Wednesday, April 12, 2006

I scream, you scream.......

We all scream at the MSM.

I noticed a review of a Wash Po article today:

The Minority Report - The Washington Post runs a deceptive ... (Captain Ed/Captain's Quarters)

The Minority Report  —  The Washington Post runs a deceptive and dishonest report about the evaluation of the Iraqi trailers that had been identified as biological weapons labs prior to the invasion in March 2003.  Their front-page story announces breathlessly that the Bush administration ignored …


Source:   Captain's Quarters
Author:   Captain Ed
Link:   http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives…



After reading the blog entry, I have to admit that if you are a dedicated Bush Admin supporter, it sure looks like the Washington Post is conducting a smear campaign.


Bertrand Russell Quotes


Bertrand Russell Quotes: "Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
Bertrand Russell "

Microsoft warns of three "critical" security flaws - Yahoo! News

Microsoft warns of three "critical" security flaws - Yahoo! News

[political-researchp] Bloglines - greg palast on flashpoints

Bloglines user bill.giltner@gmail.com has sent this item to you.


Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude
Here we discuss sex and politics, loudly, no apologies hence "screeds" and "attitude."

greg palast on flashpoints

By Sex And Politics and Screeds and Attitude

each week, i listen to kpfa to catch flashpoints and i blog on it on thursdays.

i'm jumping in to say you really have to hear tonight's (i don't think it was 'tonight' there) broadcast. there's an interview that dennis does with greg palast that i think most people will enjoy for a number of reasons.

npr hater that i am, i enjoyed it for that reason as greg and dennis discussed 'national petroleum radio.' i think greg's correct, if you're public radio (or television), you're public. you're not taking corporate sponsorship.

he talked about how he was going to be on a media program (it airs saturdays on some npr stations and i believe it's called media matters). he was going to discuss the issue of cynthia mckinney and how the new york times and others had made up a quote for her. (this is covered by greg in his book the best democracy money can buy - i think the chapter is called 'the lynching of cynthia mckinney.') so they bring him on to discuss it and how the times lied. then as he's being miked, they learn that npr also created the quote and they say, 'oh, you've criticized npr, we can't have you on the show. how would that look?' (that's a paraphrase.) and he responds that it will look great and enlarge the discussion and show that npr can critique and welcome other voices but they take off his mike.

that's npr. you can go public radio npr to slam the new york times for lying but if you've also criticized npr for doing the same thing, it's 'you're outta here.'

they also discussed venezuela and issues of class (as well as the fact that greg has a new book coming out). so if it sounds interesting, give it a listen.

i hope you're giving flashpoints a chance because i really do think it's a great show. but if you're not. i know some people don't have the option of listening because they have older systems or they are online at libraries (often with severe time limits like 15 minutes). so if you're not able to listen, i hope i'm giving you enough of a taste that you can get an idea of the show. probably won't happen in 1 entry but over time.

i'll make this the show i follow but if i've got tickets to the theater, i'm using them.

and if i'm wiped out, i'm not forcing myself to blog. god bless c.i. but i will not try to be all things to every 1 offline and on. this weekend, cedric was just shocked by how much is going on in c.i.'s life and i said, 'cedric, think about it - this is the weekend.'

want to know about strong radio you should be aware of? read cedric's 'Law and Disorder addressed covert racism' and mike's 'Leaky Bully Boy, Immigration and Law and Disorder.'
and if you need a laugh - who doesn't - go check out betty's latest chapter "My 'caring' husband Thomas Friedman worries I don't have time to appreciate his 'genius'."




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[political-researchp] Bloglines - Saddam fails to provide handwriting samples

Bloglines user bill.giltner@gmail.com has sent this item to you.


MSNBC.com   MSNBC.com: Top MSNBC Headlines
MSNBC.com is a leader in breaking news and original journalism.

Saddam fails to provide handwriting samples

In News

Saddam Hussein and one of his co-defendants have refused to provide handwriting samples for experts to authenticate signatures said to be theirs on key documents in their trial, the judge said Wednesday.




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[political-research] CONPLAN 8022

 
The neo-conservatives, although slightly lower profile in the second Bush Administration, are every bit as active, especially through Cheney’s office. They want a pre-emptive bombing strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.


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[political-research] Bloglines - Beware of the Fox

Bloglines user SeanMcBride (smcbride2@yahoo.com) has sent this item to you.


xymphora

Beware of the Fox

By Andrew

I think it is important to point out the many concrete examples which conclusively prove the Israel Lobby thesis.  The thesis is so obvious that this should hardly be necessary, but for the loud whining from the apologists for the Lobby and their Chomskeyite American-Empire-explains-everything fellow travelers.  Here’s something to think about from Ira Glunts, a former IDF volunteer (Glunts’ writing starts with “In an op-ed column . . .” ; it is also reprinted here; it was originally posted here, but for the life of me I can’t get the link to display properly; more Glunts here; my emphasis in red):

“In their recent best-selling book, Boomerang: The Failure of Leadership In the Second Intifada, presently only available in Hebrew, Raviv Drucker and Ofer Shelah, two respected Israeli journalists, described a meeting between the then Secretary of State Colin Powell, who the lobby considered to be the ‘weak link’ in the chain of more Israel-friendly Bush Administration officials, and Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith, who is a prominent member of what in Israel is called the Jewish lobby. The following selection indicates in a dramatic way that Gergen’s view of the influence of the Israel lobby may not be shared by all ex-government officials.

In his [Powell’s] own State Department there was a keen awareness of the strength of the Jewish lobbyists. Secretaries of State did not usually meet with lobbyists, but both Jewish officials and Jews that did not officially represent specific groups from Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League to Ronald Lauder, could meet with Powell on short notice…. At the State Department, Foxman had an aura of omnipotence. He was held responsible for the appointment of Indyk as Undersecretary of State under Clinton, and was thought to have played a role in the appointments of Secretaries of State Christopher and Albright. Powell related to Foxman almost as if he were someone to whom he must capitulate. Once Foxman told one of his deputies that Powell was the weak link. When the Secretary of State heard this he began to worry. He knew that in Washington a confrontation with the Jewish lobby would make his life difficult. Once he arranged a meeting with Foxman, but the busy Foxman postponed the meeting three times. When they eventually met, the head of the Anti-Defamation League apologized to the Secretary of State [for the postponements]. ‘You call, we come,’ replied Powell, paraphrasing a well known advertisement for a freight company. That statement had much more meaning than just a humorous polite reply.

Drucker, Raviv and Shelah, Ofer, Boomerang…, Keter, 2005, pps. 132-133. Translation and text emphasized or enclosed in brackets, mine.”

So Colin Powell, American Secretary of State, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, multi-decorated American general, cowers in fear before Abe Foxman, a guy so powerful he can get away with postponing a meeting with Powell three times?  And you want to try to tell me that the Lobby has no power?  Are you on crack?




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[imra] Daily digest - Volume: 2 Issue: 1370 (10 messages)

imra Wed Apr 12 04:24:31 2006 Volume 2 : Issue 1370

In this issue of the imra daily Digest:

Peace Index: March 2006 [41% support Olmert's retreat,
44% prerefer maintaining status quo]
Attacks on Public Institutions Continue: Gunmen Storm
the New Abasan District Court in Khan Yunis
Acting Prime Minister Olmert Authorizes
Chief Rabbis to Sell Country's Hametz
MEMRITV: Iranian Rev. Guard Air Force
Commander: Iran Capable of Blocking Oil Exports
MEMRITV: Saudi Govt-Produced TV Program:
Western Women Marry Dogs
Near East Consulting poll of Palestinians
Things Aren't What They Used To Be:
The Khartoum Arab Summit Conference
Physicians for Human Rights: Israel should condemn
rocket launchers in civilian areas - not attack them
IDF Targets ' Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' Office
Excerpts: Saudi employment policy change.
Iran successfully enriched uranium.
Trouble in Egypt.12 April 2006

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Peace Index: March 2006 [41% support Olmert's retreat,
44% prerefer maintaining status quo]

Peace Index: March 2006
Prof. Ephraim Yaar and Prof. Tamar Hermann

About a week after the elections were held, the level of satisfaction with
their results among the Jewish public was medium and lower, with the rate
of the disappointed higher than that of the satisfied, and the prevailing
position being medium satisfaction. Not surprisingly, then, a majority
agrees with the claim that the present election system leads to an excess
of parties and hence to governmental instability and ineffectiveness, while
a minority supports the opposite claim that the present system is suitable
because it accurately reflects the plentitude of opinions among the public.
Nevertheless, nine out of ten voters would still have voted for the same
party even if they had known beforehand the election results. Among the
minority who would have voted differently, the preferred parties are Kadima
and the Pensioners.

As for the expected implications of the elections for the three areas that
recently have been in the spotlight-security, social issues, and the
economy-only regarding the social area is there a dominant public
perception that the elections will be beneficial. In the areas of security
and the economy, opinions are more or less equally divided between those
who think the elections will be beneficial, harmful, or without effect.

As for the preferred prime minister, for a clear majority of the public
Ehud Olmert is the right choice with only a small group preferring Amir
Peretz. Regarding the composition of the government, it appears that the
emerging coalition centering on Kadima and Labor is also the one that most
of the public prefers.

In the political-security domain, a decisive majority of the public does
not expect Hamas to recognize Israel's existence or moderate its
involvement in terror attacks, and there are also majorities supporting
targeted killing of Hamas leaders even though they are in power and
opposing negotiations with a Hamas-led Palestinian government. Indeed,
immediately after the Palestinian elections a clear majority said Israel
should act unilaterally to set its final borders and not wait till the
conditions are ripe for renewing negotiations. Today, though, the positions
on this issue are almost equally divided, and there is even a small
majority, mainly concentrated in the right- wing and religious parties, that
supports waiting for future developments.

Those are the main findings of the Peace Index survey that was carried out
on Monday and Tuesday, 3-4 April.

To the question: "How would you describe your overall feeling about the
recent election results on a scale from 1, very disappointed, to 5, very
satisfied?" some 34% placed themselves in the disappointed categories, 22%
in the satisfied categories, and 39% in the middle. A segmentation of the
responses to this question by voting shows that no party has a majority for
the satisfied. In other words, none of the parties' voters show enthusiasm
for the election results, though, as expected, there is a link between
degree of success in the elections and satisfaction with the results. On
average, Kadima and Labor voters are the most satisfied, but the correlation
is only partial. Thus, voters for Yisrael Beiteinu, which won a very
respectable electoral achievement compared to its electoral power in the
past, are in second-to-last place among voters for all the parties in terms
of satisfaction, with only Likud voters coming after them. Slightly above
Yisrael Beiteinu are voters for the dark horse of these elections-the
Pensioners; while voters for Meretz, whose election outcomes were quite
disappointing, show higher satisfaction with the results-in fourth place
among all the parties.

Apparently, then, apart from the actual number of mandates, a party's
voters' satisfaction with the election results is influenced by at least
three other factors. The first is the level of expectation before the
elections. This pertains especially to Likud voters and also, to some
extent, to Labor, Kadima, and Yisrael Beiteinu voters. The second factor
seems to be the elections' implications for the likelihood of joining the
coalition. This apparently applies mainly to Kadima, Labor, and Shas voters.
The third factor, as mentioned, is dissatisfaction with the current system
that encourages fragmentation into numerous parties. Indeed, only 20% of
those who prefer an election system that would reduce the fragmentation are
pleased with the results.

Yet, despite the tendency to disappointment with the election results, in
response to the question: "If you had known beforehand what the results of
the elections would be, would you have voted for the same party or for a
different party than the one you voted for?" 89% replied that they would
have voted for the same party and only 11% for a different party. Voters
seem to think their decision was right, while their criticism of the
abundance of parties applies only to others' votes. . . . As for the
minority who would change their vote, the parties that would gain a
significant number of votes are Kadima (20%), followed by the Pensioners
(13%), Labor (11%) and Meretz.(9%).

As for the implications of the election results for the vital interests of
the state in the political-security, social, and economic spheres, it turns
out that only regarding the social field does a clear majority believe the
elections were beneficial (41%, vs. 21% who claimed they were harmful or
will have no impact), while for the other two fields opinions are equally
divided. Twenty-nine percent think the elections will be beneficial from a
security standpoint, 28.5% say they will be harmful, and 24% do not expect
them to change anything. As for the economic sphere, here the numbers are
29%, 29%, and 21%, respectively.

Concerning the preferred candidate for prime minister, when the choice is
between Olmert and Peretz, 45% opt for the former and only 21% for the
latter (1.5% prefer both of them to the same extent, 21% favor other
candidates, mainly Netanyahu and Lieberman, and the rest do not know). The
clearly preferred coalition includes Kadima and Labor with other parties
(56%), whereas a coalition of Kadima and other parties without Labor, or of
Labor and other parties without Kadima, wins much lower support (13% and
16%, respectively). A cross-check between voting in the elections and
preferred coalition reveals that about 80% of the Kadima and Meretz voters
support a coalition based on Kadima, Labor, and other parties. Among voters
for the Pensioners list, 70% favor such a coalition, but only 30% of Shas
voters, 29% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters, 18% of National Religious
Party-National Union voters, and 12% of Likud voters would want it. A
coalition of Kadima with other parties without Labor is most
favored-37.5%-by Likud voters, and by 25% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters. Only
a very small minority of voters for the rest of the parties would want such
a coalition. It should be noted that in the measurement before the elections
(February 2006), about one-third of the interviewees-37%-thought it
desirable to include an Arab party in the coalition.

We checked how the public currently views the interaction between security
and socioeconomic issues. We asked: "Some claim that no economic program
will succeed to boost the economy if at the same time no political solution
is found to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Others claim that a sound
economic program can improve the economy even if no political solution to
the conflict is found. What is your personal opinion on this issue?" It
turns out that a clear majority-60%-think it is possible to improve the
socioeconomic situation even without a political solution to the conflict.
Only 32% see the two as linked, so that an economic improvement is
impossible without a political solution.

As for the political-security field, a 70% majority see the chances as
extremely low that Hamas will change its basic position and recognize
Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, and an even larger
majority-75%-believe there is little chance that the organization will
moderate its involvement in terror attacks. This helps explain the majority
view-55%-that Israeli should use the targeted-killings policy even against
Hamas leaders who are serving in the Palestinian government (33% think they
should not be assassinated, and 12% do not know). Furthermore, 55% believe
Israel should not hold political negotiations with a Hamas-led Palestinian
government, though a considerable minority-40%-favors doing so.

On the question of whether Israel should act unilaterally to set its final
borders (the convergence plan) or continue the existing situation and wait
until conditions are ripe for renewing contacts, the picture is somewhat
more balanced. There is a slight advantage-44%-for those who prefer
maintaining the status quo for now, whereas 41% favor acting unilaterally
in the present. However, a segmentation of the responses by voting reveals
that support for the wait-and-see approach is pronounced particularly among
the right-wing and religious parties (Likud, Shas, National Religious
Party-National Union, Torah Judaism, and Yisrael Beiteinu), while
unilateral steps are favored mainly by the Center and Left-Kadima, Meretz,
Labor, and Pensioners voters. This division suggests that the preference to
wait till conditions enable resuming contacts does not reflect a longing
for bilateral political negotiations but rather a lack of desire for
immediate territorial concessions and unilateral steps.

Indexes:
Oslo Index-38.5 (Jewish sample-33.7)
Negotiations Index-54.1 (Jewish sampe-51.1)

The Peace Index Project is conducted at the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace
Research and the Evens Program in Mediation and Conflict Resolution of Tel
Aviv University, headed by Prof. Ephraim Yaar and Prof. Tamar Hermann. The
telephone interviews were conducted by the B. I. Cohen Institute of Tel
Aviv University on 3-4 April 2006, and included 602 interviewees who
represent the adult Jewish and Arab population of Israel (including the
territories and the kibbutzim). The sampling error for a sample of this
size is about 4.5% in each direction.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Attacks on Public Institutions Continue: Gunmen Storm
the New Abasan District Court in Khan Yunis

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Attacking Public Institutions and Officials

Field Update
11 April 2006

Attacks on Public Institutions Continue:
Gunmen Storm the New Abasan District Court in Khan Yunis

A group of armed Palestinians stormed the premises of the New Abasan
District Court on Tuesday, 11 April 2006. The attack came in protest
against the Higher Judicial Council's decision to close the court.

PCHR's initial investigation indicates that at approximately 08:10 on
Tuesday, 11 April 2006, a group of 20 masked gunmen stormed the New Abasan
District Court in the town of New Abasan, to the east of Khan Yunis. The
assailants forced the court staff and the staff of the district attorney's
office to leave the premises. The gunmen, who lit tyres around the court
building, positioned themselves inside the building and on the roof.

One of the gunmen informed PCHR's fieldworker that the attack was conducted
by gunmen from the eastern towns of Khan Yunis, in protest against the
Higher Judicial Council's decision to close the New Abasan District Court
and place the district under the jurisdiction of the Khan Yunis court.

At approximately 11:15, the gunmen withdrew from the building, after taking
a number of files, as well as the official court stamps.

It is noted that the President of the High Judicial Council issued an order
on 5 April 2006 to close down the New Abasan District Court. PCHR learned
that the decision was to come into effect today.

PCHR strongly condemns this attack and expresses grave concern over the
escalating attacks against public institutions, which threaten the lives of
staff members. These attacks are a continuation of the prevailing security
chaos in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Centre calls upon the
Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to
investigate these attacks and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8
2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
-----------------------------------
If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to
request@pchrgaza.org
and write "subscribe" in the subject line.

---------

To unsubscribe, send mail to request@pchrgaza.org

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Acting Prime Minister Olmert Authorizes
Chief Rabbis to Sell Country's Hametz

Acting Prime Minister Olmert Authorizes Chief Rabbis to Sell Country's
Hametz
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Acting Prime Minister, and Finance Minister, Ehud Olmert this morning
(Tuesday), 11.4.06, authorized Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger to sell the country's hametz (
http://tinyurl.com/qloh4 ), pursuant to the State Assets Law. The country's
hametz was sold to Ismail Jabar from Abu Ghosh in exchange for an advance of
NIS 20,000. The sale is valid until the end of Passover.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert wished everyone a Happy Passover and added that
he believes that the new government currently being formed will lead to the
creation of personal and economic security and a year of freedom for all its
citizens.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MEMRITV: Iranian Rev. Guard Air Force
Commander: Iran Capable of Blocking Oil Exports

The following are excerpts from an interview with General Hosein Salami,
Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Air Force, which aired on
Jaam-e Jam 3 TV on April 4, 2006.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1106

*Clip # 1106 - Iranian Revolutionary Guards Air Force Commander, General
Hosein Salami: We Are Capable of Blocking Oil Export from the Persian Gulf
and the Gulf of Oman with Our Missiles

General Hosein Salami: Although the weapons we manufacture are long-range,
they are not meant for the population or countries of the region, nor for
any other country, unless it is a country that poses a threat to us. In such
a case, we will not be courteous towards anyone. We are frank with everyone.
We believe that our life as a nation depends on our defensive ability. This
is not supported to increase the concerns of the region's countries, but
unfortunately, you see superpowers that have traveled thousands of miles,
from the other side of the world and overseas. They send armies to this
region, and rob its countries of their right to political life. They disrupt
the social life and economic system of the region. [..] We believe that as
Iran's deterrence capability in the region increases, the ability to make
threats decreases. Since our weapons are for deterrent purposes, they
prevent war.

Interviewer: They increase the degree of security.

General Hosein Salami: Exactly. They increase stability in the region.

[..]

Interviewer: One of the issues [the West] and especially Fox News is making
a fuss about is that by means of this maneuver, Iran wishes to make it clear
that it can prevent oil export from the region, and that since the Hormuz
Straits are only 54 km wide, it can pose a threat to the oil export with its
missile technology. Would you elaborate on this?

General Hosein Salami: You don't need to hear this from Fox News. Iran
controls over 2,000 km of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Even
without this maneuver Iran has this ability. This is a natural ability of
our country. Iran can block oil export whenever necessary. Fox News doesn't
have to make propaganda out of this. This is a natural ability of our
country.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1106

**********************
For assistance, please contact MEMRI TV Project at memritv@memri.org

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.

MEMRI TV Project
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
www.memritv.org
.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MEMRITV: Saudi Govt-Produced TV Program:
Western Women Marry Dogs

The following are excerpts from an interview with Saudi author Dr. Muhammad
Al-'Arifi, which aired on Al-Risala TV on April 6, 2006. It was produced by
the Ministry of Religious Endowments, Daw'a and Guidance.

*Clip # 1104 - Saudi Author Dr. Muhammad Al-'Arifi on Show Produced by Saudi
Ministry of Religious Endowments: Women in the West Marry Dogs and Donkeys;
54% of Danish Women Do Not Know Who Fathered Their Babies

TO VIEW THIS CLIP VISIT: www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1104

Dr. Muhammad Al-'Arifi: One of the most important things that distinguish
Man from beast is the ability to control one's desires. Allah said about
some of the infidels: "They are like cattle; nay, they stray farther off the
path." If you look at them, you will see that when they want to go to
sleep - they go to sleep, with complete disregard for the times of the five
prayers. If he feels like committing adultery - he does. If he feels like
having any type of sexual relations - he does, regardless of whether it is
permitted or prohibited. Therefore, as I said on previous shows, they have
organizations for homosexuals, organizations for people who marry animals -
she marries a dog, a donkey, and so on... The organizations exist, and
strangely enough, they are official. They have websites, and they publish
magazines with pictures.

[...]

According to statistics from Denmark, 54% of the births in Denmark are
illegitimate. In this case, the term "illegitimate" does not mean a girl
getting pregnant by her boyfriend. It refers to a woman who gives birth in a
hospital, and when the doctor asks her under whose name to register the
baby - who's the father - she says: "I don't know. It might be the
doorman... No, no, it might be the company director... It might be the
clerk, or the taxi driver... I don't know." They end up registering the
child in her own name. That's an "illegitimate" birth. But when she says
that the child is from her boyfriend, that's fine...

TO VIEW THIS CLIP VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1104

**********************
For assistance, please contact MEMRI TV Project at memritv@memri.org

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.

MEMRI TV Project
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
www.memritv.org

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Near East Consulting poll of Palestinians

A Palestinian Perceptions Update
www.neareastconsulting.com/surveys/update/out/

During the period of 6-8 April 2006, Near East Consulting (NEC) conducted a
phone survey of over 1,250 randomly selected Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,
the West Bank, and Jerusalem of which 856 were successfully completed. The
survey covered a variety of issues with the aim to provide an update on
Palestinian perceptions. The issues include: factional trust (with a
close-up of Palestinians who do not trust any faction), the system of
government of their choice in Palestine, views on the international
community's understanding of the Palestinian issues and the Palestinians,
and perceptions of donors and the ability of Arab and Islamic countries to
cover for the assistance that is expected to be cut to the Palestinian
Authority.

The margin of error is +/- 3.35% with a 95% confidence level.

International donor that provided most humanitarian and developmental
assistance to Palestinian people.
47.7% The European Union
6.8% The US
27.3% Arab countries
4.2% Japan
14% Non-Arab Islamic countries

Ability of the Arab countries to cover the assistance expected to be cut to
the Palestinian Authority.
53% Able
47% Unable

Ability of the Islamic countries to cover the assistance expected to be cut
to the Palestinian Authority.
61.1% Able
38.9% Unable

Who understands the Palestinian issue most?
24.7% The Americans
33.7% The Europeans
32.3% The Asians
9.3% The Africans

Who is more understanding of the Palestinians?
9.7% The Americans
36.4% The Europeans
41.5% The Asians
12.4% The Africans

If you could choose the system of government in Palestine, which country in
the world is closest to your choice?
20.5% A European country
16.9% An Arab country
5% The US
36.9% An Islamic non-Arab country
0.7% A communist country
0.7% Japan
0.9% An Asian country
0.6% A Latin American country
14.5% Islamic caliphate
3.2% Other country

Factional trust.
39% Hamas
21.1% Fateh
1.9% PFLP
1.8% Other
36.2% Do not trust any faction

If you do not trust any faction, are you closer to Hamas or to Fateh?
29.9% Hamas
24.4% Fateh
45.7% Neither

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Things Aren't What They Used To Be:
The Khartoum Arab Summit Conference

Things Aren't What They Used To Be:
The Khartoum Arab Summit Conference

Tel Aviv Notes No. 166
April 10, 2006

Things Aren't What They Used To Be:
The Khartoum Arab Summit Conference

Bruce Maddy-Weitzman
Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies

For more than four decades, Arab summit conferences have served as
benchmarks for measuring the state of the Arab world. Some of them have
also set important baselines shaping regional diplomacy for years to come
(e.g., the 1967 Khartoum "3 No's" Summit; the 1974 Rabat Summit's
recognition of the PLO; the rejection of Sadat's initiative at the 1978
Baghdad Summit; the formulation of Arab conditions for peace with Israel at
Fez in 1982, updated in Beirut in 2002; and the establishment of a
Western-Arab coalition against Iraq in 1990 at the Cairo Summit). So no
matter how many resolutions went unimplemented and however cynical Arab
publics had grown towards these diplomatic spectacles, Arab summits still
seemed to matter.

In recent years, however, the weakness of Arab states vis-�-vis non-Arab
regional powers and the international community has reached unprecedented
levels. Their utter powerlessness in March 2003 to block American efforts
to achieve regime change in Iraq and, indeed, the quiet cooperation of Arab
Gulf states in that effort starkly highlighted this state of affairs.

Consequently, Arab summits have ceased to generate much interest, and the
routinization of these now-annual meetings has only reinforced the sense
that Arab summits have become an exercise in irrelevance.

For a brief moment, the Khartoum Summit scheduled for March 28-30 this year
seemed to promise a revival, if only because of the urgency of the issues on
the agenda. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict had entered a new phase
following the election of a Hamas government and Israel's unilateral
disengagement and leadership change. Worsening sectarian strife in Iraq had
increased calls for renewed Arab League involvement. UN Security Council
pressure on Syria following the assassination of Lebanon's former Prime
Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in 2005 and on Sudan in light of its support of
mass murder of black Muslim tribesmen in Darfur placed Arab states in
awkward positions. Iran's standoff with the international community over
its nuclear program was also deeply worrisome. The overall picture cried
out for collective Arab action.

But Arab leaders saw no possibilities for concrete achievements on any of
these issues. Moreover, their mere presence in Khartoum would serve to
legitimize the host regime's policies in Darfur, rendering them guilty by
association. Hence, they voted with their feet. No less than eight heads
of state, including Egyptian President Mubarak, Saudi King Abdullah and
Tunisian President Ben Ali delegated others to represent them, thereby
diminishing the value of whatever decisions might be taken, and in the
absence of substantive discussions, the summit was cut short by a day.

Regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the summit revalidated the
Beirut summit's commitment to peace and normalization with Israel based on
the June 4, 1967 boundary lines and a solution to the Palestinian refugee
question as stipulated in UN General Assembly Resolution 194 and simply
added to the formula a denunciation of Israel's "racist apartheid wall" and
a defense of the Palestinian electoral process. To the Palestinians'
disappointment, Arab leaders renewed their financial commitment to the PA
($55m. per month, which has never been fully honored) but parried requests
for an increase. Some Hamas leaders complained that they weren't even
invited to participate, but their presence would have merely highlighted the
fact that Hamas does not accept the Beirut parameters for a peace
settlement.

Iraqi officials chastised the attendees for their less-than-full solidarity
with Iraq and called on all states to return their ambassadors to Baghdad.
But the final communiqu� noted only the efforts by Arab League
Secretary-General `Amr Mousa to promote national reconciliation in Iraq
while expressing solidarity with the Iraqi people and support for Iraqi
independence and territorial unity, reforms in the government's structure
(to accommodate the Sunni minority), non-interference in its internal
affairs and an end to attacks on holy sites. Unmentioned but hovering in
the background was concern about Iranian involvement in Iraq and possible
US-Iran contacts on the matter.

The Syrian-Lebanese impasse proved particularly embarrassing because Prime
Minister Fuad Siniora attended separately from the beleaguered,
Syrian-backed President, Emile Lahoud. Syria received full backing from the
summit in the face of US sanctions but opponents of the Asad regime could
take solace from the endorsement of the ongoing investigation into Hariri's
murder.

Strikingly absent from the final communiqu� was any direct reference to the
dispute over Iran's nuclear program, indicating the lack of Arab consensus
on the matter. True, the summit did call on the international community to
declare the Middle East "an area free from weapons of mass destruction,
particularly nuclear weapons," but only Israel was singled out in a demand
that it commit itself to signing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and
opening all its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy
Agency. The only explicit mention of Iran came in a reiteration of the
long-standing Arab demand that Tehran return three disputed islands to the
United Arab Emirates.

All this suited Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir just fine. He had run into
difficulties hosting the African Union summit two months earlier. Now,
however, he was on friendlier ground. Facing a fresh Security Council
resolution calling for the dispatch of UN troops to replace the undermanned
and underfinanced African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, Bashir stood firm in
rejecting any imposed foreign presence, and Arab leaders lined up behind
him, pledging funding for the African Union troops for another six months
beginning on October 1st and expressing their desire to increase the number
of Arab contingents among them.

Some months earlier, Algeria had suggested that the headquarters of the Arab
League be rotated among member states, a suggestion quickly shot down by
Egypt in order to preserve its prerogatives as primus inter pares. The
Khartoum Summit reaffirmed this status; Secretary-General (and former
Egyptian foreign minister) `Amr Mousa was nominated for another term without
opposition. Saudi Arabia also confirmed Cairo's status, in a manner of
speaking, by refusing to host next year's summit, thus sending it back to
Cairo as the site of League headquarters. In effect, the Saudi action
implied that the summit was becoming an empty shell. In an effort to
salvage the situation, Egypt proposed that one-day consultative summits be
held in between the annual gathering. But that hardly guarantees that Cairo
2007 will be any different than Khartoum 2006.
___________________________________________________________________
Tel Aviv Notes is published by
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
The Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies www.tau.ac.il/jcss/
& The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
http://www.dayan.org/
through the generosity of Sari and Israel Roizman, Philadelphia

KEYWORD: Arab World

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Physicians for Human Rights: Israel should condemn
rocket launchers in civilian areas - not attack them

Dr. Aaron Lerner 11 April 2006

IMRA asked Shabtai Gold, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, after receiving
a copy of the his group's joint press release with B'Tselem (see below),
what the IDF can do if Palestinians are launching rockets from within
civilian areas and it is not technologically possible to assure that
civilians near those launching the rockets won't be hurt by an IDF action to
try and stop the launching.

Gold responded that under such conditions Israel would not be able to act
against the launchers but instead should join others in condeming the
Palestinians for violating international law.
====

11 April 2006
Press Release
Human Rights Organizations to the Chief of Staff
and Minister of Defense: Cancel the reduction
of the 'Safety Zone' for artillery fire on Gaza

Three Israeli human rights organizations and two Palestinian organizations
jointly wrote to the Israeli Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff
demanding the cancellation of the decision to reduce the 'safety zone' for
artillery fire on the Gaza Strip, due to the danger it poses to the civilian
population and its cost in human lives. The organizations, Physicians for
Human Rights-Israel, B'Tselem, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel,
the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and The Gaza Community Mental Health
Programme, stated in their letter that the massive artillery fire causes
disproportionate harm to the civilian population.

The organizations further stated that such attacks constitute a blatant
violation of the Basic Rule of the laws of armed conflict whereby civilians
and civilian objects must be distinguished from military objectives. The
fact that Israel is confronting illegal firing of Qassam missiles at its own
civilian population does not legitimize disproportionate responsive
measures, which will knowingly lead to civilian casualties.

The organizations demanded that the Israeli forces conduct their activities
with the strictest adherence to the principles of distinction, precaution
and proportionality mandated by international humanitarian law, so as to
avoid, and in any event minimize, civilian casualties.

-----------------------------

---------------------
For additional information, please contact:
Shabtai Gold, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, www.phr.org.il
Sarit Michaeli, B'Tselem Communications Director, www.btselem.org

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: IDF Targets ' Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' Office

April 12th 2006
IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT

IDF targets 'Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' office in the northern Gaza Strip

Following the continuous Palestinian terror activity directed at Israeli
citizens and civilian infrastructure, including the firing of projectile
rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli communities, the IDF carried out an
aerial attack early this morning, April 12th 2006, against an office used
'Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' terror organization near the city of Gaza.
Terror organizations have launched over 60 projectile rockets at Israel
since April 1st alone.

The office was used by the 'Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades' for the planning and
dispatching of these attacks against Israel and for recruiting terrorists to
the organization.

The IDF is determined to act against terror organizations or anybody who
supports these organizations, which are operating from within the Gaza Strip
by relentlessly firing projectile rockets against Israeli civilians, while
planning additional attacks by other means.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Excerpts: Saudi employment policy change.
Iran successfully enriched uranium.
Trouble in Egypt.12 April 2006

Excerpts: Saudi employment policy change.Iran successfully enriched
uranium.Trouble in Egypt.12 April 2006

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 11 April '06:"Deadline Set for Phasing Out Men in
Lingerie Shops",P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"sales jobs at lingerie shops ... abayas and ready made dresses
restricted to Saudi women.

"30 women officials ... to implement the Council of Ministers decision.

" ruled out suggestion that foreign women could be recruited to work"

"violators of the law would be punished"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPTS:
JEDDAH, 11 April 2006 - The government's decision to replace salesmen with
Saudi saleswomen at lingerie shops will be implemented in two phases
....starting on June 18.

...next year, sales jobs at shops of abayas and women's readymade dresses
will be restricted to Saudi women ...The ministry has appointed 30 women
officials in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to implement the Council of Ministers'
decision.

...Labor Minister ... "The directive is binding and there will be no
retraction in its implementation," ...

... warned that violators of the law would be punished. He ruled out
suggestions that foreign women could be recruited to work ... ..

...Saudi salesmen working at female clothing stores would be given jobs
elsewhere while implementing the decision.

. . .

The Labor Ministry has launched a campaign aimed at employing 200,000 women.
... .. . . .

+++JORDAN TIMES 12 April '06:"Iran defies UN with nuclear breakthrough"
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"Iran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time"
"UN Security Council has demanded Iran stop all enrichment activity by
April 28. Iran has rejected this"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPTS:
TEHRAN (AP) - Iran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time, a
landmark in its quest to develop nuclear fuel, hardliner President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said (April 11) Tuesday, insisting his country does not aim to
develop nuclear weapons.
... The UN Security Council has demanded Iran stop all enrichment activity
by April 28. Iran has rejected this, saying it has a right to the process.
"...I declare here that the laboratory-scale nuclear fuel cycle has been
completed ...," Ahmadinejad said.
"I formally declare that Iran has joined the club of nuclear countries,"
. . .
Iran succeeded in enriching uranium to a level needed for fuel on a research
scale - using 164 centrifuges, officials said.
But the breakthrough underlined how difficult it will be for the West to
convince Iran to give up enrichment. . . .

+++AL-AHRAM WEEKLY 6-12 April '06:"Destructive Chaos"

QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"represent ... the collapse of freedom and democracy in this country"
"The storm clouds that have long been gathering in the nation's political
skies are about to burst."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPTS:
The events that took place at the Wafd Party's headquarters on Saturday
...represent nothing less than a collapse in the values of freedom and
democracy in this country.
...a microcosm of the ailments afflicting society as a whole, a product of
the destructive chaos from which Egypt is suffering.
...the situation in which all of Egypt's political parties have found
themselves.
.... Who benefits from the implosion of opposition parties, and their
growing propensity to self-destruct? ... .This current crisis is the result
of ...unresolved problems, dilemmas that for decades now have remained
unaddressed ... .
.... All political parties are hostage to the deterioration of the nation's
political life.
...Their popular appeal was superseded by that of the Muslim Brotherhood
...secured 88 seats and the opposition parties just 11. ... .
The crisis, then, afflicts no single party but engulfs the entire
opposition. Nor is the National Democratic Party immune, as its own
parliamentary elections performance showed. The storm clouds that have long
been gathering in the nation's political skies are about to burst ... .

Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA

------------------------------

From: imra-owner@imra.org.il
Subject: IMRA Subscription Info

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

For free regular subscription:
Subscribe at no charge: imra-subscribe@imra.org.il
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message to:

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--------------------------------------------

------------------------------

End of [imra] Daily digest - Volume: 2 Issue: 1370 (10 messages)
**********

[political-researchp] FT.com / World / UK - Greenspan warns on global asset price fall

 
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[political-research] Re: Bloglines - Zarqawi-gate: More important than you think

Tim Howells wrote:
> Wow!  Great to see that the mighty geniuses at the WaPo
> etc are starting to cautiously question aspects of the
> transparent farce that has had the blogosphere in stitches
> for years!

I guess we should thank the Pentagon for actually coming
right out and TELLING the WaPo that the Zarqawi thing was
just one of their propaganda campaigns.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040900890_pf.html

I guess that made it easy enough for the WaPo to connect the dot.

Tim  Howells

 



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[political-research] Re: Bloglines - Zarqawi-gate: More important than you think

Wow! Great to see that the mighty geniuses at the WaPo
etc are starting to cautiously question aspects of the
transparent farce that has had the blogosphere in stitches
for years!

Tim Howells

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[political-researchp] Bloglines - Pulling Out All the Emotional Stops on the Moussaoui 9/11 Trial Psy-Op

Bloglines user bill.giltner@gmail.com has sent this item to you.


Humint Events Online
The 9/11 hijacking attacks were very likely facilitated by a rogue group within the US government that created an Islamic terrorist "Pearl Harbor" event as a catalyst for the military invasion of Middle Eastern countries. This weblog will explore the incredibly strange events of 9/11/01, and other issues of US government responsibility.

Pulling Out All the Emotional Stops on the Moussaoui 9/11 Trial Psy-Op

By Spooked

This is ridiculous:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Jurors weighing the fate of Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui were shown gruesome photographs Tuesday of bodies burned inside the Pentagon and heard from two determined military officers who crawled almost blindly through falling debris, choking smoke and searing heat to safety.

Despite Judge Leonie Brinkema's warning on Monday that too much highly emotional evidence could imperil a death sentence on appeal, prosecutors showed the most gut-wrenching evidence yet in a trial studded with horrific images. (snip)

After a three-minute bench conference to argue with the defense over what could be shown, prosecutors displayed photos of a charred body on a blue stretcher, another charred body sitting upright inside a wrecked Pentagon office, several charred bodies piled together inside another destroyed office and a small torso covered with ash on a blue stretcher. The mostly intact bodies had barely discernible facial features. (snip)
Late in the day, the jury heard brief calls to air traffic control from the cockpit of United Flight 93, which ultimately crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers attempted to retake the plane. During the two calls, which came as the hijacking began at 9:28 a.m., a voice was heard saying: "Mayday! Mayday! ... Get out of here!"


Yesterday (article in my local paper, I can't find it online) the jury heard from Peter Hanson's father, C. Lee Hanson, who described his son's phone call from the doomed flight 175-- how there were screams and then he "saw the plane fly into the building".

I analyzed Peter Hanson's call previously. It's a weird one.




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[political-researchp] Bloglines - Zarqawi-gate: More important than you think

Bloglines user bill.giltner@gmail.com has sent this item to you.


CANNONFIRE
Joseph Cannon (cannonfiremail@yahoo.com)

Zarqawi-gate: More important than you think

By Joseph

Is the threat posed by Jordanian-born terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi real? Is Zarqawi himself a fiction, as some maintain?

The Washington Post's recent revelation that a Pentagon psyop unit hyped up the Zarqawi threat may turn into the next big scandal, especially since the leaked document specifices that the propaganda campaign targeted the "U.S. Home Audience."

One segment of the Post story desrves special attention:
One slide in the same briefing, for example, noted that a "selective leak" about Zarqawi was made to Dexter Filkins, a New York Times reporter based in Baghdad. Filkins's resulting article, about a letter supposedly written by Zarqawi and boasting of suicide attacks in Iraq, ran on the Times front page on Feb. 9, 2004.
That letter, though largely forgotten in the onrush of events, attracted some attention at the time. It's a 17-page "Dear Osama" letter in which Zarqawi helpfully demonstrated a link between the insurgency and Al Qaeda.

In other words, the letter fulfilled a propaganda purpose. The message to Americans: U.S. forces must stay in Iraq. Otherwise, an insurgency run by Al Qaeda will prevail.

As Rachel Maddow noted on her program today (she provided some juicy sound bites), George Bush somewhat incoherently cited this very letter yesterday during a Q-and-A session with students at Johns Hopkins. Here's a segment of the official (and not quite accurate) transcript:
In 2004, we intercepted a letter from Zarqawi to Osama bin Laden. In it, Zarqawi expressed his concern about "the gap that will emerge between us and the people of the land." He declared "democracy is coming." He went on to say, this will mean "suffocation" for the terrorists. Zarqawi laid out his strategy to stop democracy from taking root in Iraq.
Bush said these words on the same day the Post story identified this letter as the product of an American psyops team!

Incidentally, the transcript has been massaged to make Bush sound more erudite. In the original sound bite, which Maddow played on her program, Dubya's tongue slipped: He referred to this message as something we wrote, as opposed to one Zarqawi wrote.

Signs of fakery: In truth, this missive always carried a funky odor. Filkin was not the only recipient of this bit of propaganda. William Safire devoted a column to it in February of 2004, in which he insisted that the Zarqawi communication "proved" the mythical Saddam-Bin Laden axis. (That logic requires one to presume a Saddam-Zarqawi alliance, which is the sort of leap guys like Safire seem happy to make.) The Safire piece gives a detailed account of the letter's orgins:
That Kurdish militia has for years been waging a bloody battle with Ansar al-Islam, the terrorist group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and supported by Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It captured a courier carrying a message that demolishes the repeated claim of Bush critics that there was never a "clear link" between Saddam and Osama bin Laden.

The terrorist courier with a CD-ROM containing a 17-page document and other messages was Hassan Ghul, who confessed he was taking to Al Qaeda the Ansar document setting forth a strategy to start an Iraqi civil war, along with a plea for reinforcements. The Kurds turned him over to Americans for further interrogation, which is proving fruitful.
Quite a story. Worthy of Hollywood, in fact. So far as I know, the Hassan Ghul business first appeared here -- which means that either Safire made the story up out of whole cloth, or someone in the intelligence community gave him this yarn.

Unfortunately, Safire's account seriously conflicts with the version proffered by NYT writer Filkin. As Billmon pointed out back in 2004, the Filkin piece included this bit:
A senior United States intelligence official in Washington said, "I know of no reason to believe the letter is bogus in any way." He said the letter was seized in a raid on a known Qaeda safe house in Baghdad, and did not pass through Iraqi groups that American intelligence officials have said in the past may have provided unreliable information.
(All emphasis in both quotes added by me.) Well, which is it: Baghdad or Kurdistan?

As we now know, this letter was a psyops creation -- and by the way, Filkin wasn't the only propaganda recipient: Douglas Jehl of the Times devoted a major piece to the same story. One wonders why the propagandists could not get their stories straight.

What we are looking at here is a true Wag the Dog scenario -- the deliberate creation of a political myth. Why do so many of our citizens (especially our troops) still believe in the purported alliance betwenn Al Qaeda, Saddam and the insurgency? The Zarqawi psyops operation did much to perpetuate the legend.

How real is Zarqawi? Robert Fisk argued on Democracy Now that fairly good evidence suggests that the man died some time ago:
ROBERT FISK: Look, Zarqawi has not been seen by anyone other than “U.S. officials say” ever since the beginning of the war. I think it’s possible, and many Iraqis think this, that he was killed in one of the initial air raids on Iraq in the northeastern area, in the Kurdish area, and that his I.D. has somehow come to be used by some other institution.

He has a wife of whom he was very possessive, who is now so poor. In the town of Zarqa, she has to get out to work. When his mother died more than a year ago, he didn't even send condolences to the family, or so the family have informed me, unlike a man --

AMY GOODMAN: And the family lives --?

ROBERT FISK: In Zarqa, hence his name Zarqawi, of course. In Jordan. But, you know, the problem is that if this man believes he’s a true Muslim, why didn't he send sorrowful greetings to his family on the death of his mother. Very, very weird. And over and over again we hear American military officials say or they think they can identify him in a videotape. This is a guy wearing a hood, right? I don’t know. Maybe he is alive, or maybe he’s a creation, but I’ve never met anyone who’s met him recently in Iraq, which surprises me, because I do meet a lot of people in Iraq.
At this point, we must ask how many -- if any -- of the Zarqawi stories we've heard have any truth to them.

Fake Bin Laden messages? For example, Bin Laden purportedly wrote a reply of sorts to the fake missive described above. The above discussion of the February 2004 document may help us interpret the following news story from March 14, 2005:
Osama bin Laden attempted to communicate with Al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a month ago through a letter that was seized when a ground courier in Pakistan was intercepted, a counter-terrorism expert said here on Monday.

"About four weeks ago, we intercepted communication between Osama bin Laden and Zarqawi," which occurred when "a ground courier was intercepted," Bob Newman, director of international security and counter-terrorism services with The GeoScope Group, told an Airport, Port and Terminal Security (APTS) Middle East conference.

"We (US intelligence) intercepted the man and looked in his pockets. That's how we found out," he added.

Newman, whose Colorado-based organisation provides teams to help track down terror suspects at the planning stage, later told reporters the courier was stopped in west Pakistan, "carrying a letter".
Seems to me that the Pentagon psyops crowd might well want to use a private organization of anti-terrorist cowboys as a cut out.

Not only that. Bin Laden himself -- in one of those questioned audio tapes -- endorsed Zarqawi in late 2004. Since Al Qaeda was no doubt another target of the psy-op operation, this evidence may prove that Bin Laden simply took the bait. On the other hand, the tape itself may well be a fake.

The Berg connection. Zarqawi, wearing a hood, is said to have beheaded Nick Berg. Although I accept the authenticity of that gruesome video, others have questioned it. Still others believe that the video is undoctored but that the action took place in Abu Ghraib.

Hence the importance of Zarqawi-gate. Prove that Zarqawi is largely a myth, and you call into question all of the evidence that has ever been offered by this administration to prove any point. Even his base supporters will become infuriated. And no-one will trust any Bush-supplied "evidence" surrounding future events, such as the Iran attack and "Big Wedding II."

If any true patriots at the Pentagon are reading these words, all I can say is: More leaks, please!




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Google Search 09/11/2001 and Google Video of Loose Change 09/11/2005


  • If you are accessing via a dial up line, you may want to use your browser setting to not display pictures/graphics

    PDF of David Ray Griffin's Book, New Pearl Harbor, here


    http://www.vho.org/aaargh/fran/livres5/GRIFFIN-Newpearlharbor.pdf

    WTC Details

    http://www.saunalahti.fi/wtc2001/military.htm

    Great Web

    Site for Truth: http://911foreknowledge.com/

    and

    WTC "Demolition": http://www.attackonamerica.net/proofofcontrolleddemolitionatwtc.htm

    BEWARE of MISLEADING AND ULTIMATELY DAMAGING SITES LIKE THIS:
    http://www.oilempire.us/

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    Always the Top Post....

    Please Help








    Loose Change R2



    Not related directly to the above.....
    The following people have lied about 9/11
    1) Pres. Bush (when I saw the first plane hit the WTC....)
    2) Sean Murtagh (1st Impact: large passenger commercial jet…”)
    Sean Murtagh was the Vice President of Finance and Administration at CNN during 9/11.


    http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/prod/dialspace/town/pipexdsl/q/aqrf00/wtc1witnessreports/
    3) CNN
    What this demonstrates is that CNN had either deliberately or accidentally modified George Sleighs original report to add details that were not originally there, and that Sleighs recollection of the incident changes slightly each time he asked to recall it.
    http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/prod/dialspace/town/pipexdsl/q/aqrf00/wtc1witnessreports/
    4) Bobby Eberle (Bobby Eberle gave the most definitive "eyewitness account" of an American Airlines Boeing jetliner hitting the Pentagon on 9/11, despite voluminous physical evidence to the contrary.)
    http://www.total911.info/2005/12/pentagon-witness-gannon-pimp-eberle.html
    5) Gen. Wherley said he swiftly sent aloft four of his F-16s at Andrews, after first getting permission from Norad.
    http://www.unknownnews.net/040322911.html
    6) Karl Rove (In explaining Mr. Bush's movements, top White House political strategist Karl Rove has said that as late as 4 p.m. on Sept. 11, there were still reports of civilian jetliners aloft and unaccounted for, posing a separate threat to Air Force One. In an interview published Oct. 1, 2001, in the New Yorker magazine, Mr. Rove referred to reports of "three or four or five planes still outstanding" at 4 p.m.)
    http://www.unknownnews.net/040322911.html
    7) "White House" (Two weeks after these astonishing claims, the administration has all but admitted it concocted the entire story.)
    http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/sep2001/bush-s28.shtml
    8) "White House" (White House
    re-wrote the EPA's concerns and reassured New Yorkers that there was nothing to worry about in the air.)
    9) Rice ("The overwhelming bulk of the evidence was that this was an attack that was likely to take place overseas.")
    http://www.slate.com/id/2066154/
    10) Frank Gaffney Jr ("And when a Colleen Rowley complains that she's not been able to get the requisite permissions, it's in part because of the culture that's been created which has said since the seventies, don't go there. Don't go there, that's going to be racial profiling, or that's going to be infringing upon the religious freedoms that people are allowed to enjoy here. And that I believe was understood to be an exploitable vulnerability and was exploited.")

    http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript134_full.html.
    [End of Post]