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October 2002World NewsPosted: Thursday, October 31, 2002 ¤ Source of U.S. policy on Haitian migrants a well-kept secret ¤ Run DMC's Jam Master Jay, Shot Dead / Run DMC Website ¤ Carnegie dismisses Bush plans for Iraqi democracy as 'mirage' ¤ Uncle Sam's Crude Solution ¤ Poll: Arabs dislike U.S. policies, not democracy ¤ The never-ending war on terror ¤ Secrets and lies ¤ If you can't pronounce Iraq, don't invade it ¤ Hearts, Minds and Terror ¤ Road Map ¤ Powers stymied by search for formula of compromise ¤ France to OK Deal After 'Promise' From US ¤ 6 Words Separate U.S., France on Iraq Language ¤ Ex-commando takes charge of Mossad ¤ Scotland Yard will examine claims of Israeli war crimes ¤ Australia and the US to foreign aid to tackle extremists ¤ US Congress Withholds Funds For Lebanon ¤ Signs of cover-up as Kremlin goes quiet on siege deaths ¤ US warned not to seize control of Iraqi oil ¤ Israel faces swing to right as coalition falls ¤ Economy overshadows Iraq for US voters ¤ Dear Saddam, my firm would be delighted to do business... ¤ U.S. Taken to Task Over Iraq Draft ¤ Putin used a chemical too volatile to control ¤ Bush bullies the world on climate change ¤ U.S. Charges Add to Sniper Debate ¤ German money machine grinds to a halt ¤ Observers sent to monitor American elections ¤ Election or not, the outlook remains bleak ¤ Putin's 'war on terrorism' outmaneuvers the U.S. ¤ Death toll in Ho Chi Minh City tops 100 ¤ Congress Withholds Funds For Lebanon ¤ Plan to tackle extremists ¤ Chechen deputy held over theatre outrage ¤ Heavy fighting kills 15 in Somalia World News Posted: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 ¤ Cost of Iraq war could total $1,600 billion, prof says ¤ Israeli governing coalition collapses ¤ 18 Killed in Separatist Violence in Kashmir ¤ Mission in Afghanistan Frustrating ¤ U.S. Doesn't Plan to Control Iraq's Oil ¤ US sets meeting on exploiting Iraqi oil after Hussein ¤ Rally in Washington Is Said to Invigorate the Antiwar Movement ¤ Former Czech PM: Terror Has Western Blessings ¤ US, UK Warplanes Hit Northern Iraq Air Defense Site ¤ BP chief fears US will carve up Iraqi oil riches ¤ Bomb blasts rock Soweto ¤ Who is to blame for Soweto blasts? ¤ Neohawks Leftists Who Love the War Too Much ¤ Israel admits 'exaggerated' use of force in Rafah incident ¤ Secret talks bridge gap on Iraq resolution ¤ Girl, 12, killed after terrorist infiltrates settlement ¤ New Arafat cabinet sidelines reformers ¤ Gujarat poll could spark fresh communal violence ¤ Money for Iraqi war 'held up by Treasury' ¤ Keeping gas secret cost lives, says envoy ¤ Low-risk prisoners freed from high-security hell ¤ Israel Coalition Gov't Seems Shaky ¤ Powell Signals Compromise on Iraq ¤ Zambia slams door shut on GM relief food ¤ Angst, but no anger ¤ 'Barbershop' Remarks Bring Lawsuit ¤ What a tasty sandwich - and only three years old ¤ Kremlin fends off critics ¤ Huge death toll feared in Ho Chi Minh City blaze ¤ Race for Congress hangs in balance ¤ A diplomatic spat that underlines our alienation ¤ Films, candy and face time: Welcome aboard Air Force One ¤ In a culture of violence, every citizen suffers ¤ A Big Difference ¤ Neohawks Leftists Who Love the War Too Much ¤ United States of Europe? Sacre bleu! ¤ North Korea sticks to its nuclear weapons ¤ Arafat extends the olive branch to Israel ¤ IDF admits 'exaggerated' use of force in Rafah incident ¤ Sources: Government could fall in no-confidence vote ¤ Decide on Iraq or we go in, Bush tells UN ¤ Russia declares war on terrorism ¤ Russian military in Chechnya thirsting for revenge ¤ North Korea sticks to its nuclear weapons World News Posted: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 ¤ Islamic Fundamentalists In Major Gains In Bahrain Elections ¤ UK Gives 400 Tanks To Jordan ¤ Saddam safe on home front, CIA says ¤ Bush Administration, CIA Disagreeing On Iraqi Threat ¤ Weapons inspector queries US timeline as UN meets ¤ U.N. Iraq Debate Could Help Bush ¤ U.S., France Trying for Agreement on Iraq Measure ¤ Sharon plans to ask U.S. for $10 billion aid - Blackmail ¤ With Allies Likely and Unlikely, U.S. Navy Stems Flow of Iraqi Oil ¤ US intensifies Iraq build-up ¤ Crackdown after Jordan killing, suspect held ¤ Bali bombing sparks wave of attacks on Australian Muslims ¤ Chechen Rebels down Russian helicopter ¤ Bloody Sunday paras 'did not shoot to kill' ¤ Captured Afghan men: 'They interrogated us for hours' ¤ Welcome to the one-party state that is Great Britain ¤ Zimbabwe Opposition youths attack ZDECO ¤ US weapons secrets exposed ¤ Murder of US envoy shows anti-Bush feeling is spreading ¤ More Detainees Arrive at Guantanamo ¤ Putin asserts authority as Russia mourns ¤ France issues warning on Iraq as UN deadline nears ¤ Nepal climber held to ransom ¤ Sharon puts government at risk with threat to expel Labour ¤ BP pipe plan to pour oil on conflict ¤ Democrats in disarray ¤ Four Die in U. of Arizona Shooting ¤ Do as we say, not as we do ¤ President Chirac: bad for Europe, good for the US ¤ The army must fight to restore confidence in its training ¤ Chirac and Blair had stand-up row at summit ¤ Russia sees longer war against Chechens ¤ Slaughter in Moscow ¤ Israeli PM plans to ask U.S. for aid that could top $10 billion ¤ Israeli coalition shaken over settlement funding ¤ Rift over settlements in Middle East ¤ Australia's PM offers US 'total support' for Iraq action ¤ Papua New Guinea rejects World Bank 'blackmail' on forests World News Posted: Monday, October 28, 2002 ¤ Lula Wins! An "Historic Shift" for Brazil ¤ Why Doesn't the Government Act as If We're in Danger? ¤ Wellstone's Death Voids Referendum on Iraq ¤ Israel destroys homes of Palestinian activists in Jenin ¤ Inside the 'axis of so-and-so' ¤ Aussie warships head to Gulf as Iraq tensions build ¤ U.S. Forces in Weekend Firefights in Afghanistan ¤ US envoy meets with two Afghan warlords ¤ Many Afghans return, then flee ¤ Russia Raid Gas Said Opium Relative ¤ North Korea Nukes seen as check to 'U.S. imperialists' ¤ Clashes as Indonesian Muslim cleric seized ¤ Colombian forces take the fight against rebels to urban areas ¤ Iraq Offers West's Reporters a Kinder, Gentler Face ¤ Kashmir Coalition Issues Plan to End Revolt ¤ Settlers injure five people in attack on olive-pickers ¤ Kosovo mayor killed after voting ¤ Russian to conclusions ¤ US diplomat shot dead in Jordan ¤ Indonesian cleric taken for questioning ¤ Russians admit 115 hostages were killed by gas poisoning ¤ 646 people remain in hospital... ¤ Archbishop warns on Iraq ¤ Condoleezza's nonsense about democracy ¤ Gale-Force Winds Kill 24 in Europe ¤ 30 rebels killed in Chechnya: Russian army ¤ Israel bars Palestinian lawmakers from cabinet vote ¤ Fox News Proposes Covering Iraq Weapons Inspections ¤ Russia tries to stem scandal over gas victims ¤ 'Psychologically, we are the hostages now' ¤ Meet the new Zionists ¤ Black icon kicks South African sporting myths into touch ¤ Silva Voted President in Brazil ¤ Always in the shadows ¤ We need to ask why these Chechens use terror ¤ Weak single bolts 'contributed to WTC collapse' ¤ France may offer rival resolution on Iraq ¤ Bush fails to get tough talk he wanted on Pyongyang ¤ North Korea and Iraq ¤ Weapons of mass destruction ¤ Inventing facts as necessary ¤ Mexico Tells Bush It Won't Support Iraq Resolution U.S. Favors ¤ Kosovo mayor killed after voting ¤ US-British strategy on Iraq close to collapse Sounds fishy, Mr. President Posted: Monday, October 28, 2002 By John MacArthur As the United Nations Security Council considers the brief against Iraq prepared by George W. Bush, its undecided permanent members should ask themselves a basic question: How much of what the President says is actually true? The French, Russian and Chinese ambassadors would do well to recall that the Bush presidents, father and son, have a poor record of truth-telling when it comes to war and the UN -- that they often cheat when they can't win an argument on its merits. MORE Lula Wins! Posted: Monday, October 28, 2002 Silva Voted President in Brazil SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP)--Former union boss Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election runoff by a landslide Sunday, marking a historic shift to the left for Latin America's largest country. Ruling party candidate Jose Serra conceded defeat Sunday night, hours after Silva's Workers Party had declared their candidate the winner. MORE World News Posted: Sunday, October 27, 2002 ¤ Three killed in Ariel suicide bombing; Hamas claims attack ¤ Four Palestinians killed by IDF in the West Bank ¤ Labor threatens to oppose Israeli budget ¤ 2 Dead, 7 Hurt in Oklahoma Rampage ¤ Bush Remarks on Wife Draw Criticism ¤ Colombian Rebels Kill 5 Civilians ¤ Troops Living It Up in Kandahar ¤ Italian Volcano Erupts; No Injuries ¤ Antiwar Protest Largest Since '60s ¤ Ten Dead as Storm Winds Lash Europe ¤ Powell doubtful of U.N. support ¤ The CIA's "Operation Cyclone" ¤ Gas 'killed Moscow hostages' ¤ Hillary Clinton: Bush Was 'Selected' President, Not Elected ¤ Poll: Illinoisans not ready for war ¤ Thousands Rally Around World Against Iraq War ¤ Twelve Candidates Who Oppose Sensible Gun Laws ¤ Bush's Efforts on Iraq, N. Korea Flag ¤ We Are Targets. A New Flash Movie from Symbolman ¤ Who are the terrorists in Indonesia? ¤ Bush Praises Indonesian Leader ¤ Gore Vidal claims 'Bush junta' complicit in 9/11 ¤ Siege rescue carnage as gas kills hostages ¤ Outrage over mounting hostage toll ¤ Hurricane Wreaks Havoc in Mexico ¤ N. Korea Urged to Drop Nuke Program ¤ Bush: U.S. Can Bypass U.N. on Iraq ¤ Armed forces call up medics as Britain goes on a war footing ¤ Farrakhan: Sniper Suspect Was Member ¤ US faces opposition on two fronts ¤ Al-Jazeera hit by advertising ban ¤ To be gripped by fear is to lose the battlle ¤ Senator's death may put Bush in control ¤ Taliban gone, opium returns ¤ Russians probe al-Qa'eda link ¤ Armed settlers force out villagers ¤ Libya rebuffs Arab pleas to halt divorce Why Venezuela's Middle Class (for the most part) Opposes Chavez Posted: Sunday, October 27, 2002 by Gregory Wilpert* "Chavez' greatest error was to screw the middle class," says Carlos Escarrá, a prominent constitutional lawyer and former Venezuelan supreme court judge, who describes himself as being with the "proceso," but not a Chavista. The "proceso" is the process of social transformation that was initiated by the movement which brought President Chavez to power. When Chavez first got elected, nearly four years ago, it looked like a vast majority was with the "proceso," but now, large sectors of society that at first supported Chavez, particularly the middle class, appear to have joined the opposition. A clear indication of this opposition was the October 10 demonstration against the government, which attracted anywhere between 400,000 (government estimate) and 1,000,000 (opposition estimate) mostly middle class participants. No matter what the precise number, there is little doubt that this was probably one of the largest demonstrations in Venezuelan history, which was matched two days later by a pro-government demonstration of at least equal size, representing mostly the lower class of Venezuelan society. Why is the middle class so opposed to Chavez and the lower class not? The reasons are numerous and have to do with economics, government policies, the media, and racism. The Economy 2002 was and still is a difficult year for Venezuela. The currency devalued 50% in the first six months, inflation skyrocketed from 12% in 2001 to 35% or more in 2002, and unemployment jumped from 13% to 17%. Contrary to what many people in Venezuela seem to believe, these economic trends have affected the middle class much more than they affected the poor. That is, the currency devaluation has a greater negative economic impact on the middle class because the middle class tends to purchase more products that are denominated in dollars, whether it is cars, computers, real estate, or vacations to the U.S. Suddenly they can no longer afford these purchases because their income is worth half as much as it was before the devaluation. Also, while the devaluation causes a general inflation of prices, since Venezuela imports over 70% of its consumer goods, inflation is more acute among the products that the middle class consumes because they tend to purchase more imported goods than the poor do. Another reason why inflation affects the middle class more than the poor is that the middle class depends on a salary that is fixed at the beginning of the year. The poor, who are by and large employed in the informal economy, however, can more easily adjust their income to match inflation, simply by immediately charging more for their products and services - they do not need to wait for the annual salary increase. Finally, the poor tend to have more of a social net that softens the impact of inflation, in the form of larger extended families and communities that help each other out and in the form of free public services, such as health care and education. The middle class, however, tends to rely on private education, and private health care, which is of a better quality, but which have to be discontinued as soon as the prices for these service rise too much for their income. Venezuela's government has a large role in the economy, which means that a fluctuation in public spending has nearly immediate repercussions for economic activity in general. In other words, government spending cut-backs tend to push the economy into recession. Since about a third of government income comes from oil revenues, any fluctuation in the price of oil is rapidly felt in the rest of the economy. For example, in late 2001 the price of Venezuelan oil dropped from $18 to $16 per barrel. This caused a tremendous shortfall in revenues, so that public sector income declined by 13% in the first quarter of 2002, compared to the same period in the previous year. Most of this loss was attributable to declining oil revenues, which dropped by 46% in the first quarter, compared to the previous year's first quarter. As a result, the state budget for 2002 had to be reduced by 7% relative to what had been planned. At the same time, in late 2001, the opposition decided to intensify its campaign against the government, by calling a general strike and organizing large demonstrations. This economic and political crisis contributed to massive capital flight, which, in turn, made the political and economic crisis worse. The central bank could no longer defend the currency against the devaluation pressure that the capital flight was causing and when it abandoned its efforts to defend the currency, the currency devalued and inflation shot up. The combination of inflation and reduced government spending proved to be a double blow to the economy, so that many businesses were forced to close and unemployment increased dramatically. While unemployment had been reduced from 18% when Chavez came to power in 1999 to 13% in 2001, it went up to 16% by late 2002, according to government statistics. Also, the economy contracted by a whopping 7% in the first half of 2002. Of course, the attempted coup of April 11, 2002 exacerbated the economic situation because it temporarily stopped some oil shipments and generally increased economic and political uncertainty in the country. Now that the oil price has risen to over $27 per barrel of Venezuelan oil and that deflation has made it much easier for the government to cover the 2003 budget with its oil dollar income, the economy should grow significantly again in late 2002 and early 2003. Government Policies As mentioned earlier, the recession is not the only reason that the middle class opposes the Chavez government. Another factor is that the government's policies have not benefited the middle class all that much. That is, the most important reforms the government has introduced, such as involving the new constitution, education, health care, or land reform, all tend to benefit the poor much more than the middle class. The government's health care and education policies have benefited the poor more than the middle class because the middle class tends to rely on private health care and education. In contrast, the poor have benefited from the institution of universal health care for the first time in Venezuela's history, even if that health care is relatively miserable, at least it is more accessible to the poor than it has ever been. The situation is similar with education. The government has introduced thousands of "Bolivarian" schools throughout the country, which provide three free full meals per day to all students; something they would never be guaranteed if they stayed at home. As a result, one million new students have been matriculated in schools, who were never part of the school system before. One of the most significant achievements of the new constitution is that it permanently broke the two-party system of Venezuela and has thus enabled the participation of large sectors of society that were traditionally excluded from government before. Important in this regard are the constitution's inclusion of women, indigenous peoples, and homosexuals, who in the earlier constitution had few real rights. Again, these are changes that, at best, the vast majority of the middle class feels quite indifferent about. Another area that is high on the Chavez government's agenda, but which leaves the middle class out, is land reform. The government has introduced two kinds of land reform programs-rural and urban. The rural land reform has caught quite a bit of attention and its passage in November 2001 was arguably the beginning of the opposition's campaign against the president. The land reform law is essentially designed to put idle land into production and to redistribute idle land to landless peasants if landowners refuse to put their land into production. The basic purpose is to both create greater social justice and to increase the country's agricultural production. This program is also supplemented by a wide variety of agricultural credit and training programs. The urban land reform program, in contrast, is designed to confer ownership titles to land which the urban poor currently occupy illegally through land invasions and to help them improve their communities through self-governance. The urban reform program sets up land committees of up to 200 families in the poor neighborhoods that help measure plots of land, determine communal property, negotiate with government for services such as water and electricity, and create a communal identity. This democratization of property is to be combined with a democratization of local governance through participatory planning processes for local projects, such as has been spearheaded in parts of Brazil under the Labor Party there. Other major government programs that primarily benefit the poor, but not the middle class are the public housing program and the micro-credit programs. Related to this, the government recently announced the creation of a new "Social Economy" ministry. This ministry would support workplace democracy, especially the creation of cooperatives and other social justice projects, such as the micro-credit programs. A policy that directly hurts the interests especially of the upper middle class is the government's effort to collect income taxes for the first time in Venezuelan history. Only those with incomes in the top 20% or so are required to pay income taxes. The Media and Psychological Warfare Added to the mix of middle class economic decline and lack of government programs that benefit the middle class is a virulently anti-Chavez media. As if the economic and political neglect of the middle class did not provide enough reason to oppose the Chavez regime, the media supply additional justifications every day. Accusations of government incompetence, mismanagement, and corruption fill the papers daily. These accusations would be an example of a serious free media doing its job, if it weren't for the fact that the vast majority of these accusations are in the form of unverified reports from opposition politicians. The media rarely practices fact-checking and counter-posing the responses of the accused to an accusation. Often the media reflect the latent racism/classism in Venezuelan society. An example of this racism/classism was on open display in the October 14th lead editorial of one of Venezuela's largest serious (non-tabloid) newspapers, when it wrote about the truly massive pro-government demonstration of October 13: "The president's and his followers' response to the concerns of Venezuelan society about the serious crisis we live in (the economic, the political, the military, and the institutional) consisted of bringing from the country's interior the same lumpen [dregs of society] as always, converted into everlasting bus passengers with a piece of bread and some rum, so that they come and cheer to the great con man of the nation." The cumulative effect of the media assault is psychological warfare, in that the media present the general public with an image of Venezuelan society that is on the verge of complete collapse and that the government has lost all popular support and legal legitimacy. Front-page unsubstantiated accusations, such as those of Carlos Ortega, the leader of the union federation CTV, that the government was planning to murder two to three thousand people at the anti-government demonstration of October 10th and that the demonstration's organizers managed to avert the massacre, are not unusual. Much of the opposition thus appears to genuinely believe that Venezuela is under a "castro-communist" dictatorship. The hard-core opposition, which includes the CTV, the main chamber of commerce, Fedecameras, almost all of the opposition parties, and nearly all of the private media have come to believe their own media campaign, that practically no one supports the government and that those who participate in pro-Chavez demonstrations, such as the one on Sunday October 13th, are paid around $30 per person by the government for their participation. Of course, not just the middle class buys the oppositional media's propaganda, but so do many of the poor, just as many from the middle class do not accept the media's version of reality and continue to support Chavez. Still, it is probably fair to say that a majority of the middle class opposes Chavez and a majority of the poor support him. While Venezuelan society has always been divided along class and race lines, for the first time in Venezuelan history the classes (and races) are now also divided along clear ideological lines, particularly around the figure of Hugo Chavez. Many Venezuelans and outside observers have a hard time understanding why Venezuelan society is so polarized and in their puzzlement argue that Venezuelans should simply find the path of dialogue. This is certainly a laudable sentiment. However, there is a fundamental obstacle for dialogue if one side does not want to recognize some basic rules for having a dialogue in the first place. That is, Chavez' opposition is of the firm belief that it is in the majority and that it therefore has the right to demand the immediate removal of the president before his term has expired. The opposition does not seem to realize that even if they were in the majority, which is doubtful, a fundamental rule of the democratic game is that leaders are elected for a pre-defined term and that if one wants new leaders, one has to wait until the next constitutionally scheduled election and not for a dip in the popularity polls. Until now, the largely middle and upper class opposition in Venezuela steadfastly refuses to recognize this basic rule, which makes meaningful dialogue virtually impossible. Gregory Wilpert is a freelance journalist and sociologist, who lives in Caracas and is currently working on a book on Venezuela during the Chavez presidency, which will be published by Zed Books in 2003. President warns dissident officers Posted: Sunday, October 27, 2002 President Hugo Chavez Frias has warned the group of military officers calling for rebellion that any violence will be met with violence ... "if they try to seize power with arms, we will respond with arms, I am not going to resign." The number of officers now calling for rebellion in the Armed Forces (FAN) has risen to around 100, most of whom were involved in the April coup d'etat. "Where would they take this country? ... citizens must be ready to take to the streets to defend our Venezuelan democracy." Key military officers express support for President. Commanders of Venezuela's key military garrisons have expressed their unreserved support for President Hugo Chavez Frias, dispelling fears of a military uprising following the call by a group of dissident officers urging the military to rebel against the government. "We declare our loyalty and support ... for the authority and leadership held by the President through the will of the people." Caracas' Fuerte Tiuna garrison commander, General Jorge Garcia Carneiro says "they do not represent the true feelings of the Armed Forces." Vheadline.com World News Posted: Saturday, October 26, 2002 ¤ Republicans deny while the cock crows ¤ US peace marches draw thousands ¤ BATTLE ENDS AT MOSCOW THEATER ¤ Cynical Russians turn on Putin ¤ Israel shocked by spy trial of Bedouin colonel ¤ 67 Hostages Die As Moscow Siege Ends ¤ Blinded by the light ¤ US starts 'hardball' on draft resolution ¤ 'Corrections' author attacks Blair's stance on Iraq war ¤ President Putin is paying the price for his war on the Chechen people ¤ Rumsfeld seeks facts to fit his view on Iraq ¤ Moscow hostage theatre under security force control ¤ Algeria gunmen 'kill 21 family members' ¤ Anti-war senator Wellstone dies in plane crash ¤ Japan Politician Stabbed to Death ¤ 2 Hostages Killed in Moscow Theater ¤ All men are equal in the sniper's sights ¤ Friends now, but will it last? ¤ No one elected Bush to attack Iraq ¤ Short of a coup against Saddam, war this winter is inevitable ¤ Prisoners of war ¤ Once-scorned Romania plays its American ace ¤ Israeli tanks storm into Jenin again ¤ Jenin pays price for suicide bombing ¤ Would Bush Lie To Get Us Into War? Again? ¤ Television's air heads got it all wrong World News Posted: Friday, October 25, 2002 ¤ Michael Moore: Yes, It Was a Bushmaster ¤ Fox says he might oppose U.S. resolution on Iraq ¤ Organizers Aim for Loud Protest of War in Iraq ¤ US Tries to Head Off Challenges on Iraq Resolution ¤ Anti-American Remarks but No Sniper-Terrorist Links ¤ The Shrinking Saddam ¤ France, Russia Insist on Changes on Iraq Resolution ¤ Key al-Qaeda suspect Abu Qatada reported held in London ¤ Vajpayee calls Pakistan a terrorist state ¤ Rallies condemn Pakistani surgeon arrest > FBI agents quiz surgeon 'who treated Bin Laden' >> Imran to urge parliament to restore sovereignty of Pakistan ¤ Moscow rebels threaten executions ¤ N Korea sets terms for US talks ¤ An Angry Telephone Call Provided One Crucial Sniper Clue ¤ Israeli forces invades Hebron ¤ Strong enough for war, but not strong enough for peace ¤ Rumsfeld picks team of experts to find Iraqi terror link ¤ Hidden daggers ¤ The other side of America ¤ Caught in the sniper's nest ¤ US says no talks until attacks end in Israel ¤ Russia rejects new U.S. draft resolution on Iraq ¤ Redeployment of forces in the Gulf suggests attack will be delayed ¤ Iran will not stand in way of UN-backed war on Iraq ¤ The Right Peace ¤ Chechen Rebels begin to kill their captive audience ¤ Despair, anger in vigil on Moscow streets ¤ Chechens say Russian Army must go ¤ Chechnya timeline ¤ Malaysian PM: We won't allow Australian troops in ¤ America's message to UN: You're with us or against us World News Posted: Thursday, October 24, 2002 ¤ Sniping Frenzy Bumps Off Politics ¤ George W's Bind: Between Iraq and a Hard Place ¤ U.S. May Ask Court to Dismiss a $1 Trillion Suit > Linking Saudis to Al Qaeda and 9/11 ¤ Shooting Messenger Diminishes Truth ¤ U.S Financial Aid To Israel ¤ DC sniper suspect 'expert' Army marksman ¤ Two Killed, Four Injured in Afghan Fighting ¤ 25 Maoist rebels killed in Nepal ¤ The history of Hizbullah ¤ Bush banks on Pyrrhic victory ¤ The forever war ¤ Good Reasons Aren't Enough for Bush ¤ The endless war ¤ Chechen hostage takers ready to die, says gang's leader ¤ Man, Stepson Held in Sniper Case ¤ Bush banks on Pyrrhic victory ¤ Police arrest sniper suspects ¤ Two arrested in sniper case > Former soldier named in federal firearms warrant ¤ U.S. delays war plans, downsizes Qatar exercise ¤ Havel Denies Telephoning U.S. on Iraq Meeting ¤ Chechen gunmen storm Moscow theatre ¤ Separatists bring war to the centre of Moscow ¤ Bush goes for broke on campaign trail ¤ Australia lied about refugee children ¤ Venezuelan government scoffs at officers' revolt ¤ America hints at willingness to wait for resolution ¤ Yugoslavia sacks minister in arms to Iraq scandal ¤ FBI agents quiz surgeon 'who treated Bin Laden' ¤ Congress Abdicates War Powers ¤ Two Examples of Misinformation on Iraqi Biological Weapons ¤ US vision for peace dismissed by Sharon ¤ US still faces stiff opposition on Iraq resolution ¤ Pilger says West shares Bali bombing blame ¤ Hunt on for head of Metro, Zamboanga bombing group ¤ Bush's fantasy ¤ Six sniper calls ignored so five people had to die ¤ Killers' messages complicate pursuit ¤ Hopkins pulls out of Australian promotional tour ¤ Australian aid to Indonesia doing more harm than good Why I Oppose the US War on Terror Posted: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 by Chris White The more I juxtapose logical world opinion with the Bush administration's actions in the war on terror, I realize one overwhelming theme: hypocrisy. No one in any of the branches of government runs a physical risk to themselves by entering a war with Iraq, and we can bet that none of their family members are at risk, either. That is, until the next "terrorist" attack. I put "terrorist" in quotes because its definition is subjective, and I myself used to be in the Marine Corps, part of the most powerful "terrorist" organization on the planet: the U.S. government. Of course, we never call our operations "terrorism" because every operation is considered legitimate to us. When found guilty by the World Court for violence in Nicaragua, we ignore the decision. Too bad the nations we hurt can't just ignore what we do to them. When the planet condemns us for killing between 2,500-4,000 people in Panama, we're too busy planning the next invasion of a country that can't fight back. I oppose this war as a U.S. citizen, a veteran, and a doctoral student in history. While my military experience is what first made me skeptical about our government's motives in the developing world, it wasn't until I went to college and began reading hundreds of books and thousands of articles that I was able to truly grasp the profundity of our leadership's contempt for the freedoms they claim to protect. As a rule, we have worked hard to prevent the rise of democracy in the developing world, all the while claiming legitimacy as "the world's police force" because of our so-called "democratic" values. The hypocrisy is astounding. When one investigates our complicity in death squads, torture, massacres, rape, and mass destruction, one realizes that freedom often threatens the current power structure in this country. I used to consider those incidents as anomalistic in comparison to the "protection" we offered the planet at seemingly no charge. But then I joined the Marines, and I realized why I had believed in the government: they were experts in manipulation. Barely out of high school, the Corps broke us down and built us up in order to shape us into machines, willing to defend the ideals of the power elites in Washington and corporate America. Just look at the companies, which are funding political campaigns, and benefiting from war: weapons producers, technologies, food, clothing, munitions, oil, pharmaceuticals, etc U.S. interventions since WWII have not been done in the name of the world's people (although that is always the claim), but for the preservation of concentrated power. The fact that they have been carried out against the tenets of international law (i.e. the rights of non-intervention and self-determination), in itself deflates their validity. If the U.S. government were held to the FBI's official definition of terrorism ("the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives"), their list of victims since WWII alone would include: Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Granada, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Zaire, Namibia, Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Bangladesh, Iran, South Africa, the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Iraq, Cambodia, Libya, Israel, Palestine, China, Afghanistan, Sudan, Indonesia, East Timor, Turkey, Angola, and Somalia. In boot camp, deceit and manipulation accompany the necessity to motivate troops to murder on command. You can't take civilians from the street, give them machine guns, and expect them to kill without question in a democratic society; therefore people must be indoctrinated to do so. This fact alone should sound off alarms in our collective American brain. If the cause of war is justified, then why do we have to be put through boot camp? If you answer that we have to be trained in killing skills, well, then why is most of boot camp not focused on combat training? Why are privates shown videos of U.S. military massacres while playing Metallica in the background, thus causing us to scream with the joy of the killer instinct as brown bodies are obliterated? Why do privates answer every command with an enthusiastic, "kill!!" instead of, "yes, sir!!" like it is in the movies? Why do we sing cadences like these?: "Throw some candy in the school yard, watch the children gather round. Load a belt in your M-60, mow them little bastards down!!" and "We're gonna rape, kill, pillage and burn, gonna rape, kill, pillage and burn!!" These chants are meant to motivate the troops; they enjoy it, salivate from it, and get off on it. If one repeats these hundreds of times, one eventually begins to accept them as paradigmatically valid. The demonization of the enemy is crucial to wartime planners, and the above examples of motivation techniques are relevant to the present. Before carrying out a security exercise in Qatar, my unit went through Muslim "indoctrination" classes. The level of racism was unbelievable. Muslims were referred to as "Ahmed," "towlheads," "ragheads," and "terrorists." We were told that most Muslim males were homosexual, and that their hygiene was so primitive that we shouldn't even shake their hands. The object was demonization through feminization and dehumanization, so as to make it easier for us to pull the trigger when ordered to. But Qatar is our ally, so imagine the language being used today in these indoctrination courses about Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iraqi population has suffered countless U.S. supported atrocities over the past eleven years. Not only were between 100 and 200 thousand people killed in 1991, but the bombing has continued ever since then, and sanctions have led to the deaths of possibly 1 million people, in a nation of 17 million. Former UNSCOM execs assert that they destroyed 95-98 percent of Saddam's weapons by 1998, and that a nuclear weapons capability is extremely unlikely due to their devastated economy. According to this morning's New York Times, the U.S. reasons that Saddam's gassing of his own people and his hatred of the U.S. are what warrant our harder stance toward Iraq in comparison to North Korea. While we pursue diplomacy with North Korea (which has admitted to having nukes), we prefer to invade Iraq, who we claim is only looking for nukes. Have we forgotten the 1994 Congressional report revealing that we supplied Saddam with biological and chemical weapons during the 1980s? Although U.S. casualties will be lower than that of Iraq, let's not forget the danger we are placing squarely on the shoulders of U.S. troops, who have been indoctrinated as I was. Funny how the people who are least likely to go to war are the ones working the hardest to convince others to fight it for them. Chris White is an ex-Marine and current doctoral student in history at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. World News Posted: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 ¤ The United States of the World? ¤ Going Back to Bali ¤ Extra! Extra! Dozens Protest in Iraq ¤ BALI? Blame 40 Years of US State Terrorism ¤ Pak police arrest two suspected al-Qaeda militants ¤ Pak police arrest two suspected al-Qaeda militants ¤ Bomb blast in Nepal, at least seven injured ¤ Sniper Search Stretches to Tacoma ¤ Armed men take hostages at Moscow theatre ¤ South Korean leader opposes sanctions vs North ¤ Israel running out of military options ¤ US Sniper: 5 people died cause you ignored my calls ¤ Bush Signs $355B Defense Spending Bill... ¤ Powerful Internet Attack Cripples Servers ¤ Iraq: The Case Against Preemptive War ¤ US/UK Bomb Air Defense Sites in Iraq, 3rd this week ¤ US seeks Israel peace plan response > The US plan envisages Israeli and Palestinian states ¤ US vision for peace dismissed by Sharon ¤ Israeli retaliation targets olive harvest and waterholes ¤ US Draft Gives Iraq 75-Day Deadline ¤ Bin Laden's secrets are revealed by Al Jazeera journalist ¤ U.S. pushes Security Council to act ¤ S Korean leader opposes sanctions against N Korea ¤ Koreas 'to tackle nuclear concerns' through dialogue ¤ Indian troops tired, stressed on border ¤ Yugoslav officials sacked over Iraq arms row ¤ The Impossible War ¤ A Matter Of Credibility ¤ Russia, France Criticize Iraq Draft ¤ Your time is running out, US warns UN ¤ CIA will take its time in bringing al-Qaeda men to court ¤ Don't rock the boat ¤ Citizens in the dark ¤ 11 killed in held Kashmir violence ¤ Fresh US Iraq plan meets resistance ¤ Call for harsh response after bombing ¤ North Korea tells Bush to back off ¤ Koreans hit back at US N-move ¤ Iraq attack 'may trigger civil war' ¤ Jiang determined to remain a force in leadership ¤ It takes two to tango on nuclear control ¤ Washington police think caller was serial sniper ¤ Police foil plot to blow up Sao Paulo Stock Exchange Army officers urge Venezuela rebellion Posted: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 BBC A group of military officers has called on Venezuelan citizens and soldiers to rebel against President Hugo Chavez and join a protest in central Caracas. The 14 officers - some of whom were involved in an abortive coup against the Venezuelan leader in April - demanded Mr Chavez's resignation in an appearance on Venezuelan national television. They said they no longer recognised his government. They also accused the Venezuelan Government of being corrupt and denounced its economic policies, saying it had impoverished the lives of many in a country where more than half the population live in poverty. Following their statement, the officers travelled to a square in central Caracas, where they held a rally with several thousand of their supporters, Reuters news agency reported. 'Nothing happening' However the country's Vice President, Jose Vicente Rangel, dismissed the officers' actions, saying that Mr Chavez was working at his desk as normal and that the majority of armed officers rejected the officers' stand. "We've been in contact with every barracks throughout the country, with every command - the air force, the army, navy and national guard - and there is absolutely nothing happening," he said. "Every commander totally repudiated these coup plotters who decided to go on an adventure." The officers' actions come a day after opposition figures in Venezuela hailed as a success a 12-hour general strike called in an attempt to force Mr Chavez to resign or call early elections. BBC correspondent Adam Easton says that the officers' actions appear to mark a shift from such democratic courses of action. MORE World News Posted: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 ¤ Text of U.S. draft resolution on Iraq ¤ The Art of Distorting a Sniper's Mayhem ¤ 'Smarter' bombs still hit civilians ¤ Dead Afghan Civilians: Disrobing the Non-Counters ¤ Pentagon fears, war against Iraq could be pushed well into 2003 ¤ Houllier: We'll Walk Out From Racists ¤ Bus driver dies after Maryland shooting ¤ The Trial of the Century: Kosovo Phase Analysis ¤ Masked Israeli settlers torch Palestinian cars ¤ China delivers stiff warning to US on Taiwan ¤ Neither Consent nor Dissent, Bush's uncontested war ¤ For Bush, Facts Are Malleable ¥ Oh Come on, He Flat Out Lies! ¤ Spirit of Enron pervades the Bush administration ¤ Russia 'unhappy' with new Iraq text > ...does not differ much from the previous proposals ¤ Fresh shooting renews US sniper fears ¤ Democrats plan to shadow Bush's travel with critical ads on economy ¤ Maryland police investigate new shooting ¥ The sniper may have returned the call ¤ Two Fatally Shot at Australian Univ. ¤ Commander charged with torturing Palestinian boy ¤ US waters down Iraq demands at Security Council ¤ Blunder, mishap and farce in hunt for sniper ¤ 14 die as Israel faces new bomb threat ¤ Ground the guns ¤ US leaves options open over North Korea ¤ Police Ask Sniper to 'Call Us Back' ¤ Bush's war talk on Iraq is dancing in the dark ¤ NOW: We Second AGWVA's Call For Rumsfeld To Resign ¤ Neither Consent nor Dissent ¤ North Korea willing to talk through crisis ¤ Saddam can stay if he disarms, Powell says ¤ US flees the drugs battlefield ¤ Chaos around the White House jelly jar ¤ Afghan warlords battle near key air base ¤ Suicide bomber kills at least 14 in Israel ¤ Venezuela's Chavez says he escaped assassins' plot World News Posted: Monday, October 21, 2002 ¤ War in Caucasus with the eyes of the West ¤ Yasser Arafat has condemned the suicide bomb attack ¤ Tensions over plan for Iraq after Saddam ¤ U.S. Refines Plan for War in Cities ¤ 2 candidates fighting for lead in Ecuador's presidential election ¤ Several people killed as bus hit by car bomb near Hadera ¤ Suicide bomb 'kills seven Israelis' ¤ Sources: Sniper Still At Large ¤ French Soldier Missing in N. America > France Says Marksman Missing in North America ¤ Washington police hunting serial sniper arrest man in white van ¤ Pessimism About War on Terrorism Highest Since Sept. 11 ¤ Female terrorist suspected in Bali nightclub bomb ¤ 23 Coalition Troops Killed in Afghanistan ¤ Powell now hints Saddam could remain as president ¤ How Blair tried to sell jets to India ¤ Shot man may be sniper's 12th victim ¤ US sniper widens range with first weekend shooting ¤ US police make appeal over note left at sniper scene ¤ Straw yields to demand for Bali statement ¤ Indonesian radicals losing support ¤ Bad diplomacy, bad foreign policy and bad for Britain > Blair's support for Bush on Iraq alienates our allies ¤ Joint exercise in the Gulf is dress rehearsal for war ¤ US military scales back war on drugs ¤ N Korea: no nuclear comment ¤ US knew of North Korea's N-plan for two years ¤ US admits end to North Korean nuclear freeze pact ¤ S Korea urges North to start talks with US ¤ Australia will use diplomacy to fight terror: Downer ¤ Iraq attack likely to turn into humanitarian disaster: UN ¤ Angry IRA rejects Blair's 'unrealistic' peace plan ¤ US slams cynical release of most Iraqi prisoners ¤ A decree from Iraq's highest authority ¤ Sharon plans to ask U.S. for $10 billion aid ¤ Chirac consults Assad on Iraq, Mideast crisis ¤ Soccer racism isn't black and white ¤ Whitney Houston's New Album Leaked One Month Early Venezuela - General Strike UPDATE Posted: Monday, October 21, 2002 General Strike? Caracas is like a bank holiday Monday today as thousands upon thousands of 'stay-abed' Venezuelans take advantage of an extra day off from work courtesy of the employers' federation and the country's labor unions... A VHeadline.com survey shows that thousands of housemaids and servants to wealthy Venezuelans were not given leave to participate in today's General Strike after their employers claimed they would be "disadvantaged" if the serving staff and chauffeurs did not turn up for work! Although the CTV is (predictably) claiming 85-90% support for the General Strike, Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel says it's a gross overstatement ... verified VHeadline.com reports from across the country show little adherence to the strike call although anti-government activists are playing it for everything they've got! http://www.vheadline.com/p1 World News Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2002 ¤ U.S. Officials See No Sniper Link to Terror Group ¤ 'They're Coming After Us.' But Who Are They Now? ¤ Report: Bin-Laden financed Bali massacre ¤ Jesse Jackson Tells Blacks: Colin Powell's 'not on our team' ¤ Doesn't anyone notice the erosion of our freedoms? ¤ Iraq 'empties its jails' ¤ New US shooting fuels sniper fears ¤ I have a nasty feeling that the doomsayers on Iraq may be right ¤ U.S. to Withdraw From Arms Accord With North Korea ¤ War plans under fire as even Bush heartland talks peace ¤ Iraqi Disputes Charge by Bush That Baghdad Has Qaeda Ties ¤ U.N Negotiators Seeking a Deal Retreat Behind Closed Doors ¤ Israel seals off Jenin as troops pull out ¤ US arms up to settle bitter Somalia score ¤ The secret mastermind behind the Bali horror ¤ Cleric arrested as he prays for Osama's safety ¤ Backlash feared after arrest for Bali bombing ¤ Bin Laden's $20m African 'blood diamond' deals ¤ Britain poised to call up reservists ¤ Iraq war 'unjustifiable', says Bush's church head ¤ Iraqis face up to the threat of a US attack ¤ British troops 'gang raped Masai women' ¤ Siege mentality intensifies as suburban killer stays silent ¤ US trains Iraqi dissident army to oust Saddam ¤ Leaders and 'terrorists' speak with one voice ¤ Iraq: UK will act without the UN ¤ 10,000 Scots In Anti-War Protest So You Think You Live in a Democracy? Posted: Saturday, October 19, 2002 by Linda Heard, Oct. 14, 2002 Aren't we lucky to be enjoying the fruits which democracy offers? We in the West get to choose our leaders, decide our own futures, and enjoy free speech and individual privacy. Right? Wrong. Democracy is an illusion, a nice, neat ideology held out as a reality by the powers that be to string us along. True democracy is rule by the people. Few of us are empowered to rule on anything except whether to watch The Sopranos or switch over to Oprah; to mow the lawn or defrost the freezer. Election time is a good example of this. We take it oh, so seriously and believe that our vote will make the difference when we are really voting for candidates chosen by various lobbies, interest groups and big business. It boils down to middle-aged white Christian male candidate 'A' versus middle-aged white male Christian candidate 'B'. In our freedom-loving, non-discriminatory societies minority groups don't get a look in when it comes to the real leadership. How many black American presidents and German chancellors have there been? How many women have presided over the Oval Office or the Elysees Palace? In the US, which holds itself out as the epitome of a democratic country, there are ruling dynasties, such as the Kennedys and the Bush's, and yet over and over we are indoctrinated into believing that we actually choose the best person for the job. The chances of two or even three members of the same family 'coincidentally' being the best there is must be over three hundred million to one. The fact is that as each year passes, whatever freedoms we did have are fast disappearing. We can no longer drop out, hang out or disappear from the government radar screen. The computer age has meant that from cradle to grave, in true 1984-style, we are registered, monitored, tracked and labeled. We are designated numbers, which remain with us throughout our lives, details of our credit rating, our health and our speeding fines are in a central computer, and soon biometric identity cards, driving licenses and passports, with our unique iris print and facial shape, will be the norm. There is no escape for those of us who cherish our privacy. On almost every street corner there are video cameras, monitored by law enforcement. In Britain there are over 1.5 million closed-circuit television monitoring systems watching roads, shopping malls, schools, parking lots and public buildings, and yet crime is on the up and up, including homocide. Britain is the most monitored country on earth and yet the government plans to spend a further US$115 million to purchase more spy eyes in the sky. In the US, the Patriot Act has facilitated intelligence gathering agencies to listen-in on telephone conversations and to read anyone's email, while the guy who arrives to tune your piano or repair your washing machine could be a potential TIPS' informer. Most of us are reared on the work ethic and persuaded to believe that hard work reaps high rewards. Ask a worn out garbage collector, or a woman who flips burgers in McDonalds just how much his or her labor provides in real benefits each month. Ask him or her whether it's Hawaii or Palm Beach this summer and you may get a blank stare in response. We are constantly being fed the line that we live in lands of opportunity where the streets are paved with gold. What they don't tell us is money goes to money and the success stories featuring entrepreneurs rising up from the wrong side of the tracks are comparatively few. We are told that we have choices in life. True. Americans, for instance, have the 'choice' to pay US taxes or go to jail even when they live and work overseas. At the same time, they have no decision concerning the use to which their taxes are put or the right to object when a high proportion is sent off to prop up America's allies, such as Israel. Britons can 'choose' to pay high National Insurance contributions or be dragged to court, even though Britain's National Health Service is a shambles with waiting lists for important operations stretching over years. Many of us carry on our daily lives believing that we actually own our own homes when, in fact, they are owned by the banks and mortgage companies for much of our adult lives. In many cases, we spend most of our time working in boring repetitive jobs simply trying to keep a roof over our heads and pre-cooked dinners in the refrigerator. Ask single families on welfare about their aspirations and ambitions. Have a word with the bag ladies, the drunks and the druggies what democracy has done for them. I wonder what the victims of corporate scandals, such as Enron, think about a world where CEOs use the millions of dollars gleaned from insider trading to buy mansion 'homes' which are protected under the law, while they look forward to a poverty-stricken old age. Better yet, pop over to that other paragon of democracy India. As you drive from Mumbai (Bombay) Airport you will be outraged to see the fruits of India's democratic system. On each side of the road to the city as far as the eye can see humanity in its most wretched state lives under cardboard and corrugated iron surrounded by sewage. Inside the city proper, the democratic Indian government does its utmost to clear out the beggars and the street residents but still the cart goes around every morning to pick up the bodies of those who died of disease or starvation during the night. In the birthplace of democracy, Greece, a new law says that anyone who plays electronic or computer games, including chess or Game Boy will be fined or imprisoned. If anyone dares to play on-line Trivial Pursuit in an Internet cafe, the owner will be fined and the cafe closed down. I am sure that the British plane-spotters, who were accused as spies and jailed, will be delighted to attest to Greece's new democratic principles too. But all is not lost. There is a country where its citizens are given a free piece of land upon which to build their homes using interest-free loans. It is also a tax-free state where people pay state-subsidized electricity and water bills while enjoying a free internal telephone service. In this paradisical place, couples are given a lump sum upon marriage and their children free further education anywhere in the world. If they should fall ill, they are treated by the world's leading medical specialists at the hospital of their choice, while two members of their family are put up in a five-star hotel and receive a daily cash allowance, courtesy of the state. It is a new country, only 30 years old, and yet it now boasts one of the world's highest standards of living. Some 98 per cent of its nationals travel overseas at least once every year, and almost all own their own homes and businesses. At the same time, there is little crime, no beggars and nobody goes hungry. This is a diverse land offering cuisine from all over the world, golf courses, racecourses, marinas ice-rinks, pubs, clubs and every kind of sports facility. It boasts first class universities, an Internet city and a Media Village. It is also a multi-cultural melting pot where Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, British, Americans, French and Filipinos brush shoulders in the many multi-storied air-conditioned shopping malls. It is a spot where the smile-count has to be among the highest on the planet. Welcome to the union known as the United Arab Emirates and made up of seven sheikhdoms, the principal two being Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Yes, one of those Gulf countries where democracy is absent. Instead, the forward-thinking rulers treat the country just as if it formed part of their own back garden and its people their own sons and daughters. The UAE offer real freedoms: the freedom to feel safe; the freedom to live well and the freedom to put the rewards of your labor into your own pocket without having to pay up to one third of it to the government. In the UAE, a woman can walk in the city at 3am without being afraid and children can play outside their homes without fear of being abducted. I can almost hear you muttering to yourselves: So what? The UAE is awash with oil money. It's hardly surprising that its people live well. Exactly my point! It's all about wealth. Wealth is health and cash is freedom. With cash in your pocket you can travel anywhere, live anywhere you like, and consequent opportunities open up. Day to day existence in a phony Western democracy and belief that this is the ultimate lifestyle is widespread. It derives from being told the same thing over and over until we have little choice but to believe it. It's a sham. Nothing else but a massive con perpetrated on the masses by fat cats who have never worked in their lives. Western-style democracy? Phooey! It's time to go back to the drawing board and define what democracy really means and what can be done to change our pretend democracies into the genuine article. Linda Heard is a writer, editor and Arabist, who has lived and worked for most of her life in the Middle East. World News Posted: Saturday, October 19, 2002 ¤ Hollywood takes on White House ¤ U.S. jets bomb Waziristan Agency ¤ US anthrax scare investigations home in on ex-Rhodie army man ¤ Israeli Troops Wounded by Own Blast ¤ Number of Nations With Nukes Grows ¤ Violence Flares in Kashmir, 15 killed ¤ Australians rethink U.S. support ¤ U.S. Begins Diplomatic Offensive on North Korea ¤ Key Democrats kept in dark on N. Korea Nukes before Iraq vote ¤ U.N. to Probe Deaths of Taliban Prisoners ¤ If we didn't have al-Qaeda, we would have to invent it ¤ The US Bombing of the Civilian Shelter in Amarijah, Iraq ¤ Straw threat to bypass UN over attack on Iraq ¤ Trail goes cold in hunt for suspects ¤ Curfew imposed in Manila after three die in attack on bus ¤ Washington killings halt release of sniper film ¤ Governor shot dead in Moscow rush hour ¤ Italy hit by general strike ¤ Simpson berates 'hysterical' US networks ¤ The end of List Pim Fortuyn ¤ Vatican blocks US abuse crackdown ¤ US claims Pakistan gave nuclear aid to the North Koreans ¤ Korea atom effort: U.S. knew early on ¤ Answering North Korea ¤ A bet on lower oil prices ¤ US forced to back down on Iraq strike threat ¤ How FBI paid $12m to unmask a traitor ¤ Australians turn on government over US alliance ¤ Israeli reservists for end to rogue settlements ¤ 10 killed as bus ploughs into shops ¤ Russia condemns use of force by Israel ¤ Church head blames bombing on Australia's stance on Iraq World News Posted: Friday, October 18, 2002 ¤ DubyaDubyaDubya.theRules > White House Uses Web Site To Help Orient Its Appointees ¤ A Fool and his Foreign Policy are Soon Parted ¤ Pax Americana? ¤ Bush's Parallel Universe ¤ Iraqi opposition would review oil contracts > Many suspect America's main interest in Iraq is its oil ¤ France Said Favorable to U.S. Concessions on Iraq ¤ Deception A Sad Business ¤ Proliferation, Not Iraq, Is the Issue ¤ Israel's Pro War Virus Attacks Capitol Hill ¤ Bush's parallel universe ¤ US sidesteps opposition to Iraq war ¤ Al-Qaida to be questioned over sniper ¤ North Korea: A pariah state, its secret nuclear programme ¤ It is not hate that drives them to kill us ¤ The real threat comes from terrorism, not rogue states ¤ Americans soften draft UN resolution on Iraqi arms ¤ US forces are 'ready for a land war against Iraq' ¤ Double Philippine strike leaves six dead ¤ Mosque attacks leave Muslims fearing backlash ¤ The Bali bombs may deal a fatal blow to the Islamists ¤ Brazil Leftist Vows to Lift Markets ¤ Ivory Coast Rebels Sign Truce ¤ US president's niece jailed in drug case > Dysfunctional family dictates to the world ¤ Afghan Warlord sentenced to death ¤ Jamaica's ruling party wins again ¤ Thousands of Congolese flee to Burundi ¤ Terror's toll part of our cost of living ¤ Pyongyang admits secret nuclear program ¤ Only France stands firm against strong US pressure ¤ Ancient world's greatest library recreated Pax Americana? Posted: Friday, October 18, 2002 For many months the people of the world have been trying to figure out just what it is that President Bush is trying to do. Many people think the administration's goals are simply to enrich themselves and their supporters. Others site this war as an attempt at "closure on the Gulf War" - the son completing the father's job. Still more believe oil is the primary goal. An astonishing document has come to light that finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together. MORE Venezuelan Democracy Under Siege Posted: Friday, October 18, 2002 by MARK WEISBROT, www.counterpunch.org Twelve years ago a populist priest named Jean-Bertrand Aristide became President of Haiti, in the country's first democratic elections. A businessman summed up the attitude of Haiti's small but stubborn elite: "Everybody who is anybody is against Aristide -- except for the people!" The upper classes of Venezuela have adopted a similar attitude as they seek to overthrow their own populist president -- Hugo Chavez. They refuse to respect the results of democratic elections, and have little regard for the majority of their (mostly poor) compatriots. On Monday the nation's largest business federation, joined by some leaders of organized labor, will once again attempt a general strike with the stated purpose of ousting the president. The similarities do not end there: Aristide was overthrown in a military coup led by officers who were later discovered to be on the payroll of the CIA. MORE World News Posted: Thursday, October 17, 2002 ¤ At least five killed in Philippine bombings ¤ Saddam says US threats gave him perfect vote ¤ Blood and oil ¤ Account of Sniper May Not Be True ¤ Clashes Kill 6 on Gaza-Egypt Border ¤ Time is running out on the tyranny of lies ¤ Israeli sympathizers' arrogance knows no bounds ¤ Expect Iraq's worst, Bush warns Israel ¤ Sickening strategy ¤ Hawks in the Bush administration may be making deadly miscalculations ¤ Iraq is not Japan ¤ X marks the despot ¤ US says N Korea has nuclear arms ¤ US Government pools camera feeds to find Sniper ¤ While outside, try to keep moving > US tips for fighting internal terror ¤ America Fails to Woo Key Allies ¤ UN's Largest Group of States Rejects War on Iraq ¤ France Makes Strongest Statement Yet Against War ¤ And Just How Many Countries Have We Attacked? ¤ US playing into the hands of terrorists? ¤ American policymakers awash in fantasy ¤ Intoxicated with American power? ¤ Israel is being unhelpful ¤ Three blasts southern Philippines, two reported dead ¤ Infighting leads to collapse of Dutch cabinet ¤ I'm an American tired of American lies ¤ In the terror trap ¤ Things go worse on Wall Street with Coke warning ¤ Bush Gets $355 Billion Defense Bill ¤ Cleric sues Time for £70m over article ¤ Reuters' future looks ugly ¤ Explosive 'linked to CIA' ¤ Iraq war can spark terror attacks: France ¤ 4 parcel bombs explode in Karachi; 8 hurt ¤ 10 militants among 14 killed in held Kashmir ¤ 'Too nice' jail commander is fired ¤ Israeli army 'killing Palestinian children' ¤ Abu Bakar warns PM against Iraq war ¤ Tougher laws won't scare off terrorism, experts warn ¤ Israeli army 'killing Palestinian children' ¤ Dutch Government collapses as feuding cabinet quits ¤ Bush moves closer to compromise with UN over Iraq Imperialists back Venezuelan lockout/coup attempt Posted: Thursday, October 17, 2002 by Jose G. Perez groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/messages Stripped of all the rhetoric, the message from American big business is: overthrow the Chávez government already. Like, if the United States can figure out a way to get the *right* president despite its vaunted "democratic" traditions and his having lost by a half million votes, what's the matter with these Venezuelans that they can't get rid of Chávez? It is especially touching to see such nice rhetorical flourishes like saying "their employees can join the strike...". When was the LAST time your boss told you it was okay to strike? And the reference to "democratic values and freedoms" and "nations where those values are firmly defended," needless to say, nations like Amerikkka. The English and the Nazis and Fascists and the Falangists other European scum, oops, did I say scum, I meant "representatives of Western Civilization" may have punked out, but the descendants of Custer, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee stand fast to defend the privileges of the White Race. Next thing you know, when these jerks succeed in convincing the big majority of Venezuela's working people that they have *no choice* but to expropriate the foreign bosses in self-defense, the United States will say it's "terrorism" Venezuela's largest foreign business chamber endorses general strike World News Posted: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 ¤ Russia rejects US draft of UN resolution on Iraq ¤ Chadian army kills 123 rebels: Official ¤ Dhaka protests Time magazine 'al-Qaeda claims' ¤ Monitors may watch Florida vote ¤ EU should mind its own business: Musharraf ¤ Israel issues threat to Lebanon in water row ¤ UN Members Apprehensive of War Drums Against Iraq ¤ Discord deepens over Iraq resolution ¤ Scores of refugees die on stranded boat ¤ 'Inspectors can be in Iraq in 10 days after UN resolution' ¤ US warplanes knock out communications facility in Iraq ¤ The backlash ¤ It's The Economy, Stupid ¤ The Bali bombing must kill off war with Iraq ¤ U.S. split with France deepens over use of force in Iraq ¤ Sharp rise in favour of war on Iraq > Support grew after Bali attack, latest Guardian/ICM poll. ¤ Australians fear Bush link backlash ¤ North Korea's kidnap victims return home after 25 years ¤ 'Soft' Guantanamo chief ousted ¤ |