Executives' Democratic Principles

“Many governments torture clandestinely, but the Bush administration today is the only government known to claim the power to abuse detainees as a matter of official policy. …the United Nations Convention against Torture, which both Britain and the US have ratified, unconditionally prohibits sending anyone to another country ‘where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture’.” “All the governments in question have ratified the torture convention - a major multilateral treaty - yet routinely flout it.” “A round-the-clock watch might deny torturers an opportunity to ply their trade, but Britain, like the US, contemplates only periodic monitoring.” “As the US has found, law enforcement officials can avoid exposing the intelligence service’s listening devices by, after appropriate judicial authorisation, simply installing their own.”

• Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch.

Kenneth Roth. “Terror suspects should be prosecuted not tortured,” Financial Times, 11/22/05.

Vatican Burden: Choosing Miracles

“…there are no problems with miracles because there are many, but they have picked one because they don't need more.” “Maybe this I can say: they have picked [one miracle in] France.” “There are many testimonies, we must choose the most accurate ones to show the personality of John Paul II.”

• Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz.

“Vatican Eyes Possible Miracle by John Paul,” AP, 11/29/05.

“It's up to all of us to try to tell the truth...”

“We know that Al Jazeera has a pattern of playing propaganda over and over and over again. What they do is when there’s a bomb goes down, they grab some children and some women and pretend that the bomb hit the women and the children. And it seems to me, that it’s up to all of us to try to tell the truth, to say what we know, to say what we don’t know, and recognize that we're dealing with people that are perfectly willing to lie to the world to attempt to further their case. And to the extent people lie, ultimately, they are caught lying, and they lose their credibility. And one would think it wouldn't take very long for that to happen, dealing with people like this.”

Sec. of Def. Donald Rumsfeld, documentary, Control Room. “Al Jazeera in the Crosshairs: Did Bush Really Want to Bomb the Arabic TV Network's Headquarters in 2004?” Democracy Now!, 11/29/05.

As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops …

[the stories] present only one side of events and omit information that might reflect poorly on the U.S. or Iraqi governments, …. Records and interviews indicate that the U.S. has paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of such articles, with headlines such as ‘Iraqis Insist on Living Despite Terrorism,’ since the effort began this year.

The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The Pentagon has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln Group, which helps translate and place the stories. The Lincoln Group's Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives when they deliver the stories to Baghdad media outlets.

… “Here we are trying to create the principles of democracy in Iraq. Every speech we give in that country is about democracy. And we’re breaking all the first principles of democracy when we're doing it,” said a senior Pentagon official who opposes the practice of planting stories in the Iraqi media.

… One of the military officials said that, as part of a psychological operations campaign that has intensified over the last year, the task force also had purchased an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station, and was using them to channel pro-American messages to the Iraqi public. Neither is identified as a military mouthpiece.

Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi. “U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press,” Los Angeles Times, 11/30/05.

Isolate enemy elements from those who can be won over to the political process by countering false propaganda and demonstrating to all Iraqis that they have a stake in a democratic Iraq; (1)

[Terrorists are attempting to] Weaken the Coalition’s resolve, and our resolve at home, through barbaric mass-casualty attacks, public slaughter of Iraqi civilians and hostages, infliction of casualties on Coalition forces, and use of the media to spread propaganda and intimidate adversaries. (7)

Signs of a vibrant political life are sprouting. The constitutional drafting committee received more than 500,000 public comments on various provisions. More than 100 newspapers freely discuss political events every day in Iraq. Campaign posters are displayed openly and in increasing number in most of Iraq’s major cities. (16)

United States. National Security Council. National Strategy for Victory in Iraq. November 2005.

“You show the world you're not living by the principles you profess to believe in, and you lose all credibility.”

Patrick Butler, vice president, International Center for Journalists, Washington DC.

“I’m not surprised this [official U.S. military policy of planting propaganda in the Iraqi media] goes on. Informational operations are a part of any military campaign. Especially in an atmosphere where terrorists and insurgents - replete with oil boom cash - do the same. We need an even playing field, but cannot fight with both hands tied behind our backs.”

Michael Rubin, fmr. Coalition Provisional Authority employee in 2003 and 2004.

Jeff Gerth and Scott Shane. “U.S. Is Said to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers,” NYTs, 12/01/05.

Editors' Lesson: Criminals ... Legislate Yourselves!

a. Defendant demanded, sought, and received at least $2.4 million in illicit payments and benefits from his Coconspirators in various forms, including cash, checks, meals, travel, lodging, furnishings, antiques, rugs, yacht club fees, boat repairs and improvements, moving expenses, cars, and boats;

b. Defendant made recommendations and took other official action in order to influence the United States Congress’s appropriations of funds to benefit Coconspirator No. 1 and Coconspirator No. 2, which defendant did, in part, because of his receipt of the above-described payments and benefits, and not because using Coconspirators Nos. 1 and 2 was in the best interest of the country;

c. Defendant used his public office and took other official action to pressure and influence United States Department of Defense personnel to award and execute government contracts in a manner that would benefit Coconspirator No. 1 and Coconspirator No. 2, which defendant did, in part, because of his receipt of the above-described payments and benefits, and not because using Coconspirators Nos. 1 and 2 was in the best interest of the country;

d. Defendant used his public office and took other official action in a manner that would benefit Coconspirator No. 3, which defendant did because of his receipt of the above-described payments and benefits;

e. Defendant and his Coconspirators attempted to conceal and disguise this conspiracy through various means, including one-sided transactions through which one or more Coconspirators would buy property from defendant at an above-market price, would pay money to defendant for property that defendant continued to own, and would sell to defendant property at a below-market price.

f. Defendant and his Coconspirators also attempted to conceal and disguise this conspiracy by directing payments through multi-layered transactions involving corporate entities and bank accounts that defendant and his Coconspirators owned and controlled, including the following payments:

i. By having Coconspirator No. 1 [Brent Wilkes, ADCS president] pay $525,000 to a company controlled by Coconspirator No. 3, in order to pay off a mortgage on the defendant’s Rancho Santa Fe Home that had been issued by a company owned by Coconspirator No. 4;

ii. By having Coconspirator No. 2 [Mitchell Wade, formerly of MZM, Inc.] pay $500,000 to defendant, who caused the money to be deposited into’ the bank account of a company controlled by Coconspirator No. 3 [Thomas Kontogiannis, Real Estate Developer], in order to pay off a mortgage on the defendant’s Rancho Santa Fe Home that had been issued by a company owned by Coconspirator No. 4 [John T. Michael, Coastal Capital];

iii. By having Coconspirator No. 3 pay $200,000 to a company controlled by Coconspirator No. 4, as the down payment for the purchase of the defendant’s Arlington condominium; and

iv. By having Coconspirator No. 2 pay defendant $115,100 in the form of a check made payable to Top Gun Enterprises, Inc., in order to offset the capital gains taxes owed by the defendant on the sale of his Del Mar home.

g. Defendant also attempted to conceal and disguise this conspiracy by intentionally failing to include in his Financial Disclosure Statements to the United States House of Representatives the illicit payments and benefits that he received from his Coconspirators; and

h. Defendant also attempted to conceal and disguise this conspiracy by intentionally failing to include in his United States Individual Income Tax Returns the illicit payments and benefits that he received from his Coconspirators.

…

On or about April 15, 2005, within the Southern District of California, defendant willfully evaded and defeated his lawful income tax due and owing for the calendar year 2004, by preparing, signing and filing with the Internal Revenue Service under penalty of perjury, a false and fraudulent joint U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (2004 Form 1040), in which he falsely stated that his joint taxable income was $121,079, and that he was due a refund of $8,504, whereas, as he then knew, his joint taxable income was at least $1,215,458, and there was a joint taxable income due and owing of at least $385,077.

Plea Agreement. United States v. Randall “Duke” Cunningham. No. 05cr2137-LAB. S.D.Ca. 23 November, 2005.

“My whole life I've lived aboveboard. I've never even smoked a marijuana cigarette. I don't cheat. If a contractor buys me lunch and we meet a second time, I buy the lunch. My whole life has been aboveboard and so this doesn't worry me.” “The last thing I would do is get involved in something that, you know, is wrong. And I feel very confident that I haven't done anything wrong.”

• Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
  

Marcus Stern. “Cunningham defends deal with defense firm’s owner,” Union-Tribune (San Diego), 6/12/05.

“The truth is, I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office. I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions and, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.” “In my life, I have known great joy and great sorrow. And now I know great shame. I cannot undo what I have done. But I can atone.”

• Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
  

John M. Broder. “Lawmaker Quits After He Pleads Guilty to Bribes,” NYTs, 11/29/05

“The idea of a congressman taking money is outrageous. And Congressman Cunningham is going to realize that he has broken the law and is going to pay a serious price, which he should.”

• George W. Bush.

John M. Broder and Carl Hulse. “Republicans Denounce Ex-Lawmaker,” NYTs, 11/30/05.

“As Congress mulls over the larger lessons of the Duke's demise, it should begin with the House’s ethics process, … They can start with two obvious reforms: legislating credible controls over the dealings between lobbyists and members of Congress, and repairing an ethics process that now stands as a scandal unto itself.”

“The Duke Shames the Capitol.” Editorial. NYTs, 11/30/05. [emphasis added]

Cheney: International Terrorist

“Certainly it is a domestic crime to advocate terror. And I would suspect, for whatever it's worth, it’s an international crime as well.” “,…under the vice-president's protection, the secretary of defence [Donald Rumsfeld] moved out to do what they wanted in the first place, even though the president had made a decision that was clearly a compromise, ….”

• Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, aid to fmr. Sec. of State Colin Powell, on Vice President Dick Cheney’s culpability in war crimes.

“Cheney accused on prisoner abuse,” BBC, 11/29/05.

“Creatures” Fight “Handouts From The Ruler”

… we must know who we are fighting. Some of these people are creatures of a deposed tyrant, others a small number of home-grown and imported Islamist extremists. They feed on a portion of the population that is overwhelmed by feelings of fear, resentment, and despair.

…

As I have said, our strategy is to clear, hold, and build. The enemy’s strategy is to infect, terrorize, and pull down.

…

They target foreigners…. The terrorists want us to get discouraged and quit. They believe we do not have the will to see this through.

…

But the enemy strategy has a fatal flaw. The enemy has no positive vision for the future of Iraq. They offer no alternative that could unite Iraqi as a nation. And that is why most Iraqis despise the insurgents. The enemy leaders know their movement is unpopular. Zawahiri’s July letter to Zarqawi reveals that he is “extremely concerned” that, deprived of popular support, the insurgents will “be crushed in the shadows.” “We don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the Taliban,” he warned, whose regime “collapsed in days, because the people were passive or hostile.” Knowing how unpopular they are, the enemy leaders also hate the idea of democracy.

…

The strategy that is being carried out has profited from the insights of strategic thinkers, civilian and military, inside and outside of government, who have reflected on our experience and on insurgencies in other periods of history.

…

As this strategy is being implemented, the military side recedes and the civilian part – like police stations and civic leaders and economic development -- move into the foreground. Our transition strategy emphasized the building of the Iraqi army.

…

Let me assure you, the United States will not try to pick winners. We will support parties and politicians in every community who are dedicated to peaceful participation in the future of a democratic Iraq.

…

Thanks to you and other members of Congress, the United States has already invested billions of dollars to keep electricity and fuel flowing across Iraq. In the transition phase, we concentrated on capital investment, adding capacity to a system that had deteriorated to the point of collapse. But, with freedom, the demand for electricity has gone up by 50% …

…

Millions of farmers, small businessmen, and investors need a government that encourages growth rather than fostering dependence on handouts from the ruler.

…

We will embed our diplomats, police trainers, and aid workers more fully on military bases, traveling with our soldiers and marines.

• Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice, Opening Remarks Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Washington, DC, October 19, 2005. [emphasis added]

Carmelized

“When Saddam used WP it was a chemical weapon, but when the Americans use it, it’s a conventional weapon. The injuries it inflicts, however, are just as terrible however you describe it.”

• Sigfrido Ranucci, Italian documentary film maker and jounalist.

Peter Popham, Anne Penketh, “US Intelligence Classified White Phosphorous as ‘Chemical Weapon’,” Independenk UK, 11/23/05.

Colonial Conflicts

“[OSU Professor] Dick Shiels, with 175 people sightseeing, celebrating Native American festivals and three or four people beating drums, chanting and calling, were trespassing on private property. It was not a sanctioned event. (Shiels) allowed six students to run onto the dance floor and run off before police could be called.”

• Ralph Burpee, general manager, Moundbuilders Country Club.

Kent Mallett, “Mound moonrise rain date still undecided,” Newark Advocate, 11/04/05.

“Additionally, [Ralph Burpee] granted the request for the Ohio Archaeological Council to have a private tour of the Octagon on Nov. 18 as long as sufficient security is on duty Nov. 18 and 19 ‘to protect the club's assets and property.’”

“Club offers alternative date for public access to Earthworks,” Newark Advocate, 11/05/05.

“The most prominent people in town belong to this club, and they are using their power to keep the public off this important site.”

• OSU History Prof. Richard Shiels.

Christopher Maag, “Ohio Indian Mounds: Hallowed Ground and a Nice Par 3,” NYTs, 11/28/05.

Institutional Structure

“I would think, essentially, that cheerleaders make good sales people.”

• Cassie Napier, Prevacid saleswoman, fmr. cheerleader, University of Ky.

Stephanie Saul, “Gimmie an Rx! Cheerleaders Pep Up Drug Sales,” NYTs, 11/28/05.

Range of Debate

“I heard somebody say, well, maybe so-and-so is not patriotic because they disagree with my position. I totally reject that thought. This is not an issue of who's [a] patriot and who's not patriotic. It's an issue of an honest, open debate about the way forward in Iraq.”

• George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, Beijing, China, November 20, 2005.

Peter Baker, David Brown, “Bush Tries to Tone Down High-Pitched Debate on Iraq,” Washington Post, 11/21/05.

“Respect Every Human Life”

“In one of the harshest court verdicts issued recently against the press, the Western Court of Sanaa sentenced yesterday the Al-Tajammu opposition newspaper to closure for six months, banned its Editor-in-Chief and one of its writers from writing for a year and fined them a total of YR 300,000 (about USD 1,500).”

“Yemen court closes newspaper, fines and bans journalists from writing,” News Yemen (in Yemen Times), 11/27/05.

“The execution of Jarallah Omar’s assassin was carried out today morning in the arena of the Central Prison of Sanaa…. The culprit, Ali Al-Sawani was killed by firing four shots directly to the heart from close range under the close supervision of prominent judges from the highest courts of Sanaa and under the watchful eyes of Jarallah Omar’s family. …Al-Mikhlafi told NewsYemen that if the objective is to save innocent lives from assassinations, then it is essential to pursue the case further to know the ones who assisted in or facilitated Al-Sawani’s mission to kill one of Yemen’s most prominent opposition figures. He said the YSP and Omar’s family will continue to request the reinvestigation of the case and would resist expected attempts by the authorities to close the file for good, because such a measure is important ‘to avoid further assassinations of a wide spectrum of politicians, intellects, and opinion makers and to also ensure the peace and security of the society as a whole.’”

“4 bullets put Omar’s assassin to death in Yemen prison, YSP urges to pursue case,” News Yemen (in Yemen Times), 11/27/05.

“Mr. President, welcome. I'm looking forward to our discussion. I'm looking forward to our continued work together to make sure that al Qaeda and people affiliated with al Qaeda are brought to justice. …And for those of us who love freedom, and for those of us who love -- who respect every human life, no matter whether you're from the West or from your neighborhood, Mr. President, we have an obligation and a duty to remain strong, remain firm, and to bring these people to justice.”

• George W. Bush.

“President Bush Welcomes President Saleh of Yemen to the White House,” Office of the Press Secretary, Oval Office, November 10. 2005.

Worse Than Saddam

“People are doing the same as [in] Saddam’s time and worse. It is an appropriate comparison. People are remembering the days of Saddam. These were the precise reasons that we fought Saddam and now we are seeing the same things.” “We are hearing about secret police, secret bunkers where people are being interrogated. A lot of Iraqis are being tortured or killed in the course of interrogations. We are even witnessing Sharia courts based on Islamic law that are trying people and executing them.”

• Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, interview.

Peter Beaumont, “Abuse worse than under Saddam, say Iraqi leader,” Obersver (UK), 11/27/05.

Crime: Reporting Reality

“I don't know why they would ask about me over a hundred times. The American authorities did not hide their extreme annoyance and fury as a result of my coverage of the first Fallujah campaign in April of 2004. My sole crime was broadcasting the reality of a war I was witnessing.”

• Ahmed Mansour, reporter, al-Jazeera.

Jamie Doward, Antony Barnett, Peter Beaumont, David Rose, Mark Townsend, “The leak that revealed Bush’s deep obsession with al-Jazeera,” Observer (UK), 11/27/05.

Murphy's Law

“I was supposed to come and tour the hospital to talk to them but I didn’t think I’d be among them on that plane.”

• Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), injured in a vehicle accident in Baghdad.

“Now the congressman also told me being a patient in the medical facility gave him a much different perspective on what our troops are experiencing.”

Telephone interview with Lynne Hayes-Freeland, KDKA TV, Pa., 11/27/05. [emphasis added]

“Meet the Press” Lowlights

Tim Russert: Senator Biden, what's the problem when kids here in the United States sign up and go to boot camp and get ready, and we've done it in World War II, we did it in Korea, We did it in Vietnam, we did it Kosovo, we do it in Iraq--they can be ready for combat within a matter of months. Why is it taking the Iraqis some two and a half years and they still have not put together an army that can replace the United States?
...

Sen. John Warner: “‘Saddam Hussein possesses today an arsenal of weapons far, far more dangerous to the whole world than Hitler ever possessed.’” I made that statement. I stand by it. At that time, I was operating on intelligence which had been given my committee behind closed doors in open sessions by George Tenet, by Secretary Rumsfeld … at that time, I was of the opinion and I stand by the statement. ...Our president would not intentionally take any facts and try and mislead the American public, in my judgment…. Now, we recognize he didn't have [nuclear weapons] but he certainly had the infrastructure to which he was going to direct moneys, if he ever got it, to go back into the business of weapons of mass destruction, had not this invasion taken place.

...

Tim Russert: This was made available to senators before the vote. Only six read it.

Sen. Joseph Biden: No, no, no, no, no, no. That's true, that was before the vote.

Tim Russert: But you saw...

Sen. Joseph Biden: That was before the vote.

Tim Russert: You saw that information and you still voted for the war.

Sen. Joseph Biden: But remember--no, remember what I voted for was for the president to be able to go to war, if, if--I've got the resolution here--if, in fact, it was to enforce the existing breaches that existed in the U.N. resolution and if he could show there were weapons of mass destruction… But remember what the resolution said, Tim, it didn't say “go to war.” It said, “Mr. President, if you can show these things, then you can use force.” The reason we gave the president the authority was to unite the world in keeping Saddam in a box, not freeing him up from the sanctions, which was the alternative, as you remember at the time. We have selective memories. That was the alternative. It wasn't the status quo, anti, or war, it was whether or not we were going to keep him in a box.
...

David Gregory: … And so [the White House] used a line from their 2004 campaign play book-- Michael Moore in the left wing faction of the Democratic Party--and they used it against Murtha. Quickly they realized that that was a mistake. And it wasn't just McClellan who wrote that. Top officials in the White House were involved in that. The president felt, after seeing for a couple of days that this was an important moment, that a very serious member of Congress and an ally of the military was [agreeing with Michael Moore] calling for a re-examination, that he had to tone it down, because the American people were taking it seriously.

...

David Gregory: … And so what the administration faces is the difficulty of saying to the American people, “We've got a shot here for real democracy.” The question is, do Americans feel invested in building that democracy over the long term. It could be very difficult.

...

Tim Russert: An insurgency of this magnitude has to be enabled by the populace. And unless the Iraqis “stand up,” there is no possible way the United States can stay there forever to protect them from an insurgency that they are tacitly allowing to exist.

Tim Russert, John Warner, Joe Biden, David Gregory, “Meet the Press,” NBC, November 27, 2005. [empahasis added]

“Why We Took Action”

“Nor is there any problem with debating whether the United States and our allies should have liberated Iraq in the first place.” “I believe it is critical that we continue to remind ourselves why this nation took action, and why Iraq is the central front in the war on terror,.... What is not legitimate … is the suggestion by some U. S. senators that the President of the United States or any member of his administration purposely misled the American people on pre-war intelligence.” “As the President has said, ‘Terrorists and terror states do not reveal ... threats with fair notice, in formal declarations -- and responding to such enemies only after they have struck first is not self-defense, it is suicide.’” “…the President and Congress of the United States declined to trust the word of a dictator who had a history of weapons of mass destruction programs,…” “Although our coalition has not found WMD stockpiles in Iraq, I repeat that we never had the burden of proof; Saddam Hussein did.” “… a few politicians are suggesting these brave Americans were sent into battle for a deliberate falsehood. This is revisionism of the most corrupt and shameless variety.” “It is a dangerous illusion to suppose that another retreat by the civilized world would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone.” “A precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be a victory for the terrorists, an invitation to further violence against free nations, and a terrible blow to the future security of the United States of America.” “We've never had a fight like this.”

• Vice President Dick Cheney, Remarks on the War on Terror, American Enterprise Institute, 11/21/05.
  

Academic Nonsense

“By traditional measures, we have an elected and appointed elite that is more representative of the American public. Yet in many ways they're less representative.”

• Larry J. Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia.

David Leonhardt. “Who’s in the Corner Office?” NYTs, 11/27/05.

Ad Hominem

“They accuse me of everything. They say Evo is a drug trafficker, that Evo is a narco-terrorist. They don't know how to defend their position, so they attack us.”

• Evo Morales, Bolivian coca farmer and presidential candidate.

Juan Forero. “Advocate for Coca Legalization Leads in Bolivian Race,” NYTs, 11/27/05.

60,000 Lives “Restructured”

“There are lot of people that are really mad. They think this is the thing that revolutions are made of.”

• Robert Paulk, 58, hourly worker, G.M. Tech Center, Warren, Mi..

“To me, the sooner that GM and Ford aggressively restructure themselves, the better this state's economy can move forward.”

• Dana Johnson, chief economist, Comerica Bank, Detroit, Mi..

Sarah A. Webster. “General Misery: Automaker’s plan to cut workforce deals blow to state,” Detroit Free Press, 11/22/05. (empahsis added)

“The decisions we are announcing today were very difficult to reach because of their impact on our employees and the communities where we live and work.”

• Rick Wagoner, CEO, General Motors Corp.

Michael Ellis. “Wagoner expects a profit, but he won’t predict when,” Detroit Free Press, 11/22/05.

Rice Deal: “Death Sentence” For S. Korean Farmers

“I understand that [European Enterprises] are experiencing various difficulties in the process of doing business in Korea where the system and the practices are different from yours.” “To address this problem, the Ministry of Labor is developing and implementing various polices to create a business-friendly environment.” “Foreign investment promotes domestic investment and contributes to employment security through creation of new jobs.” “…by designating economic free zones and easing various regulations, in order to induce increased foreign investment.” “The government aims at establishing rational industrial relations to build the foundation for sustainable social development.” “The government is also making efforts in terms of system and policies to improve the flexibility of the labor market…” “…social rationalization, a basis for industrialization and democratization, has been insufficient so far.” “…trade unions, as they gained more rights and power, started to become excessively political as they focused on claiming their ‘collective rights.’” “The government plans to prepare a bill that meets the international standards reflecting public opinions, and submit it to the National Assembly this year.” “The proportion of the unemployed youth out of total unemployment (843,000) is 42.0 percent, and the youth unemployment rate is 2.1 times higher than the overall unemployment rate of 3.6 percent.” “To change the seniority-based wage system into the one based on duty and performance, the government has established Wage and Duty Innovation Center, and is seeking to develop and distribute an appropriate model such as the wage peak system.” “…I would like to suggest you to provide internship opportunities to our youths in EU companies located in and outside Korea…” (emphasis added).

• Kim Dae-Hwan, South Korean Labor Minister, EUCCK Seminar, Shilla Hotel, 10/06/05.

“Seoul to Create Good Ambience for Investment,” Seoul Times, 11/25/05.

“If South Korea doesn't ratify the rice deal it promised to the international community, its standing, image and credibility will be undermined.”

• Ban Ki Moon, South Korean minister of foreign affairs and trade.

“Today is the day the National Assembly of South Korea gave a death sentence to 3.5 million farmers.”

• Kwon Young Ghil, Democratic Labor Party leader.

Choe Sang-hun. “South Korea Ratifies Pact on Rice Imports,” International Herald Tribune, 111/24/05.

“Failure to implement the deal before the year's end would bring a tariff system that would open the market entirely to foreign rice as well as a possibility that some countries might file a complaint with the WTO on the issue.”

• Kim Boo-kyum, Uri Party vice floor leader.

Joo Sang-min. “S. Korean lawmakers set to vote on rice import deal,” Yonhap News, 11/23/05.

“As a member of the global trade body, it was Korea’s duty to accept and implement the agreed terms as soon as possible so as not to lose credibility on the international stage.”
“The immediate effect of the rice bill, finally, is Korea gaining its international credibility.”

• Lee Chang-soo, agricultural policy researcher at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.

“Once consumers have the chance to choose from a wider selection at the market, an immediate issue will be how they respond to imported rice,” “If Korean consumers come to trust imported rice by discovering they like the taste and quality, price wouldn’t really matter. The price could even be the same as domestic rice.”

• Suh Jin-kyo, agricultural policy researcher, Korea Rural Economic Institute.

Yoo Soh-jung. “Rice from Foreign Countries to hit local retail outlets,” Korea Herald, 11/24/05.

The Price of Politics

“The present oil price climate can put tremendous political pressure on more populist governments with regard to foreign investors. We've seen that recently in Bolivia and Venezuela, among others, and it may be the reason in Yemen.”

• James Loftis, partner, Vinson & Elkins, Houston Tx.

Eric O’Keefe. “Oil Companies File Arbitration Against Yemen,” NYTs, 11/24/05.

Frying Pan Iraq: Turkey War

“Marshmallow and Yam were a little skeptical about going to a place called Frying Pan Park. I don't blame them.”

• George W. Bush, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Nov. 22, 2005.

Elisabeth Bumiller. “Two Turkeys Pardoned, With First-Class Tickets,” NYT’s, 11/23/05.

Padilla Allegedly Follows U.S. Official Policy

“Earlier today, a superseding indictment was unsealed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida charging Jose Padilla with providing - and conspiring to provide - material support to terrorists, and conspiring to murder individuals who are overseas. The indictment alleges that Padilla traveled overseas to train as a terrorist with the intention of fighting in “violent jihad” - a short hand term to describe a radical Islamic fundamentalist ideology that advocates using physical force and violence to oppose governments, institutions, and individuals who do not share their view of Islam. These groups routinely engage in acts of physical violence such as murder, maiming, kidnapping, and hostage-taking against innocent civilians.”

• Prepared Remarks of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales at the Press Conference Regarding the Indictment of Jose Padilla, Washington, DC, 11/22/05.

The Three Big Pigs

“What Chrysler is saying is if you're going to concede to something to GM and perhaps to Ford, then what about conceding to Chrysler.”

• Gerald C. Meyers, business professor, University of Michigan; fmr. chairman, American Motor Corp.

Josee Valcourt. “UAW, Chrysler to start talks over health care,” Detroit News, 11/23/05.

“Free Market” Welfare: “Incentives” Replace Healthcare

“We're just looking for our government to help us. We can compete with Toyota, but we can't compete with Japan.”

• Willam C. Ford, Jr., CEO, Ford Motor Co., remarks after National Press Club speech.
  

Sholnn Freeman. “Ford’s Chief Makes Case for Federal Help,” Washington Post, 11/23/05.

“Now, more than ever, with the competitive pressures of globalization, America needs to respond to the economic challenges of our time. Our government must view the challenges of this era through the same lens -- and stand by American workers, and American industry, as it always has.”

• Willam C. Ford, Jr., CEO, Ford Motor Co., speech, National Press Club, 11/22/05.
  

Jeff Plungis. “Ford urges incentives for auto industry,” Detroit News, 11/23/05.

“This is a cancer that will kill if it's not stopped.”

• Buzz Hargrove, President, Canadian Auto Workers.
  

Dee-Ann Durbin. “GM Job Cuts Chip Away at Unions’ Power,” AP, 11/22/05.

War Criminals

“For 10 years there has been a clear and appalling lack of will to go after these war criminals.”

• R. Nicholas Burns, under secretary of state for political affairs.

Steven R. Weismann. “Bosnia’s 3 Groups Reach Unity Agreement,” NYT’s, 11/23/05.

“The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) today instituted proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against (separately and in the following order) the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Portugal and Spain, accusing these States of bombing Yugoslav territory in violation of their obligation not to use force against another State. … Yugoslavia maintains that the above-mentioned States have committed ‘acts by which [they] have violated [their] international obligation[s] not to use force against another State, not to intervene in [that State's] internal affairs’ and ‘not to violate [its] sovereignty’; ‘the obligation to protect the civilian population and civilian objects in wartime, [and] to protect the environment; the obligation relating to free navigation on international rivers’; the obligation ‘regarding the fundamental rights and freedoms; and the obligation[s] not to use prohibited weapons [and] not to deliberately inflict conditions of life calculated to cause the physical destruction of a national group’.”

• International Court of Justice, Press Release 99/17, 4/29/99:

• See also Michael Mandel et al. Complaint to the International Crminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,"5/06/1999.

“The Purpose of the U.S. Actions Being to Dominate, Control and Exploit Yugoslavia, Its People and Its Resources.”

• Compaint prepared by Ramsey Clark, Charge 18, International Action Center, 07/30/99.

“The Members of the International War Crimes Tribunal find the accused Guilty on the basis of the evidence against them and that each of the nineteen separate crimes alleged in the Initial Complaint has been established to have been committed beyond a reasonable doubt.”

• Final Judgement Of The Commission Of Inquiry To Investigate U.S./NATO War Crimes Against The People Of Yugoslavia, New York, 06/10/00.

“Millennium Challenge”: Legacy of Genghis Khan

“…, we will insist that as a condition of the Millennium Challenge checks being written that there be honest government, that there be investment in health and education of the people, that there be a dedication to rule of law and to the marketplace.”

• George W. Bush.

Interview of President Bush by Eagle Television, Mongolia, White House, Office of the Press Secretary, November 8, 2005.

“Both our nations were settled by pioneers on horseback who tamed the rugged plains. Both our nations shook the yoke of colonial rule, and built successful free societies. And both our nations know that our responsibilities in freedom's cause do not end at our borders - and that survival of liberty in our own lands increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.”

• George W. Bush, Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

David E. Sanger, “In Mongolia, Bush Grateful for Iraq Help,” NYTs, 11/21/05.

Big Oil Profits Go To “Widows And Orphans”

“When profit is earned by oil companies, it does not go to King John or to the Sheriff of Nottingham. It goes mostly to widows and orphans and pension funds who are owners of the big oil companies… Do we really want to punish the people who risk billions to bring us oil from deep under the ocean, then pump it out, refine it, add chemicals to it to make it less polluting, then have it on the corner for us to put into our cars - and still sell it at a price less than that of a bottle of water from a tap that's been barely filtered? Why do we hate the oil companies that basically make our lives possible…”

• Ben Stein. “Don’t Beat Up Big Oil. It’s Just Doing It’s Job,” NYTs, 11/20/05.

Ten Years In Iraq?

“Iraq and Bosnia are about as different as two countries can be, but our experience in the Balkans has taught us over the past decade that steadfastness and patience can deliver peace. We have made a similar commitment in Iraq and will not leave until the job is done, although I won't put a number of years on that.”

- R. Nicholas Burns, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, Sarajevo, October, 2005.

Roger Cohen, “Lessons From Bosnia, 10 Years On: A U.S. Commitment Can Work,” NYT’s, 11/20/05.
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Curveball Exchanges Bogus Intelligence For German Visa

“We were shocked. Mein Gott! We had always told them it was not proven…. It was not hard intelligence.”

- BND officer, on Powell’s U.N. claims.

“Discrepancies surfaced regarding the information provided by … Curveball in this stream of reporting, which indicate that he lost his claimed access in 1995. Our assessment, therefore, is that Curveball appears to be fabricating in this stream of reporting.”

- CIA notice to global stations, May, 2004.

“Curveball's motive, CIA officials said, was not to start a war. He simply was seeking a German visa… Curveball largely ceased cooperating in 2001 after he was granted asylum… U.S. and German officials feared that Ahmad Chalabi had coached Curveball… even Curveball's description of a single lab was a fiction… Curveball was last in his engineering class, not first, as he had claimed. He was a low-level trainee engineer, not a project chief or site manager, as the CIA had insisted. … Curveball had been fired in 1995, at the very time he said he had begun working on bio-warfare trucks. A former CIA official said Curveball also apparently was jailed for a sex crime and then drove a Baghdad taxi.”

- Bob Drogin and John Goetz.

Bob Drogin and John Goetz. “How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of ‘Curveball,’” Los Angeles Times, 11/20/05.
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VX In The U.S.A.

“We will go to a one-shift operation, which will allow us to continue destroying VX… We won't shut down. We will continue to destroy VX, safely.”

- Col. Jesse L. Barber, project manager, Army Alternative Technologies and Approaches Project.

Patricia L. Pastore. “Contractor employees threaten to leave job at Newport,” Tribune-Star, 11/04/05.

Article

Selling Honor

“This conference being held in Cairo while the Crusaders and their accomplices are killing Muslims is just like the other conferences that have sold Muslim honor and wealth for the lowest price to Crusaders and Jews.”

- Harith al-Dhari of the Muslim Clerics’ Association, statement, website.

Waleed Ibrahim and Mohammed Abbas, “Iraqis air disputes at Cairo conference,” Reuters, 11/19/05.

Article

Clinton: “Depersonalize” and “Personalize”

“I want to depersonalize the debate so we can have the debate and listen to one another…. No three-dimensional human deserves to be turned into a two-dimensional cartoon.”

Bill Clinton, on Congressman John Murtha, after speech in Little Rock, Ar.

Caryn Rousseau. “Clinton: Iraq Debate Should Spurn Insults,” AP, 11/18/05.
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“…we are where we are. You can't undo history …everybody in the world has an interest in seeing a pluralistic, secure, safe Iraq. …it might be a positive thing to promote reform throughout the Arab world…if I took office as president tomorrow, I'd say pretty much what John Kerry said, that we've lost all these lives, the Iraqis are decent people, they deserve a chance at the future. Whether we did right or wrong before, we are where we are… I wouldn't just pull up and leave there if I thought it was going to cause the whole thing to disintegrate… I've been there. When you go to war and your bombs go astray and innocent people die and you didn't intend for it, I feel for [G.W. Bush]. When you pick up the paper every day and a bunch more of your kids have died, I feel for him… as a human being it hurts to know that however much you believe in what you're doing when there are adverse consequences, intended or unintended, it's exceedingly painful…sometimes we want people to see all political figures as two dimensional cartoons like so that we deify and glorify the people we like. They're still real people. They're imperfect. And that makes them more interesting to me. And then the people we disagree with, we tend to demonize them. So when you turn somebody into a deity or a demon you turn them from a three-dimensional human being into a two-dimensional cartoon. And I think people are always afraid they'll be seen as human in the middle or if they admit error they'll actually be demonized.

Bill Clinton, interview.

“Interview With Frm. President Bill Clinton,” CNN, Larry King Live, 7/31/04.
Interview

Catholic Victory: Judge Sentenced To 7 Months

“I was convicted because I am a minor-league citizen compared to Catholics. I could be an atheist or a Buddhist, it doesn't matter.”

“Judge in Crucifix Dispute Gets Jail,” AP, 11/18/05.

Article

“I refuse to hold an audience until the cross is removed or until other religious symbols are displayed as well. In public offices, the cross is the only theological symbol on display. That's like saying white people can come in and the blacks stay outside. It's a form of religious discrimination.” “I’ve even received death threats from ‘good Christians’. But it's not as if I'm battling against Catholics. It's about equality.”

- Judge Luigi Tosti, ordered on Nov. 18, 2005, to serve a 7 month jail sentence.

Natasha Bita. “Secular ideas clash with modern realities,” The Australian, 10/24/05.

Article

Vanunu Arrested For Telling The Truth

“I was arrested because they don't want to let me enjoy freedom.”

- Mordechai Vanunu , statement to reporters.

“Nuclear Whistleblower Arrested in Israel,” AP, 11/18/05.
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Jonathon Lis and Nir Hasson. “Tel Aviv court releases nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu,” Haaretz, 11/20/05.
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“It is time for the rest of the world to join Mordechai Vanunu in demanding that Israel acknowledge its status as a nuclear weapons state with a large and growing arsenal, and in demanding that ALL the nuclear weapons states--including Israel, India and Pakistan, but above all the U.S. and Russia--negotiate concrete steps on a definite time-table toward the global, inspected abolition of nuclear weapons.”

- Daniel Ellsberg, Statement on Behalf of Mordachi Vanunu, U.N. May 11, 2005, statements of Non-Governmental Organizations to the States Party to the Seventh Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Statement

Laura Bush Sympathizes With The Worlds Children

“We might make different sounds when we cry, but we all do the same thing. Our faces look the same when tears come to our eyes.”

- Laura Bush, book reading, Busan, South Korea.

Alexa Olsen. “Laura Bush Reads to South Korean Orphans,” AP, 11/18/05.
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CEO Uses Single-Payer Argument

“Studies show that funds invested in health care yield far greater benefits than costs to a nation’s economy over the long term.”

- Martin Emerson, Chief Executive Officer, American Medical Systems, West Minnetonka, Minnesota, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Ways and Means. 11/07/05.

Testimony

Taxation Without Representation

“By forcing the issue to a vote, Republicans placed many Democrats in a politically unappealing position -- whether to side with Murtha and expose themselves to criticism, or to oppose him and risk angering the voters that polls show want an end to the conflict.”

- Liz Sidoti. “House GOP Seeks Quick Veto of Iraq Pullout,” AP, 11/18/05.

Article

“The public's overall support for global engagement – which increased in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks – has clearly receded. Just a quarter of the public favors the U.S. being the most active of leading nations, which represents a significant decline compared with October 2001 (33%). The percentage of Americans who agree that the ‘U.S. should mind its own business internationally’ has risen from 30% in 2002 to 42% currently. Isolationist sentiment is growing particularly among Democrats and independents. More than half of Democrats (55%) now say the United States should mind its own business internationally up from 40% in 2002; among independents, 42% express that view now, compared with 27% three years ago. As to public perceptions of the U.S. global image, two-thirds of Americans (66%) say that the U.S. is less respected than in the past. When asked about possible reasons for global discontent with the U.S., overwhelming percentages of Americans (71%) and opinion leaders (87%) cite the war in Iraq as a major factor. Majorities in each group of influentials, and 60% of the public, also believe that America's wealth and power are a primary cause of global discontent with the U.S. But opinion leaders are much more inclined than the public to view U.S. support for Israel as a major reason why people around the world dislike the U.S. Majorities in each group of opinion leaders – including 78% of journalists – see this as a major reason for discontent with the U.S. Just 39% of the public agrees.”

“Opinion Leaders Turn Cautious, Public Looks Looks Homeward: America’s Place in the World,” Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Survey Report, 11/17/05.

Report

“Foundations Of Integrity”

“The reconstruction of Iraq is, and must be, built on a foundation of integrity and honest business dealings. The Department of Justice will pursue and prosecute anyone who attempts to exploit this vital process for their own personal or financial gain.”

- Alice S. Fisher, Assistant Attorney General, statement.

James Glanz. “Issuing Contracts, Ex-Convict Took Bribes in Iraq, U.S. Says,” NYT’s, 11/18/05.
Article

Katrina’s “Terror” Highlights “Free Market” Myth

“The Navy is asking for $2 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, saying in a memo that it wants to restore Northrop’s three Gulf Coast yards, where most of the Navy’s surface ships are built, to their pre-Katrina ‘capacity and profit opportunities.’ Most of this $2 billion would be used to rewrite Northrop’s usual contracts with the Navy to shift the full burden of hurricane-related cost overruns and shipbuilding delays from Northrop to the government. On top of that, Northrop said it expected to get $1 billion from its insurers to repair damaged buildings, despite a nasty battle with one company that has ended up in court. Shipyard delays, the Navy argues, only increase the cost of the ships, which already carry billion-dollar price tags. And because Northrop is the region’s largest employer, with about 18,000 workers, the sooner it returns to full speed, the stronger the local economy will be, both the Navy and Northrop say.”

- Leslie Wayne. “Northrop Grumman Seeks $2 Billion to Repair Hurricane Damage,” NYT’s, 11/17/05.
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Note: The House of Representatives is currently considering H.R. 4133 “to temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the national flood insurance program.” The resolution is entitled the “National Flood Insurance Program Enhanced Borrowing Authority Act of 2005.” It contintues: “The first sentence of subsection (a) of section 1309 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4016(a)), as amended by the National Flood Insurance Program Enhanced Borrowing Authority Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-65; 119 Stat. 1998), is amended by striking `$3,500,000,000' and inserting `$8,500,000,000',” it reads.

“Placing Bets”: Tough Odds For Americans

“We are placing a very large bet on our ability to shift a significant part of our development to Asia. We are doing that more aggressively than any semiconductor company.” “If we can get two-thirds of our product development at one-fourth the cost, we come close to cutting our overall costs in half.”

- Dwight Decker, CEO, Conexant.

James Flanigan. “Now, High-Tech Work Is Going Abroad,” NYT’s, 11/17/05.
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