text:
Blackwater training U.S. local police a new trend
Filed under: Baghdad, Blackwater, Border Patrol, Burson-Marsteller, Dictatorship, domestic terror, domestic terrorism, Empire, Hillary Clinton, ICE, Illegal Immigration, Immigration, Iraq, iraq deaths, John Edwards, kentucky, Louisiana, mercenaries, militarization, nation building, Neolibs, new orleans, New World Order, occupation, phillip morris, Police State, Posse Comitatus, Propaganda, Troops, War On Terror | Tags: lexington police department
Jim Kouri
Examiner.com
There are many police and law enforcement officials who are concerned with the growing trend of using military-experienced mercenaries to train and work with local police officers in the United States, but there are many who believe the events of September 11, 2001 dictate the need for this new paradigm.
For example, Kentucky's Lexington Police Department contracted Blackwater Security International to provide what's described as homeland security training. Meanwhile that city's Mayor Jim Newberry and its chief of police Anthony Beatty refused free training provided by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal program that prepares police officers to enforce immigration and border security as part of their duties.
Lexington is on the nation's list of so-called Sanctuary Cities in which police officers are prohibited from working with ICE or Border Patrol agents in the United States. Critics are angry over the use of local tax dollars to hire Blackwater personnel to train the police.
But Lexington isn't the only city using hired guns to help local police officers. In New Orleans, heavily armed operatives from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of that beleaguered city.
Some of the mercenaries were reportedly "deputized" by the Louisiana governor and were issued gold Louisiana State law enforcement badges to wear on their chests and Blackwater photo identification
cards to be worn on their arms.
Blackwater or Bloodwater? The New World Order's New World Military.
Blackwater crushed car with 3 kids: former US official
Blackwater Hires PR Giant for Image Change
WeAreCHANGE Confronts Karl Rove
Filed under: 9/11, 9/11 Truth, afghanistan deaths, bin laden, citizen's arrest, federal crime, George Bush, Impeach, Iraq, iraq deaths, Karl Rove, nation building, neocons, New York, occupation, Protest, scandal, War Crimes, War On Terror, We Are Change, World Trade Center | Tags: contempt
Truth to Power: The Spirit of CHANGE trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzLXuQ5YJJUF
Senate Passes $612B Defense Bill
Filed under: Afghanistan, Congress, ethnic cleansing, Eugenics, fallen soldiers, friendly fire, Genocide, George Bush, House, Iraq, iraq deaths, nation building, neocons, occupation, Pentagon, Senate, war funding, War On Terror, war spending | Tags: MoD
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a $612.5 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2009, including $70 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As passed on an 88-8 vote, the measure would authorize $103.9 billion for Pentagon procurement, $1.2 billion more than President George W. Bush's request. Overall, Bush had asked for $611.1 billion for national defense.
Shocking Iraq Incident: 2 U.S. Soldiers Killed by Another
http://www.editorandpub..splay.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003850908
MoD accused of covering up injuries to troops
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new..f-covering-up-injuries-to-troops.html
"We Blew Her to Pieces"
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/18859
'US seeks secret bases in Iraq'
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=70001&sectionid=351020201
Satellite Image: Ethnic Cleansing in Iraq Preceded Drop In Violence
http://newsgrist.typepad.com/underbelly/2008/09/satellite-image.html
Secret Radiation Guns Used In Iraq
Filed under: 1st amendment, ADS, Air Force, army, Baghdad, civil liberties, civil rights, Control Grid, Darpa, Dictatorship, Dissent, DoD, Empire, Eugenics, Fascism, federal crime, free speech, Genocide, human rights, Iraq, iraq deaths, Larry King, LRAD, manhattan project, Military, nation building, navy, Nazi, Nuke, occupation, Oppression, pain compliance, Pentagon, Police State, Population Control, Protest, Space Weapons, Star Wars Program, super weapons, Troops, urban warfare, US Constitution, War Crimes, War On Terror, WMD, WW2 | Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, electromagnetic weapon, electromagnetic weapons, EMP, emp weapon, LA, laser gun, laser weapon, laser weapons, microwave gun, microwave weapon, microwave weapons, neocons, nuclear weapon, radiation gun, war of the worlds
Woodward compares clandestine program to Manhattan Project, could secret weapon be terrifying radiation canon?
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward revealed to Larry King last night that the U.S. has embarked on a "secret killing program" in Iraq which has dramatically reduced attacks on coalition troops by wiping out terrorists, but what could this secret weapon possibly be?
A CNN report details Woodward's revelations.
The program — which Woodward compares to the World War II era Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb — must remain secret for now or it would "get people killed," Woodward said Monday on CNN's Larry King Live.
"The top secret operations will "some day in history … be described to people's amazement," Woodward told King.
While he would not reveal the details, Woodward said the terrorists who have been targeted were already aware of the capabilities.
"The enemy has a heads up because they've been getting wiped out and a lot of them have been killed," he said. "It's not news to them."
For the weapon to be comparable to the atomic bomb, one would speculate that it must employ some kind of exotic new technology and is potentially related to neutron bomb and electromagnetic weapons research.
As far back as 2002, a Cox News Service report entitled Super-Secret Microwave Weapons May Be Used In Iraq, speculated that the military was preparing to utilize high-powered microwave weapons that send bursts of electromagnetic energy which completely disable enemy electronic devices.
However, Woodward's discussion of the secret weapon wiping out alleged terrorists in large numbers suggests it may be a far more barbaric device than an EMP weapon, which would more traditionally be used against standing armies rather than scattered insurgents.
One possibility is that the weapon is something similar that described to film maker Patrick Dillon by Iraqi infantryman Majid al-Ghazali – a frightening giant flame-thrower type device that instead shoots out "concentrated lightning bolts" or radiation bursts that result in vehicles and people being almost literally liquidized.
During a street battle in Baghdad on April 12 2003, Al-Ghazali describes witnessing American troops unveil an oddly configured tank which "suddenly let loose a blinding stream of what seemed like fire and lightning, engulfing a large passenger bus and three automobiles."
"Within seconds the bus had become semi-molten, sagging "like a wet rag" as he put it. He said the bus rapidly melted under this withering blast, shrinking until it was a twisted blob about the dimensions of a VW bug. As if that were not bizarre enough, al-Ghazali explicitly describes seeing numerous human bodies shriveled to the size of newborn babies. By the time local street fighting ended that day, he estimates between 500 and 600 soldiers and civilians had been cooked alive as a result of the mysterious tank-mounted device."
Al-Ghazali adds that following the battle, U.S. troops were scrupulous about burying the evidence of the weapon's deadly consequences, but that telltale signs remained which he showed to journalist Dillon.
Dillon, a battlefield medic in Vietnam, Somalia and Kosovo, stated, "I've seen a freaking smorgasbord of destruction in my life, flame-throwers, napalm, white phosphorous, thermite, you name it. I know of nothing short of an H-bomb that conceivably might cause a bus to instantly liquefy or that can flash broil a human body down to the size of an infant. God pity humanity if that thing is a preview of what's in store for the 21st century."
An interview with Majid al-Ghazali can be viewed below along with a further exploration of exotic weapons systems being employed in Iraq. Aid workers and others have backed up reports of terrifying new weapons systems being deployed that cause horrific injuries and agonizing deaths. Woodward's characterization of the victims merely as "terrorists" conceals the fact that a great number of the victims of these brutal weapons are no doubt innocent people caught up in the fighting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oe92UbdoIY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcNSVG1ikBg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw2B_-zy0JU
No End in Sight – (Iraq war movie)
Filed under: 9/11, Ahmed Chalabi, army, bin laden, blockade, Bush Sr., civil liberties, civil rights, civil war, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Coup, David Petraeus, Dick Cheney, Disinformation, Donald Rumsfeld, fallen soldiers, False Flag, false information, federal crime, George Bush, george h. w. bush, human rights, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, Iraqnam, Jordan, Martial Law, Military Industrial Complex, nation building, neocons, occupation, Oppression, paul bremer, paul wolfowitz, presidential directive, Propaganda, Richard Armitage, Saddam Hussein, Shiite, Shock and Awe, sunni, UN, veterans, War Crimes, WMD | Tags: CPA, iraq antiques, iraq culture, iraq heritage, looting, ORHA, soldiers, u.s. soldiers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZd5X6k3HhM
Petraeus Says He Will Never Declare Iraq Victory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enpc6_lqw7Y
Nader Supports 9/11 Truth, Opposes Blackwater
Filed under: 2008 Election, 9/11, 9/11 commission, 9/11 commission report, 9/11 Firefighters, 9/11 Truth, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Blackwater, Bush Sr., Dictatorship, Empire, EPA, Fascism, first responders, George Bush, george h. w. bush, Iraq, iraq deaths, John McCain, nation building, Nazi, neocons, New York, obama, occupation, ohio, ralph nader, Taxpayers, US Constitution, We Are Change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpKm8-Wdpt8
McCain: Iraq Is 'A Peaceful And Stable Country Now'
Filed under: 2008 Election, Baghdad, car bomb, David Petraeus, fallen soldiers, Iraq, iraq deaths, John McCain, Military, nation building, neocons, occupation, Pat Buchanan, Propaganda, Pullout, suicide bombing, Troops, War On Terror | Tags: Diyala province
Think Progresss
Today, Time Magazine published an interview with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that it conducted aboard McCain's campaign airplane. Reporters James Carney and Michael Scherer described McCain as "prickly" and "at times, abrasive" during the course of the interview.
Carney and Scherer noted to McCain that the Iraqi government is calling for a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq even though McCain's previously stated definition of "victory" — "a peaceful, stable, prosperous democratic state" — has not been achieved. The Arizona senator dismissed their characterization of the situation, saying that Iraq is "a peaceful and stable country now":
Q: Some members of the [Iraqi] government have made it clear in the last month or two that they might want to withdraw before complete stability, before totally secure borders, before some of the completeness of victory as you described. Is there any change, do you think there is some wiggle room there because what you described with Petraeus was an end point that was rather complete — a peaceful, stable country.
MCCAIN: Its a peaceful and stable country now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1mesjvN42c
Here are some examples (from just this month) of McCain's so-called "peaceful and stable" Iraq:
– August 9: A suicide car bomb in Tal Afar killed at least 25 people.
– August 24: A suicide bomber killed 25 people, including women and children, in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib district.
– August 27: A suicide bomber killed 28 and wounded 45 in Iraq's Diyala province.
Moreover, while U.S. troop deaths in Iraq reached their lowest point since the beginning of the war last month, they are on the rise again. According to icasulaties.org, 20 U.S. military personnel have been killed so far this month in Iraq — up from 13 in July.
But this isn't the first time McCain's assessment of the security situation in Iraq has been off. Last May he said the northern city of Mosul was "quiet" despite the fact that a car bomb had killed three and wounded nine there the very same day.
Buchanan accuses 'McCain's neocon warmonger' of treason
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Buchanan..of_0822.html
U.S. Marines Act Out Iraq Scenarios at the DNC
Filed under: 1st amendment, 2008 Election, Anti-War, army, bill of rights, colorado, demonstration, Denver, Dictatorship, Dissent, DNC, Empire, Fascism, free speech, Iraq, iraq deaths, Iraqnam, IVAW, Marines, Military, nation building, Nazi, occupation, Oppression, Police State, Protest, PTSD, Troops, US Constitution, USMC, veterans, War Crimes, War On Terror | Tags: soldiers, u.s. soldiers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbZNpBIKP30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1oIePnELIw
A few dozen Iraq War vets, dressed in full camo gear, staged one of the more eye-catching demonstrations of the day outside the Colorado Convention Center, enacting what they said are everyday street scenes in the Middle East.
The group, representing Iraq Veterans Against the War, staged a series of simulated car stops, detainments, reaction to sniper fire and secure movement through an urban area.
"We're trying to bring a taste of what an occupied city feels like," said Army Spc. Garret Reppenhagen, one of the participants.
Education Minister Shoots Iraqi Students
Filed under: Child Abuse, education, Iraq, iraq deaths, Uncategorized | Tags: Khudayer al-Khuza'i, Seba' Abkar
Iraqi League
On the 27th of June 2008, the Education minister " Khudayer al-Khuza'i"of Iraq was touring one of the final examination centers on the campus of the college of Education situated in the "Seba' Abkar" district of Adhamiya city. As the minister entered the center, the students began complaining about the center's very bad conditions: there was no power to run the fans, the temperature was 130 degrees, and there was no water to drink. The students also mentioned to the minster many other problems they were facing which made it very hard for them to take their final exams. Hearing the complaints of the frustrated students, the education minister took out his gun and started shooting real bullets at the students. Simultaneously his body guards started shooting randomly at the students. Scores of innocent Iraqi students were killed and injured in this horrible incident.
Karl Rove knew of problems with anthrax vaccine
Filed under: 9/11, anthrax, anthrax vaccine, army, deadly vaccines, Eugenics, fallen soldiers, Gulf War Syndrome, health and environment, Human Experiments, innoculation, Iraq, iraq deaths, Karl Rove, marine, medical Experiments, Military, nation building, navy, occupation, scandal, Troops, USMC, Vaccine, vaccine virus, veterans, War On Terror, White House | Tags: soldiers, u.s. soldiers
White House memo exposes Rove knew of problems with anthrax vaccine
The Department of Defense continued its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program despite high ranking Bush administration officials acknowledging there were problems with the vaccine within months of the Bush administration taking office—well before the 9/11 attacks and the October 2001 anthrax letters.
A 2001 memorandum from former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz indicates that the White House knew of problems relating to the Gulf War Syndrome and the military's controversial anthrax vaccine.
Obtained by RAW STORY earlier this year from a senior military official and referenced in today's New York Daily News, Rove wrote, "I do think we need to examine the issues of both Gulf War Syndrome and the Anthrax vaccine and how they can be dealt with. They are political problems for us."
U.S. Soldiers Die From Mystery Vaccination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH4iMrFsrGA
Filed under: Afghanistan, anthrax vaccine, Bio Weapons, deadly vaccines, Department of Defense, DoD, Eugenics, fallen soldiers, Human Experiments, innoculation, Iraq, iraq deaths, marine, medical Experiments, Military, nation building, occupation, Propaganda, Troops, Vaccine, vaccine virus, veterans, War On Terror | Tags: soldiers, u.s. soldiers, USMC
Judge OKs mandatory anthrax vaccine
http://www.rawstory.com/news/moc..anthrax_vaccine_02292008.html
Deadly Vaccine News Archive
http://nwsarchive.wordpress.c…ly-vaccines-archive/
U.S. Military Says Soldiers Fired on Civilians
Filed under: Afghanistan, afghanistan deaths, Baghdad, Canada, Child Abuse, federal crime, Henry Kissinger, human rights, Iraq, iraq deaths, Military, nation building, occupation, Pullout, sexual abuse, Troops, UN, War Crimes, War On Terror | Tags: civilian deaths
BAGHDAD — The American military admitted Sunday night that a platoon of soldiers raked a car of innocent Iraqi civilians with hundreds of rounds of gunfire and that the military then issued a news release larded with misstatements, asserting that the victims were criminals who had fired on the troops.
The attack on June 25 killed three people, a man and two women, as they drove to work at a bank at Baghdad's airport. The attack infuriated Iraqi officials and even prompted the Iraqi armed forces general command to call the shooting cold-blooded murder.
It also bolstered calls from Iraqi politicians to pressure the American military to leave Iraq after this year, when a United Nations mandate expires, unless the United States agrees to permit its soldiers to be subject to criminal prosecution under Iraqi law for attacks on civilians.
In a statement issued late Sunday, the American military said that "a thorough investigation determined that the driver and passengers were law-abiding citizens of Iraq." It added that the soldiers were not at fault for the killings because they had fired warning shots and exercised proper "escalation of force" measures before they opened fire on the people in the car.
But the findings called into question the way the military handled the aftermath of the shootings.
For example, a key assertion of the news release issued by the military on the day of the killings was that "a weapon was recovered from the wreckage." But the military said Sunday that no one claimed to have found a weapon in the car or had seen a weapon taken from it.
Instead, one of the soldiers at the scene reported seeing an Iraqi police officer pull something from the burned car and then place it in the front seat of an ambulance, according to Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a spokesman for the Fourth Infantry Division, which patrols Baghdad.
Canadians Kill Two Children At Afghan Checkpoint
Canada.com
Canadian soldiers opened fire on a speeding vehicle after its driver ignored repeated warnings not to approach a military convoy Sunday, killing two young children.
The soldiers used hand signals, flashing lights and sirens in a futile attempt to warn the car away.
Fearing they were under attack by a suicide bomber, soldiers fired a single round when the car was just 10 metres from their vehicle, killing a two-year-old and a four-year-old who were passengers in the car.
Henry Kissinger: Occupation of Iraq Needs To Continue
http://www.washingtonpost.com/..08073002947.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Top Advisor to U.S. Military: "There is No Battlefield Solution to Terrorism"
http://georgewashington2.blogsp..-us-military-confirms-war.html
Death toll climbs in Iraq bombings
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/28/iraq.terrorism
Saturday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 19 Wounded
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13206
15 % of women in the military test positive for sexual trauma
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25784465/
US Has Killed 78 Afghan Civilians This Month
http://www.washingtonpost.com..2403465.html?hpid=topnews
The pictures you won't ever see from Iraq
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/..5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
4 arrested for attempting citizens arrest on Karl Rove
Filed under: ABC, Afghanistan, afghanistan deaths, CIA, citizen's arrest, CNN, Department of justice, Dictatorship, Dissent, DOJ, Empire, federal crime, George Bush, House, House Subcommittee, Iowa, Iraq, iraq deaths, judiciary committee, Karl Rove, Media, MSNBC, nation building, neocons, occupation, Protest, scandal, Troops, Valerie Plame, War Crimes | Tags: contempt, roy sekoff, Subpoena
Four Iowans were arrested today while attempting to make a Citizens' Arrest of Karl Rove in Des Moines, Iowa. Citing Iowa Code provisions for making Citizen's Arrests as well as citing Federal Statute violations they claimed Rove had violated, the four were stopped at the gate of the Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines where Rove was scheduled to speak at a Republican Fundraiser.
The four arrested were retired Methodist minister and Peace and Justice Advocate, Rev. Chet Guinn, 80, as well as three Des Moines Catholic Workers, Edward Bloomer, 61, Kirk Brown, 25, and Mona Shaw, 57. All four were cited for trespassing and released.
The four maintained that they were acting within the guidelines of Iowa Code that obligate private citizens to make such an arrest if they believe a felony has been committed and turn Rove over to police officials to bring Rove before a judge for formal indictment. By law, a federal judge should consider the charges and determine if an indictment should be made.
Brown and Shaw made a similar attempt last March when Rove spoke at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Brown and Shaw were arrested and released without charges following that attempt. Deaths in the Middle East since the March attempt number in the thousands including, 151 more US troops have been killed in Iraq, and 284 killed in Afghanistan as well as far more citizens of those two nations.
Rove remains unindicted and recently refused to cooperate with a Congressional subpoena in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. Despite mounting evidence of Rove's wrongdoing concerning leading the U.S. to war as well as other actions, Congress and the U.S. judicial system remain reluctant to bring charges against either Rove or the Bush administration. Recent evidence includes Articles of Impeachment that will again be presented by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich tomorrow. Vincent Bugliosi's new book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" carefully lays out a case against Bush and his administration for war crimes and felony murder. Bugliosi was prosecutor for the Charles Manson Family murders and author of the book "Helter Skelter," which dealt with that crime.
To date there have been 4125 US Military deaths in Iraq, 896 in Afghanistan, 66,775 casualties (wounded as well as those removed for other injuries and illnesses), and more than 200,000 Iraqi and Afghani citizens killed and many, many more wounded.
Karl Rove should be in jail for contempt
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BWQ5ZMnz25I
Rove refuses subpoena, leaves country
http://noworldsystem.com/2008/..es-subpoena-leaves-country/
Dam Breaks as Media Covers Bush Impeachment Hearing
Filed under: 4th amendment, 9/11, Abu Ghraib, airstrikes, al-qaeda, C-Span, CIA, Cindy Sheehan, Congress, Coup, DEBT, Dennis Kucinich, despotism, Detainee, Dick Cheney, Dictatorship, Economy, Empire, Extraordinary Rendition, fallen soldiers, False Flag, false information, Fascism, federal crime, FISA, Founding Fathers, George Bush, Guantanamo, House, House Subcommittee, Impeach, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, john ashcroft, John Bolton, judiciary committee, Karl Rove, Martial Law, Media, military strike, nation building, Nazi, neocons, Neolibs, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, Protest, republic, Robert Wexler, Saddam Hussein, scooter libby, secret prisons, Shock and Awe, Tehran, Torture, Troops, US Constitution, US Economy, vincent bugliosi, War Crimes, war games, War On Terror, warrantless search, warrantless wiretap, WMD, WW3, ww4 | Tags: doug fife, fallujah, harriet myers, House Judiciary Committee, impeachment hearing, jonathan turley, judiciary hearing, kucinich, steve king, vincent bugliosi
The House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Bush Administration's use of executive power has finally been covered by the corporate media:
LA Times: Is hearing to impeach Bush merely 'anger management'?
FOX News: Rep. Kucinich Gets His Day to Air Impeachment Article
The Hill: Kucinich raises Bush impeachment at hearing
CBS: Big Crowd Gathers For House Judiciary Hearing On Bush "impeachment"
AP: Bush critics get an unimpeachable forum
Videos from the hearing:
Rep. Wexler recommends impeachment hearings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T1ojrKhp6E
Rep. Kucinich testifies at executive power hearing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq5f2pvugh4
Rep. Steve King of Iowa argued there was no evidence that the Bush administration had committed any high crimes and misdeameanors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eZxCloEbQk
Lawyer Vincent Bugliosi testifies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcfpms98GeQ
Bruce Fein's testimony on impeachment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80IphtHrFzg
Conyers: These Are Not Impeachment Hearings
George Washington's Blog
John Conyers is now taking the position that no one at Friday's impeachment hearing can accuse Bush or Cheney of any crime, or any impeachable offense, or dishonorable conduct, or even lying.
Moreover, Conyers is now saying that he will shut the hearing down if anyone does accuse the boys of crimes, impeachable offenses, or otherwise being naughty.
As David Swanson summarizes it:
"Apparently the rules of Congress are designed to allow impeachable offenses to be discussed only in impeachment hearings. Apparently this didn't occur to Chairman Conyers when he decided to hold a non-impeachment impeachment hearing. As a result, his hearing may be quickly shut down, and he will have a choice of holding a real impeachment hearing, resigning, or dropping the pretense that he intends to resist Cheney and Bush in any way whatsoever."
Please watch this must-see 10 minute video.
And read this.
Takes Phone Calls On Impeachment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5czQ9dmsG4
Big Crowd Gathers For Impeachment Hearings
http://www.cbsnews.com/storie../thecrypt/main4292489.shtml
Cindy Sheehan Kicked-Out of Judiciary Hearing
http://rawstory.com//news/20..eehan_exits_Judiciary_hearing_0725.html
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep John Conyers Plans Bush Impeachment Substitute
http://www.daily.pk/world/world..eachment-substitute.html
Fallujah Braces For Another Assault
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43248
Iraq Official: U.S. Troops May Leave By 2010
http://ap.google.com/articl..YeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD9228UM00
Turley fears Dems will let alleged 'Bush crimes' stay buried forever
http://rawstory.com//news/2008/.._pardons_prevent_0723.html
'Imperial presidency' hearing to feature 13 witnesses
http://rawstory.com//news/2008..earing_to_feature_13_0724.html
Radioactive Waste From Iraq Wars Dumped in U.S.
Filed under: airstrikes, army, Britain, Britian, bunker buster bombs, bunker busters, Chemical Warfare, Cold War, Department of Defense, department of energy, Depleated Uranium, DoD, EPA, Europe, european union, gulf, health and environment, idaho, Iraq, iraq deaths, Israel, kuwait, Lebanon, middle east, military strike, nation building, occupation, radiation, toxicity, United Kingdom, War Crimes, War On Terror, washington, WMD | Tags: DU contamination, longview
Doug Rokke, Ph.D.
During the summer of 1991, the United States military had collected artillery, tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, conventional and unconventional munitions, trucks, etc at Camp Doha in Kuwait.
As result of carelessness, this weapons depot caught fire with consequent catastrophic explosions resulting in death, injury, illness and extensive environmental contamination from depleted uranium and conventional explosives.
Recently the emirate of Kuwait required the U.S. Department of Defense to remove the contamination. Consequently, over 6,700 tons of contaminated soil, sand and other residue was collected and shipped back to the United States for burial by American Ecology at Boise, Idaho.
When Bob Nichols, an investigative journalist, and I contacted American Ecology we found out that they had absolutely no knowledge of U.S. Army regulations and all of the medical orders dealing with depleted uranium contamination, environmental remediation procedures, safety and medical care.
They had never heard of Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for dealing with hazardous waste such as radioactive materials and conventional explosives byproducts.
The trans-shipment across the ocean, unloading at Longview, Washington State port, transport by rail, and burial in Idaho not only endanger the residents of these areas, but pose a significant agricultural threat through introduction of pests, microbes etc. foreign to our nation.
Sadly, the known adverse health and environmental hazards from uranium weapons contamination are in our own backyard. The EPA has listed the former Nuclear Metals-Starmet uranium weapons manufacturing site in Concord, Mass. on the EPA's Superfund National Priority List because it poses a significant risk to public health and the environment.
Consequently, the community in which our nation was born on April 18, 1775, is now the location of America's own closed dirty bomb factory that will endanger the health and safety of the descendants of the Minutemen.
The previous delivery of at least 100 GBU 28 bunker buster bombs containing depleted uranium warheads by the United States and their use by Israel against Lebanese targets has resulted in additional radioactive and chemical toxic contamination with consequent adverse health and environmental effects throughout the Middle East. Israeli tank gunners are also using depleted uranium tank rounds, as photographs verify.
Today, U.S., British, and now Israeli military personnel are using illegal uranium munitions—America's and England's own "dirty bombs." The U.S. Army, Department of Energy, Department of Defense and British Ministry of Defense officials deny that there are any adverse health and environmental effects as a consequence of the manufacture, testing and/or use of uranium munitions. They do so to avoid liability for the willful and illegal dispersal of a radioactive toxic material— depleted uranium.
The use of uranium weapons is a crime against humanity. All governments must force cessation of uranium weapons use. Israel should provide medical care to all DU casualties in Lebanon and clean up all DU contamination.
U.S. and British officials have arrogantly refused to comply with their own regulations, orders and directives that require U.S. Department of Defense officials to provide prompt and effective medical care to all exposed individuals. They also refuse to clean up dispersed radioactive contamination as required by Army regulations.
Dr. Doug Rokke is the former director of the Army's Depleted Uranium Project. It was his task to clean up the radioactive battlefields of the Gulf War.
Iraq Looking At U.S. Timetable For Withdrawal
Filed under: Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan, afghanistan deaths, Dennis Kucinich, Dick Cheney, George Bush, Iraq, iraq deaths, Iraqnam, Maliki, marine, Military, nation building, neocons, occupation, poll, PTSD, Pullout, Shiite, Texas, Troops, UAE, UN, veterans, War On Terror
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.
It was the first time the U.S.-backed Shi'ite-led government has floated the idea of a timetable for the removal of American forces from Iraq. The Bush administration has always opposed such a move, saying it would give militant groups an advantage.
The security deal under negotiation will replace a U.N. mandate for the presence of U.S. troops that expires on December 31.
"Today, we are looking at the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on Iraqi lands and restoring full sovereignty," Maliki told Arab ambassadors in blunt remarks during an official visit to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
"One of the two basic topics is either to have a memorandum of understanding for the departure of forces or a memorandum of understanding to set a timetable for the presence of the forces, so that we know (their presence) will end in a specific time."
How You Ended The War
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frR0qklU1_o
Opposition to Iraq War Hits 68% in U.S.
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/31178
Kucinich To Introduce One Article Of Impeachment
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Kucinich_to_bring_single_article_of_0708.html
'No plans for early Afghanistan pullout'
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/?page..7�8story_8-7-2008_pg7_52
Soldier found dead in Texas apartment after shootout with police
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/long..121.story?page=1
Canadian court rules Iraq war illegal
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/ne..b3-9bbc-bb4687684d5f
Panel urges new law on government war powers
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0826563920080708
Injured Iraq War Veterans Pay More for Health Care, Report Says
http://www.bloomberg.com/..N6Dgs3JM&refer=us
No matter who's elected in 2008, New World Order persists
Filed under: 2-party system, 2008 Election, Afghanistan, Africa, Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, biofuels, Britain, Bush Sr., Coup, Dennis Kucinich, Dictatorship, Empire, Eugenics, Europe, european union, False Flag, Fascism, food crisis, food market, food prices, food shortage, Genocide, George Bush, Germany, global elite, global government, Global Warming, Globalism, gordon brown, Hitler, Holocaust, India, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, Iraqnam, Israel, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, kosovo, kuwait, league of nations, left right paradigm, lisbon treaty, london, malthusian catastrophe, Military, military strike, mugabe, NAFTA, nation building, Nazi, neocons, New World Order, Nuke, obama, occupation, Pakistan, palestine, panama, Population Control, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, prescott bush, Prince Phillip, Propaganda, Ronald Reagan, rothschilds, Russia, Saber Rattling, Secret Societies, serbia, Shock and Awe, sovereignty, sudan, Syria, Tehran, Tony Blair, Troops, United Kingdom, Vietnam, War On Terror, world wildlife fund, WW2, WW3, ww4, Zimbabwe
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9AvSQuqQb5c
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_SlIHqdVEmc
http://nwsarchive.wordpress..w-world-order-quotes/
Poll: Terrorism fears are fading
Filed under: 2008 Election, 9/11, Afghanistan, afghanistan deaths, Barack Obama, CNN, gas prices, Iraq, iraq deaths, John McCain, obama, Oil, Petrol, poll, Troops, Uncategorized, War On Terror
Alan Silverleib
As Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama battle over who has the best approach to national security, a new CNN poll finds Americans' concerns about terrorism have hit an all-time low for the post-September 11 era.
According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday, 35 percent of Americans believe a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States is likely over the next several weeks.
US-led air raid kills 22 Afghan civilians
Twenty-two civilians, including women and children, were killed in an air strike by U.S.-led forces on Friday in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nuristan, an official said.
The attack happened on a road in Want district while the noncombatants were traveling in two vehicles, the district chief, Zia-Ul Rahman, told reporters.
"The civilians were evacuating the district as they were told by the U.S.-led troops to do so because they wanted to launch an operation against the Taliban," he said.
U.S. extends Afghanistan tour of 2,200 marines
Iraq: Miles Long Gas Lines
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/2008070..RFA5NkH2UNETnG2dS4UewgF
Shocking Report on Civilian Deaths in Iraq
http://www.aclu.org/natsec/foia/35878prs20080702.html
U.S. Special Forces Kill Maliki Relative
Filed under: Afghanistan, Baghdad, George Bush, Iraq, iraq deaths, iraqi deaths, Maliki, military troops, nation building, NATO, occupation, Oil, Shiite, special forces, War On Terror
U.S. Special Forces Kill Maliki Relative in a Raid
McClatchy Newspapers
Senior Iraqi government officials said Saturday that a U.S. Special Forces counterterrorism unit conducted the raid that reportedly killed a relative of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki , touching off a high-stakes diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iraq .
U.S. military officials in Baghdad had no comment for the second day in a row, an unusual position for a command that typically releases information on combat operations within 24 hours.
The raid occurred at dawn Friday in the town of Janaja near Maliki's birthplace in the southern, mostly Shiite Muslim province of Karbala . Ali Abdulhussein Razak al Maliki , who was killed in the raid, was related to the prime minister and had close ties to his personal security detail, according to authorities in Karbala .
The incident puts an added strain on U.S.-Iraqi negotiations to draft a Status of Forces Agreement, a long-term security pact that will govern the conduct of U.S. forces in Iraq . Members of the Iraqi government and security forces said the raid only deepened their reluctance to sign any agreement that did not leave Iraqis with the biggest say on when and how combat operations are conducted.
The U.S. military handed Iraqi forces control of Karbala security in October 2007 . By the end of 2007 the U.S. military had transferred nine of the country's 18 provinces to Iraqi control.
"We are afraid now of signing the long-term pact between Iraq and America because of such unjustified violations by the troops. Handing over security in provinces doesn't mean anything to the American troops," said Mohamed Hussein al Musawi , a senior Najaf-based member of the prime minister's Dawa Party . "We condemn these barbaric actions not only when they target a relative of Maliki's, but when any Iraqi is targeted in the same way."
Outrage over the mysterious operation has spread to the highest levels of the Iraqi government, which is demanding an explanation for how such a raid occurred in a province ostensibly under full Iraqi command.
"This is a Special Forces operation, an antiterrorism unit that operates almost independently so there's been no coordination with the local forces on the ground," said a high-ranking member of the Iraqi government who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the extreme sensitivity of the issue. "That's why it's so important to have a Status of Forces Agreement to regulate this relationship. As long as it's vague and open, these incidents will continue to happen."
U.S. and Iraqi officials have been in difficult negotiations to draft a Status of Forces Agreement. Among the main sticking points are whether the U.S. military can stage combat operations without the consent of the Iraqi government and whether to grant immunity to American troops and security contractors.
Kurdish legislator Mahmoud Othman called Friday's operation "unacceptable" and had strained relations between the countries.
"This is a big embarrassment for Prime Minister Maliki because he was in that area two days before the incident, telling his people that we are the masters in our country and the decisions were ours to make," Othman said. "This is why we are afraid of agreements and immunity. … If there are wanted people in any area, why not send an Iraqi force to do the job?"
Iraqi officials in Karbala said the operation began at dawn Friday with U.S. aircraft delivering dozens of American troops to the rural Shiite Muslim town of Janaja, which is populated mostly by members of the Maliki tribe. Authorities said the raid apparently was aimed at capturing what the military calls a "high-value target," often a reference to the leader of a militant cell.
Raed Shakir Jowdet, the Iraqi military commander of Karbala operations, told journalists Friday that the Americans had acted on faulty intelligence. He said four U.S. military helicopters and a jet fighter soared over the area that morning. About 60 U.S. ground forces then stormed the town, "terrifying the families," Jowdet said. At least one man was detained, though some Iraqi authorities said more were taken into custody.
Bush Signs $162 Billion War Funding Bill
President Bush on Monday signed a $162 billion war funding bill that includes doubling college benefits for troops and veterans and provides a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits.
The spending plan also provides $2.7 billion "to help ensure that any state facing a disaster like the recent flooding and tornadoes in the Midwest has access to needed resources."
"With this legislation we send a clear message to all who are serving on the front lines that the nation continues its support," Bush said of troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Iraq Fails To Ink Deals With Global Oil Majors
http://www.breitbart.com/article.p..v5pos49w&show_article=1
Labour MP Admits US/UK Stealing the Oil and Fomenting Civil War in Iraq
http://www.infowars.com/?p=3016
Afghanistan deadlier for troops than Iraq
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nat..Afghanistan_deadlier_than_Iraq.html
Deadliest Month In Afghanistan For NATO
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/NAT..r_deadliest_mon_07012008.html
Officials: 30,000 Troops Heading To Iraq In 2009
Filed under: Afghanistan, army, David Petraeus, Fox News, Iraq, iraq deaths, iraqi deaths, Marines, Military, nation building, national guard, occupation, Oil, Opium, Pentagon, Propaganda, surge, Troops, War On Terror
The Pentagon is preparing to order roughly 30,000 troops to Iraq early next year in a move that would allow the U.S. to maintain 15 combat brigades in the country through 2009, The Associated Press has learned.
The deployments would replace troops currently there. But the decisions could change depending on whether Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, decides in the fall to further reduce troop levels in Iraq.
Several officials familiar with the deployments spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders have not yet been made public.
According to the officials, three active-duty Army brigade combat teams, one Army National Guard brigade and two Marine regimental combat teams are being notified that they are being sent to Iraq in early 2009. Officials would not release the specific units involved because the soldiers and Marines and their families have not all been told.
Fox News Analyst: Get Iraq to give U.S. oil companies a 100-year lease on their oil
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EjGog2-Tb1A
Iraqi civilians massacred by US forces, including children
Warning: Disturbing content, +18 and up only
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PcJAC0v6q8c
Mosul: Iraq's Second Largest City in Chaos
http://oneutah.org/2008/06/27/mosul-iraqs-second-largest-city-in-chaos/
New high for Afghanistan deaths
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/26/new-high-for-afghanistan-deaths/
Report Shows Lawmakers Heavily Invested in War
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/lawmakers_invest_war_62708.html
UN: Afghan Opium Trade Rising
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn../AR2008062601813_pf.html
Military Demanding Bonuses Back From Wounded
http://www.naturalnews.com/z023488.html
U.S. forces kill 9 civilians in Iraq
http://www.latimes.com/news/natio..jun26,0,680763.story
Nazi Riot Police Crackdown On Bush Protesters
Filed under: Afghanistan, Big Brother, Britain, Depleated Uranium, Dissent, Europe, european union, George Bush, gordon brown, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, london, nation building, occupation, Oppression, police brutality, Police State, Protest, riot, Surveillance, Tony Blair, United Kingdom, War Crimes, War On Terror
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gz9TpHbQGAM
It began as a perfectly legal protest about the visit of the most hated president in American history.
But within hours – as George Bush dined with Prime Minister Gordon Brown several hundred yards away in Downing Street – the demonstration degenerated into a vicious melee in which numerous officers and protesters were injured, and 25 were arrested.
In the aftermath of yesterday's shameful scenes it was claimed that 'blood hungry' Metropolitan Police massively over-reacted to the protests to save face for Mr Brown, with a huge presence of officers all too ready to use their batons.
See More Pictures Here
Security for Bush will shut centre of London
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard..o?expand=trueStartComments
25 Bush protesters arrested
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/2..esters-arrested-dba1618.html
UK to pull Iraq troops
Filed under: Afghanistan, Britain, Canada, Europe, european union, George Bush, gordon brown, Impeach, Iraq, iraq deaths, Military, nation building, occuptation, Protest, PTSD, Pullout, Richard Clarke, Troops, United Kingdom, VA, veterans, War Crimes, War On Terror
Gordon Brown is ready to override the misgivings of George Bush by going ahead with a major announcement on British troop withdrawals from Iraq. The US President will sit down to talks with Mr Brown today after their dinner at Downing Street last night sparked anti-Bush protests in Parliament Square.
Before he arrived at No 10, Mr Bush issued a veiled warning to Mr Brown that now was not the right time to be withdrawing forces from Iraq, saying such a decision depended on success of the allied mission. "I am confident that he, like me, will listen to our commanders to make sure that the sacrifices that have gone forward won't be unravelled by drawdowns that may not be warranted at this point in time," Mr Bush added.
But David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, signalled that Mr Brown would go ahead with plans to pull out British forces when the training of Iraqi forces was completed. Brushing aside tensions with the President, Mr Brown plans to make the announcement on the remaining 4,100 troops in Basra before the end of next month, when MPs begin their summer recess.
Canadian troops sickened by Afghan soldiers raping Afghan boys
A growing number of Canadian soldiers are suffering after witnessing Afghan boys being raped by Afghan soldiers, the Toronto Star reported Monday.
Several military chaplains told the newspaper they had counseled veterans returning from combat in Afghanistan for severe post traumatic stress disorder and their reports weren't being dealt with by the Canadian military.
On Saturday, the Star reported a Canadian corporal gave closed-door parliamentary testimony about a boy's rape he witnessed in 2006 and the visible signs of rape trauma.
Story Of 1st Sgt Killing Himself In Iraq
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_suicide_060808w/
Bush urges Brown not to set Iraq pullout timetable
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1345429520080615
VA Using Vets As Guinea Pigs
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20..drugs-on-war-veterans/
U.S. Soldier Refuses Iraq Deployment
http://www.breitbart.com/article.p..214802.2e0eis17&show_article=1
Outgoing US Commander Cites 50% Spike in Afghan Attacks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp..R2008061401639.html
Iraqi Troops Mass for Assault in South
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m44865&hd=&size=1&l=e
Richard Clarke on Bush: "We Should Not Let Them Back into Polite Society"
http://www.chron.com/comm..A67c5da8c-9fc8-4399-b1c9-c479257a3731
Iran's Supreme Leader: U.S. Military Presence is Iraq's Main Problem
McCain: Bringing Troops Home Not Important
Filed under: 1984, 2008 Election, Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, Baghdad, Big Brother, China, Coup, David Petraeus, Dictatorship, False Flag, Fox News, Holocaust, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, Israel, John McCain, Military, military strike, nation building, neocons, Nuke, occupation, Pat Buchanan, POW, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, scott ritter, Surveillance, Tehran, Troops, UN, War On Terror, warrantless wiretap, WW3, ww4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dSaH2uyWz_I
McCain: "I disagree with what the majority of the American people want."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y395Tftgz0E
FOX Admits McCain Stacked "Town Hall" With Supporters
http://www.crooksandliars.c..d-town-hall-with-supporters/
McCain: Warrantless wiretapping of Americans' overseas conversations good
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20080613_Editorial_.html
Mccain Invokes the Jewish Holocaust to Warn of Iranian Attack on Israel
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/..ahanes-ne_b_105324.html
McCain Staffer Supports Dictatorship
http://www.jbs.org/node/8276
McCain: I'd Secretly Spy On Americans Too
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/mccain-id-spy-o.html
Ahmadinejad: US used 9/11 as 'pretext' for invasions
Filed under: 9/11, 9/11 Truth, Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, False Flag, Hegelian Dialectic, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, nation building, New York, NORAD, occupation, Problem Reaction Solution, qui bono, State Sponsored Terrorism, Tehran, War On Terror, World Trade Center
Ahmadinejad: US used September 11 as 'pretext' for invasions
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the United States on Tuesday of using the attacks of September 11, 2001 as a "pretext" to attack Afghanistan and Iraq.
"On the pretext of this incident a major military operation was launched and oppressed Afghanistan was attacked. Tens of thousands of people have been killed until now," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.
"Poor Iraq was attacked. According to official figures… one million people have been killed."
He also appeared to cast doubt on the official version of the events of September 11, saying that the names of those killed in the attacks had "never been published".
He also asked how it was possible that advanced radar and intelligence systems did not detect the planes before they hit the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York.
Above the law: the Bush crime syndicate
Filed under: 4th amendment, Abu Ghraib, al-qaeda, army, Child Abuse, CIA, defense department, Detainee, DoD, enemy combatant, Extraordinary Rendition, False Flag, Fascism, Geneva Convention, George Bush, Guantanamo, Habeas Corpus, Iraq, iraq deaths, john yoo, marine, Military, neocons, Oppression, Pentagon, rape, rendition, Ron Paul, Torture, Troops, US Constitution, War Crimes, War On Terror, White House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXpavT5RCP8
The Bush crime syndicate genuinely believed that the president was above the law. It's not hyperbole — it was an actual legal opinion:
The Justice Department sent a legal memorandum to the Pentagon in 2003 asserting that federal laws prohibiting assault, maiming and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators who questioned al-Qaeda captives because the president's ultimate authority as commander in chief overrode such statutes.
Sent to the Pentagon's general counsel on March 14, 2003, by John C. Yoo, then a deputy in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, the memo provides an expansive argument for nearly unfettered presidential power in a time of war. It contends that numerous laws and treaties forbidding torture or cruel treatment should not apply to U.S. interrogations in foreign lands because of the president's inherent wartime powers.
"If a government defendant were to harm an enemy combatant during an interrogation in a manner that might arguably violate a criminal prohibition, he would be doing so in order to prevent further attacks on the United States by the al Qaeda terrorist network," Yoo wrote. "In that case, we believe that he could argue that the executive branch's constitutional authority to protect the nation from attack justified his actions."
Interrogators who harmed a prisoner would be protected by a "national and international version of the right to self-defense," Yoo wrote. He also articulated a definition of illegal conduct in interrogations — that it must "shock the conscience" — that the Bush administration advocated for years.
"Whether conduct is conscience-shocking turns in part on whether it is without any justification," Yoo wrote, explaining, for example, that it would have to be inspired by malice or sadism before it could be prosecuted.
Torture for Profit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2hsoadR9q0
Memo: Bush Authority Trumps Torture Ban
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/04/01/bush-memo.html
Top Bush Administration officials pressured underlings to use torture tactics at Guantanamo
http://rawstory.com/news/20..underlings_0402.html
Hersh: children raped at Abu Ghraib, Pentagon has videos
http://www.boingboing.net/2004/07/15/hersh-children-raped.html
Secret DOJ Memo Says Fourth Amendment Has "No Application" After 9/11
http://infowars.net/articles/april2008/030408Memo.htm
U.S. VA documents 73,846 deaths from Iraq Wars
April 6, 2008, 11:03 am
Filed under: airstrikes, army, Ayad Allawi, Blackwater, CIA, Coup, DEBT, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Economy, Eugenics, False Flag, Fascism, Genocide, George Bush, global elite, gulf war, Income Tax, iraq deaths, Iraqnam, marine, media iraq, Mi6, Military, military strike, nation building, neocons, Nuke, occupation, paul wolfowitz, Pentagon, PNAC, Police State, Population Control, Saddam Hussein, Seymour Hersh, Shock and Awe, Social Security, Taxpayers, Troops, US Economy, VA, Vietnam, War On Terror, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Dahr Jamail, Gary Schmitt, Nicholas Xenos, paul bremer, Shadia Drury, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs documents 73,846 deaths from Iraq Wars as of May 2007
The Canadian
U.S. media organizations like CNN, NBC, FOX and others recently reported that the death total of U.S. combatants in Iraq War had just reached 4,000. The problem is that this data seems to be an intentional distortion. Indeed, official U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs data indicates that the death total from the attrition of Iraq Wars had already reached 73,846, as of May 2007. In comparison Sky News reports that during the Vietnam War, 58,000 soldiers were killed between 1964 and 1973, an average of 26 a day. LINK
It is indeed, a well known fact that in a so-called free society, the U.S. President George W. Bush administration has banned media organizations from photographing most of the coffins, along with the maimed military personnel returning into the U.S. from Iraq. And, if you think that the U.S. President Bush administration has followed "freedom of the press" in Iraq, you have made a sudden mistake.
Journalists in Iraq, who have not prostituted themselves into disseminating the Bush administration's public relations on the "overall success" of the Iraq War, are being subjected to oppressive persecution.
Journalists have complained of fascist-style harassment.
Is this the action of a U.S. President, who is fighting for democracy, that fundamentally relies on transparency toward supporting a critically informed public?
Indeed, award-winning independent Journalist Dahr Jamail reports that "when the United States handed over power to a 'sovereign' Iraqi interim government, [Paul] Bremer [former U.S. administrator in Iraq] simply passed on the authority to Ayad Allawi." LINK
Mr. Dahmail further documents that, Mr. Allawi is the "U.S.-installed interim Prime Minister, who has had longstanding ties with the British intelligence service MI6 and the CIA." LINK
Investigative Journalist Dahr Jamail, also reports that Allawi's "media commission had sent out an official 'order' for news organisations to "stick to the government line on the U.S.-led offensive in Fallujah, or face legal action." The warning was sent on the letterhead of Mr. Allawi.
The result is that Iraq has become under the Bush administration, a far worse "modern Stalinist" police state, than Iraq had ever been under Saddam Hussein. Over 1 million people in Iraq have been reportedly killed, as the direct result of the Bush regime's pre-emptive War in Iraq. This is in addition to the over 73,000 U.S. military personnel already killed, as documented by U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Mr. Bush has coordinated an effort to limit the American public's understanding of the current Iraq War, based upon the myth-making presentation of the War. That myth-making" has sought to convince Americans, in part, that the war is taking a far less toll of American lives.
Indeed, it is apparent that the U.S. Bush administration, is anxious to "declare progress" and "victory" in Iraq, so that it can pursue its further military expansionist agenda against Iran. Seymour M. Hersh has sounded alarm bells about the Bush regime's nuclear war ambitions against Iran. LINK
But, "The Bush administration has rejected comparisons between Iraq and Vietnam, which traumatized Americans a generation ago, with a sad procession of military body bags and television footage of grim wartime cruelty," observed China Daily. LINK
The intellectual inspiration for the U.S. Bush administration's public relations management of the Iraq War, is Leo Strauss. Wikipedia notes that "Strauss asks his readers to consider whether it is true that noble lies have no role at all to play, in uniting and guiding the polis." LINK
In 2003, the magazine Foreign Policy In Focus, noted that thanks to the "Week in Review" section of the 4 May 2003 edition of the New York Times and another investigative article in a recent New Yorker magazine, "The cognoscenti have suddenly been made aware that key neoconservative strategists behind the Bush administration's aggressive foreign and military policy, consider themselves to be followers of Strauss. LINK
Two other very influential Straussians, noted by Foreign Policy in Focus in May 2003, "include Weekly Standard Chief Editor William Kristol and Gary Schmitt, founder, chairman, and director of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). This is a six-year-old neoconservative group whose alumni include Vice President Dick Cheney and Pentagon [then] chief Donald Rumsfeld, as well as a number of other senior foreign policy officials." LINK
"PNAC's early prescriptions and subsequent open letters to President George W. Bush on how to fight the war on terrorism, have anticipated to an uncanny extent precisely what the administration has done." LINK
The Executive Intelligence Review (EIR), notes that a leading "Straussian" advisor to the Bush Administration has been "Paul Wolfowitz, who was trained by Strauss' alter-ego and fellow University of Chicago professor Allan Bloom. EIR specifically noted that Wolfowitz has helped champion the "war party" within the civilian bureaucracy at the Pentagon. LINK
Strauss emphasized that 'myths' are "vitally needed" to "give people meaning and purpose and to ensure a stable society"; and even though he was Jewish, he praised Nazi Germany for embracing the power of myth to control the development of "liberal tendencies" in society. In the view of Strauss, presenting the truth harms society, by liberating "the governed" as "free thinkers" from the "necessary" social control of "elites".
The Bush administration is inspired by the neo-fascist ideology of Leo Strauss, and has sought to dupe the American public into ignorance about the human suffering of U.S. military personnel in Iraq, by using Straussian techniques of political manipulation.
Shadia Drury, in Leo Strauss and the American Right (1999), argues that Strauss taught different things to different students and inculcated an elitist strain in American political leaders, that is linked to imperialist militarism and to Christian fundamentalism.
Drury accuses Strauss of teaching that "perpetual deception of the citizens by those in power is critical, because they need to be led and because they need strong rulers to tell them what's good for them."
Nicholas Xenos in "Leo Strauss and the Rhetoric of the War on Terror," Logosjournal.com similarly argues that Strauss "was not an anti-liberal in the sense in which we commonly mean 'anti-liberal' today, but an anti-democrat in a fundamental sense; a true reactionary. Strauss, was somebody who wanted to go back to a previous, pre-liberal, pre-bourgeois era of blood and guts; of imperial domination, of authoritarian rule, and of pure fascism."
The U.S. President Bush administration's stated goal of staying in Iraq, to guide Iraq into democracy, and also to combat "terrorists" who threaten American and international security interests, is an apparent clever Straussian ruse. The Bush administration seeks an apparent agenda in Iraq which is far from being the affirmation of democracy and peace.
The lives of Americans have been lost not in the defence of democracy and toward global peace, but as apparent "ritual sacrifices" to the messianic Eugenic ideology of America's ruling elites. The War on Terrorism appears to being used as a pseudonym for a Eugenics War, that seeks to use the pre-text of terrorists, to execute genocide against Iraqis, through the exploitation of and the "sacrifice" of more than 73,000 U.S. military personnel.
Get the full U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs report: PDF LINK
What military spending is doing to our economy
Massive federal deficits, not enough money for social programs. Where have all our tax dollars gone? The charts below (click for full page versions) show how our income tax dollars were spent in FY2007, which ended last September 30 (data from Budget of the United States Government: Historical Tables Fiscal Year 2009, Table 8.7). As you can see, 52.7% of these discretionary funds went to the military.
These charts exclude expenditures for Social Security, Medicare, and federal highways since these programs are paid from dedicated taxes maintained in separate trust funds. They also exclude interest paid on the national debt since that spending is "mandatory", not "discretionary". These charts show the part of the federal budget that Congress and the President directly allocate each year (with the funds derived from our income taxes, corporation taxes, excise taxes, estate and gift taxes, and other miscellaneous taxes).
5 Years Too Many
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iah-ESLQHTs
Army War Tours To Be Cut From 15 To 12 Months
http://news.yahoo.com/s/a..B4gvEERKqU0pNgLpu.WwvIE
Blackwater Contract In Iraq Renewed Another Year
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/200..x1VSlDa396qFhpEJ9lOzZa7gF
Iraq War Is A Eugenics Orchestrated Genocide
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2008/03/29/02304.html
Iraqi casualties at highest level since August
http://www.rawstory.com/new..st_level_s_04012008.html
US Airstrikes Kill Civilians In Iraq As Civil War Looms
Filed under: Afghanistan, airstrikes, al-qaeda, Britain, civil war, Congress, David Petraeus, enemy combatant, Europe, George Bush, Iran, Iraq, iraq deaths, Maliki, mehdi army, military strike, Muqtada al-Sadr, nation building, neocons, occupation, Shiite, sunni, surge, Troops, United Kingdom, White House, WW3, ww4 | Tags: fallujah, greenzone, Sadr City, Sadrist movement
Shiite leader al-Sadr defies Iraq gov't
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a4s458mDMs
Anti-American Shiite militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers Saturday to defy government orders to surrender their weapons, as U.S. jets struck Shiite extremists near Basra to bolster a faltering Iraqi offensive against gunmen in the city.Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki acknowledged he may have miscalculated by failing to foresee the strong backlash that his offensive, which began Tuesday, provoked in areas of Baghdad and other cities where Shiite militias wield power.Government television said the round-the-clock curfew imposed two days ago on the capital and due to expire Sunday would be extended indefinitely. Gunfire and explosions were heard late Saturday in Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.The U.S. Embassy tightened its security measures, ordering all staff to use armored vehicles for all travel in the Green Zone and to sleep in reinforced buildings until further notice after six days of rocket and mortar attacks that left two Americans dead.Despite the mounting crisis, al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, vowed to remain in Basra until government forces wrest control from militias, including the Mahdi Army. He called the fight for control of Basra "a decisive and final battle."British ground troops, who controlled the city until handing it over to the Iraqis last December, also joined the battle for Basra, firing artillery Saturday for the first time in support of Iraqi forces.
Iraqi authorities have given Basra extremists until April 8 to surrender heavy and medium weapons after an initial 72-hour ultimatum to hand them over was widely ignored.
But a defiant al-Sadr called on his followers Saturday to ignore the order, saying that his Mahdi Army would turn in its weapons only to a government that can "get the occupier out of Iraq," referring to the Americans.
The order was made public by Haidar al-Jabiri, a member of the influential political commission of the Sadrist movement.
Al-Sadr, in an interview aired Saturday by Al-Jazeera television, said his Mahdi Army was capable of "liberating Iraq" and maintained al-Maliki's government was as "distant" from the people as Saddam Hussein's.
Residents of Basra contacted by telephone said Mahdi militiamen were manning checkpoints Saturday in their neighborhood strongholds. The sound of intermittent mortar and machine gun fire rang out across the city, as the military headquarters at a downtown hotel came under repeated fire.
An Iraqi army battalion commander and two of his bodyguards were killed Saturday night by a roadside bomb in central Basra, military spokesman Col. Karim al-Zaidi said.
The fight for Basra is crucial for al-Maliki, who flew to Basra earlier this week and is staking his credibility on gaining control of Iraq's second-largest city, which has essentially been held by armed groups for nearly three years.
In a speech Saturday to tribal leaders in Basra, al-Maliki promised to "stand up to these gangs" not only in the south but throughout Iraq.
Iraqi officials and their American partners have long insisted that the crackdown was not directed at al-Sadr's movement but against criminals and renegade factions — some of whom are allegedly tied to Iran.
Al-Maliki told tribal leaders that the offensive in Basra "was only to deal with these gangs" — some of which he said "are worse than al-Qaida."
Without mentioning the Sadrists by name, al-Maliki said he was "surprised to see that party emerge with all the weapons available to it and strike at everything — institutions, people, departments, police stations and the army."
Al-Sadr's followers have accused rival Shiite parties in the national government of trying to crush their movement before provincial elections this fall. The young cleric's lieutenants had warned repeatedly that any move to dislodge them from Basra would provoke bloodshed.
But al-Maliki's comments appeared to reinforce suspicions that his government failed to foresee the backlash, including a sharp upsurge in violence throughout the Shiite south and shelling of the U.S.-controlled Green Zone, the nerve center of the Iraqi leadership and the U.S. mission.
Two American soldiers were killed Saturday when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in mostly Shiite east Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
The growing turmoil threatens to undermine White House efforts to convince a skeptical Congress and the American public that the Iraqis are making progress toward managing their own security without the presence of U.S. troops.
Iraqi police in Basra shed their uniforms, kept their rifles and switched sides
Abu Iman barely flinched when the Iraqi Government ordered his unit of special police to move against al-Mahdi Army fighters in Basra.
His response, while swift, was not what British and US military trainers who have spent the past five years schooling the Iraqi security forces would have hoped for. He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the other side without a second thought.
Such turncoats are the thread that could unravel the British Army's policy in southern Iraq. The military hoped that local forces would be able to combat extremists and allow the Army to withdraw gradually from the battle-scarred and untamed oil city that has fallen under the sway of Islamic fundamentalists, oil smugglers and petty tribal warlords. But if the British taught the police to shoot straight, they failed to instil a sense of unwavering loyalty to the State.
"We know the outcome of the fighting in advance because we already defeated the British in the streets of Basra and forced them to withdraw to their base," Abu Iman told The Times.
"If we go back a bit, everyone remembers the fight with the US in Najaf and the damage and defeat we inflicted on them. Do you think the Iraqi Army is better than those armies? We are right and the Government is wrong. [Nouri al] Maliki [the Iraqi Prime Minister] is driving his Government into the ground."
The reason for his apparent switch of sides was simple: the 36-year-old was already a member of the al-Mahdi Army which, like other militias, has massively infiltrated the British-trained police force in the southern oil city. He claimed that hundreds of others from the 16,000-strong force have also defected to the rebels' ranks.Abu Iman joined the new Iraqi police force after the invasion, joining the Mugawil, a special police unit infamous for brutality, kidnapping and sectarian murders.
"We already heard two weeks ago that we were going to attack the Mahdi Army, so we were ready," he said. "I decided to take off my uniform and join my brothers and friends in the Mahdi Army. All these years, we were like a scream in the face of the dictator and the occupation." He said: "I joined the police because I believed we have to protect Basra and save it with our own hands. You can see we were the first fighters to take on Sadd-am and his regime, the best example being the Shabaniya uprising."
Abu Iman said that the fighting raging in Basra yesterday was intense because the al-Mahdi Army was operating on its own turf. He was confident that the Shia militia would prevail because its cause was just.
"The Iraqi Army is already defeated from within. They come to Basra with fear in their hearts, knowing they have to fight their brothers, the sons of Iraq, because of an order from Bush and his friends in the Iraq Government. For this reason, all of the battles are going in the Mahdi Army's favour."
Major-General Abdelaziz Moham-med Jassim, the director of operations at the Ministry of Defence, played down reports of defections in the Basra police force. "The problem of one policeman doesn't make up for the whole of the force," he said.
In recent months Major-General Abdul Jalil Khalaf, Basra's police chief, has tried to shake up the force and drive out militia infiltrators, who have wrought havoc in the past, often turning police stations into torture cells in which factions settled vendettas and power struggles with murder and abuse. But he only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt yesterday when a suicide car bomb attack in Basra killed three of his policemen. A local tribal leader said the police directorate building was later gutted by fire.
Mahdi Army holds firm as Iraqi PM risks all in battle of Basra
THE arrival of the Iraqi army supported by US warplanes did little to dent the defiance of Abu Sajad and his 22 comrades in a Shi'ite militia cell holed up in a mosque in Basra.
Alerted by a mobile phone call to the arrival of US military reinforcements, Abu Sajad calmly selected eight fighters and dispatched them to plant roadside bombs packed into red plastic fruit crates.
"We are to plant them throughout the Qaziza neighbourhood to welcome the army when they try to enter the area," he told his men. He sent the bombers away on scooters and motorcycles which, he explained, were "quicker to move and less conspicuous . . . We have a great surprise for the army".
As night fell after a fifth day of heavy fighting around Basra yesterday, Iraqi forces controlled by Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, were still struggling to subdue renegade Shi'ite fighters whose shifting loyalties and challenges to Baghdad rule have begun to pose a serious threat to American and British strategy.
Ragtag members of the Mahdi Army, a heavily armed militia loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shi'ite cleric with close links to Iran, vowed to fight to the death to prevent Maliki from imposing government control on the southern port at the heart of Iraq's potentially hugely profitable oil industry.
"We have received a shipment of Strela antiaircraft rockets," Abu Sajad boasted to a Sunday Times reporter.
"We intend to use them to prove to the world that the Mahdi Army will not allow Basra to be turned into a second Falluja [the former centre of anticoalition resistance that was crushed by US-led assaults]." President George W Bush praised Maliki and described the clashes as a "defining moment" for the Baghdad government's attempts to curb Sadr's influence and assert its own authority. But despite Bush's approval, American officials are concerned that Maliki's military gamble may cause serious embarrassment for the coalition forces.
US officials said the Iraqi prime minister had launched the assault on Tuesday without consulting Washington, but yesterday it was the Americans under fire again after claims that eight civilians had been killed in a US bombing raid.
The SAS was in Basra alongside Iraqi commanders, calling in attacks from RAF and US aircraft on "enemy combatants" as the death toll from five days of fighting across Iraq rose above 300, with hundreds wounded.
British artillery units destroyed a militia mortar position in support of Iraqi forces yesterday, a spokesman said. The mortar, in the al-Hala district of northern Basra, was positively identified by the British before they opened fire from their base at Basra international airport.
Basra's hospitals filled with civilian casualties and the violence continued to spread through other cities, including the suburbs of Baghdad. The coalition's five-year effort to bolster Iraqi democracy was under threat from factional strife on a difficult urban battlefield where rebel gunmen have long held sway on streets too narrow for armoured vehicles.
Maliki had flown to Basra to take personal control of the military operation. But instead of sweeping to a decisive victory with American guns at his side, he was stumbling into something that looked dangerously like stalemate yesterday.
Having originally imposed a 72-hour deadline for rebels to hand in their weapons, he was forced to extend it until April 8. Yesterday he vowed to remain in Basra until the resistance was crushed. "This is a decisive and final battle," he said.
Sadr issued an equally robust directive, ordering his fighters to ignore Maliki's ultimatum.
At stake in Basra was not just the prime minister's reputation, his prospects for provincial elections this autumn and control of the Iraqi oil fields, but also an entire coalition strategy of reduced troop levels, steady withdrawal and the turning over of Iraqi security to local troops.
If Maliki's crackdown fails, both London and Washington may have to reassess Iraqi army capabilities and the risk of future disaster if coalition forces continue to withdraw. "This is a precarious situation," one US official said yesterday. "There's a lot to be gained and a lot to lose."
Already this weekend there were reports that police officers and soldiers had left their posts, changed their uniforms and joined the Mahdi Army.
When a local journalist left his home in Basra this weekend to visit the city's main hospital, he found the streets deserted except for cruising police vehicles whose occupants were randomly firing in the air.
He eventually hitched a ride with an ambulance carrying a 14-year-old boy whose leg had nearly been severed by a burst of machinegun fire. "Most of the injured are being hurt by gunshots and rocket shrapnel that hits their homes," the driver said.
Inside the hospital, blood-stained bandages were scattered across the floor. A 50-year-old woman was sobbing. Doctors said she had been told three hours earlier that her daughter had died from gunshot wounds and she had not stopped crying.
In a ward on the first floor, patients were groaning in pain. Doctors had run out of pain-killers and many pharmacies in the city were closed.
"The stench was awful in the wards and corridors," the journalist said. "Patients and family members were cursing the government in both Basra and Baghdad and some were even lamenting the 'good old days' of Saddam Hussein."
The situation at another hospital was so dire that Leith Chasseb, a 36-year-old civil servant, could not find a doctor to treat his father, who had a shrapnel wound to his leg.
In the al-Tamimiyeh district, Um Hiba, a 38-year-old mother of three, was standing with two of her daughters in the garden when a mortar exploded nearby, injuring all three of them. "We called the ambulance but they couldn't get to us," she said. "The neighbours supplied us with bandages."
Dr Salah Amad, director of the city's medical operations, said hospitals were about to collapse because of exhausted doctors and a lack of supplies. "Ambulances are unable to distribute medical supplies stocked in warehouses," he said.
There were conflicting accounts of the incident in Basra's Hananiyah district, where two women and a child were reportedly among eight civilians killed by an air strike. Iraqi police claimed that a US aircraft had carried out the strike, but British planes were also seen in the area.
There was no immediate comment from either British or US military spokesmen. American aircraft carried out further raids yesterday, dropping two precision-guided bombs on a suspected militia stronghold north of Basra.
In a separate raid, Iraqi special forces were said to have stormed a house in Basra, killing a father and his three sons, the youngest aged 13, in front his wife.
Maliki's decision to crack down on Basra followed at least three years of rebel subversion that British troops had quelled for long periods but never eradicated. US officers often criticised their British counterparts for their hands-off approach in Basra, but nobody in Washington was inclined last week to blame London for a crisis rooted in internal Shi'ite rivalries and almost certainly beyond any coalition-imposed solution.
Yet the British withdrawal from Basra – leaving the city effectively in the hands of Maliki's opponents – presented the prime minister with a difficult challenge. He could ill afford to allow Iraq's second city to remain in the hands of extremist factions. "Basra has been a mess for a long time," one US official in Baghdad told The Washington Post yesterday, "and everyone has said to Maliki, 'What are you doing about it?' " With provincial elections looming in October and his authority on the line, Maliki took advantage of the security lull spawned by the so-called "surge" – the increased US military presence directed by General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq. Under pressure to demonstrate that Iraqi forces were capable of operating without US officers holding their hands, he sent his army into battle.
Some national and local officials complained that the offensive had come as an unpleasant surprise. "Maliki did not consult the president, he did not consult the cabinet, he did not consult the parliament," said a senior member of the government. "Nobody is happy with what's happening."
It was not long before US aircraft were reported to be mounting air strikes on Basra and US troops in armoured vehicles appeared to be taking the lead against Mahdi Army fighters in their vast Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City.
As rockets fell on Baghdad's Green Zone, the comparative calm that had enveloped the city for weeks – allowing residents to sit in street cafes – was shattered. US officials insisted that this was not their fight and their only role was to provide Maliki with back-up if he needed it.
Some officials even suggested that the Basra operation would prove a model for future cooperation, with Iraqis taking the leading role and American troops adopting what Petraeus once described as "overwatch" mode.
Yet as the week wore on the American unease was palpable, not least because nobody seemed entirely sure who was fighting whom and what was the ultimate prize.
While some officials interpreted the offensive as Maliki's "first salvo in upcoming elections", others saw a simple power grab for oil. The intricate differences between rival Shi'ite groups in Basra and their presumed links to Iran were all minutely examined by intelligence officers. Yet on Friday one administration official admitted: "We can't quite decipher what's going on."
If Maliki can somehow crush the resistance of the Mahdi Army, he may well prove to be the answer to America's prayers for a leader with the muscle and authority to keep a lid on Sunni-Shi'ite rivalries and ultimately to allow the US military to withdraw.
Yet Mahdi warriors such as Haidar Abdul Abbas did not look too worried about defeat last week. A 24-year-old expert at firing rocket-propelled grenades, Abbas was wearing funeral shrouds, signalling his willingness to die in combat.
"The Maliki government is now fighting on behalf of the [coalition] occupiers, forgetting that history is never kind to those who oppress," he said. "Their fate will be the same as that of Saddam.
Bush: Iraq is returning to normal
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/whitehouse/story/31825.html
Police refuse to support Iraqi PM's attacks on Mehdi Army
http://www.independent..cks-on-mehdi-army-802361.html
British warplanes fire on Basra as civil war looms with Shia militia
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3642863.ece
Basra militants 'worse than al-Qa'eda', says Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/m..2008/03/29/wirq229.xml
Occupations are not won. They are ended
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbGY6txzM14
Fresh US airstrike kills 8 Iraqis
Iraq's Maliki backs off ultimatum to militants
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080329/wl_csm/osadr
Bush: Iraq violence is a 'very positive moment'
http://rawstory.com/news/200..positive_development_0327.html
Yesterday, 225 Iraqis, 4 Americans Were Killed; 538 Iraqis Hurt, Yet "Surge" Creator Says 'The Civil War in Iraq Is Over'
97% Of Deaths Came After Mission Accomplished
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/97_percent_of_US_death_toll_0324.html
Baghdad under 24-hour curfew as US is drawn into the violence
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/m..s/2008/03/28/wirq128.xml
Iraqi army suspected of committing mass executions
http://www.juancole.com/2008/03/dozen..lashes-mahdi-army.html
Troops To Stay In Afghanistan Until 2012
http://www.canada.com/news/story.html?id=401682


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A sommelier reveals 9 incredible US wine regions that aren't Napa
Herrine Ro
Aug 19, 2016, 2:35 PM
While most people turn to France and Italy when they think of incredible wine regions, there are plenty right here in the US.
And we don't mean Napa and Sonoma.
While those are great, ditch the crowds they draw and check out the many other incredible wine growing regions dispersed throughout the country.
James Tidwell, Master Sommelier at the Four Seasons Resort in Dallas, Texas, revealed some of the most underhyped, up-and-coming wine regions in the country.
From the sparkling wines of New Mexico to the signature Rieslings made in upstate New York, here are Tidwell's favourite US wine regions.
Texas Hill Country, Texas
Flickr/Adam Barhan
While Texas officially has eight recognised wine growing regions, Tidwell believes there are two standout areas -- one of which is Texas Hill Country.
As a Texas resident himself, Tidwell is proud of the world-class wines the area produces. '(The state) is making great wine, mostly from grape varieties you would find in places like Spain, southern France, and Italy,' he said.
In fact, Texas Hill Country sits on nine million acres, stretching across 25 counties. The Lone Star state is said to be one of the fastest-growing wine regions in the country, and the area itself has become one of the fastest growing tourist destinations.
Texas High Plains, Texas
High Plains Winegrowers
Mostly below the Panhandle area of the state, this region has a lofty elevation and low annual precipitation, making it the ideal climate to grow sweeter grapes.
Local varietals include Merlot, Malbec, and Montepulciano.
Facebook/Gruet Winery
According to Tidwell, New Mexico produces 'some amazing sparkling wines that are very well known among sommeliers.'
One winery he loves in particular is the Gruet Winery, a family-owned winery that specialises in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-based sparkling wines, as well as a number of non-carbonated wines.
Flickr/artonthefly
Though lesser known than neighbouring Napa and Sonoma, this California wine region is just as beautiful.
Tidwell enjoys the area's refreshing whites, like Chardonnay, as well as its mellow Pinot Noirs and Syrahs.
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
iStock/ Don Fleming
While wine producing was not established in this area until pretty recently, Washington has quickly become the country's second-largest wine producing state.
Since the 1970s, wineries in this isolated area have made distinct and delicious Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.
Finger Lakes region, New York
Flickr/Visit Finger Lakes
New York is the third-largest wine producing state in the country. 'The Finger Lakes region is definitely a standout there,' said Tidwell.
Since this northern part of the state is wrapped around lakes like Seneca and Cayuga, there are micro climates with cooler temperatures, which are ideal for growing grapes to make the area's signature Riesling.
Loudoun County, Virginia
Flickr/m01229
'Although I haven't tried as many as I'd like, I know that Virginia makes excellent Bourdeaux,' said Tidwell.
Loudoun County is just 45 minutes from D.C., and, according to Tidwell, produces varieties you'd typically find in French wine regions, such as Burgundy from Bordeaux and Viogniers from Côtes du Rhone.
Flickr/Rachel Kramer
While Michigan state contains four American Viticultural Areas, almost all of its wine grapes are grown within around 25 miles of Lake Michigan.
Traverse City is located on the same parallel as Burgundy and Bordeaux, and while the region became internationally known for its white wines, like Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, it's increasingly becoming known for its French-style reds like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Flickr/Craig Camp
This 150-mile long valley produces wines that have won accolades both domestically and abroad.
Tidwell remarked that the state's delicious Pinot Noirs are well-known for a reason, though he also mentions fuller-bodied varieties of red wine like Cabernet, which he said thrive in southern Oregon's warmer climates.
alcohol features food and drink insider-us sommelier travel usa wine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Error while trying to access database after updating WAMP I updated WAMP and after the update im unable to retrieve any data from my database.
I get the following error:
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Im ran out of ideas to solve this, any kind of help will be greatly appreciated and as always thank you for your time.
I hope i provided enough information if not please let me know.

A: SOLVED: I added the port number for mySQL in the db_key.php file $servername = "localhost:3308"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We present a very efficient recursive method to calculate the effective optical response of nanostructured metamaterials made up of particles with arbitrarily shaped cross sections arranged in periodic two-dimensional arrays. We consider dielectric particles embedded in a metal matrix with a lattice constant much smaller than the wavelength. Neglecting retardation our formalism allows factoring the geometrical properties from the properties of the materials. If the conducting phase is continuous the low frequency behavior is metallic. If the conducting paths are nearly bloqued by the dielectric particles, the high frequency behavior is dielectric. Thus, extraordinary-reflectance bands may develop at intermediate frequencies, where the macroscopic response matches vacuum. The optical properties of these systems may be tuned by adjusting the geometry.


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Tag Archive for: Landscape Contractor Richmond California
Gardeners' Guild Receives National & California State Awards for Landscaping Project
Blog, General, Landscape Design, Landscaper Richmond California, Landscaper San Francisco Bay Area, Richmond California, Uncategorized
This year, Gardeners' Guild has been honored with two prestigious awards this year for its work on a full-scale landscape renovation for a home in the Oakland Hills. The national award, presented by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) is a first-place award in its category. The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) presented the state award at their annual convention in San Diego.
Both associations receive numerous entries every year and recognize a select number of contractors with an award ceremony, featuring a multi-media show that highlights winners' achievements followed by the presentation of award plaques. Being recognized nationally for their work is a significant accomplishment for a landscape contractor and the team at Gardeners' Guild was jubilant when the news arrived.
The property's setting is impressive. Located high in the Oakland hills with sweeping San Francisco bay views, the landscape renovation was conceived to harmonize with the mid-century modern style of the newly renovated house, and for their family to have more outdoor living space. The new landscape was a complete transformation in which Gardeners' Guild installed an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, spa and custom-built water feature and terraces, which were cut to maximize the beauty of the sloping hillside.
Kip Matthews, Gardeners' Guild's Construction Operations Manager and twenty-two year veteran of the company says, "Being recognized nationally is a huge affirmation of our hard work, talent and coordination. I'm extremely proud of our team." Gardeners' Guild President, Kevin Davis remarked on his appreciation of the client relationship. "Our successful collaboration was a big part of the success of this project, said Davis. "It demonstrates to us how important these partnerships are."
A Spectacular Landscape Transformation
November 29, 2012 /1 Comment/by sharris2011
https://www.gardenersguild.com/wp-content/uploads/gardenersguild-logo.jpg 0 0 sharris2011 https://www.gardenersguild.com/wp-content/uploads/gardenersguild-logo.jpg sharris20112012-11-29 19:27:512012-11-29 19:27:51Gardeners' Guild Receives National & California State Awards for Landscaping Project


This page displays sold house prices for Crown Street in Reading.
Crown Street in Reading RG1 consists predominantly of flats. Properties on Crown Street typically have values around £250,000 - £350,000, with exceptional properties valued upwards of £500,000.


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Published December 25, 2016 6:59pm EST
Formula One: Hamilton Snags Poll At Spanish GP as Vettel's Car Stalls
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the third free practice ahead of the Spain Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, May 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
MONTMELO, Spain (AP) – Lewis Hamilton earned his fourth pole position of the Formula One season Saturday as Mercedes was again in a class of its own at the Spanish Grand Prix, while four-time champion Sebastian Vettel was left stranded by his faulty Red Bull.
Hamilton clocked a leading lap of 1 minute, 25.232 seconds on the sunny and dry Barcelona-Catalunya circuit for his 35th career pole.
Overall leader Nico Rosberg came in second, setting up another driving duel between the teammates. Hamilton has won the last three races right in front of Rosberg, with the rest of the field far behind.
"Nico was really driving well though practice and qualifying," said Hamilton. "I didn't know if I was going to get it, but right at the end I had to eke out absolutely everything I could get from the car."
Vettel's car rolled to a halt during Friday's first practice session, and it failed him again early in the third period of qualifying. The struggling champion will start Sunday's race from back in 10th on the grid.
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As Vettel's troubles mounted, new partner Daniel Ricciardo finished with the third fastest time ahead of Williams' Valtteri Bottas and Romain Grosjean in his Lotus.
Fernando Alonso, last year's winner here, could do no better than seventh place, right behind Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
Hamilton had complained to his team early in the day that they had "made the car worse" after minor changes to try and improve on its already commanding performances from Friday when the British driver dominated both practice sessions.
"It was a real handful for me," said Hamilton. "It was back to square one. I was a half second behind Nico but at the end I did it by the skin of my teeth."
Rosberg wasn't afraid to show his disappointment.
"I don't particularly enjoy coming second to Lewis," he said. "But all it takes is a good start tomorrow and I am in the lead again."
Hamilton and Rosberg are poised to dominate a fifth straight race of the year after sweeping the first four and taking all five pole positions.
That dominance was acknowledged by Ricciardo.
"We are best of the rest. But that is not good enough, we are still a second off," the Red Bull driver said. "We have made some improvement, but they being Mercedes have done so as well. Even with a different strategy in the race, it is going to be difficult to make up a second each lap."
In 23 races held here at Montmelo, 15 pole sitters have gone on to the win the race, while only two drivers have won when starting from third place or lower.
Red Bull appeared to have Vettel's car back in a good enough condition to compete, but his problems started when he pulled out of the garage and by the third curve his car came to a halt.
Vettel told his team by radio, "I have no drive. I'm sorry. I have no drive" before he jogged back to the pitlane while waving to the fans.
Less than two minutes into the session, Pablo Maldonado crunched the right wheel of his Lotus when he lost control coming out of a right-hand turn and slammed into the wall on his third lap. Maldonado, who won here in 2012 with Williams, emerged unscathed from the car before it was hauled away.


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Comedy featured
'Trash Fire' Toronto After Dark 2016 Review: Adrian Grenier learns the hard way that you can't go home again
October 15, 2016Ben MK
Dysfunctional families usually make for prime Hollywood dramatic fodder. But what happens when you mix familial dysfunction with mental instability, murder, substance abuse, sex and religion? The answer is that shit doesn't just get real — it gets downright creepy.
In Trash Fire, Entourage's Adrian Grenier plays Owen, an unpleasant narcissist with a rude sense of humor, who also happens to be a bulimic alcoholic and prone to seizures. At first glance, Owen isn't the type of character you'd normally find yourself empathizing with. However, as things progress in this third feature from writer/director Richard Bates Jr. (Suburban Gothic, Excision), that's exactly what ends up happening.
Owen's girlfriend of three years is Isabel (The Final Girls' Angela Trimbur), and they have a self-destructive relationship. So imagine the couple's surprise when they learn that she's pregnant. Naturally, an abortion is the first thought that pops into their heads. But against their better judgment, they decide to make a go of it, providing Owen can excise his personal demons, all of which stem from his tenuous relationship with his estranged family.
You see, when Owen was a teenager, he lost both his parents in a house fire that also left his sister Pearl (AnnaLynne McCord) with disfiguring, third-degree burns. Not only that, Owen blames himself, and has been running from the guilt ever since. Now Pearl lives with their mean-spirited grandmother Violet (Fionnula Flanagan); and if Owen wants to make amends with Pearl, he and Isabel will have to pay a visit to grandma's house.
What follows isn't particularly terrifying, but there's no denying that it's unsettling as Hell, as Owen and Isabel comes face to face with the ghosts from his past, which have shaped him into the broken man that he is today. The question is: can these two unwitting souls survive their little trip? As they soon discover, Violet's sharp tongue isn't the only thing they'll have to worry about; and Pearl isn't the helpless, fragile little sister that Owen remembers.
In many respects, Trash Fire is very much a character drama, as its dialogue-driven narrative doesn't immediately scream horror. But what the movie lacks in jump-out-of-your-seat scares it more than makes up for with its poison-tipped black humor and subversive tone, not to mention note-perfectly creepy performances from Flanagan and McCord. And in the end, it's just further proof to support the old adage — you really can't go home again.
Trash Fire is receiving its Toronto premiere at Toronto After Dark 2016. Its runtime is 1 Hr. 31 Mins.