and then
www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news
Secret U.S. Endorsement of Severe Interrogations —Never in history had the United States authorized such tactics. —Deputy Attorney General Comey told colleagues at Justice that they would all be “ashamed” when the world eventually learned of their secret. —With virtually no experience in interrogations, the C.I.A. had constructed its program in a few harried months by consulting Egyptian and Saudi intelligence officials and copying Soviet interrogation methods long used in training American servicemen to withstand capture. —The agency officers questioning [torturing] prisoners constantly sought advice from lawyers thousands of miles away. 04 Oct 2007 When the Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal opinion in December 2004, the Bush regime appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential authority to order brutal interrogations. But soon after Alberto R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency. The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures… Later that year, as Congress moved toward outlawing “cruel, inhuman and degrading” treatment, the Justice Department issued another secret opinion, one most lawmakers did not know existed, current and former officials said.
www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/washington/04interrogate.html
START READING.
www.legitgov.org/essay_southwell_arming
_the_left_is_the_time_now_102203.html
Abu Ghraib prisoners accuse US companies of torture 02 Oct 2007 Two US Army subcontractors [Titan and CACI International] accused of torturing prisoners at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib jail go to court Wednesday in a case that highlights the murky legal status of private US companies in Iraq. One former Iraqi prisoner now living in Sweden says that under the companies’ watch, he was sodomized, nearly strangled with a belt, tied by his genitals to other detainees, and given repeated electric shocks.
news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071002/pl_afp/usiraqmilitaryjustice
Blackwater contractor wrote government report on incident 02 Oct 2007 The State Department’s initial report of last month’s incident in which Blackwater mercenaries were accused of killing Iraqi civilians was written by a Blackwater contractor [Darren Hanner] working in the embassy security detail, according to government and industry sources.
www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/10/02/blackwater.spot.report/
Mystery surrounds death of soldier 02 Oct 2007 The Massachusetts National Guard soldier from Quincy who died in Afghanistan Friday was found with a single bullet in her head lying near her church on a secure military base, her family said yesterday after a briefing from Army officials. The Department of Defense said in a statement yesterday that Ciara Durkin’s injuries came from a “non-combat related incident” that is under investigation. [Blackwater USA working overtime?]
www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/
10/02/mystery_surrounds_death_of_soldier/
Blackwater Furor May Alter Way U.S. Contractors in Iraq 03 Oct 2007 The congressional probe of Blackwater USA, the private contractor being investigated for a Sept. 16 shooting incident in which 11 Iraqis were killed, is fueling a push for significant changes in the way U.S. contractors operate in Iraq. The changes being considered by Iraqi politicians include stripping U.S. contractors and their employees in Iraq of their current immunity to Iraqi law. In the U.S., legislation may soon make all American battlefield contractors subject to U.S. criminal law.
online.wsj.com/article_email/SB11913308331004
6348-lMyQjAxMDE3OTAxMzMwMzMwWj.html
Heritage Oil awarded production sharing contract in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (CNW Group) 02 Oct 2007 Heritage Oil Corporation today is pleased to announce that it has executed a Production Sharing Contract with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over Miran Block in the south-west of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and that Heritage will be operating as a 50/50 partner with the KRG to create a 20,000 barrel per day oil refinery in the vicinity of the licence area… Heritage will join the existing and increasing presence of international oil exploration, development and production companies operating in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2007/02/c7256.html
Senate approves $150B in war funding 01 Oct 2007 Thwarted in efforts to bring troops home from Iraq, Senate DemocRATs on Monday helped pass a defense policy bill authorizing another $150 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan [Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater USA]. The 92-3 vote comes as the House planned to approve separate legislation Tuesday that requires President [sic] Bush to give Congress a plan for eventual troop withdrawals.
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq
Poland’s envoy to Iraq wounded in Baghdad blasts 03 Oct 2007 Poland’s ambassador to Iraq was wounded on Wednesday when his diplomatic convoy was hit by a series of bombs in central Baghdad, which Polish officials described as an assassination attempt. Iraqi police said one civilian was killed in the attack and five people were wounded, including three embassy officials.
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071003/wl_nm/iraq_dc_14
Aussies lose confidence in US and Bush 03 Oct 2007 Australians have suffered a dramatic loss of confidence in the ability of the US to manage international affairs amid growing dissatisfaction with President [sic] George W. Bush and his conduct of the Iraq war. That level of confidence has almost halved in just six years – from 66 per cent in 2001 to 37 percent today, coinciding with the Iraq war.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/stor
y/0,25197,22522721-26397,00.html
Almost Two-Thirds of Australians Oppose Involvement in Iraq War 03 Oct 2007 Almost two-thirds of Australians oppose the nation’s involvement in Iraq and nearly three- quarters said it made the country a terror target, a new survey showed. Some 64 percent opposed Australian soldiers serving in Iraq and 73 percent said it made the nation a terror target, according to a survey by the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney.
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=ag9sf2eBYimg
Afghanistan violence at pinnacle since invasion —More than 5,000 insurgency-related deaths reported in past year alone 02 Oct 2007 Violence in Afghanistan has spiked to its highest level since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, with an Associated Press count of ‘insurgency’-related deaths this year surpassing the 5,000 mark and a U.N. report finding that attacks have risen by 20 percent.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21092845/
Iran must provide nuke programme details by November: ElBaradei 03 Oct 2007 Iran must provide key details on its nuclear programme by late November or its unwillingness to work with the international community will backfire, the UN’s nuclear chief said in an interview published on Wednesday.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Iran_must_provide_nuke_pr
ogramme_details_by_November_ElBaradei/articleshow/2423659.cms
Missile defense system is up and running, military says 03 Oct 2007 After a ‘successful’ test last week, the tracking radars and interceptor rockets of a new American missile defense system can be turned on at any time to respond to [incur] an emerging crisis in Asia, senior military officers said Tuesday.
www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/03/america/03missile.php
U.S. prepares for largest terrorism drill ever —Three fictional (We hope!) ‘dirty bombs’ are set to explode in big US terror drill. Will Bush bin Laden ‘go live’ and blame Iran? Will Britney Spears get her children back? (Which issue will the media cover?) —Fourth Top Officials exercise — dubbed TOPOFF — takes place during the week starting Oct. 15. 03 Oct 2007 The nation is preparing for its biggest terrorism exercise ever later this month when three fictional “dirty bombs” go off and cripple transportation arteries in two major U.S. cities and Guam, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. Yet even as this drill begins, details from the previous national exercise held in 2005 have yet to be publicly released — information that’s supposed to help officials prepare for the next real [Bush] attack. www.legitgov.org/DoD_to_augment_civilian_law.html
www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-03-terror-exercise_N.htm
Questions Raised Over Terror Exercise 03 Oct 2007 The nation is preparing for its biggest terrorism exercise ever next week when three fictional [We hope!] “dirty bombs’’ go off and cripple transportation arteries in two major U.S. cities and Guam, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. Yet even as this drill begins, details from the previous national exercise held in 2005 have yet to be publicly released – information that’s supposed to help officials prepare for the next real attack.
www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6967511,00.html
LOL! The ‘Poison Saltshaker’ Terror Plot: Miami men plotted to overthrow U.S.: prosecutor 02 Oct 2007 Seven men plotted to bring down the U.S. government by poisoning saltshakers and bombing landmark buildings, a prosecutor told Miami jurors as their terrorism conspiracy trial opened on Tuesday. Defense lawyers said the charges were “nonsense” scripted by the government and orchestrated by paid FBI informants they called Conman No. 1 and Conman No. 2.
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071002/ts_nm/usa_plot_dc_2
ACLU asks court to review domestic spying case 03 Oct 2007 The American Civil Liberties Union asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to review a legal challenge to the warrantless domestic spying program that President [sic] George W. Bush created after the September 11 attacks.
www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0322452520071003
Ex-White House Lawyer: Parts of Bush Spying Program ‘Illegal’ 02 Oct 2007 A former top lawyer for the Bush administration on Tuesday said that parts of the President [sic] Bush’s controversial eavesdropping program were illegal. There were certain aspects of the Terrorist Surveillance Program “that I could not find the legal support for,” Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
apnews.myway.com/article/20071002/D8S19L501.html
House panel launches investigation into government wiretapping 02 Oct 2007 Lawmakers on the House Commerce Committee on Tuesday launched an investigation into the extent to which large telephone companies cooperated with federal government efforts to eavesdrop on Americans without warrants.
www.marketwatch.com/news/story/house-panel-launches-inve
stigation-government/story.aspx?guid=%7B6B88FED3-FF2D-41
5A-BC1A-0BFFD7FEAFB3%7D
DMV Gets Educated on Real ID by Homeland Security Industrial Complex By Ryan Singel 25 Sep 2007 The database and identity wing of the Homeland Security Industrial Complex sponsored a conference this week on Real ID, the controversial, unfunded government mandate that forces states to join in a national identification program or face having their residents unable to enter federal buildings or board airplanes.
blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/09/dmv-gets-educat.html
Private investigator: Signs of struggle in airport death 03 Oct 2007 A private investigator who observed an autopsy of a woman who died after being detained at the Phoenix airport says bruises were scattered across her body, indicating there was a struggle. Carol Anne Gotbaum’s family accuses Phoenix police of manhandling the New York woman when they arrested her Friday at Sky Harbor.
www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1003Airportdeath03-on.html
GAO Wants to Test Controversial Florida Voting Machines By Kim Zetter 02 Oct 2007 The Government Accountability Office, which has been looking into what happened to about 18,000 votes in a controversial Florida election, released a preliminary report today saying it can’t exclude the possibility that voting machines were responsible for the undervotes in that race.
blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/gao-calls-to-te.html
Subpoenas withdrawn against 12 members in Cunningham case 02 Oct 2007 A lawyer for Brent Wilkes, a defense contractor accused of bribing former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.), withdrew subpoenas of a dozen House members after a judge [U.S. Judge Larry Burns] said he was prepared to quash them.
thehill.com/leading-the-news/subpoenas-withdrawn-
against-12-members-in-cunningham-case-2007-10-02.html
Ron Paul scores $5 mln in White House race 03 Oct 2007 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, an anti-war libertarian who has clashed with his rivals over Iraq, raised more than $5 million for his White House bid in the last three months.
www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0331985020071003
Report: Millions wasted on gov’t travel 03 Oct 2007 Federal employees wasted at least $146 million over a one-year period on business- and first-class airline tickets, in some cases simply because they felt entitled to the perk, congressional investigators say.
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071003/ap_on
_go_ca_st_pe/government_travel_waste
Airline Delays Up Significantly In August —On-Time Performance Record Second-Worst 03 Oct 2007 The airline industry’s dismal on-time performance in 2007 continued in August with nearly 30 percent of flights delayed. The most recent government data, which also showed a surge in fliers’ complaints, was released less than a week after President Bush promised to help fix the problem.
www.nbc30.com/news/14261670/detail.html
Bush vetoes bill to expand popular children’s health insurance program 03 Oct 2007 Dictator Bush, in a confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children’s health insurance. The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override the veto, but the margin in the House fell short of the required number.
www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1003Bush03-ON.html
FDA head balks at tobacco regulation 03 Oct 2007 The head of the Food and Drug Administration balked today over House legislation that would give his agency broad regulatory controls over tobacco manufacturing. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, President [sic] Bush’s FDA commissioner, sharply criticized portions of the bill in a written statement given to a House panel…
www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-conten
t-articles-RTD-2007-10-03-0170.html
Democrats Assail Bush on Mortgage Crisis 03 Oct 2007 Congress’ top Democrats demanded quick action on the subprime mortgage crisis, saying President [sic] Bush has been slow to address a situation that could cost millions of people their homes. “This is a national crisis. Too bad it’s taken so long to realize that we have a crisis,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said at a joint news conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6968860,00.html
Pending home sales fell 6.5 pct in August 02 Oct 2007 Pending sales of previously owned homes fell a surprising 6.5 percent in August as buyers struggled to get loans, indicating the dire housing market could worsen, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.
www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN0239220520071002
Chemical Blaze Kills 5 Workers in Colorado 03 Oct 2007 Five workers at a hydroelectric plant outside Georgetown, Colo., were killed on Tuesday when a chemical fire trapped them in a water tunnel where they were working, officials said.
www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/us/03cnd-trapped.html
Thanks to Cheney Halliburton’s ‘Energy Task Force:’ Triple-digit oil prices to become norm: analyst 02 Oct 2007 Oil prices of at least $100 a barrel are expected to become the norm as early as next year, as conventional supplies continue to decline and consumption in the developing world rises, CIBC chief economist Jeff Rubin said Tuesday.
www.marketwatch.com/news/story/cibc-economist-predicts-
triple-digit/story.aspx?guid=%7b2D5D7DA1-1C71-4FB3
-AAE6-F4B66CDE7F63%7d
U.S. leaks 6B gallons of water a day 02 Oct 2007 U.S. water systems lose about 6 billion gallons of water a day to leaks, The Christian Science Monitor reports. The U.S. clean water infrastructure is getting older. The last great age of filling reservoirs and laying pipe was immediately after World War II, following two previous eras at the beginning of the 20th century and the 1920s.
www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/10/02/
us_leaks_6b_gallons_of_water_a_day_/4754
Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts 02 Oct 2007 The Arctic ice cap shrank so much this summer that waves briefly lapped along two long-imagined Arctic shipping routes, the Northwest Passage over Canada and the Northern Sea Route over Russia. Over all, the floating ice dwindled to an extent unparalleled in a century or more, by several estimates.
www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/science/earth/02arct.html
Polar bear numbers troubling 01 Oct 2007 Bucking the trend of recent years, the GN’s Department of Environment has reduced the harvest quota of one of the territory’s polar bear populations. The quota for Western Hudson’s Bay polar bears has been reduced to 38 from 56 in a bid to save a population in decline.
nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/oct1_07bear.html
Comment Period Extended on Polar Bear Extinction Threat 02 Oct 2007 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it will give the public additional time to review and comment on nine new research papers analyzing polar bear population status and threats by extending its currently open public comment period until October 22.
www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main
Quick action! Comments on polar bear status may be submitted to: Polar_Bear_Finding@fws.gov. Information on other methods for submitting comments can be found on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: regulations.gov. You may mail or hand-deliver written comments and information to: Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management Office, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.
Quick action! Protect Polar Bears from Extinction (Defenders of Wildlife) New research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicts dramatic declines in polar bear populations as global warming melts the Arctic sea ice these bears depend on for survival. It has never been so urgent to reduce global warming emissions and protect polar bears from extinction. In light of these findings, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened a brief, two week comment period on its January 2007 proposal to list polar bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act… Sign our petition to submit your official public comment urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect polar bears from extinction. The comment period has just been extended to October 22nd – please sign and spread the word!
CLGers, we need your support.
www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/225344285
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