Tuesday, April 10, 2007

[Fwd: Senate bill would tie global warming to national security 10 Apr 2007]

---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Senate bill would tie global warming to national security 10 Apr 2007 From: "CLG News"
Date: Tue, April 10, 2007 5:41 pm
To: "CLG News"
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Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government 10 April 2007
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links to articles as summarized below are available here:
http://www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news
Senate bill would tie global warming to national security --Seeks assessments by CIA, Pentagon 09 Apr 2007 The CIA and Pentagon would for the first time be required to assess the national security implications of climate change under proposed legislation intended to elevate global warming to a national defense issue.

Bush Warns of Shortfalls In Iraq Funding [Yeah, Halliburton may not get its $72 M bonus this year.] The Pentagon will have to transfer money from other accounts to pay for military operations in Iraq because of delays by congressional Democrats to fund the effort, US President [sic] George W Bush said Tuesday. "The clock is ticking for our troops in the field," Bush said before a group of military veterans in Fairfax, Virginia. [No, the "ticking" that you hear is the time you have left before you're tried, convicted and sentenced for treason. --LRP] Lest we forget...

Memo: Halliburton failed to purify GIs' water --Internal report says contamination could've caused 'mass sickness or death.' 16 Mar 2006 Halliburton Co. failed to protect the water supply it is paid to purify for U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq, in one instance missing contamination that could have caused "mass sickness or death," an internal company report concluded.

Contractor served troops dirty food in dirty kitchens 14 Dec 2003 The Pentagon repeatedly warned contractor Halliburton-KBR that the food it served to US troops in Iraq was "dirty," as were as the kitchens it was served in, NBC News reported on Friday... The Pentagon reported finding "blood all over the floor," "dirty pans," "dirty grills," "dirty salad bars" and "rotting meats ... and vegetables" in four of the military messes the company operates in Iraq, NBC said, citing Pentagon documents.

Halliburton gets $72 million bonus for work in Iraq 10 May 2005 The U.S. Army said on Tuesday it had awarded $72 million in bonuses to Halliburton Co. for logistics work in Iraq but had not decided whether to give the Texas company bonuses for disputed dining services [!!!!!] to troops. Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, Illinois, said in a statement it had given Halliburton unit Kellogg Brown & Root ratings from "excellent" to "very good" for six task orders for work supporting U.S. troops in Iraq.

'Iraq was awash in cash. We played football with bricks of $100 bills' 20 Mar 2006 At the beginning of the Iraq war, the UN entrusted $23bn of Iraqi money to the US-led occupation to redevelop the country. With the infrastructure of the country still in ruins, where has all that money gone?

Iraq Looms Closer for 13,000 Reservists 10 Apr 2007 As many as 13,000 National Guard soldiers from Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and Oklahoma got an official heads-up yesterday that they should expect possible deployment to Iraq by year's end or in 2008, sooner than scheduled.

4 U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq 10 Apr 2007 Three U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, and another was killed in combat in Anbar province, the military said Tuesday.

16 U.S. Soldiers Wounded in Baghdad 10 Apr 2007 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers fought a daylong battle with 'insurgents' in a violent area of central Baghdad on Tuesday, leaving four Iraqi soldiers dead and 16 U.S. soldiers wounded, the military said.

Woman bomber kills 16 at police station 11 Apr 2007 A woman veiled in black and strapped with explosives blew herself up outside a police station in Iraq, killing at least 16 people, many of them volunteering to join the police force.

Shia leader calls for more attacks on US troops as car bomb kills 17 09 Apr 2007 Thousands of Shia protesters converged on the Iraqi city of Najaf last night for an anti-US rally on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. The Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in a statement distributed in the city, urged Iraqi police and army to stop co-operating with the US, and urged his militia to step up attacks and force the US to withdraw.

"We'll leave when asked." (GW Bush) --"Get out! Get out, occupier!" Shiites Call for U.S. to Leave Iraq --By Mark Yannone 09 Apr 2007 (AP) Tens of thousands of Shiites--a sea of women in black abayas and men waving Iraqi flags--rallied Monday to demand that U.S. forces leave their country. Some ripped apart American flags and tromped across a Stars and Stripes rug . . . And the head of al-Sadr's parliamentary bloc, Nassar al-Rubaie, blasted the U.S. presence as an affront to "the dignity of the Iraqi people. "After four years of occupation, we have hundreds of thousands of people dead and wounded."

Huge Protest in Iraq Demands U.S. Withdraw 10 Apr 2007 Tens of thousands of protesters loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric, took to the streets of the holy city of Najaf on Monday in an extraordinarily disciplined rally to demand an end to the American military presence in Iraq, burning American flags and chanting "Death to America!"

Ban on 'war stories' follows day of retreat at Whitehall 10 Apr 2007 The government performed a spectacular U-turn yesterday when it banned all military personnel from selling their stories to the media - only hours after defending the right of the Iranian hostages to do so. Facing a storm of criticism from dead soldiers' relatives, opposition politicians and even the head of the army, Des Brown, the Defence Secretary, made his announcement yesterday afternoon.

Injured troops shipped back into battle --Salon has uncovered further evidence that the military sent soldiers with acute post-traumatic stress disorder, severe back injuries and other serious war wounds back to Iraq. By Mark Benjamin 09 Apr 2007 On March 9, Army Spc. Thomas Smith was ordered to board a plane from Fort Benning, Ga., to deploy back to Iraq, even though he was known to be suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from a previous tour there... Smith's medical records, obtained by Salon, also show that doctors had "highly recommended" that Smith not be deployed because of his condition. But that did not stop Smith's commanders from ordering him to Iraq as his unit, the 3,900-strong 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, was rushing to move out as part of President [sic] Bush's so-called surge plan for securing Baghdad.

Medical Budget Cuts Hit --Top Docs Blast Phony Health Budget 'Efficiencies' 30 Mar 2007 The surgeons general of Army, Navy and Air Force have criticized defense officials for imposing $650 million in phony "efficiency wedges" on their medical budgets which will not produce real efficiencies but will only mean cuts in on-base medical services for beneficiaries.

Extremists force women to hide under head scarves 10 Apr 2007 For two years, Faiza Abdal-Majeed has carried a head scarf in her purse for emergencies. For a woman in the Iraqi capital four years after the fall of president Saddam Hussein, these emergencies can include passing unlawful checkpoints manned by [US] armed militiamen, impromptu forays through neighborhoods controlled by religious zealots and taxi drivers who refuse her fare unless she covers her hair. "Some clerics and politicians are forcing religion into our lives," said Mrs. Abdal-Majeed, 45. "We're being pushed back 1,000 years in time." Baghdad once [under Saddam Hussein] was considered a secular, cosmopolitan metropolis where Islamic customs seldom collided with women's fashion. Today, however, religious ideology has strengthened its grip and forced half the population to submit to traditional Islamic dress.

Bush's 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' for women: "We're being pushed back 1,000 years in time." Iraqi women forced to dress traditionally 10 Apr 2007 Religious extremists in Iraq have tightened their grasp on women's rights and wardrobes, women in the country say. During the era of Saddam Hussein, women were free to dress as they wished but now most women wear Islamic hajib, including a headscarf and long, dark skirts, the newspaper reported.

Guantánamo Bay inmates in mass hunger strike over new solitary cells 10 Apr 2007 Inmates at Guantánamo Bay have embarked on a mass hunger strike in protest at the isolation and harsh conditions of a new maximum security unit, detainee lawyers and military officials said yesterday. Thirteen inmates have refused food since the authorities at Guantánamo began transferring detainees in December to the new [KBR-built] $38m (£19m) Camp Six, where inmates are locked in windowless cells with steel walls for 23 hours a day. All 13 are now being force-fed under a regime that has been widely criticised by human rights groups.

Hunger strikers are force-fed at Guantanamo 10 Apr 2007 Thirteen detainees are on hunger strike at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and are being force-fed through tubes, the US Navy said on Monday. "Currently, there are 13 hunger strikers at Guantanamo. Two of the 13 have been on hunger strike since August 2005. Most of the others began their hunger strike in January or February," navy Commander Robert Durand said.

US dismisses inmate torture claims 11 Apr 2007 A US federal court judge has refused to dismiss terrorism charges against alleged al-Qaeda operative Jose Padilla who says he was tortured while held at a US military brig for more than three-and-a-half years.

Judge Rejects Padilla Torture Argument 10 Apr 2007 A federal judge refused to dismiss terrorism charges against Jose Padilla over claims that the alleged al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] operative was tortured in U.S. military custody, removing one of the last major obstacles to the start of his trial next week.

Freed Iranian diplomat claims he was tortured by the CIA in Iraq 09 Apr 2007 Friction between Iran and the US has taken a new twist after an Iranian diplomat [Jalal Sharafi] having been seized in Iraq and held for two months accused the CIA of torturing him during his captivity.

US expert rejects Iran nuke claims 10 Apr 2007 An arms control expert from the United States has dismissed Iran's claim that it is enriching uranium on an "industrial" scale. Michael Levi from the US-based Council on Foreign Relations says... Tehran's latest claims about its production capacity are simply not credible. "There is not a single expert out there who will say this is an industrial capacity," he said. "If the [Natanz uranium enrichment plant] worked perfectly as installed right now, it would still take 10 years to produce enough material to operate Iran's nuclear plan for one single year."

Another step towards a showdown with America 10 Apr 2007 Iran's announcement yesterday that it has started enriching uranium on an industrial scale further raises the stakes in its confrontation with the US and the UN Security Council, and brings it closer to a possible military showdown with Washington.

Australia special forces going back to Afghanistan 10 Apr 2007 Australia is sending special forces commandos back to Afghanistan to hunt down the leaders of the resurgent Taliban as part of a doubling of Australia's troop numbers there, Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday.

Taleban kill Afghanistan reporter 08 Apr 2007 The Taleban in Afghanistan have killed an Afghan reporter abducted last month with an Italian journalist. The group said it had killed Ajmal Naqshbandi because the government had refused to meet its demands to release senior figures from prison.

Bush, Defense Dept. Get 'Muzzle' Awards 10 Apr 2007 The Bush administration and the Defense Department are among the winners of the 2007 Jefferson Muzzle awards, given Tuesday by a free-speech group to those it considers the most egregious First Amendment violators in the past year [century].

Access Denied By Mark Yannone 10 Apr 2007 "Have you been in any peace marches, Professor Murphy? We ban a lot of people from flying because of that." "No, but last year I gave a lecture at Princeton that criticized George Bush for violating the United States Constitution." "That'll do it."

Six U.S. Attorneys Given 2nd Posting in Washington 10 Apr 2007 A half-dozen sitting U.S. attorneys also serve as aides to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales or are assigned other Washington postings, performing tasks that take them away from regular duties in their districts for months or even years at a time, according to officials and department records. Acting Associate Attorney General William W. Mercer, for example, has been effectively absent from his job as U.S. attorney in Montana for nearly two years -- prompting the chief federal judge in Billings to demand his removal and call Mercer's office "a mess."

House Panel Subpoenas Gonzales for Documents 10 Apr 2007 The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today seeking hundreds of pages of new or uncensored records related to the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year, officials said.

GOP-issued laptops now a White House headache --Democrats say a private e-mail system was used in violation of federal rules. 09 Apr 2007 When Karl Rove and his top deputies arrived at the White House in 2001, the Republican National Committee provided them with laptop computers and other communication devices to be used alongside their government-issued equipment [so they could more effectively plan and manage the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2004 coup]. Democrats say evidence suggests the RNC e-mail system was used for political and government policy matters in violation of federal record preservation and disclosure rules. In addition, Democrats point to a handful of e-mails obtained through ongoing inquiries suggesting the system may have been used to conceal such activities as contacts with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was convicted on bribery charges and is now in prison for fraud.

Clinton, Obama join Edwards in skipping Fox-sponsored presidential debate 10 Apr 2007 Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will not participate in a Democratic debate co-hosted by Faux News Channel this fall, campaign aides indicated Monday. The decision by the two Democratic presidential candidates follows an announcement last week by John Edwards, another White House contender, that he would forgo the Fox event.

Obama not in race for second place 11 Apr 2007 US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama dismissed the notion he might consider accepting the No. 2 spot on the 2008 ballot — with Hillary Rodham Clinton at the top. "You don't run for second. I don't believe in that," the Illinois senator said on the talk show Late Show with David Letterman.

Elizabeth Edwards afraid of neighbor 09 Apr 2007 Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of the "rabid, rabid Republican" [terrorist] who owns property across the street from her Orange County home -- and she doesn't want her kids going near the gun-toting neighbor.

Wal-Mart secures gag order in security scandal --Fired employee can't talk to press about company's spying operations 09 Apr 2007 Wal-Mart has won a gag order to stop a fired security operative from talking to reporters after a string of revelations about the retailer's large surveillance operations and its business plans, according to court papers made public on Monday.

Bush Would Veto Stem Cell Research 10 Apr 2007 President [sic] Bush [a stem cell himself] will again veto a bill to subsidize stem cell research using human embryos, but would sign an alternative that permits public funding for studies on embryos incapable of developing into fetuses, the White House said Tuesday.

Pet food insider sold shares before recall --CFO calls sale a 'horrible coincidence' 10 Apr 2007 The chief financial officer of Menu Foods Income Fund says it's a "horrible coincidence" that he sold nearly half his units in the troubled pet food maker less than three weeks before a massive recall of tainted pet food. Insider trading reports show that Mark Wiens sold 14,000 units for $102,900 on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. Those shares would be worth $62,440 today, based on yesterday's close of $4.46 a unit.

Tainted Food May Have Hurt 39,000 Pets 09 Apr 2007 Pet [GM?] food contaminated with an industrial chemical may have sickened or killed 39,000 cats and dogs nationwide, based on an extrapolation from data released Monday by one of the nation's largest chains of veterinary hospitals.

Radio Host Imus Suspended by MSNBC, CBS for Two Weeks 10 Apr 2007 Radio host Don Imus was suspended for two weeks [from CBS Radio and cable-television channel MSNBC] because of his racially charged comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

Quick vote: Should WFAN host Don Imus be fired for his racist remarks about Rutgers women's basketball team? 54.3% Yes (6376 responses) 45.7% No (5375 responses) 11751 total responses [Poll snapshot: 17:25 EDT 10 Apr 2007]

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[Previous lead stories:] 'The enemy [US] used neutron and phosphorus weapons against Baghdad airport... there were bodies burnt to their bones.' US accused of using neutron bombs in Iraq 09 Apr 2007 The former commander of Iraq's Republican Guard has accused the US of using non-conventional weapons in its war against the Middle East country. Saifeddin Fulayh Hassan Taha al-Rawi told Al Jazeera that US forces used neutron and phosphorus bombs during their assault on Baghdad airport before the April 9 capture of the Iraqi capital... "The enemy used neutron and phosphorus weapons against Baghdad airport... there were bodies burnt to their bones," he said.

Iraq most wanted footage aired 09 Apr 2007 The Al-Jazeera news channel broadcast a video recording overnight of what it said was one of the most wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime still on the run. The Qatar-based network gave no date for the purported footage of elite Republican Guards chief Saifeddin Fulayh Hassan Taha al-Rawi, who was number 14 on the most wanted list drawn up by the US military for the 2003 invasion... In the footage shown, Rawi accuses US forces of using neutron and phosphorus bombs during their assault on Baghdad airport ahead of the capture of the Iraqi capital. [See: Aljazeera Arabic: U.S used neutron bombs in 2003 Baghdad Airport battle 08 Apr 2007]

New regime bans vehicles in Baghdad on anniversary of fall of old regime --Four US soldiers killed by roadside bomb in Diyala as violent attacks leave 32 Iraqis dead. 09 Apr 2007 Baghdad on Sunday declared a 24-hour vehicle ban on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in a bid to prevent car bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital. On Sunday, eve of the anniversary, the daily bloodshed showed no let-up with at least 23 people killed in attacks including car bombings.


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