Tuesday, February 20, 2007

[Fwd: Making Martial Law Easier 19 Feb 2007]

---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Making Martial Law Easier 19 Feb 2007
From: "CLG News"
Date: Mon, February 19, 2007 5:38 pm
To: "CLG News"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government 19 February 2007
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links to articles as summarized below are available here:
http://www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news
Making Martial Law Easier (The New York Times) 19 Feb 2007 ...[I]t was with a provision quietly tucked into the enormous defense budget bill at the Bush administration's behest that makes it easier for a president to override local control of law enforcement and declare martial law... Beyond cases of actual insurrection, the president may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or to any "other condition."

Mission imperial --While Iraqis struggled in the chaos of Baghdad after the invasion, the Americans sent to rebuild the nation led a cocooned existence in the centre of the capital - complete with booze, hot dogs and luxury villas. Rajiv Chandrasekaran exposes life in the Green Zone. 19 Feb 2007 US government regulations dictated that everything, even the water in which hot dogs were boiled, be shipped in from approved suppliers in other nations. [...] Halliburton, the defence contractor hired to run the palace, brought in dozens of tables, hundreds of stacking chairs and a score of glass-covered buffets.

Our Money: War dollars wasted (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) 19 Feb 2007 Who knew Iraq had so much in common with the Bermuda Triangle. Things just keep disappearing there. Like $36 million in armor and communications gear. Like $12 billion in shrink-wrapped cash. Like $10 billion in aid. Like any notion of accountability. Three top federal investigators warned a House committee that of their review of $57 billion spent on Iraq contracts, about $10 billion was squandered on overpriced, questionable or just straight-up undocumented expenditures, with $2.7 billion of that to Halliburton.

Bush links terror war to U.S. independence war 19 Feb 2007 President George W. Bush linked the U.S.-led war on [of] terrorism on Monday to the country's struggle for independence led by George Washington more than 200 hundred years ago. [The freedom fighters are those struggling for independence from US King George. These heroes are battling the US corpora-terrorists and for the survival of the planet. --LRP]

Bush's war for independence... for rapists and terrorists: Iraqi PM Probes Police Rape Allegations 19 Feb 2007 Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered an investigation Monday into allegations by a Sunni Arab woman that she was raped by three members of the Shiite-dominated [US-funded] police force after she was detained over the weekend.

Many people think that Saddam Hussein was the *better deal:* One-third of Iraqis live in poverty --A U.N. report cites the nation's damaged infrastructure and U.S. free-market policies. 19 Feb 2007 A third of Iraqis live in poverty, according to a study released under United Nations auspices Sunday, dire findings for a nation that enjoyed widespread prosperity less than three decades ago.

Bush, U.S. Hated Around the World By Bill Gallagher 19 Feb 2007 President [sic] George W. Bush has managed to alienate nearly the entire world, and in a relatively short span of time the United States has become an international pariah... These cases of "extraordinary rendition," the ridiculous term coined to describe kidnappings, which have no basis in U.S. statutes or international law, show the utter contempt the Busheviks have for fundamental rights.

Reid: Iraq war 'worst foreign policy mistake' in U.S. history 18 Feb 2007 After months of heated rhetoric slamming President [sic] Bush's Iraq policy, the Senate's top Democrat moved into new terrain by declaring the Iraq war a worse blunder than Vietnam. "This war is a serious situation. It involves the worst foreign policy mistake in the history of this country," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, told CNN.

Senate Democrats promise 'relentless' flood of anti-war legislation [Yeah, right!] 18 Feb 2007 After Republicans blocked a Senate debate for a second time, Democrats said Saturday they'll drop efforts to pass a non-binding resolution opposing President [sic] Bush's troop buildup in Iraq and instead will offer a flurry of anti-war legislation "just like in the days of Vietnam." Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, said Democrats would be "relentless."

Clinton urges start of Iraq pullout in 90 days 17 Feb 2007 U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the [alleged] early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has called for a 90-day deadline to start pulling American troops from Iraq.

'This has gone on for a very long time.' Australia Government Prods U.S. on Hicks as Election Approaches 18 Feb 2007 The Australian government will urge the U.S. to deal with terrorist suspect David Hicks, who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for five years without trial, before an election that must be held by early next year.

Brazen attack hits U.S. post in Iraq --2 U.S. soldiers killed in blast near base north of Baghdad 19 Feb 2007 'Insurgents' launched a coordinated attack on a U.S. combat post today, sending in a suicide bomber and clashing with American troops. Two U.S. soldiers were killed and 17 wounded, the military said.

Baghdad bombings kill 60 in first blow to security plan [that blows] 18 Feb 2007 A double car bombing has ripped through a crowded Baghdad market, killing at least 60 people and wounding more than 130 in a first vicious blow to the city's new US-led 'security' operation.

Eight U.S. Troops Killed In Afghanistan Chopper Crash 18 Feb 2007 Eight U.S. servicemembers have been killed and 14 others injured in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. The pilot had reported engine failure shortly before the CH-47 Chinook transport went down today in southeastern Afghanistan along the main road between Kabul and Kandahar.

Conn. National Guard Troops In War Zones Await Late Pay 19 Feb 2007 More than one-fifth of the 500 Connecticut National Guard soldiers of the 102nd Infantry serving in war zones are owed thousands of dollars in incentive pay that is months overdue... Lt. Col. John Whitford of the Connecticut National Guard attributed the delay to a "bureaucratic-administrative issue" at the federal level.

Howard commits more troops to Iraq 20 Feb 2007 John Howard has turned up the political heat over Iraq by committing 50 to 70 more troops to the conflict in the lead-up to this week's visit to Sydney by the US Vice-President [sic], Dick Cheney.

More troops for Iraq Afghan commitment may also be lifted 20 Feb 2007 Australia will send more troops to war-torn Iraq and is leaving open the option of another deployment to the "war on [of] terror" in Afghanistan. The decision to dispatch extra troops to Iraq sets up a fractious meeting later this week between Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd and US Vice-pResident Dick Cheney.

Troop reduction in Iraq delayed after pressure from US 18 Feb 2007 Yielding to American pressure, Tony Blair will announce this week that a reduction of British troop levels in Iraq is to be delayed.

US to stage world's biggest anti-terror exercise 20 Feb 2007 The world's largest anti[pro]-terrorism exercise will be held on the Pacific island of Guam this year, emphasising the growing importance of the island to Washington. The TopOff4 exercise will be bigger than last year's Valiant Shield war games, in which the US mobilised 30 ships, 280 aircraft and 22,000 military personnel.

Report: Weapons used in attack in Zahedan, Iran come from U.S. 17 Feb 2007 Explosive devices and arsenals used in a terrorist attack in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan on Wednesday came from the United States, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

Tehran insider tells of US black ops 15 Apr 2006 A former Iranian ambassador and Islamic Republic insider has provided intriguing details to Asia Times Online about US covert operations inside Iran aimed at destabilizing the country and toppling the government - or preparing for an American attack.

Iran fires missiles in new round of war games 19 Feb 2007 Iran's Revolutionary Guards test fired missiles on Monday at the start of three days of military exercises that will be staged across the country, the second round of manoeuvres this month, state media reported.

Officials: Iranian patrol boats probe Iraqi waters 19 Feb 2007 Iranian patrol boats have increased attempts in the last week to assess defenses near Iraqi offshore oil terminals, U.S. military officials said Monday. The assessment is that the probes are part of an Iranian effort to raise its military presence in the gulf.

Missiles could reach Europe if Kremlin wanted: general 19 Feb 2007 Russia's military is capable of firing missiles at Poland and the Czech Republic if they agreed to host a U.S. missile shield, Russia's Strategic Forces commander said, but added it was for the Kremlin to decide.

Colombia minister resigns as paramilitary scandal grows 19 Feb 2007 Colombia's foreign minister [Maria Consuelo Araujo] resigned Monday as an ever-growing scandal linking the political establishment and far-right paramilitaries claimed its first member of President Alvaro Uribe's Cabinet.

Al Qaeda Chiefs Are Seen to Regain Power 19 Feb 2007 Senior leaders of Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once-battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.

NY Man Charged With Trying to Fund Terror 16 Feb 2007 Terrorism charges brought Friday against the administrator of a loan investment program claimed that he secretly tried to send $152,000 to the Middle East to buy equipment such as night vision goggles for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

War On Terrorism: Protect them from us (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) 18 Feb 2007 It sounds like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel -- one minute, you're walking down the street, the next, you're bound and blindfolded in a van, taken on board a private jet by a "Removal Unit" and flown to another country where you're held prisoner and tortured. This isn't the work of a nefarious Eastern Bloc government, nor is it the plot line of a futuristic novel. It's the handiwork of our very own Central Intelligence Agency.

6 of 7 Dismissed U.S. Attorneys Had Positive Job Evaluations 18 Feb 2007 All but one of the U.S. attorneys recently fired by the Justice Department had positive job reviews before they were dismissed, but many ran into political trouble with Washington over issues, according to prosecutors, congressional aides and others familiar with the cases.

Gag me with a chainsaw: FBI defends against 'kitchen sink bombs' 18 Feb 2007 Kirk Yeager makes bombs from the stuff found under kitchen sinks. He does it to help the FBI defend against what officials say is the next frontier for terrorists in the United States.

Bird flu outbreak near Moscow might be act of bio-terrorism - veterinary official 18 Feb 2007 Bio-terrorism must not be discarded as a cause of an outbreak of bird flu at Moscow's poultry market, but this should be tackled by the Federal Security Service and other law enforcement services," chief veterinary official of the Moscow region, Valery Sitnikov, told Interfax on Sunday.

Deadly Bird Flu Strain Found Near Moscow 18 Feb 2007 A Russian official reported a fourth outbreak of dead domestic poultry in a suburban Moscow district Sunday as experts tightened quarantines following confirmation of the presence of the H5N1 bird flu strain.

Bird flu outbreaks blamed on rats [Right, US Army lab rats.] 19 Feb 2007 Japanese scientists fear that rats were responsible for carrying avian flu into four poultry farms over the past month, in an alarming development that suggests the virus could spread more quickly than realised. [See also: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004. Click here for more Flu 'Oddities.']

Pharma-terrorists are making a *killing* with deadly vaccines: Global Vaccine Market to Top 23 Billion Dollars 08 Feb 2007 The global vaccine market is expected to top $10 billion this year and $23.8 billion by 2012, according to an analyst report released Friday. Pediatric vaccines have historically dominated this field, but adult vaccines will see a big spike due to increased uptake of influenza and hepatitis vaccines, predicts a report from Kalorama Information.

Bush: fixing [f*cking up] health care is "urgent priority" 17 Feb 2007 President [sic] George W. Bush said on Saturday it was crucial to rein in U.S. health care costs that are surging at twice the rate of wages and urged the Democratic-led Congress to work with him on the issue.

Please Contribute for February's expenses. Thank you!

[18 Feb lead stories:] Weapons used in attack in southeastern Iran come from U.S.: report 18 Feb 2007 Explosive devices and arsenals used in a terrorist attack in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan on Wednesday came from the United States, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday. Relevant documents, photographs and film footage, which show that the explosives and arsenals used in the attack were American, would soon be made public, an "informed source" was quoted as saying.


Pakistani official: Taliban insurgency becoming 'liberation war' 16 Feb 2007 Taliban-led insurgents are winning ever-greater public support in Afghanistan for a struggle that is taking on the character of a "liberation war" against foreign troops, a senior Pakistani official claimed Friday. [It is.]

Senate votes against debating Iraq war rebuke 17 Feb 2007 The U.S. Senate refused to consider a resolution on Saturday denouncing President [sic] George W. Bush's Iraq troop buildup that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the day before. The vote was 56 in favour and 34 against. Under Senate rules, 60 votes were needed to bring the resolution to the floor for debate.



Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Those who'd like to be added to the Newsletter list can sign up: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg. Please write to: signup@legitgov.org for inquiries.





CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright © 2007, Citizens For Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved. CLG Founder and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.