First of all, if you are interested in this kind of news, listen to KPFA 94.1 FM. Listen in the early morning, at noon, at 3 pm and from 5-7 every weekday (PST). There are other good topical news shows throughout the week as well. Check here for KPFA program guide: http://www.kpfa.org/1pg_grid.htm If you are unable to listen to KPFA on the radio, you can listen online: http://secure.transbay.net/kpfa/forms/0_aud.htm If you've missed a Democracy Now! show or a Flashpoints show (both invaluable), you can catch up by listening to their archives on the web: http://www.democracynow.org and http://www.flashpoints.net
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"Adopt a Minefield" by Lenore Skenazy, NY Daily News "Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Consider a land mine. ..."underwrite the clearing of a minefield. Every dollar goes directly to de-mining"... http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-12-09/News_and_Views/Opinion/a-134607.asp http://www.landmines.org/
4 sections below: ----------------------------------------- 1 YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ------------
Do Something About the MEDIA: Some inspiring words from a media insider:
"LEO, LET'S GET OUT THERE!!!!!", by Jordan Thornton 5:58am Fri Dec 21 '01 "I work (for now) in the mainstream media, and believe me, I feel your pain. There are, however, some things you can do in the mainstream. Don't get me wrong, I love independent media, but we must reach the public, rather than just each other. The mainstream has the audience base we require. ... ..."We need to be in the eyes and ears, and minds, of the People at all times. A day we fail to act is a day the Enemy has won. They act against us 24/7, and we must show the same resolve. This must be a sustained effort... ..."Look, I don't have all the answers, but we must take what we have now and ACT on it. CNN is on the air right now, filling people's heads with all kinds of sh*t. We must be the antidote. "Remember always, that truth is on your side, and you are the majority. You cannot fail. Doubt is a tool of the Enemy. Don't let it get you down. There are millions of us out there. We must SUPPORT each other."... --a comment at: http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109000&group=webcast
After you have read the above comment from Jordan Thornton _in its entirety_ and are thereby inspired, go to Progressive Portal, where there is a setup for automated email-sending to hundreds of news reporters, commentators, and editors throughout the country. (Plus a variety of other actions) sample text: "I write to call upon you to meet the epic responsibility of your profession in structuring the discussion regarding how to respond to the disastrous terrorism of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001." http://www.progressiveportal.org/letters/Tuesday911/
- Media Alliance has some great "general talking points" for approaching the media. Look down toward the middle of this page: http://www.media-alliance.org/action/index.html . (Lots of other info re media, plus their sample letter, also.)
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Send email to findtruth40@hotmail.com with the subject "send_kit" to get a free activist's kit of information and many addresses, fax numbers, etc.
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"Recommended website re Homeland Security" 12/22/01 "Our purpose here is to provide "cookie-cutter" tools for activism in the service of liberty, tools to fight the encroachment of a police state and the mentality that leads a people to tolerate such tyranny."... ..."Therefore, to those who might accuse us of anything from disloyalty to treason, we say this: We are loyal to the Constitution of the United States of America. Aren't you? "And we will not despair. Not while the freedom of expression -- especially political expression -- guaranteed by the First Amendment is still honored by enough Americans to make the "control freaks" in government reluctant to violate it" ... http://indybay.org/2001/12/112802.php
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Join the Progressive Secretary Progressive Letter Writing Cooperative, which will help you send out hundreds of letters with very little effort. http://www.progressivesecretary.org/
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Working For Change has several online activist letters: "-Oppose Expanded Government Secrecy " http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/category.cfm?CategoryId=6
"Oppose Military Tribunals" http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=12377
Complete list of 'Working For Change' Actions: http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/current_actions.cfm
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Report to the Adbusters' "Rat Line": "Adbusters Rousted by Feds" by Culture Jammers' list-serv, Dec 19 '01 "Have your activities come under increased scrutiny in the aftermath of S11? Ours have. ..."Vigilance we can live with. Intimidation that amounts to persecution is another bucket of fish. According to some of the emails and phone calls we've received lately, many other groups have also found themselves under investigation in a political climate that's starting to take on shades of McCarthyism. "Our response to all of this is to set up our own "rat line." If you know of social marketing campaigns or protest actions that are being suppressed, or if you come across any other story of overzealous government "information management," please tell us your story. Go to http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/flag/nyc.html http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108242&group=webcast
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Help keep track of government censorship post 9-11 by reporting to the two sites below (there is more information on these sites further down in this message)
OMB Watch: http://www.ombwatch.org/info/2001/access.html Post 9-11 Right-To-Know: http://www.mapcruzin.com/news/rtkpost911.htm
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If you live in the East Bay (SF area), join http://www.citycarshare.org and help save oil ! see article at http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm?archiveDate=12-18-01&storyID=9037
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Excellent flyer "TERRORISM: BLOOD AND OIL" -- print it, copy it, and get it out there. "As you read these two pages, please try to suspend your belief that the reason we are engaged in bombing, shelling, and decimatinng Afghanistan is to redress our terrible September 11th injury." ... http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/11/110983.php
several petitions here, plus actions and info: http://www.geocities.com/catcruz/
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"BUSH WITHDRAWAL FROM ABM TREATY - CALL TO ACTION" by FoE Sydney 12/21/01 Info, addresses, instructions. "Please do pass this message on to anyone that might act on it before Christmas" http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109969&group=webcast
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"Rescuing the Constitution", Nat Hentoff 12/20/91 ...'If enough of these groups -- and individuals also intent on rescuing constitutional rights -- can move from reacting to organize a national coalition, Congress can be moved to act"... http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112805.php
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How to use INDYMEDIA:
There are now about a hundred Independent Media Center websites worldwide. They are websites which make available "open publishing", which means that anyone (which means You) can publish items to the websites' "Newswire". The newswires are always in the right-hand column of the webpage, and you can publish by clicking on the "publish your news" link at the top and then following the easy instructions.
On the left side of the page (in most cases) are links to all the worldwide 'local' indymedia websites.
The main site is http://indymedia.org . It is the "global" site, the site with the most action, with much news being posted from around the world all the time. Some problems with the global site have appeared since 9-11 because the site became so heavily used and because resources are limited (and everything is done by volunteers). Some things do not usually work now, such as the search feature, and it can be tricky to go backward to find articles that have "scrolled off" the newswire on the front page. But you can use this link to get a list of text articles in chronological order: http://www.indymedia.org/search-process.php3?medium=text --Or you can try this other link and if you are lucky and traffic is not too heavy you will be able to use the links at the bottom to travel backward and see older articles: http://indymedia.org/front.php3?group=webcast&sort=date_desc&rate=none&page=0
The SF site is well-maintained and all the features work as they should (except when the server is down or the database has crashed and the 'tech team' hasn't fixed it yet -- check back in a bit). http://sf.indymedia.org
Another thing to keep in mind when browsing indymedia is that since anyone can post whatever they want, there is a lot of dreck -- and especially since 9-11, as the sites have become prey to some right-wing saboteurs.
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A list of online media from Media Alliance: http://www.kpfa.org http://www.kfcf.org http://www.wbix.org http://www.democracynow.org http://www.fsrn.org http://www.webactive.org Additional reports can be found at: http://www.nyc.indymedia.org http://www.dc.indymedia.org http://workingforchange.com and click on Laura Flanders' Manhattan weblog
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"links to alternative media" 12/22/01 a list of some alternative media, with links http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109430&group=webcast
------------------------- 2 SIGNS OF LIFE ------------
"Rep Dan Burton goes after Bush [again!] :Terrorists stats inflated by DOJ; Congress to investigate" by Associated Press ..."the Bush Justice Department had inflated its figures on convictions of terrorists. He cited reports that drunks and the mentally imbalanced had been labeled as terrorists. ..."Burton, speaking of the terrorism conviction issue and the dispute over the Boston documents, said, "An iron veil is descending over the executive branch that will keep information away from the Congress and the public." He said that could create a schism between the executive branch and Congress." -see also last week's "firestorm" article about Dan Burton: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1214-01.htm
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"Barbara Streisand: call to action against the Govt." reposted from email 12/22/'01 ..."why is this administration cloaked in secrecy... I say it’s time...for each and everyone one of us to stand up and speak out...And now it’s particularly important to speak out, because the sudden shift from peace and prosperity to war and recession raises fundamental questions about the direction of our country." ... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109794&group=webcast
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"Court extends print and media protections online" By Tom Regan, Christian Science Monitor 12/20/01 "In a court decision that was largely overlooked by the mainstream media, a New York Supreme Court judge has issued a ruling in a libel case that extends the same speech protections to online journalists that their print, radio, and TV colleagues have enjoyed since the famous Sullivan v. New York Times decision of 1964."... http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112803.php
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"Salt Lake's Weekly Peace Vigil Gaining Strength" by tom 12/21/01 ..."The Vigil is sponsored by People for Peace and Justice, a grass-roots Utah peace group formed during mid September. Every Thursday people gather in front of Salt Lake's Federal Building for a two hour Vigil starting at 5:00 pm. At the most recent Peace Vigil, the HONK for PEACE signs received Honking Response from over 290 cars!"... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109340&group=webcast
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Evergreen State College Educators on "the war against terrorism" by Evergreen State College Educators http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108515&group=webcast
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"Investigators vs. the CIA" by Bob Novak, December 20, 2001 "Congressional investigation of the intelligence community's culpability for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will begin early in 2002 ... the CIA and its director, George Tenet, will not meekly agree to be scapegoats. ..."Any investigation that does not explore the failings of the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration will fall short." http://www.intellivu.com/main.asp?brand=webcenter.intellivu.aol.com&fnum=142
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[Govt. prevented Air Force from intercepting 9/11 planes?] "Warren Style Commission to Investigate 9/11" by Lloyd Hart 12/21/01 ..."legislation being introduced in the Senate today, of a Warren style commission that would look into the facts surrounding the terrorist attacks on Sept.11, 2001 against the United States. ..."The Air Force spokesman confirmed that after the alerts and requests for intercepts of the aircraft were received from FAA/ATC, orders from the HIGHEST LEVEL of the executive branch of the federal government were received, demanding that the Air Force stand down and NOT follow through with established scramble/intercept procedures that morning until further notice!" ... http://vancouver.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=8291&group=webcast http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109319&group=webcast
"sources" by brandon 10:14pm Fri Dec 21 '01 Its is not hard to find questions that need to be answered here are a few interesting links http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=99402 http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RUP110A.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/events/newsnight/newsid_1645000/1645527.stm http://www.orf.at/orfon/011031-44569/index.html
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ze concert 4 pe@ce" by planet generation global move 12/22/01 "pioneers" of the electronic music scene (techno, drum'n bass…) get together for "Ze CONCERT 4 PE@CE" on 12/29/01 http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109724&group=webcast
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"How The War In Afghanistam Makes Us Safer" cartoon http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109438&group=webcast
------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 AND NOW BACK TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MESS ------------
''Colin Powell silenced by Bush administration'' by YellowTimes.ORG 12/19/01 "Rumsfeld is winning control over Powell in Bush administration. "US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recently highlighted the growing rift between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other members of the Bush administration by openly disagreeing with statements made by Powell regarding the war in Afghanistan. ..."Secretary of State Powell has been straying further and further in recent days from the rest of the Bush administration. "Powell was overruled once again when the Bush administration tore up the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty with Russia. Powell was a strong advocate for the United States staying within the treaty." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108321&group=webcast
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"Danny Glover Under Attack by Oliver North et al" 12/22/01 "because he is against the death penalty and that is being used to target him in another one of these right-wing smear campaigns the country is so fond of right now. " http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109479&group=webcast
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"Long-time peace activist shot dead by police in Brattleboro, VT" 12/22/01 "Robert, "Woody" Woodward, a gentle, spiritual vegan peace activist, was shot dead on Dec. 2 in a UU church in rural Brattleboro, Vermont. Now the cops want to paint Woody as "crazy." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109700&group=webcast
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"Photo Manipulation - Censorship pure and simple." by Ben Schiller 12/22/01 "The public has a right to see these pictures, to find out what is really going on. It is patent nonsense that the Defense Department needs the images; much more likely that it simply wants to stop people reviewing the veracity of its statements. This is censorship pure and simple." http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109871&group=webcast
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"The Age of Missing Information", by Michael Meuser 12/20/01 "Beware. We have entered The Age of Missing Information. Bad enough that we do not know what the world's most powerful killing machine is doing around the world, but vital information used to make decisions in a democratic society and to protect our environment are rapidly disappearing." http://la.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=13788 also a newswire at: http://www.mapcruzin.com/right-to-know-issues.htm/
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"The Post-September 11 Environment: Access to Government Information" by OMB Watch "Please send us a note at ombwatch@ombwatch.org or call us at (202) 234-8494 to identify any changes in public access to government information since the September 11 terrorist attacks. This list is updated on an ongoing basis. If you have visited this list recently, refresh your web browser to see if there have been any new additions, which will be posted to the top of the list. Here is what we know so far: ..." http://www.ombwatch.org/info/2001/access.html
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"I Tried To Be Patriotic" by J. McMichael 12/22/01 ..."I feel it coming on again — that horrible cynicism that causes me to doubt the word of the major anchor-persons. Please just think of this essay as a plea for help, and do NOT let it interfere with your own righteous faith. The collapse of America's faith in its leaders must not become another casualty on America's skyline." ..."In the 20th Century, steel melted at 1538 degrees Celsius (2800 F, see http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/fe.html), but in the 21st Century, it melts at 800 degrees C (1472 F). ..."No concrete that I have ever known pulverizes like that. It is unnerving. My experience with concrete has shown that it will crumble under stress, but rarely does it just give up the ghost and turn to powder." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109711&group=webcast
WashU Prof finds it "incredible" that the WTC towers collapsed: http://news-info.wustl.edu/News/nrindex00/harmon.html
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"Civilian Casualties: Theirs and Ours" by William Blum 12/20/01 "The question is now upon us. Who killed more innocent, defenseless people? "William Blum is the author of Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II and Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108560&group=webcast
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"Robert Fisk: Brace yourself for Part Two of the War for Civilisation " 12/22/01 "'The US air strikes have now killed more Afghans than the hijackerskilled westerners and others' http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109452&group=webcast
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"US National Missile Defense Not Ready for Deployment" by Scott Metzger 12/15/01 "Based on a review of Ballistic Missile Intercept tests to this date by the Union of Concerned Scientists, it is clear that deployment of the National Missile Defense System should be postponed." "On December 13,2001, President Bush announced the formal US withdrawal from the Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with Russia. "This clears the way for continued testing of the proposed National Missile Defense program (NMD) and all of it's components including land based missiles, sea based missiles, and space based radar and satellite tracking systems. Under the ABM treaty, testing of any components other than the ground based systems was outlawed as was testing of space based tracking systems. The US can now proceed with testing without hindrance. http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108417&group=webcast
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interesting and awful: "Planning for Whose Future? Bruce Gagnon on the complete nuclearization and weaponization of space" by Amy Pincus Merwin ..."Since the beginning of the Space Age, the U.S. and former U.S.S.R. have launched 40 nuclear-powered military satellites; several of these have already fallen back to Earth, hit the atmosphere, broken apart, and burned up upon re-entry, spreading radiation globally. According to Dr. John Gofman, one of the co-discoverers of uranium, the 1963 U.S. Military Satellite, called SNAP 9A, with two pounds of plutonium on board, fell back to Earth spreading plutonium throughout the planet’s atmosphere and resulting, at least partially, in the increased cancers across the globe today." ... http://indybay.org/2001/12/112651.php
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A find with potential for someone who really wants to investigate the history of the US interest in Caspian Sea oil (sample, edited, contents lists below): "CASPIAN CROSSROADS MAGAZINE A Message from the Editor The Caspian Crossroads Magazine is produced by US-Azerbaijan Council, a non-profit, non-partisan organisation, which serves to foster greater interest and knowledge of the Caucasus and Central Asia among Americans. ... Volume 3, Issue No.2, Fall 1997 -U.S. Economic and Strategic Interests in the Caspian Sea Region: Policies and Implications by Senator Sam Brownback -Geopolitcal Dynamics of the Caspian Region by Graham Fuller -Caspian Oil Transportation: Insights from a Commercial Perspective by Laurent Ruseckas -Oil, Guns, and Empire: Russia, Turkey, Caspian "New Oil" and the Montreaux Convention by John Daly Volume 3, Issue No. 3, Winter 1998 -The Caspian Sea Littoral States: The Object of a New Great Game? by William Odom -US Congress and the Caspian by F. Wallace Hays -Rising Asian Oil Demand and Caspian Reserves by Plamen Tonchev " http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/usazerb/casp.htm
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"How the World Sees the U.S. and Sept. 11", by Brian Knowlton, IHT 12/20/01 "The poll of 275 opinion leaders, conducted by the International Herald Tribune and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, reveals disagreements between America and other countries on whether U.S. policies played a significant role in fueling terrorists' anger against the United States. "Asked if many or most ordinary people consider U.S. policies to be "a major cause" of the Sept. 11 attacks, fewer than 1 in 5 respondents from America said they do. But in the rest of the world, nearly 3 out of 5 agreed that they would. http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108851&group=webcast
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"Rewarding Robert Fisk" by Rehana Aziz, the News International, Pakistan 12/21/01 "It was both shocking and saddening to learn that Robert Fisk, probably the most incisive and "independent" correspondent covering the Muslim world, was injured by a group of Afghan refugees - whose overall plight and flight he was erstwhile reporting from Kandahar"... http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2001-daily/21-12-2001/oped/o5.htm
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"US planes attack convoy of ... leadership" by Hindustan Times, Reuters, et al. ..."Local Afghans contested U.S. assertions that its planes had attacked a convoy of al Qaeda leaders, telling Reuters at the scene on Saturday the dozens of dead were innocent villagers and tribal elders ..."An Afghan news agency reported meanwhile that 65 people were killed when US planes bombed a convoy of Afghan elders, tribal chiefs and commanders heading for the inauguration of Afghanistan's new government in Kabul. "It was a large convoy, and there were a lot of people killed and a lot of vehicles damaged, or destroyed," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. "... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109860&group=webcast http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109315&group=webcast http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109594&group=webcast
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"200 al Qaida men (& families) killed in Tora Bora" by The Frontier Post 12/20/01 "But he said the agreement was sabotaged by the commander Hazrat Ali who killed all of them along with women and children in the Tora Bora mountain bodies of which are still lying there in the open sky." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108798&group=webcast
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"140 Saudi families stranded on Pak-Afghan border" by The Frontier Post 12/20/01 "Saudi newspapers Al-Aattan and Saudi Gazette quoting Saudi-Ambassador in Islamabad have carried reports that among those stranded are only women and children and there is no men among them." ... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=108806&group=webcast
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"about the botched terrorist response to the 9-11 terrorism" 12/23/01 "Fighting Terrorism, Being Terrorism...A Commentary on Peace" http://la.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=13793
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"Osama's mother says..." by AFP 12/23/01 http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109867&group=webcast
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more thoughts on "bin ladin tape is a fake" http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=110138&group=webcast
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"20,000 American troops massing on Iraqi border" by Irish Independent Online 12/20/01 "MORE than 20,000 American troops have been moved into Qatar and Kuwait amid intense indications that Washington is preparing to move the war on terrorism into Iraq."... http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=10&si=659398&issue_id=6578
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"World Drug War charts. Lots of them. Link list. Copy and Distribute widely" 12/22/01 "Timely link list of Drug War chart pages. An example chart is at the end - for US incarceration rates over time. List is easy to copy and pass on. One of a kind. ..."The MAJORITY of the 2 million U.S. prisoners are incarcerated due to the drug war! The Drug-War Industrial Complex. .. The USA has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's 8 MILLION prisoners. ... The US rate is almost 4 times higher than in 1980 at the time of Reagan's election. http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109671&group=webcast
-------------------- 4 ARGENTINA ----------
"Who Shot Argentina? The Fingerprints On the Smoking Gun Read ‘I.M.F.' Inside Corporate America" by Gregory Palast, Guardian (London), Sunday, August 12, 2001 http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109308&group=webcast
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"Bush backs IMF austerity measures" by BBC News 12/22/01 "US President George W Bush has urged Argentina's next leader to carry out the austerity measures proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He said if the policies were carried out, it could clear the way for Argentina to get more money from the institution... " http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1722000/1722935.stm
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"FRESH NEWS FROM ARGENTINA" by Guillermo Crux 12/23/01 comment: ..."Thank you to all Argentinians who have contributed to bringing about this present opportunity, because an opportunity it is. The inadequacy of the debt based monetary and economic system has been brought to light in a clear and unmistakable manner, and it has been "put on the map", so to speak, of international politics." http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=109914&group=webcast
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"Call to action from Argentina! (please forward everywhere)" 12/23/01 TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD LIVING IN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ARGENTINIAN EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES http://la.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=13790
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finally, go look at http://www.commondreams.org/ for thoughtful, current articles.
"You are faced with a stark choice. Do you dedicate yourself to an impossible cause? Or do you look after your own, making do as best you can? The choice is clear. You must dedicate yourself to an impossible cause. Why? Because we are all incurables. Because solidarity is a form of tenderness. Because the simple act of caring for the world itself is a victory. Take a stand – not because it will lead to anything, but because it is the right thing to do. We never know what can or can’t be done; only what must be done. "I dedicate myself to an impossible cause." http://www.guerrillanews.com/newswire/guerrilla/doc246.html --Andrew Boyd, co-founder of the Billionaires for Bush (or Gore).
"Join the International Movement Demanding Inquiry into 9-11 and possible CIA/US Govt. Collusion!!" by Bill Douglas, 12/17/01 ..."Our scattered focus makes us relatively powerless. IF we could gather our strength and FOCUS LIKE A LASER BEAM on this issue of "was there US govt. collusion in 9-11?", we could create a ROAR of demand worldwide that could command a full investigation into the inner workings of a network that has manipulated foreign govt.s, repressed peoples of the world, stripmined the environment, etc. in the name of greed. ..."Help me get the Activist Kit out, and URGE every group to make the Demand for Inquiry their PRIORITY in coming months! ..."The 8 DISTURBING FACTS:" ... http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112404.php
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"The real reasons for this "war", by reposter "During these last three months, the same American media that waved non-stop Gary Condit (a congressman who got caught with his pants down) in front of our faces to keep us from finding out that plans for a war were being announced to other governments, is now trying to keep the level of fear in the American public so high that they cannot think. ..."as people stop being made blind by fear, they are starting to realize that bombing the innocents of Afghanistan makes no sense at all no matter what Osama bin Laden may have done, whether he still works for the CIA or not. "... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107665&group=webcast
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Another interview with Stan Goff, author of "The So-Called Evidence is a Farce", covering these topics: -Military, diplomatic and intelligence maneuvering before 9/11 -The extent of the operation on 9/11 -The reaction of the U.S. Government on 9/11 -Who's in the cabinet, and who benefits from the so-called war in Afghanistan? -Racism, fragmentation and the failure of U.S. society to act -Racism and fascism in the government -The theft of rights -The stolen election -The truth about the U.S. economy and its' immediate future -Who IS the "Northern Alliance"? -The U.S., Russia, China and Oil -OPEC, NOPEC and The Hubbard Curve -The Militarization of Police Forces (from someone who trained 'em) -What can people do? audio: http://www.interage.com/goff.ram text synopsis at http://www.interage.com
see other interview (text) also : http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=108346
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Descriptive list of tapes of David Emory's "For the Record" radio shows since 9-11, including "the suspicious stock market action in the days preceding the attacks, connections between intelligence operations of the 1980’s and the terrorist blitzkrieg", etc. http://www.spitfirelist.com/ftr.html
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"Flurry of Credit Card transactions During 911 Investigated", By Erik Kirschbaum 12/16/01 "German computer experts are working round the clock to unlock the truth behind an unexplained surge in financial transactions made just before two hijacked planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center on September 11. " ... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107838&group=webcast
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"Insider Trading and 9-11", by Tom Flocco 12/16/01 "According to San Francisco Chronicle reporters Christian Berthelsen and Scott Winokur a source familiar with the UAL trades said investors have yet to claim $2.5 million in profits on contracts purchased before [9-11]. ..."The source (who requested anonymity) said, "Usually, if someone has a windfall like that, you take the money and run. Whoever did this thought the Exchange [NYSE] would not be closed for four days. This smells real bad."... http://www.guerrillanews.com/war_on_terrorism/doc241.html
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"Isn't it time to quit pretending Osama Bin Ladin came out of nowhere?" from The Laissez Faire City Times, Vol 5, No 46, November 12, 2001 ...If the war against Osama Bin Ladin (Tim Osman) is not a total fraud, then what is Michael Riconosciuto doing in prison? Why doesn't he have an office next to Colin Powell so he can give realistic advice on Bin Ladin's thinking? And where is Ralph Olberg? ..."Tim Osman" was the name assigned to him by the CIA for his tour of the U.S. and U.S. military bases, in search of political support and armaments. http://www.aci.net/kalliste/binladin_timosman.htm
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"Did You Notice The US Is Having A Coup?" http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112448.php
"Official: CIA uses anthrax, but no link to letters" From David Ensor, CNN Washington Bureau "The CIA uses anthrax in its bio-warfare program"... http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/12/16/cia.anthrax/index.html
"Anthrax attacks - CIA & Military Investigated" 12/18/01 http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107834&group=webcast
..."implicated parties in the CIA and Bush administration—parties who have developed lucrative vaccine and drug contracts behind closed doors"... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1867
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"In Britain, TV Reports admit this is a war for oil" by World Socialist Web Site, Dec 18 '01 "Britain’s media has hardly distinguished itself during the US bombing of Afghanistan, other than for its willingness to parrot the official line emanating from Washington and London. But it has proved increasingly difficult for the press barons to maintain a united journalistic front. "... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107921&group=webcast
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 THE NEW PATRIOTISM / YOUR RIGHTS ------------
"The New [Pseudo] Patriotism" By Steven Yates ..."the new patriots seem to applaud the federal powergrab of the past two months. ..."an undeclared 'war' to eradicate all the bullies, tyrants, sociopaths and misfits out there is not the answer. ... Talk about a recipe for generating still more hatred of the 'Great Satan' in the Muslim world! -- "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any public official, save exactly to the degree he himself stands by the country." --Theodore Roosevelt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1795 http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107429&group=webcast
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"Graduation Speech Cut Short by Hecklers", by Nancy Weaver Teichert, 12/16/01 "The commencement address for mid-year graduates at California State University, Sacramento, was halted Saturday after audience members in the packed house at Arco Arena drowned out the speech with heckling. "Janis Besler Heaphy, president and publisher of The Sacramento Bee, was speaking before the largest crowd ever for a CSUS graduation ceremony about the threats to civil liberties posed by the federal government's investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks. Her comments were drowned out about five minutes into the eight-minute speech when a segment of the audience began to stomp and clap in protest to her words." http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1216-04.htm
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"FBI home-visit for expressing doubts re 9-11" from SF Chronicle's SFGate 12/18/01 "they said someone in the gym had reported that I had been talking about terrorism and Sept. 11, oil profits, capitalism and Afghanistan" http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112521.php
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"Implications of the USA PATRIOT Act" by Nancy Murray reposted 6:32pm Mon Dec 17 '01 ..."Are we prepared to put the Bill of Rights in cold storage, and wait until terrorism everywhere is over before trying to thaw it out? "... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107381&group=webcast
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"H-e-r-e’s the Silver Lining!", by Alexander Cockburn ..."The editor of The Nation, Katrina vanden Heuvel (whose periodical has promoted the notion of a "just war" in Afghanistan), has now co-authored a column... "So here’s the supposed silver lining, comrades: the return to favor of Big Government. You want to be reminded of what Big Government has been up to in the past few weeks?" ... http://www.nypress.com/14/49/news&columns/wildjustice.cfm
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"FBI Surveillance Software to be Part of Windows XP Updates" By John Robbington, 12-13-2001 "This Magic Lantern could easily become a part of Windows XP Dynamic Updates, or even become a standard part of the operating system." Microsoft spokesperson Bob Null said". ... The dream of both direct marketers and FBI coming true at the same time. " http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107421&group=webcast
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"FBI wants access to worm's pilfered data" by The Daily Rotten 12/17/01 "The FBI is asking for access to a massive database that contains the private communications and passwords of the victims of the Badtrans Internet worm. ... Since November 24, Badtrans has violated the privacy of millions of Internet users, and now the FBI wants to take part in the spying. ..."The mails delivered the logged keystrokes from over 100,000 compromised computers in the first day alone. ..."It defies reason that the FBI expects the American people to trust them to only look at certain permissible nuggets of data and ignore the rest of what they collect." ... http://www.dailyrotten.com/articles/archive/189387.html also [12/18]: http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107827&group=webcast see this for virus description: http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107830&group=webcast
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"Forfeiture Endangers American Rights" ..."a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reform of federal and state asset forfeiture laws to restore due process and protect property... ..."Asset forfeiture was virtually unheard until recently. In 1984, Congress overhauled the federal forfeiture laws to give the government incredible advantages over property owners, and began expanding the list of offenses which could trigger forfeiture. Now there are two hundred federal offenses which trigger forfeiture. But the most terrifying aspect of the legislative scheme in the 1984 crime bill was that it allowed the seizing police agency to keep what they seize and forfeit. This inherent conflict of interest has lead to greater and greater abuses, as forfeiture income -- and dependence on forfeiture income -- has risen. Asset forfeiture brings in close to a billion dollars a year for the federal government alone. "... http://www.fear.org/
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If this were Clinton.... "Connect the Enron Dots to Bush", by Robert Scheer "Enron is Whitewater in spades. This isn't just some rinky-dink land investment like the one dredged up by right-wing enemies to haunt the Clinton White House--but rather it has the makings of the greatest presidential scandal since the Teapot Dome." "The Bush administration has a long and intimate relationship with Enron, whose much-discredited chairman, Kenneth L. Lay, was a primary financial backer of George W. Bush's rise to the presidency. It was Enron that provided the model for the administration's trickle-down attempt to revive an economy that's been in steep decline during Bush's tenure. That model gives the fat-cat corporate hotshots everything they want in return for bankrolling political campaigns. Not to worry about the rest of us because, hey, what's good for Enron is good for America. That it hasn't been is now painfully clear. " http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1211-10.htm
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NYPD get machine guns: "COPS GET TOP GUNS" By PHILIP MESSING, NY Post "Around 500 patrol cops citywide will soon be armed with new, high-powered guns previously available only to elite special-unit officers, The Post has learned. "... http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152001/news/regionalnews/7282.htm
Afghanistan: "5000 peacekeepers. 3 cities." by Mark Bialkowski 12/18/01 "CBC.ca reports this morning that an agreement on a UN peacekeeping force has been worked out with various Afghan factions. ..."While there was no mention of forces to guard aid convoys throughout the country, or assistance to refugees trying to get home, here's hoping such things happen, lest this whole exercise prove about as effective as a kick to the head in terms of bringing peace and stablity to an already shattered nation. http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107538&group=webcast
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"Unpaid soldiers spark crimewave in Kabul: Kidnap, theft and murder follow city's fall", by Rory Carroll in Kabul, The Guardian, 12/15/01 "Gangs of Northern Alliance soldiers have unleashed a crimewave of looting and killing in Kabul which is awakening nostalgia for the Taliban. ..."Lawlessness is creeping into daily life, after six years of Taliban order, in the form of robberies, extortion and murder aimed at the few Kabul residents with visible wealth. ..."Many of the fighters have not been paid since July and admit they are hungry for spoils after last month's sweep into the capital. http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107219&group=webcast
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"Meet the New Oppressors (Same as the Old Oppressors)" by Brian Murphy, AP "The Taliban's collapse cast off some restrictions for women. A traditional chador, which shows the face, is now acceptable. Women can appear in public without a male relative as escort, which was required under the Taliban. But there appears to be no revision of the basic social restrictions for women despite appeals from Western rights groups for the rules to be relaxed. "We are not a country that can legislate new laws and rules like in the West," said Mohammad, the prosecutor. "There will only be trouble if outsiders try to change our ways." "About a dozen women have been arrested on morals charges around Herat since the fall of the Taliban last month, officials said. Most of them apparently tried to use the confusion to leave their families – a crime – either for new relationships or in hopes of reaching nearby Iran."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106817&group=webcast
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"Sorrow in a Village Flattened by U.S. Bombs: 'Only Allah Cares' " NYTimes/Int. Herald Tribune, 12/17/01 http://www.iht.com/articles/42129.html
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"Victorious warlords set to open the opium floodgates", by Paul Harris - BBC ..."Ali said. 'It hurt many farmers that they could not grow poppies. Now I will earn money again.' http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107640&group=webcast
---------------------------------- 4 OTHER THINGS ------------
"32 cities participating in Dec. 22 anti-war international day of protest!" "32 cities (and counting) are participating in the international day of protest against the war on December 22, 2001! " http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107892&group=webcast
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"What you can DO about the Economic Stimulus package... "MoveOn.org has a few valuable resources that are useful for helping to defeat this travesty. In their words, "We can do more to stimulate the economy by helping everyday people than by giving billions of dollars in tax breaks to America's biggest corporations. Congress must vote against these giveaways." 1. MoveOn is gathering a "compiled statement of support", which will be will be presented to the President and to Congress, at appropriate times in the policy making process. You can add your name and comments to it: http://www.moveon.org/warprofiteering 2. They've also built an e-mail page containing some details about the economic stimulus package, so you can inform others. The page is located: http://www.moveon.org/warprofiteering/letter.html "
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The State of the World's Poorest: "Meet the P7" by Frances Moore Lappé 12/18/01 "Although P7 has gathered annually for five years (this session focusing on food and farming), I’ve yet to meet an American who has heard of it."... http://www.guerrillanews.com/globalization/doc243.html
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Palestinian Despair "How many people know about the land mines that kill our children when they try to go to school? How many people read the tales of children shot in the back, because they're still outside the family complex when the curfew begins? How many people know how we have to sneak around simply to pick an orange off a tree?" http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107559&group=webcast
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"Refugees meeting hears proposal to register every human in the world" GENEVA, Dec 13 AAP "Every person in the world would be fingerprinted and registered under a universal identification scheme to fight illegal immigration and people smuggling outlined at a United Nations meeting today."... http://www.smh.com.au/breaking/2001/12/14/FFX058CU6VC.html
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"WHEN THE WRONG KIND OF PEOPLE EXERCISE THE RIGHT TO VOTE" by Silicon Satan (?not a satire?) ..."however much money one spends on executive-class condominiums, top-quality restaurants, valet parking and all the other accoutrements of an elite lifestyle, these worthless bums are nevertheless always under one's feet, flaunting their war-wounds and other disabilities in one's face, and generally assaulting one's eyes with the disgusting spectacle of their abject poverty." http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112288.php
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"GREENPEACE REJECTS TERRORISM LABEL" by Patricia Cuonzo, 12/14/01 Amsterdam: Following Greenpeace’s first encounter with the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctica, the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) – a private institute that catches whales under a license from the Fisheries Agency of Japan - put out a statement calling Greenpeace “eco-terrorists”. Today Gert Leipold, Executive Director of Greenpeace International responded with a letter to the Director General of the ICR, Dr. Seiji Ohsumi.* “Greenpeace strongly objects to this insulting and incorrect use of the word 'terrorism' to describe the peaceful and non violent anti- whaling activities of Greenpeace in the Southern Ocean. This use debases the language. Calling non violent protest terrorism insults those who were injured or killed in the attacks of real terrorists,” said Leipold. “There is a right to peaceful protest and we are exercising that right in the Antarctic. Our small inflatable boats pose no risk to the steel hulled high powered whale catchers. The catchers outweigh our boats by hundreds of times and tower over them. Simple disagreement is not terrorism. Signalling your disagreement is not terrorism. To call our peaceful protest terrorism is absurd.” ... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1706
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"The Pacifica Settlement--An Analysis", by Eileen Sutton 9:55am Tue Dec 18 '01 "The recent Pacifica legal settlement requires close scrutiny. While some celebrate, others have urgent questions about the process by which the agreement was reached, and concerns that the potential for true democratic reform may have been compromised. "... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107659&group=webcast see also: http://www.savepacifica.net/
"16 new American Crusade Trading Cards" by yorick "The American Crusade card project seeks to provide a more realistic, informative (and bitter) alternative to counter the cheerleading, weapon-fetishistic Topps cards. "New today: Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney (tattoo version), God Almighty (petroleum version), Proxy Army #1, Defenders of Civilization, Military Tribunals, Compliant News Network, Israeli Tanks & Bulldozers and a bunch more. http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107522&group=webcast
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"'How the Feds Stole Xmas' -dr. suess parody" by Gary Krist And so, under pretext of just being cautious, They did things the Founders would surely find nauseous. "We've done it," they crooned, "We've killed off their spirit. They once loved their freedom, but now they all fear it!" http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107720&group=webcast
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"The most complete collection of George Dubya Bush quotes available anywhere on the Internet" with commentary http://www.dubyaspeak.com/ http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=107530&group=webcast
7 sections below [note - if an URL does not work when you click on it, copy _the whole URL_ (sometimes it gets split up) and paste it into your browser's location bar. and remember- just let me know if you want to stop getting these collections.] :
-------------------------- 1 NOTE: ------------
"Bush Halts Inquiry of FBI and Stirs Up a Firestorm" by Glen Johnson, Boston Globe, 12/14/01 ''We've got a dictatorial president and a Justice Department that does not want Congress involved"... ''You tell the president there's going to be war between the president and this committee,'' Dan Burton, the Indiana Republican who heads the House Government Reform Committee, told a Justice Department official ... ''His dad was at a 90 percent approval rating and he lost, and the same thing can happen to him,'' Burton added, jabbing his finger and glaring"... http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1214-01.htm see also: http://www.fpnewswires.com/fpmain/dec/dojmemo.html
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"Gag order: The First Amendment states that ‘no law’ can abridge freedom of speech. So what part of ‘no’ doesn’t John Ashcroft understand?" BY HARVEY A. SILVERGLATE ..."Ashcroft, so fond of citing such historical precedents as Abraham Lincoln’s suspending habeas corpus and Franklin Roosevelt’s relocating Japanese-Americans, should look at the wartime First Amendment precedents as well." http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multi-page/documents/02048777.htm
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"Drug-sniffing dog prowling BART cars: 13 arrests on trains on first two nights", SF Chronicle, 12/14 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/12/14/MN145685.DTL
Democracy Now! on the ABM treaty withdrawal: ..."Just an hour or so before the US released the alleged Osama bin Laden videotape, President Bush announced that the United States is pulling out of the missile treaty." Listen to audio from http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/exile/dn20011214.html
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"ABM Treaty Withdrawal an Attack on American Security" Statement by the Federation of American Scientists, 12/13/01 ..."President Bush has lost focus on where his priorities should be. ..."We must remember, however, that the declaration is merely one of intent -- America has not yet actually withdrawn from the ABM treaty. The next six months will be crucial in determining America's future security. FAS urges Congress to act vigorously against ABM treaty withdrawal. FAS also calls on Russia, China, and other states to renew their commitments to multilateral arms control and nonproliferation. " http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/1213-147.html
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URGENT! Stop the weaponization of space. "If we are to halt the arming of the heavens, this is our final opportunity. The battle is now. Because at this moment, a tiny cabal of unapologetic, self-interested, unregenerate cold warriors are racing pell-mell to canopy our earth with weapons, thus capturing the ultimate high ground and, by doing so, "dominating" (their word) space. That is their plan." "Kucinich to Introduce Legislation to Ban Space-based Weapons" "Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) will introduce legislation to ban space-based weapons. Kucinich says, “We signed the ABM treaty nearly 30 years ago; which requires a reduction in strategic arms, nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. Weaponization of space clearly violates that treaty. My bill will call for an immediate and permanent termination of research, testing, manufacturing, production and deployment of all space-based weapons systems and components by any person, agency or contractor of the U.S. government .” "The Institute for Cooperation in Space (ICIS), a 501-C-3, is formed to focus attention on this legislation and a forthcoming world treaty to ban all space-based weapons, to transform the space-based weapons industry into a world cooperative space industry, to apply alternative energy and other technologies to solving urgent and potential human and the environmental problems, and to educate about who we are in relation to the universe though the MISSION POSSIBLE plan of action." ... Send free online fax from this website: http://www.peaceinspace.com/ see also: http://www.space4peace.org/
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Pravda - 19:16 2001-12-13 DMITRY LITVINOVICH: AMERICA IS PLAYING GAMES WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS “Russia ought to announce its withdrawel from the START-1 Treaty immediately after the USA denounces the AMB Treaty,” - the deputy chairman of the committee of the Russian parliament for the international affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, said. The deputy also gave his opinion that Moscow's reaction must follow without any delay: “We have to say to the Americans that after six month are over, Russia will leave the START-1 Treaty.” Kosachev also stated that it would be the first such event in history. http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=105329&group=webcast
----------------- 3 EUROPE ---------
European Parliament: "US violating human rights" "European Parliament adopted a resolution yesterday declaring that so-called anti-terrorism measures in the United States violate human rights. The resolution reads, "The European parliament considers that the US PATRIOT Act, which discrimnates against non-US citizens and President Bush's executive order on military tribulnals are contrary to the principles of human rights. The resolution also says suspects arrested in the European Union cannot be extradited for trial in the US if they face the death penalty or a military tribunal. ... the resolution came as Britain's parliament approved a package of emergency anti terror legislation which includes the right to intern foreign suspects without a trial. The European Parliament's resolution is in contrast to the European Union, which is expected to reaffirm its full solidarity with the US at a Brussels summit, begins 12/14... Above transcribed from Democracy Now! 12/14 audio at: http://stream.realimpact.org/rihurl.ram?file=webactive/exile/dn20011214.ra&end="7:11.4" http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/exile/dn20011214.html
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France: US Veto to U.N. Mideast Resolution "Incomprehensible" 12-15-01 PARIS, December 15 (Xinhuanet) -- French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine Saturday said the United States' veto of moves to adopt a resolution and establish an international force to help protect Palestinian civilians in the United Nations Security Council as "incomprehensible." "The American veto to a reasonable project of resolution by theSecurity Council, which plans an impartial mechanism of surveillance in the Middle East, is even more incomprehensible since the United States accepted it at the G8 summit in Genoa in July, and the resolution is more necessary now than ever before," said Vedrine. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1744 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1747
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"Blair forces EU drop warning to Washington", LAEKEN, Belgium, Dec 15 AFP "British Prime Minister Tony Blair had forced the European Union to drop a drafted warning to Washington not to extend its self-declared war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan, EU sources said today." http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1749
--------------------------------------- 4 OPERATION INFINITE WAR -------------
US Troops Land In Somalia, 12/11/01 ''American officers have secretly entered Somalia in the first indication of President Bush's determination to extend the war against terrorism. Five military personnel reached the heart of the country and met a rebel movement in Baidoa, west of the capital Mogadishu, in a search for terrorist camps. In another move indicating wider military action, the United States 3rd Army began deploying several hundred headquarters staff to Kuwait.'' http://www.smh.com.au/news/0112/11/world/world102.html
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"THE OIL FACTOR IN SOMALIA" by MARK FINEMAN (1993) "DATELINE: MOGADISHU, Somalia: Far beneath the surface of the tragic drama of Somalia, four major U.S. oil companies are quietly sitting on a prospective fortune in exclusive concessions to explore and exploit tens of millions of acres of the Somali countryside. "Funny how those Islamic terrorists have a habit of living on top of or near oil and gas fields."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=105824&group=webcast
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"US bringing "terror war" to Colombia for oil, coal" by Sean Marquis 1:16pm Fri Dec 14 "Two South American nations in particular are currently being prepped for possible military actions: Colombia and Venezuela. "Both countries figure prominently in US energy policy through coal (Colombia) and oil (Venezuela more so than Colombia) reserves."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=105872&group=webcast
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"Back to good ol days in Afghanistan" by Jang 2:56pm Fri Dec 14 '01 PESHAWAR: Fierce fighting has erupted in northern Afghanistan between forces loyal to Gen Faheem and Gen Mansoor Naderi leaving more than 350 fighters killed from both sides amidst reports that fresh reinforcements have been rushed to wrest control of the provincial capital of Baghlan province. http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=105928&group=webcast
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"Disaster that lives in this triumph : This new kind of warfare seems a wonderful experience for America...." by Natasha Walter, The Independent, 12/13/01 ..."Can a war be both a triumph and a disaster? It seems so. ...can force alone be used to combat terror? Or is there a battle for hearts and minds that must also be won? ...anyone who read Robert Fisk's report of the attack on himself will have been chilled to the bone by the hatred that he encountered among refugees on the Afghan-Pakistan border." ... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=104711&group=webcast
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"Abandoning postwar Afghanistan" by new republic Sun Dec 16 '01 "It will require a great deal of tedious, un-macho "social work" to prevent the anarchy and despair on which terrorism feeds." ... ..."there is mounting evidence that abandoning postwar Afghanistan is exactly what this White House has in mind." ... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106642&group=webcast
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"As the War Shifts Alliances, Oil Deals Follow", by NY Times 12/15 ..."Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States has lauded the region as a stable oil supplier, in a tacit comparison with the Persian Gulf states that have been viewed lately as less cooperative. The State Department is exploring the potential for post-Taliban energy projects in the region, which has more than 6 percent of the world's proven oil reserves and almost 40 percent of its gas reserves." ... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106621&group=webcast
--------------------------------------------------------- 5 TOO MUCH ABOUT THAT OBL VIDEO: ------------
A RED HERRING: Aside from the fact that this tape could in no case justify the killing of thousands of innocents, Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now! and others pointed out that the main importance of this tape is the timing of its release and the buildup of publicity around it: ..."Just an hour or so before the US released the alleged Osama bin Laden videotape, President Bush announced that the United States is pulling out of the Anti Ballistic Missile treaty." Listen to audio from http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/exile/dn20011214.html
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"Osama Gump?" by Yusuf Agha, Counterpunch ..."When a visitor from Saudi Arabia arrives, his voice is clear and there are frequent close-ups. But Bin Laden's voice is always muffled and the camera never zooms in on him." ..."To add further confusion to the already murky audio, video and poor translation, the sequence of the events is reversed on the tape. It begins with the end of the visit, a helicopter site visit occupies the middle, and the ending sequence of the tape brings up the beginning of the visit!" ..."Mr. Mazari also mentioned that he had interviewed Mr. Ashcroft three days prior to its release, but the Attorney General admitted he had not seen the tape. Apparently it did not pose enough interest to America's chief prosecutor!" ..."Can it be entirely coincidental that the tape was found so shortly after the US government sought the cooperation of Hollywood to assist it in its War on Terror? The Australian daily The Age poses the question: "If computer-generated graphics can fake Forrest Gump shaking President John F Kennedy's hand and the late John Wayne hawking beer, how can viewers be sure that a videotape of Osama bin Laden bragging about the September 11 attacks is real?" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agentsmiley/message/1732
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"SECRET INTERVIEWS WITH BIN LADEN REVEALED" by Pravda ..."Whether or not the voice was his can be debatable. The Arabic-speaking contact of Pravda.Ru in Lisbon pointed out that anyone could have dubbed on the voices because there are no close-ups of the lips of the people while speaking. What he could hear was a lot of mumbling and during the mumbling, the supposed translation comes up with some incriminating phrases." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106001&group=webcast
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"EVIDENCE MOUNTS THAT FAKE BIN LADEN 'CONFESSION' IS ACTUALLY A WEDDING TAPE", by AFP [includes link to AlJazeera commentary] http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106511&group=webcast
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Some interviews with interesting commentary can be heard from this page: http://www.rense.com/general18/c.htm ..."When would bin Laden and his buddies have had the time or peace of mind to loll about at a relaxed dinner party between September 11 and now? (When do they say this thing was shot anyway?)"
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"Video Fakery: Half the People Can Be Digital" by Justice December 14 2001, http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/112241.php
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"and another thing, jim", by fakir, fakir, fakir [comment], 12/16/01 ..."What people need to be asking for is who found the original tape - like their name and who they work for - and ask to see the original video cassette that contains the original tape. Was it a regular VHS tape? Was it a VHS-C? Was it done on an old beta recorder (doubtful but who knows). Where is this tape exactly? Under lock and key somewhere? If this is such a democratic society, why can't we see the actual cassette?"... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106562&group=webcast
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An interesting compilation page around and about the video and other 9-11 inconsistencies:
..."The assertion by the US government is that the tape provides proof of advance knowledge of the WTC disaster. Therefore by implication that Bin Laden was responsible for the attack. This is then used "post event" or after they have acted, to justify their actions in pursuing Bin Laden for his crimes. "I will assume for the purpose of this article that they are correct. That the tape has not been created by hollywood as an aid to the war effort as recently requested of them by G. W. Bush. "That is we will assume the tape is genuine and not a gigantic hoax pulled on us, to conceal the truth. But the doubt in many peoples eyes would have been less if the government had not been so stupid as to ask for propaganda from hollywood in the first place. "... I agree that I accept Bin Laden is guilty, I accept the tape, I find the words chilling, but NOT AS CHILLING as some of the remarks made by Bush, Ashcroft, Blair and Cheney. "And certainly not as hideous and despicable as those remarks I have read on newspaper discussion groups. Where if you look, the average American citizen appears to be an EVIL MONSTER."... http://web.ukonline.co.uk/t.john/SmokingGun.html
''Open letter to Robert Fisk'' on Thursday, December 13, By George Lewandowski http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=104858&group=webcast ...Embrace the best in people. Count yourself among the rational grown-ups. Count yourself among the people who strive to discern the difference between justice and vengeance. ...I believe that decency will eventually prevail. The world will eventually understand that peace is only possible when human rights and the rule of law replace the childish religious fanaticisms of Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. Allah does not bless the mob, not even the American mob. http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=104858&group=webcast
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"U.S. Army was source for anthrax spores sent to Capitol Hill" "Capitol Hill Anthrax Matches Army's Stocks -5 Labs Can Trace Spores to Ft. Detrick", By Rick Weiss and Susan Schmidt, Washington Post Staff Writers, Sunday, December 16, 2001; "Genetic fingerprinting studies indicate that the anthrax spores mailed to Capitol Hill are identical to stocks of the deadly bacteria maintained by the U.S. Army since 1980, according to scientists familiar with the most recent tests." ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49502-2001Dec15.html http://indybay.org/2001/12/112338.php
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"And They Call Him General" by new republic 8:59am Sun Dec 16 '01 "Ashcroft is the last person who should be accusing others of undermining a war effort, given his own sorry performance during the Vietnam War." ... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106631&group=webcast
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A Walk for Healing and Peace The Amundsons and others Nov 25 -Dec 2nd http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw/walkhp.html
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Are you less than satisfied with the official explanations about 9/11? http://cassiopaea.org/cass/lederman.htm [ corrected link from above: Friday, October 12, 2001, "Some Got Warning: Don't Go Downtown on Sept. 11: Feds say Mid-Easterners knew of the coming danger" http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-10-12/News_and_Views/City_Beat/a-128273.asp ]
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More on 911 Air Defense "A number of serious questions remain unresolved concerning the abberations in air defense that occurred in the 40 minutes prior to the Pentagon attack." ... http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106248&group=webcast
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"The Pearl Harbor Lie and September 11" By Adrian More "The author argues convincingly that President Bush may have known in advance of the planned September-11 attacks but may have allowed them to happen, and why. " http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106671&group=webcast
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"TIMELINE SURROUNDING SEPTEMBER 11TH - IF CIA AND THE GOVERNMENT WEREN'T INVOLVED IN THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS WHAT WERE THEY DOING? - Bin Laden Met with the CIA in July and Walked Away" By Michael C. Ruppert, 11/27/01 http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=105933&group=webcast
marco's Guide to the INDY-WIRE! "...some stories I find worth noting this week." Dec. 12th http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=104821&group=webcast
piet's picks and prods medley post (indymedia selections with comments, 12/12) http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=104444
interesting selection of articles: http://geocities.com/westerfanclub/
Red Rock Eaters newsservice collection [NOTE: includes section about Enron, also internet privacy issues. ]: http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=106680&group=webcast
--------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Much speculation re that OBL videotape: ------------
"More Puzzling Evidence - The Missing Osama Tape" by Clark Kent, Daily Planet, December 9 2001 ..."Why does the Administration keep raising the "conspiracy" issue? It's barely on the U.S. mainstream media's radar screen. Is there some other reason the White House is so sensitive to these conspiracy theories? " ..."How did special forces going through these residences know which tape(s) would be significant"... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102968&group=webcast
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"FLASHBACK! 2 MONTHS AGO, THE BIG STORY WAS BIN LADEN'S 'DOUBLES'" 12/9 ..."So what happened to the bin Laden doubles? Could it be that one was captured and (shall we say) 'induced' to produce the tape?" http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103078&group=webcast
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..."Actually on Yahoo propaganda news, the U$ Administration is planning to release the video clip of Bin Ladin. Just watch this clip to be the same as the previous clip with translation totally overshadowing the original Arabic sound, and that it will be only a "clip" and not the whole video."... ..."In this article just posted on the main indymedia site, the author, apparently a Muslim, attempts to refute the contents of an article that appeared in the Washington Post describing another 'Bin Laden I did it' tape, this one a grainy poor quality thing, where Bin Laden supposedly describes how he just planned to blast the top floors off the building and was surprised when it collapsed and so on...The author claims tries to refute the tape by pointing out that it contains 'unislamic' statements... " http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103430&group=webcast
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"EDITING & REVISING FAKE OSAMA FILM ALMOST OVER; RELEASE ON WEDNESDAY" 12/10/01 "The fake Osama film that rather curiously says exactly everything that the Bush regime wants it to say is undergoing final touch-ups to make its appearance more realistic prior to its scheduled Wednesday release. Bush: 'Tape will show bin Laden is guilty' ..."1) If this tape is legitimate, and it's the first strong evidence we have, shouldn't we have waited to whoop ass until we had it? Otherwise, we'd be whooping ass on a hunch, right? Of course, the gov't says they have other "proof" which of course is probably a lie."
"Closing Down Debate: Ashcroft's Attack on Dissent", By Bryan Keefer "In his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday, Attorney General John Ashcroft argued that critics of the Bush administration's domestic anti-terrorism measures "only aid terrorists." The next day, Justice Department spokeswoman Mindy Tucker told journalists that they had mischaracterized Ashcroft's statements and, in doing so, "became a part of the exact problem he was describing." http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20011210.html
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"Ashcroft: My Critics Are Traitors!", by Matthew Rothschild ...For the nation's leading law enforcement officer to equate criticism of his own actions with treason is thoroughly reprehensible and undemocratic to the core. And it shows a man who is drunk with his own power.... http://www.progressive.org/webex/wx1208a01.html
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"Ashcroft and Liberty" by Washington Post/IHT, 12/8 ..."It is the attorney general's function, or should be, to ensure that a lively debate over policy is protected - even during wartime. Mr. Ashcroft instead challenges the patriotism of those who dissent."... http://www.iht.com/articles/41255.html
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"Julian Bond compares Ashcroft's politics to that of the Taliban" by Detroit Free Press, 12//7/01 ..."Ashcroft knows something about the Taliban, coming from as he does from that wing of American politics," Bond said. "Even before Sept. 11, he had moved the department to the far right, making it headquarters for the Federalist Society."... "Way to go Julian Bond!" by Freedom Fighters, Fri Dec 7 '01 "Wonderful to see people waking up from the zombie state the tv and corrupt politicians are trying to put them in. Unity!" http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102167&group=webcast
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) WAR ------------
"Democratic Cooperation Is the World's Only Hope", by Francis Crick, Nadine Gordimer, José Saramago and Others Los Angeles Times Syndicate International/IHT, 12/11 ..."The most profound danger to world peace in the coming years will stem not from the irrational acts of states or individuals but from the legitimate demands of the world's dispossessed." http://www.iht.com/articles/41437.html
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"Vision for 2020," published by the U.S. Space Command, a division of the Department of Defense: ..."Although unlikely to be challenged by a global peer competitor, the United States will continue to be challenged regionally. The globalization of the world economy will continue, with a widening between 'haves' and 'have-nots'... ..."Increased weapons lethality and precision will lead to new operational doctrine"... http://www.spacecom.af.mil/usspace/jvis-p6.jpg whole document can be seen at http://www.spacecom.af.mil/usspace/visionbk.htm or http://www.spacecom.af.mil/usspace/visbook.pdf
A good article about this document: ..."the pamphlet "Vision for 2020," in which the purpose of the Ballistic Missile Defense programs that have been pursued in different versions by the last three administrations are laid out with surprising honesty: "U.S. Space Command -- dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect U.S. interests and investment." ... http://www.indepen.com/2001/Aug09.01/profit.html
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"Afghanistan - testing ground for Rumsfeld's new war" by The Observer, 12/10/01 ..."If he [bin laden] is martyred - as seems inevitable - others will almost certainly rise to fill his shoes. And behind them will stand yet more. ..."Last week the US issued its third terror warning of the war. Fresh attacks could be on the way, warned Tom Ridge, the US's Director of Homeland Security, as he put police forces on the highest state of alert. His words spoke volumes for al-Qaeda's global reach and the impossibility of predicting its actions. 'The quantity and level of threats are above the norm. The threats we are picking up are very general. The sources are all around the world,' he said. "In attacking the Taliban the US has not come to close to dealing al-Qaeda a mortal blow."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103087&group=webcast
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"Afghan Father of 11 who loses legs to US bombs becomes Taliban supporter " ... "At a time when the world community, especially the US-led coalition, is celebrating the outcome of the Bonn summit, the people of Afghanistan already shattered by 23 years of war and civil strife, continue to suffer. "One can hardly see the plane or hear it come. It is only when the bombs explode you realize the attack has taken place," said Ghundi Gul, 40, who lost both of his legs during a US air attack in the Ghani Khel area, near Jalalabad. ..." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102160&group=webcast http://www.mwaw.org/article.php?sid=598&mode=thread&order=0
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"Warlords bring new terrors" by Paul Harris in Chaman "It is a hidden war that the world has ignored. But the chaos, rape, murder and pillaging that have swept southern Afghanistan are writ large on the faces of the fortunate few who escape. ..."Just over 60 miles away from the refugee camps at Chaman, the US flag flies over the Marines' captured airstrip. But the attention of those forces is firmly focused on hunting bin Laden. The ravages going on around them are ignored. Among the refugees fleeing the anarchy, the US has few friends. 'If the Americans had brought peace, that would have been a good thing. But instead they have just brought us war and looting and the men of Gul Agha,' " http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103555&group=webcast
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"Hundreds massacred, hospitals, mosques destroyed" by paknews.com ..."This horrible report further disclose that more than 5000 Afghanis were killed in the markets and civilian areas while hundreds of houses and buildings were ruined in this wild bombardment by the allied forces warplanes."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103124&group=webcast
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Prof. Marc Herold - at least 3,500 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103200&group=webcast Interview on Democracy Now! http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/exile/dn20011210.html
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Flashpoints Radio: Tuesday, Dec 4, 2001 "the direct civilian death toll in Afghanistan already exceeding the casualties of 9-11.. now w Mr. Tariq Ali of Verso Press, native of Pakistan.. Mr. Ali: a crude war of revenge.. prisoners massacred.. civilians killed.. a village destroyed.. now snow starting to fall, the refugee situation getting worse.. time to stop the bombing.. repercussions will be with us for some time.. Tariq Ali interview begins at minute 5: http://www.flashpoints.net/realaudio/fp20011204.ram
Flashpoints Radio: Monday, Dec 10, 2001 replay of last weeks interview with Prof. Marc Herold: interview begins at minute 41: http://www.flashpoints.net/realaudio/fp20011210.ram
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"The credibility gap: Pentagon lies and civilian deaths in Afghanistan" by David Corn, WorkingForChange, 12.10.01 "My fantasy of the week: Donald Rumsfeld meets a young Afghan boy named Noor Muhammad. ...[Rumsfeld] "suggested that claims of civilian casualties were only coming from Taliban scumbags. Of course, you can't believe them." ... http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemId=12475
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"US Forces Suspension of Germ War Pact, EU Angry" By Richard Waddington, Reuters, 12/7/01 "GENEVA - The United States forced a germ warfare conference to break up on Friday without new measures to toughen an international ban, angering its European allies. "...``It is a direct provocation to everybody. Their (the U.S.) position is completely unacceptable,'' another senior diplomat from a European state said. "European diplomats said it reinforced a view that the administration of President Bush, which has already spurned a number of global accords, including on climate change, preferred to go it alone in international affairs." http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20011207/wl/arms_biological_dc_5.html
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"America’s Brave New World" By Martin Kilian [This article originally published in the Swiss weekly Weltwoche 48/01 is translated from the German on the World Wide Web, http://www.weltwoche.de.] American contradictions: many bridges and streets are in a pitiful condition. The label “public” seems to automatically mean inferior. On the other hand, the best-equipped armed forces of the world is a “public” high tech troop whose striking force and range is unrivalled. The “war against terrorism”, a long-term project that according to President Bush could occupy the United States for years at the same time veils where America suffers. The war serves as a convenient pretext for repressing many things needing reform and repair and for trivializing debates that could infuse new vitality into American democracy. http://indybay.org/2001/12/111598.php
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"American military policy is adding up to one thing: World War III" by Geov Parrish ..."What do these three completely separate items add up to? The jihad being waged by groups like Al-Qaeda -- one that has been joined by countless scores of thousands more Muslims since the bombing of Afghanistan began -- is a global resistance against the American (and Western) empire. It is a resistance against cultural, economic, and military domination, by people who not only don't like it, but are willing to die, and to avenge the deaths of not just weeks' but centuries' worth of comrades and ancestors, to bring that empire down. And the United States (and the West) have responded in the same fashion to this far deadlier threat that they have to the nonviolent one posed by ordinary, red-blooded U.S. citizens who use placards and marches to oppose those policies of the empire -- by belittling it and trying to stamp it out with muscle; legal niceties be damned."... http://indybay.org/2001/12/111705.php
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"Repressive regime destined to end in oblivion", By Robert Fisk, 12/8 ..."We chose, naturally enough, to ignore the Wahabi obscurantists in Saudi Arabia whose rules were almost as vicious and equally insensitive to the outside world. Our allies in Saudi can cloak their women in black, prevent them from driving and chop off heads outside mosques in front of baying crowds every Friday. And they got away with it; scarcely a whimper from the West."...
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"British journalist Robert Fisk beaten by refugees in Afghanistan" by The Times of India "Those refugees probably had no idea they were beating one of the strongest voices against the war in Afghanistan. What irony. Had Fisk been killed it would have been a terrible loss. " http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102409&group=webcast more at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1699000/1699708.stm http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/111701.php
"My beating by refugees is a symbol of the hatred and fury of this filthy war: Report by Robert Fisk in Kila Abdullah after Afghan border ordeal" 12-10-01 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=109257
Robert Fisk interview with Amy Goodman 12/11 --his estimate of innocent Afghan dead: up to 5,000 --the people who beat him had seen videos of the Afghan prisoners with hands tied behind back, to be executed, etc. --Rumsfeld "does not know" that Amnesty International is calling for an inquiry into the Mazar-i-Sharif massacre of prisoners Listen to the interview at: http://www.democracynow.org
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"Our best point the way" by GlobeAndMail.com "On the 100th anniversary of the Nobel prize, 100 Nobel laureates warn that our security hangs on environmental and social reform .."It is time to turn our backs on the unilateral search for security, in which we seek to shelter behind walls. Instead, we must persist in the quest for united action to counter both global warming and a weaponized world." [copy and paste this long, cut-up URL into a browser] http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HT MLTemplate?tf=tgam/common/FullStory.html&cf=tgam/common/Full Story.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&date =20011207&dateOffset=&hub=comment&title=Comment&cache_key =comment¤t_row=2&start_row=2&num_rows=1 http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102186&group=webcast
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"Hampshire College Condemns War in All-Community Vote -Believed to be the First School in the Nation to Do So", 12/6/01 http://www.commondreams.org/news2001/1206-15.htm
------------------------------------------------------------ 4) ABOUT THOSE CONSPIRACY NUTS ---------------
Some rants: "Every time I find more evidence or another story I wonder if people can not see the truth or simply choose to ignore it. ... Then there are the fairy tales involving disappearing black boxes and asbestos passports, ... ..."the government is doing everything it can to MAKE SURE that MORE 9-11's happen. They may round up hundreds or thousands of potential terrorists. But they don't really care about stopping or preventing terror. If they did, they would behave very differently. That should be obvious to all. " http://indybay.org/2001/12/111756.php
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"1,000 Turn Out In Oregon to Hear Mike Ruppert Expose Government Complicity in the WTC, Pentagon Attacks" by copvcia ..."Starting with an offer of $1,000 to anyone who could show that any of the sources he cited were not authentic or misrepresented, Ruppert launched into an display of more than 40 visual exhibits showing government complicity in and foreknowledge of the attacks. "... http://indybay.org/2001/12/111763.php
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?US Gulag? "Pacific islands fear prisoner influx: Secretive US unloads heavy equipment on remote Tinian" by Patrick Barkham in Sydney, The Guardian 12/8/01 "Speculation that the US will go ahead with plans to hold suspected terrorists and prisoners of war on remote Pacific islands intensified yesterday when US forces began delivering heavy equipment to the Northern Marianas. "Naval officers on nearby Guam said the delivery to the island of Tinian would last 10 days. "That's very unusual," Mark Pangelinan of the Northern Marianas' emergency management office, told the Saipan Tribune. "We need to inform the public what's going on." "...Several politicians on the Northern Marianas and Guam oppose the use of their islands as military prisons because they believe it will damage the economy and the predominantly Japanese tourist trade." ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,615362,00.html
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"Egyptian President Mubarak warned Bush of 9/11 Attacks", by Lloyd Hart, 12/7 "If this statement is true the worst fears of the left could be true. Did Bush and his cronies leave town to get out of the way of the attacks?" http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102155&group=webcast
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Ashcroft stayed off commercial airplanes pre 9/11: ..."In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term" (July 26, '01) http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103613&group=webcast
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"Bush's Slip...Opinions Please" by Confused Skeptic, 12/10 ..."It is important to get to the bottom of this conspiracy which is holding far more water than the government line. ...There is too much by government being put under the wraps, and when they start doing that, you know they have plenty to hide. People should start questioning their government officials without mercy before they start transforming the country into a dictatorship." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103616&group=webcast http://www.bushwatch.net/bushlies.htm
"WHAT'S NEXT, DISSOLVE CONGRESS? The Decline of Civil Liberties in the United States" by Jennifer Bauduy ..."Many people were shocked a few years ago when Lori Berenson, an American accused by Peru's government of having links to leftist rebels, was tried by a hooded military court. Berenson has maintained her innocence. Few in the United States considered that Berenson received a fair trial, how would America's secret military trials be different? "Having been through the most extreme deprivation of all rights of due process in Peru's military tribunals in our daughter Lori's case, we're very concerned about military trials for non-military personnel," Berenson's parents, Rhoda and Mark said. http://www.tompaine.com/history/2001/12/05/index.html
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"A Durham student activist gets a visit from the Secret Service: Threat or dissent? A.J. Brown and her anti-Bush poster", by Jon Elliston ...""Ma'am, we've gotten a report that you have anti-American material," the male agent said, according to Brown. Could they come in to have a look around? "... http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/111193.php
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"Special Report: George Bush's America" page by the Guardian containing links to many stories http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/0,7368,417857,00.html
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"What Americans Can Learn from Afghans", by Ted Rall ..."There are few orphanages in Afghanistan; there's no need for them. "Someone just takes them in," Jovid replied when I asked him what happens to most orphans. ..."After years of reading about a country rigidly divided between a Tajik north and a Pashtun south, ... I was astonished to discover an altogether different reality. Uzbeks, Daris and Pashtuns not only tolerate one another, they almost all speak each other's languages and partake of various elements of their cultures. ... ..."To be offered a meal in a home here means that you'll be treated to a spread worthy of Thanksgiving dinner by people who can scarcely afford the minimum caloric intake to get them through the day. ... ..."my hosts insisted that a car and armed driver be found to take me. ...It was only days later that I inadvertently discovered that they had paid $50 -- more than a year's salary -- for that car. http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12012
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"Yvonne Ridley makes astonishing claim in book about her days of captivity", by Jo Dillon, 12/10 "Yvonne Ridley, the British journalist captured by the Taliban, this week makes the extraordinary claim that Western intelligence agencies tried to get her killed to bolster public support for the air strikes on Afghanistan."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103411&group=webcast
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"For those who doubt US oil interests in this war" by The Dawn http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103203&group=webcast
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"ACTION ALERT: SUPPORT INDIGENOUS RIGHTS IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO" Send a letter to the Mexican President, Secretary of State, and numerous Consulates around the world (nearly 100 recipients) by visiting the following Web page: http://www.progressiveportal.org/letters/global/chiapas/
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"UCSF Invades Jail to Intimidate AIDS Activists into Poor health and Silence" by Todd Swindell, ACT UP-SF URGENT JAIL COMMUNIQUE: December 8, 2001 "...The two AIDS activists were incarcerated on November 28, 2001, and charged with dozens of felony and misdemeanor offenses including stalking, criminal threats, conspiracy, and harassment for "sounding the alarms" over state and federal legislation that will more easily enable public health officials to quarantine AIDS patients." http://indybay.org/2001/12/111664.php http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/111747.php
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"The Lie Detector That Scans Your Brain" By CLIVE THOMPSON, NY Times "by 2005, brain mappers will be able to automatically scan the skulls of everyone going through airports to search for potential hijackers." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=103330&group=webcast http://www.memes.org/print.php?sid=256
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Bush Watch (Ashcroft Watch) http://www.bushwatch.net/bushlies.htm
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BEST OF Indymedia.org - marco's collection: http://free.freespeech.org/kokopeli/bestofindynewswire.html
"What is Happening to the America I Love?" by Rose Moss "A lifetime ago, I emigrated to America, became a citizen... "At Thanksgiving dinner, a lawyer argued that secret trials might be necessary. ...The Thanksgiving lawyer warned that next year I'll be in prison for my views. " http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1202-02.htm
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Three sections below [please go to the related link for the complete story] (and if you want to stop getting these collections of news, please let me know):
[-- ?Thousands being held? --] "Everybody's Got Their Own Terrorist" by Al Martin ...Some of the "detainees" have been arrested locally by the local nickel and dime police guys. They keep getting lists of names of people that are "wanted" ...from the Department of Justice. In other words, they keep getting classified cables with seemingly endless lists of names. He said there are thousands of names. "The sheriff's department isn't obligated to go out and grab them - only if they notice them in their jurisdiction. ... "...they have received notification as late as last week that indicated that as soon as "things settle down" and certain remaining pieces of legislation are passed and incorporated into the USA Patriot Act that the locals will be paid to go out and get the people. ... "... And what nationality are these "detainees"? Perhaps aliens with green cards, or maybe people who wear turbans? Not at all, the former FBI agent admitted that ... there are thousands and thousands of people who are being secretly detained in the United States. There are an awful lot of names on this list that are not Arabs... like "Smith" and "Jones" and "Johnson" and "Nelson." And there's no paper trail. Their names are being kept off computers. Even their families don't know where they are. ..." http://www.almartinraw.com/column42.html
[Website as a whole is worth investigating, too:] " AL MARTIN is America's foremost whistleblower on government fraud and corruption. A retired US Navy Lt. Commander and former officer in the Office of Naval Intelligence, he has testified before Congress (the Kerry Committee and the Alexander Committee) regarding Iran-Contra. ... He lives at an undisclosed location, since the criminals named in his book have been returned to national power and prominence. " http://www.almartinraw.com
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"Ashcroft Says Critics of U.S. Justice Tactics 'Aid Terrorists'", by Dan Eggen Washington Post Service Friday, December 7, 2001 "Aschroft's 'veiled' threats to those who criticize him." http://maine.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=878
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"Now Who Will Defend The Rule of Law?", by Flora Lewis Friday, December 7, 2001 ..."Americans are coming to notice that the Bush administration's decrees for military tribunals to punish alien terrorists can impose grave violations of the U.S. Constitution..." http://maine.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=879
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Bush's Popularity Fails to Aid His Domestic Goals ..."Democrats obey Mr. Bush on matters related to the war but ignore his 90 percent popularity ratings when it comes to other matters. ..." http://maine.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=880
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"UK won't accept it's version of Patriot Bill from the US" by The Guardian, 12/7 "Labour ministers angrily accused unelected Tory and Liberal Democrat peers of wrecking and disembowelling their emergency anti-terrorism bill after inflicting a string of heavy defeats on the government. Unprecedented cooperation between Liberal Democrat and Conservative peers, including Lady Thatcher, defeated the government five times in one session, the largest number imposed by peers since 1997 and sets the stage for a potentially major constitutional clash over the Lords' right to act as a revising chamber. ... ... Lady Williams [said]: "All we are doing is removing those parts of the bill that are disproportionate, threaten civil liberties and go beyond the fight against terrorism". ...Baroness Buscombe, the Tory peer, called the bill draconian and insisted it "must not be used as a convenient vehicle and excuse for legitimising fishing expeditions". ... ..."We should also bear in mind that links with terrorism may only be established once a criminal investigation is well under way."... http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=101798&group=webcast http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,614840,00.html
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"Talkin’ About the F-Word" by Bernard Weiner, 12/5/01
"First, they came for the terrorists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a terrorist. Then they came for the foreigners, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a foreigner. Then they came for the Arab-Americans, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t Arab-American. Then they came for the radical dissenters, and I didn’t speak up because I was just an ordinary troubled citizen. They they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me. (adapted from Pastor Niemoller’s 1945 quote about the Nazis*)
"I’ve been steering clear of the F-word, because too many on the Left fling that term so carelessly that it soon loses its truth-punch. But things are happening, so quickly, in this country that are taking us closer to a brand of near-fascism that is frightening in its seeming acceptance by the American populace and in its implications for the future of American democracy. ... " http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1205-06.htm
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'Helicopter assault' startles East St. Louis", By Jon Dougherty "Special Forces urban warfare drill unannounced to public... "Nine helicopters were involved in the training. "Scared" locals reportedly saw the aircraft "hovering and darting around homes and buildings." " [See also "Related Stories" at bottom of article.] http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25581
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Assorted Civil Liberty Links (stories on liberties, bioterror), from Matt Gaylor http://sf.indymedia.org/2001/12/111567.php
------------------------------------------------------- WAR ------------------------------
"Message from a mother in mourning: Terminate America" by Tasgola Karla Bruner in Quetta, Pakistan 12/8/01 ..."They're bombing anything that moves," she said. "It's not true that they bomb civilians by accident. They're targeting the innocent people instead of Osama bin Laden." http://www.smh.com.au/news/0112/08/world/world7.html
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"CIA Caught on Film with Possible Pre-Knowledge of Prison Slaughter", by Lloyd Hart 12/7 ..."1. The prisoner was in a kneeling position with arms tied behind his back. He wasn't free to attack his interrogator. 2. There was at least one NA guard with an assault rifle present who would have prevented such an attack 3. The interrogation took place in the open, not in a large room with other prisoners lined up waiting their turn. 4. The interrogator clearly says "You will die here." 5. The interrogator could not have been "overpowered" by the prisoner in these circumstances. ... http://indybay.org/display.php?id=111611
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Richard Lloyd Parry Dec. 7 report from Tora Bora " ...when the mujahedin soldiers got within sight of caves in the valley yesterday morning, ... they saw bicycles, children's bicycles – with children riding them. "...To be honest with you, I haven't seen the bodies of any Arabs." http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=108801
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The Cost of War: Operation "Enduring Freedom's" Price Tag "The cost of the war in Afghanistan. Operation "Enduring Freedom" is likely to cost $500 million to $1 billion a month, says the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). " ...Here's a sample of what costs what: -Four hours of flying a Navy FA-18 fighter bomber: $20,000 -One Tomahawk cruise missile: $600-$1 million. At least 50 were launched in our initial assault against Afghanistan. -One GBU-37 bunker-busting bomb: $231,000 -One JDAM bomb: $25,600 -A Pave Low helicopter of the kind lost in Afghanistan: $40 million -A Black Hawk helicopter of the kind lost in Pakistan: $11 million " http://www.lipmagazine.org/
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"Stopping the Perpetual War", by Nessie "...If torture, internment, racial profiling, and the brutal punishment of innocent bystanders were a viable defense against terrorism, Israel would be the safest place on the planet. This is most definitely not the case. If Israel is ever to have peace, it must be surrounded, not by victims, but by friends and allies. ..." http://www.antiwar.com/orig/nessie1.html
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"Bush administration hypocritical on terror groups; CNN remains silent" By Christopher Reilly, 12/5/01 http://yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=32&mode=thread&order=0
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"The Wall Street Journal and The Workers Vanguard Agree: Both Capitalists and Communists Conclude Afghanistan Better Off Under Soviets Than Northern Alliance" by Tom Turnipseed, 12/5/01 http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1205-07.htm
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Listen to KPFA online: http://secure.transbay.net/kpfa/forms/0_aud.htm check here for program guide: http://www.kpfa.org/1pg_grid.htm
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CITIZEN LOBBYING KIT: some good ideas from the Conservative Caucus http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=100561&group=webcast
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"Leaders Exploit Victims to Continue Violence" by Ryan Amundson 7:22am Wed Dec 5 '01 "It is assumed that those most personally affected by the Sept. 11 attacks take comfort in whatever actions our political leaders deem necessary. Questioning these actions is taken as a sign of anti-Americanism, or at best, insensitivity to those who are suffering the loss of friends or family members. "This assumption is not true. My family is proof. Craig Scott Amundson, my brother, died inside the Pentagon on that dark day. We take no comfort in revenge. In fact, the prospect of more killing in the name of justice is horrifying. Peace will bring comfort. Only justice will bring peace. ..." http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=100565&group=webcast
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Real Video: "Following the tragic terrorist attack in New York, Indymedia takes an indepth look at public reaction in the New York area. " Gives an insightful look at the reaction of New Yorkers to the effects of experiencing such violence firsthand. Their flags mean Peace. http://freespeech.org/ramfiles/911_nycimc.ram
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Nazi/CIA marriage, the history: http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=100757&group=webcast
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"Bush said he saw the 1st plane hit the WTC" -12/7/01 article Is this a "smoking gun"? or just GW Idiocy? http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=102038&group=webcast http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=101805&group=webcast
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'Fast Track Passage Won't Defeat the "Seattle Coalition"' by Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh "... Last week the IMF made the surprise announcement that it now supports an idea promoted for years by progressives to create an international bankruptcy mechanism for developing countries facing debt crises." http://www.ips-dc.org/projects/global_econ/fast_track_passage.htm
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Real Audio: 75% of gulf war vets have transmitted the "Gulf War disease" they have to their families. Also interesting interview about why vaccines are now contaminated with monkey viruses, and the origins of AIDs and other strange new diseases. (Interviews with Joyce Riley and Len Horowitz, from Food Not Bombs Radio) http://www.freespeech.org/ramfiles/gulfwardisease.ram