Latest News & Analysis July 2004

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JULY 31

The End Game: Why Terri Schiavo must die
" What is the motive behind the restaurateur-turned-physical therapist-turned-nurse who passionately pursues his wife’s death? Many wonder. Could Michael Schiavo be a pawn, a pawn in a much larger game being played for much higher stakes?

"Enter one George Felos (foreground, right, with Michael Schiavo), a kind of weird, yoga practicing guru lawyer, who is fixated on helping people die. Felos, a board member of Hospice, has visions of dollars, ideation that features book signings and movie rights once Terri is dead. Not to mention all the fame and fortune that will accrue to the man who finally overturns the law that protects the handicapped, the elderly, and the terminally ill’s opportunity to live until they die – by natural means. "

BACKGROUND
Schiavo lawyer: New Age mystic
"Instead of a lawyerly estate, his home looks like hippie villa USA, complete with crimson couch, bright green carpeting and a living room wall painted neon blue, reported the St. Petersburg Times. When he's not stirring up theta waves or practicing yoga, he invites friends over to chant 'I am that I am … I am that I am …' while he bangs out a tune on his harmonium."

Collusion: Michael Schaivo's lawyer, George J. Felos
"Man 'finds' Wife unconscious. Man keeps Wife unconscious. Man gets malpractice money for Wife. Man wants Wife's money. Man wants Wife dead so Man can have money. Man gets Lawyer. Lawyer is/was Hospice Board Member. Lawyer promises Man that Wife will die at the Hospice..."

Terri's website More news on the fight for Terri and other disabled people.

Frenchmen say Guantanamo detention was like Hell
"Two Frenchmen described as hell Friday their more than two years of detention in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, their lawyer said after meeting them for the first time. Mourad Benchellali and Nizar Sassi had concerns 'about the interrogation techniques and medical experiments' at Guantanamo, Jacques Debray said outside the headquarters of the DST domestic intelligence service where the two men were being questioned."

UK MPs: National ID card plan 'badly thought out'
VIDEO TEXT
"The first ID cards carrying biometric data, such as fingerprints and iris scans, will appear in 2007 and the Home Office wants them made compulsory by 2013. The official committee report says ID cards can make a significant contribution to fighting crime and coordinating access to public services. "

Joseph Sobran: The Amendment Strategy
"A state court — in Massachusetts, of course — has declared that the Fourteenth Amendment requires the legislature to certify homosexual unions as marriages. Equal protection of the laws, you know. Time for conservatives to swing into action! As usual in such cases, they chose the worst possible strategy. Amending the Constitution is cumbersome. It requires a consensus that in this matter no longer exists. And trying to get a super majority behind a controversial cause is about the least efficient use of political resources one can imagine, when getting a mere majority is hard enough. "

JULY 30

Challenging Bush, Kerry accepts nomination
VIDEO TEXT
"Challenging President Bush by declaring that 'strength is more than tough words,' Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry plunged into the general election campaign aimed at convincing millions of undecided voters that his time in Vietnam makes him the right commander in a time of war."

"For his part, the president, trailing slightly in polls, told battleground state voters that when it comes to choosing a president, 'results matter.'"

John Kerry's medals? The grand poseur
"When Kerry came back to the states, he wasted no time in trashing the very men who were still fighting in the jungle, risking life and limb to make sure it was only the enemy fighter that was killed. Not so for John Kerry who killed indiscriminately. In his own words: 'I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others in that I shot in free-fire zones, fired .50-caliber machine(gun) bullets, used harass-and-interdiction fire, joined in search-and-destroy missions and burned villages.' ("Meet the Press" NBC 1971 published by the Baltimore Sun 2004)"

Whether it's Bush or Kerry, Israel wins
"Writing in the Brown Students for Israel publication Perspectives: An Israel Review, Kerry says: 'My first trip to Israel made real for me all I'd believed about Israel. I was allowed to fly an air force jet from the Ovda Airbase. It was then that Israeli insecurity about narrow borders became very real to me. In a matter of minutes, I came close to violating the airspace of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. From that moment on, I felt as Israelis do: The promise of peace must be secure before the Promised Land is a secure margin of land.'"

Dov Zakheim and the 9-11 conspiracy
" In a document called "Rebuilding America's Defenses" published by The American Enterprise's 'Project for a New American Century,' SPC International executive, Dov Zakheim, called for a 'Pearl Harbor' type of incident being necessary to foster the frame of mind needed for the American public to support a war in the Middle East that would politically and culturally reshape the region."

Fine for anti-Jew-attack faker
"A French woman who lied about being the victim of a vicious anti-Semitic attack - a claim that sparked nationwide outrage - has been handed a four-month suspended sentence."

JULY 29

Edwards delivers upbeat message
"Sen. John Edwards, summoning all his skills as a trial lawyer and a populist, made an impassioned case for Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday, hailing him as a battle-tested veteran ready to be commander in chief and a man who could restore economic hope and opportunity. 'Hope is on the way,' Edwards declared to a cheering Democratic National Convention. The heart of Edwards' speech was the same theme he sounded throughout his primary campaign, that "we still live in a country where there are two different Americas,' one for people who 'are set for life,' the other for 'most Americans who live from paycheck to paycheck.'" (RN 24/7: Upbeat? How about hypocritical and intellectually dishonest? Edwards provokes class hatred with his "two different Americas" spiel, but he is the junior partner of the wealthiest presidential ticket in the nation's history, worth over $1 billion. In other words, they're members of the former category, better known as "limousine liberals." And the irony is that they are liberal not with their own money [the last we heard the Heinz-Kerrys weren't selling any of their--her--half dozen mansions valued at around $30 million, to help the homeless] , but with the money of the American taxpayers; i.e., those "who live from paycheck to paycheck." And yet the poor fools never learn.)

John Edwards, his land of OZ
"John Edwards says there are two Americas. He is right. There is the America most Americans live in and then there is the imaginary America that Edwards and all those delegates to the Democrat convention live in. In the movie ''The Wizard of Oz'' little Dorothy goes from the black and white world she lived in, to the colorful world of Oz. At the Democrat convention John Edwards takes us from the REAL America to a dark black America he Al Franken and Michael Moore imagine."

Dems complain Sharon prefers Bush, call on Sharon to improve relations with Kerry
"There is a growing dissatisfaction in the U.S. Democratic Party and in John Kerry's campaign headquarters over the Israeli government's attitude toward them this election season."

Major parties share one aim: to squash independents
"There is a silent crisis in American democracy that could change the face of our republic and disenfranchise a significant plurality of voters. More insidious than the U.S. Patriot Act, it threatens the very basis of democratic process. It is the coordinated attack by the two major parties on the principles of political reform and the rights of independent voters." (RN 24/7: While the information in this op-ed piece is important, we cannot get behind the group whose spokesman wrote it. There is no question that third party and other independently minded Americans have a much tougher go of it than Republicrats, do it's good to see a column addressing the issue. However, when we visited its website, we discovered that while it makes a pitch to those with "diverse views on the political spectrum – left, center, right and everywhere in between," it didn't take long to discover its real goal--elect the pro-abortion, pro "gay rights" presidential candidate, Ralph Nader and others of his ilk. For example, they have a "Lobby the media for fair coverage of Ralph Nader," but nothing similar is to be seen in support of the right to fair coverage for the numerous other "outsider" presidential candidates running, such as those of the American Party, the Constitution Party, the Providential Party , to name a few. Everything else on the site appears to have no other purpose than to feign a genuine non-partisan identity and to gather in the money and support of those gullible enough to buy into it.)

MUST-SEE VIDEO: Group delivers "WMD" to Tucson Federal Building to show vulnerability of border
VIDEO TEXT
"American Border Patrol delivered a 'smuggled' simulated Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) to the front entrance of the Tucson Federal Building after skirting around a Border Patrol Check point near Sierra Vista. As the team approached the building, a federal officer emerged and asked them not to video tape the area. He asked for their IDs, but did not inquire as to what was in the backpack."

JULY 28

Changing of the guard at the Democratic convention -
"Delegates to the Democratic National Convention witnessed a symbolic passing of the torch Tuesday with the party's old lion, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and its promising new cub, Barack Obama (right) , both condemning what they view as the divisive tactics of opposition Republicans while holding open the hope of a better future under John Kerry. The 72-year-old Kennedy, scion of America's most celebrated political family, assumed the dais in his hometown and offered a scalding assessment of President Bush, charging that the administration broke trust with the world after the 9-11 attacks and that Bush 'squandered the enormous goodwill that flowed to America.'" (RN 24/7: Notice that the Democratic attacks on Bush, 9-11 and the Iraq War ignore the importance of US/Israeli relations that were pivotal in what transpired, including the shedding of US blood to protect the Zionist nation. The reason for this avoidance is simple: No matter what other changes--largely cosmetic--would follow a Kerry victory in November, the new administration will adopt a Middle East policy quite in line with that of current one, as is evident from this Jerusalem Post article posted on the "Internet Town Meeting" page of the official Kerry/Edwards website. So, in this context there definitely won't be any changing of the guard at the White House.)

Liberals have hijacked the Democratic Party
"Yes, America is divided. Liberalism Vs Traditionalism. It all comes down to liberal secularism (anti-religion, faith, God) Vs. Traditionalism (pro-religion, faith, God). Liberals are 'pro-choice' when it comes to abortion, same-sex marriage, and social-economic welfare Traditionalism is pro-life, marriage between a man and a woman, and less government, less taxes and more freedom for the people – the working taxpayers, those who accept individual responsibility, and accountability.¼" (RN 24/7: True on all counts, but this isn't exactly breaking news. Of far more significance--and far less reported--is the continuing control of the Republican Party by liberals calling themselves "moderates" and "compassionate conservatives," first and foremost amongst them being the fraud now occupying the Oval Office.)

If Gaza exit equals Holocaust, is Jewish terror next?
"Just what such an attack might mean was set out by lawmaker Ehud Yatom, a member of the hawkish wing of the Likud and a strong opponent of the disengagement plan. In 1984, Yatom was a commander of the Shin Bet manhunt that seized members of the "Jewish Underground" of religious militants just before the group was to mount a multiple bombing on the sacred Mount.
"If an attack were to harm the Muslim shrines of Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, the result would pit 'the entire Muslim world against the state of Israel and against the Western world, a war of religions,' Yatom said. 'With all of the pain and suffering they have caused, today's terrorist attacks would be nothing compared to what could happen, it could even mean World War III.'"(RN 24/7: Anyone who thinks he's exaggerating about the possible Muslim retaliation for such a act needs to take a look at the warning issued by the World Islamic Congress. For more about this developing story, see our coverage of July 26.)

Charley Reese: A president, not a date
"You are making a mockery of self-government if you allow your vote to be influenced by concerns for a foreign country. And yes, I'm directing this to the Israel-first crowd, both Jew and Christian. The election in November is for the president of the United States, not the deputy prime minister of Israel." (RN 24/7: Well put by Charley Reese, but he needs to have a long sit-down with the other Charley Reese, the goofy one who promotes John Kerry's candidacy in Vote for a man, not a puppet. Kerry not a puppet? Come, on, wake up and smell the coffee, Charley. Mr. "Dude, where's my charisma" wouldn't be the presidential candidate of major party if he wasn't a puppet! None of the controlled major television networks would give John Kerry's candidacy five minutes of air time if he wasn't a card-carrying member of the Eastern Establishment. Like President George W. Bush, he moves wherever his puppeteers want him to go and don't ever forget it! Oh, and one other thing: Those puppeteers may include his domineering wife, Teresa Heinz-Kerry. Q: What husband do you know that would let his wife retain the name of her previous husband? A: One who is a millionaire married to a billionaire.)

JULY 27

Ready for martial law? Oh, it can't happen here?
"This nation is very much prepared to invoke martial law. The questions are only what will trigger it and when it will occur. Since our military is aware that this could happen and US soldiers expressed revulsion at the idea of quelling civil disturbance by firing on their fellow Americans, those whom they swore to defend and protect, then the government has imported foreign mercenaries who have absolutely no qualms about doing that for which they were hired. Why would our own government do this to Americans? Very simply because it is the only way to take control of people whose delusion of freedom will one day burst and they will be ready to revolt. They sleep long and hard in the quiet dream world of delusion about the America that was, but someday they will wake up. ¼"

Oshkosh police conduct door-to-door gun confiscations
"Following the shooting of an Oshkosh police officer Saturday night, area residents were forced from their homes, their lawful firearms being confiscated by police. The Oshkosh Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics Unit responded to the area, with a K-9 police dog in pursuit of the perpetrator who was reported to have fled on foot. "

Red alert, FEMA camps and martial law "If the nation escalates to ' red alert,' which is the highest in the color-coded readiness against terror, you will be assumed by authorities to be the enemy if you so much as venture outside your home, the state's anti-terror czar says. 'This state is on top of it,' said Sid Caspersen, New Jersey's director of the office of counter-terrorism.¼A red alert would also tear away virtually all personal freedoms to move about and associate. 'Red means all noncritical functions cease," Caspersen said. 'Noncritical would be almost all businesses, except health-related.'"

OPENING NIGHT AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: THE BILL & HILL SHOW
Clinton speech rouses passions at convention "On a night of nostalgia, Democrats wistful for the White House joyously relived the glory days of Bill Clinton and his mastery of American politics. John Kerry should hope to do so well Thursday night. The opening night of the Democratic convention brought a one-two punch of political stars - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband. She introduced him as "the last great Democratic president," and by every measure, the adoring audience thunderously agreed." (RN 24/7: After "Bill Clinton gave his speech, a Democrat referred to him as "one of the great orators of modern times." One of the great demagogues of modern times is more like it. Monday night's performance was classic Clinton: long on emotionally-charged rhetoric, but short on an honest approach to this issues and one that seemed to be as much about himself as it was about nominee-to-be John Kerry. The article's title accurately, if unwittingly, notes Clinton's stock-on-trade when it says he "rouses passions," which is precisely the trait that defines the demagogue.) Convention Observations -- Bill & Hill "She referred to Bill as a former president, but not as her husband.¼He referred to Hillary as his senator, but not as his wife." Ridge: "multiple layers of security" for Dems' convention "Some have begun calling the host city of the Democratic Party convention Fortress Boston for the unprecedented level of security. Authorities say they have no information of specific threats to attack the party conventions but are convinced that al-Qaeda is planning an attack ahead of the US elections."

Israel expands West Bank settlements
"Months after Ariel Sharon announced his dramatic plan to pull Jewish settlers out of Gaza, portraying it as a sacrifice for peace, the government is grabbing more land for West Bank settlements. Israeli peace groups and Palestinian officials say thousands of homes are under construction in the main settlements, in addition to an expansion of Jewish outposts that are illegal under Israeli law. Mr. Sharon has promised the US he will dismantle the outposts, which are usually clusters of containers or trailer homes serviced by government-built roads, but has failed to do so." (RN 24/7: Nothing new, is it? The Zionist "what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine" mentality in spades. Look, they spelled it out very clearly for uninitiated back in 1961 with the song, Exodus, which begins: "This land is mine/God gave this land to me!" Lyrics courtesy of the Christian Zionist crooner, Pat Boone. And while on the general subject, please see Christian Zionism: Whose land is it anyway?)

JULY 26

Israeli says blowing up Dome of Rock is “worthy act"
"'Blowing up the Dome of the Rock is a worthy act,' Yehuda Etzion (below, left), one of the leaders of the Movement of the Temple Mount Loyalists and a former convicted member of the 'Jewish underground,' has told Army Radio this [Sunday] morning. Etzion's words came as a response to Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi's comments on Channel Two's Meet the Press, by which, 'The prospects that Jewish extremists could carry out an attack on the Temple Mount in order to prevent the disengagement plan from being implemented are growing.'" Israel warns of Jewish terrorist attack on Al-Aqsa A Muslim view of the same story. ( RN24/7: It's interesting to note the language. While the Islamic site speaks of a potential "Jewish terrorist attack," the Israelis avoid using the word "terrorist" altogether. But terrorism is terrorism, no matter who perpetrates it, whether it be a Palestinian blowing up a Tel Aviv pizzeria or an Israeli bent on doing a little "urban renewal" atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The difference? Since the Dome of the Rock is revered by Muslims as one of the holiest places on earth, its destruction would make all the Middle East fighting that has gone before it look, in comparison, like nothing more than a schoolyard scuffle. Also see, Building the Third Temple and demolishing the Dome of the Rock.)

Pentagon memo reveals bugging
"When the Bush administration took over the Pentagon's beleaguered inspector general office in 2002, officials found something startling: The director's office, at some point, had been electronically bugged." (RN 24/7: And to think that although this had been known for years, it finally gets reported just as the Democrats are beginning their convention. Wow, what a coincidence!)

U.S. troops use cash to woo Iraqis
"Cash has become the U.S. military's first line of defense in some parts of Iraq, where U.S. soldiers are distributing money to encourage good will and to counter their enemies' offers of money to unemployed Iraqis willing to attack Americans, officers say here." (RN 24/7: "Here you go, Ibrahim. Hey, not to worry, there's plenty where this came from, all courtesy of American taxpayers. Okay? So just don't hurt me." Our suggestion? Bring the troops home so they won't need to pay people not to kill them!)

Patrick Buchanan: The drumbeat to dump the veep
"Asked if he was thinking of dumping Vice President Cheney, President Bush is said to have laughed aloud. He is right to do so. For this is a game concocted by pundits with other agendas than his re-election." (RN 24/7: Memo to Patrick Buchanan--Who cares what George Bush does or doesn't do. His re-election is no more to be worked for or celebrated by authentic patriotic, pro-life Christians than the election of challenger and fellow Bonesman John Kerry? So why waste a column pretending that it is, when you could be doing something to bring about constructive change in Washington instead of beating the neo-con's drum for them? It's time to wake up!)

JULY 25

Do food makers want to kill you?
"Freedom can stand or fall on issues large (wars, depressions, natural disasters) or small (a hundred thousands regulations that manage our daily life). Regulations on food labeling count among the small issues. It is a tricky issue for market advocates because bad label might actually count as breach of contract and thereby require legal intervention of some sort.¼At issue is the theoretical presumption itself. Can market forces manage issues of food label or must regulators be involved? Many politicos on Capitol Hill are under the impression that food manufacturers are neglectfully poisoning the 6-11 million Americans who have food allergies by sneakily failing to point out on labels that the food contains deadly ingredients. So here we have the ultimate paranoid-socialist fantasy at work: business rakes in profits through fraud while people die!

Iraq hostage crisis spirals
"Two Pakistanis working for a Kuwait-based company are feared kidnapped as Iraq's hostage crisis deepened, with at least 22 countries affected by the wave of abductions. "

Christians flee "liberated" Iraq
"'We thought the Americans were going to bring us freedom and democracy,' stated a 31-year-old Iraqi identified as Robert. 'Instead, they are promoting Islam.'"

Largest Socialist group backs Kerry
"The Democratic Socialists of America Political Action Committee is officially urging its members to work for the election of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election."

Mossad's litany of blunders
"A former Mossad head, Danny Yatom, told Israel television last week that Mossad activities 'make the headlines whenever it trips' but that its successes, unknown to the public, remained formidable."

JULY 24

Kerry: I'll protect Israel better "I can be more effective with the accountability of the Saudis and other Arab countries," putative Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz. "I'll do a better job of reducing the threat to Israel and the rest of the world." (RN 24/7: And you can take his word on that or his name ain't Kohn ! But what can he promise to do that President George W. "Anything you say, Ari" Bush hasn't done? Promise to attack Iran and throw in Syria and Yemen for good measure? But, as the following article shows, Kerry is right to be very concerned about how his campaign is playing with the lox and bagel crowd.)

Bush hopes to sway Jewish voters
"Cameron Kerry, John Kerry's brother who converted to Judaism two decades ago, said the campaign is well aware that Republicans are targeting Jews. 'We're playing catch up.'" (RN 24/7: Speaking of Kerry's wooing of votes from various religious bodies, a while back a photo began being circulated showing him with the late Church of Satan founder Anton Lavey. The photo is clearly faked, and Alex Jones believes he knows what's behind the hoax. By the way, a Muslim quipped that, had the story been true, it would then be really appropriate to call America "The Great Satan" if Kerry got elected!)

Most effective way to prevent terrorism is missing from 9-11 report, Libertarians say
"The report by the September 11 commission is missing one obvious way the U.S. government could reduce the chance of another terrorist attack, Libertarians say: Quit meddling in foreign nations." (RN 24/7: George Washington on the dangers of foreign entanglements.)

Sharon to Chirac: France still anti-Jewish
"Israel's leader has rebuffed an attempt by French President Jacques Chirac to tamp down a public feud between the two over alleged French anti-Semitism."

JULY 23

Halliburton: the profits of war "Halliburton has become a byword for the cozy links between the White House and Texan big business. But how did the company run in the 90s by [Vice President] Dick Cheney secure a deal that guaranteed it millions in profit every time the US military saw action?" Halliburton ignores sanctions "Halliburton is being investigated by a grand jury for possibly violating federal sanctions while Cheney was chief executive of the company by doing business in Iran. That hasn't stopped Cheney from repeatedly sticking his foot in his mouth. On the campaign trail, Cheney has been saying that Iran has ties to al-Qaeda and some of the 9-11 hijackers. But when Cheney was chief executive of Halliburton he wasn't concerned about that.¼"

9-11 Commission: Deadlier attacks possible
"The bipartisan commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks concluded in its unanimous final report on Thursday that the attacks "were a shock but they should not have come as a surprise." It warned that without a historic restructuring of the nation's intelligence agencies and a new emphasis on diplomacy, the United States would leave itself open to an even more catastrophic attack."

Reading between the lines: What's covered in the 9-11 report? What's covered up?
"Business as usual. That's the message of today's 9-11 Commission report. No one is held accountable for anything. President Bush, the commander in chief, left the nation's borders unprotected—even though both he and predecessor Bill Clinton had been warned over a three-year period of a possible attack by planes. "

JULY 22

Response to Dennis Prager and WND: Opposing Zionism is not a sin
"It seems that Mr. Prager is totally unfamiliar with the partnership of Zionism and Nazism prior, during, and following World War II, and the subsequent reign of terror Israel perpetrated on innocent Palestinians to drive them from their lands and to exterminate them. Israel drew first blood, and Prager relies on the ancient biblical justification of Jews as the "chosen people" and the modern state of Israel as "the promised land." Isn’t this precisely the same method of argument he himself refutes as God and religion being employed to authorize killing and terror?"

War funds dwindling, GAO warns
"The U.S. military has spent most of the $65 billion that Congress approved for fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is scrambling to find $12.3 billion more from within the Defense Department to finance the wars through the end of the fiscal year, federal investigators said yesterday." (RN 24/7: Simple solution--Bring the troops home!)

False campaign ads: legal lying
"Here's a fact that may surprise you: candidates have a legal right to lie to voters just about as much as they want. That comes as a shock to many voters. After all, consumers have been protected for decades from false ads for commercial products. Shouldn't there be "truth-in-advertising" laws to protect voters , too?"

JULY 21

A fair look at Fahrenheit 9-11
"Michael Moore is an unabashed leftist. A former editor of the radical journal Mother Jones, Moore has made a handsome fortune peddling pseudo-populism of a distinctively socialist flavor. His previous work includes the execrable Bowling for Columbine, a largely fact-free cinematic harangue against the right to armed self-defense and those of us who defend it.¼ Curiously, Moore — who gathered a great deal of material about Mr. Bush’s failure-strewn business career — didn’t mention the fact that Bush, like John Kerry, is a member of the immensely influential order of Skull & Bones. Nor did Moore mention the fact that Bonesmen provided crucial financial aid and business connections at key points in George W. Bush’s career. Moore provides a remarkable clip of the president addressing a white-tie gathering: "This is an impressive crowd — the haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base." This provocative remark offers a certain titillation, but does nothing to inform the untutored viewer as to the nature and purposes of the real Power Elite."

Bushspeak psyops: Manipulating mass consciousness
"In search of support for shaky WMD charges against Saddam, Bush found the torture issue and put it on the front burner in his January 2003 State of the Union address: 'This dictator who is assembling the world’s most dangerous weapons has already used them on whole villages, leaving thousands of his own citizens dead, blind or disfigured. Iraqi refugees tell us how forced confessions are obtained by torturing children while their parents are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues and rape.'"

British motorist finds top secret terror dossier
"Britain was yesterday reeling from two humiliating failures in its war on terror with a bungled disaster response exercise and the discovery of a top secret counter-terrorism dossier lying on a public road."

JULY 20

Patriot Act gives Bush power to cancel elections

If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator.

--President George W. Bush

"Political analyst Al Martin writes that the legal mechanism and contingency plan for canceling US elections is already in place. 'The contingency plan in question is the Continuity-Of-Government plan (COG), first drafted in 1949 under the Truman regime shortly after the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic weapon,' Martin explains. In addition to COG, 'Bush has this power under Patriot I Act with the expansion of his authority under the War Powers Act of 1947, since, it should be remembered, a declared state of national emergency already exists in the United States at present¼'" Photo from of The Onion

Lobbying for pro-Israel candidates
"Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who is pro-Palestinian, is trying to get re-elected, and once again there is debate over the power of the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington."

JULY 19

What happens in the event of a terror attack on the 2004 Presidential Election?
"If the Bush Administration's intelligence can be believed, the 2004 presidential election, or the related democratic processes associated with the election, have been targeted by terrorists. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge has repeatedly said, 'Al Qeada is moving forward with plans to carry out a large-scale attack in the United States aimed to disrupt our democratic process.'¼Bottom line: there is no such proposal. In fact, it is not legally possible because there are no laws giving the president, or anyone else, such authority. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said, 'DHS is not looking into a contingency plan.' National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, the highest administration official to address the matter, said 'I don't know where the idea that there might be some postponement of elections comes from.'" (RN 24/7: Memo to John Dean, author of this column--The fact of the matter is that DeForest B. Soaries, head the federal Election Assistance Commission, in April contacted both Ridge and Rice concerning what should be done in the case of a terrorist attack. It's would be interesting to know when Rice made that statement, because Soaries queried her about it in April, so after that she would be very clear on where the idea originated. Oh, and by the way, General Tommy Franks that the Constitution itself might be scrapped another 9-11 type event occurred. That is, such an attack could be used as a justification to impose Martial law .)

Charley Reese: Where is this 'safer' America?
"Saddam Hussein, as bad a fellow as he is, was never a threat to the United States. He had no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. His army was dilapidated. He was a secular socialist and despised religious fanatics, and they despised him. There was, in fact, no connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda, and no connection at all with the attack on Sept. 11, 2001."

Maryland activists want e-voting receipts
"Some states, including Maryland, acted swiftly to update their systems. Many other states are making the change more slowly, moving county by county or even precinct by precinct. Some of that hesitancy stems from the fact that federal officials have not yet developed uniform methods for how the machines would handle recounts and other routine election hiccups, and they are unlikely to come before November. That, opponents say, could sow chaos and confusion in the voting process if a candidate demanded a recount."

JULY 18

UK: Butler Report on WMD was watered down to protect Blair
"Downing Street secured vital changes to the Butler Report before its publication, watering down an explicit criticism of Tony Blair and the way he made the case for war in the House of Commons. The Telegraph has established that the disagreement between No 10 and Lord Butler's inquiry team centered on a passage in an original draft of the report about Mr. Blair's statement to MPs in September 2002."

Iraqi Sunni clerics: US occupiers must leave
"Sunni clerics have called on US forces to pull out of Iraq and stop 'hiding behind the so-called multinational forces' or face a growing resistance movement."

CIA sends terror experts to tell small towns of risk
"The Central Intelligence Agency has begun a series of terrorism briefings for state and local law enforcement personnel, for the first time dispatching counterterrorism experts to cities and small towns to warn of the possibility of an attack by Al Qaeda this year, government officials said this week." (RN 24/7: Courtesy of those good folks down at the Office of Panic and Hysteria.)

How to prevent a US election (with the help of 'al Qaeda')

JULY 17

Deliver us from Sean Hannity
"But if Reagan was so 'good,' and Clinton was so 'evil,' then why does Hannity continually blame Clinton for appeasing Saddam Hussein when he admits that 'during the 1980s the Reagan administration did business with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq' (p. 94)? But the larger question is this: If Saddam Hussein was evil and a threat to the United States, then why wasn’t he 'taken out' by Ronald Reagan or George Bush I? If, as Hannity maintains, 'Clinton’s refusal to seize Osama bin Laden is another failure that endangered Americans' (p. 189), then why is not Reagan’s and Bush senior’s refusal to seize Saddam Hussein an even greater failure that endangered Americans?"

Iran court told Kazemi was tortured to death
"Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was tortured to death in Iranian custody, her tearful mother told a court on Saturday when the trial resumed of an intelligence agent accused of the killing." (RN 24/7: Ergo, America must invade, the neo-cons will cry, but no matter how tragic this story is at the individual level, it's time we stop acting like the world is the geopolitical version of the "Cops" television show.)

Israel's plans for Iran strikes
"Amid growing concern over Iran's alleged duplicity in declaring all its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Israel - the country that regards itself as most at risk from a nuclear-capable Iran - may be poised to revive contingency plans to destroy Iran's nuclear installations."

JULY 16

17 national disability groups file briefs in case to back Florida law protecting Terri Schiavo
"On Monday July 12, disability advocates filed a friend of the court brief in a case that affects the rights of people with cognitive disabilities across Florida and, potentially, nationwide. The Disability Brief urges the state Supreme Court to reverse the lower court and uphold Terri Schiavo's right to food, water and rehabilitation." (RN 24/7: Great move that shows Terri isn't alone in her struggle!) Terri's website More news on the fight for Terri and other disabled people.

Jobless claims rise more than expected
"The number of Americans filing initial claims for jobless pay grew by more than expected last week, government data showed on Thursday, with seasonal factors offsetting a large drop the week before." ""

Something big is coming, says CIA director
"Warnings that terrorists are plotting "something big" against the United States are based on 'very, very solid' information, the CIA's acting director said on Wednesday, likening the threat reports to those that preceded the September 11, 2001 attacks." (RN 24/7: We'll turn our comment over to humorist Mark Fiore on this one, since he's nailed it down so well.)

JULY 15

"Catholic"-Jewish meeting results in "anti-Semitism" statement
"In what is being hailed as a major advance in Catholic-Jewish relations, high-level Catholic authorities and leading rabbis have issued a joint statement condemning 'anti-Semitism in all its forms, including anti-Zionism.'" (RN 24/7: More proof here of the hostile takeover that has taken place within the Roman Catholic Church. The fact is that the Catholic Church has rejected Zionism as directly as is possible. To cite but one highly memorable example, in 1904, Theodor Herzl, widely acknowledged as the "Father of Modern Zionism," had an audience in Rome with the sainted pope, Pius X (right), at which time he asked the Vatican's blessing for the Jewish migration to Palestine. According to Herzl's diary entry, Pius "answered in a stern and categorical manner: 'We are unable to favor this movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem – but we could never sanction it. The ground of Jerusalem, if it were not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church, I cannot answer you otherwise. The Jews have not recognized Our Lord; therefore, we cannot recognize the Jewish people.'" Thus was and is the true mind of the Church, a stand that cannot be revoked by anyone until the Jews recognize the Messiah, because it is founded squarely upon Catholic dogma, which can never change. For more, see How the Jews invaded the Holy Land.)

Major US Christian denomination backs divestment From Israel
"Leaders of the largest Christian Presbyterian denomination have officially equated Israel with apartheid-era South Africa and voted to divest from Israel, according to a report in the New York Forward." (RN 24/7: I guess the "Catholics" who signed the above agreement are going to condemn this as "anti-Semitism.")

MI6 'still using' disputed informer on WMD
"British intelligence has continued to maintain links with an Iraqi defector who made baseless claims about Baghdad's germ warfare program and failed a lie-detector test, it was reported yesterday. "

Manila begins Iraq troop pullout
"The Philippines has begun pulling its troops out of Iraq, a move seemingly being made to satisfy demands by kidnappers of a Filipino hostage."

JULY 14

Advocates of war now profit from Iraq
"In the months and years leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, they marched together in the vanguard of those who advocated war. As lobbyists, public relations counselors and confidential advisors to senior federal officials, they warned against Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, praised exiled leader Ahmad Chalabi, and argued that toppling Saddam Hussein was a matter of national security and moral duty." (RN24/7: R. James Woolsey [right], former CIA Director in the Clinton Administration, is among those now reaping ill-gotten gain in Occupied Iraq. Anyone for a little bipartisan plunder?)

Woman lied about anti-Semitic attack
"A young French woman who claimed she had been the victim last week of a vicious anti-Semitic attack on a Paris suburban train admitted today that she had lied, police said."

UK Iraq report labelled a 'whitewash'
"Anti-war activists have reacted with anger to a report that exonerated Tony Blair from any wrongdoing in the lead-up to last year's invasion of Iraq."

JULY 13

Peroutka: No to homosexual marriage or civil unions and no to the Federal Marriage Amendment
"'I do not support sodomy-based anything no matter what form it takes,' said Michael A. Peroutka, Constitution Party presidential candidate, in reference to the debate in the U.S. Senate over the Federal Marriage Amendment." Peroutka for President Official campaign website

The case for sanctions against Israel
"The bomb attack in Tel Aviv yesterday highlights the desperate need to achieve a peace settlement. It highlights, too, the futility of the wall Israel is building in Palestinian land, a wall condemned by the international court of justice last Friday and whose route was condemned by Israel's supreme court last month."

Most serious warning ever
"In politics, one of the few things you can be certain about is, those who take away your liberty are not doing it to benefit you."

JULY 12

Iraq: The trail of disinformation
"Let's start with a simple fact. The United States invaded and conquered Iraq on the basis of lies. Even the official report of the United States Senate admits as much."

Purported "anti-Semitic" attack in doubt
"The alleged attack, in which the woman said a gang of six youths cut her clothes and drew swastikas on her body, has drawn fierce condemnation from politicians, civil rights groups and Jewish associations."

Laurance Rockefeller dies at 94
"Laurance Spelman Rockefeller, a pioneer venture capitalist, conservationist and grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, died this morning at his home in New York City. He was 94."