Top Guy At G.M. Parachutes into retirement

PAYDAY: GM's Rick Wagoner Drives Away with $20M Retirement --Critic Calls Multi-Million Package "Perfect Example" of Frustration with Industry 30 Mar 2009 Rick Wagoner will leave his post as CEO of bailed-out General Motors with a $20 million retirement package, the company's financial filings show. Although the Treasury Department has barred GM from paying severance to Wagoner or any other senior executive, Wagoner is eligible to collect millions in retirement benefits from his former employer, according to the documents reviewed by ABC News.

PAYDAY: GM's Rick Wagoner Drives Away with $20M Retirement --Critic Calls Multi-Million Package "Perfect Example" of Frustration with Industry 30 Mar 2009 Rick Wagoner will leave his post as CEO of bailed-out General Motors with a $20 million retirement package, the company's financial filings show. Although the Treasury Department has barred GM from paying severance to Wagoner or any other senior executive, Wagoner is eligible to collect millions in retirement benefits from his former employer, according to the documents reviewed by ABC News.

Nice Job Rick
These Bailouts Are Great

U. S. Funds To Help Decide Afghan Elections

Afghan elections 30 Mar 2009 The U.S. has spent $32 billion on aid to Afghanistan since 2002, including nearly $7 billion in development aid by the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the Congressional Research Service. Most of the USAID money has been administered through private contractors terrorists, some of which have been criticized in audits by the agency's inspector general for failing to demonstrate results... Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that the U.S. would contribute $40 million to close a $100 million gap in funding needed to oversee rig Afghanistan's August 'elections.'

Do You Think This Government Should Investigate The Bush Administration

Do You Think This Government Should Investigate The Bush Administration ?
MANY PEOPLE ARE OUTSPOKEN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT
But not all in the same direction. I`m going to find out more


Stay Tuned

Stories From Around The World

\U.K. Targets Port-Smuggling Risks After Mumbai Terror Attacks 12 Mar 2009 From his harbormaster’s office, Neil Clarke can see every boat sailing into Penzance Harbor on Britain’s southwestern tip. "We’ve got a long coastline with a small amount of people trying to keep an eye on it," Clarke said. "Attacks like Mumbai do give us cause for concern."

Blocking terror on Web 'counterproductive' 11 Mar 2009 Governments who seek to block terrorist propaganda on the Internet will find that purely technological solutions are "crude, expensive and counterproductive," a new report concludes. The London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence calls on governments to do more than simply "pull the plug" on websites that promote extremist messages, urging them to attack the problem at its root.

Secret State Police Report: Ron Paul, Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin, Libertarians are Terrorists By Kurt Nimmo 11 Mar 2009 Alex Jones has received a secret report distributed by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) entitled "The Modern Militia Movement" and dated February 20, 2009. A footer on the document indicates it is "unclassified" but "law enforcement sensitive," in other words not for public consumption. A copy of the report was sent to Jones by an anonymous Missouri police officer. The MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as "militia" influenced terrorists and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with the Constitutional, Campaign for Liberty, and Libertarian parties.

D.C. Tech Official Is Accused of Bribery 13 Mar 2009 A D.C. government official [Yusuf Acar] and a business executive [Sushil Bansal] were arrested yesterday on bribery charges involving city technology contracts that included "ghost" workers and kickbacks, federal authorities said. Raiding offices in the hunt for documents, FBI agents carted away boxes and envelopes throughout the day from the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the center of the alleged fraud.

TSA Probing Vitter Incident 11 Mar 2009 The Transportation Security Administration is examining Sen. David Vitter's much-reported decision to open the closed gateway door to his plane -- even though he was warned against it by an airline worker. "We will be reviewing the alleged incident," Lauren Gaches, a TSA spokeswoman, told On Call this evening. Heard on the Hill:

Vitter Goes From Hookergate to Gate-Crashing 11 Mar 2009 ...Sen. David Vitter on Thursday joined what we’ve dubbed the "Mile-Low Club" by going ballistic on an airline worker after missing a flight from Washington’s Dulles airport to New Orleans. According to an HOH tipster who witnessed the scene, the Louisiana Republican arrived Thursday evening at his United Airlines gate 20 minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, only to find the gate had already been closed. Undeterred, Vitter opened the door, setting off a security alarm and prompting an airline worker to warn him that entering the gate was forbidden. Vitter, our spy said, gave the airline worker an earful, employing the timeworn "do-you-know-who-I-am" tirade that apparently grew quite heated...

Greek 'terror' group: Citibank attacked over crisis --Greek 'terror' group says Citibank attacks over financial crisis, promises more bombings 12 Mar 2009 A Greek militant group threatened in a statement published Thursday to continue its bombing campaign, saying recent attacks against Citibank were in response to the international financial crisis. The Pontiki weekly newspaper published a statement from the Revolutionary Struggle group, which claimed responsibility for a failed car-bomb attack Feb. 18 on Citibank offices in Athens and a bomb attack Monday on a suburban Citibank branch that caused damage but no injuries.

Unemployment 'is now a national emergency' 11 Mar 2009 More than 1-in-10 workers were unemployed in four U.S. states in January, the government said Wednesday in a report that pointed to a rapid deterioration in the job market.

The unemployment rate in Michigan was 11.6%, up 4.3 percentage points from a year earlier and the highest for any state, the Labor Department said. U.S. unemployment to near 10 percent as rout worsens 12 Mar 2009 U.S. unemployment will approach 10 percent as the country endures its worst recession since World War Two, leaving more than 13 million Americans jobless, according to a Reuters poll of economists. The economy will level out in the third quarter, the results showed, but the poll painted a bleaker picture than a survey conducted just a month ago.

Half of Americans Are Two Paychecks Away from Hardship 10 Mar 2009 The eroding labor market is expected to trigger additional pain for banks as job losses undercut consumers' ability to make their mortgage payments... A recent study by MetLife indicates that consumers don't have nearly enough of a financial cushion to keep them afloat should a job loss occur.

Madoff Pleads Guilty to Ponzi Scheme --After admitting to details of a huge fraud, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff is jailed until sentencing 12 Mar 2009 Bernard Madoff, the orchestrator of a massive, long-running Ponzi scheme that snared thousands of victims, from the rich and famous to small investors who entrusted their life savings to him, pleaded guilty on Mar. 12 to 11 charges related to the fraud in a packed federal courthouse in Manhattan.

UPDATE====UPDATE======UPDATE=====UPDATE======UPDATE======UPDATE

Madoff gets 150 years in prison for largest ponzi ever
Bernard Madoff gets the 150 years max sentence, Dispite pleas from his lawyer for a much lighter 12 years, The judge will have no part of a lite sentence. Gives BurnyBoy The max. Life sentence for sure.
But the question remains where is the cash? Mrs. Madoff Was Ordered to surrender The 7 mill Manhattan apt. shortly after the sentencing. And Was Allowed to keep 2+ million but where is the big cash? We Dont Know .......

EU says deadly bird flu strain found in Germany 10 Mar 2009 The European Commission says a wild duck shot in the German state of Bavaria has tested positive for the lethal H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus. The EU executive says it is the first wild bird case in the 27 nation bloc this year and was reported by German authorities.


Amazon could shrink by 85% due to climate change, scientists say --Scientists say 4C rise would kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest --Even modest temperature rise would see 20-40% loss within 100 years 11 Mar 2009 Global warming will wreck attempts to save the Amazon rainforest, according to a devastating new study which predicts that one-third of its trees will be killed by even modest temperature rises.

Bush 'executive assassination ring' reported directly to Cheney office: Seymour Hersh 11 Mar 2009 At a "Great Conversations" event at the University of Minnesota last night, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh talked about new alleged instances of domestic spying by the CIA, and about an ongoing covert military operation that he called an "executive assassination ring." Moderator U of M Political Scientist Larry Jacobs asked Hersh if presidents [get] drawn into improper covert actions that exceed their constitutional powers. Hersh replied, "Yuh. After 9/11... the Central Intelligence Agency was very deeply involved in domestic activities against people they thought to be enemies of the state. Without any legal authority for it... the Joint Special Operations Command -- J

SOC it’s called. It is a special wing of our special operations community that is set up independently. They do not report to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to the Cheney office.UN experts to investigate secret U.S. jails 11 Mar 2009 Two UN human rights experts said on Tuesday that they would conduct a global investigation of secret detention centers used by the United States and other countries in their 'counter'-terrorism efforts. The yearlong investigation is aimed not only to clarify facts, but also to ensure that such secret jails would not be used in the future, according to Manfred Nowak, UN envoy for torture, and Martin Scheinin, UN envoy for human rights and counter-terrorism.

Brown rejects judge-led inquiry into UK spies 11 Mar 2009 British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday declined a request by opposition parties to authorize a judge-led inquiry into the conduct of U.K. intelligence agencies in supporting the U.S. government's pursuit of terror suspects since 2001. Lawmakers in Britain, the U.S. and Europe have raised concerns over the extent to which the U.K. and other allies of Washington have been complicit in the extraordinary rendition kidnapping, secret detention imprisonment and alleged mistreatment torture of suspected terrorists.

TOP HEADLINES

Breaking:



Congress sends last 2009 spending bill to Obama 10 Mar 2009 The Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress on Tuesday approved a $410 billion bill to fund most of the government through September 30, sending it to President Barack Obama despite Republican objections to the price tag... The bill also begins to roll back strict limits on travel and trade with Cuba -- a move Obama supports.



Guantanamo cases proceed despite Obama freeze --Military lawyers are still filing legal documents in other cases in anticipation that the Guantanamo 'trials' will resume as soon as Obama's freeze order expires on May 20. 10 Mar 2009 The Guantanamo war crimes trials remain officially frozen while U.S. President Barack Obama weighs how to proceed with the terrorism prosecutions but several of the cases are still very much in motion.



The chief judge in the Guantanamo court, Army Col. Stephen Henley, ordered the public release on Tuesday of a document in which five defendants boastfully repeated their claims of guilt in plotting the [Bush-Cheney] September 11, 2001 attacks. Top Obama officials meet to consider Gitmo detainees 09 Mar 2009 Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday called together several top administration officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to consider what to do with the prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison.



The unannounced meeting of the Guantanamo Bay Detainee Review Task Force was convened at the Justice Department.Obama administration backs immunity for author of Bush torture memos By Patrick Martin 09 Mar 2009 In legal arguments before a federal court in San Francisco Friday,



The Obama administration stepped in to defend one of most notorious figures in the Bush administration, John Yoo, author of legal memoranda used to justify torture and indefinite detention without trial as part of the "war on terror." The intervention makes clear that the Obama administration opposes any serious effort to shed light on the attacks against democratic rights carried out by its predecessor or to hold any officials of the previous administration accountable for their actions.



US army brass prepare for quick getaway from Iraq 10 Mar 2009 US Military officials in Iraq have said they want a speedy withdrawal of most American troops by President Barack Obama's deadline at the end of August 2010. The second-ranking US military commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, has said he expects to keep about 130,000 American troops in the country through the end of this year, when Iraq has a series of 'elections' planned, but then wants to make a quick exit.



Suicide attack in Baghdad kills 28 10 Mar 2009 A suicide bomber killed 28 people and wounded 28 others today during a tour by tribal leaders and security officials of a crowded market in western Baghdad, a security official said. Major-General Qassim Moussawi said the attack took place as the dignitaries, including army officers, toured a market in the Abu Ghraib district.



Some wounded soldiers 'punished for injuries' --Authorities hold sick, disabled troops to same standards as the able-bodied 10 Mar 2009 About 10,000 soldiers have been assigned to the Army's Warrior Transition units, created for troops recovering from injuries. Instead of gingerly nursing them back to health, however, commanders at Fort Bragg's transition unit readily acknowledge holding them to the same standards as able-bodied soldiers in combat units, often assigning chores as punishment for minor infractions.



Officials: Iran does not have key nuclear material 10 Mar 2009 Iran does not yet have any highly enriched uranium, the fuel needed to make a nuclear warhead, two top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Tuesday, disputing a claim by an Israeli official.



U.S. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Maples said Tuesday that Iran has only low-enriched uranium -- which would need to be refined into highly enriched uranium before it can fuel a warhead. Neither officials said there were indications that refining has occurred. Iran 'has no bomb-grade uranium' 10 Mar 2009 Iran has no weapons-grade uranium, US officials say, contradicting earlier reports by military commanders in Washington and Israel.



National Intelligence director Dennis Blair told US senators that Tehran had only low-enriched uranium, which would need processing to be used for weapons.Interpol examining case for arrest of 25 Israelis 10 Mar 2009 Interpol has confirmed that Iran has asked it for help in tracking down 25 senior Israeli officials involved in the recent war on Gaza.



Tehran Chief Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi announced earlier that Iran had asked Interpol to issue international arrest warrants for 25 Israelis charged with committing war crimes during Tel Aviv's Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. ICC prosecutor mulls 'Gaza war crimes' probe --Luis Moreno-Ocampo tells Argentinean newspaper he is considering launching investigation into Israel's alleged use of white phosphorus shells in densely-populated areas during recent offensive 08 Mar 2009 The chief prosecutor of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) announced he may launch an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes committed during its recent military offensive in Gaza. In the interview, published Sunday, Moreno-Ocampo said he was examining complaints filed by Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Kashan in January according to which Israel used incendiary white phosphorus shells in crowded civilian areas in Gaza, contrary to international law. 'We are giving you now 100 vehicles and all of their contents, and we make no apology for what I am about to say. We are giving them to the elected government of Palestine (Hamas).' Galloway:



No jury can convict me 10 Mar 2009 UK lawmaker George Galloway, one of the organizers of the Viva Palestina, says he will not be convicted for violating the EU sanctions on Gaza.



The 'Viva Palestina' convoy handed over more than 1.5 million pounds of humanitarian aid to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. Galloway told Press TV that the Viva Palestina campaign has also nullified the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Gaza Strip through distributing cash in the impoverished territory. British MP kisses Gaza ground --Convoy of vehicles carrying food, medicine, and toys travels 12,000 km to enter Gaza through Rafah 09 Mar 2009 A British convoy that embarked 24 days ago on a journey aimed at aiding the Palestinian people of Gaza was allowed into the Strip through the Rafah crossing Monday.



British MP George Galloway, who was among those entering Gaza, said the convoy was only the beginning of his battle, and reinforced his comment with a flamboyant kiss to the Gazan ground. U.S. spy chief says Afghan situation deteriorates 11 Mar 2009 The security situation is continuing to deteriorate in Afghanistan, the U.S. spy chief told Senators on Tuesday. Being asked about whether U.S. is losing the war in Afghanistan during a testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair didn't answer directly, but said the situation there "is decreasing, and that is a bad trend." U.S. Halted Some Raids in Afghanistan 10 Mar 2009



The commander of a secretive branch of America’s Special Operations forces last month ordered a halt to most commando missions in Afghanistan, reflecting a growing concern that civilian deaths caused by American firepower are jeopardizing broader goals there. The halt, which lasted about two weeks, came after a series of nighttime raids by Special Operations troops in recent months killed women and children, and after months of mounting outrage in Afghanistan about civilians killed in air and ground strikes.



China accuses US Navy of breaking the law 10 Mar 2009 China has escalated a spat with America, accusing an unarmed US Navy surveillance ship of illegally monitoring the Chinese coast. Washington had complained five small Chinese ships "shadowed and aggressively manoeuvred" near USNS Impeccable in international waters around 75 miles south of China's Hainan island on Sunday. The Chinese boats, which came within 25 feet of the US ship, were all small vessels, including a naval intelligence ship, a patrol vessel, a maritime fisheries boat and two fishing boats.Obama and US commander discuss military intervention in Mexico By Bill Van Auken 10 Mar 2009 Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen briefed



President Barack Obama over the weekend on the so-called drug war in Mexico and the prospect of increased US military involvement in the conflict south of the border... In a telephone press conference conducted as he returned from Mexico, Mullen said that the Pentagon was prepared to help the Mexican military employ the same tactics that US forces have applied in counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan... In the first instance, this could mean the deployment of US manned surveillance aircraft as well as unmanned drones over Mexican territory. It could likewise suggest the deployment of Special Forces units or military "contractors." Obama's New York Times interview: Military aggression and attacks on democratic rights to continue By Barry Grey 10 Mar 2009 In an extensive interview conducted last Friday with the New York Times and published on Sunday,



President Barack Obama outlined policies on national security and foreign affairs that underscore the essential continuity between his administration and that of his predecessor, George W. Bush. The interview made clear that the new administration has embraced the basic political and ideological framework of the Bush administration to justify military aggression and illegality internationally and attacks on democratic rights within the United States--the so-called "global war on terror." Alleged sleeper agent appears in US criminal court 10 Mar 2009 Alleged al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] sleeper agent Ali al-Marri appeared in a U.S. court Tuesday to face terror charges for the first time after being held for more than five years as an enemy combatant. Al-Marri is charged with providing material support to terror and conspiracy and is expected to be sent to Illinois to enter a plea.



On Tuesday, he answered affirmatively when a federal magistrate asked the Qatar native whether he understood the counts against him. Candidate for top U.S. intel analyst withdraws 10 Mar 2009



The Obama administration's candidate for a top U.S. intelligence post withdrew from the running on Tuesday after some lawmakers protested about remarks he made in the past on Israeli "oppression" of Palestinians, and about China. The office of Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said Charles Freeman, who had been picked to head the National Intelligence Council, had asked not to proceed. U.K. Men From Birmingham Plead Guilty to Terrorism Offenses 09 Mar 2009 Four men from Birmingham in central England admitted terrorism offenses today following a police investigation into activities overseas.



Three of the men, Mohammed Nadim, Shabir Mohammed and Shahid Ali, were charged with "engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting in the commission of acts of terrorism," West Midlands Police said in an e-mailed statement.Madoff to Plead Guilty in Largest U.S. Ponzi Scheme 10 Mar 2009 Bernard Madoff, the New York money manager accused of leading the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history, will plead guilty later this week to 11 criminal charges, his lawyer told a federal judge. Madoff will admit he directed a fraud that prosecutors alleged began in the 1980s.



Statician says US joblessness near Depression highs 09 Mar 2009 The U.S. unemployment rate would be 19.1 percent, close to the level during the Great Depression, using the methodology that prevailed 80 years ago, according to Shadowstats.com. According to the official Labor Department figures, the jobless rate jumped to a 25-year high of 8.1 percent in February. Ranks of homeless kids climb 10 Mar 2009 In and out of classrooms, sleeping in shelters, shielded by parents, homeless children can seem invisible to society at large. A national study released Monday finds that one in 50 children in America is homeless.



They're sharing housing because of economic hardship, living in motels, cars, abandoned buildings, parks, camping grounds or shelters, or waiting for foster care placement. Heatwave deaths will quadruple in cities like London by end of the century, say climate experts 10 Mar 2009 Global warming will leave city dwellers sweltering and send heat-related deaths soaring, British scientists have warned. A study by researchers at King's College London and the Met Office predicts the number of heat-related deaths will quadruple in cities such as London by 2080.



Climate change must be tackled before global poverty, says Prince Charles 10 Mar 2009 The Prince of Wales has delivered a fierce attack on those who doubt climate change and said it must be tackled before world poverty... "How can we begin to address poverty if we haven't first ensured our planet is habitable?" he said. The Prince said Chile was witnessing "the terrifying effects of global warming, including the shrinking of nearly 90 per cent of your glaciers. Ladies and gentlemen, in the light of such evidence, and so much more from across the globe, I find it incomprehensible that there are those who doubt the science of climate change."



Mission Accomplished: Exxon aims for big role in Iraq's oil sector 09 Mar 2009 Exxon Mobil Corp is in constant dialogue with Baghdad to create the investment climate that would allow it to become a significant player in Iraq's energy sector,



Exxon's chief executive said on Monday. The world's largest publicly traded company is in the race for contracts to work on Iraq's biggest oilfields. UN accuses Britain of condoning torture --UK hid illegal acts and breached basic human rights of detainees in US rendition programme, report finds 09 Mar 2009 Britain has been condemned in a highly critical United Nations report for breaching basic human rights and "trying to conceal illegal acts" in the fight against terrorism. The report is sharply critical of British co-operation in the transfer of detainees to places where they are likely to be tortured as part of the US rendition programme.



The report accuses British intelligence officers of interviewing detainees held incommunicado in Pakistan in "so-called safe houses where they were being tortured".Don't Rely on Bush's Signing Statements, Obama Orders --Bush broke all records, using signing statements to challenge about 1,200 bill sections over his eight years in office. 10 Mar 2009 Calling into question the legitimacy of all the signing statements that former President [sic] George W. Bush used to challenge new laws,



President Obama on Monday ordered executive officials to consult with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. before relying on any of them to bypass a statute. But Mr. Obama also signaled that he intends to use signing statements himself if Congress sends him legislation that has provisions he decides are unconstitutional.

New World Headlines

'This was infected with a bird flu virus.' Viral Pandemic H5N1 flu threat: Illinois-based Baxter contaminates European labs by error 25 Feb 2009 According to the scientific network PROMED, Baxter International Inc. in Austria "unintentionally contaminated samples with the bird flu virus that were used in laboratories in 3 neighboring countries, raising concern about the potential spread of the deadly disease". As PROMED reports, the contamination has been discovered when ferrets at a laboratory in the Czech Republic died after being inoculated with vaccine made from the samples early this month. "The material came from Deerfield, Illinois-based Baxter, which reported the incident to the Austrian Ministry of Health, Sigrid Rosenberger, a ministry spokeswoman, said today in a telephone interview", the network-alert-system is quoting. "This was infected with a bird flu virus," Rosenberger said. "There were some people from the company who handled it."
'That mixing process, called reassortment, is one of two ways pandemic viruses are created.' Baxter admits sending live avian flu viruses to subcontrator --People familiar with biosecurity rules are dismayed by evidence that human H3N2 and avian H5N1 viruses somehow co-mingled [!] in the Orth-Donau facility. 27 Feb 2009 The company that released contaminated flu virus material from a plant in Austria confirmed Friday that the experimental product contained live H5N1 avian flu viruses. And an official of the World Health Organization's European operation said the body is closely monitoring the investigation into the events that took place at Baxter International's research facility in Orth-Donau,



Panetta: No one to be punished for interrogations 05 Mar 2009 [Bush-Obama troll] CIA Director Leon Panetta says agency employees who took part in harsh interrogations torture of terrorism suspects are not in danger of being punished. Panetta delivered that message to CIA employees in an e-mail Thursday, reiterating what he told Congress last month. He said then that he would oppose prosecutions of any CIA employee who adhered to their legal guidance on interrogations.
CIA Prisons to Be Evaluated in One-Year Review by Senate Panel 05 Mar 2009 The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee will study [LOL] how the CIA operated a secret network of prisons outside the U.S. to detain and interrogate suspected terrorists seized after the Sept. 11 attacks. There is "a strong bipartisan basis" for the yearlong review that will evaluate intelligence the spy agency obtained from harsh interrogation tactics torture, said a statement from the panel’s Democratic chairwoman, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, and its top Republican, Missouri Senator Christopher Bond.


Terror watchdog calls for inquiry into MI5 'torture role' 01 Mar 2009 The government’s terrorism watchdog has asked for a full judicial inquiry into the role of British intelligence and security personnel in the torture and rendition of Al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] suspects. Lord Carlile of Berriew QC has accused ministers of providing only a "limited" account of the UK’s role. In comments that will add to the growing political clamour over the issue he called for Gordon Brown to appoint a senior judge to investigate UK complicity "in the rendition of captured men and women to foreign governments".


Top U.N. Official Accuses US of Atrocities in Iraq, Afghanistan --Says U.S. actions directly led to more than a million Iraqi civilian deaths since 2003 04 Mar 2009 A top U.N. official accused the United States of committing inhuman "atrocities" in Iraq and Afghanistan during a speech Wednesday to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "The aggressions against Iraq and Afghanistan and their occupations constitute atrocities that must be condemned and repudiated by all who believe in the rule of law in international relations," said U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann.


US officer charged with stealing Iraq relief funds 06 Mar 2009 A US military officer has been charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash intended for relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US Department of Justice says. While stationed in Iraq between April 2007 and February 2009, Michael Dung Nguyen is alleged to have stolen more than $US690,000 ($1.1 million), sending it back to his home in north-western Oregon, the department said in a statement.


Baker, Hamilton endorse Iraq plan 05 Mar 2009 Foreign policy gurus [9/11 whitewash co-architect] Lee Hamilton and [2000 coup d'etat co-architect] James A. Baker III said Thursday they support President Barack Obama's 19-month timetable in Iraq and, if asked, would advise Obama to limit the nation's 'goals' in Afghanistan. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, and Baker, a retired Republican secretary of State, led the independent Iraq Study Group in 2006.
Car bomb at market kills 14 south of Baghdad 05 Mar 2009 A bomb in a parked car exploded Thursday in a livestock market in a Shiite area of Babil Province south of Baghdad, killing at least 14 people and injuring 38, six of them seriously, according to police and health officials.


Poor KBR wiring endangers troops in Afghanistan, contractors say --Electricians who worked for KBR say supervisors ignored their warnings 04 Mar 2009 Faulty KBR electrical wiring is already suspected in the deaths of several U.S. troops in Iraq. Contractors who worked in Afghanistan are reporting similar problems at American bases there. "In general, the electrical power systems in the camp can be described as a disaster waiting to happen," electrician Noris Rogers wrote to his bosses at military contractor KBR about conditions at one base in 2005. The letter warned of "extreme dangers" of electrical shock and fire hazards at the facility. Rogers, who left Afghanistan shortly after writing that letter, told CNN that the work done by KBR at one U.S. base in Kabul was "by far" the worst he has seen in 20-plus years in the trade.


US charges two Britons with bribes in KBR venture 05 Mar 2009 Two British citizens face charges of bribing Nigerian officials as part of a joint venture that included KBR Inc to build liquefied natural gas facilities, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday. Jeffrey Tesler was arrested in London on Thursday, the same day as the indictment handed down in February was made public, the department said. It said former KBR employee Wojciech Chodan, of England, was being sought on a U.S. arrest warrant.


WH backs Bush Pakistan, Afghanistan aid proposal 04 Mar 2009 The Obama administration is backing a proposal initiated under President [sic] George W. Bush that would allow poor tribal regions in Pakistan and Afghanistan to sell clothing and goods they make to U.S. buyers tax-free. A group of House lawmakers, led by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, reintroduced legislation on Wednesday that would enable the president to designate "Reconstruction Opportunity Zones" inside the two countries from which goods could be imported into the U.S. duty-free.


Iran Plans War Crimes Trials for Israelis 04 Mar 2009 Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opened an international conference in Tehran that will press Interpol to help Iranian prosecutors arrest 15 Israeli leaders on war crimes charges related to the recent war in Gaza. Meanwhile, discussions are reportedly continuing in The Hague on the question of the international court’s authority to open an investigation of its own into actions carried out in Gaza, since the territory is not part of any internationally recognized state.


Israelis react with fury to British boycott call [] 04 Mar 2009 Israeli scientists and officials reacted angrily yesterday to calls by more than 400 British academics for the Science Museum to cancel educational workshops planned to promote Israeli science tomorrow. The cancellation call and claims that Israeli universities are "complicit" in the occupation of Palestinian territories and this year's "disastrous" offensive in Gaza, reported in The Independent yesterday, were condemned as "absurd" by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.


Justice Department to Reveal More Bush Administration Legal Memos 04 Mar 2009 Justice Department officials intend to release more secret legal memos that underpinned the Bush regime's approach to national security issues, responding to pressure from Democratic lawmakers and interest groups that have sued for access to the sensitive materials, sources said yesterday.


Judge tosses ex-sailor's terror-support conviction 04 Mar 2009 A federal judge on Wednesday threw out one conviction against a former Navy sailor accused of passing along information about ship movements, dealing a post-mortem blow to a Bush regime that had praised the case as a success. U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz overturned last year's conviction of Hassan Abu-Jihaad, of Phoenix, on a charge of providing material support to terrorists, citing the language of the law. He upheld his conviction for disclosing classified national defense information.


WE SAID LONG AGO TO PUT ROVE IN IRONS WHERE HE BELONGS

Rove: Democrats Want To See Me "Barbecued" [No. Waterboarded.] 05 Mar 2009 KKKarl Rove, the former top adviser to President [sic] George W. Bush, today told Fox News that while he is worried that his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee concerning the firing of U.S. attorneys could become a “show trial,” he looks forward to the opportunity to explain his role.


Fed Refuses to Release Bank Data, Insists on Secrecy 05 Mar 2009 The Federal Reserve Board of Governors receives daily reports on bailout loans to financial institutions and won't make the information public, the central bank said in a reply to a Bloomberg News lawsuit. The Fed refused yesterday to disclose the names of the borrowers and the loans, alleging that it would cast "a stigma" on recipients of more than $1.9 trillion of emergency credit from U.S. taxpayers and the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral.


'Harry and Louise' creators welcomed at Obama's healthcare 'reform' summit: Obama holds summit on healthcare reform 04 Mar 2009 President Barack Obama today launched the first major effort in 15 years to revamp the US healthcare system, inviting more than 120 policy experts and stakeholders to the White House for a summit aimed at developing reform. In remarks at the White House, Obama described healthcare reform as a moral and economic imperative that has for decades been precluded by "failures of will, or Washington politics, or industry lobbying". [Obama invited the architects of the system which he allegedly wants to change. As a possible Democratic candidate for president, John Edwards stated that the healthcare industry had already *had* their turn 'at the table' - for eight years under Bush. Of course, the GOP-owned media ensured -- as they did with Gov. Howard Dean -- that Edwards would not be the nominee. The corpora-terrorists who destroyed the Clintons' efforts for healthcare reform in 1993 were welcomed at Obama's summit. But, single-payer advocates had to threaten to protest in order for Obama to grant them access. --LRP]


Obama, Democrats bow to banks on housing "rescue" By Tom Eley 05 Mar 2009 On Wednesday, the Obama administration released guidelines on its plan to stem the collapse of the housing market with its "Making Home Affordable" initiative, or Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan (HASP)... The newly-announced guidelines pertaining to private lenders make clear that the program's primary aim is not to assist homeowners, but to further prop up the banks... Not surprisingly, the plan immediately won the vocal support of the major banks, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo.


Stanford Judge Releases Accounts of Under $250,000 05 Mar 2009 Most Stanford Group Co. investor accounts valued at less than $250,000 should be immediately released from a court-ordered freeze imposed as part of an $8 billion fraud investigation, a federal judge ordered.


It may be a decade before Dow's back to 12,000, oracle says 05 Mar 2009 Mark Zandi... the chief economist of Moody's Economy.com, sat down Thursday with a small group of reporters and offered a sobering view of what he sees ahead for the U.S. and global economies. The short version: It could be a decade before the Dow reaches 12,000 points again, the economy will grow much more slowly than the Obama administration envisions and larger, more controversial bailouts are likely to be coming soon.


US private sector cuts 697,000 jobs 04 Mar 2009 The US private sector shed 697,000 jobs in February, a survey of business employment showed yesterday. "The nightmare continues," said Ian Sheperdson, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics. "Every indicator tells us that employment is tanking across the economy."
Food stamp enrollment jumps to record 31.8 million 05 Mar 2009 A record 31.8 million Americans received food stamps at the latest count, an increase of 700,000 people in one month with the United States in recession the Bush Depression, government figures showed on Thursday. Food stamps, which help poor people buy groceries, are the major U.S. anti-hunger program, forecast to cost at least $51 billion in this fiscal year ending September 30, up $10 billion from fiscal 2008.


Gay marriage backers grilled by California judges 05 Mar 2009 California's Supreme Court justices on Thursday grilled lawyers seeking to overturn a ban on gay marriage, signaling to some that the court would uphold the state constitutional amendment on same-sex weddings passed by voters in November.


Obama's blockbuster gift for Brown to reaffirm the 'special relationship': 25 DVDs 05 Mar 2009 He had put clearly great thought into giving the U.S. President lavish gifts to signify Britain's 'special relationship' with the U.S. During his historic trip to Washington, Gordon Brown gave Barack Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet - once called HMS President... Mr Brown also took to Washington a framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to mark Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria. He also gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert... Despite being leader of the world's most bountiful nation, President Obama handed over nothing more thought-provoking than 25 classic American films on DVD. It was the equivalent of receiving a pair of socks from an unfamiliar aunt at Christmas - and a less-than-glowing affirmation of the UK-US bond.


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Previous lead stories: US Justice Department memos: the specter of military dictatorship --An October 23, 2001, memo insisted that nothing in the Constitution or the law could stop him. (WSWS) 04 Mar 2009 A set of nine secret memos released by the US Justice Department Monday reveal that in the weeks and months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks the US government began erecting the legal scaffolding for a full-blown military dictatorship... In response to an inquiry from the White House concerning its authority to deploy US troops within the United States itself, [Deputy Assistant Attorney General John] Yoo and then-Special Counsel Robert Delahunty issued an October 23, 2001, memo insisting that nothing in the Constitution or the law could stop him.


'Israel seriously considering military action against Iran' 05 Mar 2009 Israel is seriously considering taking unilateral military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, according to a report by top US political figures and experts released Wednesday. The report also says Israel's time frame for action is growing shorter, not only because of Iranian advances, but because Teheran might soon acquire upgraded air defenses and disperse its nuclear program to additional locations.


Robert Gates sees no end to Afghanistan conflict 04 Mar 2009 The US Secretary of Defence has said he is not able to foresee a time when the US might pull out of Afghanistan. Speaking at a joint news conference at the Pentagon, Robert Gates said: "I think it's impossible to put a date on when you might firmly say all the troops are coming out."