“To think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration”
Bretton Woods Agreements - July 22 1944
Coalition Provisional Authority
“Oxfam's assessment team also gathered reports of people being forced to drink their own urine because of the desperate thirst the drought has caused.”
“Our assessment shows people in
Andrew Cawthorne, “Drought forces Somalis to drink own urine: Oxfam,” Reuters,
“Most favored nation status [for
Tom Zeller, “Web Firms Are Grilled on Dealings in China,”
“We are going to begin a new effort to support the aspirations of the Iranian people. We will use this money to develop support networks for Iranian reformers, political dissidents and human rights activists.”
Steven R. Weismann, “Rice Is Seeking Millions to Prod Changes in Iran,”
What really surprises me … is the low level of the questions. The level of sheer ignorance and imbecility, and insulting nature of the question[s]. I gave a talk. I tried to dignify
And that’s the whole point of my lecture this evening. I’m trying to talk about the facts. But people contrive things. Invent things. Everything to steer you away from the facts. Drag you away from the facts. Let’s not look at what Amnesty says. God forbid what B’Tselem says. God forbid PCATI says. God forbid what Human Rights Watch says. Let’s talk about, “do you say Yarhrzeit when your parents died?” I think that’s pitiful.
Norman G. Finkelstein, “Folly and Fact,” remarks at Yale University,
“The company believes that management and employees are working well together at Tar Heel and do not need a third party.”
Jerry Hostetter, Smithfield Foods spokesman.
Steven Greenhouse, “Union Takes New Tack in Organizing Effort at Pork-Processing Plant,”
Deborah Solomon: As one of the most respected television journalists in Great Britain, why have you decided to take a job as an interviewer for an enterprise as freighted with controversy as Al Jazeera International, the new 24-hour English-language, Arab-owned news station that is scheduled to begin broadcasting in May?
David Frost: Al Jazeera International is completely separate from Al Jazeera Arabic.
DS: Aren't they both owned by the emir of
DF: The ownership is the same. Absolutely. He's very liberal. He has friends in the American administration who no doubt try to persuade him to tone down Al Jazeera Arabic. But I think when viewers watch Al Jazeera International, they will be closer to watching CNN.
Deborah Solomon, “Bye-Bye BBC,”
The first responsibility of a C.E.O. is to run his company successfully and generate products which are useful to your customers, resulting in economic value creation. We also have to act responsibly, respecting not only the law, but also fulfilling legitimate expectations that society has of us. Today these expectations in most instances go beyond short-term profit maximization . What people want is that businesspeople behave in a responsible way in communities in which they live, that they treat employees fairly, respect the environment and demonstrate sensitivity to the problems of other, disadvantaged people in the world. I think corporate social responsibility has taken a much more important role than it used to. … The world will look very closely to see if there is consistency between what you say and how you act. … Many think that politics have supremacy over business, but does this also imply that business is just a tool for government? On this, history teaches us some interesting lessons.
Dr. Daniel Vasella, CEO, Novartis.
William J. Hostein, “Diplomat Without Portfolio in Davos,”
“There's not a kid in that unit who knew what they were getting into. When I asked them, are you ready to go?, they would say, ‘Yes, sir.’ But then I'd look at those 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds, two weeks out of boot camp, and thought, no, they are not ready for this struggle. I knew how scared they were, how reluctant they were. Men like this one have shown more courage than we had the right to expect from them.”
Maj. Gen. John J. McCarthy, deputy commander of the Marine forces in
Juliet Macur, “Healing, With New Limbs and Fragile Dreams,” New York Times,
In the
“Israel has de facto annexed the Jordan Valley,” B’Tselem,
“Most of us in the international community have seen it as an incomprehensible amount of parallel conflicts, too many parties, too much misery, you couldn't really find out what was happening. At the same time, the international media has covered this on average very badly.... one non-governmental organisation found out that there was six minutes of network coverage in the
Jan Egeland, U.N. emergency relief coordinator.
“UN launches Congo aid plan for ‘forgotten’ crisis,” Reuters,
Peter Maer: Mr. president. You., along with the President, and former presidents Clinton and Carter, were the main speakers at the funeral for Coretta Scott King earlier this week. What did you think of the eulogizing and, some would say, politicizing, that went on there?
George H.W. Bush: Peter, I hate to be less than frank with you. But if I told you what I really think, I would make headlines. And as I’ve indicated earlier, I don’t want to be in the news. I want to lay back, and I don’t want to do anything that would be detrimental to the president. But let me put it this way: I thought the president gave a wonderful speech about Coretta. I thought president Clinton, maybe the best. It was his crowd. They talk about Bill Clinton being the “first black president.” Well, when you walk into that church, 12,000, or whatever it was. It was very clear who that crowd loved and respected.
In terms of the political shots, at the president, who was sitting right there, with his wife, I didn’t like it, and I thought it was kind of ugly, frankly. And, that’s about all I can say about it.
PM: You’re talking Reverend Lowry and former president Carter?
GHWB: I’m telling you, anybody that shoots at the President of the
PM: Alright. The tone in
GHWB: That’s a good question. The press is very adversarial today. Much…well I always felt it was when I was president. But, I think even moreso now. Particularly the New York Times. It just shoots at the president every single day. They can do it on the op-ed pieces, the columns, that’s expected. But when you see it creeping in, subtlely into the news columns, I’m concerned about it. Is it unique? Peter, I don’t know. I don’t think so.
PM: Part of the tone now of course is this whole wiretapping controversy. You were a provider of that information as the CIA director, such a unique role, as also being the consumer of it, the president. So, what are your thoughts about this whole concept?
GHBW: The country are correct in supporting the president’s position. And I support it. And I’ve had some background in all of this. But I support it without reservation. And, having hearings, the Senate may recommend changes, the House may recommend changes. That’s all fine. But I support what the president is doing, particularly, given the horrors of 9-11.
PM: No concerns about constitutionality or legality on your part?
GHWB: None of my part.
PM: Was this an issue at all when you were in office?
GHWB: Oh yeah. Yeah. The encroachment of…when I was in office?
PM: Yeah. Did you have to approve wiretaps?
GHWB: I don’t go in to all that, what we do. But, it’s kind of interesting at the Kennedy funeral, I mean, at the Coretta King funeral, when you think back to the Kennedy’s, and uh, J. Edgar Hoover. I mean, it’s kind of interesting. Some things go on. But I believe, in this instance, the president is right. I think national security calls for it. And you’ll find that most of the people, even the critics aren’t saying, “we shouldn’t do it.” They’re just saying, “You ought to do it in a more orderly way, in a more legal way.” And maybe they’ll come up with legislation that’s satisfactory to the administration. And I have some doubts…that’s not just the father speaking. I have some background in my various positions in the past, that conclude that he’s doing the right thing. And, I’ve told you more than I would ever tell anybody about my views on this NSA business, because I don’t hold press conferences, because I don’t want to get into that stuff. So, this is an exception that proves my rule.
PM: Is this
GHWB: Well, my relationship with president Clinton will endure. You know, people go back, they fail to remember, that Clinton and I got along very very well when I was president and he was governor. He led the democratic governors in this educational summit we had. In fact, he reminded me of that the other day. So, in my view, and I get flack on it from the right, and he gets flack on it from the left. But I think we’ve established a genuine, friendly relationship. Now, when the politics of ’08 get on the scene, my personal feeling will be, “Hey, this guy, I know where he’s coming from, and I can respect him and like him, and go on with our lives.” But I don’t know what other challenges will be there.
George H.W. Bush, interview with Peter Maer, CBS,
“This notion of being energy independent is completely unreasonable. I don’t think anyone actually believes that the
Peter Robertson, vice chairman, Chevron Corp., remarks at Jeddah Economic Forum.
“Saudi oil ‘key to international energy security,’” Gulf Daily News,
The JEF 2006 sponsors include Emaar Properties as lead sponsor; Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Binladin Group, Al-Khayala (NAS), Al Hilal Group, National Commercial Bank and Xenel as diamond sponsors; Gulf One Investment Bank, Enany Group, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), Citigroup, Aal Taher Group, EFG-Hermes, Budget Car Rental and the Prince Sultan Foundation (Medunet) as gold sponsors; and Riyad Bank, Credit Suisse, Saudi Electricity Company, Savola Group, General Motors, Khaled Juffali and Sumitomo Chemical Asia as silver sponsors. Media sponsors include Saudi Research and Publishing Company, Al-Madina newspaper, Sky News and Al Arabiya.
Khalil Hanware & K.S. Ramkumar, “JEF Starting From Today to Feature Global Leaders,” Arab News,
A
Although an attack by either state could seriously damage
The termination of the Saddam Hussein regime was expected to bring about a free-market client state in
Oxford Research Group, Iran: Consequences of a War, Briefing Paper, February 2006.
Imported Indonesian workers have allegedly been paid as little as $40 a day to dig ditches in the South Australian desert.
Drilling company Halliburton
… The minimum pay Australian workers can expect for the same type of work is about $15 an hour. The Indonesian workers dug trenches and helped in the tapping of gas shafts, performing duties not regarded as highly skilled work.
It is alleged they worked 12-hour shifts for 80 days without a break and were paid $40 a day for the first 40 days and $80 a day for the second half of the stint.
… Immigration Minister Senator Amanda Vanstone says temporary visas are an important part of a flexible, competitive economy.
Bryan Littlely, “Slave Labour for $40 a Day,” Advertiser,
“The lands we identified today are isolated and expensive to manage. In some places, they are part of Forest Service ownership more as an accident of history."
Mark Rey, undersecretary of agriculture.
Hal Bernton, “Government wants to sell thousands of acres,”
Australian Treasury officials working in the US-led occupation government in
They said the kickbacks were used in "maintaining and developing" Saddam Hussein's military capability and warranted "further investigation".
The warnings were explicitly spelt out in the first postwar Iraqi budget which the Treasury officers worked on and sent to
Marian Wilkinson, “Treasury raised the alarm on kickbacks,”
Ken Ham: “Boys and girls, [If a teacher so much as mentions evolution, or the Big Bang, or an era when dinosaurs ruled the Earth] you put your hand up and you say, ‘Excuse me, were you there?’ Can you remember that?”
“Sometimes people will answer, ‘No, but you weren't there either.’ Then you say, ‘No, I wasn't, but I know someone who was, and I have his book about the history of the world.’
“Who's the only one who's always been there?”
Children: “God!”
KH: “Who's the only one who knows everything?”
Children: “God!”
KH: “So who should you always trust, God or the scientists?”
Children: “God!”
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“We're going to arm you with Christian Patriot missiles.”
Evangelist Ken Ham, remarks at a
Stephanie Simon, “Their Own Version of a Big Bang,”
In the past, it was sometimes the institutional dynamics which created the political consensus. But now the situation is reversed. It is the political dynamics that will create the institutional consensus.
José Manuel Durao Barroso, “From Pittsburg to Lisbon: Reform in Times of Change,” remarks at the
Indeed, the massive $592-million project may be the most lasting monument to the
The 1,000 or more
Unlike most of
David Phinney, “Baghdad Embassy Bonanza,” Corpwatch,
There is a callous commentary from the cameraman, who is said to cackle with laughter and cry out at one point: “Oh yes! Oh yes! Your’re gonna get it. Yes, naughty little boys! You little f******, you little f******. Die! Ha! Ha!” One prisoner is shown being hauled into the compound in a headlock, only to be headbutted and then punched in the kidneys. The mocking commentator puts on a childlike voice and mimics the youngster’s accent: “No, please — don’t hurt me!” In another scene the camera records what appears to be an Iraqi corpse, partially covered by a blanket, being kicked twice in the face. The head of the man is lifted up to the camera and a soldier sniggers: “He’s been a bad motherf*****.”
David Cracknell and Michael Smith, “UK troops filmed abusing Iraqis,” Sunday Times,
“Getting into
Gen. S.W. Koster.
David Stout, “Gen. S.W. Koster, 86, Who Was Demoted After My Lai, Dies,”
“If you believe in free trade, you play by the rules.”
Charles Shumer (D-Ny.).
Vikas Bajaj, “U.S. Trade Deficit Sets Record, With China and Oil the Causes,”
These exploding trade deficit numbers[$726bn for 2005, $202bn with
Charles Shumer (D-Ny.).
Christopher Swannin, “Surging imports push US trade deficit to $726bn,” Financial Times,
Norman Finkelstein: You can’t make predictions about what Hamas will be able to do. What I think we should be clear on is what is the record of Hamas and what are legitimate demands that can be made on Hamas by the international community. And there I think there’s been serious distortion and a very extreme double standard being applied to Hamas. I’m not going to speak about internal mattes as I said. I’ll just look at the kinds of demands that are being made on Hamas now.
Two kinds of demands are being made by the international community. Number one, that is has to renounce violence against
Let’s look at the question of recognition. No Israeli government has ever recognized the right of the Palestinians to a state, within the borders, which are supported by the international community. There’s no dispute whatsoever any longer under international law what the borders of the Palestinian state are supposed to be. The International Court of Justice ruled, in July 2004, that the
So, if we were to apply one standard to all the parties in the conflict, a legitimate demand would be, that Hamas has to recognize
Let’s look at the second issue. Hamas is being called upon to renounce violence against
Interruption: The right number is 1,600 Israelis that were killed.
NF: No, 900. The figure is 900. I looked at the numbers this morning. On both sides, it’s, the majority were civilians. The ratio is about 3 to 1, whether you look at the total figure, or, whether you look strictly at bystanders and civilians. Why isn’t the demand being made on
And furthermore, with all the attention being focused on the demands made on Hamas, whatever happened to the International Court of Justice ruling that
Norman G. Finkelstein.
Muslim American Public Affairs Council (MAPAC) Live TV,
… those who choose to bypass the law and go straight to the press are not noble, honorable or patriotic. Nor are they whistleblowers. Instead they are committing a criminal act that potentially places American lives at risk. It is unconscionable to compromise national security information and then seek protection as a whistleblower to forestall punishment.
Porter Goss, “Loose Lips Sink Ships,”
The universal hunger to get online has made computer and Web services one of the few bright spots in
… Few people on earth have more incentive to communicate online (and indoors) than Iraqis, who risk their lives every time they go out for a quart of milk.
…The new Microsoft Vista operating system, for instance, scheduled to be introduced for commercial use in late 2006, is already widely used here.
Robert F. Worth, “Danger? Drabness? No Date? Iraqis Find an Outlet Online,”
Surpresa tivemos quando a intenção de taxar foi divulgada, em fins de 2004. Agora ficamos frustrados porque a condenção foi decidida por um placar apertado, de 3 votos contra e 3 votos a favor. E, na legislação americana, o empate favorece o autor da ação. Mas o episódio também revela que o tema não está suficientemente claro para eles.
... queremos debater a tarifa de US$ 418 por tonelada e essa sobretaxa veio reforçar a necessidade de insistirmos numa negociação internacional, que é o caminho que a gente tem para ampliar os nosso mercados
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We were surprised when the intent of the tariff [60.29% ] was announced, at the end of 2004. Now, we are frustrated because was it decided by a tight vote , 3 votes against and 3 votes in favor. And, in the American legislation, the tie favos the authors of the action.
… we want to discuss the $418 per ton [
Ademerval Garcia, president Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters (Abecitrus).
Rui Pizarro, “Suco de laranja: produtores brasileiros esperam intervenção da OMC,” O Globo, 2/10/06. [Translation R.A. Gostenik]
AMY GOODMAN: 45 years ago, January, 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his final address as President of the
PRES. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER: My fellow Americans, this evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen. We have been compelled to create a permanent armament industry of vast proportions. Three-and-a-half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. The total influence, economic, political, even spiritual, is felt in every city, every state house, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development, yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
AMY GOODMAN: Those words are the starting point for a new film that examines the forces that take a look at the American war machine over the past half-century. The film is called Why We Fight. It’s by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, looking at conflicts from World War II right up until the current war in Iraq, to examine the political, economic and ideological reasons that drive American war policy. The film includes interviews with John McCain, Gore Vidal, William Kristol, Richard Perle, as well as a retired
The [U.S.] airbase at al-Asad is the biggest marine camp in western Anbar province.
…But get "inside the wire" and this stretch of desert increasingly resembles a slice of
Its restaurants include a Subway and a fast food pizza shop. There is a coffee shop, football pitch and even a swimming pool.
A cinema shows the latest films while the camp's main recreational centre offers special dance nights - hip hop on Friday, salsa on Saturday and country and western on Sunday.
There is even a Hertz car rental providing saloons with bullet-proof windows for those wanting to cross the base in something more comfortable than a military Humvee.
Oliver Poole, “Football and pizza point to US staying for long haul,” Telegraph
“[George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have] got this secret handshake that nobody else knows about.”
Rahm Emanuel (D-Il.).
Elisabeth Bumiller, “Closer Than Arm’s Length,” New York Times,
“The fact that Latinos are underrepresented in the service causes us concern because the service is often a way to the middle class for many immigrants. If you don't have a lot of options, would you rather go into the service and get a middle-class career, or stay in the fields all these years?”
Brent Wilkes, national director, League of United Latin American Citizens.
Lizette Alvarez, “Army Effort to Enlist Hispanics Draws Recruits, and Criticism,” New York Times.
“[Bush] saw me in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids. Perhaps he has forgotten everything, who knows.”
Jack Abramoff, e-mail to Kim Eisler, national editor, Washingtonian magazine.
Andy Sullivan, “Abramoff say he met Bush ‘almost a dozen’ times,” Reuters,
“I wake up every morning thinking about a future attack, and therefore, a lot of my thinking, and a lot of the decisions I make are based upon the attack that hurt us.”
George W. Bush.
Jennifer Loven, “Bush Reveals Rationale Behind Surveillance,” AP,
When it comes to handling the situation in
-Approve, 38 percent (39)
-Disapprove, 60 percent (58)
-Mixed feelings, 1 percent (1)
-Not sure, 1 percent (X)
“Results of Poll on Public Attitude on Bush,” AP
“We have to remember the
Hugo Chavez,
Jamie Lyons and Jon Smith, “Hand back Falklands, Venezuela tells Blair,” Independent
“A boycott would be totally legitimate. The wall and the settlements have been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice and we should boycott any company which does business, any architects that participate - anyone facilitating these human rights violations and war crimes.”
Eyal Weizman, Israeli director of the Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmith's College,
Oliver Duff, Rob Sharp, and Eric Silver, “Architects threaten to boycott Israel over ‘apartheid’ barrier,” Independent
The recent proposal that
Norman G. Finkelstein, “Why an Economic Boycott of Israelis Justified,” Aftenposten,
At the invitation of the Presidents, Mr John Reynolds (Chair of the EIAG) addressed the Synod.
The Bishop of Worcester moved the Report. The Synod voted to take note of the Report.
Mr Keith Malcouronne (
That this Synod:
(a) heed the call from our sister church, the Episcopal Church in
(b) encourage the Ethical Investment Advisory Group to follow up the consultation referred to in its Report (GS 1604) with intensive discussions with Caterpillar Inc, with a view to its withdrawing from supplying or maintaining either equipment or parts for use by the state of Israel in demolishing Palestinian homes &c;
(c) in the light of the urgency of the situation, and the increased support needed by Palestinian Christians, urge members of the EIAG to actively engage with monitoring the effects of Caterpillar Inc's machinery in the Palestinian occupied territories through visiting the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East to learn of their concerns first hand, and to see recent house demolitions;
(d) urge the EIAG to give weight to the illegality under international law of the activities in which Caterpillar Inc's equipment is involved; and
(e) urge the EIAG to respond to the monitoring visit and the further discussions with Caterpillar Inc by updating its recommendations in the light of these.’
Following debate, the Synod carried the motion.
Synod voted against extending the time available for this debate.
General Synod of the Church of England, Ethical Investment: Report by the Ethical Investment Advisory Group,
“Caterpillar may be a company being used for dreadful purposes across the world, but the problem is not Caterpillar. The problem is the situation in the
Rt Rev John Gladwin, Bishop of
Jonathan Petre, “Williams backs bid to disinvest in firms that aid Israeli ‘occupiers,”” Telegraph
“It is not the amount of money that is important. It is a symbolic way of speaking for those who, for example, have had their homes demolished.”
Rt Rev Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal, Anglican Bishop of
Jonathan Petre, “Church may black firms over Israeli ‘occupation,’” Telegraph
See also Neela Banerjee, “Anglicans Vote to Divest From Concerns in Israel-Occupied Areas,” New York Times,
Less than a month after an assertively anti-American president took office in
… The State Department said the military aid is being cut because of a law that says
… Administration officials said some of those other countries won exemptions because they were allies while others were not members of the International Criminal Court system and therefore not subject to the American law.
… In the current fiscal year that began
Joel Brinkley, “Bush Budget Would Cut Military Aid to Bolivia by 96 Percent,”
“We didn't start this. If there is going to be change, it has to come from the other side.”
“[Leaders should be] concerned that [Chavez] is giving all of
Pamela Constable, “For Venezuela, U.S., a (Very) Little Civility,”
“A Comptroller General report later concluded that Reich, who bullied and defamed reporters whose coverage was critical of
Center for Public Integrity, Narcotics and
… In
… Some have suggested that the democratic and free market model has failed in certain Latin American states. That is a misinterpretation of events.
… The practice of liberal government and market economics is the surest way to a civil society.
… The prospect of increasing capital investment is an enormous incentive for reform.
… [Brazilian Foreign Minister Lafer] eloquently argued that
Otto Reich, remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,
The president and the secretary have given me the mandate and responsibility to boldy and creatively pursue this administration’s highest priorities in the [Latin Ameican].
…Those countires … that have stayed the course on reform – maintaining fiscal discipline, liberalizing trade regimes, privatizing inefficient state industries, deregulating internal markets, and investing in their own people [sic] – are weathering the economic downturn better than most.
…no credible alternatives [are] on the horizon.
…President Bush and Secretary Powell have a positive vision for the future of
…Latin Americans understand … that they are the architects of their own problems and solutions....
The resources of [
…I’m very proud of what we did 20 years ago and 15 years ago in Central American, of everything we did in Central American, because the result today is that they have peace.
Otto Reich, remarks at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel,
“This is the kind of thing we need to do. I don't have a big scoreboard in my office. I think you can say the whole family is participating in the effort to turn G.M. around.”
Rick Wagoner, CEO, G.M.
Micheline Maynard, “G.M. Will Cut Executive Pay and Dividend,”
“We expected a purge of AWB management; this is the first step to rebuilding investor confidence in the company. We don't think Mr Lindberg will be the last.”
Greg Canavan, analyst, Fat Prophets.
Leora Moldofsky, “Head of AWB resigns in Iraq kickbacks scandal,”
“In
Frank La Rue, the presidential human rights secretary.
Mica Rosenberg, “Guatamala massacre survivors paid after 24 years,” Reuters,
Dear Mr Tony Blair,
Firstly, how are you? I sent a letter two years ago, why didn't you reply?!? I was waiting for a long time but you did not reply. Please can you give me an answer to my question? Why is my dad in prison? Why is he far away in that Guantánamo. Bay?! I miss my dad so much. I have not seen my dad for three years. I know my dad has not done anything, because he is a good man. I hear everybody speak about my dad in a nice way. Your children spend Christmas with you, but me and my brothers, and sisters have spent Eid alone without our dad for 3 years. What do you think about that?
I hope you will answer me this time.
Thank you,
Anas Jamil al-Banna
9 years old
Anas al-Banna, son of Jamil al-Banna,
“If, and only if, these conditions [‘a manageable level of threat from insurgents’] are met and if things in
John Reid, British defense secretary.
“Officer: Exiting Troops May Face Conflict,” AP,
“We want to decide the scope, the pace and the speed of change in Papua.”
Juwono Sudarsono, Indonesian defence minister.
Shawn Donnan, “Issue of Papua presents diplomatic headache for Canberra,”
Speigel Online: You participated in the Vietnam War. Does
General James Jones: I think there are some similarities, obviously. Here we have an intervention, we have a new government that we're trying to support so that we can have a basis for a democratic way of life. We're trying to train an army, which we did in
… Speigel: In addition to the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal, the American government has been accused of sending terror suspects to
Gen. Jones: When I was in
COLMES: Should Chavez be assassinated?
ROBERTSON: Well, one day he's going to be aiming nuclear weapons; and what's coming across the Gulf isn't going to be Katrina, it's going to be his nukes.
COLMES: Would you feel better going back to the original comment that if he were assassinated, the world would be a safer place?
ROBERTSON: I think
COLMES: So, you're not taking back the comment. You believe assassination of Hugo Chavez would be in the best interests of the world.
ROBERTSON: Well, rather than going to war. One day, we're going to have to go to war, I'm afraid, if he continues his policy, you know. But, I don't know. I wrote him a letter. I apologized to him.
COLMES: But, wait a minute. If you say you apologized to him, what you just said seems to contravene that, because you just now said --
ROBERTSON: I know. I know.
COLMES: -- you think it'd be better if he be assassinated.
ROBERTSON: Alan, the whole thing we've got to deal with is that, one day, if he continues his course of trying to mobilize Marxist powers in
COLMES: He's very popular with his country.
ROBERTSON: Well, yes and no. But he does --
HANNITY: He's building up weapons against the
COLMES: He's extremely popular. Eighty-percent of his country --
ROBERTSON: He's also calling for the destruction of George Bush. He calls him a war criminal.
COLMES: Do you want him taken out?
ROBERTSON: Not now, but one day, one day, one day. My premise is, and I think as -- you know, until that comment came out, everybody thought Chavez was a fellow having to do with table grapes in
HANNITY: I think one thing we could say is, the world would be better off without him where he is, because he is a danger to the
ROBERTSON: Extreme danger.
“Robertson again calls for Chavez’s assassination: ‘Not now, but one day,’” Media Matters,
“Palm oil is the number one enemy of orangutans and all wildlife in
“Time is running out for the orangutans because the palm oil plantations are spreading. Illegal logging may seem horrific but at least illegal logging leaves some canopy in place. Palm oil plantations leave nothing.”
Birute Galdikas, founder of
“Outrage over Indonesian plans for palm oil plantation in rain forest,” AFP,
“Americans depend upon [oil] imports to fill the gap. No combination of conservation measures, alternative energy sources and technological advances could realistically and economically provide a way to completely replace those imports in the short or medium term.”
“Because we are all contributing to and drawing from the same pool of oil, all nations -- exporting and importing -- are inextricably bound to one another in the energy marketplace.”
Stuart McGill, Exxon Mobil senior vice president.
“Exxon: America will always rely on foreign oil,” Reuters,
My participation in that presentation at the UN constitutes the lowest point in my professional life.
I participated in a hoax on the American people, the international community and the United Nations Security Council. How do you think that makes me feel? Thirty-one years in the
Col. Larry Wilkerson.
NOW. Interview with Colonel U.S. Army (Retired) Larry Wilkerson,
The war, in fact, is a factor in the escalating cost of petroleum products here and everywhere else in the world. Leaving that aside as you watch the gas-pump digits rise to Super Bowl numbers this weekend, two anti-war research institutes, the International Relations Center and the Institute for Policy Studies, estimate that the war's cost per citizen has reached $727 -- or close to $3,000 for a family of four. By the end of this year, those figures should reach about $1,300 per citizen, or more than $5,000 for that family of four.
That calculation was based on a very conservative estimate of war costs to date of $204 billion. But even with that low-balling, those billions could have provided health care for 46 million Americans without health insurance, the hiring of 3.5 million elementary school teachers, or the construction of 2 million units of affordable housing. It's money lost in the fog of war -- or perhaps it will be used to do wonderful things for us all by Halliburton and the other defense contractors and private militaries being paid to make
Ricahrd Reeves, “Iraq’s Civil War Has Cost $3,000 Per U.S. Family – So Far,” Yahoo News,
“If you want to try to wait until the very last minute, you'd better be very confident of your intelligence because if you're not, you won't know when the last minute is.”
“And so, ironically, one of the lessons of the inadequate intelligence of
“I can't tell you when we may face a similar choice with
“I hope [a military strike] can be avoided but that's always a possibility. We are talking about physical facilities and they're always vulnerable.”
Richard Perle, remarks to Reuters,
“Iraq errors show West must act fast on Iran: Perle,” Reuters,
… Israel believes that Hamas' victory is dangerous, not so much because of the “violence issue” or non-recognition of Israel (which Israel utilises for propaganda purposes) but rather because with Hamas in government, Israel would not be able to force the PA into succumbing to Israeli blackmailing tactics.
… Israel wants a weak Palestinian partner that can be easily bullied into submission, a partner that would accept functional arrangements here and there, one that would more or less accept an enhanced and less harsh Israeli occupation, instead of genuine liberation from a nefarious and dehumanising colonialism, all in return for vague commitments to a Palestinian state without known borders and, indeed, without substance.
Hamas will not be that kind of partner and will insist on total and absolute Israeli withdrawal from the 1967 territories, including
This is why
Khaled Amayeh, “The problem is Israel, not Hamas,” Al-Ahram, 2-8 February, 2006.
“We now say that if
“Truce would be long-term but limited, because there's a Palestinian reality the international community must deal with. There are those kicked out of their land in 1948, the international community must find a solution for those people.”
Khaled Meshaal said on Wednesday.
“‘Long-term truce’ possible only if Israel retreats: Hamas leader,” AFP,
She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war,
She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar.
We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there,
But Coretta knew and we knew that there are weapons of misdirection right down here.
Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor.
Rev. Joseph Lowery.
Karen Jacobs and Tabassum Zakaria, “King eulogists jab Bush at funeral,” Reuters,
“The entry of Goldman Sachs into Cellcom demonstrates the great faith and confidence that this international body has in the Israeli economy.”
Nochi Dankner, IDB group chairman.
Eran Gabav, “Goldman Sachs buys 5% of Cellcom,” Haaretz,
“I could easily order the closing of the refineries that we have in the
Hugo Chavez.
Natalie Obiko Pearson, “Venezuela’s Chavez Threatens U.S. on Oil,” AP,
Jonathan Salant: How concerned are you about political trends in
Donald Rumsfeld: Oh, I don't know that I'd characterize it that way. I am concerned. I was very grateful that the CAFTA passed, the free trade agreement for
I think that people -- the natural state of people is to want to be free. And so any system that is not a free system -- political and economic free system -- I think is unlikely to give them the kinds of opportunities that they can have in a free system.
Donald Rumsfeld, remarks at the National Press Club,
A prominent Iranian newspaper said Tuesday it would hold a competition for cartoons on the Holocaust to test whether the West extends the principle of freedom of expression to the Nazi genocide as it did to the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
Hamshahri, one of
Nasser Karimi, “Iranian Paper Plans Holocaust Cartoons,” AP,
“The network builders are spending a fortune constructing and maintaining the networks that Google intends to ride on with nothing but cheap servers. It is enjoying a free lunch that should, by any rational account, be the lunch of the facilities providers.”
John Thorne, Verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel.
Arshad Mohammed, “Verizon Executive Calls for End to Google’s ‘Free Lunch’,”
“Do [the Iraqis] love us? No. They don't, and they never will. But can you get a reasonable system of government here? Yeah, I think you can. I see nothing fundamentally ideological here that prevents us.”
“I think this country can be fixed, but I think it'll take time to do it.”
“You've got a very small minority of people who are causing these problems.”
Col. Frank McKenzie, 22nd Marine Expeditionary,
Nelson Hernandez, “Attacks Rock ‘Foundation’ That Marines Built in Anbar,”
“[The American-supported thugs] kidnapped [democratically elected president] Aristide. If they take Preval, we don't care if they come after us -- as we die, the country will be burned.”
Ronald Mombrin, Haitian citizen.
Manuel Roig-Franzia, “Quiet but Not Necessarily Calm in Haiti,”
This petition demonstrates that the IGH, the
a) undermining the democractically elected Haitian government through a development-assistance embargo and by supporting both unarmed and armed opposition groups;
b) overthrowing the democratically election Haitian government and kidnapping its President in February 2004; and
c) replacing it with a government with no constitutional or electoral legitimacy.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Complaint regarding violations of the right to participate in representative government commited against [Names Withheld] and others, 2 February 2006.
