Gloria Arroyo's grip on the Philippine presidency appeared tenuous last night after more than 100 marines openly defied her rule by rallying around commanders wanting to withdraw from the chain of command.
The crack troops, backed by several thousand opposition and civil society figures who flocked to their Manila base, ended the mini-rebellion after five hours and agreed to respect their superiors.
But the wider turmoil, which began last June when Ms Arroyo was accused of rigging the 2004 presidential election, is thought to be far from over. The government said yesterday that dozens of people still faced arrest over an alleged attempted coup last Friday and that the state of emergency announced the same day remains in force.
Late last night hundreds of students opposed to Ms Arroyo began to gather at the University of the Philippines (UP) and the civilian leaders who had supported the marines, including former president and pro-democracy icon Corazon Aquino, were considering whether to join them.
The above, noted by James in Brighton, is from John Aglionby's "Marines' rebellion loosens Arroyo's grip on power" (The Guardian of London). I'm not seeing it in this report but a report on Pacifica radio this evening (from the Phillipines) noted that Arroyo had shut down the schools for Monday and it was thought that was an attempt to curb/quash dissent. It's Sunday and we've got an entry focused on Iraq but there are too many things going on elsewhere to not note them. (But expect nothing at all in the entries tomorrow morning. I'm exhausted now and I'll be more so tomorrow morning.)
To answer a question Polly had, that others may have as well, why "Pacifica" as opposed to the actual Pacifica station? Members who listen to a Pacifica station or affilliate are very happy with their stations and they should be. If I mention a station by name it will be seen as my endorsing that station over others. Also, since Polly's in England and may not know, Pacifica isn't like the BBC Radio (stations) in that they carry the same programs. They all carry Democracy Now! but other than that they vary. I'm sure that the report from the Phillipines was carried on many stations and to avoid any member thinking I'm saying "___ is better than ____!" -- it's just easier to say "I heard on Pacifica . . ."
Polly noted Tom Coghlan 's "Three blocks of Afghan prison seized by inmates after violent protests" (The Telegraph of London):
Hundreds of captured Taliban and suspected al-Qa'eda fighters ran riot in Afghanistan's most notorious prison yesterday as inmates seized control of its three blocks during an eruption of violence.
The Islamists, who were said last night to be holding an American prisoner hostage, were among an estimated 1,500 prisoners at Kabul's vast Pul-e-Charki jail whose revolt was triggered on Saturday night by new rules to impose a prison uniform on inmates.
In her e-mail on this, Polly notes that in England they've heard for around a year that British troops would be pulling out of Iraq . . . to go to Afghanistan.
In other news, Ian notes "US urged to return Egyptian mask" (BBC News):
Egypt has asked an art museum in the US to return a 3,000-year-old funerary mask it claims disappeared from the capital's Egyptian Museum decades ago.
The piece, known as the mask of Ka Nefer Nefer, is said to date back to the 19th Dynasty, 1307-1196BC.
Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said the mask was discovered in 1952 in the pyramid at Saqqara, near Cairo.
It is thought to have been smuggled abroad before being bought by Missouri's St Louis Art Museum in 1998.
"The mask is in a very well preserved condition and it features the bust of a young lady called Ka Nefer Nefer," said Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass.
"It has a combination of glass inlaid eyes, a face covered with gold and a wig."
On the issue of the ports proposal in the United States, Sam notes David Stocker's "Snow Job" (CounterPunch):
Not trumpeted on the government's website is the fact that [John] Snow (current Secretary of the US Treasury) is now the head of a little known government committee that privately approves foreign business transactions. When CSX, was bought out one year ago this week by Dubai Ports World for $1.4 billion, Snow cashed in on his stock options. DPW, the very same U.A.E. state owned company that is now with help from Snow, closing the loop for packages moving from the slums of Dubai to your own home.
My point is this, with a nuclear bomb the size of a laptop we are already unsafe. If somebody wanted that to happen, it would. The extreme efforts and enormous expense to protect our homeland have proven utterly ineffective. This DPW deal under a microscope is yet another example of the theft of our government by a small cadre of wealthy people with a very narrow agenda. It is an effort by Bush to pay back his Arab handlers while he still can. This should put the light to their faux democracy-mongering throughout the world. It should lay open the huge homeland security budget as largely a sham and history's greatest boon to cronyism, with the sole intent of distracting Americans from seeing that the policies and actions of our own government are the greatest danger to the safety of the people of the world today.
The Sultans of spin in the White House and the Emirates of Arabia should read the words of Mohammed. "Be charitable. Allah tolerates trade, but loveth not usury. Guard against the time when you shall be brought before your sins. Be saved from avarice."
For many reasons and on many levels, Bush's February 24 statement to the national press, rings true. "This deal would not go forward if we were concerned about the safety of America." They are not.
By the way, someone sent the transcript to a Fox "News" show that Joe Biden appeared on Sunday morning. We aren't linking. (I don't think we were being asked to link.) My thoughts on it? Biden was worthless. I don't care whether he delivered his talking points "strongly" or "weakly," he was worthless. Why? He said he was happy with a 45 day review. That's all he wants. Biden, who shared that he was told at a recent meet and greet that he was too "centrist" for a voter to support -- true, would have a tag sale on everything. All he wants is a 45 day review. While others either want the deal stopped or to go forward, Biden emerges to say, basically, 'I'm happy just as long as we have a reivew.' In the same interview, he listed things that some company controlling the ports would have access to (security items). If, after making that list, all he wants is a "review" he's worthless on this issue.
On the issue of Ireland that was noted this morning, Olive steers us to the AFP's "Irish protesters clash in Dublin march" (via Australia's ABC):
Irish riot police have clashed in running battles with Republican protesters who forced Protestant unionists from Northern Ireland to call off a march through central Dublin.
A police spokesman said the march had never got going as the republican protesters clashed with police in O'Connell Street, the city's main thoroughfare.
The spokesman said 14 people had been injured -- six members of the force and eight civilians.
Three cars had been set on fire in Nassau Street close to the Leinster House parliament building and police said rampaging protesters had broken shop windows and some shops had been looted.
Police said 40 people have been arrested.
On the same topic, Dominick notes Paul O'Brien's "Enemies of the state" (The Irish Examiner):
INTELLIGENCE failures may have resulted in the gardaí being ill-prepared for Saturday's riots in Dublin. This led to at least 14 people being injured and an estimated €10 million being lost by city centre businesses forced to close in the face of the frightening violence.
Senior officers in charge of the policing operation for the Love Ulster parade were oblivious to the violent nature of the demonstration that appeared to have been well planned by extremist republicans.
"The intelligence that was available to us from different sources, including the PSNI, was that no high-grade protesting was going to take place," Assistant Garda Commissioner Al McHugh said yesterday.
Opposition TDs have called on Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy to explain the flaws in intelligence that may have contributed to the policing difficulties.
Dominick also notes "Iran agrees nuclear deal with Russia" (Irish Examiner, Breaking News):
Iran and Russia have agreed in principle to establish a joint uranium enrichment venture, a breakthrough in talks on a US-backed Kremlin proposal aimed at easing concerns that Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons.But further negotiations on the details lay ahead, and it was not known whether Iran would give up enrichment entirely at home, a top demand of the West.
The deal -- announced by the two countries' top nuclear chiefs yesterday -- could deflect any move by the United Nations nuclear watchdog at a March 6 meeting to recommend that the UN Security Council consider action on Iran.
Olive notes "Mexican mine manager says trapped miners dead" (AFP via Australia's ABC):
Sixty-five Mexican miners trapped in a mine six days ago are dead, the mine manager has told their family members.
Mine manager Ruben Escudero "informed us that all the miners are dead -- there is nothing that can be done," said Juan Hernandez, the nephew of one of the trapped men.
Rescuers late on Friday halted their search for miners, citing safety concerns.
Gareth provides news of the stumbling Bully Boy via Arifa Akbar's "Police reveal how Bush can't wave and pedal at same time" (The Independent of London):
The police report describes him as a "falling object" who lost control of his bicycle after trying to pedal and wave at the same time.
So ends the mystery of how President George Bush collided with a police officer while cycling at Gleneagles on the first day of the G8 summit last year.
Security was tight at the Perthshire resort on 6 July, amid fears that anti-globalisation protesters would try to storm the hotel where the leaders of the world's richest countries had gathered. Mr Bush was cycling in the grounds when he waved and shouted to a group of Strathclyde police officers: "Thanks, you guys, for coming." This triggered a serious case of wobbles and he ended up injuring a constable.
The police report, obtained by Scotland on Sunday, gives a blow by blow account of the lead-up to the accident. It reads: "[The unit] was requested to cover the road junction on the Auchterarder to Braco Road as the President of the USA, George Bush, was cycling through.
"At about 1800 hours the President approached the junction at speed on the bicycle. The road was damp at the time. As the President passed the junction at speed he raised his left arm from the handlebars to wave to the police officers present while shouting 'thanks, you guys, for coming'.
"As he did this he lost control of the cycle, falling to the ground, causing both himself and his bicycle to strike [the officer] on the lower legs. [The officer] fell to the ground, striking his head."
And as always, we close with a highlight from Pru, "Belfast post victory is a symbol of what unity achieves" (Great Britain's The Socialist Worker, and Pru says to read the note near the end):
An 18-day unofficial strike by Belfast postal workers ended in victory. Two Belfast CWU union members told Socialist Worker how the battle was won.
Royal Mail totally capitulated to our central demands. We achieved a complete climbdown. We went out on strike against bullying and harassment and won our key objective of an independent review of employee relations and industrial relations in Belfast.
Royal Mail guaranteed that there would be no interference in the process or the outcome. We also won a pledge of no victimisations against the workers involved in the dispute.
Royal Mail insisted from the start that there would be no negotiation over an independent review until we went back to work. But they couldn’t break us, and they had to concede.
Our strike held up seven million items of mail. That showed our strength. But we couldn't have won without the support of our colleagues, our communities and our families.
And we wouldn't have won without forging an incredible unity between Catholic and Protestant. In 20 years time people might not remember the details of the dispute, but they will remember that unity.
There were three key moments in the strike. The first was when we walked out. The first office out was a mainly Protestant one, the second was a mainly Catholic one. That marked us as together from the beginning.
The second key moment was the march up the Protestant Shankill and down the Catholic Falls Road. There's been nothing like that for over 70 years. The march came a week into the strike when some people were beginning to feel a bit low. It was electrifying, our spirits went through the roof.
We'll never forget marching through areas where we had never set foot before. All the working people on the streets backed us. They wanted some of what we were doing, fighting for decency and justice for working people.
Suddenly it wasn't just a battle for postal workers' rights, it was a symbol of something more important as well. It is this that has sustained us in the most difficult moments.
It was why we felt untouchable when there were calls to give up and go back to work from the media and management and from some who should have known better in the union movement.
The third key moment was the demonstration in Belfast last week. It felt like the cavalry had arrived!
Slandered
There were postal workers from England, Scotland and Wales who came over and brought their support and money. There were men and women who had brought thousands of pounds from their workmates. We then knew we were not alone and would not starve.
The more managers slandered us and attacked us the more determined we felt. They said we were covering-up for sectarian thugs -- a lie. They said it was based on sinister motives -- a lie. They said it was all set up by a bunch of "renegade CWU reps"-- a lie. They sent men in the night to harass reps and threaten them with personal damages for the dispute -- a filthy piece of harassment.
We do not forget these assaults. Overcoming them makes our victory sweeter. It is union members who have fought bullying, not the managers who claim to be so "sensitive".
Our strike was kept going by democracy and openness. Members always knew the truth about what was going on, and there were regular meetings where everyone could have their say.
The CWU repudiated the strike because of the anti-union laws. But rank and file members supported us from the start.
Our branch members were magnificent, and so were others much further away.
We remember one cold day that we got a call from a postal worker in Wales saying he backed us all the way. Suddenly the warmth of our CWU family was round us.
The leaflets from the rank and file paper Postworker that went round certainly had an effect in raising support, and so did the attendance of some of our members at the national CWU forum in Newcastle.
The 100-strong Postworker meeting and then the whole gathering heard our case the next day. We also thank certain people in the CWU leadership who played a very important role in getting justice for us.
Our 18 days that shook Royal Mail have set down a marker for the future. Touch one of us and this is what you can expect.
Stop press
As Socialist Worker went to press, news came through that Royal Mail management were attempting to renege on the deal agreed at the end of the strike.
Belfast will need the full support of every worker if the deal is not fully implemented.
Thank you
"Thanks very much to all Socialist Worker readers for your support during our dispute. It was much appreciated, especially Eamonn McCann whom we are going to name our games room after."
Gabe McAuley, Belfast postal worker
© Copyright Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original and leave this notice in place.
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The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
phillipines
afghanistan
ireland
mexico
the socialist worker
Sunday, February 26, 2006
NYT: "A Growing Afghan Prison Rivals Bleak Guantanamo"
While an international debate rages over the future of the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the military has quietly expanded another, less-visible prison in Afghanistan, where it now holds some 500 terror suspects in more primitive conditions, indefinitely and without charges.
Pentagon officials have often described the detention site at Bagram, a cavernous former machine shop on an American air base 40 miles north of Kabul, as a screening center. They said most of the detainees were Afghans who might eventually be released under an amnesty program or transferred to an Afghan prison that is to be built with American aid.
But some of the detainees have already been held at Bagram for as long as two or three years. And unlike those at Guantanamo, they have no access to lawyers, no right to hear the allegations against them and only rudimentary reviews of their status as "enemy combatants," military officials said.
The above is from Tim Golden and Eric Schmitt's "A Growing Afghan Prison Rivals Bleak Guantanamo" in this morning's New York Times. It's there big story for the day in terms of length and topic. It's sadly the only thing most will be interested. (For those who like to bet, Adam Nagourney does his usual bit of reducing politics to a horse race. Wouldn't it be wonderful if reporters grasped that they are not political experts? As trained journalists, they might be able to offer insight in terms of a candidate but they really aren't experts on who will win, who may win or who could win. They fail repeatedly, year after year, in this role but they keep deluding themselves that they're opinions -- and it is opinion and not fact -- really is wanted. If Nagounrey and the Times want to handicap, perhaps they should do so on the op-ed pages and not present predictions as news?) A story credited to "The New York Times" (that's the byline) addresses violence in Ireland re: a parade. Dominick and I have exchanged e-mails this morning on the topic. We're not sure whether it's a good thing that this go round they're reporting on it. Are they reporting on it because they realize it is news? (And was the last time they took a pass.) Or are they reporting on it because they're tagging the non-Protestants as violent? (That wasn't a case that could be made in the coverage they failed to provide.) Who knows? But they have one thing in the news section(s?) worth reading this morning. Maybe it's a sign that this will be a better week for the paper? Again, who knows?
So that's the Times. Let's go to The Independent of London (which Gareth e-mailed the heads up on). From Raymond Whitaker's "Iraqis tortured by government death squads:"
Hundreds of Iraqis are being tortured to death or summarily executed each month by death squads attached to the Interior Ministry in Baghdad, the UN's former human rights chief in Iraq has told The Independent on Sunday.
More from Andrew Buncombe and Patrick Cockburn's "Iraq's death squads: On the brink of civil war:"
John Pace, who left Baghdad two weeks ago, told The Independent on Sunday that up to three-quarters of the corpses stacked in the city's mortuary show evidence of gunshot wounds to the head or injuries caused by drill-bits or burning cigarettes. Much of the killing, he said, was carried out by Shia Muslim groups under the control of the Ministry of the Interior.
Much of the statistical information provided to Mr Pace and his team comes from the Baghdad Medico-Legal Institute, which is located next to the city's mortuary. He said figures show that last July the morgue alone received 1,100 bodies, about 900 of which bore evidence of torture or summary execution. The pattern prevailed throughout the year until December, when the number dropped to 780 bodies, about 400 of which had gunshot or torture wounds.
"It's being done by anyone who wishes to wipe out anybody else for various reasons," said Mr Pace, who worked for the UN for more than 40 years in countries ranging from Liberia to Chile. "But the bulk are attributed to the agents of the Ministry of the Interior."
Coupled with the suicide bombings and attacks on Shia holy places carried out by Sunnis, some of whom are followers of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qa'ida's leader in Iraq, the activities of the death squads are pushing Iraq ever closer to a sectarian civil war.
Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was "acting as a rogue element within the government". It is controlled by the main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, is a former leader of Sciri's Badr Brigade militia, which is one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another is the Mehdi Army of the young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning the mid-December election.
Zach notes Robert Parry's "Bush, Rats & a Sinking Ship" (Consortium News):
In just this past week, conservative legend William F. Buckley Jr. and neoconservative icon Francis Fukuyama have joined the swelling ranks of Americans judging George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq a disaster.
"One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed," Buckley wrote at National Review Online on Feb. 24, adding that the challenge now facing Bush and his top advisers is how to cope with the reality of that failure.
"Within their own counsels, different plans have to be made," Buckley wrote after a week of bloody sectarian violence in Iraq. "And the kernel here is the acknowledgement of defeat."
Fukuyama, a leading neoconservative theorist, went further citing not just the disaster in Iraq but the catastrophe enveloping Bush's broader strategy of preemptive military American interventions, waged unilaterally when necessary.
"The so-called Bush Doctrine that set the framework for the administration's first term is now in shambles," Fukuyama wrote Feb. 19 in The New York Times Magazine.
"Successful preemption depends on the ability to predict the future accurately and on good intelligence, which was not forthcoming, while America's perceived unilateralism has isolated it as never before," Fukuyama wrote.
While those Americans who always opposed the Iraq War may see this unseemly scramble of Bush's former allies as a classic case of rats deserting a sinking ship, the loss of these two prominent thinkers of the Right mark a turning point in the political battle over the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
If Bush can't hold William F. Buckley Jr. -- and if even the ranks of the neocons are starting to crack -- Bush may soon be confronted with a hard choice of either acknowledging his errors or tightening his authoritarian control of the United States.
Please note, we don't provide traffic to the right. Parry has a link to Buckley's piece so if you're interested in reading Buckley's words (if so, you may be the first to be interested in decades) when you use the link to Parry's article, you'll find the link to Buckley's. Though he's lost Buckley and Francis, Bully Boy will always have the crowd at The New Republican. Which is a way to work in a plug for a feature to be posted soon (I'm laughing at "soon") at The Third Estate Sunday Review. Two features are completed. It will be a long morning. Long. But things will go up there. Here?
Forget Isaiah's latest. Why? Did he do it? Yes, he did. Is he being censored? Never. So why won't it go up. Ask Blogger/Blogspot. E-mail posts won't hit the site and each post currently needs "word verification." (Which is to say that a code must be typed in before a non-emailed post goes up.) They were contacted and supposedly we'd be reviewed quickly to determine that this isn't a "spam" blog. (If this were a mechanical blog, I think my own spelling would be much better.) Until they "review," no e-mail posts. Today, that means no Isaiah. If it's not fixed by tomorrow?
Apparently the e-mailed listing of stations broadcasting Democracy Now! alarmed someone or something and prompted the "word verification." That's the apparent concern which only indicates that Blogger/Blogspot is focused on the wrong things and needs to take a look at some real issues. Will we go elsewhere? (Jim's convinced I'm about to pull the site from Blogger/Blogspot and he may be right.) I don't know. I've said about all that I can say without breaking into nonstop profanity. (Rebecca offered to let me post my thoughts on the current "problem" with Blogger/Blogspot at her site where she doesn't have a work-safe-environment policy in place.)
If and when "teacher" completes their review, Isaiah will go up. It will probably be in the evening (especially if the "review" requires multiple days.) Jim said, "Don't you dare type 'My apologies . . .'" and I won't. This is nothing to do with Isaiah and nothing to do with me.
On e-mails, I didn't realize that when I was sick, so many of you were holding off on e-mails. Thank you for that. There were a little over 7,000 e-mails when I went into the members account this morning. I thought, "Wow, we're going to have some tough choices for the outside the US mainstream media entries tonight." Then I saw that most e-mails were just people checking in. No one ever has to hold off weighing in on an issue or e-mailing in any form. But since so many include a note along the lines of "since you were sick, I was waiting . . ." I'll say thank you because it was nice of everyone to hold off. (But you don't have to do that.)
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com. And remember to listen to RadioNation with Laura Flanders later today.
the new york times
tim golden
eric schmitt
the independent of london
patrick cockburn
andrew buncombe
raymond whitaker
robert parry
the third estate sunday review
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
Pentagon officials have often described the detention site at Bagram, a cavernous former machine shop on an American air base 40 miles north of Kabul, as a screening center. They said most of the detainees were Afghans who might eventually be released under an amnesty program or transferred to an Afghan prison that is to be built with American aid.
But some of the detainees have already been held at Bagram for as long as two or three years. And unlike those at Guantanamo, they have no access to lawyers, no right to hear the allegations against them and only rudimentary reviews of their status as "enemy combatants," military officials said.
The above is from Tim Golden and Eric Schmitt's "A Growing Afghan Prison Rivals Bleak Guantanamo" in this morning's New York Times. It's there big story for the day in terms of length and topic. It's sadly the only thing most will be interested. (For those who like to bet, Adam Nagourney does his usual bit of reducing politics to a horse race. Wouldn't it be wonderful if reporters grasped that they are not political experts? As trained journalists, they might be able to offer insight in terms of a candidate but they really aren't experts on who will win, who may win or who could win. They fail repeatedly, year after year, in this role but they keep deluding themselves that they're opinions -- and it is opinion and not fact -- really is wanted. If Nagounrey and the Times want to handicap, perhaps they should do so on the op-ed pages and not present predictions as news?) A story credited to "The New York Times" (that's the byline) addresses violence in Ireland re: a parade. Dominick and I have exchanged e-mails this morning on the topic. We're not sure whether it's a good thing that this go round they're reporting on it. Are they reporting on it because they realize it is news? (And was the last time they took a pass.) Or are they reporting on it because they're tagging the non-Protestants as violent? (That wasn't a case that could be made in the coverage they failed to provide.) Who knows? But they have one thing in the news section(s?) worth reading this morning. Maybe it's a sign that this will be a better week for the paper? Again, who knows?
So that's the Times. Let's go to The Independent of London (which Gareth e-mailed the heads up on). From Raymond Whitaker's "Iraqis tortured by government death squads:"
Hundreds of Iraqis are being tortured to death or summarily executed each month by death squads attached to the Interior Ministry in Baghdad, the UN's former human rights chief in Iraq has told The Independent on Sunday.
More from Andrew Buncombe and Patrick Cockburn's "Iraq's death squads: On the brink of civil war:"
John Pace, who left Baghdad two weeks ago, told The Independent on Sunday that up to three-quarters of the corpses stacked in the city's mortuary show evidence of gunshot wounds to the head or injuries caused by drill-bits or burning cigarettes. Much of the killing, he said, was carried out by Shia Muslim groups under the control of the Ministry of the Interior.
Much of the statistical information provided to Mr Pace and his team comes from the Baghdad Medico-Legal Institute, which is located next to the city's mortuary. He said figures show that last July the morgue alone received 1,100 bodies, about 900 of which bore evidence of torture or summary execution. The pattern prevailed throughout the year until December, when the number dropped to 780 bodies, about 400 of which had gunshot or torture wounds.
"It's being done by anyone who wishes to wipe out anybody else for various reasons," said Mr Pace, who worked for the UN for more than 40 years in countries ranging from Liberia to Chile. "But the bulk are attributed to the agents of the Ministry of the Interior."
Coupled with the suicide bombings and attacks on Shia holy places carried out by Sunnis, some of whom are followers of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qa'ida's leader in Iraq, the activities of the death squads are pushing Iraq ever closer to a sectarian civil war.
Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was "acting as a rogue element within the government". It is controlled by the main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, is a former leader of Sciri's Badr Brigade militia, which is one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another is the Mehdi Army of the young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning the mid-December election.
Zach notes Robert Parry's "Bush, Rats & a Sinking Ship" (Consortium News):
In just this past week, conservative legend William F. Buckley Jr. and neoconservative icon Francis Fukuyama have joined the swelling ranks of Americans judging George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq a disaster.
"One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed," Buckley wrote at National Review Online on Feb. 24, adding that the challenge now facing Bush and his top advisers is how to cope with the reality of that failure.
"Within their own counsels, different plans have to be made," Buckley wrote after a week of bloody sectarian violence in Iraq. "And the kernel here is the acknowledgement of defeat."
Fukuyama, a leading neoconservative theorist, went further citing not just the disaster in Iraq but the catastrophe enveloping Bush's broader strategy of preemptive military American interventions, waged unilaterally when necessary.
"The so-called Bush Doctrine that set the framework for the administration's first term is now in shambles," Fukuyama wrote Feb. 19 in The New York Times Magazine.
"Successful preemption depends on the ability to predict the future accurately and on good intelligence, which was not forthcoming, while America's perceived unilateralism has isolated it as never before," Fukuyama wrote.
While those Americans who always opposed the Iraq War may see this unseemly scramble of Bush's former allies as a classic case of rats deserting a sinking ship, the loss of these two prominent thinkers of the Right mark a turning point in the political battle over the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
If Bush can't hold William F. Buckley Jr. -- and if even the ranks of the neocons are starting to crack -- Bush may soon be confronted with a hard choice of either acknowledging his errors or tightening his authoritarian control of the United States.
Please note, we don't provide traffic to the right. Parry has a link to Buckley's piece so if you're interested in reading Buckley's words (if so, you may be the first to be interested in decades) when you use the link to Parry's article, you'll find the link to Buckley's. Though he's lost Buckley and Francis, Bully Boy will always have the crowd at The New Republican. Which is a way to work in a plug for a feature to be posted soon (I'm laughing at "soon") at The Third Estate Sunday Review. Two features are completed. It will be a long morning. Long. But things will go up there. Here?
Forget Isaiah's latest. Why? Did he do it? Yes, he did. Is he being censored? Never. So why won't it go up. Ask Blogger/Blogspot. E-mail posts won't hit the site and each post currently needs "word verification." (Which is to say that a code must be typed in before a non-emailed post goes up.) They were contacted and supposedly we'd be reviewed quickly to determine that this isn't a "spam" blog. (If this were a mechanical blog, I think my own spelling would be much better.) Until they "review," no e-mail posts. Today, that means no Isaiah. If it's not fixed by tomorrow?
Apparently the e-mailed listing of stations broadcasting Democracy Now! alarmed someone or something and prompted the "word verification." That's the apparent concern which only indicates that Blogger/Blogspot is focused on the wrong things and needs to take a look at some real issues. Will we go elsewhere? (Jim's convinced I'm about to pull the site from Blogger/Blogspot and he may be right.) I don't know. I've said about all that I can say without breaking into nonstop profanity. (Rebecca offered to let me post my thoughts on the current "problem" with Blogger/Blogspot at her site where she doesn't have a work-safe-environment policy in place.)
If and when "teacher" completes their review, Isaiah will go up. It will probably be in the evening (especially if the "review" requires multiple days.) Jim said, "Don't you dare type 'My apologies . . .'" and I won't. This is nothing to do with Isaiah and nothing to do with me.
On e-mails, I didn't realize that when I was sick, so many of you were holding off on e-mails. Thank you for that. There were a little over 7,000 e-mails when I went into the members account this morning. I thought, "Wow, we're going to have some tough choices for the outside the US mainstream media entries tonight." Then I saw that most e-mails were just people checking in. No one ever has to hold off weighing in on an issue or e-mailing in any form. But since so many include a note along the lines of "since you were sick, I was waiting . . ." I'll say thank you because it was nice of everyone to hold off. (But you don't have to do that.)
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com. And remember to listen to RadioNation with Laura Flanders later today.
the new york times
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patrick cockburn
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Coalición de iglesias estadounidenses acusan a Washington de "infundir terror"
Maria: Buenos dias. De parte de "Democracy Now!" ocho cosas que vale hacer notar este fin de semana. Paz.
Coalición de iglesias estadounidenses acusan a Washington de "infundir terror"
Una coalición de iglesias estadounidenses denunció severamente a la guerra de Estados Unidos en Irak y acusó a Washington de "infundir terror". Los 34 miembros estadounidenses del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias realizaron una declaración que decía: "Lamentamos profundamente la guerra en Irak, lanzada bajo engaño y en violación a las normas internacionales de justicia y de derechos humanos". La declaración fue emitida en Porto Alegre, Brasil, que es la sede del mayor encuentro de iglesias católicas en casi una década. La iglesia episcopal, la iglesia presbiteriana, y la iglesia metodista unida fueron algunas de las iglesias estadounidenses que apoyaron la declaración.
Principal abogado de la armada alertó sobre políticas de detenidos del gobierno
La revista "New Yorker" reveló que dos años antes de que se publicaran por primera vez fotos de Abu Ghraib, el asesor general de la armada, Alberto Mora, comenzó a criticar lo que describió como "la política desastrosa e ilícita del gobierno de autorizar la crueldad hacia sospechosos de terrorismo". Mora advirtió a sus superiores del Pentágono acerca de las consecuencias de la decisión que tomó en 2002 el presidente Bush de burlar las convenciones de Ginebra. Según argumentó, la negativa de prohibir la crueldad hacia detenidos en custodia de Estados Unidos era una invitación implícita al maltrato. Mora cuestionó también el marco legal construido por el gobierno de Bush para justificar una expansión del Poder Ejecutivo, en temas que van desde interrogatorios a la escucha de conversaciones telefónicas. Calificó a las nuevas teorías legales que le otorgan al presidente el derecho a autorizar el abuso de "ilícitas, peligrosas y erróneas".
140 personas mueren en Irak tras bombardeo a santuario chiita
Irak está en estado de alerta máxima de seguridad luego de varios días de violencia provocada por el bombardeo a uno de los santuarios chiitas más sagrados del país en Samarra, el miércoles. Al menos 140 personas murieron en todo el país, la mayoría eran árabes sunitas. La Asociación de Académicos Musulmanes dirigida por sunitas, dijo que 184 mezquitas sunitas fueron dañadas o destruidas desde entonces. Diez clérigos murieron y otros 15 fueron secuestrados.
El gobierno impuso hoy un toque de queda inusual durante el día en Bagdad y en otras tres provincias, impidiendo que varias personas asistan a las plegarias del viernes.
Se han llevado a cabo una serie de manifestaciones conjuntas de sunitas y chiitas para llamar a la unidad nacional y condenar la creciente violencia. Diez mil personas manifestaron sólo en Basora. Pero varios analistas temen que Irak este al borde de la guerra civil.
Las Fuerzas Armadas estadounidenses están ordenando a sus soldados que permanezcan en sus cuarteles en Bagdad y que no salgan a la calle. Siete soldados estadounidenses murieron el jueves.
Mientras tanto, los funcionarios del canal de televisión satelital Al Arabiya están de luto tras la muerte de uno de sus más conocidos corresponsales en Irak. Atwar Bahjat, de 30 años de edad, fue asesinada el jueves junto con su camarógrafo y su sonidista.
Marina realiza estudio secreto sobre minorías étnicas de Irán
El "Financial Times" informa que un ala de inteligencia de la Marina contrató a un contratista privado de defensa para llevar a cabo un estudio secreto sobre las minorías étnicas de Irán. Esta medida podría indicar las etapas primarias de planes de contingencia para un ataque terrestre a Irán. La Marina llevó a cabo un estudio similar en Irak. Un ex oficial de inteligencia dijo que el propósito fundamental del ala de inteligencia de la Marina era "apoyar operaciones militares terrestres efectivas con el Cuerpo de Marina". El estudio aparentemente se centra en si Irán sería propenso a una fragmentación violenta siguiendo los mismos lineamientos que están dividiendo a Irak. El "Financial Times" informa que varios iraníes que viven en Estados Unidos se negaron a ayudar en el estudio porque lo consideran parte de un intento de dividir a Irán. Para llevar a cabo el análisis, las Fuerzas Armadas contrataron a una empresa subsidiaria de la contratista de defensa SAIC, Science Applications International Corp.
Estudio: Alrededor de 100 detenidos murieron bajo custodia de Estados Unidos
En otras noticias, un nuevo estudio del grupo Human Rights First descubrió que cerca de 100 prisioneros que estaban bajo custodia de Estados Unidos murieron en Irak y Afganistán en los últimos tres años y medio. Se sospecha y en algunos se confirmó, que al menos 34 de las muertes fueron homicidios. Otras 11 muertes fueron consideradas sospechosas y doce muertes fueron provocadas por torturas letales. El informe descubrió que la mayoría de las muertes resultaron impunes. Este informe surge una semana después de que se diera a conocer una nueva serie de fotografías de Abu Ghraib.
Juez ordena publicar nombres de detenidos en Guantánamo
Un juez federal ordenó al gobierno de Bush que publique los nombres de todos los prisioneros detenidos secretamente en la prisión de Bahía de Guantánamo. Hasta ahora, solo unos pocos detenidos han sido oficialmente identificados.
La orden surgió mientras el gobierno de Bush está bajo creciente presión internacional para cerrar la prisión.
Mientras tanto, documentos del FBI publicados recientemente indican que agentes del FBI advirtieron reiteradas veces a los interrogadores de las Fuerzas Armadas en Guantánamo que sus métodos agresivos eran legalmente riesgosos y que probablemente no eran efectivos.
Los documentos indican que altos funcionarios de las Fuerzas Armadas, entre los que se encontraba el Subsecretario de Defensa Paul Wolfowitz, estaban al tanto y en algunos casos aprobaron que se le colocaran capuchas a los prisioneros, que se los amenazara con violencia y que se los sometiera a tratos humillantes.
General de la OTAN: Soldados extranjeros permanecerán en Afganistán por "muchos años"
Esta noticia es sobre Afganistán. El comandante del contingente de Canadá de la fuerza de la OTAN en el país, dijo que los soldados extranjeros estarán allí por "muchos años". El Mayor General Michel Gauthier hizo estos comentarios en una entrevista publicada hoy en el periódico "The Guardian", de Londres. Está programado que el contingente que no pertenece a Estados Unidos aumente a 16.000 soldados en los próximos meses, además de los 20.000 soldados estadounidenses que actualmente están allí.
Estados Unidos impide ingreso de académico boliviano al país
En materia educativa, el gobierno estadounidense está impidiendo que un profesor boliviano ingrese al país para dictar cursos en la Universidad de Nebraska, debido a lo que denominó razones de seguridad. El profesor, Waskar Ari Chachaki, es miembro del pueblo indígena Aymara en Bolivia y es una destacada autoridad en creencias religiosas y activismo político en Bolivia. La Sociedad Histórica Estadounidense solicitó al gobierno estadounidense que reconsiderara su decisión. La presidenta electa de la agrupación Barbara Weinstein dijo que la situación es "muy preocupante". Weinstein dijo "Tendrían que darse circunstancias inimaginables para que alguien de Bolivia sea catalogado como un riesgo para la seguridad".
Un funcionario del Departamento de Estado le dijo a Chronicle of Higher Education que el gobierno tiene "información degradante" acerca de Ari, por lo cual no cumple con los requisitos para obtener la visa. Pero el gobierno no le proporcionó esa información a Ari ni a la universidad. Ari es considerado una voz moderada dentro de la comunidad Aymara y algunos de sus críticos lo acusaron de apoyar demasiado a Estados Unidos. Obtuvo su doctorado en la universidad de Georgetown. Hace dos años, se le negó la visa a otro profesor de nacionalidad extranjera, Tariq Ramadan, para que dictara clases en la Universidad de Notre Dame. Ramadan es uno de los más destacados académicos musulmanes en Europa.
Maria: Good morning. Here are eight headlines from the week via Democracy Now! Remember that Democracy Now! provides their daily headlines in both English and Spanish, so get the word out. And, as Ruth noted, Democracy Now! is celebrating it's tenth anniversary. Congratulations to Democracy Now! Peace.
Coalition of U.S. Churches Accuse Washington of "Raining Down Terror"
A coalition of American churches have sharply denounced the U.S. war in Iraq and accused Washington of "raining down terror". The 34 U.S. members of the World Council of Churches agreed to a statement reading "We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights." The statement was issued from Porto Alegre, Brazil which is hosting the largest gathering of Christian churches in nearly a decade. The Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church were among the U.S. churches backing the statement.
Navy's Top Attorney Warned Against Administration's Detainee Policies
The New Yorker magazine has revealed that two years before the Abu Ghraib photos were first published, the Navy's general counsel, Alberto Mora, began challenging what he described as the administration's "disastrous and unlawful policy of authorizing cruelty toward terror suspects." Mora warned his superiors at the Pentagon about the consequences of President Bush's decision, in 2002, to circumvent the Geneva conventions. He argued that a refusal to outlaw cruelty toward U.S.-held detainees was an implicit invitation to abuse. Mora also challenged the legal framework that the Bush Administration has constructed to justify an expansion of executive power, in matters ranging from interrogations to wiretapping. He described the novel legal theories granting the President the right to authorize abuse as "unlawful," "dangerous," and "erroneous."
140 Die in Iraq Following Bom bing at Shiite Shrine
Iraq is under a high security alert following days of violence sparked by Wednesday’s bombing of one of the country’s holiest Shiite shrines in Samarra. At least 140 people, mostly Sunni Arabs, have been killed across the country. The Sunni-led Association of Muslim Scholars has said 184 Sunni mosques have since been damaged or destroyed. 10 clerics have been killed and 15 more abducted. The government imposed a rare daytime curfew today in Baghdad and in three other provinces -- preventing many from attending Friday prayers. A series of joint Sunni-Shiite demonstrations have been held calling for national unity and to condemn the increasing violence. As many as 10,000 rallied in Basra alone. But many analysts fear Iraq is on the brink of civil war. The U.S. military is ordering its soldiers to stay in its barracks in Baghdad and to stay off the streets. On Thursday seven U.S. troops died. Meanwhile the staff of the satellite TV channel Al Arabiya is in mourning following the death of one of its best-known correspondents in Iraq. The 30-year-old Atwar Bahjat was assassinated along with her cameraman and soundman on Thursday.
Marines Conduct Secret Study Into Iran Ethnic Minorities
The Financial Times is reporting an intelligence wing of the Marines has hired a private defense contractor to conduct a secret study of Iran’s ethnic minorities. This is a move that could indicate early stages of contingency plans for a ground assault on Iran. The Marines conducted a similar study in Iraq. A former intelligence officer said the ultimate purpose of the Marines intelligence wing was to "support effective ground military operations by the Marine Corps." The study appeared to focus on whether Iran would be prone to a violent fragmentation along the same kind of fault lines that are splitting Iraq. The Financial Times reports several Iranians living in the United States refused to help with the study because they saw it as part of an effort to break up Iran. To conduct the analysis, the military hired a subsidiary of the defense contractor SAIC, the Science Applications International Corp.
Study: Nearly 100 Detainees Have Died in US Custody
In others news, a new study from the group Human Rights First has found that nearly 100 prisoners in US custody have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last three and a half years. At least 34 deaths were due to suspected or confirmed homicides. Another 11 deaths were deemed suspicious and up to twelve deaths were caused by lethal torture. The report found that most deaths went un-punished. The report comes one week after a set of new photographs were released showing prisoner abuse at the US-run Abu Ghraib.
Judge Orders Release of Names of Guantanamo Detainees
A federal judge has ordered the Bush administration to release the names of all of the detainees being secretly held at Guantanamo Bay. Up until now, only a handful of the detainees have been officially identified. The ruling comes as the Bush administration is coming under increasing international pressure to close the prison camp. Meanwhile newly released FBI memos show that FBI agents repeatedly warned military interrogators at Guantanamo that their aggressive methods were legally risky and also likely to be ineffective. The memos indicate that senior military officials, including former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, were aware of and in some cases had approved of putting hoods on prisoners, threatening them with violence and subjecting them to humiliating treatment.
NATO General: Foreign Troops To Remain in Afghanistan For "Years and Years"
This news on Afghanistan -- the head of Canada's contingent to the NATO force in the country said foreign troops will be there for "years and years." Major General Michel Gauthier made the comments in an interview published in the Guardian of London today. The non-US contingent is set to increase to 16,000 troops in the coming months, in addition to the 20,000 US troops currently there.
US Blocks Indigenous Bolivian Scholar From Entry
In education news, the U.S. government is blocking an indigenous Bolivian professor from entering the country to teach at the University of Nebraska for what it's calling security reasons. The professor, Waskar Ari Chachaki, is a member of the Aymara indigenous people in Bolivia and is a leading authority on religious beliefs and political activism in Bolivia. The American Historical Society has called on the U.S. government to reconsider. The group's president-elect Barbara Weinstein called the situation "very disturbing." Weinstein said "It would have to be unimaginable circumstances for someone from Bolivia to be classified as a security risk." A State Department official told the Chronicle of Higher Education that the government has "derogatory information" about Ari that renders him ineligible for the visa. But the government has not shared that information with Ari or the university. Ari is considered to be a moderate voice within the Aymaran community and some of his critics have accused of being too "pro-U.S." He received his doctorate from Georgetown. Two years ago, another foreign-born professor, Tariq Ramadan, one of the leading Muslim scholars in Europe, was denied a visa to teach at the University of Notre Dame.
democracy now
news
iraq
irak
noticias
the common ills
Coalición de iglesias estadounidenses acusan a Washington de "infundir terror"
Una coalición de iglesias estadounidenses denunció severamente a la guerra de Estados Unidos en Irak y acusó a Washington de "infundir terror". Los 34 miembros estadounidenses del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias realizaron una declaración que decía: "Lamentamos profundamente la guerra en Irak, lanzada bajo engaño y en violación a las normas internacionales de justicia y de derechos humanos". La declaración fue emitida en Porto Alegre, Brasil, que es la sede del mayor encuentro de iglesias católicas en casi una década. La iglesia episcopal, la iglesia presbiteriana, y la iglesia metodista unida fueron algunas de las iglesias estadounidenses que apoyaron la declaración.
Principal abogado de la armada alertó sobre políticas de detenidos del gobierno
La revista "New Yorker" reveló que dos años antes de que se publicaran por primera vez fotos de Abu Ghraib, el asesor general de la armada, Alberto Mora, comenzó a criticar lo que describió como "la política desastrosa e ilícita del gobierno de autorizar la crueldad hacia sospechosos de terrorismo". Mora advirtió a sus superiores del Pentágono acerca de las consecuencias de la decisión que tomó en 2002 el presidente Bush de burlar las convenciones de Ginebra. Según argumentó, la negativa de prohibir la crueldad hacia detenidos en custodia de Estados Unidos era una invitación implícita al maltrato. Mora cuestionó también el marco legal construido por el gobierno de Bush para justificar una expansión del Poder Ejecutivo, en temas que van desde interrogatorios a la escucha de conversaciones telefónicas. Calificó a las nuevas teorías legales que le otorgan al presidente el derecho a autorizar el abuso de "ilícitas, peligrosas y erróneas".
140 personas mueren en Irak tras bombardeo a santuario chiita
Irak está en estado de alerta máxima de seguridad luego de varios días de violencia provocada por el bombardeo a uno de los santuarios chiitas más sagrados del país en Samarra, el miércoles. Al menos 140 personas murieron en todo el país, la mayoría eran árabes sunitas. La Asociación de Académicos Musulmanes dirigida por sunitas, dijo que 184 mezquitas sunitas fueron dañadas o destruidas desde entonces. Diez clérigos murieron y otros 15 fueron secuestrados.
El gobierno impuso hoy un toque de queda inusual durante el día en Bagdad y en otras tres provincias, impidiendo que varias personas asistan a las plegarias del viernes.
Se han llevado a cabo una serie de manifestaciones conjuntas de sunitas y chiitas para llamar a la unidad nacional y condenar la creciente violencia. Diez mil personas manifestaron sólo en Basora. Pero varios analistas temen que Irak este al borde de la guerra civil.
Las Fuerzas Armadas estadounidenses están ordenando a sus soldados que permanezcan en sus cuarteles en Bagdad y que no salgan a la calle. Siete soldados estadounidenses murieron el jueves.
Mientras tanto, los funcionarios del canal de televisión satelital Al Arabiya están de luto tras la muerte de uno de sus más conocidos corresponsales en Irak. Atwar Bahjat, de 30 años de edad, fue asesinada el jueves junto con su camarógrafo y su sonidista.
Marina realiza estudio secreto sobre minorías étnicas de Irán
El "Financial Times" informa que un ala de inteligencia de la Marina contrató a un contratista privado de defensa para llevar a cabo un estudio secreto sobre las minorías étnicas de Irán. Esta medida podría indicar las etapas primarias de planes de contingencia para un ataque terrestre a Irán. La Marina llevó a cabo un estudio similar en Irak. Un ex oficial de inteligencia dijo que el propósito fundamental del ala de inteligencia de la Marina era "apoyar operaciones militares terrestres efectivas con el Cuerpo de Marina". El estudio aparentemente se centra en si Irán sería propenso a una fragmentación violenta siguiendo los mismos lineamientos que están dividiendo a Irak. El "Financial Times" informa que varios iraníes que viven en Estados Unidos se negaron a ayudar en el estudio porque lo consideran parte de un intento de dividir a Irán. Para llevar a cabo el análisis, las Fuerzas Armadas contrataron a una empresa subsidiaria de la contratista de defensa SAIC, Science Applications International Corp.
Estudio: Alrededor de 100 detenidos murieron bajo custodia de Estados Unidos
En otras noticias, un nuevo estudio del grupo Human Rights First descubrió que cerca de 100 prisioneros que estaban bajo custodia de Estados Unidos murieron en Irak y Afganistán en los últimos tres años y medio. Se sospecha y en algunos se confirmó, que al menos 34 de las muertes fueron homicidios. Otras 11 muertes fueron consideradas sospechosas y doce muertes fueron provocadas por torturas letales. El informe descubrió que la mayoría de las muertes resultaron impunes. Este informe surge una semana después de que se diera a conocer una nueva serie de fotografías de Abu Ghraib.
Juez ordena publicar nombres de detenidos en Guantánamo
Un juez federal ordenó al gobierno de Bush que publique los nombres de todos los prisioneros detenidos secretamente en la prisión de Bahía de Guantánamo. Hasta ahora, solo unos pocos detenidos han sido oficialmente identificados.
La orden surgió mientras el gobierno de Bush está bajo creciente presión internacional para cerrar la prisión.
Mientras tanto, documentos del FBI publicados recientemente indican que agentes del FBI advirtieron reiteradas veces a los interrogadores de las Fuerzas Armadas en Guantánamo que sus métodos agresivos eran legalmente riesgosos y que probablemente no eran efectivos.
Los documentos indican que altos funcionarios de las Fuerzas Armadas, entre los que se encontraba el Subsecretario de Defensa Paul Wolfowitz, estaban al tanto y en algunos casos aprobaron que se le colocaran capuchas a los prisioneros, que se los amenazara con violencia y que se los sometiera a tratos humillantes.
General de la OTAN: Soldados extranjeros permanecerán en Afganistán por "muchos años"
Esta noticia es sobre Afganistán. El comandante del contingente de Canadá de la fuerza de la OTAN en el país, dijo que los soldados extranjeros estarán allí por "muchos años". El Mayor General Michel Gauthier hizo estos comentarios en una entrevista publicada hoy en el periódico "The Guardian", de Londres. Está programado que el contingente que no pertenece a Estados Unidos aumente a 16.000 soldados en los próximos meses, además de los 20.000 soldados estadounidenses que actualmente están allí.
Estados Unidos impide ingreso de académico boliviano al país
En materia educativa, el gobierno estadounidense está impidiendo que un profesor boliviano ingrese al país para dictar cursos en la Universidad de Nebraska, debido a lo que denominó razones de seguridad. El profesor, Waskar Ari Chachaki, es miembro del pueblo indígena Aymara en Bolivia y es una destacada autoridad en creencias religiosas y activismo político en Bolivia. La Sociedad Histórica Estadounidense solicitó al gobierno estadounidense que reconsiderara su decisión. La presidenta electa de la agrupación Barbara Weinstein dijo que la situación es "muy preocupante". Weinstein dijo "Tendrían que darse circunstancias inimaginables para que alguien de Bolivia sea catalogado como un riesgo para la seguridad".
Un funcionario del Departamento de Estado le dijo a Chronicle of Higher Education que el gobierno tiene "información degradante" acerca de Ari, por lo cual no cumple con los requisitos para obtener la visa. Pero el gobierno no le proporcionó esa información a Ari ni a la universidad. Ari es considerado una voz moderada dentro de la comunidad Aymara y algunos de sus críticos lo acusaron de apoyar demasiado a Estados Unidos. Obtuvo su doctorado en la universidad de Georgetown. Hace dos años, se le negó la visa a otro profesor de nacionalidad extranjera, Tariq Ramadan, para que dictara clases en la Universidad de Notre Dame. Ramadan es uno de los más destacados académicos musulmanes en Europa.
Maria: Good morning. Here are eight headlines from the week via Democracy Now! Remember that Democracy Now! provides their daily headlines in both English and Spanish, so get the word out. And, as Ruth noted, Democracy Now! is celebrating it's tenth anniversary. Congratulations to Democracy Now! Peace.
Coalition of U.S. Churches Accuse Washington of "Raining Down Terror"
A coalition of American churches have sharply denounced the U.S. war in Iraq and accused Washington of "raining down terror". The 34 U.S. members of the World Council of Churches agreed to a statement reading "We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights." The statement was issued from Porto Alegre, Brazil which is hosting the largest gathering of Christian churches in nearly a decade. The Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church were among the U.S. churches backing the statement.
Navy's Top Attorney Warned Against Administration's Detainee Policies
The New Yorker magazine has revealed that two years before the Abu Ghraib photos were first published, the Navy's general counsel, Alberto Mora, began challenging what he described as the administration's "disastrous and unlawful policy of authorizing cruelty toward terror suspects." Mora warned his superiors at the Pentagon about the consequences of President Bush's decision, in 2002, to circumvent the Geneva conventions. He argued that a refusal to outlaw cruelty toward U.S.-held detainees was an implicit invitation to abuse. Mora also challenged the legal framework that the Bush Administration has constructed to justify an expansion of executive power, in matters ranging from interrogations to wiretapping. He described the novel legal theories granting the President the right to authorize abuse as "unlawful," "dangerous," and "erroneous."
140 Die in Iraq Following Bom bing at Shiite Shrine
Iraq is under a high security alert following days of violence sparked by Wednesday’s bombing of one of the country’s holiest Shiite shrines in Samarra. At least 140 people, mostly Sunni Arabs, have been killed across the country. The Sunni-led Association of Muslim Scholars has said 184 Sunni mosques have since been damaged or destroyed. 10 clerics have been killed and 15 more abducted. The government imposed a rare daytime curfew today in Baghdad and in three other provinces -- preventing many from attending Friday prayers. A series of joint Sunni-Shiite demonstrations have been held calling for national unity and to condemn the increasing violence. As many as 10,000 rallied in Basra alone. But many analysts fear Iraq is on the brink of civil war. The U.S. military is ordering its soldiers to stay in its barracks in Baghdad and to stay off the streets. On Thursday seven U.S. troops died. Meanwhile the staff of the satellite TV channel Al Arabiya is in mourning following the death of one of its best-known correspondents in Iraq. The 30-year-old Atwar Bahjat was assassinated along with her cameraman and soundman on Thursday.
Marines Conduct Secret Study Into Iran Ethnic Minorities
The Financial Times is reporting an intelligence wing of the Marines has hired a private defense contractor to conduct a secret study of Iran’s ethnic minorities. This is a move that could indicate early stages of contingency plans for a ground assault on Iran. The Marines conducted a similar study in Iraq. A former intelligence officer said the ultimate purpose of the Marines intelligence wing was to "support effective ground military operations by the Marine Corps." The study appeared to focus on whether Iran would be prone to a violent fragmentation along the same kind of fault lines that are splitting Iraq. The Financial Times reports several Iranians living in the United States refused to help with the study because they saw it as part of an effort to break up Iran. To conduct the analysis, the military hired a subsidiary of the defense contractor SAIC, the Science Applications International Corp.
Study: Nearly 100 Detainees Have Died in US Custody
In others news, a new study from the group Human Rights First has found that nearly 100 prisoners in US custody have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last three and a half years. At least 34 deaths were due to suspected or confirmed homicides. Another 11 deaths were deemed suspicious and up to twelve deaths were caused by lethal torture. The report found that most deaths went un-punished. The report comes one week after a set of new photographs were released showing prisoner abuse at the US-run Abu Ghraib.
Judge Orders Release of Names of Guantanamo Detainees
A federal judge has ordered the Bush administration to release the names of all of the detainees being secretly held at Guantanamo Bay. Up until now, only a handful of the detainees have been officially identified. The ruling comes as the Bush administration is coming under increasing international pressure to close the prison camp. Meanwhile newly released FBI memos show that FBI agents repeatedly warned military interrogators at Guantanamo that their aggressive methods were legally risky and also likely to be ineffective. The memos indicate that senior military officials, including former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, were aware of and in some cases had approved of putting hoods on prisoners, threatening them with violence and subjecting them to humiliating treatment.
NATO General: Foreign Troops To Remain in Afghanistan For "Years and Years"
This news on Afghanistan -- the head of Canada's contingent to the NATO force in the country said foreign troops will be there for "years and years." Major General Michel Gauthier made the comments in an interview published in the Guardian of London today. The non-US contingent is set to increase to 16,000 troops in the coming months, in addition to the 20,000 US troops currently there.
US Blocks Indigenous Bolivian Scholar From Entry
In education news, the U.S. government is blocking an indigenous Bolivian professor from entering the country to teach at the University of Nebraska for what it's calling security reasons. The professor, Waskar Ari Chachaki, is a member of the Aymara indigenous people in Bolivia and is a leading authority on religious beliefs and political activism in Bolivia. The American Historical Society has called on the U.S. government to reconsider. The group's president-elect Barbara Weinstein called the situation "very disturbing." Weinstein said "It would have to be unimaginable circumstances for someone from Bolivia to be classified as a security risk." A State Department official told the Chronicle of Higher Education that the government has "derogatory information" about Ari that renders him ineligible for the visa. But the government has not shared that information with Ari or the university. Ari is considered to be a moderate voice within the Aymaran community and some of his critics have accused of being too "pro-U.S." He received his doctorate from Georgetown. Two years ago, another foreign-born professor, Tariq Ramadan, one of the leading Muslim scholars in Europe, was denied a visa to teach at the University of Notre Dame.
democracy now
news
iraq
irak
noticias
the common ills
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