Wednesday News Bucket

19 Comments

1. 

   CabinGirl on May 23, 2007 at 7:52 am

   ABC News

   A small group of protesters gathered near the funeral services to criticize the man who mobilized Christian evangelicals and made them a major force in American politics — often by playing on social prejudices.

   A group of students from Falwell’s Liberty University staged a counterprotest.

   And Campbell County authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several homemade bombs in his car.

   The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service.

   Now, why won’t this Christian terrorist be prosecuted under the Patriot Act?

2. 

   ask on May 23, 2007 at 8:02 am

   Amnesty report attacks anti-terror laws

   Amnesty International today accused armed groups and the British government, among others, of eroding human rights and creating an increasingly polarised world.

   In its annual report, the London-based human rights group said Britain was damaging the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary – particularly in relation to its anti-terror legislation.

   It castigated governments for their “fear-mongering and divisive policies” that undermined the rule of law and sowed the seeds for more violence and conflict.

   The secretary general of Amnesty, Irene Khan, called on governments to reject the politics of fear and invest in human rights institutions and the rule of law at the national and international level.

   Link to Amnesty and the Annual Report

3. 

   ask on May 23, 2007 at 8:08 am

   Is Simon Tisdall the new mouthpiece to float bogus stories in the UK press/the Guardian?

   He was behind this red herring in yesterday’s issue (front page story by Steven D).

   Today, this wopper:
   Bush may turn to UN in search for Iraq solution

   The Bush administration is developing plans to “internationalise” the Iraq crisis, including an expanded role for the United Nations, as a way of reducing overall US responsibility for Iraq’s future and limiting domestic political fallout from the war as the 2008 election season approaches.

   The move comes amid rising concern in Washington that President George Bush’s controversial Baghdad security surge, led by the US commander, General David Petraeus, is not working and that Iran is winning the clandestine battle for control of Iraq.

   Seems to me to be a fake story to buy more time.

   • 

     Steven D on May 23, 2007 at 8:14 am

     Tisdall must be the new Judy Miller across the pond.

     • 

       ask on May 23, 2007 at 8:17 am

       He must be exposed before he can do more damage.

   • 

     Steven D on May 23, 2007 at 8:16 am

     I should add that there’s no chance the UN will come to George Bush’s rescue on Iraq, nor much chance that he would ask them to, so this seems like more disinformation to me.  The question is, who are Tisdall’s sources in the Bush administration?

4. 

   CabinGirl on May 23, 2007 at 8:16 am

   puts the kibosh on the whole point of yesterday’s Guardian article (see Steven’s front page item from yesterday), doesn’t it? ABC

   The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

   The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions.

   • 

     Steven D on May 23, 2007 at 8:17 am

     I’m sure yesterday’s story was part of that covert op — the psy-op part.

     • 

       ask on May 23, 2007 at 8:19 am

       Can you wrap it all up in a post?

       • 

         Steven D on May 23, 2007 at 8:33 am

         I think the Blotter does a nice job of that:

         President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions.

         You just connect the dots.  Yesterday’s story in the Guardian, a “liberal” UK paper that Iran is now the secret mastermind behind the war on terror. The ongoing campaigns to arm and fund terrorists for actions inside Iran among its minority populations.  The secret deal with the Saudis to help Sunni extremist groups aligned with Al Qaeda in Lebanon and elsewhere which Seymour Hersh reported upon. It’s all of a pattern to put pressure on Iran and its allies (Hezbollah, e.g.) to spark more violence which can then be blamed on Iran.

         It also plays into the hands of the hardliners in Iran’s ruling elites, which is probably the intention.  Because if we keep putting the pressure on Iran, the hardliners consoilidate their position, and make resolving the issue of Iran’s nuclear program through diplomacy that less likely.  And if Iran pushes its nuclear development cycle faster (which they do appear to be doing in response to all this activity by Bush), Bush can claim diplomacy has failed and he must act to protect America’s national security interests by taking it out.

         This is all part of what I said elsewhere in this thread — it’s the “poke the cornered animal with a stick strategy until it bites out at you” approach to bringing on the war Bush and the neocons have always wanted.

         • 

           ask on May 23, 2007 at 4:12 pm

           And then there is this:
           U.S. warships in Gulf for training

           ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CNN) — In one of the largest, most visible war games America has staged in the Persian Gulf since the start of the Iraq war, two U.S. aircraft carriers and seven other warships cruised near the Iranian coast Wednesday.

           The admiral leading the fleet through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel in international waters off Iran’s coast and a major artery for global oil shipments, said he hoped Iran did not get the wrong idea about America’s intentions.

           “I hope they don’t get a message — a wrong message — and we certainly don’t want any miscalculation on anybody’s part on what we are doing,” Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn told CNN’s Caroline Faraj on Tuesday.

           The Navy’s show of force is meant to “set the conditions for stability and security in the region and to keep the sea links of communications open for the free flow of commerce,” Quinn said.

   • 

     Steven D on May 23, 2007 at 8:20 am

     This is also what one would do to try to make your enemy attack you militarily so you can justify a war you’ve been planning all along.  It’s like poking a cornered animal with a stick until it lashes out so you can then shoot it claiming it was rabid and attacked you so you had no choice.

     • 

       idredit on May 23, 2007 at 9:46 am

       US foreign policy approach is really bush league.

       All these fake articles. Bogus or not, it’s a telling run-up to “talks with Iran. ”
       Take heart.

       They’re still plotting the Neo-Cons.

       Neo-Cons To Plot Iran Strategy Amid Caribbean Luxury

       The meeting takes place May 30 to June 1.

       The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a neo-conservative group created two days after the 9/11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, is holding what it calls “a policy workshop” during Congress’ Memorial Day recess, no doubt to plot strategy for moving U.S. policy toward Iran in a direction compatible with its confrontational views.

       The workshop, entitled “Confronting The Iranian Threat: The Way Forward,” is to include “30 or so leading experts who will analyze the implications of Iran’s activities, the diplomatic challenges, military and intelligence capabilities, the spread of its ideology within and beyond its borders, and other issues, including the prospects for democratization in the Islamic world, energy security and other related issues that face policymakers in the United States, Europe and the Middle East,” according to the invitation letter from FDD’s president, Clifford May. The purpose will be “exploring policy options …and consider solutions to one of the most significant policy issues of our day.”

       Among those experts who have been invited are several serving and former senior administration officials, including one of the diminishing number of neo-cons left in the Bush administration, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky; the hard-line Iran country director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and Office of Special Plans (OSP) alumna, Ladan Archin; the recently-departed State Department Coordinator of Counterterrorism,[.]

       go read the rest of it

       • 

         BooMan on May 23, 2007 at 10:04 am

         Has the makings of a great James Bond movie, IMO.  Bond has to stop the crazed American war mongers from successfully hatching a plot to start a suicidal war, plus stop the Iranians form successfully penetrating the conference, or otherwise learning Clifford May’s sinister plan.

         • 

           idredit on May 23, 2007 at 7:24 pm

           No joke.  Steve Clemons posted on this piece late afternoon, (4:34 PM)

           He wrote

           “Perhaps they’all get burned CDs of McCain singing , Bomb, Bomb, Bomb — Bomb Bomb Iran.Take a look at the reported list of attendees — but be sure to distinguish between invited and confirmed. I don’t believe that US Ambassador to the UN Zal Khalilzad would dare attend this meeting.

           Forget the token liberal at the party? Where is the token realist?

           Stay tuned for a short expose on one of Vice President Cheney’s staff who is actively engaged in trying to trigger a hot war with Iran. “

5. 

   dada on May 23, 2007 at 12:00 pm

   news for photogs…and a wonderful look at some very high quality work by amateurs from the world over.

   Smithsonian Magizines 4th Annual Photo Contest winners have been announced:

   
   clik image to view Grand Prize Winner

   for the individual category winners and to view all 50 finalists visit 4th ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

   kudos and my sincere appreciation goes out to all these photographers, winners or not, there are some very fine things to be seen…highly recommended

   lTMF’sA

   

   • 

     chocolate ink on May 23, 2007 at 1:34 pm

     Wow! Amazing pictures-all of them.  I would have hated to be one of the judges, how to pick just one seems almost impossible.

   • 

     CabinGirl on May 23, 2007 at 2:40 pm

     These are amazing.  Thanks dada!

6. 

   idredit on May 23, 2007 at 2:33 pm

   Wolfowitz hits a losing stretch. (via Thinkprogress)

   First he departs the Pentagon for Rehab at the World Bank, next he loses his job as World Bank president, now his girfriend. They’ve split up writes the NYPost.  

   Riza was reportedly “upset by all the publicity and the implication that she was getting ahead with the help of a powerful man.”

   File under Embarrassment.