[CTRL] Londonistan Not Prepared
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=648871in_review_text_id= 619891 UK not ready for huge terror attack Britain's emergency services lack the capabilities to cope with a massive terrorist attack on the scale of September 11, MPs warn. The Commons Defence Committee strongly criticises the Government's response to the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, complaining of inadequate central co-ordination and direction. In a scathing report, the MPs highlight a series of real deficiencies in the ability of the civil authorities to deal with a major terrorist incident. Fire and ambulance crews lacked the equipment and training to cope with a chemical, biological or nuclear attack, there was no role for the regular Armed Forces, while crucial radio communications equipment contained fundamental vulnerabilities. The report sharply criticised ministers for failing to mount a proper and comprehensive review of disaster management procedures following September 11 and the slow progress in producing a promised civil contingencies bill. It said a strong central authority was needed to lay down the law in Whitehall and co-ordinate the work of the various government departments involved in emergency planning. The committee also urged ministers to consider establishing a police National Counter-Terrorism Service to take the lead in anti-terrorism operations within the UK. It called for a review of security at nuclear power stations, sea ports, and on Royal Navy warships to ensure that they were properly prepared to counter the heightened terrorist threat. Committee chairman, Labour MP Bruce George, said: We do believe that there has been a lack of grip and direction on the part of central government. We are concerned that central government has not responded to the scale of the complexity of the challenge posed by international terrorism. Email this article to a friend © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 24 July 2002 Terms and Conditions This Is London ~~~ AER + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no automatic endorsement + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. --- Ernest Hemingway A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] New York Times and the case of John Walker Lindh
-Caveat Lector- From World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org WSWS : News Analysis : North America Once again: the New York Times and the case of John Walker Lindh By Jerry Isaacs and Barry Grey 24 July 2002 Back to screen version| Send this link by email | Email the author The day after the US Justice Department concluded its case against John Walker Lindhthe American youth captured with Taliban forces in Afghanistanthe New York Times praised the plea bargain agreement that will send the 21-year-old to federal prison for two decades as a model of judicial fairness. The plea agreement, the Times declared in its July 16 editorial, honors the demands of criminal justice, national security and Americas commitment to constitutional rights. According to the Times, the case shows that the federal courts, with their strong guarantees of defendants rights, are fully capable of handling cases stemming from the war in Afghanistan and the broader battle against terrorism. The Justice Department got its guilty plea and long prison sentence, the Times declares, without violating Mr. Lindhs rights. All one can say in response to this dishonest drivel is: If the Lindh case is an example of how the US judicial system honors the demands of ... Americas commitment to constitutional rights, then it honors this commitment entirely in the breech. From beginning to end the government prosecution of Lindh was a travesty of justice and due process. There was never any truth to the Bush administrations accusations that Lindh was a terrorist or accomplice of Osama bin Laden. He was, rather, caught up in the twists and turns of US foreign policy in Afghanistan and the eruption of American militarism following September 11. When Lindh joined the Taliban in May 2001, the US was not at war with the Afghan regime and he had no way of knowing that it soon would be. He found himself in a situation where the movement he had joined out of identification with a fundamentalist strand of Islam was suddenly under US military attack. After his capture by US-backed Northern Alliance forces in November 2001, Lindh was sent, along with hundreds of other captured fighters, to the Qala-i-Janghi prison fortress near Mazar-i-Shariff, where he and other prisoners were threatened with death by their CIA interrogators. Lindh barely survived the US- Northern Alliance massacre of prisoners at Qala-i-Janghi by hiding in a cellar. After he surrendered, wounded and half-dead, he was subjected to what can only be described as physical and mental torture by US military and FBI personnel. Lindhs interrogators refused to treat his wounds and repeatedly questioned him, ignoring his requests for an attorney and brushing aside his right, as a captured combatant and a US citizen, to remain silent. Such were the conditions under which FBI agents extracted a confession from Lindh. It wasnt until January 25, just before his first court appearance in the USand 54 days after Lindhs parents first hired an attorney to represent himthat the young man was finally allowed to meet his lawyer. The Bush administration and the media did everything they could to turn public opinion against Lindh. In violation of Justice Department prohibitions against issuing public statements prejudicial to a case, Attorney General Ashcroft denounced Lindh as a traitor who had met with bin Laden. Bush made similar statements. The media joined the campaign, dubbing Lindh the American Taliban and broadcasting demands from right- wing commentators that the young man be executed. As the venue for the trial, the Justice Department picked Alexandria, Virginia, a few miles from the Pentagon, where prosecutors could be assured of a pro-prosecution judge and jurors drawn from communities dominated by families of military and intelligence officials. Controversial rulings were to be reviewed by the right-wing Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which earlier this month upheld the governments claim that national security concerns justified concealing the names of detainees in Guantanamo. Finally, the trial judge made it clear he was willing to admit Lindhs confession and other illegally obtained evidence. Thus Lindh, his family and lawyers were bullied into making a deal and accepting an onerous sentence. This is what the Times calls justice. The Times stamp of approval for the conduct of the Justice Department and the courts is consistent with its position from the outset of the Lindh case. When Lindhs capture sparked a government- media witch-hunt, the Times joined in, praising Ashcrofts decision to charge him with aiding a terrorist organization, a crime punishable by life imprisonment. In an article last December, The New York Times and the case of John Walker, http:// www.wsws.org/articles/2001/dec2001/walk-d22.shtml the World Socialist Web Site wrote, Far from raising the question of [Lindhs] democratic rights,
[CTRL] German engineering giant
-Caveat Lector- From World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org WSWS : News Analysis : Europe : Germany German engineering giant Babcock Borsig collapses By Dietmar Henning 24 July 2002 Back to screen version| Send this link by email | Email the author Coming just two months before federal elections in Germany, the financial collapse of engineering giant Babcock Borsig has delivered a severe blow to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in their Ruhr heartland. The insolvency proceedings now initiated will have catastrophic consequences for the workforce. It shows that the SPD does not have any answer to Germanys increasing economic problems, and is losing core voters even in the partys stronghold of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW). Four years ago, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder began his election campaign with a grand gesture, initiating a rescue package for the construction company Philipp Holzmann. Today, it is clear from the outset that as far as the Oberhausen based Babcock Borsig is concerned; the SPD and the trade unions have absolutely no differences with the leading banks. They all share the view that the stock market is the measure of all things and that the social needs of employees must be subordinated to global competition. With 18 million inhabitants, NRW is the most densely populated state in Germany. It contains the Ruhr area, one of Europes largest industrial centres. Four years ago in the Bundestag (parliamentary) elections, the SPD won 5.1 million votes in this state, ensuring its victory. Now it faces an uphill struggle. Babcock Borsig has a long history, stretching back to 1891 when steam boiler manufacturer Babcock and Wilcox was established in London. Now the enterprise consists of approximately 300 separate companies. The largest shareholders are TUI (8.9 percent), Deutsche Bank (8.8 percent), Crédit Agricole and WestLB (with 8.5 percent each), as well as the US investor Guy Wyser Pratte (10 percent). The remainder, over 55 percent, is in smaller share holdings. The 22,000 people the company employs worldwide produced a profit of 26 million euros ($US26.3 million) in the last financial year, from a turnover of 4.3 billion euros ($US4.35 billion). The companys main operations were in energy technology and shipbuilding. Babcock Borsig has already faced bankruptcy several times before, the last occasion being in 1996/97. Five years ago, a 300 million euro subsidy from the banks and a wage cut pushed through with the agreement of the Betriebsrat (union-management works council) temporarily saved the company from bankruptcy. Former board chairman Klaus Lederer was brought to restructure Babcock. He sold off parts of the company and cut thousands of jobs. Three years ago, the company had 43,000 employees. Since then almost half the workforce has been dismissed. However, as far as the banks are concerned, the attacks on the workforce did not go far enough. A restructuring programme now envisages even greater attacks. Since the end of June, the funds Babcock needed to prevent insolvency increased almost daily. Within two weeks, the 200 million euros in liquidity assistance needed to pay Junes wages had risen to 700-800 million euros for the reorganization of the company. NRW state premier Wolfgang Clement (SPD) travelled to Oberhausen promising state credits, while Schroeder promised federal funds. For their part, the creditor banks refused any further subsidy. On July 5, Babcock finally announced it had begun insolvency proceedings. Responsibility for the present situation, with its catastrophic consequences for Babcock employees their families lies with the SPD and trade unionsabove all IG Metall. The high profits and productivity increases achieved in the decades after the Second World War meant the industry could afford to keep the political wheels oiled by providing the unions and the SPD, who have governed the state for decades, with numerous company posts and backhanders. In return, the SPD at local and regional level supported the industry whenever it could, while IG Metall undertook the task of keeping the workforce under control and helped to implement job and wage cuts. An SPD party card was necessary for taking up almost any position on the Betriebsrat of a large industrial enterprise. Betriebsrat members, town councillors and local SPD functionaries were bestowed with highly paid jobs in industry or politics. In Oberhausen, until the end of the 1980s, most of this sleaze was associated with Ruhrkohle AG, Thyssen and Babcock. The present employment and social affairs minister in NRW, Harald Schartau (SPD), for example, was IG Metall youth secretary for Oberhausen at the beginning of the 1980s. Promoted by Heinz Schleusser (who likewise rose thanks to the Oberhausen IG Metall-Thyssen-SPD connection to become NRW finance minister) Schartau became IG Metall district secretary for NRW, before beginning his current job.
[CTRL] Iran On Iraq
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,762148,00.html Drop plans to attack Saddam, Tehran tells US Simon Tisdall Wednesday July 24, 2002 The Guardian Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, warned the US yesterday to abandon its plans to attack Iraq and denounced what Tehran believes is a calculated Bush administration campaign to provoke mass insurrection in Iran. We wish to caution the great powers against further interference in the region and against the exacerbation of the flames of war, Mr Khatami said during a visit to Malaysia. We live in a very frightening situation today. We have never witnessed war being so much promoted in the US. Iran's leadership would not bow to US threats and insults, he said. In a pointed reference to US hopes to depose Saddam Hussein and impose regime change in Iraq, Mr Khatami said that any such action could destabilise the entire region, with unpredictable results. No one has the right to decide for the people of Iraq. The people of Iraq should decide for themselves, he said. Tehran's own disputes with Baghdad notwithstanding, we condemn any foreign interference in Iraq. In a measure of how sharply US-Iranian relations have deteriorated in recent months, he also accused Washington of colluding with Israel in a policy of genocide against the Palestinians. Mr Khatami's remarks raised the possibility that a US military attack on Iraq could trigger a regional conflagration, drawing in Iran and possibly even Israel, Iran's sworn enemy. The reformist Iranian leader, who is engaged in a long-running battle at home with conservative opponents, spoke as officials in Washington suggested a significant hardening of US policy on Iran. The officials indicated that the Bush administration has decided to drop the policy of engagement supported by Britain, the EU and former US president Bill Clinton, and instead adopt a more confrontational approach, including open encouragement of anti-government forces in Iran. Mr Khatami and his pro-reform supporters in government are too weak, ineffective and not serious about delivering on their promises, one official told the Washington Post. We have made a conscious decision to associate with the aspirations of the Iranian people. Earlier this month, George Bush appealed to ordinary Iranians, suggesting that they were, in effect, being held hostage by the country's Shi'ite clerical establishment. He also accused Iranian leaders of corruption. In the last two Iranian presidential elections... the vast majority of the Iranian people voted for political and economic reform, Mr Bush stated. Yet their voices are not being listened to by the unelected people who are the real rulers of Iran. Uncompromising, destructive policies have persisted... Meanwhile, members of the ruling regime and their families continue to obstruct reform while reaping unfair benefits. Iran's people... have no better friend than the United States of America, Mr Bush said. His statement was conveyed directly to Iran via the government-funded Voice of America radio station. Iran's supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a fierce response: America has spread the shadow of war and death in the region, threatening officially to overthrow the people and government of Iran, he said last week. The great Iranian nation will not retreat. The US policy shift concludes a process begun last January when Mr Bush labelled Iran a rogue state linked to terrorism and a part of the axis of evil that includes Iraq and North Korea. Mr Bush also accuses Tehran of seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The tougher US position puts it at odds with Britain and the EU, which favour critical engagement with Iran, in the hope of encouraging reform, and have been negotiating a trade pact with Tehran. The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has visited Tehran and a German government delegation is due there next month. We believe engaging with the reformers is the best way forward and we still do, a Foreign Office source said last night. Mr Bush's statement, issued on July 12, caused anger and astonishment inside Iran, dismaying reformists who have been struggling against a growing conservative backlash and provoking anti-American demonstrations. US analysts interpreted Washington's harder line as another setback for the secretary of state, Colin Powell, and an advance for hawks within the national security council and the Pentagon. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ~~~ AER + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no automatic endorsement + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational
[CTRL] Fwd: Twice as Bad as Hoover
-Caveat Lector- --- Start of forwarded message --- Subject: Fwd: Twice as Bad as Hoover Date: 7/23/02 8:08:49 PM George W. Bush's first 18 months are smashing historical records for declines in the benchmark SP 500, nearly doubling the decline experienced during the first 18 months of President Herbert Hoover, who led the nation into the Depression. For the full story on Bush's stock market performance, go to Consortiumnews.com at http://www.consortiumnews.com ___ Powered by List Builder To unsubscribe follow the link: http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/sp?c=13595s=EA6617143ED7F298m=182 End of forwarded message A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] suicide bridge
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,762136,00.html Dole queues drive young to suicide bridge Unemployment in the east will dominate German elections John Hooper in Berlin Wednesday July 24, 2002 The Guardian The Göltzschtalbrücke is the world's biggest brick bridge. It stands 250ft high in a deep river valley near the town of Reichenbach in south-eastern Germany. Between the river and a car park from which you can admire this feat of engineering, a banner has been put up in the trees which reads: Jesus always has time for you. People have been throwing themselves off the Göltzschtalbrücke ever since it was finished in 1851. But, according to Marjon Thümmel, the editor of the Vogtland Anzeiger local paper: This is the worst year anyone can remember. Six young people have leapt to their deaths from the Göltzschtalbrücke and another nearby railway bridge in the past 12 months. All but one came from the formerly communist east. Three chained themselves together. Just to make sure. Though doubtless influenced by specific psychological factors, the recent surge in suicides at the Göltzschtalbrücke has turned the bridge into a symbol of the hopelessness that today infuses the young of eastern Germany - a hopelessness rooted in the lack of prospects in a region bleeding jobs and population. Unemployment - particularly eastern unemployment - has become the dominant issue in Germany's general election campaign. Its importance was highlighted yesterday when the chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, in effect, launched his drive for re-election with a high-profile meeting with the personnel director of Volkswagon, Peter Hartz, whom he has commisioned to findways to trim the dole queues. Pollsters reckon half the country's floating voters are in the east, where the jobless rate is almost 18%, compared with less than 8% in the west. So eastern voters not only have an overwhelming interest in the unemployment issue, but also a disproportionate ability to influence the outcome of the poll on September 22. Reichenbach encapsulates the profoundly paradoxical situation in which the east finds itself. The decision to convert easterners' savings and earnings at a rate of one ostmark to one deutschmark made them rich overnight, unleashing a consumer and construction boom that was boosted by aid from the west. But the same decision robbed the east's industries of their price edge and, together with hefty wage settlements, made many of its businesses uncompetitive. The town hall is packed with gleaming new furniture and equipment. The square outside is being repaved with public money. The people walking across it are infinitely better dressed than they were before reunification. They own better cars and smarter houses. But their town's ability to fend for itself has been destroyed. Its textile industry, which once provided 4,000 jobs, now offers just 800-1,000. Overall, more than half the jobs in Vogtland have been lost since reunification, Marjon Thümmel said. In a youth club on the edge of Reichenbach, 16-year-old Björn Schumann sat playing cards with his friends on a rainy afternoon. Through the condensation on the windows, you could just make out a line of communist-era housing blocks, recently painted in pastel shades of lilac, mulberry and primrose. Björn left school this year along with 21 others. Only six have found work. The rest are out looking for something. Every year it gets worse, he said. Manfred Lenzer, on the other side of the table, had been looking for work for nine months. He had lost count of the number of applications he had sent off - Twenty? Thirty? - but still nothing. The east is dying, he said, angrily flinging his cards on to the table. Just look at the streets. There aren't any young people. Just old people. Reichenbach has lost a sixth of its population since reunification. Girls in particular, said Holger Kairies, the social worker in charge at the youth club. They go to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg [the prosperous southern states of former West Germany]. And they leave permanently. Sometimes they come back to visit, though. As the card game broke up, two young women burst into the youth club, shaking rain from their hair. The girls from Munich, said one of the card players. Nadine Christoph, 23, had found herself a job as a hairdresser at the airport. As a stylist here, I'd get about half what I earn in Munich, she said. Back at the town hall, the mayor, Dieter Kiessling, detailed all that the authorities had done in their unsuccessful efforts to hang on to their young people: the two new sports halls, the £1m spent on doing up another youth club. It hurts, said Wolfgang Eckstein, the head of the town hall's youth and sports department. Every time someone says: 'I have to go'. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ~~~ AER + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
[CTRL] *Nation* Watering their booze
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/cotts.php Press Clips by Cynthia Cotts Laundering the 'Truth' 'The Nation' Defuses a French Bombshell July 24 - 30, 2002 ccording to the back cover of Forbidden Truth, a bestseller published in France last fall and released in this country last week, a round of secret diplomacy between the Bush administration and the Taliban may have provoked Osama bin Laden into launching the September 11 attacks. As proof, authors Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquié point to a July 2001 meeting of a UN initiative known as Six Plus Two, formed to discuss Afghanistan's future and to offer incentives for building a Central Asian oil pipeline. The group that met in July included two former U.S. ambassadors, ostensibly chosen to float ideas that could not be traced to the U.S. government. At the meeting, according to one participant, one of the Americans informed the group, Either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs. And when news of this unusual military threat reached bin Laden, the authors imply, he launched a preemptive strike on the U.S. With an outrageous premise like that, it's no wonder that chapter six of Forbidden Truth has been touted as the smoking gun that proves Bush's indirect responsibility for 9-11or that Nation Books, the publishing arm of The Nation, has just published the book in English. What's really interesting is that after The Nation's hard- nosed Washington editor, David Corn, denounced the authors as conspiracy theorists, Nation Books neatly excised the smoking-gun allegations from the text. The smoking-gun claim first appeared in the foreword of the book's original edition, in which the authors dubbed the 9-11 attacks a foreseeable and tragic outcome of the UN initiative. But the foreword in the Nation Books edition merely states that the 9-11 attacks were possibly the outcome of the UN initiative, and soberly calls for further investigation. A similar text massage was performed at the end of chapter six. Toning down of this sort is standard practice for conscientious editors, but in this case it's the equivalent of buying a manuscript that states unequivocally that the CIA killed John F. Kennedyand then publishing a book that speculates that the CIA might have killed John Kennedy. Asked if he believes the central thesis of Forbidden Truth, Nation publisher Victor Navasky said, Based on our reading of the book, the authors made some adjustments, so what may have been a thesis is now a speculation. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I believe Oswald killed Kennedy and probably did it by himself, but I think it's important to raise questions. And no one raised louder questions than Corn. A few months ago, after reading a preliminary translation of the book, Corn wrote an internal memo critiquing it and opposing its publication. In May, he wrote a piece for The Nation that debunked what he calls the 9-11 conspiracy theorists. Describing Forbidden Truth, Corn later wrote, I have rarely seen such shoddy and lazy journalism, adding that the book is almost entirely unsourced and that the authors gave no sense that they had interviewed any single player in their tale. For The Nation to promote such a book is just plain exploitative, he told the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the dispute. Among other things, Corn is not convinced that the diplomats in question were speaking for the Bush administration. Corn declined to comment on The Nation's internal affairs. But when informed that Truth has turned to speculation in the English edition, he said, I don't know whether to find it heartening or curious that an essential point of the book seems to have been changed. In the edition I read, the authors said the 9-11 attacks were a direct result of these talks, but now the book says they may have been the direct result of these talks. I still have my doubts about any reporting team that made the first highly provocative statement without being able to come close to supporting it. To be sure, one man's scandal is another man's brilliant career. Nation Books editorial director Carl Bromley says his goal is to be a progressive popular publisher, offering books with political urgency. Because the imprint is part of the nonprofit Nation Institute, Bromley has the luxury of concentrating on building an audience, which he describes as the kind of people who read the Guardian online. About Truth, Bromley said, I worked very hard on the book, and I have no problem publishing it. It's not a conspiracy-theory book. Asked if he would have published it if he did not believe it, Bromley said, I'm sure there are corporate publishers that do that, but I won't publish something if I think it's a load of bullshit. I was raised as a good Catholic boy and a Communist, so I'm not allowed to lie. Bromley said he had been intrigued since he read about the book in
[CTRL] It Pays to be Erratic and Diverse
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/baard.php Your Grocery List Could Spark a Terror Probe Buying Trouble by Erik Baard July 24 - 30, 2002 (illustration: Marc Phares) They thought they were making routine purchasesthe innocent, everyday pickups of charcoal and hummus, bleach and sandwich bags, that keep the modern household running. Regulars at a national grocery chain, these thousands and thousands of shoppers used the store's preferred-customer cards, in the process putting years of their lives on file. Perhaps they expected their records would be used by marketers trying to better target consumers. Instead, says the company's privacy consultant, the data was used by government agents hunting for potential terrorists. The saga began with a misguided fit of patriotism mere weeks after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, when a corporate employee handed over the recordsalmost literally, the grocery liststo federal investigators from three agencies that had never even requested them. In a flash, the most quotidian of exchanges became fodder for the Patriot Act. When the company's legal counsel discovered the breach, she turned for advice to Larry Ponemon, CEO of the consulting firm Privacy Council and a former business ethics professor at Babson College and SUNY. I told her it's better to be transparent, Ponemon recalls. Send a notice to loyalty cardholders telling them what happened. She agreed and presented that to the board but they said, 'No, we don't want to hand a smoking gun to litigators.' The attorney, who has since resigned from the grocery chain, declined through Ponemon to be interviewed or to identify herself or her former employer. To this day, the customers haven't been informed. It wasn't a case of law enforcement being egregiously intrusive or an evil agency planting a bug or wiretap. It was a marketing person saying, 'Maybe this will help you catch a bad guy,' Ponemon says. As John Ashcroft's Citizens Corps spy program prepares for its debut next month, it seems scores of American companies have already become willing snitches. A few months ago, the Privacy Council surveyed executives from 22 companies in the travel industrynot just airlines but hotels, car rental services, and travel agenciesand found that 64 percent of respondents had turned over information to investigators and 59 percent had lowered their resistance to such demands. In that sampling, conducted with The Boston Globe, half of the businesses said they hadn't decided if they'd inform customers of the change, and more than a third said outright that they wouldn't. Only three said they would go public about the level of their cooperation with law enforcement. The final destination of all that data scares Ponemon and other civil libertarians, defenders of the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable search and seizure. Ponemon, for one, suggests federal authorities are plugging the information into algorithms, using the complex formulas to create a picture of general- population trends that can be contrasted with the lifestyles of known terrorists. If your habits match, expect further scrutiny at the least. I can't reveal my source, but a federal agency involved in espionage actually did a rating system of almost every citizen in this country, Ponemon claims. It was based on all sorts of informationpublic sources, private sources. If people are not opted inmeaning they haven't chosen to participateone can generally assume that information was gathered through an illegal system. After crunching those numbers through the algorithm, he says, its creators fed in the files of the 9-11 terrorists as a test. The model showed 89.7 percent accuracy 'predicting' these people from rest of population, Ponemon reports. Oddly enough, one of the factors was if you were a person who frequently ordered pizza and paid with a credit card, Ponemon says, describing the buying habits of a nation of college students. Sometimes data leads to an empirical inference when you add it to other variables. Whether this one is relevant or completely spurious remains to be seen, but those kinds of weird things happen with data. The thirst for consumer records is bipartisan. In April, Bill Clinton told the BBC that when it comes to fighting terrorism, more than 95 percent of the people that are in the United States at any given time are in the computers of companies that mail junk mail, and you can look for patterns there. Katherine Albrecht, a crusader against grocery loyalty cards and invasive marketing, notes in a paper to be published in the Denver Law Review, Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA) and Tom Davis (R-VA) recently introduced legislation that would require all states' driver's licenses and ID cards to contain an embedded computer chip capable of accepting 'data or software written to the license or card by non-governmental devices.' The
Re: [CTRL] US fund withdrawal 'will cost lives'
-Caveat Lector- - Original Message - From: Tenorlove [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 3:47 AM Subject: Re: [CTRL] US fund withdrawal 'will cost lives' -Caveat Lector- So why are you so upset that, for once, the Americans decided NOT to kill? :-D gee, missy, i jus' guess th' 'mericans jus' can never get it the right way round. . the village idiot of the global village. the bully too. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] US fund withdrawal 'will cost lives'
-Caveat Lector- - Original Message - From: Tenorlove [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 4:04 AM Subject: Re: [CTRL] US fund withdrawal 'will cost lives' I went to PP for a pregnancy test; turns out I was pregnant with my 9 year old. I had no health insurance or steady job at the time, and they advertise low-cost comprehensive women's health care. As soon as the results came back positive, the counselor, who never asked how I felt about being pregnant, gave me a business card with the phone number of their affiliated abortion clinic. She just ASSUMED that I was going to have an abortion. When I informed her that abortion was completely out of the question and that I was going to have this baby and wished for prenatal care, she explained that they did no such thing, suggested I call the local hospital, and showed me the door. Maybe the pregnancy test showed that my baby was a boy, and therefore not entitled to low-cost comprehensive women's health care. the free clinics are in por areas because they cannot afford private clinics. duh. how you can equate that with class war is beyond me. and you finally admit that the elites are being sold too... so - now it isn't class war at all.. so- what is it now? a liberal conspiracy to kill all men because they are all potential rapists? oh yeah, that sounds mighty fine. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Enron scandal hits US banks
-Caveat Lector- Wednesday, 24 July, 2002, 06:34 GMT 07:34 UK Bankers tried to explain their role in Enron's accounting Two of the world's largest banks stand accused by US congressional investigators of helping disgraced energy firm Enron, and at least ten other companies, hide billions in debt. The accusation saw shares in Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase slump almost a fifth, reinforcing the gloom shrouding US stock markets. Representatives of the two banks failed to convince a US Senate hearing convened on Monday that they had innocently entered into accounting schemes for the disgraced energy giant. Investors rushed to ditch their shares in the banks, with Citigroup closing 16% lower and JP Morgan down 18%, an immense fall for such high-profile companies. 'Accounting sham' The banks' troubles follow the collapse of the accountants Andersen, brought down by the accusation it had knowingly helping Enron to hide behind shady accounting practices. Enron was assisted by Citicorp and Chase, said Senator Levin Experts have now told investigators that Enron would not have been able to dupe investors without the assistance of its bankers. Chase and Citicorp knew what Enron was doing, assisted Enron in the deceptions, and profited from their actions, said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the sub-committee on investigations, calling the action an accounting sham. During a 10-hour grilling, executives from both banks insisted their actions - which, the committee says, effectively disguised the debts that eventually brought Enron to its knees as trading revenues - were lawful and a legitimate alternative form of financing. And the transactions are thought to be acceptable under US accountancy rules. But sub-committee chairman Senator Carl Levin lambasted executives for failing to recognise the transaction as problematic and potentially damaging to investors. Disguised trading The controversy centres on a total of $8bn of loans known as pre-pay transactions. Senate hearings are set to continue The loans were disguised on Enron's accounts as future energy trades. If Enron had properly accounted for the loans, its total debt would have increased by about 40% and it would have suffered a credit downgrade, according to the chief investigator Robert Roach. That would almost certainly have killed off the company's hopes of avoiding bankruptcy a lot earlier. Credit ratings agencies were also defending their corner before the investigators on Tuesday, pleading ignorance. And the report from the investigators made it clear that Enron was not the only beneficiary of the banks' assistance. Chase informed the subcommittee that it entered into Enron-style prepays with seven companies apart from Enron, the report said. Citigroup indicated that it shopped the idea to 14 companies apart from Enron, successfully selling it to at least three. Multiple scandals The collapse of Enron in December triggered the current crisis in investor confidence. It admitted that it had inflated its profits, casting grave doubts over the accounting methods used by US firms. That prompted a series of investigations into other firms, including WorldCom which has also now admitted to overstating its profits and has since filed for bankruptcy. President George W Bush has vowed to weed out corporate wrongdoing in the US, and numerous investigations are underway. The Enron hearings will continue on Wednesday. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] US fund withdrawal 'will cost lives'
-Caveat Lector- --- c. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: so- what is it now? a liberal conspiracy to kill all men because they are all potential rapists? I wouldn't know, the liberals don't let me in the door of their conspiracy meetings. oh, darn! __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Who are the good guys?
-Caveat Lector- Thanks for pointing that out, Kris. And this raises a question that should be asked more often: If you were a people who opposed capitalism and hated the nation promoting capitalism worldwide, would you try to destroy that nation; and if so, how would you do it? Since we can assume a military attack from outside the borders of the USA would not be successful, then the only way available is to try and get the US to collapse from within. The only way to accomplish this might be to convince a majority of the American people that each and every member of their government is evil; of course this conveniently ignores the fact that the government is made up of ordinary citizens for the most part. It is a safe bet that a large portion of conspiracy literature has been composed of very clever disinformation; the fact it makes a compelling story (even if it stretches the boundaries of logic) helps. This is not to say much of the information is not valid; but sometimes it is hard to tell the wheat from the chaff. And so I ask: who are the good guys on Earth right now? Are they scientists? Politician? Environmentalists? Religious leaders? Who will lead us out of the forest, and how? It would not surprise me if no one wanted to find the answer; it is similar to the anti-communists of the past century who suddenly had their enemy disappear with the collapse of the Soviet Union. There was no battle left to fight, and what an empty feeling that must have been! Anybody know or care who are the good guys? From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 3:09 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [CTRL] Fwd: Israel, the Golden Triangle, and the Kennedy Assassination --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Agent Smiley [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://abbc.com/jfk/astucia/intro.htm Opium Lords Israel, the Golden Triangle, and the Kennedy Assassination This story is full of disinfo. Om K A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] Who are the good guys?
-Caveat Lector- - Original Message - From: Dale Stonehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 1:26 PM Subject: [CTRL] Who are the good guys? -Caveat Lector- Thanks for pointing that out, Kris. And this raises a question that should be asked more often: If you were a people who opposed capitalism and hated the nation promoting capitalism worldwide, would you try to destroy that nation; and if so, how would you do it? pity that america is not a capitalist country then, isn't it? A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] Who are the good guys?
-Caveat Lector- -Original Message- From: c. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] - Original Message - From: Dale Stonehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 1:26 PM Subject: [CTRL] Who are the good guys? If you were a people who opposed capitalism and hated the nation promoting capitalism worldwide, would you try to destroy that nation; and if so, how would you do it? pity that america is not a capitalist country then, isn't it? Well, pardon my stupidity then; opposing negativity seems to be a commodity little in demand. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Israel Massacres 14 Civilians with 9 Children in Air Raid
-Caveat Lector- http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-israel-palestinians0723jul23.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnationworld%2Dheadlines Israel Draws Criticism for Air Raid By IBRAHIM BARZAK Associated Press Writer July 23, 2002, 6:04 PM EDT GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Holding up the flag-wrapped body of a 2-month-old girl, tens of thousands of Palestinians marched Tuesday to bury their dead after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hamas leader and 14 civilians, including nine children. The Islamic militant group vowed revenge. President Bush called the Israeli missile strike heavy-handed, joining other world leaders in sharp criticism of the attack, which leveled an apartment building and destroyed other nearby buildings in a crowded neighborhood of Gaza City overnight. The Israeli prime minister hailed the operation, which successfully targeted Salah Shehadeh, the top commander of Hamas' military wing, Izzadine el-Qassam. This operation was in my view one of our biggest successes, Ariel Sharon told Cabinet ministers. We hit perhaps the most senior Hamas figure on the operational side, Sharon said of Shehadeh, who was jailed first by Israel, and then by the Palestinians, from 1988 to 1999. However, some Israelis criticized the attack, warning that the killing of a top Hamas commander would trigger a surge of suicide bombings in retaliation. The death of innocent children will only encourage more desire for revenge and motivation for more terror attacks, said member of parliament Ran Cohen, a reserve colonel in the Israeli military. Israel linked Shehadeh to Hamas' deadliest suicide bombings, including a March attack at a Netanya hotel that killed 29, a June 2001 disco bombing in Tel Aviv that killed 21, and an August 2001 bombing at a Jerusalem pizzeria that killed 15. Israel TV said the bomb weighed a ton, unusually large for a mission to kill a single militant. In dozens of previous operations, Israeli forces have used helicopters to fire missiles at vehicles or rooms in a building, or set off small bombs in vehicles. Palestinians said Israel dropped a large bomb in an attempted killing in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis on July 14. In the past, one-ton bombs have been dropped on large, empty structures to destroy them. In March, when an Israeli plane dropped such a bomb on Arafat's empty headquarters building in Bethlehem, windows rattled in Jerusalem, five miles away. In Gaza, tens of thousands crowded the streets in an emotional and angry funeral procession for Shehadeh and the other victims of the Israeli airstrike. As wailing relatives held aloft the youngest victim wrapped in a Palestinian flag, the infant's face and black hair visible between the folds, gunmen fired rifles in the air and called for revenge. For hours, the huge crowd of Palestinians marched through the streets toward the cemetery, waving flags of various Palestinian groups, chanting slogans against Israel and threatening suicide bombings in retaliation for the killing. Do you want peace with the Jews? asked an activist with a loudspeaker. No! the crowd responded. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the attack a disgusting, ugly crime, ... a massacre no human being can imagine. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal called the strike a horrible act with no ethical, moral or even military justification. In a rare U.S. criticism of Israel, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said this heavy-handed action does not contribute to peace. The office of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Israel has the legal and moral responsibility to take all measures to avoid the loss of innocent life. Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh called it a crime against international law and morally unworthy of a democracy like Israel. A single powerful bomb dropped by an Israeli F-16 warplane destroyed the three-story apartment building where witnesses said Shehadeh, 48, and his family had been living for the past three days, as well as four other buildings nearby. The blast left a huge pile of smoking rubble in the midst of a poverty-stricken, crowded Palestinian neighborhood. Relatives and friends frantically joined rescue workers digging through the wrecked buildings for survivors. Israel said it had intended to kill only Shehadeh. According to the information which we had there were no civilians near him and we express sorrow on the injuries to them, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Cabinet, according to a statement from his office. Senior military sources said the military believed erroneously only one other person was in the building with Shehadeh, fellow Hamas militant Zahar Salah Abuhsein. Besides Shehadeh and Abuhsein, Shehadeh's wife and a daughter were killed in the building, said the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity. They said the other victims were probably killed in adjacent buildings, which the planners of the operation had believed would not be seriously damaged.
[CTRL] Israeli War Crime In Gaza Strip
-Caveat Lector- For immediate release 23 July 2002 ref: 0019/02 ISRAELI WAR CRIMES IN GAZA STRIP: F-16 WARPLANES DELIBERATELY BOMB APARTMENT BUILDING KILLING SEVEN CHILDREN Last night the Israeli air force bombed a residential building with US made F-16 warplanes in Gaza City killing at least 10 civilians, among them seven children. According to information provided to DCI/PS by Shifa Hospital in Gaza, the children who were killed in the attack were:* Subhe Mahmoud Al Huwaiti, (age unknown but between 3-5 years) Mahmoud Mahmoud Al Huwaiti (age unknown but between 3-5 years) Ahmed Mohammed S hawa (3 years old) Dina Ra'id Matar (2 months old) Mohammed Ra'id Matar (4 years old) Ayman Ra'id Matar (2 years old) Ala Mohammed Matar (11 years old) *This information is correct at the time of issuing this press release, however it is quite possible that the number of dead will increase. In addition to these seven children, at least three adults were killed in the attack. An additional 17 children were wounded, thirteen of them under the age of 12. According to eyewitness reports from Gaza, two F-16 warplanes circled the two-storey residential building at around midnight as the residents were sleeping. One bomb was dropped on the building which reduced it to rubble and also destroyed walls of more than ten surrounding buildings. The killing of 10 people, among them seven children, as they slept is a war crime of the highest magnitude. Israel clearly knew that they were bombing a residential building which housed several families. There is no excuse or justification for this crime that deliberately targeted and killed innocent civilians. The killing of the seven children brings the total number of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip killed by Israeli soldiers this year to 117. This is the highest number of Palestinian children killed in any year since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. The deaths last night confirm three trends noted by DCI/PS over the last three years: 1. The Israeli military is killing an increasing number of children. In the first seven months of this year, 117 children have been killed. This number exceeds the number killed each year in 2001 and 2000. In the year 2000, 105 children were killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, in 2001 this figure was 98. Every year since 1990, Palestinian children have made up over 20% of total Palestinian deaths in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 2. The Israeli military is killing younger children. In the first seven months of the year 2002, 48% of Palestinian children killed were aged 12 years and under. This number exceeds the proportion in the year 2001, both relatively (48% compared to 34%) and also in quantitative terms (56 children compared to 33 children). It should be stressed that the figures for the year 2002 cover the first seven months of the year while those for 2001 include the whole 12-month period. An examination of data concerning children killed between 0-8 years shows a further disturbing trend. The number of children killed in this age group has been increasing on an annual basis, with 7 deaths documented in 2000, 12 in 2001, and 35 in the first 7 months of 2002. In addition, the percentage this age group of children represents is increasing within the context of total number of children killed annually. In 2000, deaths of Palestinian children 0-8 years constituted 6.6% of total children killed (7/105). In 2001 the percentage increased to 12.2% (12/98). In the first 7 months of the year 2002, deaths in this age group constituted 29.9% (35/117) of total child deaths. Thus, in the span of two years, the percentage of children in this age group that have been killed has increased by over 450%. 3. The Israeli military is using increasing levels of force in the killing of children. In 2002, nearly one half of the children killed sustained multiple fatal injuries to more than one part of the body (49.5%) as compared to one-third of children in 2001. In other words, the level of deadly force used by Israeli soldiers in 2002 has increased dramatically. This trend is also indicated by the cause of death, 37% of children this year have been killed by rockets, shelling or machine gun fire. Six children were killed when their houses were demolished on top of them. The killing of the seven children confirms another indisputable fact - the vast majority of children killed by the Israeli army have been killed in circumstances where there were no clashes or confrontations occurring. Eighty-four percent of children have been killed this year in circumstances where there was no confrontation occurring at the time of the death. This indicates beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Israeli myth that children are dying because they are caught in crossfire is absolutely false. It should also be stressed that those children killed in demonstrations - 19 in the year 2002 - were killed when there was no exchange of fire.
[CTRL] NYTimes.com Article: 7-Year-Old Philadelphia Girl, Abducted Monday, Breaks Free
-Caveat Lector- This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED] 7-Year-Old Philadelphia Girl, Abducted Monday, Breaks Free July 24, 2002 By RICHARD LEZIN JONES PHILADELPHIA, July 23 - A 7-year-old girl who was abducted kicking and screaming on Monday a few feet from her home escaped from her captors tonight, less than 24 hours after kidnappers had demanded a $150,000 ransom. The Philadelphia police outlined a remarkable sequence of events surrounding the escape of girl, Erica Pratt, who had been seized while she played outside her Southwest Philadelphia home. After she was abducted around 9 p.m. on Monday, Erica was taken to an abandoned rowhouse in North Philadelphia about 12 miles from her home, the police said. Once there, investigators said, her captors covered her eyes and bound her hands and feet with duct tape and left her alone, locked in a darkened basement. For hours, the police said, Erica gnawed through the duct tape that bound her. Then, mostly feeling her way through the darkened basement, she hopped up the basement stairs only to the find the door locked, the police said. The girl kicked out a wooden panel on the basement door, wriggled through the narrow opening, then punched out a window and screamed for help, the authorities said. Two boys who had been playing outside the house heard her cries and led a pair of police officers to her. It amazes me that a girl who is only 7 years old has the composure to take the time to gnaw her way out of the duct tape and get out, said Chief Inspector Robert Davis of the Philadelphia police. Erica was being treated tonight at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a cut on her cornea. Her escape, just before 8 tonight, came hours after the police announced that they were seeking two men - James Burns, 29, and Edward Johnson, 23, - for questioning in her disappearance. After Erica was found, the authorities said both men were being treated as suspects. The police said that the abduction was not random and that someone had hoped to extort money from the Pratt family. Investigators said it was not clear why someone would believe that a family in this working-class slice of Philadelphia would be able to afford a six-figure ransom. Neighbors, though, suggested today that Erica may have been a target because of reports that her family recently received the proceeds from a life insurance policy. Although officials could not confirm whether a policy existed, investigators said they had not ruled out any motives. Investigators said that they believed that the kidnappers might have known members of Erica's family, a suspicion shared by the girl's mother. For them to ask for money, it must be someone the family knows, said the mother, Sarina Gillis. They have to be. Why would they target them at all and come and take her? This is not some ordinary kidnapping. They are asking for money. They are not asking for money for nothing. Ms. Gillis said that neither she nor her mother, with whom Erica had lived for the past three years, could afford the ransom and added that she was unaware of any recent financial windfall. The police said Erica was abducted near 60th Street and Kingsessing Avenue on a balmy night as neighbors were exchanging gossip on porches or attending a small block party on the heavily traveled street. Witnesses told the police that Erica had been walking down the street with her 5-year-old sister, Naliyah, when a white car pulled alongside the girls and an occupant called Erica's name. Within seconds, the police said, the passenger door opened and a man pulled the girl into the car while her horrified sister watched. Neighbors first learned of the abduction when they saw a distraught Naliyah sprinting away. We saw the other little girl running up the street crying and screaming, `They took her from me, they took her from me!' recalled Keirstan Price, 16. It was like one minute she was here, the next minute she wasn't. Patricia Adams, who lives across the street from Erica's family, said adults tried to calm Naliyah so they could learn exactly what had happened. She was hysterical, Ms. Adams said. The block, like much of the rest of the neighborhood, has seen better days. After years of violent turf wars among drug dealers in this part of Southwest Philadelphia, the police have focused on Erica's block as part of its Safe Streets program. And although there are at least a half-dozen abandoned homes on the street, neighbors see a resurgence in signs large and small, from the increased police presence to the hibiscus in Vikki Price's front yard. Even though the police said Erica's abduction was not a random act, it still sent a shudder through parents here. You hear about it happening in other parts of the country, Ms. Adams said, alluding to recent high-profile abductions in California and Utah. But it's still frightening when the reality hits you: it can happen right here.
Re: [CTRL] *Nation* Watering their booze
-Caveat Lector- I don¹t see how ramming a plane into the WTC would stop the building of a pipeline in Afghanistan. Assuming everything in the book was true, I don¹t see how anyone could expect that particular action would lead to the result they wanted. It doesn¹t add up. on 7/24/02 3:51 AM, Alamaine at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: -Caveat Lector- From http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/cotts.php Press Clips by Cynthia Cotts Laundering the 'Truth' 'The Nation' Defuses a French Bombshell July 24 - 30, 2002 ccording to the back cover of Forbidden Truth, a bestseller published in France last fall and released in this country last week, a round of secret diplomacy between the Bush administration and the Taliban may have provoked Osama bin Laden into launching the September 11 attacks. As proof, authors Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquié point to a July 2001 meeting of a UN initiative known as Six Plus Two, formed to discuss Afghanistan's future and to offer incentives for building a Central Asian oil pipeline. The group that met in July included two former U.S. ambassadors, ostensibly chosen to float ideas that could not be traced to the U.S. government. At the meeting, according to one participant, one of the Americans informed the group, Either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs. And when news of this unusual military threat reached bin Laden, the authors imply, he launched a preemptive strike on the U.S. With an outrageous premise like that, it's no wonder that chapter six of Forbidden Truth has been touted as the smoking gun that proves Bush's indirect responsibility for 9-11or that Nation Books, the publishing arm of The Nation, has just published the book in English. What's really interesting is that after The Nation's hard- nosed Washington editor, David Corn, denounced the authors as conspiracy theorists, Nation Books neatly excised the smoking-gun allegations from the text. The smoking-gun claim first appeared in the foreword of the book's original edition, in which the authors dubbed the 9-11 attacks a foreseeable and tragic outcome of the UN initiative. But the foreword in the Nation Books edition merely states that the 9-11 attacks were possibly the outcome of the UN initiative, and soberly calls for further investigation. A similar text massage was performed at the end of chapter six. Toning down of this sort is standard practice for conscientious editors, but in this case it's the equivalent of buying a manuscript that states unequivocally that the CIA killed John F. Kennedyand then publishing a book that speculates that the CIA might have killed John Kennedy. Asked if he believes the central thesis of Forbidden Truth, Nation publisher Victor Navasky said, Based on our reading of the book, the authors made some adjustments, so what may have been a thesis is now a speculation. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I believe Oswald killed Kennedy and probably did it by himself, but I think it's important to raise questions. And no one raised louder questions than Corn. A few months ago, after reading a preliminary translation of the book, Corn wrote an internal memo critiquing it and opposing its publication. In May, he wrote a piece for The Nation that debunked what he calls the 9-11 conspiracy theorists. Describing Forbidden Truth, Corn later wrote, I have rarely seen such shoddy and lazy journalism, adding that the book is almost entirely unsourced and that the authors gave no sense that they had interviewed any single player in their tale. For The Nation to promote such a book is just plain exploitative, he told the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the dispute. Among other things, Corn is not convinced that the diplomats in question were speaking for the Bush administration. Corn declined to comment on The Nation's internal affairs. But when informed that Truth has turned to speculation in the English edition, he said, I don't know whether to find it heartening or curious that an essential point of the book seems to have been changed. In the edition I read, the authors said the 9-11 attacks were a direct result of these talks, but now the book says they may have been the direct result of these talks. I still have my doubts about any reporting team that made the first highly provocative statement without being able to come close to supporting it. To be sure, one man's scandal is another man's brilliant career. Nation Books editorial director Carl Bromley says his goal is to be a progressive popular publisher, offering books with political urgency. Because the imprint is part of the nonprofit Nation Institute, Bromley has the luxury of concentrating on building an audience, which he describes as the kind of people who read the Guardian online. About Truth, Bromley said, I worked very hard on the book, and I have no problem
Re: [CTRL] Israel Massacres 14 Civilians with 9 Children in Air Raid
-Caveat Lector- This attack was horrific. So were the attacks planned by the leader of Hamas, including the attack that this one was a response to. Funny thing is I didn¹t see you post about that. on 7/24/02 9:00 AM, Jei at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: -Caveat Lector- http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-israel-palestinians0723jul 23.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dnationworld%2Dheadlines Israel Draws Criticism for Air Raid By IBRAHIM BARZAK Associated Press Writer July 23, 2002, 6:04 PM EDT GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Holding up the flag-wrapped body of a 2-month-old girl, tens of thousands of Palestinians marched Tuesday to bury their dead after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hamas leader and 14 civilians, including nine children. The Islamic militant group vowed revenge. President Bush called the Israeli missile strike heavy-handed, joining other world leaders in sharp criticism of the attack, which leveled an apartment building and destroyed other nearby buildings in a crowded neighborhood of Gaza City overnight. The Israeli prime minister hailed the operation, which successfully targeted Salah Shehadeh, the top commander of Hamas' military wing, Izzadine el-Qassam. This operation was in my view one of our biggest successes, Ariel Sharon told Cabinet ministers. We hit perhaps the most senior Hamas figure on the operational side, Sharon said of Shehadeh, who was jailed first by Israel, and then by the Palestinians, from 1988 to 1999. However, some Israelis criticized the attack, warning that the killing of a top Hamas commander would trigger a surge of suicide bombings in retaliation. The death of innocent children will only encourage more desire for revenge and motivation for more terror attacks, said member of parliament Ran Cohen, a reserve colonel in the Israeli military. Israel linked Shehadeh to Hamas' deadliest suicide bombings, including a March attack at a Netanya hotel that killed 29, a June 2001 disco bombing in Tel Aviv that killed 21, and an August 2001 bombing at a Jerusalem pizzeria that killed 15. Israel TV said the bomb weighed a ton, unusually large for a mission to kill a single militant. In dozens of previous operations, Israeli forces have used helicopters to fire missiles at vehicles or rooms in a building, or set off small bombs in vehicles. Palestinians said Israel dropped a large bomb in an attempted killing in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis on July 14. In the past, one-ton bombs have been dropped on large, empty structures to destroy them. In March, when an Israeli plane dropped such a bomb on Arafat's empty headquarters building in Bethlehem, windows rattled in Jerusalem, five miles away. In Gaza, tens of thousands crowded the streets in an emotional and angry funeral procession for Shehadeh and the other victims of the Israeli airstrike. As wailing relatives held aloft the youngest victim wrapped in a Palestinian flag, the infant's face and black hair visible between the folds, gunmen fired rifles in the air and called for revenge. For hours, the huge crowd of Palestinians marched through the streets toward the cemetery, waving flags of various Palestinian groups, chanting slogans against Israel and threatening suicide bombings in retaliation for the killing. Do you want peace with the Jews? asked an activist with a loudspeaker. No! the crowd responded. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the attack a disgusting, ugly crime, ... a massacre no human being can imagine. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal called the strike a horrible act with no ethical, moral or even military justification. In a rare U.S. criticism of Israel, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said this heavy-handed action does not contribute to peace. The office of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Israel has the legal and moral responsibility to take all measures to avoid the loss of innocent life. Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh called it a crime against international law and morally unworthy of a democracy like Israel. A single powerful bomb dropped by an Israeli F-16 warplane destroyed the three-story apartment building where witnesses said Shehadeh, 48, and his family had been living for the past three days, as well as four other buildings nearby. The blast left a huge pile of smoking rubble in the midst of a poverty-stricken, crowded Palestinian neighborhood. Relatives and friends frantically joined rescue workers digging through the wrecked buildings for survivors. Israel said it had intended to kill only Shehadeh. According to the information which we had there were no civilians near him and we express sorrow on the injuries to them, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Cabinet, according to a statement from his office. Senior military sources said the military believed erroneously only one other person was in the building with Shehadeh, fellow Hamas
[CTRL] Israeli state terrorism claims the lives of Palestinian children and civilians
-Caveat Lector- The Palestine Monitor, A PNGO Information Clearinghouse Update Israeli state terrorism claims the lives of Palestinian children and civilians July 23rd 2002 The Israeli air force attack on a building in the north of Gaza city has claimed yet more Palestinian lives. In this act of state terrorism, Israeli F16s attacked a residential apartment in the night, leaving 15 people dead and 150 injured, 45 who require hospitalization. The names of some of those killed are: Muna Fahmi Al-Huwaiti, 30 and her two children, Subhi, 4 ½ years old and Muhammad 3. Iman Hassan Mattar, 27 and her three children, Dunya 5 years, Muhammad 4 years, and Ayman 1 year old. Also Ahmed 3 years old, Dunya Rami Mattar, 3 months, Ala Muhammad Mattar, 11 years old, Muhammad As-Shawa, 40 and Salah As-Sahadi, 40. Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi said this attack comes at a crucial time in Palestine, only hours after an agreement was reached by the Islamic and National Intifada leadership to bring an end to attacks on civilians in Israel. This is not the first time Sharon has carried out military actions in order to provoke Palestinians and derail any attempt at seeking a peaceful compromise to the current violence. In December 2001, Sharon brought a 21-day Palestinian ceasefire to an end through his policy of provocation and assassination, contributing to the failure of the American effort, through Anthony Zinni, to negotiate a settlement. Furthermore this is not the first time the policy of extra judicial killings claims the lives of women and children; on March the 4th 2002 Bushra Abu Kweik was killed when a missile from an apache helicopter was fired at her car, and killed her, her three children, and two others, aged 16 and 8 years. Eighteen children have now been murdered in these abhorrent attacks which are responsible for the deaths of 145 Palestinians, 59 people were unintended victims. Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi said these acts are further proof, if further proof is necessary, that Sharon is increasing the level of aggression and violence even further. He already has complete control of the West Bank, and his attack in Gaza is inevitable. The death and horror that this will bring is too dreadful to contemplate. Even within Israel the killings were criticized, with opposition Chairman and Meretz leader Yossi Sarid reported to have said the attack came at an inappropriate time, during which there was relative calm in the territories and international efforts were being made to resume peace talks. This state terrorism has also had an effect on domestic Israeli politics with the resignation of Dalia Rabin-Pelossof, the Deputy Defense Minister, in protest over the Labor Party remaining in the government. Dr. Barghouthi called upon the international community to condemn these vicious attacks which have caused the death of so many people. When the Israeli Government drops a bomb from a fighter plane on one of the most overcrowded quarters in Gaza City they must have anticipated the deaths of hundreds of people. This intentional killing of Palestinian civilians is a war crime, and an act of state terror it must be condemned as such. For more information contact The Palestine Monitor +972 (0) 59 387087 or +972(0)2 2985372 and see www.palestinemonitor.org A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] Israeli War Crime In Gaza Strip
-Caveat Lector- Funny reporting. Why aren't the Adults identified like the children were? Is it because the name Selah Shehade ( Age 49 - Izzedine al Quassam -hamas) doesn¹t inspire the same sympathy? Where was the denunciation of his attack on a religious school in Gaza last march that killed 5 Jewish students? (Oh, I forgot - killing Jewish kids is OK) He was directly responsible for directing all of Hamas' military attacks over the last 2 years of intafada. He supplied Hamas with mortars. He led rocket attacks against Israelis. He fought against peace talks. Where is the list of dead Israeli children he is responsible for? Maybe if the PA had made a single move to rein him in, this tragic event could have been avoided. Real Reporting is balanced. Without balance it is an editorial at best and propaganda at worst. on 7/24/02 9:17 AM, Jei at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In addition to these seven children, at least three adults were killed in the attack. An additional 17 children were wounded, thirteen of them under the age of 12. -- Wandering in a vast forest at night, I have only a faint light to guide me. A stranger appears and says to me: ' My friend, you should blow out your candle in order to find your way more clearly.' This stranger is a theologian. Diderot c. 1762 NEURONAUTIC INSTITUTE on-line: http://home.earthlink.net/~thew A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] *Nation* Watering their booze
-Caveat Lector- - Original Message - From: thew [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 9:43 AM Subject: Re: [CTRL] *Nation* Watering their booze -Caveat Lector- I don¹t see how ramming a plane into the WTC would stop the building of a pipeline in Afghanistan. Assuming everything in the book was true, I don¹t see how anyone could expect that particular action would lead to the result they wanted. It doesn¹t add up. I think that the idea was to start a war between the Islamic world and the West where the West would not be successful in establishing itself in the region. Don't forget that the key was getting Pakistan on our side when it had always been the main supporter of Al-Quieda and the Talliban. The US gambled that there would be no Clash of Civilizations at that time. They were right. But it aint over yet. Joshua2 on 7/24/02 3:51 AM, Alamaine at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: -Caveat Lector- From http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/cotts.php Press Clips by Cynthia Cotts Laundering the 'Truth' 'The Nation' Defuses a French Bombshell July 24 - 30, 2002 A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] *Nation* Watering their booze
-Caveat Lector- Pakistan has always been on our side. They were our guys in the region during the cold war - with their enemy, India, supplied by the USSR. Given a choice between the Taliban, and the US it was pretty clear which way they would go. on 7/24/02 10:25 AM, Nurev Ind at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Don't forget that the key was getting Pakistan on our side when it had always been the main supporter of Al-Quieda and the Talliban. It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error. Justice Robert H. Jackson NEURONAUTIC INSTITUTE on-line: http://home.earthlink.net/~thew A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] NYTimes.com Article: Giant Sequoias Threatened as Hot Weather Fuels Wildfires
-Caveat Lector- This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED] Giant Sequoias Threatened as Hot Weather Fuels Wildfires July 24, 2002 By NICK MADIGAN LOS ANGELES, July 23 - With conditions relentlessly dry and the weather growing hotter, firefighters today battled 34 significant fires in eight Western states, the most dramatic of which creeped menacingly toward the giant, centuries-old trees of Sequoia National Forest. Across the nation, about 350 new wildfires were reported on Monday, although only four of those escaped initial attacks by firefighters to become larger fires. The West is really where we're seeing the most of the large fire activity, said Janelle Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, which is tracking 14 fires in Oregon alone. In Kernville, Calif., about 150 miles north of here, an out-of-control blaze threatened the Sequoia National Forest, where the largest redwood trees in existence have, for the most part, survived countless fires over the years. About 1,000 firefighters have been summoned to the blaze officials are calling the McNalley Fire, which has burned almost 38,000 acres of wildland and smaller trees. If uncontained, the blaze could be headed for about 200 structures in and near the forest. Winds today began blowing the flames away from the Trail of a Hundred Giants, where the tallest and oldest trees stand about two miles from the front of the fire, officials said. The blaze was only 20 percent contained and remained highly unpredictable. The Trail of a Hundred Giants was not in immediate danger, a spokeswoman said. A spokesman for the United States Forest Service, Jim Paxon, said that anything could happen with conditions so volatile. If fire does get in the Trail of a Hundred Giants, we won't be putting firefighters in there to try to stop it, The Associated Press reported Mr. Paxon as saying. It will be a climax of 300- or 400-foot flames. Firefighters were carefully watching the fire's proximity to the forest's Packsaddle and Freeman Creek groves, where some underbrush had been removed before the current blaze. Fire is going to go through those other groves if it gets there, Mr. Paxon said, but because they've had some treatment, the fire may be on the ground and not destroy those groves. About 400 Boy Scouts were evacuated from a camp near the forest, as were several hundred people in nearby towns. At least 10 structures in the area were destroyed. In south-central Oregon, the 34,400-acre Winter Fire joined in one area with the 63,012 Tool Box Fire, and each was about 40 percent contained today, said Chris Friend, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry. The Winter Fire is still giving us fits now and then, said Mr. Friend, who described how a team of firefighters were moved out of an area of dead and highly flammable trees on Monday when a downdraught from a thunderstorm scattered the wind in all directions. The Monument Fire in Oregon grew today to 24,700 acres, and was threatening about 75 homes, Ms. Smith said. The blaze, near Unity, a small town in northeast Oregon, was nowhere near containment, she said. Also in Oregon, the Eyerly Fire was being managed under one command, near Camp Sherman. The resulting 23,777-acre fire was 75 percent contained today. In Idaho and Utah, firefighters were chasing about 25 new fires. At this point, they're initial attacks - in other words, the first response, Ms. Smith said. That's when they try to contain or put it out in the first attack. That's been our strategy. When things have been as extreme as they are, we try to catch those fires with initial attacks before they become large. This year, 3.7 million acres of wildland have burned in the United States; the average for the year to date is normally 1.7 million acres. Keep in mind that it's just been an extreme fire season, and we're only approaching the peak of season about now, Ms. Smith said. What really sets this year apart is that really extreme drought conditions existed in many states. The fire behavior that they were seeing was a month earlier than what they usually see. In Colorado, a light rain helped firefighters battling a 4,100-acre blaze near Rocky Mountain National Park. About 225 homes near Lyons, Colo., were evacuated and occupants of 400 to 500 more houses were told today to be ready to leave. Firefighters were concerned about predictions of wind and lightning today as they dug firebreaks around the Deer Point Fire, a 23,700-acre blaze near Lake Chelan, Wash. Evacuation warnings remained in effect for about 200 homes there and the fire was 30 percent contained. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/national/24FIRE.html?ex=1028511560ei=1en=85cca118142cbf44 HOW TO ADVERTISE - For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL
[CTRL] Pizza, Credit Cards and Terrorist Algorithms
-Caveat Lector- http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/baard.php Your Grocery List Could Spark a Terror Probe Buying Trouble by Erik Baard July 24 - 30, 2002 They thought they were making routine purchases - the innocent, everyday pickups of charcoal and hummus, bleach and sandwich bags, that keep the modern household running. Regulars at a national grocery chain, these thousands and thousands of shoppers used the store's preferred-customer cards, in the process putting years of their lives on file. Perhaps they expected their records would be used by marketers trying to better target consumers. Instead, says the company's privacy consultant, the data was used by government agents hunting for potential terrorists. The saga began with a misguided fit of patriotism mere weeks after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, when a corporate employee handed over the records - almost literally, the grocery lists - to federal investigators from three agencies that had never even requested them. In a flash, the most quotidian of exchanges became fodder for the Patriot Act. When the company's legal counsel discovered the breach, she turned for advice to Larry Ponemon, CEO of the consulting firm Privacy Council and a former business ethics professor at Babson College and SUNY. I told her it's better to be transparent, Ponemon recalls. Send a notice to loyalty cardholders telling them what happened. She agreed and presented that to the board but they said, 'No, we don't want to hand a smoking gun to litigators.' The attorney, who has since resigned from the grocery chain, declined through Ponemon to be interviewed or to identify herself or her former employer. To this day, the customers haven't been informed. It wasn't a case of law enforcement being egregiously intrusive or an evil agency planting a bug or wiretap. It was a marketing person saying, 'Maybe this will help you catch a bad guy,' Ponemon says. As John Ashcroft's Citizens Corps spy program prepares for its debut next month, it seems scores of American companies have already become willing snitches. A few months ago, the Privacy Council surveyed executives from 22 companies in the travel industry - not just airlines but hotels, car rental services, and travel agencies - and found that 64 percent of respondents had turned over information to investigators and 59 percent had lowered their resistance to such demands. In that sampling, conducted with The Boston Globe, half of the businesses said they hadn't decided if they'd inform customers of the change, and more than a third said outright that they wouldn't. Only three said they would go public about the level of their cooperation with law enforcement. The final destination of all that data scares Ponemon and other civil libertarians, defenders of the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable search and seizure. Ponemon, for one, suggests federal authorities are plugging the information into algorithms, using the complex formulas to create a picture of general-population trends that can be contrasted with the lifestyles of known terrorists. If your habits match, expect further scrutiny at the least. I can't reveal my source, but a federal agency involved in espionage actually did a rating system of almost every citizen in this country, Ponemon claims. It was based on all sorts of information - public sources, private sources. If people are not opted in - meaning they haven't chosen to participate - one can generally assume that information was gathered through an illegal system. After crunching those numbers through the algorithm, he says, its creators fed in the files of the 9-11 terrorists as a test. The model showed 89.7 percent accuracy 'predicting' these people from rest of population, Ponemon reports. Oddly enough, one of the factors was if you were a person who frequently ordered pizza and paid with a credit card, Ponemon says, describing the buying habits of a nation of college students. Sometimes data leads to an empirical inference when you add it to other variables. Whether this one is relevant or completely spurious remains to be seen, but those kinds of weird things happen with data. -- The thirst for consumer records is bipartisan. In April, Bill Clinton told the BBC that when it comes to fighting terrorism, more than 95 percent of the people that are in the United States at any given time are in the computers of companies that mail junk mail, and you can look for patterns there. Katherine Albrecht, a crusader against grocery loyalty cards and invasive marketing, notes in a paper to be published in the Denver Law Review, Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA) and Tom Davis (R-VA) recently introduced legislation that would require all states' driver's licenses and ID cards to contain an embedded computer chip capable of accepting 'data or software written to the license or card by non-governmental
Re: [CTRL] 48 SEPARATE PRINCIPALITIES IN THE VIRGINIA COMPANY
-Caveat Lector- Even though in 1607 it was that JAMES EDWARD STUART did not know the exact geographical size of the land mass in North America , he already knew that there were going to be 48 MEROVINGIAN PRINCIPALITIES to be ENTHRONED there. How could he know this in 1607. Quite easy. Since there were 48 MEROVINGIAN FAMILIES who signed on to the VIRGINIA COMPANY CHARTER , it was agreed that each FAMILY was to own it's very own PRINCIPALITY. PRINCIPALITIES are today called STATES. The WILD CARDS in this scenario were beyond JAMES STUART'S IMAGINATION. These were the STATES which became known as HAWAII and ALASKA. Even JAMES'S ASTROLOGERS couldnt have predicted these two. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
Re: [CTRL] IF KING GEORGE THE THIRD HADNT BEEN A VAMPIRE
-Caveat Lector- This is the one that always ELICITS the MOST NOISE from HECKLERS and SCOFFERS. So please be my guest. Nevertheless as BIZARRE as it may sound that if HIS MOST BRITTANIC MAJESTY hadnt been a sufferer of the VAMPIRE DISEASE there never would have been a REVOLUTION in the THIRTEEN COLONIES. And it really wasnt HIS MAJESTY'S FAULT in actuality. He just sort of SUFFERED from a SPECIAL KIND of DEMENTIA. They made a MOVIE about it recently. Entitled THE MADDENING of KING GEORGE the THIRD . The DEFECTIVE GENE which caused the VAMPIRE DISEASE was brought into the current ROYAL FAMILIES of EUROPE by JAMES EDWARD STUART'S MOTHER. BLOODY MARY STUART. The old time cure for the VAMPIRE DISEASE was the DRINKING of HUMAN BLOOD. This is still the case today. The STUARTS can trace THEIR GENEOLOGY all the way back to PRINCE RACOGZNY of TRANSYLVANIA. Sounds like SCIENCE FICTION doesnt it. TRUTH is sometimes stranger than FICTION. In fact on the VERY FIRST PAGE of MANLY P. HALL'S ( a KNIGHT TEMPLAR ) SECRET TEACHINGS of ALL THE AGES is an OIL PAINTING of the COUNT De.ST.GERMAIN.MANLY PALMER HALL says about a dozen times in his book that the COUNT DE.ST.GERMAIN is actually COUNT RACOGZNY of TRANSYLVANIA himself. The KNIGHTS TEMPLARS for those who arent quite up to speed on these issues are the GUARDIANS of the GRAIL.The GRAIL is the LINEAGE of ROYALTY who are the CARRIERS of the VAMPIRE DISEASE. Those who have been seeing the RAMBLINGS of the DOVE of ONENESS and her NESARA STUFF must no doubt recall that she says she is now in communication with the COUNT DE.ST.GERMAIN. It seems that the COUNT gets around quite a bit. He must own his own health food store. Since he was alive in 1743 and still alive in 2002. Perhaps we should all see if we can buy the VITAMINS and MINERALS he must be ingesting for his unusually long LIFE SPAN. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] November 17 Greek terrorist group
-Caveat Lector- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psy-op/message/11085 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tue Jul 23, 2002 3:48 pm Subject: Re: [psy-op] French Connections What do you think about it? In a message dated 7/23/2002 9:45:06 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What can one say about the case of Giotopoulos, the 65-year-old Trotskyist now plausibly identified as the leader or at least one of the leaders of the recently busted (after 17 years) November 17 Greek terrorist group. A character from a Conrad novel, turning up every morning at the library of the French Institute in Athens to spend hours studying newspapers and magazines to see who most deserved to be killed. ~ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psy-op/message/11101 From: halva_gr [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed Jul 24, 2002 12:05 am Subject: Re: French Connections --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What do you think about it? Firstly there is a typographical error: November 17 dates back 27 years, not 17 years. It had its origins amongst a group of expatriate Greeks in Paris during the period when Greece was run by the Colonels' junta. Ideologically it was influenced by the Trotskyist and Maoist conceptions in circulation at the time of May 68 events and it remained in a Third Worldist anti-imperialist mode for long after different thinking had come to prevail not only in mainstream politics but also in the extra-parliamentary Left (one must still use this kind of terminology when talking about November 17). November 17 pronunciamentos, which were always conveneniently distributed after each of their strikes by sections of the mainstream press, took on an increasingly museum-like appearance as the years passed. Given that it was known that the group originated where it did, and that only 200 or so people would have had to be investigated for it to be brought into the open, it is impressive that the group worked with impunity for so many years, selecting a wide variety of different targets as its victims, including people conjuncturally inconvenient to the leadership of Greece's PASOK socialist party (people not worthy of martyr status who it would have been nice to see neutralised in other ways, but anyway that is how they were dealt with). There was also a collateral damage of the innocent, not so much at the beginning, moreso in later years. In 2001 November 17 killed British Embassy official Stephen Saunders and Scotland Yard was brought in (or brought itself in). They carried out more systematic investigations of the original group in Paris. Faced, it is said, with a United States ultimatum that the there had to be arrests before June 30 this year, the Greek government initiated,or was bestowed with the gift of, the bomb explosion in Piraeus which led to the detention of the first November 17 suspect, 40 year old icon painter Savvas Xiros. This led to an avalanche of arrests over the following weeks. What do I think about it? For a start I don't have the nerves to watch the endless television hysteria that has broken out in this place. The War AGainst Terrorism is in town, and its Greek variant is no more edifying than what will be familiar to Americans. The aesthetics of it are the same. Greek private television was introduced by a Communist-Conservative Right Wing coalition government in 1989 and the enormity of the change it signifies is only now becoming fully apparent. Elementary considerations of legal propriety are being trampled underfoot. The War against Terrorism has expelled from the media all other news related to people's real interests. There is an extremely unprofessional fanaticism abroad among journalists. I singled out the personal habits of Giotopoulos, his haunting of the French Institute library, because of its symbolism. The media think they are burying the Left (particularly the Western-European- inspired post-1968 Left with its self-image of being more radical than the Communist Party). What they are burying is the fag end of a tradition in any case more than ripe for burial, much of it (not November 17 I might add) pursuing policies objectively favourable to NATO in recent years, but not able to grasp the implications of this and achieve autonomy within this new framework. If, as is being hinted, the United States insists that any November 17 members suspected of having committed crimes against Americans be tried in the United States, the repercussions of this controversy could be very profound. The Greek political class will try to resist. Will some clear-thinking Greeks begin to see the logic of
Re: [CTRL] November 17 Greek terrorist group
-Caveat Lector- --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a lot to go over in this post. But I go back to my earlier questions regarding the Chinese connection. That is-since this is the resurrection of old French Connection that we are looking at in Afghanistan and it is built on earlier routes throughout the Golden triangle and the Iraqi/Baghdadi trade routes on the old Silk Road Are you looking at the West End as it enters Greece through Turkey just as I am looking at the East end? For a long time the CIA might have been content to use groups like November 17 to act as cover for illegal ops. The connections to the both the French and the Trotskyists is fascinating. Wasn't there a communist uprising in France in 1968? The reason it rings a bell with me is that it was at a Renault plant. Following WW2 the old Nazi works were divided up between the allies. Technology was divided up. Since Renault had been in Russia before the revolution, Renault maintained a relationship with the Russian government. By '68 Renault was working jointly with the Russian on some of the military components. The factory that was involved with the strikes in France was working on part of that program. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain I believe the project moved to Belarus, while other components were moved to the Samsung works in Korea. as you sed before, we look at things from our own perspective and bias. The story on Giotopoulos seems to all say the same things in the US press and that is not much. He was an economist? Do you know what he was involved with in economics? Do you know if he had anything to do with game theory or other computer modeling? Trotskyists are in the news more and more frequently these days especially in conjunction with their fight against globalization. Do you believe Giotopoulos is guilty? Do you believe there is a larger picture that we are not seeing? A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] ~HeAdLiNeS~ 07/23/02
-Caveat Lector- Amateur Cameraman Accuses Prosecutors http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/100 Alex Constantine : Operation Mockingbird http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/101 Welfare Rolls: On the Rise Again http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/102 White House's anti-leak steps questioned http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/103 Pilger: Palast's Information is a Hand Grenade http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/104 Israeli Cabinet backs Jewish-only towns Measure http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/105 Jurors in NYPD torture trial want rereading of prosecution testimony http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/106 Re-envisioning Mesoamerica | Grassroots Organizing http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/107 U.S. Moves to Undermine New Torture Treaty http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/108 Nigeria to leave OPEC http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/109 Bush's War on Terrorism is Floundering http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/110 New list for prison psych rights activists http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/111 White House Still Selling Privatization of Social Security http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/112 International Activists Protect Homes and Families Under Threat http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/113 Bayer and the UN Global Compact http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmuck/message/114 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] U.S. to Block U.N. Torture Vote
-Caveat Lector- U.S. to Block U.N. Torture Vote Wed Jul 24, 1:43 PM ET By DAFNA LINZER, Associated Press Writer UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Concerned about the possibility of independent visits to U.S. civilian and military prisons, the United States sought Wednesday to block a vote on a U.N. plan meant to enforce a convention on torture. The United States wants negotiations on the plan reopened, a move human rights groups say could kill the proposal, which they believe is essential to ending torture around the world. Debate on the anti-torture plan was underway Wednesday in the U.N. Economic and Social Council, known as ECOSOC, and a vote was expected in the afternoon. However, the United States had submitted a proposal to block the vote and it wasn't clear whether the council would agree to the U.S. request for open- ended talks on the current text and the process connected with it. Among the U.S. concerns is language that could allow for international and independent visits to U.S. prisons and to terror suspects being held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said allowing outside observers into state prisons would infringe on states' rights. Another problem, the official said, is the issue of access to suspected al- Qaida and Taliban fighters captured in Afghanistan ( news - web sites) and being held in the war on terrorism. The anti-torture proposal enjoys wide support among Western European and Latin American countries. But conservative Muslim states that shun outside intervention are likely to back the U.S. request in order to stave off a vote. Human rights advocates argue that the optional protocol is essential to enforce an international convention on torture passed 13 years ago and since ratified by about 130 countries, including the United States. Countries are supposed to enforce the convention on their own, but rights groups argue that that isn't working everywhere. A vote against the optional protocol would be a disastrous setback in the fight against torture, said Martin MacPherson, head of Amnesty International's legal program. People were tortured or ill-treated by authorities in 111 countries last year, according to an Amnesty report. Activists fear that if the United States succeeds in reopening the negotiations, it will mean a kiss of death, for the protocol, said Rory Mungoven of the New York-based Human Rights Watch. This protocol would create a more pro-active mechanism that includes visits to prisons and other preventive measures which would help enforce the convention, Mungoven said. The protocol, which has been under negotiation for a decade, would be an optional, supplementary document. According to the text, the objective of the protocol is to establish a system of regular visits undertaken by independent and national bodies to places where people are deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. If the protocol is approved, it moves to the General Assembly where it would need to be approved by a majority of the 190 member states. Then, it will require 20 ratifications before it can go into force. In little more than a year we have gone from enjoying peace and the most prosperous economy in our history, to a nation plunged into war, recession and fear. This is a nation being transformed before our very eyes. http://www.truthout.com Steve Wingate, Webmaster ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Depleted Uranium May Pose Risk to Children
-Caveat Lector- Depleted Uranium May Pose Risk to Children Wed Jul 24, 2:23 PM ET LONDON (Reuters) - Soil contaminated with debris from depleted uranium shells could be putting children in the Balkans and the Gulf at an increased risk of developing cancer and kidney damage, New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday. Youngsters who play in areas where the shells created clouds of uranium dust when they hit their targets are most endangered, according to Italian researchers. The Italian team says that children living in areas of conflict that have been bombarded with DU (depleted uranium) could get a dose of radiation above the internationally recognized safety limit, the science weekly said. Researchers from the University of Florence and the Tuscan Environment Protection Agency (ARPAT) calculated that children could inhale a radiation dose from contaminated soil that would exceed safety levels set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Swallowing contaminated soil would increase the risk further. In sites targeted by DU munitions, special measures have to be adopted to reduce exposures, said Daniele Dominici, a physicist at the University of Florence. Depleted uranium is used to harden the tips of armor-piercing shells. Others studies, including research from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, support the Italian findings. A report by Britain's Royal Society, an academy of leading scientists, said soldiers exposed to high levels of depleted uranium could suffer kidney damage and it could pose a risk to civilians through contaminated soil or water supplies. It suggested topsoil in heavily contaminated areas should be removed and water quality monitored for any contamination. Concerns about the health effects of DU arose last year after peacekeepers in Bosnia and Kosovo said they had developed leukemia after exposure to the material. Some 270 tons of DU have been spread over battlefields in the Gulf and the Balkans during the last decade, the vast majority by U.S. forces, the magazine added. In little more than a year we have gone from enjoying peace and the most prosperous economy in our history, to a nation plunged into war, recession and fear. This is a nation being transformed before our very eyes. http://www.truthout.com Steve Wingate, Webmaster ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Defaults
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.mises.org/fullstory.asp?control=1003 Wednesday, July 24, 2002 A Tradition of Defaults by Antony P. Mueller [Posted July 22, 2002] Argentina's recent bankruptcy and the spreading financial turmoil in its neighboring countries are just the latest chapters in Latin America's long history of foreign debt and default. The first wave of international payment inability occurred in the 1820s. After Latin American countries regained access to external markets, it did not take long until the second wave of debt renunciations came, in the 1880s. Declarations of payment inability followed before the outbreak of World War I, and further defaults came in the 1930s. In the 1980s, almost all Latin American countries defaulted, and in 2002, the mega default of Argentina took place, making the Latin American states the perennial defaulters[i] of the past 200 years. While wars have been the primary cause of European defaults, governmental profligacy and far-reaching, illusory, state-sponsored plans of modernization lie at the bottom of Latin America's default tradition. By experience, access to foreign money has become deeply associated with the good life, and governments quickly lose their legitimacy when they fail to deliver. Even in the face of the current financial crisis, which is most severe in Argentina and is about to infect a series of other countries in the region, rare are the voices that point to the risks coming from foreign credit accumulation and domestic credit expansion. On the contrary: those economists receive the most attention who say that econometric models demonstrate that periods of foreign debt accumulation and domestic credit expansion go hand in hand with economic prosperity, just as inflation goes with economic growth. The promise of a free ride is easily taken up by politicians. Who wants to be guilty of producing stagnation? When the borrowing spree comes to an end, it will be the misery rich countries and the greedy speculators that will be identified as the culprits of another lost decade. It must be bad intentions that they stopped to provide new money exactly when the region promised to take off into a new development stage. And it was also the failure of the own governments because they could not manage to get more loans. Gaining access to new foreign exchange forms the basis of the love-hate relationship between the debtor countries of Latin America and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). When debt negotiations take place, the IMF becomes the source of emergency financing and the catalyst for private lenders; in this regard, the IMF's approval is highly welcome. Whatever the deeper rationale of the IMF's policy recommendations may be in the intentions of the governments, it is access to new credit that is the overriding objective most of the time. Based on the theory that the countries of Latin America are structurally dependent on foreign capital, economic policy receives its prime focus from the goal of manipulating the financial and macroeconomic variables that are perceived to constitute the prerequisite for the access to foreign exchange. An unending series of interventionist measures, along with constant endeavors to get contingency credit lines from the IMF, produces the very reason why the dependency will persist and the debt burdens will increase. In the wake of the Argentinean disaster, Brazil now is moving closer to default. As was true in Argentina, economic policy in Brazil is characterized by the obsession to please the IMF. For almost two decades now, economic policy measures in Brazil have been ruled almost exclusively by the proposals that have come from the IMF; thus, the country could regain its access to foreign exchange. But playing the good boy has come at a high price: step by step, internal and external debt levels have been approaching the threshold at which payment inability becomes imminent and the country must go into default. As promoted by the governments, the concept of credit has gained a peculiar connotation in Latin America's financial culture. The meaning of credit has turned into the equivalent of a gift. The calculation of future burdens in terms of interest and repayment is easily brushed away by a high time preference that permeates almost all aspects of life. Access to credit opens the way to instant spending; thus, debt is accumulated, even if--by prudent assessment--it is not that urgently needed. The common attitude says that present money is real, while the service of credit is something of the future and is, therefore, unreal. Consequently, when there is a chance of obtaining a credit, it will be taken. There are many serious people in Latin America who would prefer to stop this disastrous game. But centuries of easy-money policies and credit expansion have brought about a monetary culture that has become deeply rooted. Those who prefer financial
[CTRL] Catch 2002
-Caveat Lector- Okay. If you turn yourselves in so we can do a background check on you and find that you have infiltrated the United States illegally, then we can deny your application and arrest you all at the same time. Cool, eh? AER From http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na- legal23jul23012035.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines% 2Dnation THE NATION Immigration Reform on House Democrats' Minds Politics: 'Earned legalization,' temporary worker program are part of proposal. By RONALD BROWNSTEIN TIMES STAFF WRITER July 23 2002 MIAMI BEACH -- Hoping to revive the stalled debate over immigration reform, the leading House Democrat said Monday that his party soon would introduce legislation that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to move toward U.S. citizenship. In a speech here to the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino group, House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said that under the Democratic plan, undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years and who have worked for at least two years could become legal residents if they pass a background check by the FBI and law enforcement. These proposals reward hard work with fair play, and help us in our fight against terrorism, Gephardt said. Although details remain to be determined, Gephardt said, the plan would include a new program to import temporary workers from countries such as Mexico--a top business priority. The notion of combining a temporary worker program with an earned legalization follows the model that President Bush floated last year in talks with Mexico. But amid intense resistance to any form of legalization from many congressional Republican conservatives, Bush began to back away from the idea late last summer. In September, Mexican President Vicente Fox appeared to give immigration reform new life when he visited Washington and pressed Bush to finalize a plan by the end of 2001. But only a few days later, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks put the issue on hold. Gephardt's announcement marks the first major effort to revive the process. The idea still faces intense resistance from those who consider any path toward legalization for illegal immigrants a form of amnesty that rewards lawbreaking. And the attacks gave opponents a powerful new argument in their case, raising security concerns about legalizing foreigners who illegally entered the country. In an interview Monday, Gephardt argued that legalization would enhance U.S. security by providing officials a clearer picture of the illegal immigrant population. This is a way to bring people into a legal process and give us more sense of who is here and who is willing to play by the rules and who isn't, he said. Negative reaction to the plan was swift. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies--a group that supports reduced immigration--called it an astonishingly bad idea. It mocks the rule of law. It rewards lawbreakers. It will encourage more illegal immigration. Rep. Thomas G. Tancredo (R-Colo.), a leading congressional foe of efforts to liberalize legalization rules, dismissed the proposal as a backdoor amnesty plan and a political ploy aimed at gaining Latino support for Democrats. Gephardt said the plan would be introduced within two weeks. He acknowledged it has little prospect of passing this year. But it could give Democrats a valuable calling card with Latino voters during the fall congressional campaigns and increase pressure on the Bush administration to specify its own plans. Gephardt is putting down a marker that we are getting back to the legalization debate in a serious way, said Cecilia Munoz, La Raza's vice president for policy. White House officials, while saying they needed to see more details, expressed concern that the plan would make it too easy for illegal immigrants to achieve legal status. The administration has been considering ideas to require continued employment by illegal immigrants seeking legalization. According to House Democratic aides, the party plan will propose that illegal immigrants from all countries--not just Mexico--be allowed to pursue legalization. Illegal immigrants would have three years to apply for legal status. In addition to demonstrating five years of residency in the United States and two years of work and passing the background check, they would have to show that they have paid all state and federal taxes. Anyone who passed those tests--as well as their spouses and children--would become a permanent legal resident. Under current law, permanent residents are eligible to apply for citizenship after five years. As Gephardt described it, the House Democratic proposal follows the same political logic as the plan that Bush first floated last year. Both approaches envision a grand compromise to break the stalemate on immigration reform. Republicans and business, while urging a temporary worker
[CTRL] Shame on a World Where Sharon is a Free Man
-Caveat Lector- i am sure [EMAIL PROTECTED] will have something to say about this...and we all already know what.. --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], adreampuppet [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Blistering commentary here http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20020724141005863 Shame on A World Where Sharon is A Free Man Wednesday, July 24 2002 @ 02:10 PM GMT Palestinians are beyond angry, beyond betrayed and feel that the only method of dealing with the Israeli murderous campaign and occupation is to strike back at the Israelis, not only soldiers, not only militant settlers. By Ramzy Baroud, Editor-in-Chief I wonder if Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ran out of ideas yet. Every time we assume that he has employed his last tactic possible in his attempt to suppress the Palestinian people, the ever defiant `warrior' proves us wrong. His latest wild chase after Palestinian activists cost Palestinians 15 more lives and 148 wounded, adding to the Palestinian calendar yet another tragedy to commemorate. Those who dare to see the complete picture, without distortion and dishonesty know as a fact that Sharon is a madman, a fanatical fascist who have developed a unique style of racism, so unique to Zionism, so unique to him. But of course, only those of the alternative media, or former officials and statesman are willing to state so, for no fancy jobs are at stake here, and the political cost in the case of former politicians is minimal. However, until the world gathers its courage to tell Sharon: enough is enough, and you have no business occupying, assassinating and starving Palestinians, until that happens, Palestinians are destined to collect and bury their dead, alone with desperate chants for revenge and others for freedom. Today, as I gazed at the flow of photos and TV images of Palestinian civilians, or what has remained of them killed in the Israeli raid on Gaza, an angry question daunting me: Why does Sharon, a healthy man with a million-dollar farming industry keep chasing behind an oppressed population, living in cage-like towns and villages, desperately poor, while all they seek is freedom. Hasn't Sharon killed enough? Will his endless list of Palestinians to kill and places to bomb ever run out? Isn't a 52-year-long career in murder plenty to satisfy the man's thirst for Palestinian blood? How many more massacres would Sharon need to check out from his list before he dies, or quits politics for good? I am more concerned by the idea that Sharon is reaching an age, where his obsession with the security of Israel would lead him to carry out more wide scale, Sabra and Shatilla like massacres of Palestinians. Sharon is a firm believer in the good Arab is a dead Arab theory championed by many Zionists throughout the years. While for a fanatic Jewish settler to believe in such a saying is costly enough, for a Prime Minister endeared by a cheering Israeli public to carry out the statement as a policy, is horrifying. But haven't the Israelis tried everything yet? They massacred, bombarded, besieged, imprisoned Palestinians for over five decades, and cultivated nothing but more hatred and resistance. Why are they then dragging such a bad and failing policy forever? Is it just killing for the sake of killing? What have those innocent children, women and men of Gaza, so frail and precious committed to wake up from a sweet sleep to find themselves in a bloodbath and their loved ones blown to pieces, scattered under the heavy concrete? We all know by now that the fear of suicide bombing pretext is no longer tolerated, for many reasons. For one, the Israeli occupation began decades ago, and the suicide bombing developed as a desperate response to the cruel and incomprehensive Israeli practices in the 1990s. So there is no chicken and egg here to get us tangled up. But moreover, the Israeli attack on Gaza came only one day after Hamas announced its willingness to halt its attacks on Israel if the latter evacuate from recently occupied West Bank towns and release Palestinian political prisoners. The Hamas offer was made by the spiritual leader of the movement in an interview with Al-Jazeera. If Sharon really cared about the well-being of his people, he would have refrained from attacking one of the movement's top leaders in Gaza. The attack on Gaza was partly a response to the Hamas offer. Now, only naives would fail to see what would happen in coming weeks. Palestinians are beyond angry, beyond betrayed and feel that the only method of dealing with the Israeli murderous campaign and occupation is to strike back at the Israelis, not only soldiers, not only militant settlers. While its easy for some of us to tilt back in our comfortable chairs and dictate to the Palestinians what is acceptable and what is not in terms of methods of resistance, the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza are not governed by our cozy and convenient dictations. They are only humans, with a limited,
[CTRL] Article from the Chicago Sun-Times
-Caveat Lector- The following article from the Chicago Sun-Times has been forwarded to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you wish to stop receiving these articles, please contact the sender. Comments from the sender: Coulter's 'Slander' a lazy mix of errors, invective In her book Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right , the hyperventilating conservative pundit Ann Coulter states that one of the "unbending rules of the universe" is that "It is horrendous to attack a woman for her looks." To read the full story, click here: http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeper/cst-nws-roep23.html A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Dow Climbs More Than 300 Points
-Caveat Lector- Dow Climbs More Than 300 Points Wed Jul 24, 3:02 PM ET By SETH SUTEL, AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices turned around sharply Wednesday, shaking off an early slump as investors welcomed positive news about corporate scandals, the issue that has brought the market to five-year lows. The Dow Jones industrials soared more than 300 points in late afternoon. The arrest of the founder of Adelphia Communications Corp., who has been accused of looting the now-bankrupt cable company, lifted the spirits of investors demoralized by a string of accounting and ethics problems. The market was also buoyed by news that negotiators for the House and Senate have reached agreement on legislation to crack down on corporate fraud. President Bush ( news - web sites) has said he wants the legislation done this week. Wednesday's late surge was one of the biggest signs of life in the market in weeks. However, it was still indicative of the volatility that has swept over Wall Street lately. After falling more than 170 points in early trading, the Dow was up 314.08, or 4 percent, at 8,016.42 in midafternoon. The Nasdaq composite index was up 18.85, or 1.5 percent, at 1,247.90. The Standard Poor's 500 index was up 25.60, or 2.3 percent, at 823.30. The market has been struggling over the past several weeks as brief respites of buying on improving fundamental data, such as better corporate earnings and good signs about the economy, have been overwhelmed by pessimism linked to a string of corporate scandals. Rod Smith, an investment strategist with Wachovia Securities in Richmond, Va., said the market was bound to hit a turnaround given the rapid rates of declines over the past few weeks. The Dow lost 840 points over the past four sessions alone. Bill Barker, an investment strategy consultant at RBC Dain Rauscher in Dallas, said technical factors played a major role in the rally Wednesday as many traders were forced to buy back stock that they had sold short. In short trades, investors sell borrowed stock, expecting the market to fall; when the market then rises, they are forced to buy stock to pay back the debt. I think the market is increasingly being dominated by short-term traders, Barker said. We need to convince investors that corporate America is not crooked. However, Barker noted that it was very interesting that the market began to rally shortly after the arrests of the founder of Adelphia and his two sons were reported. The accounting scandal at Adelphia has been one of several that have been weighing on market sentiment. The market has been waiting for this, Alan Ackerman, vice president at Fahnestock Co., said of the Adelphia arrests. We have a big turnaround in process, but whether it will last or not is a big question. Some of this is based on the fact that the House and Senate appear to have made progress on corporate reforms. Some companies were rewarded for positive earnings reports Wednesday. Reebok blew away analysts' estimates of 30 cents per share by 9 cents a share, and its stock was up 97 cents at $24.28. DuPont was also up after reporting it swung to a profit in the second quarter, despite falling sales, after posting several charges last year. The chemical maker rose $2.14 to $39.18. Among Dow components, several major blue-chips also had big gains. Energy giant ExxonMobil was up $2.11 at $33.03, and J.P. Morgan Chase shook off previous losses to trade up $2.52 at $22.63. Declining issues just outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange ( news - web sites). Volume was very heavy. The markets have been on an unrelenting slide since mid-May, bringing major indicators to levels not seen in at least four years. When you start to fall at a rate of 100 percent per annum, that is not sustainable, Smith said. At some point we'll have a rally that lasts longer than a day or two. This may be the start of that, it may not be nobody knows. On Tuesday the SP 500, a broad index of major blue-chip companies, closed below 800 for the first time since April 1997. The Dow has fallen to its lowest close since October 1998 and the Nasdaq has dropped to its lowest close since May 1997. The Russell 2000 index was up 6.44, or 1.8 percent, Wednesday to 370.43. Overseas markets also fell Wednesday, but recovered some of their earlier losses after Wall Street pared its own deficit. Germany's DAX index was up 3.3 percent, recovering from a steep drop earlier. Britain's FTSE 100 was down 2.1 percent, and France's CAC-40 was down 1.5 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 2.6 percent. In little more than a year we have gone from enjoying peace and the most prosperous economy in our history, to a nation plunged into war, recession and fear. This is a nation being transformed before our very eyes. http://www.truthout.com Steve Wingate, Webmaster ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com A
[CTRL] NYTIMES - On Ashcroft
Title: NYTIMES - On Ashcroft -Caveat Lector- July 24, 2002 Ashcroft's Terrorism Policies Dismay Some Conservatives By NEIL A. LEWIS WASHINGTON, July 23 Many religious conservatives who were most instrumental in pressing President Bush to appoint John Ashcroft as attorney general now say they have become deeply troubled by his actions as the leading public figure in the law enforcement drive against terrorism. Their dismay comes as several Bush advisers have begun complaining that Mr. Ashcroft, with his lifelong politician's fondness for attention, has projected himself too often and too forcefully. More significantly, they say privately that he seems to be overstating the evidence of terrorist threats. Most striking, however, is how some conservatives who were Mr. Ashcroft's biggest promoters for his cabinet appointment after he lost his re-election to the Senate in 2000 have lost enthusiasm. They cite his anti-terrorist positions as enhancing the kind of government power that they instinctively oppose. His religious base is now quite troubled by what he's done, said Grover Norquist, a conservative strategist and president of Americans for Tax Reform. Mr. Norquist, who holds regular lunches with a cross-section of conservative leaders and is influential with White House and Congressional Republicans, said, If there hadn't been this big-government problem, Ashcroft would have been talked about as the Bush successor. Instead, the talk is that `too bad we pushed for him.' Ken Connor, the president of the Family Research Council, said that while he still applauded Mr. Ashcroft's stands on abortion and child pornography, he and many other religious leaders were dismayed by the changes instituted at the Justice Department. It's important that we conservatives maintain a high degree of vigilance, Mr. Connor said. We need to ask ourselves the question, How would our groups fare under these new rules? Beyond the conservatives' concerns, some White House advisers say Mr. Ashcroft and his two closest aides have behaved as if his personal political standing was a central priority. Mr. Ashcroft's chief of staff, David Ayres, and the deputy chief of staff, David Israelite, are known collectively as the two Davids. Both have political backgrounds; Mr. Ayres was Mr. Ashcroft's chief of staff in the Senate and worked on his short-lived presidential campaign in 2000. Mr. Israelite was political director of the Republican National Committee. One close Bush adviser said Mr. Ashcroft had surrounded himself with people who think they're still running a presidential campaign. Mr. Ashcroft finds himself in this unlikely situation in part because, as even some of his fellow Republicans say, he is still trying to make the difficult transition from a senator and before that governor, with no one to answer to but the voters. He is now obliged to hew to the role of a loyal courtier with a specific place on the organization chart. Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director, said Mr. Bush was very pleased with the job the attorney general is doing in prosecuting the war on terrorism. Mr. Bartlett also disputed that Mr. Ayres and Mr. Israelite were too political. Praising their work, he said, we have increased the level of communication between the two offices to make sure that we are able to communicate a unified message. Mr. Ashcroft declined to be interviewed for this article as did Mr. Ayres and Mr. Israelite. Since Sept. 11, no administration figure has depicted the threat or argued for the need to accept sweeping changes with as much zeal as John Ashcroft. In the most recent example, Mr. Ashcroft appeared before a packed Congressional hearing the other day in full dire-warning mode. But when he asserted that Al Qaeda was already within the country and waiting to strike again, several in the administration shook their heads. White House advisers complained that Mr. Ashcroft was overstating the threat. Law enforcement authorities fear Al Qaeda's presence in the United States, but admit that they have not established it as fact. While he is a highly visible player in the antiterrorism battle, Mr. Ashcroft has had to adjust to the fact that there are few decisions of importance made in the Justice Department without the explicit approval of the White House and its counsel's office, say officials in the Justice Department and the White House. Mr. Ashcroft received perhaps his first sharp lesson in what his role was supposed to be when the White House sent its antiterrorist legislation to Congress after the attacks. As a former senator, he began negotiating with his old colleagues as to what concessions might be made to pass what became the USA Patriot Act, officials said in interviews. But when the White House was informed of his discussions, he was stunned to be told that he was not authorized to make such offers. Even though the legislation centered on the law enforcement world he headed, Mr.
[CTRL] Two Crooks Tall Tail Tale Talk
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.thedailyenron.com/documents/20020724090150-41088.asp DOJ Fiddles While Assets Burn Public Opinion Turning Sour on Economy/White House Tale of Two Criminals Criminal One: Male, 35. Two kilos of cocaine found in his home. Estimated street value - $65,000. Arrested by the FBI. Immediately charged with federal crimes of possession and trafficking in narcotics. Jailed. Bail set at $1 million. Home, auto and bank accounts seized pending trial. Conviction and long sentences at hard prisons are the rule rather than exception. Criminal Two: Male, 45. Chief Financial Officer of a major corporation. Company files bankruptcy. Investigators produce proof he was part of a conspiracy to defraud, resulting in investor losses exceeding $1.2 billion. No charges filed. Instead, long civil and criminal investigations begin and drag on for months, even years. Personal assets are neither frozen or seized. Eventual criminal charges are rare, prosecution even rarer, convictions few and hard jail time nearly non-existent. The US Marshals Service is currently managing more than $1.6 billion in property seized from alleged drug dealers and other criminals. Assets seized include cars, boats, aircraft, residential and commercial properties, cash, jewelry, precious metals, and a host of other items. When the government decides it wants to send a clear message that crime does not pay, it can and does. So, why don't they drop the same net over the assets of the current crop of corporate scofflaws? With the exception of the occasional low-level embezzler or lone-wolf scam artist, those accused of multi-million white collar/corporate scams are allowed to maintain possession and control over the booty they accumulated until pulled away from the company till. Despite all the recent tough talk and chest thumping from the Bush administration and its Department of Justice, even the highest profile examples of corporate malfeasance remain unmolested by federal asset seizure. We need only look to the people who started all this to see what I mean: Ken Lay, Enron's former Chairman and CEO, has been described by friends as deeply wounded by Enron's collapse and the allegations of wrongdoing. But, he apparently heals quickly. The Lays continue to maintain their $7 million unit in the Huntingdon high-rise in exclusive River Oaks. They sold one of the three homes they owned in the posh Pirate's Cove section of Galveston and all three homes they owned in Aspen, Colorado where state laws allow for creditor-seizures. Lay starts his days with an early morning workout, breakfast with his wife and then heads to his office in a building near the Huntingdon where, according to his spokeswoman, he spends his day reviewing new opportunities. His wife, Linda, spends her days fencing personal items for their homes at her second-hand store, Jus' Stuff. - The Rasputin of Enron, Jeffrey Skilling, continues to enjoy life in his $4 million Mediterranean-style mansion in a suburb of Houston. While many of Enron's former employees have lost their homes to foreclosure since Enron's bankruptcy, Skilling's family has experienced no diminution of lifestyle. - Andy Fastow, the mechanic behind many of Enron's dirty deals, Fastow spends his days coaching his son's baseball team and weekending at the family's $288,000 vacation home near Galveston - located just blocks from one owned by his former boss, Ken Lay. When he tires of that weekend diversion, he visits their second vacation home situated on 68 acres in Norwich, Vermont. Currently the Fastow family is between primary residences and are temporarily slumming it in a $700,000 home on a small lot in Southampton. But, they will soon move into a 12,000-square-foot mansion under construction in River Oaks. It's hard to say what the joint cost him, but the lot alone sold for more than $1 million. Former Enron workers whose livelihoods and pensions were wiped out can only stand in line with other bilked investors, hoping that pending lawsuits can retrieve scraps of their former savings - scraps that remain under the full control of the very people accused of mugging them in the first place. When suspected drug dealers are arrested, the feds sweep in and put nearly everything they own in a lockbox, and for good reason. Federal asset seizure deprives suspects of the time and opportunity to liquidate and hide the bounty of their crimes. Courts have upheld the right of the government to seize and hold property suspected of being used in or representing the fruits of criminal activity. So, Attorney General Ashcroft, what's the hold up? Today's arrest of former Alephia CEO John Rigas was a rare but welcome change of pace. But let's not stop there. Enron's Gang of Three remains loose. Each is in a known location. Between them they have more money than al-Qaeda; they are living well and are reviewing new opportunities. We understand it is
[CTRL] Warning: Leave Iraq
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.themercury.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,4769964,00.html Print this page Warning: leave Iraq By Chloe Adams 25jul02 THE Federal Government has warned Australians in Iraq to leave the country as soon as possible. A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs and Trade also urged Australians to avoid visiting Iraq as the US prepares to widen its war on terrorism to the region. The official warning comes just weeks after the Australian Government indicated it would support a US-led attack on Iraq. The warning came as Trade Minister Mark Vaile said Iraq's threat to halve Australian wheat imports may be partly due to good domestic production forecasts. Australia, on the other hand, was heading rapidly towards a drought that would cut wheat and other crop production, he said. Iraq has threatened to halve imports of Australian wheat in protest against the Government's support of possible US military strikes against Iraq. Prime Minister John Howard repeated the Government's stand, saying Iraq's threats would not dictate Australian foreign policy. We can't really allow ourselves to be told what our foreign policy might be in the future as a condition of people taking our exports, he said on radio yesterday. privacy © Davies Bros ~~~ AER + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no automatic endorsement + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. --- Ernest Hemingway A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] NYTimes.com Article: In the West, Hot Weather Fuels Wildfires in 8 States
-Caveat Lector- This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED] Are the HAARPies at it again? Hegelian land-grab? [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the West, Hot Weather Fuels Wildfires in 8 States July 24, 2002 By NICK MADIGAN LOS ANGELES, July 23 - With conditions relentlessly dry and the weather growing hotter, firefighters today battled 34 significant fires in eight Western states, the most dramatic of which creeped menacingly toward the giant, centuries-old trees of Sequoia National Forest. Across the nation, about 350 new wildfires were reported on Monday, although only four of those escaped initial attacks by firefighters to become larger fires. The West is really where we're seeing the most of the large fire activity, said Janelle Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, which is tracking 14 fires in Oregon alone. In Kernville, Calif., about 150 miles north of here, an out-of-control blaze threatened the Sequoia National Forest, where the largest redwood trees in existence have, for the most part, survived countless fires over the years. About 1,000 firefighters have been summoned to the blaze officials are calling the McNalley Fire, which has burned almost 38,000 acres of wildland and smaller trees. If uncontained, the blaze could be headed for about 200 structures in and near the forest. Winds today began blowing the flames away from the Trail of a Hundred Giants, where the tallest and oldest trees stand about two miles from the front of the fire, officials said. The blaze was only 20 percent contained and remained highly unpredictable. The Trail of a Hundred Giants was not in immediate danger, a spokeswoman said. A spokesman for the United States Forest Service, Jim Paxon, said that anything could happen with conditions so volatile. If fire does get in the Trail of a Hundred Giants, we won't be putting firefighters in there to try to stop it, The Associated Press reported Mr. Paxon as saying. It will be a climax of 300- or 400-foot flames. Firefighters were carefully watching the fire's proximity to the forest's Packsaddle and Freeman Creek groves, where some underbrush had been removed before the current blaze. Fire is going to go through those other groves if it gets there, Mr. Paxon said, but because they've had some treatment, the fire may be on the ground and not destroy those groves. About 400 Boy Scouts were evacuated from a camp near the forest, as were several hundred people in nearby towns. At least 10 structures in the area were destroyed. In south-central Oregon, the 34,400-acre Winter Fire joined in one area with the 63,012 Tool Box Fire, and each was about 40 percent contained today, said Chris Friend, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry. The Winter Fire is still giving us fits now and then, said Mr. Friend, who described how a team of firefighters were moved out of an area of dead and highly flammable trees on Monday when a downdraught from a thunderstorm scattered the wind in all directions. The Monument Fire in Oregon grew today to 24,700 acres, and was threatening about 75 homes, Ms. Smith said. The blaze, near Unity, a small town in northeast Oregon, was nowhere near containment, she said. Also in Oregon, the Eyerly Fire was being managed under one command, near Camp Sherman. The resulting 23,777-acre fire was 75 percent contained today. In Idaho and Utah, firefighters were chasing about 25 new fires. At this point, they're initial attacks - in other words, the first response, Ms. Smith said. That's when they try to contain or put it out in the first attack. That's been our strategy. When things have been as extreme as they are, we try to catch those fires with initial attacks before they become large. This year, 3.7 million acres of wildland have burned in the United States; the average for the year to date is normally 1.7 million acres. Keep in mind that it's just been an extreme fire season, and we're only approaching the peak of season about now, Ms. Smith said. What really sets this year apart is that really extreme drought conditions existed in many states. The fire behavior that they were seeing was a month earlier than what they usually see. In Colorado, a light rain helped firefighters battling a 4,100-acre blaze near Rocky Mountain National Park. About 225 homes near Lyons, Colo., were evacuated and occupants of 400 to 500 more houses were told today to be ready to leave. Firefighters were concerned about predictions of wind and lightning today as they dug firebreaks around the Deer Point Fire, a 23,700-acre blaze near Lake Chelan, Wash. Evacuation warnings remained in effect for about 200 homes there and the fire was 30 percent contained. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/national/24FIRE.html?ex=1028538037ei=1en=04ce3edad20ffc3c HOW TO ADVERTISE - For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising
[CTRL] AA, Saudi Style (beats those meetings)
-Caveat Lector- From http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,4763315%255E401,00.html Print this page Saudis to flog Briton From The Times 24jul02 A LONDON businessman faces becoming the first Briton to be flogged in Saudi Arabia for 17 years after a court ordered that he receive 800 lashes and eight years in jail for running an illegal drinking club. Gary O'Nions's sentence comes as six Britons begin their appeals in Riyadh today over Saudi claims that some of them led a bombing campaign in a war over the lucrative trade in bootleg alcohol. Their families fear the men will be harshly treated as the Saudi authorities try to cover up the work of militant extremists who are thought to have staged the explosions that killed two Britons working in the kingdom. All six have refused a Saudi ultimatum to accept a deal that involves them pleading guilty. If they continue their legal fight they face harsher punishments. They told lawyers at the weekend they would say in court that confessions were beaten out of them. Diplomatic relations with Riyadh will be badly damaged if the Saudis persist with the flogging of O'Nions, 56, and sentence two of the six Britons, Sandy Mitchell and William Sampson, to death. The men's families complain that the British Foreign Office has not done enough to help them. O'Nions's wife, Mary, said Foreign Office officials had not even told her about the verdict. This is all being done in secret, and Britain is doing nothing, she said. O'Nions also faces a $1,154,127 fine for running the Empire Club in Riyadh, one of the most successful drinking clubs used by expatriates in Saudi, where all alcohol is banned. The lashes, with a cane, will be given in prison in batches so that Mr O'Nions can recover between beatings. The last Briton to be flogged in the kingdom was John Kelly, an engineer, who received 250 lashes in 1985 for alcohol offences. While westerners are usually spared this punishment, the authorities are perturbed at the adverse publicity they have received over the continuing protests of the British suspects and their families. One of the lawyers for the men said: Our concern is they may wish to make an exhibition of some of them to pass the message, 'don't cause us embarrassment or you will suffer'. The lawyers say the Saudis are pressuring them not to retract their confessions. privacy © Sunday Times ~~~ AER + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no automatic endorsement + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. --- Ernest Hemingway A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fwd: [global_news_net] GNN - CALIFORNIA HERE I COME
-Caveat Lector- --- Start of forwarded message --- Global News Net is a forum whose mission is to present diverse information, commentary and analysis for the purpose of promoting solution-oriented awareness and introspection leading to informed choices. July 24, 2002 CALIFORNIA HERE I COME By Francine Hardaway, Stealthmode Partners, www.stealthmode.com (July 19, 2002) I have now been in California since July 3, first in San Diego and then in the Bay Area. Ive met with one client who used to be in San Francisco, but now offices in Santa Rosa, having shrunk his company to two people and an admin. Ive seen another client whose offices are being remodeled around him for the next tenant who can pay the rent. The landlord said our client can stay until the next tenant moves in. Ive met with a start-up company--funded by a large computer parts manufacturer--that is looking for a CEO to come in and find it a strategic marketing partner. They are hoping the CEO will work for sweat equity. Ive been to a gorgeous, empty gym in a gorgeous, empty Redwood City industrial park that both Excite and Broadvision were supposed to move into. And that Broadvision is still paying the lease for. Excites former headquarters buildings, all glass, are empty. You can literally see through them. All along the 101, the Yellow Brick Road of Silicon Valley, are signs offering space for lease. Journalists are writing about the doom and gloom in the Bay Area, as people are forced to give up their second homes and their fancy cars. Me, I never was part of the upturn, because I chose to live and work in Arizona. We missed most of it. Every day I watch CNBC while I work. Every day the government (Bush, Greenspan, Harvey Pitt, any Senator or Representative) says something. And every day the stock market goes down. The SEC has until August 15 to look at the books of public companies and see if there is misstatement of revenues or earnings. Ill bet more bad news is on the horizon from the re-stating that will inevitably occur even in companies who didnt commit accounting fraud. Better safe than sorry, will be the thinking, already articulated by Intels Andy Bryant as he announced 4000 layoffs by attrition. Look for the stock market to go down more. The tech community and its economy are still bleeding. If Broadvision is still paying a lease on a building it no longer needs and didnt even move into, how much more of that is happening? How many other companies are stuck with overhead they cant legally get out of, while their sales are still flat or diminished? In Excites case, the lease outlives the company. What do we learn here about overhead? These companies, flush with cash from their IPOs, run by young people with no experience of a downturn, rushed to expand to fill orders from customers, many of whom themselves do not exist anymore. How can there be a comeback. Who will be the customer? The government cant help us here. Everyone in Bushs cabinet, seemingly, has been a corporate officer at one time or another. But theyve all done exactly what is now being investigated which is why Dick Cheney, being sued for his activities running Halliburton, has not spoken out more forcefully about corporate governance. We just have to wait it out. We can do that in California, Arizona, or anywhere else we happen to be. We live in a global universe, and when America sneezes, other countries get pneumonia complicated by epilepsy. Me, Ive gotten myself a tmobile account so I can wirelessly connect at 11 mbs from any Starbucks. Ive taken a few yoga classes in Pacifica, not far from Montara, the beach town where Chelsea (my daughter) lives. In her town, the people are mostly farmers and fishermen. All day long there are men working on things around the neighborhood. They hammer, saw, plant and mow. I guarantee they are not knowledge workers. They catch salmon and sell it to knowledge workers. One family has an alpaca farm. When I walk the dogs, the alpacas come out to greet us. They look like characters in a Spielberg movie. The alpaca farmer sheers his pets and sells the sweaters to knowledge workers. In the Pacifica Starbucks, I met a man who is seriously studying yoga from books and does not appear to work at all. I also met a man who brings his dog there every day. The dog is trained to jump into a chair outside the store and wait while the man gets coffee. Amidst all this, Im seriously thinking of becoming a barista. Now, *thats* a knowledge worker. *** GNN is grateful to Stealthmode Partners and Francine Hardaway for permission to re-print this article. www.stealthmode.com , [EMAIL PROTECTED] Global News Net is a free newsletter published by Dandelion Enterprises,
Re: [CTRL] IF KING GEORGE THE THIRD HADNT BEEN A VAMPIRE
-Caveat Lector- In a message dated 7/24/02 11:07:40 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: COUNT DE.ST.GERMAIN It may well be a titular title in an organization. Om K A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Mujahideen Revisited or It's Deja Vu all over again...
-Caveat Lector- http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news23.txt First U.S.-trained soldiers graduate By TANALEE SMITH of the Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan - More than 350 Afghan soldiers trained by the U.S. military marched briskly past President Hamid Karzai and Defense Minister Mohammed Fahim on Tuesday in a graduation ceremony, raising hopes that the country will eventually have a full-fledged army that can ensure stability. The whole world is watching you, Fahim told the 350 enlisted men and 36 officers of the 1st Battalion. All the people are hopeful of this national army, which should be trusted by all the people. It is a great day for all the Afghan people. The graduation was held at the Kabul Military Training Center, where the bombed-out buildings had to be rebuilt before training could begin. The Afghans were trained by soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group. A second similar-sized group is being trained by the French army. These groups are the small beginning of an army that the United Nations says should eventually number about 60,000. They currently are far outnumbered by the tens of thousands of fighters in the private armies loyal to Afghanistan's regional warlords. The importance of a well-trained regular army to Afghanistan's long-term stability was underlined this week by the decision to bring in U.S. soldiers to guard the presidential palace in the wake of rising security concerns raised by the assassination this month of Vice President Abdul Qadir - the second government minister to be killed this year. The U.S. soldiers were to replace bodyguards who were part of the estimated 10,000 fighters loyal to Fahim, who has one of the country's largest private forces. Karzai was escorted at the ceremony by Afghan bodyguards whose affiliation was unclear. Although U.S. soldiers were at the ceremony, none were seen guarding Karzai. The president told the soldiers that their job included helping the entire population of Afghanistan regardless of ethnic tensions. The ethnic mix of the new soldiers - Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and Nuristanis - was seen as a positive sign that Afghans can unite as one country. Soldier Mohammad Amon, a Hazara from Bamiyan province, read aloud a poem celebrating the Afghan culture and reminding his fellow troops: Though we are from different ethnic groups, we come together as brothers. We are all Afghans. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] clergy porn, alleged clergy sex ring
-Caveat Lector- this may be heavy for survivors Priest: Bishop Derailed My Career - Concord, N.H. (AP) - A priest claims the Roman Catholic bishop of Manchester derailed his career to avoid a scandal about pornographic videos and images found in the home of another priest who had died. The Rev. James A. MacCormack filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Bishop John B. McCormack, the Diocese of Manchester and other church officials of waging a campaign to keep him silent about the pornography collection. MacCormack was suing in state court for undisclosed damages. from AOL from L. Moss-Sharman Suit claims priests ran sex ring - 7/24/02 - By Kathleen A. Shaw - Telegram Gazette Staff Worcester - A child sexual abuse ring involving the Rev. John Geoghan of the Boston archdiocese, the Rev. David L. Blizard and the late Rev. Victor Frobas of the Worcester diocese and others, operated from the former House of Affirmation in Whitinsville, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Worcester Superior Court. The suit also names the Worcester diocese, the Boston archdiocese and its Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Daily, who was also chancellor in Boston at the time of the alleged incidents. The allegation was made by Robert Malo... http://www.telegram.com/ or http://www.telegram.com/news/page_one/malos.html A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Huge US Army Simulation 'Exercise' To Begin In 26 States
-Caveat Lector- http://www.rense.com/general27/hugeUSarmy.htm Huge US Army Simulation 'Exercise' To Begin In 26 States 7-24-2 (AFP) - Some 13,500 people in 26 locations across the United States will take part in one of the largest US Army exercises in history beginning Wednesday and lasting three weeks. The "Millennium Challenge 2002" will combine computer simulations and live military exercises with two headquarters, one in Suffolk, Virginia, and the other in San Diego, California. The scenario, which is secret, will "cover the whole spectrum, everything from terrorism to potentially a major theater of war and the threats that loom in between there," said General William Kernan, commander in chief of the Joint Forces Command, which coordinates air, sea and land military forces. One of the keys to future supremacy is "interoperability" between different government departments. Such cooperation has already been seen in Afghanistan, for example US Navy planes dropped bombs on targets "painted" by commando units on the ground. The details of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan which fought the Taliban and al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks, were largely taken from a scenario examined by Central Command in May 2001, Kernan said. The challenge, which will cost about 250 million dollars, will incorporate "lessons learned" from the Afghanistan campaign, and will concentrate on minimizing the risks of "friendly fire" against allied or civilian forces, Kernan said. Mastering the tools of war and information, should, according to the Pentagon, "maintain knowledge superiority," over a multi-pronged adversary who is often very knowledgeable about US vulnerabilities in this Internet age. "Approximately 80 percent of the experiment is being conducted through the largest computer simulation confederation ever built. MC'02 is the largest and most complex military experiment of its kind in history. "We will provide our military planners and those who execute the plan with an improved view of our adversary, the battle space and possible solution to the crisis," including preventative strikes, Kernan said. As part of the exercise, hackers from the "opposition force" will try to crack military computers, drones -- unmanned aircraft -- will watch marines on an amphibious assault or an extraction of soldiers using a new high-speed vessel, or even the destruction of a missile silo or other weapons of mass destruction site. The Pentagon is also aware that it is essential to balance military might with diplomatic and economic action. It is essential, for example, to know an enemy's culture, their personality, and how they might react, said the general. To help with this the US Departments of State, Treasury, Energy and others such as the CIA will also take part in the exercise. While the challenge is strictly a US exercise, similar maneuvers have been planned for February on the Atlantic coast, and even more ambitious war games are envisioned for two years time both involving allies. A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Bush Twice As Bad As Hoover
-Caveat Lector- http://www.consortiumnews.com/2002/072202a.htmlTwice as Bad as Hoover July 23, 2002 TWICE AS BAD AS HOOVER July 23, 2002 George W. Bush is shattering records for the worst first 18 months in office for a U.S. president as measured by the benchmark Standard Poorâs 500. In his first year-and-a-half in the White House, Bush presided over a 36.9 percent decline, almost twice the percentage drop of Herbert Hoover, the president who led the nation into the Depression. Hoover recorded an 18.6 percent decline and now ranks third from the worst, with Richard Nixon in second place with a 23.6 percent fall in his first 18 months. In other words, in the 75-year existence of the SP 500, no president has seen the stock market index fall as much as one-quarter, before Bushâs decline of more than one-third. Ironically, given the Republicansâ business-friendly reputation, the four worst performing stock-market presidents in the first 18 months are all Republicans. Ronald Reaganâs 15.3 percent decline joins Hoover, Nixon and Bush at the bottom. The top two performing presidents, as measured by the SP in their first 18 months, are Democrats, Lyndon Johnson at a plus 27.5 percent and Franklin Roosevelt at 55.1 percent. Bill Clinton ranked sixth with a 4.2 percent gain in his first 18 months. While almost doubling Hooverâs decline in the SP, Bush trailed the Depression-Era Republican slightly in the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, which measures the performance of 30 top U.S. companies. In Hooverâs first 18 months, the Dow fell 24.8 percent. In Bushâs 18 months, the Dowâs drop was 24.3 percent. [NYT, July 22, 2002] Though some presidents reversed the early returns of the stock markets, Bush has so far failed to inspire confidence either with his personal performance or his policies. The stock market has greeted speech after speech by Bush with double-digit declines in the Dow. Accelerating Pace The pace of the stock market crash under Bush also is accelerating. In the 10 trading days since Bush visited Wall Street to promote his economic plans, the Dow has dropped almost 1,500 points or 16 percent. [NYT, July 23, 2002] The Bush speeches have done little to persuade investors that happy days are here again â or for that matter, likely in the foreseeable future. Bushâs top economic proposals speak to different conditions than are apparent today. His demand for a permanent repeal of the inheritance or âdeathâ tax had more appeal to Americans who were watching their stock portfolios swell in the Clinton Era, along with their inflated dreams of multi-million-dollar wealth to pass on to their descendants. Now, after a battering of their net worth, many of these Americans are simply hoping to have enough money to pay for a modest retirement. Fast-track trade agreements also are out of sync with a world far less enamored of U.S. economic leadership. Further, deregulation of industry and tort reform -- backed by Bush and Republicans in Congress -- have helped unleash some of the avarice that led to corporate collapses at Enron Corp., WorldCom Inc. and other companies. Missing from Bushâs economic plan is any initiative that can inspire Wall Street with visions of economic expansion. By contrast, the Clinton-Gore administration promoted technological advances like the Internet that created a framework for the private sector to innovate. In Election 2000, Vice President Al Gore also proposed a partnership between government and industry to develop environmentally friendly vehicles and alternative energy sources, in part, to prime the pump for economic growth. Major stock indexes are Wall Streetâs rough measures of expected business growth. At least during George W. Bushâs first 18 months, investors are judging that those expectations are lacking â on a historic scale. A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory
[CTRL] Trilateral Commission: World Shadow Government
-Caveat Lector- http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/8425/TRI-1SPT.HTM Trilateral Commission: World Shadow Government The Trilateral Commission was established in 1973. Its founder and primary financial angel was international financier, David Rockefeller, longtime chairman of the Rockefeller family-controlled Chase Manhattan Bank and undisputed overlord of his family's global corporate empire. Rockefeller's idea for establishing the commission emerged after he had read a book entitled Between Two Ages written by an Establishment scholar, Prof. Zbigniew Brzezinski of Columbia University. In his book Brzezinski proposed a vast alliance between North America, Western Europe and Japan. According to Brzezinski, changes in the modern world required it. "Resist as it might," Brzezinski wrote elsewhere, "the American system is compelled gradually to accommodate itself to this emerging international context, with the U.S. government called upon to negotiate, to guarantee, and, to some extent, to protect the various arrangements that have been contrived even by private business." In other words, it was necessary for the international upper class to band together to protect its interests, and to ensure, in the developed nations, that political leaders were brought to power who would ensure that the global financial interests (of the Rockefellers and the other ruling elites) would be protected over those of the hoi polloi. POCANTICO HILLS CONFABS Although the initial arrangements for the commission were laid out in a series of meetings held at the Rockefeller's famous Pocantico Hills estate outside New York City, Rockefeller first introduced the idea of the commission at an annual meeting of the Bilderberg group, this one held in Knokke, Belgium in the spring of 1972. (The Bilderberg group is similar to the Trilateral Commission in that it is funded and heavily influenced by the Rockefeller empire, and composed of international financiers, industrialists, media magnates, union bosses, academics and political figures. (However, the much older Bilderberg group's membership is strictly limited to participants from the United States, Canada and Western Europe: i.e. the NATO alliance. For more on the Bilderberg group, keep an eye out for future stories in this paper. The Trilateral Commission was unique, though, in that it brought the Japanese ruling elite into the inner councils of the global power brokers, a recognition of Japan's growing influence in the world economic and political arena. A succinct summary of the commission's intent has been outlined by Holly Sklar who has conducted extensive research into the history and background of the Trilateral Commission in her book, Trilateralism: the Trilateral Commission and Elite Planning for World Management RULING CLASSES UNITE "The Commission's purpose is to engineer an enduring partnership among the ruling classes of North America, Western Europe and Japan -- hence the term 'Trilateral' -- in order to safeguard the interests of Western capitalism in an explosive world. The private commission is attempting to mold public policy and construct a framework for international stability in the coming decades. "To put it simply, Trilateralists are saying: The people, governments and economies of all nations must serve the needs of multinational banks and corporations. "In short, Trilateralism is the current attempt by ruling elites to manage both dependence and democracy -- at home and abroad." Another Trilateral critic, now-retired Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.), views the commission as a Rockefeller family operation through and through. According to Goldwater: "The Trilateral organization created by David Rockefeller was a surrogate -- the members selected by Rockefeller, its purposes defined by Rockefeiler, its funding supplied by Rockefeller. David Rockefeller screened and selected every individual who was invited to participate." PICKING POLICYMAKERS David Rockefeller and Brzezinski then began the process of selecting from among the "Trilateral" nations the several hundred elite power brokers who would be permitted to join in Trilateral policymaking in the coming years. One of the commission's primary goals was to place a Trilateral-influenced president in the White House in 1976, and to achieve that goal it was necessary to groom an appropriate candidate who would be willing to cooperate with Trilateral aims. Rockefeller and Brzezinski selected a handful of well-known liberal Democrats and a scattering of Republicans (primarily of the liberal-internationalist bent) to serve on the commission. And in an effort to give regional balance to the commission Rockefeller invited the then-obscure one-term Democratic governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, to join the commission. ROCKEFELLER CENTER SOUTH Rockefeller had longtime ties to the local Atlanta political and economic Establishment. In fact, much of Rockefeller's personal
[CTRL] Your Grocery List Could Spark a Terror Probe
-Caveat Lector- http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0230/baard.php Your Grocery List Could Spark a Terror Probe Buying Trouble by Erik Baard July 24 - 30, 2002 They thought they were making routine purchasesâthe innocent, everyday pickups of charcoal and hummus, bleach and sandwich bags, that keep the modern household running. Regulars at a national grocery chain, these thousands and thousands of shoppers used the store's preferred-customer cards, in the process putting years of their lives on file. Perhaps they expected their records would be used by marketers trying to better target consumers. Instead, says the company's privacy consultant, the data was used by government agents hunting for potential terrorists. The saga began with a misguided fit of patriotism mere weeks after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, when a corporate employee handed over the recordsâalmost literally, the grocery listsâto federal investigators from three agencies that had never even requested them. In a flash, the most quotidian of exchanges became fodder for the Patriot Act. When the company's legal counsel discovered the breach, she turned for advice to Larry Ponemon, CEO of the consulting firm Privacy Council and a former business ethics professor at Babson College and SUNY. "I told her it's better to be transparent," Ponemon recalls. "Send a notice to loyalty cardholders telling them what happened. She agreed and presented that to the board but they said, 'No, we don't want to hand a smoking gun to litigators.' " The attorney, who has since resigned from the grocery chain, declined through Ponemon to be interviewed or to identify herself or her former employer. To this day, the customers haven't been informed. "It wasn't a case of law enforcement being egregiously intrusive or an evil agency planting a bug or wiretap. It was a marketing person saying, 'Maybe this will help you catch a bad guy,' " Ponemon says. As John Ashcroft's Citizens Corps spy program prepares for its debut next month, it seems scores of American companies have already become willing snitches. A few months ago, the Privacy Council surveyed executives from 22 companies in the travel industryânot just airlines but hotels, car rental services, and travel agenciesâand found that 64 percent of respondents had turned over information to investigators and 59 percent had lowered their resistance to such demands. In that sampling, conducted with The Boston Globe, half of the businesses said they hadn't decided if they'd inform customers of the change, and more than a third said outright that they wouldn't. Only three said they would go public about the level of their cooperation with law enforcement. The final destination of all that data scares Ponemon and other civil libertarians, defenders of the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable search and seizure. Ponemon, for one, suggests federal authorities are plugging the information into algorithms, using the complex formulas to create a picture of general-population trends that can be contrasted with the lifestyles of known terrorists. If your habits match, expect further scrutiny at the least. "I can't reveal my source, but a federal agency involved in espionage actually did a rating system of almost every citizen in this country," Ponemon claims. "It was based on all sorts of informationâpublic sources, private sources. If people are not opted in"âmeaning they haven't chosen to participateâ"one can generally assume that information was gathered through an illegal system." After crunching those numbers through the algorithm, he says, its creators fed in the files of the 9-11 terrorists as a test. "The model showed 89.7 percent accuracy 'predicting' these people from rest of population," Ponemon reports. Oddly enough, "one of the factors was if you were a person who frequently ordered pizza and paid with a credit card," Ponemon says, describing the buying habits of a nation of college students. "Sometimes data leads to an empirical inference when you add it to other variables. Whether this one is relevant or completely spurious remains to be seen, but those kinds of weird things happen with data." The thirst for consumer records is bipartisan. In April, Bill Clinton told the BBC that when it comes to fighting terrorism, "more than 95 percent of the people that are in the United States at any given time are in the computers of companies that mail junk mail, and you can look for patterns there." Katherine Albrecht, a crusader against grocery loyalty cards and invasive marketing, notes in a paper to be published in the Denver Law Review, "Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA) and Tom Davis (R-VA) recently introduced legislation that would require all states' driver's licenses and ID cards to contain an embedded computer chip capable of accepting 'data or software written to the license or card by non-governmental devices.' " The mandatory "smart chips"
[CTRL] How Oppression Abroad Means Repression at Home
-Caveat Lector- http://www.counterpunch.org/christison0723.html July 23, 2002 The Disastrous Foreign Policies of the United States: Part Four How Oppression Abroad Means Repression at Home by Bill Christison former CIA political analyst Two questions that people too often divorce from each other have dominated the Bush administration's actions since September 11. One involves foreign policy--how should the U.S. government respond abroad to the events of that date? The other involves domestic policy--to what degree should civil liberties inside the U.S. be cut back to meet the threat to internal security that became obvious on that date? The divorce between the two is understandable. Over the years, different bureaucracies and different groups of experts in this country have always dealt with these questions. One of the dangers we face today, however, is that those of us who oppose both the foreign and domestic policies of the present U.S. government will accept this divorce and will split, rather than coordinate, our efforts to bring about policy changes in both areas. Specifically, I think those who are making major efforts to preserve civil liberties in the United States will be more successful if at the same time they strive, with equal fervor, to bring about changes in U.S. foreign policies. My concern is that quite a few people, who are extraordinarily knowledgeable on civil rights issues, argue that they cannot broaden the subjects they deal with, that they have more on their plate than they can easily handle even if they limit themselves to the domestic problems of civil liberties. This argument is not only foolish and wrong; it is based at least in part on ulterior motives. The most important reason behind the Bush administration's introduction of the recent restrictions on civil liberties--and why it is pressing for the formation of a new Department of Homeland Security--is the hatred of United States foreign policies in much of the world. This hatred is rising almost daily as the U.S. not only continues but intensifies its arrogant and unilateral international policies There are direct cause-and-effect relationships between this hatred, which started over 50 years ago, and the terrorism against the U.S. of last September 11; and there are other direct cause-and-effect relationships between the terrorism and the cutbacks of civil liberties in this country since that time. The Bush administration refuses even to examine the possibility that changing certain U.S. foreign policies might allay this hatred at least to some degree and reduce the likelihood of future terrorism. The argument against this administration attitude is not that changes in 50-year-old foreign policies can immediately eliminate the possibility of more terrorism against the U.S. It won't happen that way. But changes in foreign policies almost certainly would reduce the likelihood of future terrorism. With such changes, I think real evidence would soon appear that hatred of the U.S. was diminishing, and such evidence would strengthen the case that the extreme internal security measures now being introduced are both wrong and unnecessary. Furthermore, all the internal security measures in the world, and all the cutbacks in civil liberties that Bush and Ashcroft are now pressing for, are unlikely to prevent future terrorism unless at the same time the U.S. changes many of its major foreign policies. President Bush justifies his war on terrorism on the basis that those who attacked this country did so simply because they are "evil," and the existence of this evil is why, he says, we must accept all these new restrictions on civil liberties. In my opinion, however, we automatically lose half the battle if we do not insist on the close connection between what is happening domestically in this country, and our foreign policies. Some of the foreign policies I'm talking about are (1), the U.S. drive to dominate the world--militarily, politically, and economically--for the indefinite future; (2), the U.S. drive to militarize our own nation to such a degree that we can wage successful preemptive wars against any nations or groups that refuse to accept U.S. dominance; (3), the U.S. support for "regime change," that is, the ouster, through military or covert means, of several unfriendly governments starting with Iraq; and (4), the extremely controversial issue--in U.S. domestic politics at least--of the almost total U.S. support for Israel's policies on Palestine. As already mentioned, some argue that it would be better, at least tactically, to avoid controversy by dodging some or all of these issues, and to concentrate exclusively on the domestic, civil-liberties issue. This is exactly what the Sharon government in Israel, the most vocal American supporters of Israel, and the Bush administration itself want to see happen. They have all worked intensely since September 11 to make people fearful of criticizing the U.S. role in
[CTRL] Link- One Of Traficant's Fatal Errors (Political Death Of A Patriot)
-Caveat Lector- http://www.house.gov/traficant/twaflight800report.htm A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Dissent of Rep. Cynthia McKinney
-Caveat Lector- http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/dissent.html Dissent of Rep. Cynthia McKinney To House Armed Services Committee Consideration of H.R. 4547 The Costs of War Against Terrorism Act July 22, 2002 The attacks of September 11th, 2001 caused significant changes throughout our society. For our military services, this included increased force protection, greater security, and of course the deployment to and prosecution of the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Sadly, one of the first acts of our President was to waive the high deployment overtime pay of our servicemen and women who are serving on the front lines of our new War. The Navy estimates that the first year costs of this pay would equal about 40 cruise missiles. The total cost of this overtime pay may only equal about 300 cruise missiles, yet this Administration said it would cost too much to pay our young men and women what the Congress and the previous Administration had promised them. In another ironic twist, the War on Terrorism has the potential to bring the US military into American life as never before. A Northern Command has been created to manage the military's activity within the continental United States. Operation Noble Eagle saw combat aircraft patrolling the air above major metropolitan areas, and our airports are only now being relieved of National Guard security forces. Moreover, there is a growing concern that the military will be used domestically, within our borders, with intelligence and law enforcement mandates as some now call for a review of the Posse Comitatus Act prohibitions on military activity within our country. In the 1960s, the lines between illegal intelligence, law enforcement and military practices became blurred as Americans wanting to make America a better place for all were targeted and attacked for political beliefs and political behavior. Under the cloak of the Cold War, military intelligence was used for domestic purposes to conduct surveillance on civil rights, social equity, antiwar, and other activists. In the case of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Operation Lantern Spike involved military intelligence covertly operating a surveillance operation of the civil rights leader up to the time of his assassination. In a period of two months, recently declassified documents on Operation Lantern Spike indicate that 240 military personnel were assigned in the two months of March and April to conduct surveillance on Dr. King. The documents further reveal that 16,900 man-hours were spent on this assignment. Dr. King had done nothing more than call for black suffrage, an end to black poverty, and an end to the Vietnam War. Dr. King was the lantern of justice for America: spreading light on issues the Administration should have been addressing. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King's valuable point of light was snuffed out. The documents I have submitted for the record outline the illegal activities of the FBI and its CoIntelPro program. A 1967 memo from J. Edgar Hoover to 22 FBI field offices outlined the COINTELPRO program well: "The purpose of this new counterintelligence endeavor is to expose, disrupt, misdirect, or otherwise neutralize" black activist leaders and organizations. As a result of the Church Committee hearings, we later learned that the FBI and other government authorities were conducting black bag operations that included illegally breaking and entering private homes to collect information on individuals. FBI activities included "bad jacketing," or falsely accusing individuals of collaboration with the authorities. It included the use of paid informants to set up on false charges targeted individuals. And it resulted in the murder of some individuals. Geronimo Pratt Ji Jaga spent 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. And in COINTELPRO documents subsequently released, we learn that Fred Hampton was murdered in his bed while his pregnant wife slept next to him after a paid informant slipped drugs in his drink. Needless to say, such operations were well outside the bounds of what normal citizens would believe to be the role of the military, and the Senate investigations conducted by Senator Frank Church found that to be true. Though the United States was fighting the spread of communism in the face of the Cold War, the domestic use of intelligence and military assets against its own civilians was unfortunately reminiscent of the police state built up by the Communists we were fighting. We must be certain that the War on Terrorism does not threaten our liberties again. Amendments to H.R. 4547, the Costs of War Against Terrorism Act, that would increase the role of drug interdiction task forces to include counter intelligence, and that would increase the military intelligence's ability to conduct electronic and financial investigations, can be the first steps towards a return to the abuses of constitutional rights during the Cold War. Further, this bill includes
[CTRL] Fwd: SUPREME IMPORTANCE!/S Ritter: Iraq Attack TOTALLY Unjustified; Utter DI...
-Caveat Lector- A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om ---BeginMessage--- -Caveat Lector- EXTREMELY URGENT FORWARD AS FAR AND WIDE AS POSSIBLE-- ESPECIALLY To Congress! x ** TOP_VIEW ** x The Bigger Picture 7.24.02 SUPREME IMPORTANCE!/S Ritter: Iraq Attack TOTALLY Unjustified; Utter DISASTER--For US! COngress MUST PREVENT this war from taking place. This senseless, needless and utterly unjustifiable war which Shrub is determined to launch against Iraq will absolutely and irrevocably turn vast hordes of human beings -- in FACT, the DEFINITE MAJORITY of the HUMAN RACE -- AGAINST the insane, reckless and unconscionable global warmongering of George Bush's INCREASINGLY totalitarian United States of the New World Order. And that means, it will turn them against the AMERICAN PEOPLE -- those who will have FAILED to restrain their psychopathic, homicidal ruler Bush from his unimaginably DERANGED evil. If Bush's attack against Iraq is allowed to proceed, there is EVERY reason to see this as the beginning of World War Three -- the war that will OBLITERATE modern civilized societies from the face of the Earth, and most of HUMANITY itself as well, if not ALL life. THIS WRETCHED PIG and the HELLISH HORRORS he has planned MUST BE STOPPED! GET WITH IT! = = = = = = = = http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/07.25A.wrp.iraq.htm Ritter on the Coming War in Iraq By William Rivers Pitt t r u t h o u t | Perspective Room 295 of the Suffolk Law School building in downtown Boston was filled to capacity on July 23rd with peace activists, aging Cambridge hippies and assorted freaks. One of the organizers for the gathering, United For Justice With Peace Coalition, handed out green pieces of paper that read, We will not support war, no matter what reason or rhetoric is offered by politicians or the media. War in our time and in this context is indiscriminate, a war against innocents and against children. Judging from the crowd, and from the buzz in the room, that pretty much summed things up. The contrast presented when Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, entered the room, could not have been more disparate. There at the lectern stood this tall lantern-jawed man, every inch the twelve-year Marine Corps veteran he was, who looked and spoke just exactly like a bulldogging high school football coach. A whistle on a string around his neck would have perfected the image. I need to say right out front, he said minutes into his speech, I'm a card-carrying Republican in the conservative-moderate range who voted for George W. Bush for President. I'm not here with a political agenda. I'm not here to slam Republicans. I am one. Yet this was a lie - Scott Ritter had come to Boston with a political agenda, one that impacts every single American citizen. Ritter was in the room that night to denounce, with roaring voice and burning eyes, the coming American war in Iraq. According to Ritter, this coming war is about nothing more or less than domestic American politics, based upon speculation and rhetoric entirely divorced from fact. According to Ritter, that war is just over the horizon. The Third Marine Expeditionary Force in California is preparing to have 20,000 Marines deployed in the (Iraq) region for ground combat operations by mid-October, he said. The Air Force used the vast majority of its precision-guided munitions blowing up caves in Afghanistan. Congress just passed emergency appropriations money and told Boeing company to accelerate their production of the GPS satellite kits, that go on bombs that allow them to hit targets while the planes fly away, by September 30, 2002. Why? Because the Air Force has been told to have three air expeditionary wings ready for combat operations in Iraq
[CTRL] DARPA
-Caveat Lector- DARPA Government Website (notice the Illuminati Symbolism in the Logo) With programs names such as Babylon and Genisys Human ID at a Distance (HID) Bio-Surveillance program America, your Biometric Chains are being forged. http://www.darpa.mil/iao/programs.htm -- -iNFoWaRZ Wake up your fellow Americans. A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Army to expand Night Stalkers
-Caveat Lector- Thursday, July 25, 2002 Army to expand Night Stalkers By Robert Burns The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The Army wants to expand the Green Berets aviation arm to meet a growing demand for special operations forces in the global fight against terrorism, the Armys deputy chief said Wednesday. Gen. John Keane told reporters the plan is to add one battalion to the three existing in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, whose troops are known as Night Stalkers. Keane provided no details beyond saying the expansion would add 12 MH-47 helicopters, which are used to bring in and take out Green Berets on missions behind enemy lines. The helicopters are the only ones in the Army that can refuel in flight. The Night Stalkers have 21 of these helicopters after losing two in March; one crashed in the Philippines and a second went down in Afghanistan. The 160th played a crucial role in getting small teams of Green Berets into northern Afghanistan last fall to begin better coordinating with anti-Taliban forces and directing U.S. airstrikes. The aviators also fly MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters as well as H-6 series light attack helicopters. Basing new battalion The 160th has three battalions. One is based at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga., and the other two are at Fort Campbell, Ky. The location of the proposed fourth battalion was not clear. Carol Darby, a spokeswoman for the 160ths parent command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., said she was not familiar with details of the proposed expansion of the 160th. MH-47 pilots and other special operations aviators are in such demand that the Army in December invoked its authority to prevent them from leaving the service. Keane told reporters that this is not creating any morale or other problems in the Army but would be reviewed in December. -iNFoWaRZ Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear-kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor-with the cry of grave national emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it ... - General Douglas MacArthur, 1957 A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
