Friday, May 22, 2009

Re: [GovRant] Digest Number 3204


 
palashcbiswas,
 gostokanan, sodepur, kolkata-700110 phone:033-25659551



From: "GovRant@yahoogroups.com" <GovRant@yahoogroups.com>
To: GovRant@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, 22 May, 2009 20:55:07
Subject: [GovRant] Digest Number 3204

Messages In This Digest (4 Messages)

Messages

1.

Republicans Blamed the CIA, Now They Hide Behind The CIA and Blame D

Posted by: "Scott Peden" scotpeden@cruzio.com   scotpeden

Thu May 21, 2009 9:39 am (PDT)




<http://thelonggoodb ye.wordpress. com/> The Long Goodbye

Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority
and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? -

William O. Douglas

Republicans Blamed the CIA,

Now They Hide Behind The CIA and Blame Democrats

Posted by: thelonggoodbye | May 16, 2009

To the consternation of Republicans and the media - including CBS News and
The Politico among other who have gleefully ran what sounds like something
directly written from an RNC PR release -
<http://www.google. com/search? q=democrats% 2Bcia&ie= utf-8&oe= utf-8&aq= t&rls=o
rg.mozilla:en- US:official& client=firefox- a> Democrats claim CIA out to get
them. Democrats, also continue drive the media and Conservatives crazy by
<http://thelonggoodb ye.wordpress. com/2009/ 05/13/democrats- refuse-to- roll-ove
r-and-play-dead- for-suspect- cia-report/ > refusing to play good little lap
dog. Now Republicans like cry-me-a-river baby House minority leader
Republican Rep. John Boehner are f reigning some outrage - how dare
Democrats question the word of the CIA,
<http://mediamatters action.org/ video/2009051400 06> Rep. Boehner: Now and
Then

John Boehner Now
John Boehner: "I've dealt with our intelligence professionals for the last
three-and-a- half years on an almost daily basis, and it's hard for me to
imagine that our intelligence area would ever mislead a member of Congress.
[Boehner Press Availability via The Hill, 5/14/2009]
John Boehner Then:
December 9, 2007:
Wolf Blitzer: "Are you suggesting, as I think you are, that you don't
necessarily have confidence in this new NIE?" (NIE- the CIA's national
Intelligence Estimate)
Rep. John Boehner: "Either I don't have confidence in what they told me
several months ago or I don't have confidence in what they're telling me
today." [CNN, Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 12/9/2007; emphasis added]

It was literally just a few months ago that Republicans were point blank
accusing the CIA of being out to get them and Bush. The editors at the far
right
<http://www.google. com/search? q=CIA+Run+ Amok&ie=utf- 8&oe=utf- 8&aq=t&rls= org.
mozilla:en-US: official& client=firefox- a> National Review, CIA Run Amok, May
8, 2006

The reasons for Porter Goss's abrupt departure as CIA director are shrouded
in mystery. But its effect is not. It gives the impression that there has
been a coup by the CIA insiders who have waged a covert policy war against
the Bush administration for five years. The White House must act quickly to
correct the impression that the renegades have won.
[ ]..During the Bush presidency, however, the agency has not been content
with subtly pushing its own agenda while underperforming its nominal
mission. It has run amok. In fact, it worked assiduously- though
unsuccessfully- to depose the administration in the 2004 election, and since
then has continued brazenly undermining Bush's foreign policy.

In a post by a far right Conservative blog called the
<http://www.google. com/search? hl=en&client= firefox-a& rls=org.mozilla% 3Aen-US
%3Aofficial& hs=WZC&q= The+Strata- Sphere%2BRogue+ CIA+Fires+ Back%3F+& btnG=Searc
h> Strata-Sphere, Rogue CIA Fires Back? May2, 2006 that engaged in some wild
speculation of the motivations by the CIA in the investigation in the
<http://www.signonsa ndiego.com/ news/politics/ cunningham/ index.html> Rep
Randy Cunningham's (R) bribery scandal and echoing the thoughts of Drudge
and a rabid right blogger called Macsmind, wrote,

Mac Ranger predicted the roque CIA agents trying to destroy this country
through leaks would create some bizarre news. Sometimes we need to spell
things out for the liberal puppets on the left, so I must point out again
that the tools available to the CIA to gather information illegally and use
it against people can be used by more than the President.
[ ]..The news that ex-CIA agents are talking to ABC News about an
investigation into links between CIA contracts and Rep Randy Cunningham's
(R) bribery acts leads me to believe Cunningham may have been outed by some
ex-CIA agents to send a message to the Reps and Bush.

John (AssRocket) at Powerline( once Time magazine's blog of the year) wrote
<http://www.google. com/search? q=The+CIA+ Comes+Out+ of+the+Closet& ie=utf-8& oe=
utf-8&aq=t&rls= org.mozilla: en-US:official& client=firefox- a> The CIA Comes
Out of the Closet,September 7, 2004 Posted by John

Many people are unaware that the CIA is, and always has been, a liberal
organization, its ranks dominated by Democrats.
[ ]..The CIA's liberal orientation has been painfully evident over the last
four years, as the agency has engaged in a virtual war with the Bush
administration; its officials have been available 24/7 for anti-Bush leaks
to the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Many of these Republican editorials are are fact free, never the less, the
accusations that the CIA was a far left organization out to get Republicans
and Bush in particular were a common theme as late as recently as last
year.Stephen F. Hayes who was a political consultant to the Bush 43
administration in a column for neocon Bill Kristals Weeekly Standard,
<http://www.google. com/search? q=The+latest+ CIA+attack+ on+the+Bush+ administra
tion+is+nothing+ new&ie=utf- 8&oe=utf- 8&aq=t&rls= org.mozilla: en-US:official& cl
ient=firefox- a> Paul Pillar Speaks, Again - The latest CIA attack on the
Bush administration is nothing new (02/10/2006) (Linked to by multiple
right-wing sites)

Think about that: A senior, unelected CIA official-Paul Pillar-was given
agency approval to anonymously attack Bush administration policies less than
two months before the November 2, 2004, presidential election. That Pillar
was among the most strident of these frequent critics-usually in
off-the-record speeches to gatherings of foreign policy experts and business
leaders-was well known to his colleagues in the intelligence community and
to Bush administration policymakers. His was not an isolated case; CIA
officials routinely trashed Bush administration policy decisions, often with
official approval, in the months leading up to the Iraq War and again before
the election. Pillar, who had complained to a CIA spokesman that someone had
violated the ground rules by providing his name to Novak, simply got caught.

Pretty much standard rhetoric from the Right when it became known that Bush
and surrogates such as Hayes told lies repeatedly in defense of lies about
Iraq intelligence, WMD and non-existent al-Queda connections. The anti-Bush
CIA was out to get the neocons. Hayes was and as far as I know continues to
defend the Bush administration' s occupation of Iraq in 2003 as a
couldn't-wait- considering- the-urgent threat cheerleaders. laughable now to
most Americans in hindsight, but a commonly repeated bit of propaganda at
the time.
<http://www.dailykos .com/story/ 2003/12/31/ 215714/04> Neocon and plagiarist
of fascist writers, Michael Ledeen at The National Review,
<http://www.google. com/search? q=Sixteen+ Words%2C+ Again+The+ myth+of+a+ great+s
in+lives+o&ie= utf-8&oe= utf-8&aq= t&rls=org. mozilla:en- US:official& client=fire
fox-a> Sixteen Words, Again
The myth of a great sin lives on, April 10, 2006 ( again, linked to with
great approval by multiple right-wing outlets)

The consensus at CIA was highly critical of these reports (most CIA
officials were against the war and didn't want to be blamed for it), but the
White House, understandably very suspicious of the quality of CIA's
information and analysis, had pushed hard to get more information.

The Bush administration was
<http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ 2009/04/21/ report-harsh- interrogatio_ n_189817
.html> using torture to produce false links between Iraq and al-Queda, thus
Leeden and the Right accused anyone up to and including the CIA of being
pro-terrorist. Leeden also managed, in the same column, to mangle and lie
about every known fact concerning Joseph Wilson and the Niger yelllow-cake
claims in one of the Right's lamest attempts to smear Wilson and the CIA. He
even gives more credit to some iffy French intelligence service reports then
the CIA.
John McCain(R-AZ) ,
<http://thinkprogres s.org/2008/ 02/13/mccain- waterboarding- fail/> who was
against water boarding before he was for it is often given credit from
moderates or condemnation from the freeper crowd for
<http://www.salon. com/opinion/ greenwald/ 2008/04/27/ mccain/> the charade
known as the Detainee Treatment Act ( which Bush promptly arranged a
photo-op then ignored via yet another signing statement) also
<http://www.motherjo nes.com/politics /2008/08/ why-cia-veterans -are-scared- mcc
ain> thought the CIA was out to undermine the neocon agenda,

"McCain would be an absolute disaster," says a second recently retired
senior US intelligence operations officer. "He is prejudiced against the
CIA. The day after the 2004 election when Bush won, McCain came on TV and
gave an interview in which he said something to the effect of, 'The CIA
tried to sabotage this election. They've made their bed and now they have to
lay in it.' I used to like McCain, but he is inconsistent. " Columnist Robert
Novak quoted McCain in November 2004 as saying, "With CIA leaks intended to
harm the re-election campaign of the president of the United States, it is
not only dysfunctional but a rogue organization. "
McCain is influenced by a circle of hardline Republican legislators and
congressional staff as well as disgruntled former Agency officials "who all
had these long-standing grudges against people in the Agency," the former
senior intelligence officer said. "They think the CIA is a hotbed of
liberals. Right-wing, nutty paranoia stuff. They all love the military and
hate the CIA. Because the CIA tells them stuff they don't want to hear."

Many in the media want to portray Democrats as paranoid. If they keep at and
cross their fingers and hope that most American's memory is as long and
credible as John Boehner's that tactic may work. On the other hand if
anyone in the media wants to use Lexus-Nexus or Google for fifteen minutes
they'll find that until recently as far as most Republicans were concerned
the CIA were all radical leftists out to get them. This year's fashions have
changed. Now that the CIA has issued some memos gathered from from memories
of some nameless faceless sources, it is Democrats who are allegedly
paranoid. <http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Central_Intellig ence_Agency> The
CIA is in many ways like a large corporation that employs thousands of
people whose personal politics vary as much as any work place. There are
probably factions within department and the entire agency that differ in
opinion about how things should be run. Now, one gets the impression that
more then a political left-right agenda they're probably just looking out
for their own, much like large police departments are known to have tense
relationships with their internal affairs departments. A Truth Commission in
which the CIA, former Bush officials including Bush and Cheney, and even
Speaker Pelosi and former Senator Bob Graham - all under oath. Then let the
truth fall where it may, but that is exactly what the former Republican CIA
haters do not want, thus the continuing battle of media sound bites and
editorials rather then testimony,

"What struck me(former Senator Graham).was the fact that in that briefing,
there were also two staff members," he said. "As you know, the general rule
is that the executive is to brief the full committees of the House and
Senate Intelligence committees about any ongoing or proposed action. The
exception to that is what is called "covert action," where the
president.only briefs the Gang of Eight, which is the four congressional
leaders and the four intelligence committee leaders. Those sessions are
generally conducted at an executive site, primarily at the White House
itself. And they are conducted with just the authorized personnel, not with
any staff or any other member of the committee.. Which leads me to conclude
that this was not considered by the CIA to be a Gang of Eight briefing.
Otherwise they would not have had staff in the room. And that leads me to
then believe that they didn't brief us on any of the sensitive programs such
as the waterboarding or other forms of excessive interrogation. "
The remarks made by Graham bolster the comments offered by Pelosi on
Thursday. The Speaker told reporters that during her briefing session in the
fall of 2002 she was not just kept in the dark about the issue of
waterboarding, she was assured that it had not been used.
"Yes, I am saying that the CIA was misleading the Congress," she said.

<http://4.bp. blogspot. com/_PUoIm_ a8734/Sg5GW3xIis I/AAAAAAAABpw/ JlY1U_cTXE8/ s
1600-h/The-decider- clown.png> The decider clown

2.

Obama Is Said to Consider Preventive Detention For Suspects Deemed '

Posted by: "CLG News" clgnews@gmail.com   clg_news

Thu May 21, 2009 1:03 pm (PDT)



*News Updates from Citizens For Legitimate Government*
21 May 2009
*http://www.legitgov .org/*
All items are here:
*http://www.legitgov .org/#breaking_ news*<http://www.legitgov .org/#breaking_ news>

*Obama Is Said to Consider Preventive Detention For Suspects Deemed
'National Security
Threat'<http://www.nytimes. com/2009/ 05/21/us/ politics/ 21obama.html>--'The
idea that we might find ourselves fighting with the Obama
administration over these powers is really stunning.' *21 May 2009 President
Bush Obama told human rights advocates at the White House on Wednesday that
he was mulling the need for a "preventive detention" system that would
establish a legal basis for the United States to incarcerate terrorism
suspects who are deemed a threat to national security but cannot be tried,
two participants in the private session said. One participant said Mr. Obama
did not seem to be thinking about preventive detention for terrorism
suspects now held at Guantánamo Bay, but rather for those captured in the
future, in settings other than a legitimate [?] battlefield like
Afghanistan.

*While the Bagram torture center remains open: **Obama Says Guantanamo
Weakens Security and Must
Close<http://www.bloomber g.com/apps/ news?pid= 20601103& sid=a57RoWEYdyL0>
* 21 May 2009 President Barack Obama reaffirmed his determination to close
the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by next January, saying its
existence has made the U.S. less secure and represents a corruption of
American values. The president, in an
address<http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2009/may/ 21/obama- administration- guantanamo- interrogation>today
in Washington, was critical of decisions made by former President
[sic] George W. Bush's administration in the war against [of] terrorism,
calling some "ad hoc" and "hasty." He called the Guantanamo prison a
"misguided experiment" that has created a legal "mess."

*Obama's remarks on US national security as prepared for
delivery<http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2009/may/ 21/obama- administration- guantanamo- interrogation>--US
president defends decision to close Guantánamo detention centre and
condemns use of harsh interrogation techniques* 21 May 2009 Barack Obama
delivers remarks on US national security at the National Archives building
in Washington.

*Cheney defends waterboarding, says Guantanamo prison
essential<http://www.latimes. com/news/ nationworld/ nation/la- na-cheney22- 2009may22, 0,1847797. story>
* 22 May 2009 Former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney, delivering a forceful
defense of the Bush regime's interrogations of suspected terrorists and
stern criticism of the Obama administration, maintained today that the CIA
never tortured anyone and kept the United States safe from an attack
potentially worse than the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001.

*Those who wish to be added to the list can go here:*
http://www.legitgov .org/#subscribe_ clg and add your name. Those who wish to
unsubscribe can go here:
http://lists. people-link. net/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo /legitgov. If your
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trigger false spam complaints against the CLG. If you have any
inquiries/issues with your subscription, please write: signup at legitgov
dot org.

CLG Managing Editor: Lori Price. Copyright © 2009, Citizens For Legitimate
Government ® All rights reserved.
3.

'Work for us or we will say you are a terrorist' 21 May 2009

Posted by: "CLG News" clgnews@gmail.com   clg_news

Thu May 21, 2009 6:46 pm (PDT)



*Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government*
21 May 2009
*http://www.legitgov .org/* <http://www.legitgov .org/>
All links are here:
*http://www.legitgov .org/#breaking_ news*<http://www.legitgov .org/#breaking_ news>

*How MI5 blackmails British
Muslims<http://www.independ ent.co.uk/ news/uk/home- news/exclusive- how-mi5-blackmai ls-british- muslims-1688618. html>--'Work
for us or we will say you are a terrorist'
* 21 May 2009 Five Muslim community workers have accused MI5 of waging a
campaign of blackmail and harassment in an attempt to recruit them as
informants. *The men claim they were given a choice of working for the
Security Service or face detention and harassment in the UK and overseas*.
They have made official complaints to the police, to the body which oversees
the work of the Security Service and to their local MP Frank Dobson. Now
they have decided to speak publicly about their experiences in the hope that
publicity will stop similar tactics being used in the future.

*Home Secretary was warned of MI5's 'blackmailing of
Muslims'<http://www.independ ent.co.uk/ news/uk/home- news/home- secretary- was-warned- of-mi5s-blackmai ling-of-muslims- 1689212.html>
* 22 May 2009 The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, was warned nine months ago
about MI5's alleged campaign of blackmail and intimidation against a group
of young Muslim men, *The Independent* has learnt. Veteran Labour MP Frank
Dobson wrote to Ms Smith in September about concerns raised by a north
London community leader who claimed six youth workers had endured an
18-month campaign of threats and coercion in an attempt to recruit them as
informants on their friends and neighbours.

*Scratch a terrorist, find the US government: Undercover Agents Supplied
Missile and Explosives to NYC
Plotters<http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 30856404/>--The FBI and other
agencies monitored the men and provided an inactive
missile and inert C-4 to the informant for the defendants, a federal
complaint said*. 21 May 2009 Four men arrested after planting what they
thought were explosives near two New York City synagogues were disappointed
that the World Trade Center wasn't still around to attack, a federal
prosecutor said Thursday as the men appeared in court for the first time.
The suspects were arrested Wednesday night. Authorities said the men also
plotted to shoot down a military plane. James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta
Williams, and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh, were charged with conspiracy
to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States and conspiracy
to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles.

*Busted New York Terror Plot Strengthens Plea for More Anti-Terror
Funding<http://www.foxnews. com/politics/ 2009/05/21/ busted-new- york-terror- plot-triggers- debate-anti- terror-funding/>--Some
national security experts say lawmakers should increase funding to
cities fighting terrorism as a result of the foiled terror plot in New York*.
21 May 2009 The alleged terror plot that was foiled in New York City proves
that Congress needs to increase anti-terror funding to New York and other
areas that suffered a significant reduction a few years ago, some homeland
security advocates said Thursday. Four men were arrested Wednesday night
after a nearly yearlong undercover operation by the FBI and New York City
Police Department. The suspects, all American citizens, allegedly plotted to
wage a holy war by bombing two New York City synagogues and shooting down
military planes in upstate New York. *The four men were said to be motivated
by anger about Muslim casualties in Afghanistan and Pakistan because of
U.S.-led military operations there*.

*N.Y. Bomb Suspects Said to Have No Connections to Terror
Groups<http://www.bloomber g.com/apps/ news?pid= 20601087& sid=aj43cfOgpp_ A>
* 21 May 2009 The four men arrested last night on allegations they plotted
to bomb New York City synagogues and shoot down military planes were
homegrown criminals with no connections to global terror groups, officials
said today. The suspects knew each other through "prison -- prison contacts
for the most part," New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in
a televised press conference in the Bronx. [*Holy coincidence, Batman! Just
as cowardly Congresscritters block the
closure<http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 30826649/>of the Guantanamo Bay
gulag and a federal judge rules that terrorist *
suspects* can be held in perpetuity on US
soil<http://www.google. com/hostednews/ ap/article/ ALeqM5i4xYyvWDfL 4tuqx_gqzGLQCH0i 9gD98A1OH80>,
we receive this breaking news nugget.*]

*Obama Endorses Indefinite Detention Without
Trial<http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2009/ 05/21/AR20090521 04045.html>
* 22 May 2009 President Obama acknowledged publicly for the first time
yesterday that some prisoners at Guantanamo Bay may have to be held without
trial indefinitely, *siding with conservative national security
advocates*on one of the most contentious issues raised by the closing
of the military
prison in Cuba.

*Obama Is Said to Consider Preventive Detention For Suspects Deemed
'National Security
Threat'<http://www.nytimes. com/2009/ 05/21/us/ politics/ 21obama.html>--'The
idea that we might find ourselves fighting with the Obama
administration over these powers is really stunning.' *21 May 2009 President
Bush Obama told human rights advocates at the White House on Wednesday that
he was mulling the need for a "preventive detention" system that would
establish a legal basis for the United States to incarcerate terrorism
suspects who are deemed a threat to national security but cannot be tried,
two participants in the private session said. One participant said Mr. Obama
did not seem to be thinking about preventive detention for terrorism
suspects now held at Guantánamo Bay, but rather for those captured in the
future, in settings other than a legitimate [?] battlefield like
Afghanistan.

*While the Bagram torture center remains open: **Obama Says Guantanamo
Weakens Security and Must
Close<http://www.bloomber g.com/apps/ news?pid= 20601103& sid=a57RoWEYdyL0>
* 21 May 2009 President Barack Obama reaffirmed his determination to close
the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by next January, saying its
existence has made the U.S. less secure and represents a corruption of
American values. The president, in an
address<http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2009/may/ 21/obama- administration- guantanamo- interrogation>today
in Washington, was critical of decisions made by former President
[sic] George W. Bush's administration in the war against [of] terrorism,
calling some "ad hoc" and "hasty." He called the Guantanamo prison a
"misguided experiment" that has created a legal "mess."

*Obama's remarks on US national security as prepared for
delivery<http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2009/may/ 21/obama- administration- guantanamo- interrogation>--US
president defends decision to close Guantánamo detention centre and
condemns use of harsh interrogation techniques* 21 May 2009 Barack Obama
delivers remarks on US national security at the National Archives building
in Washington.

*Obama: 50 Gitmo detainees cleared for
transfer<http://news. yahoo.com/ s/ap/20090521/ ap_on_go_ pr_wh/us_ obama_guantanamo _detainees>
* 21 May 2009 Forty-eight terror suspects currently held at Guantanamo Bay
are waiting to be released to other nations, the Obama administration said
Thursday. The prisoners are among 50 detainees whose cases President Barack
Obama said Thursday have already been reviewed. The prisoners would be the
first to be released to other nations under the Obama administration' s
effort to empty the Cuba-based prison without bringing all its inmates to
the United States.

*Initial U.S. trial set for Guantanamo
detainee<http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 30855392/>--Attorney General says
'high value' prisoner to be sent to NYC for trial
* 21 May 2009 The Obama administration is pressing ahead with its plan to
close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, deciding to put a "high value"
prisoner on trial in New York City despite resistance from some in Congress.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced early Thursday that Ahmed Ghailani
will be sent to New York City for trial, which would make him the first
Guantanamo prisoner brought to the U.S. and the first to face trial in a
civilian criminal court.

*Cheney defends waterboarding, says Guantanamo prison
essential<http://www.latimes. com/news/ nationworld/ nation/la- na-cheney22- 2009may22, 0,1847797. story>
* 22 May 2009 Former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney, delivering a forceful
defense of the Bush regime's interrogations of suspected terrorists and
stern criticism of the Obama administration, maintained today that the CIA
never tortured anyone and kept the United States safe from an attack
potentially worse than the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001. The waterboarding
employed in the questioning of a few captured terrorists was essential to
gleaning as much information about Al Qaeda's intentions as quickly as
possible in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New
York and the Pentagon, the former vice president said in a public address
today.

*RI rep.: Bush should be waterboarded for
charity*<http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ feedarticle/ 8520205>[
*No. Bush should be waterboarded until he reveals the information Cheney
says is vital and necessitates the tactic: To learn who was actually behind
the 9/11 terror attacks (his administration) and has ties to al-Qaeda
(same).*] 21 May 2009 A Rhode Island Democratic lawmaker says he'll donate
$100 to charity for every second former President [sic] George W. Bush
withstands waterboarding. State Rep. Rod Driver sent letters making the
offer to Bush as well as to former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney and
ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Bush's administration allowed the
interrogation technique, which simulates drowning, to be used on terrorism
suspects. Driver says *if Bush is confident it isn't torture, he should try
it himself*. His offer was
reported<http://www.theweste rlysun.com/ articles/ 2009/05/21/ news/local/ doc4a1549574e744 954986518. txt>Thursday
in
*The Westerly Sun*.

*US Senate nears finishing $91.3 bln war funds
bill<http://www.reuters. com/article/ rbssIndustryMate rialsUtilitiesNe ws/idUSN21304675 20090521>
* 21 May 2009 The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted 64-30 to reject stripping
out the credit lines from a $91.3 billion spending bill that funds the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan but omits money to close the U.S. prison in
Guantanamo Bay that President Barack Obama requested.

*26 killed in Baghdad bomb
attacks<http://www.radionet herlands. nl/news/internat ional/6309408/ 26-killed- in-Baghdad- bomb-attacks>
* 21 May 2009 At least 26 people have been killed in several bomb attacks in
Iraq on Thursday. Seven people were killed in a suicide bomb attack in the
northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. In the capital Baghdad, at least 12 people
were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a busy market. A car bomb in the
capital claimed the lives of three US troops stationed there. Earlier on
Thursday, three police officers were killed when a bomb went off at a
Baghdad police station.

*Three U.S. soldiers killed in Baghdad: U.S.
military<http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/ 2009-05/21/ content_11415557 .htm>
* 21 May 2009 The U.S. military said on Thursday that three of its soldiers
were killed in a bomb attack in southern Baghdad. "Three Multi-national
Division-Baghdad soldiers died when an improvised explosive device detonated
near their patrol in Baghdad at approximately 10:40 a.m. (0740 GMT) on May
21," a military statement said.

*Ex-soldier spared death sentence for Iraq
murders<http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2009/ 05/21/AR20090521 03594.html>
* 21 May 2009 An ex-soldier convicted of raping and killing an Iraqi teen
and murdering her family was spared the death penalty Thursday and will
serve a life sentence after jurors couldn't agree unanimously on a
punishment for the brutal crimes. Pfc. Steven Dale Green of Midland, Texas,
and three other soldiers in March 2006 went to the home of 14-year-old Abeer
Qassim al-Janabi near Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. Green
shot and killed the teen's mother, father and sister, then became the third
soldier to rape the girl before shooting her in the face.

*Israel to US: We reserve 'right' to bomb
Iran*<http://www.presstv. ir/detail. aspx?id=95524& sectionid= 351020202>21
May 2009 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Obama
administration that Tel Aviv "reserves itself operational freedom" on Iran,
according to an aide. The premier during his recent visit to Washington
"clarified that Israel reserves itself operational freedom, and several of
the most senior figures in the Obama administration said 'of course',"
Netanyahu's national security advisor Uzi Arad told Israel Army Radio.

*Ahmadinejad: I'm defending Iran's dignity by standing up to
West<http://www.haaretz. com/hasen/ spages/1087218. html>
* 21 May 2009 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he is defending Iran's dignity by
standing up to the West, a statement on the Iranian president's website said
late Wednesday. Ahmadinejad faces a difficult election next month and has
been highlighting his defiance as part of his quest to win a second term.
According to the Web site, he also called "disgraceful" a deal his
predecessor reached with the EU in 2003 to suspend the country's uranium
enrichment program.

*WHY are US taxpayers upgrading *Poland's* air defenses? So Raytheon and
other corpora-terrorists can make a killing*. *Poland expects Patriot in 09,
US 'yes' to shield<http://www.reuters. com/article/ latestCrisis/ idUSLI356339>
* 18 May 2009 Poland expects a U.S. Patriot battery to be deployed on its
soil in 2009 regardless of whether President Barack Obama opts to press
ahead with missile defence plans in Europe, a senior defence official said
on Monday. NATO member Poland agreed last year to host 10 interceptors as
part of a planned U.S. missile defence shield which is strongly opposed by
Russia. In return, Washington pledged to help update Poland's air defences
with, among others, a Patriot battery.

*Air Force jet crashes north of Edwards
AFB*<http://www.latimes. com/news/ la-me-jet- crash22-2009jun2 2,0,4604584. story>
** <http://www.latimes. com/news/ la-me-jet- crash22-2009jun2 2,0,4604584. story>21
May 2009 A military jet with a crew of two has crashed north of
Edwards
Air Force base in Southern California. An Air Force statement says there's
no immediate word on the condition of the crew of the T-38 Talon.

*Memo tells Kan. juvenile jails to prepare for 10-day quarantine in case of
swine flu outbreak<http://www.fox4kc. com/news/ sns-ap-ks- -swineflu- prisons,0, 3225202.story>
* 20 May 2009 Authorities in charge of the youth inmates in Kansas have
geared up for the possibility of a swine flu outbreak at juvenile
correctional facilities. The Juvenile Justice Authority issued a memo
Tuesday to all staff outlining plans to monitor the spread of swine flu and
minimize exposure.

*US swine flu deaths hit
double-digits<http://www.google. com/hostednews/ ap/article/ ALeqM5gzz357patY 4-QaJFvo9O95zMM_ EQD98AO0RG0>
* 21 May 2009 Marcos Sanchez is the nation's 10th fatality associated with
the newly discovered [created] virus that continues to spread across the
globe. Swine flu has sickened more than 11,000 people in 41 countries and
killed 85, according to the World Health Organization, whose figures often
trail those of individual countries.

*Reagan Slams Rush*<http://slog. thestranger. com/slog/ archives/ 2009/05/21/ reagan-slams- rush>
* --Limbaugh looks like "the unholy spawn of Tony Soprano and the Michelin
Man."* By Dan Savage 21 May 2009 Rush Limbaugh--drug addict, Vi_gra
user--isn't in a position to mock other people's appearances. But that
didn't stop him from suggesting that posting a photo of Nancy Pelosi in
"every cheap hotel room in America" would cut the birth rate--because, hey,
no man could get it up with Pelosi's ugly mug in the room, right? Ron Reagan
Jr. bashes back: 'Limbaugh hasn't had a natural erection since the Nixon
Administration; think he's compensating for something? Now, I wouldn't pick
on him for any of this stuff... to me, off limits until! until! Mr.
Limbaugh, you turn that sort of gun on somebody else--once you start doing
that, you're fair game, fat boy. Absolutely, *you jiggly pile of mess*.
You're just fair game, and you're going to get it, too.'

*Senate weighs study of tobacco
candy<http://www.indystar .com/apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID= /20090521/ LOCAL/905210421>--Critics
say lozenge-like Camel Orb, being tested in Indianapolis, targets
children* 21 May 2009 Legislation the Senate is considering to regulate
tobacco products under the Food and Drug Administration includes a measure
that would mandate the study of a product being tested in Indianapolis:
tobacco candy. Made by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the lozenge-like Camel Orb
also is being test-marketed in Portland, Ore., and Columbus, Ohio.

*Anthony Steen: 'You're all just
jealous'<http://www.independ ent.co.uk/ news/uk/politics /anthony- steen-youre- all-just- jealous-1689211. html>--
**Tory maverick who quit after claiming expenses for 500 trees hits back,
saying voters are only envious of his big house*. 22 May 2009 A maverick
Tory MP yesterday embarrassed his party but voiced what some of his
colleagues have been privately thinking when he launched a spirited and
controversial defence of the parliamentary expenses system. Anthony Steen
said public "jealousy" was fuelling the furore and claimed that taxpayers
have no right to see the details of individual MPs' claims.

*Another $7.5 billion bailout for
GMAC*<http://money. cnn.com/2009/ 05/21/autos/ gmac_bailout/ index.htm>
* --Auto lender to GM and Chrysler gets big investment from Treasury*. 21
May 2009 The Obama administration announced Thursday that it has invested
$7.5 billion in GMAC, aiming to prop up the troubled lender and boost its
ability to make loans to Chrysler dealers and customers. GMAC is the main
source of financing for General Motors customers and was recently tapped by
the administration as the main lender for Chrysler.

*Florida bank collapses - firms swoop
in<http://money. cnn.com/2009/ 05/21/news/ companies/ BankUnited/ ?postversion= 2009052119>--$13
billion BankUnited closed in biggest failure of year. Florida thrift
bought by Wilbur Ross, Carlyle Investment, Blackstone Capital and other
private firms*. 21 May 2009 A consortium of private equity firms has
acquired BankUnited FSB in Florida after the savings and loan was shut down
by federal regulators Thursday. The 34th bank to fail this year and the
largest so far, BankUnited had $12.8 billion in assets, $8.6 billion in
deposits and 85 branches. The new institution will be named BankUnited.

*Jobless Claims in U.S. Decreased 12,000 to
631,000<http://www.bloomber g.com/apps/ news?pid= 20601087& sid=aQ7ajSHhUcCc>
* 21 May 2009 More Americans than forecast filed claims for unemployment
insurance last week, and the total number of workers receiving benefits rose
to a record, signs the job market continues to weaken even as the economic
slump eases. Initial jobless claims fell by 12,000 to 631,000 in the week
ended May 16, from a revised 643,000 the prior week that was higher than
initially estimated, the Labor Department said today in Washington.

*Baby Buffalo Flees On Broken
Leg<http://www.earthjus tice.org/ library/features /exclusive- footage-of- injured-bison- calf.html>
* (Earthjustice) 21 May 2009 If anything explains why Earthjustice sues, it
is this new video clip showing a baby bison with a broken leg fleeing
helicopters and mounted riders [terrorists] . The tragic scene took place
last week on Horse Butte peninsula outside of Yellowstone National Park, as
federal and state agents drove park buffalo off spring pastures because of
perceived conflict with livestock. *Earthjustice is in
court<http://www.earthjus tice.org/ news/press/ 2008/horse- butte-residents- seek-to-shield- bison-from- stockmen- lawsuit.html>to
secure the bison's right to these grasslands where they historically
lived*.

CLG needs your support.
*http://www.legitgov .org/donate. html* <http://www.legitgov .org/donate. html>
Or, please mail a check or money order to CLG:
Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG)
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Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible

Previous lead stories: *Judge says US can hold prisoners
indefinitely<http://www.google. com/hostednews/ ap/article/ ALeqM5i4xYyvWDfL 4tuqx_gqzGLQCH0i 9gD98A1OH80>--Prisoners
can be held without being charged, indefinitely
*20 May 2009 A federal judge says the United States can continue to hold
some prisoners at Guantanamo Bay indefinitely without any charges. U.S.
District Judge John Bates' opinion issued Tuesday night limited the Obama
administration' s definition of who can be held. But he said Congress in the
days after Sept. 11, 2001 gave the president the authority to hold anyone
involved in planning, aiding or carrying out the terrorist attacks.

*Senate blocks transfer of Guantanamo
prisoners*<http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 30826649/>
* --Meanwhile, federal judge says U.S. can hold prisoners indefinitely* 20
May 2009 In a rare, bipartisan defeat for President Barack Obama, the Senate
voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open for
the foreseeable future and forbid the transfer of any detainees to
facilities in the United States. DemocRATs lined up with Republicans in the
90-6 vote that came on the heels of a similar move a week ago in the House.

*Senator Claims KBR Received Massive Bonuses Despite Knowledge of Shoddy
Work <http://www.mysmartr end.com/briefs. asp?nwdate= 20090520& story=17>* 20
May 2009 North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan (D) said that according to
Pentagon documents, KBR Inc was paid $83.4 million in bonuses and claims
that much of it was delivered after the military's contracting agency
realized the company was performing shoddy, hazardous electrical work.
Senator Dorgan chairs the Democrats' Policy Committee, which has
investigated the electrocution deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq. KBR has denied
responsibility for the many electrocution deaths in Iraq, including at least
three troops electrocuted showering in facilities for which KBR was
responsible.

*Those who wish to be added to the list can go here*:
http://www.legitgov .org/#subscribe_ clg and add your name. Those who wish to
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inquiries/issues with your subscription, please write: signup at legitgov
dot org.

CLG Managing Editor: Lori Price. Copyright © 2009, Citizens For Legitimate
Government ® All rights reserved.
4.

Ventura Schools Hasselbeck on Waterboarding: The View

Posted by: "Scott Peden" scotpeden@cruzio.com   scotpeden

Fri May 22, 2009 12:06 am (PDT)



THREE TIMES she said 'OK, so Waterboarding is torture. but.....

But implies that it is OK... under certain circumstances.

Scott

Love it! Ventura tells it like it is, and even manages to say, on very
mainstream TV, that dems and repubs are equally involved in war crimes!

http://www.youtube. <http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=5XGjpdJTDxI>
com/watch?v= 5XGjpdJTDxI

Classical economics is only value-free on its surface. In actual fact it
ignores power in the world. In actual fact it ignores that its outcomes
ALWAYS hurt the lesser much more than they do the greater. Economics is not
just the dismal science, it is the shameful fancy window dressing of the
exercise of naked power by the rich and the owners against the poor and the
workers. It is the condom which makes safe and obscure the ways we are
screwed. Wythe Holt 5/21/09

<http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Kucinich4P resident/ message/66740; _ylc=X3oDMTM
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