodide, gas masks, emergency preparedness, disaster preparedness: "As you navigate our site, you'll notice that we emphasize that good emergency preparedness provides the best security and peace of mind for you and your family. A major part of emergency preparedness is being ready to handle dangerous situations and even major catastrophes - including chemical and nuclear attacks/accidents. "
Ha ha ha. Then again a gas mask may come in useful for the August/September party in NYC ...

Sergeant's widow calls on Hoon to resign: "The defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, said today he was 'extremely sorry' about the death of a tank commander who died in Iraq after being ordered to hand back body armour due to shortages."

Israeli Deputy Offence Minister Zeev Boim: "'Sheik Yassin is marked for death, and he should hide himself deep underground where he won't know the difference between day and night. And we will find him in the tunnels, and we will eliminate him,' "
Gotta love the macho language and behavior.

President Speaks with Faith-Based and Community Leaders: "Problems that face our society are oftentimes problems that require something greater than just a government program or a government counselor to solve. Intractable problems, problems that seem impossible to solve can be solved. There is the miracle of salvation in our -- that is real, that is tangible, that is available for all to see. Miracles are possible in our society, one person at a time. "

Religeous nutter or what? And here is the complete Nutter's Fact Sheet

May God bless your work and may God continue to bless America.

What Americans Know: "With His Six-year-old Son Enrolled in Californian State School, Andrew Gumbel Finds its Roots in a Conformist Education System Ill at Ease with Dissent or Critical Thought "

Excelent article on the US education system...

Saddam wanted jihadists kept at arm's length: "The document further undermines pre-war and post-war claims by President George Bush's administration that Saddam had close links with Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaida. Instead, it confirmed the long-held belief of CIA analysts and British intelligence that the two - one a secular dictator, the other a religious zealot - mistrusted each other deeply, and that Saddam would have been loath to share any weapons secrets he might have had with a group he could not control."

Remember, Miserable Failure, during his Top Gun act: "The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. We've removed an ally of al Qaeda, and cut off a source of terrorist funding. And this much is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime, because the regime is no more."

In the land of the free we have lots of hupla about comparisons of Bush with Hitler from the RNC. You may enjoy Cockburn's take on this:
"My problem with the Hitler-Bush pairing is not so much the comparison per se which is solidly in the respectable mainstream of political abuse, but in the strange hysteria of Democrats about Bush as a leader of such consummate evil, so vile that any Democrat would be preferable. Any Democrat? George Bush is by definition a warmonger, but Wesley Clark, one of the contenders for the Democratic nomination, actually issued an order that could have sparked Armageddon."

When politicians have balls: "'Who the hell is he to tell me I am betraying the country? It's crap.'" A reasoned response to Blair's statement that oposing his policy is "complete betrayal of the proper interests of the country".

Here in the land of the free the Miserable Failure gets to freely say "with us or against us" and no one blinks.

Thomas Friedman is an arrogant ignoramus: "Let's start with Turkey -- the only Muslim, free-market democracy in Europe ... must help strengthen Turkey as a model of democracy, modernism, moderation and Islam all working together. Nothing would do that more than having Turkey be made a member of the European Union ..."

The man continues to amaze with his genius. Forgotten is the repression, arguably genocide, of the Kurds. Similarly he admires Israeli democracy, ignoring occupation, torture, murder. His fans are encouraged to read the State department's human rights reports on Turkey and Israel.

Bush besieged by war college: "The Bush administration's doctrinaire view of the war on terror, which lumped together regimes like Saddam Hussein's and al-Qaida as a single undifferentiated threat, led the US on a dangerous 'detour' into an unnecessary war, according to an unusually strong critique from the US army war college."

The original report is here

Friedman Aaaarggggg
To the Editor:

Re "War of Ideas, Part 2" (column, Jan. 11):
Thomas L. Friedman suggests that Turkey is an example of virtuous democracy. He seems unaware that Turkey is responsible for massive human rights abuses against its population, including the forced relocation of between 300,000 and 1 million Kurds. I urge Mr. Friedman to read the State Department Country Reports on Human Rights on both his latest paragon of justice Turkey, and his other gleaming example of 'democratic values' in the region, Israel. Hopefully this will temper his admiration of states which follow democratic forms while indulging in torture, murder and other severe crimes.

Lethal hatreds spread in Iraq's cockpit of violence: "'We have told the local leaders we know that there are evildoers. But we are not here to spray up the town. We say: 'You shoot an RPG, you can expect some steely-eyed killers who will kill or capture you'.' "

Richer, stouter, and no happier:
Yearly spending on luxury items:

• Make-up: $18bn


• Perfumes: $15bn


• Ocean cruises: $14bn


• Ice-cream in Europe: $11 bn

Extra annual funds needed to achieve global goals:

• Eliminate hunger: $19bn


• Reproductive health care for all women: $12bn


• Clean water for all: $10bn


• Universal literacy: $5bn

More on this here

Carnegie Endowment : Iraq WMD threat 'misrepresented': "Bush administration officials have been accused of misrepresenting the threat from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
The accusation comes in a report from the influential left-of-centre Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which opposed the war in Iraq. "

CEIP has more interesting stuff here

US says troops abused Iraqi POWs: "Three soldiers have been discharged from the US army for mistreating Iraqi prisoners of war."

As long as we're caged, why not make us part of the zoo?: "The residents of the village of Al-Walajah want to sound out the Israeli government on the possibility of being granted prisoners rights, says Adnan al-Atrache, the deputy head of the village council and the chairman of Al-Walajah's Committee to Prevent House Demolitions. According to the plan of the separation fence now under construction, the village is set to be completely surrounded and will effectively become a prison compound. One of al-Atrache's neighbors doesn't think it's very funny, but al-Atrache retorts: 'In prison you get food, cigarettes, electricity and water, and all for free, in addition to permission to walk in the yard - and that's exactly what we're asking for.'"

Bush Priority for 2004 (Fisk): "America should create three mini-states in Iraq - Kurds in the north, Sunnis in the centre and Shias in the south - the frontiers of these three entities drawn along ethnic, sectarian lines. "

The original Gelb article is here

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US ready to seize Gulf oil in 1973: "The United States considered using force to seize oilfields in the Middle East during an oil embargo by Arab states in 1973, according to British government documents just made public. "

More details in the Washington Post