“America is addicted to oil”

“America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.”

George W. Bush.

Terence Hunt, “Bush Says ‘State of Our Union Is Strong,” AP, 1/31/06.

U.S.-AT&T: State-Corporate Nexus

“Our main goal [in the class-action lawsuit] is to stop this invasion of privacy, prevent it from occurring again and make sure AT&T and all the other carriers understand there are going to be legal and economic consequences when they fail to follow the law,…. We are quite confident that discovery would reveal evidence proving our allegations correct.”

Kevin Bankston, attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Matthew Fordahl, “Group Sues AT&T Over Alleged Surveillance,” AP, 1/31/06.

Crude Designs: Highlights of the Report on Iraqi Oil

[Iraqi] oil policy allocates the majority of Iraq’s oilfields - accounting for at least 64% of the country’s oil reserves – for development by multinational oil companies. Iraqi public opinion is strongly opposed to handing control over oil development to foreign companies. …production sharing agreements (PSAs) [are] largely political: technically they keep legal ownership of oil reserves in state hands, while practically delivering oil companies the same results as the concession agreements they replaced. …PSAs are effectively immune from public scrutiny and lock governments into economic terms that cannot be altered for decades. (4)

…The use of PSAs in Iraq was proposed by the Future of Iraq project, the US State Department’s planning mechanism, prior to the 2003 invasion. …The [Iraqi] Constitution also suggests a decentralization of authority over oil contracts, from the national level to Iraq’s regions. …None of the top oil producers in the Middle East uses PSAs. …Our calculations show that were the Iraqi government to use PSAs, its cost of capital would be between 75% and 119%. (5)

…Iraq’s oil industry has been in public hands since 1972; prior to that the rights to develop oil in 99.5% of the country had also been held since 1961. (15)

…“Key attractions of production sharing agreements to private oil companies are that although the reserves are owned by the state, accounting procedures permit the companies to book the reserves in their accounts, but, other things being equal, the most important feature from the perspective of private oil companies is that the government take is defined in the terms of the [PSA] and the oil companies and therefore protected under a PSA from future adverse legislation.” (16)

…Iraq has about 80 known oilfields, only 17 of which are currently in production. Thus the Allawi guidelines would grant the other 63 to private companies. (17)

…As these 17 fields represent only 40 billion of Iraq’s 115 billion barrels of known reserves, the policy to allocate undeveloped fields to foreign companies would give those companies control of 64% of known reserves. If a further 100 billion barrels are found…81%...200 billion…87%. Given that oil accounts for over 95% of Iraq’s government revenues, the impact of this policy on Iraq’s economy would be enormous. (19)

…Using an average oil price of $40 per barrel, our projections reveal tha the use of PSAs would cost Iraq between $74 billion and $194 billion in lost revenue, compared to keeping oil development in public hands. …these figures relate to only 12 of Iraq’s more than 60 undeveloped fields. (20) …the full cost of the PSA policy could be considerably greater. (21)

Cited in Crude Designs: The rip-off of Iraq’s oil Wealth (Platform with Global Policy Forum, Institute for Policy Studies, New Economics Foundation, Oil Change International, and War on Want, November 2005)

“Oil in the next war will occupy the place of coal in the present war, or at least a parallel place to coal. The only big potential supply that we can get under British control is the Persian [now Iran] and Mesopotamian [now Iraq] supply… Control over these oil supplies becomes a first class British war aim.” (7)

Letter to Arthur Balfour, Foreign Secretary, 1918.

“By 2010 we will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? …While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East with two thirds of the world’s oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies.” (7)

Dick Cheney, speech at the Institute of Petroleum Autumn lunch, London, 11/15/99.

“We know where the best [Iraqi] reserves are [and] we covet the opportunity to get those some day.” (13)

Archie Dunham, CEO, ConocoPhillips. Cayola Hoyos, “Big players anticipate Iraq’s return to fold,” Financial Times, 2/20/03.

“US companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil.” (18)

Ahmad Chalabi. Dan Morgan and David B. Ottaway, “In Iraqi War Scenario, Oil is Key Issue,” Washington Post, 9/15/02, A01.

Cited in Crude Designs: The rip-off of Iraq’s oil Wealth (Platform with Global Policy Forum, Institute for Policy Studies, New Economics Foundation, Oil Change International, and War on Want, November 2005)

Iraq: All About Control of Oil

“This year we will be able to start specific negotiations to develop fields. 2006 for us is the year that we are very optimistic. Finally we have a legitimate government in Iraq.”

“We have running contact. It proves that, unlike western companies, we are willing to work under any circumstances.”

“It is a huge contract and we don't need anything else, provided it is realized.”

Leonid Fedun, vice-president, Lukoil.

Carola Hoyos, “Lukoil optimistic on Iraq,” Financial Times UK, 1/31/06.

Bush Ally Howard Denies Oil-For-Food Ties

“I would have been failing in my job as prime minister if I hadn’t done everything I could to help AWB maintain and protect the wheat market, because it was one of our best. We didn’t have any knowledge of bribes [paid to the Iraqi regime] but we did work closely with AWB.”

Sundeep Tucker, “Australian PM drawn into Iraq scandal,” Financial Times UK, 1/30/06.

U.S.: Deconstructing Iraq

In the case of the Al Hillah General Hospital in southern Iraq, for instance, $662,800 was spent to install new elevators. Instead, the contractor tried to refurbish the existing elevators, one of which later crashed and killed three people.

Edward Alden, “Security cost hit rebuilding of Iraq power sector,” Financial Times UK, 1/31/06.

Citibank et al: Global Advocates of Terror

…private investment corporations or PICs are designed for the purpose of holding – and hiding – one person’s assets. The assets can be real property, money, stock, art or other valuables. The nominal officers, trustees, and shareholders of these shell corporations are, in turn, often shell corporations controlled by the private bank. The PIC then becomes the holder of the various bank and investment accounts, and the ownership of the private bank’s client is buried in the records of so-called secrecy jurisdictions, such as the Cayman Islands. Private banks keep pre-packaged PICs “on-the-shelf”, awaiting activation when a private bank client wants one. They have shell companies in secrecy jurisdictions managed by shell corporations which serve as directors, officers and shareholders. There are shells within shells within shells – like Russian Matryoshka Dolls -- which in the end can become impenetrable to legal process.

Private bankers specialize in secrecy. Even if a client doesn’t ask for secrecy, the private banker encourages it. Look at this brochure for Citibank’s private bank on their international trust services. In the table of contents it lists the attractiveness of secrecy jurisdictions this way: “The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Jersey & Switzerland: The best of all worlds.” This brochure also advertises the advantages of using a PIC. One advantage it lists is this one:

“PIC assets are registered in the name of the PIC and your ownership of the PIC need not appear in any public registry.”

Secrecy is such a priority that private bankers are often told by their superiors not to keep any record in the United States disclosing who owns the offshore PICs established by the private bank. One former private banker told us he and his fellow bankers had to hide cheat sheets in their desks, because they weren’t allowed to keep names of the offshore accounts they were managing. Since they couldn’t remember the names and numbers of all those accounts when they needed them, they would keep a secret list in their desks or with a secretary to help them remember. When the list was discovered, the banker was reprimanded.

Secrecy is so important that private bankers sometimes speak in code to each other in phone calls across the Atlantic to disguise the beneficial owner of the account they are talking about, so other bank employees won’t know the beneficial owners of the very accounts they are working on. One private banker in Citicorp London had worked for years on the Salinas account and never knew Raul Salinas was the beneficial owner. Raul Salinas was always referred to by a code, CC2, or the name of his PIC, Trocca. The private banker said she was surprised when she learned Raul Salinas owned one of her accounts.

American banks aren’t allowed to maintain secret accounts in the United States, so U.S. private bankers establish secret accounts and secret corporations in countries that do allow them. Then they manage those accounts from their offices in the United States. In short, American banks help wealthy customers do abroad what the customer and the bank can’t do within the boundaries of the United States.

Today we are looking at the private bank of Citibank. It is the largest bank in the United States, and it has one of the largest private bank operations. It has the most extensive global presence of all U.S. banks, and it had a rogues’ gallery of private bank clients. Citibank has been private banker to:

– Raul Salinas, brother to the former President of Mexico; now in prison in Mexico for murder and under investigation in Mexico for illicit enrichment ;

-- Asif Ali Zardari, husband to the former Prime Minister of Pakistan; now in prison in Pakistan for kickbacks and under indictment in Switzerland for money laundering;

-- Omar Bongo, President of Gabon; subject of a French criminal investigation into bribery;

-- sons of the General Sani Abacha, former military leader of Nigeria; one of whom is now in prison in Nigerian on charges of murder and under investigation in Switzerland and Nigeria for money laundering;

-- Jaime Lusinchi, former President of Venezuela; charged with misappropriation of government funds;

-- two daughters of Radon Suharto, former President of Indonesia who has been alleged to have looted billions of dollars from Indonesia; and, it appears,

-- General Albert Stroessner, former President of Paraguay and notorious for decades for a dictatorship based on terror and profiteering.

And these are just the clients we know.

Other banks have similar accounts. The legal counsel for Bankers Trust private bank asked the Subcommittee not to make public any information about an account of a certain Latin American client because the private banker was concerned that the banker’s life would be in danger if the information were revealed. The Bankers Trust counsel, when describing one of its clients, told our staff words to the effect that, “These are bad people.” If the bank thinks they’re “bad people,” why are they seeking them as customers of the private bank? In the Bankers Trust case it appears the bank does know its client; but what it knows is that its client is “bad.”

… We can’t condemn corruption abroad, be it officials taking bribes or looting their treasuries, and then tolerate American banks making fortunes off that corruption.

Statement of Senator Carl Levin, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Hearing On Private Banking and Money Laundering: A Case Study of Opportunities and Vulnerabilities, November 9, 1999.

U.S. Argument: “Gradual Encroachment,” And 15 ¢ Per Acre

Shoshone elders filed a petition with the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) calling for action against the U.S. government for claiming large parts of indigenous lands as federal property.

… The Shoshone lands cover about 60 million acres in the states of Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California. These lands, which are known to contain rich reservoirs of gold, also include a proposed national repository for radioactive waste.

… In their petition to the U.N., the Shoshone have argued that the U.S. government has no right to occupy or privatise their ancestral land because the treaty it had signed in 1863 does not allow Washington to do so. The U.S. government maintains that the Shoshone people have lost their rights to ancestral lands, as identified in the treaty, due to “gradual encroachment” by non-Native Americans.

… In 2004, the U.S. government tried to resolve this issue by passing a law, known as the Western Shoshone Distribution Act, which allowed Washington to claim large swathes of indigenous lands by financially compensating the Shoshone people. However, the compensation to the tribes is based on the 1872 price for their land and minerals -- about 15 cents per acre.

Haider Rizvi, “Native Group Takes Land Dispute to UN,” Inter Press Service, 1/26/06.

Argentina’s “Directive 11”: Admitting Nazis, Rejecting Jews

“In that period, in Europe, the denial of entry visas was equivalent to a death sentence for many Jews at the hands of the Nazis. This circular [‘Directive 11’] formed part of a government policy. Argentina saw itself at that time as a Hispanic, Catholic country, and felt that an influx of a large number of Jews would somehow hurt Argentine Hispanic Catholic racial purity.”

“From information passed down in my family, I knew there had been a secret order that banned the entry of Jews into Argentina.”

Marciel Drazer, “Overcoming Past Antisemitic Injustices,” Inter Press Service, 1/30/06.

“Democracy” Sowing Seeds of Crisis

This week's sweeping victory by Hamas in the Palestinian elections forces us all to confront the reality of democracy. Do we respect the will of a people, or do we add to their cynicism about democracy as a system tolerated only if it serves the interests of the U.S. and its allies?

We hope the West has learned from its Algerian folly. It is time Western governments took a deep breath and resisted the temptation to act hastily and sow the seeds of another crisis by rejecting the will of the Palestinian people.

Tarek Fatah, Jehad Aliweiwi, “The reality of democracy,” Toronto Star, 1/30/06.

2-Second Journalism Lesson

With great fanfare the other day, Oprah Winfrey asked James Frey a question that mainstream journalists refuse to ask George W. Bush: “Why would you lie?”

…Frey lied about his personal life in a book, and that infuriated Oprah Winfrey. “It is difficult for me to talk to you, because I really feel duped,” she said, confronting him in the midst of the Jan. 26 telecast. “I feel duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.”

Norman Solomon, “Domestic Lying: The Question That Journalists Don’t Ask Bush,” Commondreams.org, 1/29/06.

… “I embellished many details about my past experiences, and altered others in order to serve what I felt was the greater purpose of the book. …I altered events and details all the way through the book. …I made other alterations in my portrayal of myself, most of which portrayed me in ways that made me tougher and more daring and more aggressive than in reality I was, or Iam.”

James Frey’s note to the reader of A Million Little Pieces, Random House website, 2/01/06.

Nicaraguans Pay IMF With Life and Limb

20,000 public health care workers declared an indefinite nationwide strike in mid-November, vowing only to perform emergency operations until the government granted public doctors significant [more than $300 per month] salary increases.

… the Minister of Health Margarita Gurdián reported, “we are seeing how we can comply with a commitment the country has made; to do this, there are [IMF] restrictions on how much the total [public] salary amount can be…”

… For about a decade, Nicaragua’s health care budget has been steadily declining under IMF structural adjustment programs that impose a cap on social spending. From 1996 to 2003, amidst such neoliberal encroachments, Nicaragua saw its supply of doctors per 10,000 people decrease from 6 to 3.8.

… Just after pledging $201 million of debt relief for Nicaragua, the IMF has also promised to reactivate its stalled economic program with the country, meaning a new IMF loan package of about $100 million, (total international aid made available reaches around $230 million).

… Last week the newspaper El Nuevo Diario reported that Mario Arana, the Minister of Finance, considered it impossible to increase doctors’ salaries since “the International Monetary Fund made a series of recommendations upon announcing the renewal of the economic program with Nicaragua, among them to not further increase salaries.”

… What has the salary crisis and resultant strike meant for the Nicaraguan populace? In the case of Reina Landeros Poveda, it has meant a fundamentally altered life. … Reina had her left leg amputated just beneath the hip on January 21.

Ben Beachy, “Swindling the Sick: The IMF Debt Relief Sham,” Commondreams.org, 1/27/06.

Remembering “Operation Just Cause”

Think back think back just twelve short months ago to the world we knew as 1989 began.

One year, one year ago the people of Panama lived in fear under the thumb of a dictator. Today democracy is restored. Panama is free.

“Operation Just Cause” has achieved its objective. And the number of military personnel in Panama is now very close to what it was before the operation began. And tonight I am announcing that before the end of February the additional numbers of American troops, the brave men and women of our armed forces who made this mission a success, will be back home.

… We need to cut the tax on capital gains,….

… The money is there. It's there for research and development, R and D, a record high.

… Private Markwell was among the first to see battle in Panama, and among the first to fall. But he knew what he believed in. He carried the idea we call America in his heart.

… let us remember that the state of the Union depends on each and every one of us.

George Herbert Walker Bush, Address Before a Joint Session of Congress on the State of the Union, January 31, 1990.

Bush: “The Butcher of Washington”

“Bush, you are not only defeated and a liar, but, with God's help and might, a failure. You are a curse on your own nation and you have brought and will bring them only catastrophes and tragedies.”

… “to the American people, who are drowning in illusions. I tell you that Bush and his gang are shedding your blood and wasting your money in failed adventures.”

Nadia Abou El-Magd, “Al-Zawahri Mocks Bush Over Terrorism War,” AP, 1/30/06.

Glanz Struggles To Obfuscate Contradictions

If the catalytic reaction set in motion by elections cannot be stopped once it starts, then a better solution may be to promote democracy in a way that is tailored to the most dangerous realities of each country.

… The ascendancy throughout the region of political Islam is, therefore, the first problem that the United States must solve as it pushes democratic reform.

… The appeal of the Islamist parties is often simply that they are well organized, untainted by the corruption of an entrenched regime, and able to provide things like child care and funeral services to local neighborhoods.

… Mr. Baram is another believer that carefully designed forms of democracy will be able to work [in Iraq and Lebanon]. … “It has to be approached on a country-by-country solution,”….

James Glanz, “A Little Democracy or a Genie Unbottled,” New York Times, 1/29/06. [emphasis added]

Nanny State Perplexes Levy: “by default or design….”?

… companies have essentially tried to turn the responsibility for some of these benefits over to the government. Whether by default or design,….

Medicare's new prescription drug benefit … has been a boon to companies eager to trim soaring drug costs for retirees. … besieged industries are jettisoning pension plans, forcing a federal agency to finance them, a bailout that carries echoes of the savings-and-loan debacle of the 1980's.

… companies have increasingly been able to sidestep demands for health coverage in part because some workers qualify for Medicaid,….

… [Business] is also willing to accept help in easing labor costs, aid that, depending on your point of view, is either prudent government assistance or brazen corporate welfare.

… Caterpillar and Goodyear…the National Association of Manufacturers…were promised billions of dollars in subsidies….

… Without major tax increases or borrowing, it is going to be difficult to sustain current obligations for entitlements,….

Clifford J. Levy, “The New Corporate Outsourcing,” New York Times, 1/29/06.

The Benefits For Producers

“The more competitive a market the more limited is unions’ bargaining power and ability to organize. Unions raise wages and so reduce profits. This is less and less feasible the more competitive the environment.”

Barry T. Hirsch, economics professor, Trinity University, San Antonio, Tx.

Eduardo Porter, “Unions Pay Dearly for Success,” New York Times, 1/29/06.

Bodies, But Not Voices, Count

“For people in prison, their bodies count but their voices don't. Their presence in the tabulation column [where prisons are located] expands the influence of those who have an incentive to keep them in prison, not those who need the resources to help keep them out.”

Kirsten Levingston, director, Brennan Center for Justice.

Zachery A. Goldfarb, “Census Bureau, Activists Debate How and Where to Count Inmates,” Washington Post, 1/30/06.

Bush Voters Biased Against Blacks

“If anyone in Washington is skeptical about these findings, they are in denial. We have 50 years of evidence that racial prejudice predicts voting. Republicans are supported by whites with prejudice against blacks. If people say, ‘This takes me aback,’ they are ignoring a huge volume of research.”

Jon Krosnick, Stanford University psychologist.

Shankar Vedantam, “Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases,” Washington Post, 1/30/06.

Violence and the “Right to Exist”

SCHIEFFER: Mr. President, there is certainly no shortage of questions to ask you today, and I guess I had better start with this thunderbolt from the Middle East that happened yesterday. We had a democratic election that the United States and others in the West encouraged, and, of all things, the party that has sworn to destroy Israel wins the majority of the seats in the Palestinian parliament. You said yesterday that unless they renounce violence, we can't deal with them.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Um-hmm.

SCHIEFFER: What if they don't renounce violence?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I--I said two things. One, they've got to get rid of that arm of their party which is armed and violent, and secondly, they have got to get rid of that part of their platform that says they want to destroy Israel. And if they don't, we won't deal with them.

SCHIEFFER: Well, what--

PRESIDENT BUSH: Aid packages won't go forward. Well, that's their decision to make. It's--first of all, the government is beginning to form. They're trying to work through all the—as you said, it was a lightning bowler, and it was--caught everybody's surprise, I suspect, including--I know that the Fatah was caught by surprise, maybe Hamas, and they have yet to work out how they are going to form their government. But we won't be providing help to a government that wants to destroy our ally and friend. I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you--if you don't renounce violent aims. The--the other thing that's interesting about the elections, though, that I found fascinating is that it reminded me that the elections are window panes into the actual condition of society.

SCHIEFFER: Um-hmm.

PRESIDENT BUSH: In other words, a lot of us were assuming that maybe life was this way or that way, and all of a sudden the people showed up to vote and said we want something different, we want good, honest government; we want people to listen to our needs; we want people to provide services so our families can, you know, be--grow up and be prosperous.

SCHIEFFER: Let me just ask you this question. You say you can't deal with them, but would it be beneficial to try to talk to them, to talk to them about moderating their stance, or is there just simply nothing to talk about?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well--well, in essence I am talking to them now.

Bob Schierffer. Interview with President Bush, CBS, 1/27/06.

Moderator: What would you consider a viable alternative to the current Palestinian situation. Would the current occupied territories serve as an adequate sovereign state with a government independent of Jewish influence? Mr. Pearle, can we start with you?

Richard Pearle: I’m a lot less enthusiastic about that than I was an hour ago. I don’ have an answer. I think I probably differ from professor Chomsky who has an answer for absolutely everything. And will tell it to you at great length. I really don’t have a solution, except to say that a precondition for any solution must be a recognition on the part of all parties of the legitimacy of all parties. That is, you cannot build a political agreement on the premise that a Jewish state in Palestine is illegitimate. It isn’t going to happen. And if it did happen it would not be stable or secure. So that seems to me the necessary first step. Professor Chomsky has all but acknowledged that he too thinks the PLO ought to recognize the right of Israel to exist as an independent Jewish state in Palestine, and I hope that he has more influence with them than he’s likely to have with the makers of American foreign policy.

Moderator: Professor Chomsky,…what would you consider a viable alternative to the current Palestinian situation?

Noam Chomsky: Well, there’s an obvious viable alternative, and the international consensus that I described has in fact outlined it. Most of Europe, most of the aligned countries, the major Arab states, the mainstream of the PLO for well over a decade, have called for a two-state political settlement, arrived at by negotiations, leading to mutual recognition. The PLO doesn’t have to wait for my advice, which I wouldn’t give ‘em anyway, to call for mutual recognition of Israel and a new Palestine state. They’ve been calling for that for years. Now, if you listen to Mr. Pearle carefully you’ll notice that a word was sneaked in there. That was the word recognition of their “legitimacy.” Now that they will not do. There’s an interesting diplomatic history with regard to the Middle East. The United States has been trying to block a settlement for a long time. After it became obvious that the PLO and the Arab states were quite willing to accept the “existence” of Israel, the “existence” of Israel; that is, to achieve a two-state settlement with recognized borders, with international guarantees - with mutual recognition and so on - after it became obvious that this was possible it was necessary to up the ante a notch. And what happened was, and here, take a look at recent American diplomatic history, again I urge you to look at the documents, very informative, you’ll notice that the position was changed. It was not enough for them to recognize Israel, they had to recognize the “legitimacy” of Israel, or the right to “exist” of Israel. Now, right to “exist” is something that doesn’t exist in international law. No state recognizes the right of any other state to “exist.” Mexico does not recognize the right of the United States

RP: Most states don’t question the right of other states to exist.

NC: Excuse me, that’s not true. We reject outright the right of the Soviet Union to “exist” in its present borders…

RP: No we don’t.

NC: That’s why we have a “Captive Nations” week every year. And we may be perfectly right in doing that. Mexico does not recognize the right of the United State to “exist” within its present borders, which happen to include a third of Mexico. In fact, in the international system, there is a notion of recognition of the “state.” But there is no of the “legitimacy” of a state. To call on the Palestinian to accept this new concept is to ask them to accept, not only that there’s a state in an area which they regard as their home, they’re willing to recognize that, but to recognize the “right” of that state to dispossess them. Of course they’re not going to accept that, nor should they. There’s no such thing in international affairs, and the effort to try to obtain it is pointless and absurd. Let me now make clear that while the PLO has with varying degrees of ambiguity, but often with great precision I should say, called for a political settlement along the lines I mentioned, Israel and the United States have been equally clear. Namely, in rejecting any such political settlement. The United States and Israel reject any, not only do they reject the right of the Palestinian to self-determination, they reject any manifestation of that right. In fact, U.S. and Israel rejectionism is so extreme, that the United States and Israel will not even permit the Palestinians to select their own representatives for eventual negotiations. That’s really extreme. If somebody had come along in 1947 and said the Jews in Palestine can be represented, but not by the Zionists, we would have called that a regression to Nazism, correctly. The same principle holds here. The fact that the PLO has engaged in terror, as have all, to my knowledge, other national movements, including George Washington, is obviously not the point. By those standards we would have rejected the Zionist movement, which engaged in extreme terror. In fact, the current prime minister of Israel, Itzhak Shamir, was the head of one of the leading terrorist groups, the group that assassinated the U.N. ambassador Folke Bernadotte, among many other atrocities, and was the author, in 1947, of a pamphlet in which he not only advocated terror, but said that “there was no moral barrier whatsoever to terror, nor can there be.” Well, yeah, that’s what national movements are like. But that doesn’t stop us from dealing with them. And it doesn’t stop us, we’re like that too. All of these are simply excuses to try to evade the political settlement that has long been possible. Now that’s a political settlement among national groups which “exist,” one of them has its national “existence” realized in the state of Israel, the other is under military occupation. If we agree – there’s a point of principle here of course – if we agree that Palestinians have the same human rights as Jews – maybe we don’t – but if we agree to that, then there is an obvious form of political settlement. Namely, the two-state settlement of the sort that we have rejected, that Israel rejects, just as its governing party continues to claim Jordan. Now, I don’t think we should back that. I think we should allow a move toward a political settlement. It won’t be easy. There’s a lot of problems. But at least we can begin to move in that direction.

Debate between Noam Chomsky and Richard Pearle, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1988.

Welfare Queen Lockheed Receives 2bn Survival Pork

“It's hard to overstate how important this [Transformational Satellite Communications System] technology is to future U.S. military plans.”

Loren Thompson, defense consultant.

Jim Wolf, “Lockheed gets $2 billion US satellite deal,” Reuters, 1/29/06.

“Stop-Loss” Exposes “Voluntary” Army Myth

“I think the whole stop-loss program is a misrepresentation to people of how long they're going to actually serve. I think it's caused tremendous morale problems, tremendous psychological damage to people. When you sign up for the military, you're saying, ‘I'll give you, say, six years and then after six years I get my life back.’ And they're saying, ‘No, really, we can extend you indefinitely.’”

Jules Lobel, law professor, University of Pittsburgh.

Will Dunham, “Army forces 50,000 soldiers into extended duty,” Reuters, 1/29/06.

Bush Adm Still Harboring Posada Carriles

“[The terrorist] Posada Carriles constitutes the most significant, recognized expression of international terrorism on our continent. … [Bush has indicated that] “any one harboring a terrorist or encouraging terrorism will be held responsible.”

Statement by Chilean attorneys, political leaders and representatives of human rightsorganizations.

“Chileans Demand Posada Deportation,” Prensa Latina, 1/27/06.

U.S.: The Most Serious Threat

“[The Bush administration is] the most serious threat for US citizens and the rest of the world.”

Ricardo Alarcón, Cuban Parliament Chair.

“Alarcón Raps US Terrorism of Cuba,” Prensa Latina, 1/29/06.

The Most Well-Armed, Belligerent and Dangerous Nation

... Os Estados Unidos formam a nação mais bem armada, beligerante e perigosa do mundo e maior supridora de material bélico para quem quiser e pagar mais. ... Os EEUU devem gastar este ano 441 bilhões de dólares em armas.... O orçamento militar venezuelano que decresceu nos últimos anos é pouco mais de um bilhão de dólares, ou seja, 0,25% do orçamento do cruel irmão maior. Pergunto: quem exagera em despesas militares? O país de Chavez ou o de Bush? Quantos países os Estados Unidos invadiram direta ou indiretamente desde o fim da segunda grande guerra? Muitos e não posso precisar o número. Quantos países a Venezuela ameaçou de apedrejar no mesmo período. Esta é fácil: nenhum.

… o Brasil não pode vender para a Venezuela porque usou tecnologia americana para a construção dos jatos e portanto precisa de permissão americana. FHC limitava-se a ficar de joelhos e sorrir. Lula lambe as botas, paga em dia e abana o rabo. Seria o caso de rir, não soubéssemos o que os marines estão fazendo no Iraque.

-------

… The United States is the most well armed, belligerent and dangerous nation in the world, and the major supplier of arms to whoever wishes to pay more. ….[It] will spend $441 billion on arms.… The Venezuelan military budget, which decreased in the last few years, is a little more than $1 billion… 0.25% of their cruel big brother. Question: who exaggerates military expenditures? The country of Chavez or that of Bush? How many countries has the United States invaded directly or indirectly since the end of Second World War? Many, and I cannot specify a number. How many countries has Venezuela threatened to attack in the same period? That is easy: none.

… Brazil is not able to sell [jets] to Venezuela because it used American technology to construct the jets and therefore it needs American permission. [Former Brazilian president] Fernando Henrique Cardoso limited himself to kneeling and smiling. Lula licks the boots [of the Americans], pays on time and wags his tail. It would be something to laugh about, if we didn’t know what the marines are doing in Iraq.

Fausto Wolff, “Porque me ufano do meu país,” Jornal do Brasil, 1/29/06. [Translation RA Gostenik]

Illegal Attack Results in More Abductions

“We continue to believe that what has happened to our teammates is the result of the actions of the U.S. and U.K. governments in their illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression of its people. We continue to call for justice and human rights for all who are detained in Iraq.”

Christian Peacemaker Teams Press Release, 1/28/06.

Clinton Dismisses Iraqi Public Opinion

“We shouldn't just precipitously give this [illegal occupation] up and say it can't work. If this thing works, it'll be a good thing for everybody in the Middle East. If it doesn't, it'll be trouble.”

Bill Clinton, Davos, Switzerland.

Sam Cage, “Britain Hopes to Lower Iraq Troop Numbers,” AP, 1/28/06.

Understanding and Protecting Our Home Planet

“[Bush administrators] feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public.”

… “Communicating with the public seems to be essential, because public concern [about climate change] is probably the only thing capable of overcoming the special interests that have obfuscated the topic.”

James E. Hansen, director, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA.

Andrew C. Revkin, “Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him,” New York Times, 1/29/06.

Empty Rhetoric: Novo Nordisk’s Sales Rise 364%

“We are opposed to plans where the financial interest of the manufacturer takes precedence over the patient's health. To call a physician and say that we're changing a patient's medication and make it seem as if it's on behalf of the patient when it's actually part of this marketing deal is not right.”

Carmen Catizone, executive director, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Gardiner Harris, Robert Pear, “Drug Maker’s Efforts to Compete in Lucrative Insulin Market Are Under Scrutiny,” New York Times, 1/28/06.

Berslusconi’s Tit For 10 Times More TV Time

…Mr. Berlusconi's American-style media campaign is as novel as it is ubiquitous. Critics say he is unfairly using his position as the head of government, who thus controls public television, and as a media magnate who controls his own stations. According to a study in Italian newspapers, he had more than three hours of television time over two weeks, while Mr. Prodi appeared for only eight minutes.

Ian Fisher, “‘Cyclone Silvio’ of Italy Is on the Air, Everywhere,” New York Times, 1/28/06.

Global Stock Market Merger

“[The NYSE] will be well-positioned to participate in the [global stock market] consolidation I think is going to take place both in the United States and particularly in Europe. I would expect us to play a leading role in the consolidation of the industry.”

John Thain, CEO, NYSE.

Peter Thal Larsen, “NYSE says it is ready to consider further mergers,” Financial Times UK, 1/27/06.

IRCT Receives Funds Equivalent to 17 Seconds of War

If the US uses $5bn a month, then it uses $166,700m a day, $6.9m every hour and $115,740 a minute.

… My estimate is that in total the level of current funding to support torture survivors in Iraq amounts to less than the cost for one hour of warfare.

…the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) has obtained funding amounting to 17 seconds of warfare for a project that helps torture survivors who had their ears cut off during Saddam Hussein's regime. The project gives the amputees new ears through reconstructive plastic surgery,….

Brita Sydhoff, secretary general, International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims.

Brita Sydhoff, “A time of redress for torture victims,” Financial Times UK, 1/28/06.

Iraq Helps Halliburton Turn $1bn Loss to $2.4bn Profit

“We believe the IPO market in general, and the public market for engineering and construction companies in particular, is very attractive, and a public valuation of KBR would benefit Halliburton's stock price. Valuation multiples of publicly traded engineering and construction firms are currently very favourable.”

Dave Lesar, CEO, Halliburton.

Sheila McNultyin, “Halliburton to spin off KBR,” Financial Times UK, 1/28/06.

“Illegal Profit” from Katrina

“No one -- whether citizen or public official -- will be permitted to illegally profit at the expense of the communities and citizens who so desperately need FEMA funds and assistance in the wake of this region's terrible disaster.”

Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney, Louisiana.

“FBI arrests 2 FEMA employees on bribery charges,” Reuters, 1/27/06.

Palestinian Holocaust

“Regrettably, the Zionist regime has routinely attempted to exploit the sufferings of the Jewish people in the past as a cover for its crime being perpetrated today against Palestinians.”

Iranian U.N. statement.

Daniel Trotta, “Holocaust survivors warn U.N. of today’s genocides,” Reuters, 1/27/06.

The Ba’ath Card

The statute of the Iraqi High Tribunal in article 33 prohibits anyone who was a member of the Ba’ath Party from working with the court. Due to a de facto suspension in the application of this provision, former Ba’ath Party members have been appointed to the court. In a briefing paper released in October 2005, Human Rights Watch criticized article 33 as interfering with the independence of judges, because it made several judges susceptible to dismissal at any time without regard to their actual past conduct.

In July 2005, the De-Ba’athification Commission sought the dismissal of more than 20 judges and other court personnel due to alleged former membership in the Ba’ath Party. Their dismissal was blocked only by the intervention of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja’afari.

… The 1985 U.N. Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary ensure that judges shall decide matters “without any restrictions, improper influences, inducements, pressures, threats or interferences, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reason.”

“Saddam Hussein Trial At Risk,” Human Rights Watch Press Release, 1/27/06.

Female Detainees

“CG wants the husband. There is some concern regarding potential negative IO impact of Kurdish women being detained and then being turned over to the police. My opinion is you turn them over to the police – but our PM says they don’t arrest women…? Not sure whether or not that is true.”

----

“What are you guys doing to try to get the husband – have you tacked a note on the door and challenged him to come get his wife? …or something more sophisticated…”

LTC (MNB-N) C3.

“As each day goes by, I get more input that these gals have some info and/or will result in getting the husband. …These ladies fought back extremely hard during the original detention. … I will make these individuals a priority, for intel gathering.”

LTC 3/2 Infantry Brigade DCO.

ACLU FOIA Document.

Pakistan: Democratic Friend

“I've spent nine years of my life facing state-sponsored persecution. The regime doesn't like me to speak up about democracy ... so they keep threatening me with jail terms.”

Benazir Bhutto, fmr. Pakistani prime minister.

Foster Klug, “Ex-Pakistani PM: Arress Warrant Political,” AP, 1/26/06.

Obligation to Save Lives

“If we have the chance to save 14 million lives, and a clear plan to make it happen, we have an obligation to act.”

Bill Gates, Davos, Switzerland.

Matt Moore, “Gates Pledges $900 Million for TB Research,” AP, 1/27/06.

Communist Partnerships

“this investment is a reflection of our confidence in our partner ICBC, our strong interest in the Chinese market and our deep commitment to support this market through quality products.”

Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO, American Express.

Elaine Kurtenbach, “China Bank Signs Deal With Goldman Group,” AP, 1/27/06.

“[Google] would enable evil by cooperating with China’s censorship policies just to make a buck.”

“The question is not whether companies should be promoting democracy. The real question is should they partner with the secret police in cracking down on dissidents and enabling human rights abuses?”

Chris Smith (R-Nj.).

Paul Eckert, “US tech firms that abet China censors face scrutiny,” Reuters, 1/27/06.

“Some people wish that countries would always get democratic first before they get rich. There have been cases where countries have gotten fairly rich and once you get to a certain level of economic wealth then all the freedoms tend to come along. Taiwan and Korea had it in that order.”

Bill Gates, Davos, Switzerland.

John Gapper, “Gates defends China’s intellectual property drive,” Financial Times UK, 1/27/06.

NYTs: Democracy “Stuns” and “Shocks”; Will of the People Halts “Peace Process”

… The shocking outcome… put at least a temporary halt to efforts to restart peace talks. The balloting also made a mockery of the voter surveys released Wednesday night….

… The victory of Hamas represents an enormous test … for the Western nations who pressed for this election and who provide millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians and for the Arab world, which is likely to be shaken by the victory of a militant Islamic party in the symbolic heart of the Muslim world.

…the results, [are] seen more as a repudiation of Fatah than a declaration of war against Israel

… Mr. Kuttab said that those who had preached democracy, from the Bush administration to the Israeli right, would have to decide if their values trumped their interests.

Steven Erlanger, “Hamas Routs Ruling Faction, Casting Pall of Peace Process,” New York Times, 1/27/06.

The Hamas landslide [democratic victory] in Palestinian elections has stunned Israelis, but it may also have brought them a rare moment of clarity: with peace talks off the table, Israel will most likely pursue unilateral actions,….

… talks with Hamas … were out of the question,…

… Israelis said there could be no negotiations with Hamas.

Ami Ayalon … said the absence of a [democratically elected] negotiating partner should not halt Israeli actions aimed at separating from the Palestinians.

... [The] relationship [between Israel and Hamas] is similar to the one that existed in the 1980's and earlier between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, with their refusal to recognize each other.

… Mr. Avineri suggested a Hamas-led government might not be as threatening as some Israelis feared. He cited the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, which battled Israeli troops for years in southern Lebanon and now takes part in Lebanese politics.

Greg Myre, “Israel’s Likely Course: Unilateral Action, Separation and No Talks With Hamas,” New York Times, 1/27/06. [emphasis added]

Humboldt on the Limits of the State

But whatever the natural course of political development may be, and whatever the relation between the desire for freedom and the excessive tendency to governmental activity, it is still evident that the inquiry into the proper aims and limits of State agency must be of the highest importance—nay, that it is perhaps more vitally momentous than any other political question. That such an investigation comprises the ultimate object of all political science, has been already pointed out; but it is a truth that admits also of extensive practical application. Real State revolutions, or fresh organizations of the governing power, are always attended in their progress with many concurrent and fortuitous circumstances, and necessarily entail more or less injury to different interests; whereas a sovereign power that is actually existing—whether it be democratic, aristocratic, or monarchical—can extend or restrict its sphere of action in silence and secresy, and, in general, attains its ends more surely, in proportion as it avoids startling innovations.

Wilhelm von Humboldt. The Sphere and Duties of Government. Translated from the German of Baron Wilhelm von Humboldt, by Joseph Coulthard, Jun. (London: John Chapman, 1854).

“Newsgathering” At University of California

A 24-year-old conservative alumnus who announced earlier this month that he planned to pay students at the University of California, Los Angeles, to tape-record the lectures of left-leaning professors backed down after U.C.L.A. officials informed him on Monday that he would be violating school policy.

Cindy Chang, “Conservative Alumnus Pulls Offer to Buy Lecture Tapes,” New York Times, 1/24/06.

U.S. Military Executions Set to Resume

“This [new death penalty] regulation establishes responsibilities and updates policy and procedures for carrying out a sentence of death as imposed by general courts-martial or military tribunals.”

Alan Elsner, “US military issues new execution regulations,” Reuters, 1/23/06.

Dow, Monsanto to Pay $62 Million for Murder, Illness

“The Agent Orange products manufactured by the defendants [Dow Chemical, Monsanto] contained dioxin levels higher than standard, proving that the defendants failed to ensure safety regarding the use of its products.’’

Court ruling, Socho-dong, southern Seoul.

Kim Tong-hyung, “Agent Orange Victims Win Lawsuit,” Korea Times, 1/26/06.

Hamas: The “Choice of the People”

“This is the choice of the people. It should be respected. If it's true, then the president should ask Hamas to form a new government.”

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia

Sarah El Deeb, “Hamas Win Unsettles Peace Process,” AP, 1/26/06.

Coalition at the Hague

“We will sue Bush, Blair and Rumsfeld in The Hague for using such weapons [white phosphorous, napalm, cluster bombs] of mass destruction.”

“President Saddam intends to bring those criminals to justice for their mass killings of Iraqis in Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah and Qaim and abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib.”

Khalil al-Dulaimi, lawyer for Saddam Hussein.

Sinan Salaheddin, “Lawyer: Saddam Wants to Sue Bush, Blair,” AP, 1/26/06.

Playing 9/11 Card

“The exclusion of Professor Ramadan illustrates that the Patriot Act and other post 9/11 laws and policies may be serving to increase American isolation at a time when international dialogue is more critical than ever.”

Salman Rushdie.

Larry Neumeister, “ACLU Sues to Let Muslim Scholar Enter U.S.,” AP, 1/26/06.

War of Terrorism

“Most Americans want our troops home by the end of 2006. But that's far too late. Every minute that we wait, more blood is spilled. George Bush still continues his evil rhetoric that he is waging a war on terrorism, and he is really waging a war of terrorism against the world.”

Cindy Sheehan, World Social Forum, Caracas, Venezuela.

Jorge Rueda, “Activists Seek End to Poverty, Iraq War,” AP, 1/25/06.

Medtronic: Building Market Share, Taking Lives

“[Bribing doctors] is the oldest deal in the book. It corrupts physicians' decisions. It is a process which is essentially designed to build market share. It is not necessarily choosing the most cost-effective thing for patients.”

Dr. Steven Miles, University of Minnesota.

Chris Williams, “Lawsuit Alleges Improper Payments to Docs,” AP, 1/24/06.

The Richest One Percent

Our obsession with growth and our relentless pursuit of a global system which creates ever greater dependency on it has put us on the road to perdition. This confronts us with an artificial and unnecessary choice between the moral imperative of poverty eradication and the practical necessity of environmental sustainability. We need policies aimed directly at reducing poverty and ensuring environmental sustainability, leaving growth as a by-product. That means a new global economic system which will allow, foster and support such policies at the national level.

David Woodward, New Economics Foundation.

“World economy giving less to poorest in spite of global poverty campaign say new research,” New Economics Foundation, 1/23/06.

“Routine Custody Review” For Terrorist Posada

“An immigration judge granted [confessed murderer] Mr. Posada deferral of removal to Cuba and Venezuela based on the Convention Against Torture. However, that doesn't impede ICE from removing Mr. Posada to a third country. As is required by regulation, ICE is in the process of conducting a routine custody review.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, statement.

“Posada to remain in federal detention for now,” Miami Herald, 1/24/06.

Relatives of victims of a Cuban aircraft blown up in mid-air in 1976 demanded Tuesday in Caracas justice in the case of terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, the mastermind of that act of terror and current US protégé.

Haymel Espinoza, the plane captain’s daughter; Jorge de la Nuez and Ileana Alfonso, children of two passengers plus Camilo Rojo, a crew member’s son, emphasized they were not demanding vengeance but justice for the horrifying crime that took the life of 73 innocent people, including the whole Cuban youth fencing team.

… The four Cubans reminded that Posada is a fugitive from Venezuelan justice that escaped with the help of the CIA to avoid completion of a trial for the sabotage of the Cuban civilian airliner.

“Victims: Justice for Posada Carriles,” Prensa Latina, 1/24/06.

Recycling Propaganda: Instill Fear, then Break the Law

Americans may be willing to support extraordinary measures - perhaps extralegal ones - if they are posed in the starkest terms of protecting the nation from another calamitous attack. They are less likely to be supportive, members of both parties say, if the question is presented as a president breaking the law to spy on the nation's own citizens.

Viewed from the perspective of the battles over the Homeland Security Act or the USA Patriot Act, this White House holds a tactical edge; it has repeatedly proved highly effective in defining complicated debates against the Democratic Party. Applying the campaign lessons of simplicity and repetition, Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove, his chief political adviser, have systematically presented arguments in accessible if sometimes exaggerated terms, and they have regularly returned to the theme of terrorism since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Adam Nagourney, “Delicate Dance for Bush in Depicting Spy Program as Asset,” New York Times, 1/23/06.

Another U.S. Officer Justifies Murder, Goes Free

“I love him [Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr.] more for fighting this. He's always said that you need to do the right thing, and sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do.”

Barbara Welshofer, wife of Lewes Welshofer Jr.

Jon Sarche, “Jury Orders Reprimand, No Jail for Soldiers,” AP, 1/24/06. [emphasis added]

The following is the sentence Welshofer received Monday, January 23:

1. A letter of reprimand.
2. He would be restricted to his home, his place of worship, or his base, Fort Carson, for two months.
3. A sum of $1,500 would be deducted from his monthly pay check, for a period of four months, meaning that he was being fined $6,000.

“Human Rights First Disappointed with Welshofer Sentencing,” Human Rights First Press Release, 1/24/06.

Bill Ford’s “painful sacrifices”

“We will be making painful sacrifices to protect Ford's heritage and secure our future," Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford said in a statement. "Going forward, we will be able to deliver more innovative products, better returns for our shareholders and stability in the communities where we operate.”

… “We must be guided by our long-term goals of building our brands, satisfying customers, developing strong products, accelerating innovation, and, most importantly, producing a sustainable profit from our automotive business.”

Bill Ford , Chairman and Chief Executive, Ford Motor Co.

Dee-Ann Durbin, “Ford Slashing Up to 30,000 Jobs by 2012,” AP, 1/23/06.

U.S. Rejects Palestinian Democracy – “As A Matter of Policy”

“As a matter of policy, we don't deal with Hamas. If Hamas members win seats ... we are not going to deal with those individuals.”

Stewart Tuttle, U.S. Embassy spokesman, Tel Aviv.

Josef Federman, “Israeli Leaders Brace for Hamas Landslide,” AP, 1/22/06.

Evo’s Message

“I wish to tell you, my Indian brothers, that the 500-year indigenous and popular campaign of resistance has not been in vain... The neoliberal economic model has run out.”

Bolivian President Evo Morales.

Fiona Smith, “Bolivia’s 1^st Indian President Inaugurated,” AP, 1/22/06.

“What did losing my hand have to do with my country?”

The grenade was thrown in my vehicle, and I grabbed it to try to throw it back out, cause it landed next to my buddy, and he was driving and I was sitting passenger. I grabbed it, tried to throw it back out, and when I did that, it fell between my legs, down on the floorboard. So when I reached down to grab it again, I had it in my right hand, and it detonated. It went off. It took my hand off, it…I got some shrapnel in my wrist, my legs were shattered. My right leg was broken, my left leg was shattered, it was pretty much destroyed,.…

There’s times where I’m glad I’m alive, I’m glad I made it. And then there’s times where I wish it would have killed me, cause it’s hard. I mean, not only just the fact that I lost my hand, and I have to deal with that every single morning when I wake up. But, I can’t run, there’s things I can’t do. Everything that I do in day-to-day living, I have to try extra hard. People would come up to me and say, “You did a wonderful thing for your country.” What did losing my hand have to do with my country?

Robert Acosta, U.S. Army specialist.

The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends. Dir. Patricia Foulkrod.

Threatening Survival: World Water Forum

“Although the privatisation wave has lost a lot of momentum in recent years due to the many failures, not least in cities in developing countries, there is still a strong ideological push to promote private sector management, including from the World Water Council.”

… “The vague status of the task in Geneva reflects the fact that the World Water Forum is not embedded in the UN system, but controlled by the World Water Council, a private think tank, which, to add insult to injury, is strongly biased towards the interests of private water corporations.”

Olivier Hoedeman, Corporate Europe Observatory.

Stefania Bianchi, “NGOs Turn Up Pressure Against Water Privatization,” Inter Press Service, 1/18/06.

Public Opinion Divide

“They think by these [terror] measures they can stop the resistance. But the Americans are creating more resistance by doing these things. The resistance will not stop attacking them unless they pull out of our country.”

Amer, clerk, Beji oil refinery.

Dahr Jamail, Arkan Hamed, “A Town Becomes a Prison,” Inter Press Service, 1/20/06.

… the purpose of terrorism is to terrorize. People think that terrorists, the purpose is to kill people, but it isn't. It's to terrorize. It's to alter people's behavior. It's to make free people be something other than free people.

Donald Rumsfled, remarks to Task Force Freedom, Mosul, Iraq, 12/24/05.