President Bush's plan for stemming illegal immigration by using National Guardsmen in a support role called for 2,500 troops to be on the border by June 30, and 6,000 by the end of July.
The National Guard said Friday that only 483 were in position and working with the U.S. Border Patrol as the Bush administration had directed, which is another false and failed Bush plan. It sounds like the Republican plan for Iraq.
30 June, 2006
Republicans don't respect our laws
Officially, President Bush has not vetoed a single piece of legislation. But in reality, he has used a radical theory of constitutional power to ignore much of what Congress has passed through the mild-sounding power of "signing statements" -- 750 of which he has issued during his term in office, more than any of his predecessors.
Essentially, this means that when the President signs a bill into law, he attaches a statement indicating which pieces of the new law he intends to obey, and which he does not. This practice gives the President unchecked power to decide which parts of the law will be followed based on his interpretation of their constitutionality.
Henceforth, let's choose which laws we obey.
Essentially, this means that when the President signs a bill into law, he attaches a statement indicating which pieces of the new law he intends to obey, and which he does not. This practice gives the President unchecked power to decide which parts of the law will be followed based on his interpretation of their constitutionality.
Henceforth, let's choose which laws we obey.
29 June, 2006
torture at gitmo
The Road to Guantanamo." It is as good as the reviews say. It opens June 23 in theaters in some cities and you should definitely see it. It's part documentary and part drama. It's very fast-paced and the scenes in Afghanistan and Guantanamo are very real -- and frightening.
It also will make you very angry -- and drive home the realization that not all the detainees at Guantanamo can be the "worst of the worst" because many don't belong there at all. And yes, they were tortured. The four subjects of the film, Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, Shafiq Rasul (pdf), and Monir Ali were British teens of Pakistani descent who went to Pakistan because one was getting married in an arranged marriage.
Almost on a whim, they naviely decided to go to Afghanistan. The U.S. started its bombing campaign right afterwards. They get captured by the Northern Alliance and three of them get turned over to the Americans who won't believe they aren't al-Qaeda and send them to Guantanamo where they are held for two years without charges before being returned to England and finally freed.
They appear in the film as narrators while actors re-create their ordeal. The fourth, Monir Ali, got separated and has not been heard from again, although he may be in a Pakistani prison.
It also will make you very angry -- and drive home the realization that not all the detainees at Guantanamo can be the "worst of the worst" because many don't belong there at all. And yes, they were tortured. The four subjects of the film, Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, Shafiq Rasul (pdf), and Monir Ali were British teens of Pakistani descent who went to Pakistan because one was getting married in an arranged marriage.
Almost on a whim, they naviely decided to go to Afghanistan. The U.S. started its bombing campaign right afterwards. They get captured by the Northern Alliance and three of them get turned over to the Americans who won't believe they aren't al-Qaeda and send them to Guantanamo where they are held for two years without charges before being returned to England and finally freed.
They appear in the film as narrators while actors re-create their ordeal. The fourth, Monir Ali, got separated and has not been heard from again, although he may be in a Pakistani prison.
republicans overstepping authority
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.
The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and Geneva conventions.
The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and Geneva conventions.
26 June, 2006
amnesty
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's national reconciliation plan, involving amnesty for opposition fighters except those who had killed Iraqis, were involved in terrorism or committed crimes against humanity.
Al-Maliki's plan, disclosed Sunday, was thought to have denied amnesty to any insurgent who had killed American forces, though the wording was vague.
SPECIFIC ABOUT KILLED IRAQIS BUT VAGUE ON KILLING AMERICANS. Right???
Al-Maliki's plan, disclosed Sunday, was thought to have denied amnesty to any insurgent who had killed American forces, though the wording was vague.
SPECIFIC ABOUT KILLED IRAQIS BUT VAGUE ON KILLING AMERICANS. Right???
estate taxes
It turns out that 18 of the richest families in the USA are the major behind the scene funders of the campaign to abolish the estate tax all the while rejecting proposals to exempt $100 million from the tax. Doesn't that just figure.
25 June, 2006
update Iraq
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,515" members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
24 June, 2006
Republicans for sale, just the surface
Wanted: Face time with President Bush or top adviser Karl Rove. Suggested donation: $100,000. The middleman: lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Blunt e-mails that connect money and access in Washington show that prominent Republican activist Grover Norquist facilitated some administration contacts for Abramoff's clients while the lobbyist simultaneously solicited those clients for large donations to Norquist's tax-exempt group.
"Can the tribes contribute $100,000 for the effort to bring state legislatures and those tribal leaders who have passed Bush resolutions to Washington?" Norquist wrote Abramoff in one such e-mail in July 2002.
The tribes got to meet Bush at the White House in 2002 again and then donated to Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, or ATR.
After the tribes' 2002 event with Bush, Norquist pressed Abramoff anew for tribal donations. "Jack, a few months ago you said you could get each of your Indian tribes to make a contribution. ... Is this still possible?" Norquist asked in an October 2002 e-mail.
Abramoff became one of Washington's rainmaker lobbyists before allegations that he defrauded Indian tribes led to his downfall and a prison sentence. He is cooperating with prosecutors.
For instance, several months after donating $25,000 to Norquist's group, Saginaw officials attended a reception in the summer of 2003 at Norquist's home. They posed for a photo with Norquist and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.
A few weeks earlier, then-Saginaw tribal chief Maynard Kahgegab Jr. had been appointed by Chao to a federal commission, according Labor Department and tribal documents obtained by the AP.
The Saginaw used the Chao photo, the commission appointment and photos they took with Bush at the White House to boast on their internal website about the high-level Washington access that Abramoff's team had won.
Blunt e-mails that connect money and access in Washington show that prominent Republican activist Grover Norquist facilitated some administration contacts for Abramoff's clients while the lobbyist simultaneously solicited those clients for large donations to Norquist's tax-exempt group.
"Can the tribes contribute $100,000 for the effort to bring state legislatures and those tribal leaders who have passed Bush resolutions to Washington?" Norquist wrote Abramoff in one such e-mail in July 2002.
The tribes got to meet Bush at the White House in 2002 again and then donated to Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, or ATR.
After the tribes' 2002 event with Bush, Norquist pressed Abramoff anew for tribal donations. "Jack, a few months ago you said you could get each of your Indian tribes to make a contribution. ... Is this still possible?" Norquist asked in an October 2002 e-mail.
Abramoff became one of Washington's rainmaker lobbyists before allegations that he defrauded Indian tribes led to his downfall and a prison sentence. He is cooperating with prosecutors.
For instance, several months after donating $25,000 to Norquist's group, Saginaw officials attended a reception in the summer of 2003 at Norquist's home. They posed for a photo with Norquist and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.
A few weeks earlier, then-Saginaw tribal chief Maynard Kahgegab Jr. had been appointed by Chao to a federal commission, according Labor Department and tribal documents obtained by the AP.
The Saginaw used the Chao photo, the commission appointment and photos they took with Bush at the White House to boast on their internal website about the high-level Washington access that Abramoff's team had won.
23 June, 2006
9/11
Families of those killed in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Thursday that excessive secrecy by the government is keeping from them what went wrong before the hijackings.
"All we want is the truth," said Michael Low of Batesville, Ark., whose daughter Sara was a flight attendant on one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center. "We believe in freedom and open government, but at times it seems like we're getting the old Soviet Union."
A handful of family members held a news conference in the Capitol to push for a law that would unlock secrets kept by the Transportation Security Administration.
"All we want is the truth," said Michael Low of Batesville, Ark., whose daughter Sara was a flight attendant on one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center. "We believe in freedom and open government, but at times it seems like we're getting the old Soviet Union."
A handful of family members held a news conference in the Capitol to push for a law that would unlock secrets kept by the Transportation Security Administration.
22 June, 2006
update afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the international community to reassess its approach to the war on terror Thursday, saying the deaths of hundreds of Afghans in fighting with U.S.-led forces was "not acceptable
More than 600 people, mostly militants, have been killed in recent weeks as insurgents have launched their deadliest campaign of violence in years. At least 14 coalition soldiers have been killed in combat since mid-May.
"It is not acceptable for us that in all this fighting, Afghans are dying. In the last three to four weeks, 500 to 600 Afghans were killed. (Even) if they are Taliban, they are sons of this land," he said. Our boys are over there dying and they are, at best, ungrateful.
More than 600 people, mostly militants, have been killed in recent weeks as insurgents have launched their deadliest campaign of violence in years. At least 14 coalition soldiers have been killed in combat since mid-May.
"It is not acceptable for us that in all this fighting, Afghans are dying. In the last three to four weeks, 500 to 600 Afghans were killed. (Even) if they are Taliban, they are sons of this land," he said. Our boys are over there dying and they are, at best, ungrateful.
21 June, 2006
update Iraq
The Pentagon has notified about 21,000 Army soldiers and Marines that they are scheduled to be sent to Iraq late this year as part of the latest deployment rotation.
The units are: 3rd Corps Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, all from Fort Hood in Texas; the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.; the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Richardson in Alaska; and the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Carson in Colorado
The units are: 3rd Corps Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, all from Fort Hood in Texas; the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.; the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Richardson in Alaska; and the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Carson in Colorado
20 June, 2006
republican war update
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of your money and "at least 2,503" members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
19 June, 2006
US and human rights
The United Nations inaugurated its new Human Rights Council on Monday, vowing to uphold the highest standards of human rights and erase the tarnished image of its predecessor. The 47-member council replaces the Human Rights Commission, which became discredited in recent years as rights-abusing countries conspired to escape condemnation
The new council will hold more meetings than the commission, comprising 10 weeks a year — greater than the current six weeks. It will also be easier to convene special sessions to respond quickly to human rights crises. Furthermore, any member that "commits gross and systematic violations of human rights" can be suspended from the council by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly. Why do you suppose that the US did not campaign for a seat on the new council???????????
The new council will hold more meetings than the commission, comprising 10 weeks a year — greater than the current six weeks. It will also be easier to convene special sessions to respond quickly to human rights crises. Furthermore, any member that "commits gross and systematic violations of human rights" can be suspended from the council by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly. Why do you suppose that the US did not campaign for a seat on the new council???????????
18 June, 2006
they torture, we torture
The U.N. Committee Against Torture issued a series of recommendations to bring the U.S. into compliance with the Convention Against Torture. Included is a direct charge to "Cease the rendition of suspects, in particular by its intelligence agencies, to States where they face a real risk of torture.
"Recently, a special committee of the European Parliament issued an interim report concluding that the CIA has on several occasions illegally kidnapped and detained individuals in European countries. The report also found that the CIA detained and then secretly used airlines to transfer persons to countries like Egypt and Afghanistan, which routinely use torture during interrogations.
Members of the European investigative committee came to the United States last week meet with the ACLU and Members of Congress. A parliamentary inquiry into El-Masri's kidnapping is also currently ongoing in Germany.
The ACLU has also called on a United Nations human rights investigative body, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, to conduct a full investigation into the United States' "extraordinary rendition" program.
"Recently, a special committee of the European Parliament issued an interim report concluding that the CIA has on several occasions illegally kidnapped and detained individuals in European countries. The report also found that the CIA detained and then secretly used airlines to transfer persons to countries like Egypt and Afghanistan, which routinely use torture during interrogations.
Members of the European investigative committee came to the United States last week meet with the ACLU and Members of Congress. A parliamentary inquiry into El-Masri's kidnapping is also currently ongoing in Germany.
The ACLU has also called on a United Nations human rights investigative body, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, to conduct a full investigation into the United States' "extraordinary rendition" program.
republican smear and sneer
Coulter has outdone even her trash-mouthed self. In her new book, she directs a stream of venom at four women who lost their husbands in the World Trade Center. Their offense? They’ve dared to criticize President Bush for ignoring pre-9/11 warnings about an al Qaida attack, and questioned how he’s conducted the war on Islamic terrorism.
Coulter responds to this heresy by calling the widows “witches” and “harpies” with big mouths and bigger victims’ fund payouts. “These broads are millionaires,” she writes, “reveling in their status as celebrities. I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.”
The republican smear and sneer is alive and well.
Coulter responds to this heresy by calling the widows “witches” and “harpies” with big mouths and bigger victims’ fund payouts. “These broads are millionaires,” she writes, “reveling in their status as celebrities. I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.”
The republican smear and sneer is alive and well.
republicans expanding government
For the past four years, some of the most powerful republican politicians in America have made it their mission to accumulate unchecked government power, relentlessly undermining civil liberties. In unprecedented ways, they are invading our privacy, undermining our Constitution and squelching dissent. All too frequently, they are shamelessly using the “war on terror” as cover for their assault.
republicans-homeland security
The New York Times reported Sunday that dozens of members of President Bush's Republican security team assembled after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are now working for companies that sell security products and services to the government agencies they once helped manage.
"People have a right to make a living," Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Homeland Security Department told the newspaper. "But working virtually immediately for a company that is bidding for work in an area where you were just setting the policy — that is too close. It is almost incestuous."
The Times found that at least 90 former Republican officials in the department and the White House Office of Homeland Security now work for companies that do billions of dollars worth of business in the homeland security industry. Loopholes in federal law make it easy for former bureaucrats to quickly capitalize on their government work Its only your money.
"People have a right to make a living," Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Homeland Security Department told the newspaper. "But working virtually immediately for a company that is bidding for work in an area where you were just setting the policy — that is too close. It is almost incestuous."
The Times found that at least 90 former Republican officials in the department and the White House Office of Homeland Security now work for companies that do billions of dollars worth of business in the homeland security industry. Loopholes in federal law make it easy for former bureaucrats to quickly capitalize on their government work Its only your money.
17 June, 2006
republican party war
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of your money and "at least" 2,501 members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
16 June, 2006
republicans, Iraq
Iraq is not the center of the global war on terrorism, and nor is it overwhelmed by foreign terrorist groups, as this administration would like Americans to believe. Iraqis are fighting Iraqis in sectarian violence, and U.S. troops have become the target.
On Thursday, we heard House Republicans argue that the United States cannot change the policy in Iraq. But a change in direction is in the best interest of the United States and Iraq. Saying we must "stay the course" amounts to an open-ended commitment, one that we can not afford in terms of human and financial sacrifice.
Republicans say we must stay in Iraq. Iraq has formed a government, trained 265,600 Iraq security forces and the Iraqis want to govern themselves. We have more than 20,000 deaths from this war, and yet terrorist attacks rose sharply last year to more than 10,000. By the end of this year, we will have spent $450 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars on this war. Enough is enough. Our nation deserves better.
Instead of sticking with a failed policy, I propose a new policy. Instead of "stay and pay," which is what this administration continues to argue, I propose that we "redeploy and be ready." We must redeploy American troops out of the cities to the periphery and create a quick reaction force ready to attack only when the national security of the United States or its allies in the region is at risk.
The American people are not naive. They know a failed policy when they see one. Iraq is a failed policy. It's time to redeploy.
On Thursday, we heard House Republicans argue that the United States cannot change the policy in Iraq. But a change in direction is in the best interest of the United States and Iraq. Saying we must "stay the course" amounts to an open-ended commitment, one that we can not afford in terms of human and financial sacrifice.
Republicans say we must stay in Iraq. Iraq has formed a government, trained 265,600 Iraq security forces and the Iraqis want to govern themselves. We have more than 20,000 deaths from this war, and yet terrorist attacks rose sharply last year to more than 10,000. By the end of this year, we will have spent $450 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars on this war. Enough is enough. Our nation deserves better.
Instead of sticking with a failed policy, I propose a new policy. Instead of "stay and pay," which is what this administration continues to argue, I propose that we "redeploy and be ready." We must redeploy American troops out of the cities to the periphery and create a quick reaction force ready to attack only when the national security of the United States or its allies in the region is at risk.
The American people are not naive. They know a failed policy when they see one. Iraq is a failed policy. It's time to redeploy.
republicans, religion
Once, black people, women and homosexuals were viewed the same way by the leading theologians of the times: They were all cursed by God in Scripture, inferior in moral character and willfully sinful and deserving punishment. Eventually, most churches found a biblical basis for changing their stance on race and gender.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scriptures, and he departed from them. He was not faithful to the Scripture of that time, and today the Bible teaches us the book is not the final authority. ... The spirit is moving; Scripture is not the only measure.
Too many people sink into vitriol, wielding words of faith as weapons. People of all ages are really tired of all this religious fighting. Most people just want to get on with thinking about Jesus.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scriptures, and he departed from them. He was not faithful to the Scripture of that time, and today the Bible teaches us the book is not the final authority. ... The spirit is moving; Scripture is not the only measure.
Too many people sink into vitriol, wielding words of faith as weapons. People of all ages are really tired of all this religious fighting. Most people just want to get on with thinking about Jesus.
republicans,preemptive nuclear strikes
The new “National Security Strategy for the United States” published by the White House strengthens the role of nuclear weapons in preemptive military strikes against terrorists and hostile states armed with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. In stronger language than used in the previous strategy from 2002, the new strategy speaks more directly about the importance of nuclear weapons and lumps them together with other military action in a preemption scenario.
"The National Security Strategy was the Bush administration's last opportunity to demonstrate that it has reduced the role of nuclear weapons after the Cold War," said Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). "Instead it has chosen to reaffirm their importance and in the most troubling way possible: preemption."
Under the headline "The Need for Action," the new National Security Strategy says: " Safe, credible, and reliable nuclear forces continue to play a critical role. We are strengthening deterrence by developing a New Triad composed of offensive strike systems (both nuclear and improved conventional capabilities)... These capabilities will better deter some of the new threats we face, while also bolstering our security commitments to allies....
If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self-defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack. When the consequences of an attack with WMD are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idle by as grave dangers materialize. This is the principle and logic of preemption." Now this is scary.
"The National Security Strategy was the Bush administration's last opportunity to demonstrate that it has reduced the role of nuclear weapons after the Cold War," said Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). "Instead it has chosen to reaffirm their importance and in the most troubling way possible: preemption."
Under the headline "The Need for Action," the new National Security Strategy says: " Safe, credible, and reliable nuclear forces continue to play a critical role. We are strengthening deterrence by developing a New Triad composed of offensive strike systems (both nuclear and improved conventional capabilities)... These capabilities will better deter some of the new threats we face, while also bolstering our security commitments to allies....
If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self-defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack. When the consequences of an attack with WMD are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idle by as grave dangers materialize. This is the principle and logic of preemption." Now this is scary.
15 June, 2006
those who care about you?
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., holds blind trusts worth $7.5 million to $36 million. He reported making $5 million last year from the largest, worth between $5 million to $25 million.
Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., founder and chairman of Blue Ridge Savings and Loan in Asheville, N.C., reported stock in a holding company for the bank worth more than $50 million. He also purchased 80% of a Russian bank and founded a Russian investment company.
Republican Tom DeLay of Texas, who resigned his House seat last week, showed his legal troubles have led him into sizable debt. DeLay reported owing $250,001 to $500,000 to four separate lawyers and law firms.
Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., under investigation by the FBI for bribery, owns two tracts of farmland in Louisiana, each worth $50,001 to $100,000. He loaned $100,001 to $250,000 each to his mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns, as well as $50,001 to $100,000 to "Jefferson Interests." His office would not provide additional details. Jefferson also reported three major liabilities. He owes between $50,001 and $100,000 each to Dryades Bank and Noah Samara, chairman and CEO of Worldspace Satellite Radio. He also has a $15,001 to $50,000 loan from Liberty Bank of New Orleans.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., earned $103,095 in royalties for Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant President. He used the money to pay for medical care for his wife, Erma, who died in March, spokesman Tom Gavin said
Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, under investigation at the Justice Department and the House ethics committee for his ties to Abramoff, reported no major assets or liabilities, nor any major outside sources of unearned income. Ney, one of the recipients of an Abramoff golfing trip to Scotland, also reported no privately funded travel. He and his staff have said they stopped allowing any outside groups to pay for trips.
Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., founder and chairman of Blue Ridge Savings and Loan in Asheville, N.C., reported stock in a holding company for the bank worth more than $50 million. He also purchased 80% of a Russian bank and founded a Russian investment company.
Republican Tom DeLay of Texas, who resigned his House seat last week, showed his legal troubles have led him into sizable debt. DeLay reported owing $250,001 to $500,000 to four separate lawyers and law firms.
Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., under investigation by the FBI for bribery, owns two tracts of farmland in Louisiana, each worth $50,001 to $100,000. He loaned $100,001 to $250,000 each to his mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns, as well as $50,001 to $100,000 to "Jefferson Interests." His office would not provide additional details. Jefferson also reported three major liabilities. He owes between $50,001 and $100,000 each to Dryades Bank and Noah Samara, chairman and CEO of Worldspace Satellite Radio. He also has a $15,001 to $50,000 loan from Liberty Bank of New Orleans.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., earned $103,095 in royalties for Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant President. He used the money to pay for medical care for his wife, Erma, who died in March, spokesman Tom Gavin said
Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, under investigation at the Justice Department and the House ethics committee for his ties to Abramoff, reported no major assets or liabilities, nor any major outside sources of unearned income. Ney, one of the recipients of an Abramoff golfing trip to Scotland, also reported no privately funded travel. He and his staff have said they stopped allowing any outside groups to pay for trips.
11 June, 2006
winning the hearts and minds???
Many Saudis denounced the suicide claim as a fabrication, and some accused U.S. authorities of complicity in the inmates' deaths. "There are no independent monitors at the detention camp so it is easy to pin the crime on the prisoners, given that it's possible they were tortured," said Mufleh al-Qahtani, deputy director of the state-sponosred Saudi Human Rights Group.
"Even if the suicide story is true, I have no doubts that they were pushed to it by torture and the lack of attention paid to the health of the detainees," he said. The families of other Saudi detainees also questioned the U.S. version. "They were killed; they were murdered. This was no suicide," said Lulua al Dakheel, whose son, 22-year-old Fahed al Fouzan, has been at Guantanamo for more than four years.
Speaking through tears, she added: "There are no guarantees that my son won't be next. These people (U.S. officials) can't be trusted. They treat their dogs better than they treat our sons." Some people in the conservative Islamic kingdom questioned whether Muslim men would kill themselves since suicide is a grave sin in Islam. But defense lawyers and some former detainees said many prisoners at Guantanamo are wasting away in deep despair at their long captivity.
4 and 1/2 years with no trial creates these doubts.
"Even if the suicide story is true, I have no doubts that they were pushed to it by torture and the lack of attention paid to the health of the detainees," he said. The families of other Saudi detainees also questioned the U.S. version. "They were killed; they were murdered. This was no suicide," said Lulua al Dakheel, whose son, 22-year-old Fahed al Fouzan, has been at Guantanamo for more than four years.
Speaking through tears, she added: "There are no guarantees that my son won't be next. These people (U.S. officials) can't be trusted. They treat their dogs better than they treat our sons." Some people in the conservative Islamic kingdom questioned whether Muslim men would kill themselves since suicide is a grave sin in Islam. But defense lawyers and some former detainees said many prisoners at Guantanamo are wasting away in deep despair at their long captivity.
4 and 1/2 years with no trial creates these doubts.
christ, republicans, hypocrisy
When did it become a Christian view to (1)ignore the plight of the less fortunate, (2) give the most to those that have the most, (3)take from the poor to enrich the rich, (4) become crusaders again (Bush said it), (5)okay our leaders becoming cowboys, declaring "bring it on" thereby appearing to be macho, and (6) to use the smear and the sneer to degrade others views? Have you noticed how arrogant and smug they appear?
The answer is when the international corporations took over the Republican Pary with their money using Christ and hypocrisy to capture the high ground. Have a nice day.
The answer is when the international corporations took over the Republican Pary with their money using Christ and hypocrisy to capture the high ground. Have a nice day.
winning the hearts and minds?
US troops committed another crime against Iraqi civilians.A man is lamenting his mother and his pregnant sister who were killed by the US soldiers near the small town of al-Muatasm north of Baghdad. The women killed were named as Saleha Mohammed, 55, and Nabiha Nasif, 35. She was pregnant and on her way to the hospital for delivery.The US Army issued a statement on Wednesday saying that they killed the two women "by mistake".
It also denied a new accusation from Iraqi officers, that American troops killed unarmed civilians in their home in the northern area of Samarra early this month. But in an initial statement on May 5, the unit had said troops killed three people.
Several witnesses said that US soldiers killed two women, aged 60 and 20, and a mentally handicapped man in their home on May 4 after fighters fired on the troops. This comes at a time of mounting pressure on the Bush administration over the Haditha massacre.
Two separate probes are currently underway by the US Defense. Are we winning the hearts and minds?
It also denied a new accusation from Iraqi officers, that American troops killed unarmed civilians in their home in the northern area of Samarra early this month. But in an initial statement on May 5, the unit had said troops killed three people.
Several witnesses said that US soldiers killed two women, aged 60 and 20, and a mentally handicapped man in their home on May 4 after fighters fired on the troops. This comes at a time of mounting pressure on the Bush administration over the Haditha massacre.
Two separate probes are currently underway by the US Defense. Are we winning the hearts and minds?
09 June, 2006
republicans, attitudes, sleeve Christians
A member of the Sept. 11 commission on Friday lashed out at conservative pundit Ann Coulter for a "hate-filled attack" in saying the widows whose husbands died in the World Trade Center used the deaths for their own political gain.
Former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., a member of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, called Coulter's "hate-filled attack on the patriotic heroes of 9/12 — the widows of 9/11 — reprehensible and undignified.
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, D-Ill., said Thursday on the House floor that Coulter is a "hatemonger" and called on Republicans to denounce her: "I must ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Does Ann Coulter speak for you when she suggests poisoning not Supreme Court Justices or slanders the 9/11 ... widows? If not, speak now. Your silence allows her to be your spokesman."
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Don’t be too hard on Ann. That’s the prevailing attitude among Republicans; they just don’t readily express it in public. Remember Mrs. Senior Bush said that Katrina victims were living better than they ever had. They are just sleeve Christians.
Former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., a member of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, called Coulter's "hate-filled attack on the patriotic heroes of 9/12 — the widows of 9/11 — reprehensible and undignified.
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, D-Ill., said Thursday on the House floor that Coulter is a "hatemonger" and called on Republicans to denounce her: "I must ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Does Ann Coulter speak for you when she suggests poisoning not Supreme Court Justices or slanders the 9/11 ... widows? If not, speak now. Your silence allows her to be your spokesman."
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Don’t be too hard on Ann. That’s the prevailing attitude among Republicans; they just don’t readily express it in public. Remember Mrs. Senior Bush said that Katrina victims were living better than they ever had. They are just sleeve Christians.
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