1016
Good content. Nic did a great job. He knows his subject. He is trusted among those he dedicates his journalism skill to. He really is a unique 'entitiy' in Islam. Invisible to most 'power' leaders. But, he is very thorough and correct.
1019
It's not time for the UN yet. They should not go far. If Bush is able to form a Peacekeeper Force there may be a real need for them to return, however, until there is a vaible peace along the borders of Israel, the IDF and the IAF has a sincere purpose to protect the citizen's of Israel. I don't see any of the Peacekeeper Force coming together. Israel needs it's missiles now blockaded in Britain.
1024
Mr. King is working too hard 'too sell' the progress on a ceasefire. I don't really care what the public says, thinks or otherwise. They have no real solutions while Prime Minister Olmert does. The public also thought Bush would settle the issue with al Qaeda in Afghanistan, too. He didn't. He's playing the popularity game with Israel regardless of his failed Road Map that lead to this crisis.
Bush is a failure. Prime Minister is not. Bush is trying to 'come off' as a man that can handle Israel. Yeah, right. Bush is nobody.
1027
Nasrallah is defeated. He is in Syria. The rest of his followers LITERALLY need to follow him there. Israel is the victor. From here on it's simply cleaning up the rest of the munitions and decide what to do about the mine fields. Hezbollah has 'precense' in Southern Lebanon for now but it has a low survival rate in Southern Lebanon now. It's more 'over' than anyone wants to admit.
1035
Memos May Link Cheney to No-Bid Iraq Contract
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=31818&format=html
Commentary by Willy E. Gutman
Friday July 28, 2006
I recently examined some 100 pages of documents that detail the multi-billion-dollar, no-bid contract awarded in 2003 by the U.S. Army to Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton Co.
Heavily redacted and often written in maddeningly abstruse government legalese, the documents were released by the Department of the Army on orders of U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo M. Urbina to Judicial Watch, the public interest watchdog that flags and prosecutes government corruption.
Several documents suggest that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may have lied publicly about the involvement of the vice president's office in awarding the contract. It will be remembered that Vice President Dick Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton from 1995-2000.
In an e-mail dated April 22, 2003, Carol Sanders of the Army Corps writes, "Mr. Robert Andersen, Chief Counsel, USACE, participated in a (CBS) 60 Minutes interview today in New York regarding the sole source award of the oil response contract to Kellogg, Brown and Root. ... Mr. Andersen ... was able to make many of the points we had planned."
Sanders subsequently provided sound bites from the interview, including, "There was no contact whatsoever (with the vice president's office)."
This directly contradicts another e-mail uncovered by Judicial Watch in 2004. The e-mail, dated March 5, 2003, sent by an official of the Army Corps whose name was redacted, stated, "We anticipate no issue (with the KBR deal) since the action has been coordinated with the V.P.'s office."
The newly released documents also prove the Department of the Army abused the Freedom of Information Act process by improperly invoking exemptions. One document, for example, includes a frank admission by an Army Corps official:
"I am copying you on this crap since I honestly believe the competitive procurement will never happen."
The Army attempted to withhold this embarrassing document even though no appropriate exemption applied. It took the intervention of a federal district judge to force the Army to release the document.
"These new documents raise questions about the involvement of the vice president's office in the controversial KBR deal. One has to wonder whether the Army was being forthright about the issue," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Noting Cheney's prior (and perhaps ongoing but oblique) relationship with Halliburton, Judicial Watch filed its FOIA request to obtain documents pertaining to the lucrative no-bid contract. The vice president's associations with Halliburton "raise concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest or favoritism," Judicial Watch argued, "particularly since the contract was awarded to KBR without a bidding process and because the contract was not announced to the public until after it was approved."
In a carefully worded letter dated May 14, 2003, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers, U.S. Army Chief of Engineers:
"Earlier this year, the Department of Defense awarded a sole-source contract to KBR ... for the reconstruction of the Iraqi oil industry. I understand that this contract was awarded as a short-term 'bridge' contract, with the expectation that a follow-up contract will be awarded later this year on the basis of full and open competition.
"I would appreciate additional information on the 'bridge' contract awarded to KBR. In particular, I would like copies of both the contract itself and each of the work orders issued under the contract to date. I understand this information is classified."
A record of a response to Levin's request could not be obtained.
Another caustic memo in which the dates and sender's and recipient's names are blanked out reads:
"Why don't you Army people understand we administer our own contracts? Your bunch mentions DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency) administration of the contract everytime (sic) we meet/talk. Is there a hidden agenda that we should be made aware of? If not, please explain your ASAALT (Assistant Secretary of the Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) reluctance for us to administer our own contracts? Wasn't cradle-to-grave the latest 'fad' you all were pushing last time I read your webpage (sic)?"
This is yet another example of the arrogance and self-granted dictatorial powers wielded by the Bush administration.
Police and other law enforcement agents no longer have to knock before barging in someone's home. Radio and TV stations can now be fined absurd amounts for airing what the White House-governed FCC deems indecent language. The communications of private citizens can be intercepted and scrutinized. People dubbed "enemy combatants" can be arrested without charge, secretly relocated abroad and detained indefinitely without trial. Banking transactions involving thousands of Americans and others in the United States are being covertly mined.
With Judicial Watch's findings and revelations, we now learn that the very underpinning of American labor law - open, competitive bidding on government contracts - can be flouted and violated with shameless impunity.
Aldous Huxley and George Orwell must be smiling in their sleep.
1039
Rob Marciano has a poor vocabulary. He hasn't learned to say , Human Induced Globally Warming is killing people all over this country in a record heat wave. Jerk ! What do you think you are hiding Mr. Cherry Marcinano? Huh? What do you think you are doing? COVERING UP the truth to benefit what remains of the Bush Lies? Coward.
1052'
enough
Friday, July 28, 2006
So Hezbollah was a model for al Qaeda. And someone actually believes Israel gives a hoot about bin Laden? No.
1000
Although the Hezbollah rockets don't kill they are hoping it will and they still damage infrastructure. I am impressed at the quick response of the fire squads.
Leave it to the Jewish to see the infrastructure as nothing compared to their lives. They don't even see the fires as a loss so much as a 'grace from God' in sparing lives for a misguided target. Amazing people.
1012
I appreciate the insight about 'bin's admiration of Hezbollah, however, al Qaeda doesn't really bother Israel. Isreal has been fighting Hezbollah for decades. There isn't anything al Qaeda can do to Israel that Hezbollah hasn't already done. Al Qaeda is not backed by a nation. Hezbollah has the sympathies of Syria and primarily Iran. Hezbollah purports to be a 'party' in Lebanon while the President of Lebanon actually stands by and let's them carry on a war with Israel. What is that? How can a 'political party' wage a war against a sovereign nation while it's President looks the other way while being sympathetic to the terrorist network/party of that country? The circumstances are completely hideous, ludicrous and and every synonym thereof. ??????????????
1020
Nic Robertson is very, very correct. Thank you, Nic. There is no relationship with al Qaeda and Hezbollah and this is nothing but a PR stunt for recruitment of al Qaeda.
When is Israel going to stop being a target? Maybe when 'The West' stops picking on them and turns on the real enemy. Terrorist networks. Israel has been 'the jazz' for Jihadists for decades now. Israel has never denied there should be a Palestine nation, yet there is hatred everywhere against them. It is the most 'askewed' reality a sovereign nation could have. The image Islam ALLOWS to exist and upholds about Israel fuels these idiot terrorists that have them held hostage. It has to stop.
1024
commericals
1027
I'm not getting into the Turkish aggression. The Kurds are a completely different issue from Hezbollah. They are not Hezbollah and the conflict with Turkey has a history. I don't agree with deaths of any people, but, Turkey is posturing to justify their long standing agression against the Kurds. Bush is attempting to 'steam roll' a moment against any and all area nations of the Middle East by defining 'terrorism' as it's purpose when in fact these are completely different. Turkey and the Kurds are somewhat similar in 'etiology' as Kashmir. They want their own nation for their safety. As a result there is chronic issues of violence against them although the Kurds actually have 'squatter's rights' to the region they live. Kurds have to live somewhere.
The problem with Bush seeking to 'identify' with all troubled areas of the world as if they are simply 'terrorists' it serves no purpose to actually see the circumstances for what they are. We are right back to the attempt by this administration to ride the 'coat tails' of September 11th into lumping ALL world conflicts into legitimate issues of sovereignty when in fact there are no vehicles stating that.
This is from an address tothe legislature from Clinton referring to the efforts of the USA State Department under his administration to negotiate with Kurdish groups to bring about a good outcome. However, all these efforts were abandoned when Bush took office and when he illegally invaded Iraq.
The United States, together with international and humanitarian relief organizations, continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Iraq. Security conditions in northern Iraq remain tenuous at best, with Iranian and PKK activity adding to the ever-present threat from Baghdad. We continue to facilitate talks between the two major Kurdish groups in an effort to help them resolve their differences and increase stability in northern Iraq.
http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/w960708.htm
1051
Hadley is again tyring to cloud the truth with a Neocon Agenda.
1052
You're an egotistical jerk, Anderson. No anchor dedicates so much time to their image so much as reporting and esteeming the subjects and not themselves.
1054
Although the Hezbollah rockets don't kill they are hoping it will and they still damage infrastructure. I am impressed at the quick response of the fire squads.
Leave it to the Jewish to see the infrastructure as nothing compared to their lives. They don't even see the fires as a loss so much as a 'grace from God' in sparing lives for a misguided target. Amazing people.
1012
I appreciate the insight about 'bin's admiration of Hezbollah, however, al Qaeda doesn't really bother Israel. Isreal has been fighting Hezbollah for decades. There isn't anything al Qaeda can do to Israel that Hezbollah hasn't already done. Al Qaeda is not backed by a nation. Hezbollah has the sympathies of Syria and primarily Iran. Hezbollah purports to be a 'party' in Lebanon while the President of Lebanon actually stands by and let's them carry on a war with Israel. What is that? How can a 'political party' wage a war against a sovereign nation while it's President looks the other way while being sympathetic to the terrorist network/party of that country? The circumstances are completely hideous, ludicrous and and every synonym thereof. ??????????????
1020
Nic Robertson is very, very correct. Thank you, Nic. There is no relationship with al Qaeda and Hezbollah and this is nothing but a PR stunt for recruitment of al Qaeda.
When is Israel going to stop being a target? Maybe when 'The West' stops picking on them and turns on the real enemy. Terrorist networks. Israel has been 'the jazz' for Jihadists for decades now. Israel has never denied there should be a Palestine nation, yet there is hatred everywhere against them. It is the most 'askewed' reality a sovereign nation could have. The image Islam ALLOWS to exist and upholds about Israel fuels these idiot terrorists that have them held hostage. It has to stop.
1024
commericals
1027
I'm not getting into the Turkish aggression. The Kurds are a completely different issue from Hezbollah. They are not Hezbollah and the conflict with Turkey has a history. I don't agree with deaths of any people, but, Turkey is posturing to justify their long standing agression against the Kurds. Bush is attempting to 'steam roll' a moment against any and all area nations of the Middle East by defining 'terrorism' as it's purpose when in fact these are completely different. Turkey and the Kurds are somewhat similar in 'etiology' as Kashmir. They want their own nation for their safety. As a result there is chronic issues of violence against them although the Kurds actually have 'squatter's rights' to the region they live. Kurds have to live somewhere.
The problem with Bush seeking to 'identify' with all troubled areas of the world as if they are simply 'terrorists' it serves no purpose to actually see the circumstances for what they are. We are right back to the attempt by this administration to ride the 'coat tails' of September 11th into lumping ALL world conflicts into legitimate issues of sovereignty when in fact there are no vehicles stating that.
This is from an address tothe legislature from Clinton referring to the efforts of the USA State Department under his administration to negotiate with Kurdish groups to bring about a good outcome. However, all these efforts were abandoned when Bush took office and when he illegally invaded Iraq.
The United States, together with international and humanitarian relief organizations, continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Iraq. Security conditions in northern Iraq remain tenuous at best, with Iranian and PKK activity adding to the ever-present threat from Baghdad. We continue to facilitate talks between the two major Kurdish groups in an effort to help them resolve their differences and increase stability in northern Iraq.
http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/w960708.htm
1051
Hadley is again tyring to cloud the truth with a Neocon Agenda.
1052
You're an egotistical jerk, Anderson. No anchor dedicates so much time to their image so much as reporting and esteeming the subjects and not themselves.
1054
As a matter of fact the USA knows of the UN resolution about PKK and the 'type' of issues presented in this 'context of human reality.' Bush doesn't have a leg to stand on and I can't think of a better reason to get a real USA Ambassador rather than Bolton. What Bush is trying to do is USE the border incursions of every incident globally to say it is a threat by terrorists.
Firstly, Kurds must never give up the right of legitimate liberation struggle with the accessory right of the use of force, rights which always exist because they are inherent, according to UN General Assembly Resolution 2708 (XXV), 12 Oct. 1979:
In session XXV in 1970, the UN General Assembly for the first time spoke of "the inherent right of all colonised peoples... to use all the necessary means at their disposal to struggle against the colonial power which oppresses their striving for freedom and independence".Three years later, an explicit recognition of the right to wage armed struggle was passed by the UN. A series of resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly legitimized the use of force in armed struggle. The most signicant of those resolutions was passed in December 1973, despite resistance from 13 Western states. Entitled "The fundamental Principles of the Legal Status of Combatants who Struggle Against Colonial or Foreign Rule as well as Against Racist Regimes", the resolution stated:
1. The struggle of the people under colonial or foreign rule or under a racist regime to gain their rights to self-determination and independence is legitimate and in full agreement with the principles of the Rights of Peoples.
2. All attempts to suppress the struggle against colonial or foreign rule or against a racist regime are incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations, the Principles of the Rights of Peoples, the Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation Among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and such attempts pose a threat to international peace and security."The fact is that no Western power has ever intervened militarily to defend the Kurdish people from Turkish aggression, an aggression which goes back to the founding of the Turkish state, a fact which has been "gracefully passed over in silence or deliberately misrepresented by most historians, foreign as well as Turkish," as Dr. Martin Van Bruinessen correctly observes, therefore it would be the height of foolhardiness for the Kurdish people to lay down the weapons of their defense and rely instead solely on mere words and empty promises.
Kurds must Take Erdogan's Opportunity
...Ocalan is not the right man for the job in the Kurds' struggle for their cultural rights, Lagendijk thinks; it would be a dream to think Ocalan was capable of leading this battle for cultural rights. "Ocalan will stay in prison. Different leaders with a clear attitude against armed struggle are needed." Lagendijk said he got many reactions from the Kurds after the things he said about Ocalan and added: "I am in favor of the Kurds' cultural rights. But this cannot be realized by weapons. The PKK is making a mistake."
1059
Larry King Live is being used as vehicle of propaganda regarding Bush's Neocon Ambitions. Larry promoted Turkey's case. He never took up the history of the conflict and is askewing the reason why this group cannot be treated the same. Bush wants to set the world on fire and watch it burn while he calls it the beginnings of Democracy.
Bush is endangering Israel's sovereign right to war under a legitimate United Nations resolution.
He's attempting to make every 'border incursion' an attack of terrorists.
The circumstances of Turkey and the Kurds are completely different as noted above. Hadley doesn't care about Israel so much as 'the spin' he and Bush can get out of it. This is grossly inappropriate use of power. I'll get to the 'faux agenda' below. I know it sounds like beating a dead horse, but, it's about Oil and there is published material by the Heritage Foundation to the trend.. Israel is not about oil. It is about a sincere purpose to defeat a very powerful terrorist network. Israel's circumstances is only unique to Israel. This 'thing' Hadley and Bush are pulling is due to the fact they are Cheney's whipping boys. See below this article.
U.S. wants to deal "aggressively" with Kurdish PKK
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush told Turkish Prime Minster Tayyip Erdogan that the United States wants to deal more aggressively with cross-border attacks by Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq, the White House said on Tuesday.
"We have talked about establishing a trilateral framework between the United States, Iraq and Turkey to address this issue," national security adviser Stephen Hadley said after Bush met Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
"We have already identified some steps that can be taken and that the Iraqis are going to take," he told reporters.
Several thousand members of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, are believed to be hiding in the mountains of mainly Kurdish northern Iraq, from where they slip across the border to attack Turkish police, troops and other targets.
Many of the Neocon agendas seen in this White House can be directly linked to The Heritage Foundation. Even the Robert's nomination had conflicting interests with this group, which probably profits nicely from inheritance tax evasion.
It's the Caspian Sea, just about the richests oil reserve left in the world that isn't tired out and chronically without procurement problems. War does not affect this area either primarily because Russia has a pipeline there.
Iran's Claim Over Caspian Sea Resources Threaten Energy Securityby Dr. Ariel CohenBackgrounder #1582
September 5, 2002 Executive Summary
The need for Washington to focus its attention on energy security and diversification became clear as the war on terrorism began. The U.S. should strongly oppose Iran's threatening military actions to claim a larger portion of the energy-rich Caspian Sea. The Caspian basin, a land-locked body of salt water bordered by Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, harbors billions of barrels of proven oil reserves and over 200 billion barrels of potential reserves.2 (See Table 1.) The market value of that oil could exceed $5 trillion, according to some estimates. The sea also may hold up to 325 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Combined with Russia's resources, by 2010 the region could supply up to one half of the energy resources now provided by the Middle East.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/bg1582.cfm
1138
The Pipelines
Table 4. Oil Export Routes and Options in the Caspian Sea Region
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/caspgrph.html
The Capacity
The Caspian Sea region contains roughly 17-44 billion barrels of oil. Oil production growth from the region will come largely from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the next decade
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Caspian/Oil.html
With Halliburton moving out of Iraq, it has to find new and more fertile ground for it's stockholders.
What has this got to do with Turkey and the Kurds? Are you for real?
Take a look at this map.
http://encarta.msn.com/map_701511561/Caspian_Sea.html
Now. Imagine having the control, not necessarily peaceful control either, of Turkey, all the countries between Turkey and the Caspian Sea, Iraq and Iran. Who now controls the largest oil glut in the world ?
Page 12 of Chapter 8 of Cheney's Secret Energy Committee.
Page 12 - scroll down. Not that the rest isn't interesting either.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/Chapter8.pdf
1157
If Turkey wants a United Nation's Resolution to act on, I suggest they pursue those avenues.
Israel's border incursions are about stopping violence by two terrorist networks supplanted in the government structures of soverign nations. It is Israel's right to defend itself.
Bush has no right to comment about Israel at all if his intent is to USE Israel's sovereign right to war as an "oil barron ball.'
I hate the son of a bitch. His filthy corruption spills over into everything right and correct about this country.
I suppose I'll get into the Kurds PLIGHT later. It has huge merit and they really weren't doing badly under the 'No Fly Zone.'
enough
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