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_MARCH 2009_
YEAR 2009 CALENDAR Printable 2009 Calendar March 2009 News History March 2009 News February 2009 News January 2009 News |
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-
Pakistani
-
Police
-
Military
- Political
-
Religious
- History
-
Soviet
-
Afghanistan
-
India
"Insurgent
Threat Shifts in Pakistan: Assault on Police Academy
Indicates Risk Has Moved Beyond Tribal Areas." ... "The brazen occupation
of a Pakistani police academy Monday by heavily armed gunmen near the eastern
mega-city of Lahore [Pakistan] was the latest indication that Islamist
terrorism, once confined to Pakistan's northwest tribal belt, now threatens
political stability nationwide." ... "The precisely orchestrated assault
by a squad of young men, which left at least 11 people dead and took security
forces nearly eight hours to quell, was also a likely sign that Islamist
militant groups in Punjab province, once tolerated and even supported by
the Pakistani state to fight in India and Afghanistan, have turned openly
against the government." ... "Pakistan has been an incubator for Islamist
militant groups for the past several decades. Until recently, they were
focused on external conflicts, especially the dispute over Indian Kashmir,
the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during the 1980s and the presence
of [United States] U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan since the fall of the
Taliban in late 2001." ... "In the past several years, extremist groups
along the Afghan border have turned inward, spreading violence and religious
fanaticism among the ethnic Pashtun populace in Pakistan's northwest. Pakistan
has tried to contain the problem through a combination of military offensives
and political negotiations, which are underway in several conflicted border
districts." -By Pamela Constable with contributions
by Aoun Sahi -WashingtonPost
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 30, 2009 News URL: #March-30-2009-News
20090330
Monday
-
Torture
-
Criminal
-
Dick
Cheney -
War
Crimes -
-
Military
-
Government
- Intelligence
-
Terrorism
-
Detainee
-
Secret
-
Censored
-
Videotapes
- Legal
-
Politics
-
History
-
Book
"Bush's
Torture Rationale Debunked." ... "Abu Zubaida was
the alpha and omega of the [Republican President] Bush administration's
argument for torture." ... "That's why Sunday's front-page Washington Post
story by Peter
Finn and Joby Warrick is such a blow to the last remaining torture
apologists." ... "Finn and Warrick reported that "not a single significant
plot was foiled" as a result of Zubaida's brutal treatment -- and that,
quite to the contrary, his false confessions "triggered a series of alerts
and sent hundreds of CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] and FBI [Federal
Bureau of Investigation] investigators scurrying in pursuit of phantoms.""
... "Zubaida was the first detainee to be tortured at the direct instruction
of the [Republican President Bush] White House. Then he was President George
W. Bush's Exhibit A in defense of the "enhanced interrogation" procedures
that constituted torture. And he continues to be held up as a justification
for torture by its most ardent defenders." ... "But as author Ron Suskind
reported almost three years ago -- and as The Post now confirms -- almost
all
the key assertions the Bush administration made about Zubaida were wrong."
... "Zubaida wasn't a major al Qaeda figure. He wasn't holding back critical
information. His torture didn't produce valuable intelligence -- and it
certainly didn't save lives." ... "All the calculations the Bush White
House claims to have made in its decision to abandon long-held moral and
legal strictures against abusive interrogation turn out to have been profoundly
flawed, not just on a moral basis but on a coldly practical one as well."
... "Indeed, the Post article raises the even further disquieting possibility
that intentional cruelty was part of the White House's motive." ... "There's
no doubt that Zubaida's capture in spring 2002 was what sent the administration
down the path to state-sanctioned torture. Last April,
ABC
News reported that starting right after his capture, top Bush aides
including [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney micromanaged
his interrogation from the White House basement. "The high-level discussions
about these 'enhanced interrogation techniques' were so detailed," ABC's
sources said, "some of the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed
-- down to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic."
Bush has acknowledged
he was aware of those meetings at the time." ... "Techniques that created
damage short of "the level of death, organ failure, or the permanent impairment
of a significant body function" were later authorized in an August 2002
Justice Department memo, known as the Torture
Memo." ... "Just two
weeks ago, in a New York Review of Books article based on a confidential
report from the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mark
Danner described the techniques used on Zubaida in harrowing detail."
... "I've [Dan
Froomkin] written extensively about Zubaida before, and about how the
facts of his case as unearthed by [author of the book "The
One Percent Doctrine" Ron] Suskind thoroughly undermine the Bush administration's
arguments. See, for instance, my Dec. 18, 2007 column, Exhibit
A for Torture, in which I suggested that "Bush's Exhibit A in defense
of torture may in fact be an exhibit for the prosecution." We learned in
December 2007 that the CIA had destroyed
videotapes of its secret interrogations -- 92 in all, it
turns out, 90 of them of Zubaida. In February
2008, I wrote about how the White House's torture argument had now
officially become that the ends justify the means." ... "Over the years,
I've made something of a point of debunking
the Bush White House's unsupported assertions that any really useful information
was gleaned from torture." -By Dan
Froomkin -WashingtonPost
-
John
McCain -
Government
- Money
-
Accounting
-
Arizona
"Despite
McCain's Comments, Senate GOP Not Offering Detailed Budget."
... "On Thursday, House Republicans did wind up offering the frame of an
alternative budget -- but then they were widely panned for not releasing
a more detailed alternative to the Democratic proposals." ... "That’s what
made an exchange Sunday with [Arizona Republican Senator] Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” intriguing."
"DAVID GREGORY: “Do you think that Republicans should provide a detailed budget alternative?”""So -- are they?" ... "Actually, no." -By Rick Klein -ABCNEWS.com"McCAIN: “Yes.”"
"GREGORY: “With numbers?”"
"McCAIN: “Yes.”"
"GREGORY: “Will that happen in the Senate?”"
"McCAIN: “We're working on it, working very hard on it.”"
-
Barack
Obama -
Government
- Politics
-
Auto
-
Makers
- Workers
-
Retirement
- Money
"Wagoner's
pension secure as GM's workers could be hit." ...
"As the [Democratic President] Obama administration tries to rein in sky-high
executive compensation at firms that are getting billions in taxpayer funds,
ousted General Motors Chief Executive Rick Wagoner is due to walk away
with a pension and benefits that total $23 million." ... "Wagoner, whose
company is on tap to get a nearly $30 billion bailout to help it restructure,
is unaffected by the cap on compensation that's now levied on banks other
financial firms and is expected to be extended to the automakers." ...
"Wagoner's pension payments are being preserved even as those of rank-and-file
GM [General Motors] workers are more at risk after President Barack Obama
suggested that bankruptcy is a way to save the company." ... "According
to GM's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he [Wagoner]
earned $14.4 million in total compensation in 2007 and $5.4 million in
2008, even though most of his income was tied to the company's performance,
which was dismal." -By Greg
Gordon with contributions by Kevin
G. Hall -McClatchyDC.com
-
Norm
Coleman -
John
Cornyn -
Tim
Pawlenty - Political
-
2008
Election -
Federal
- Legal
-
History
-
Minnesota
-
Texas
"Cornyn:
GOP [Republicans] Prepared To Fight ‘World War III’ To Keep Franken Out
Of The Senate For ‘Years’." ... "Last week, the ongoing
legal battle between [2008 Election Minnesota Senatorial Candidates] Democrat
Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman officially became the “the
longest recount in Minnesota history.” Though Franken leads
Coleman in the current vote tally, according to the Minnesota Supreme
Court, he can’t
be certified until after election challenges have been decided in the
state courts." ... "If Coleman loses in the state courts, he
and his Republican backers are indicating that they may seek to bring it
to the federal level, which could keep the Senate seat vacant for much
longer. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman [and Texas Republican
Senator] John Cornyn told Politico recently that the party is willing to
keep the seat empty for “years“:"
"Texas [Republican Senator] Sen. John Cornyn is threatening “World War III” if Democrats try to seat Al Franken in the Senate before Norm Coleman can pursue his case through the federal courts.""The threat of an empty Senate seat for years — which would hold the Democratic advantage in the Senate at 58-41 — does not appear to be a welcome concept to the people of Minnesota. The Star Tribune reported last week that “the prospect of a protracted battle irks some regardless of their political leanings.”" ... "Additionally, Minnesota [Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R [Republican]) believes that only having one senator is hurting Minnesota. In February, Pawlenty told C-Span that “it has put Minnesota at a disadvantage when there’s only 100 senators total and you are missing one.”""Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, acknowledges that a federal challenge to November’s elections could take “years” to resolve. But he’s adamant that Coleman deserves that chance — even if it means Minnesota is short a senator for the duration."
" -By Matt Corley -ThinkProgress.orgWATCH: Minnesota Republican Governor explain that having only one serving US Senator "has put Minnesota at a disadvantage...."
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 29, 2009 News URL: #March-29-2009-News
20090329
Sunday
-
Secret
-
Detainee's
-
Torture
-
Criminal
-
Military
- Intelligence
-
Government
- Terrorism
-
Waterboarding
-
War
Crimes - Politics
-
Human
-
Rights
- Law
-
US
-
Money
-
History
-
Osama
bin Laden
-
Religion
- Afghanistan
-
Globe
"Detainee's
Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots: Waterboarding, Rough
Interrogation of Abu Zubaida Produced False Leads, Officials Say." ...
"When CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] officials subjected their first
high-value captive, Abu Zubaida, to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation
methods, they were convinced that they had in their custody an al-Qaeda
leader who knew details of operations yet to be unleashed, and they were
facing
increasing pressure from the [Republican President Bush] White House to
get those secrets out of him." ... "The methods succeeded in breaking him,
and the stories he told of al-Qaeda terrorism plots sent CIA officers around
the globe chasing leads." ... "In the end, though, not a single significant
plot was foiled as a result of Abu Zubaida's tortured confessions, according
to former senior government officials who closely followed the interrogations.
Nearly all of the leads attained through the harsh measures quickly evaporated,
while most of the useful information from Abu Zubaida -- chiefly names
of al-Qaeda members and associates -- was obtained before waterboarding
was introduced, they said." ... "Moreover, within weeks of his capture,
[United States] U.S. officials had gained evidence that made clear they
had misjudged Abu Zubaida. President George W. Bush had publicly described
him as "al-Qaeda's chief of operations," and other top officials called
him a "trusted associate" of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and a major
figure in the planning of the [2001 September] Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks. None of that was accurate, the new evidence showed." ... "Abu
Zubaida was not even an official member of al-Qaeda, according to a portrait
of the man that emerges from court documents and interviews with current
and former intelligence, law enforcement and military sources. Rather,
he was a "fixer" for radical Muslim ideologues, and he ended up working
directly with al-Qaeda only after Sept. 11 -- and that was because the
United States stood ready to invade Afghanistan." ... "The application
of techniques such as waterboarding -- a form of simulated drowning that
U.S. officials had previously deemed a crime -- prompted a sudden torrent
of names and facts. Abu Zubaida began unspooling the details of various
al-Qaeda plots, including plans to unleash weapons of mass destruction."
... "Abu Zubaida's revelations triggered a series of alerts and sent hundreds
of CIA and FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] investigators scurrying
in pursuit of phantoms. The interrogations led directly to the arrest of
Jose Padilla, the man Abu Zubaida identified as heading an effort to explode
a radiological "dirty bomb" in an American city. Padilla was held in a
naval brig for 3 1/2 years on the allegation but was never charged in any
such plot. Every other lead ultimately dissolved into smoke and shadow,
according to high-ranking former U.S. officials with access to classified
reports." ... ""We spent millions of dollars chasing false alarms," one
former intelligence official said." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Peter Finn and Joby Warrick with contributions
by Julie Tate -WashingtonPost
-
Corporate
-
Secrets
- People's
-
Health
-
History
-
Computerized
-
Data-Mining
- Web
-
Psychology
-
Drug
-
Federal
-
Consumer
- Privacy
-
Law
-
Politics
"Insurers
shun those taking certain meds: How health insurers
secretly blacklist those with certain ailments." ... "Trying to buy health
insurance on your own and have gallstones? You'll automatically be denied
coverage. Rheumatoid arthritis? Automatic denial. Severe acne? Probably
denied. Do you take metformin, a popular drug for diabetes? Denied. Use
the anti-clotting drug Plavix or Seroquel, prescribed for anti-psychotic
or sleep problems? Forget about it." ... "This confidential information
on some insurers' practices is available on the Web -- if you know where
to look." ... "What's more, you can discover that if you lie to an insurer
about your medical history and drug use, you will be rejected because data-mining
companies sell information to insurers about your health, including detailed
usage of prescription drugs." ... "To make sure that applicants are not
lying, insurers hire a data-gathering service -- Medical Information Bureau,
Milliman's Intelliscript or Ingenix Medpoint." ... "Intelliscript and Medpoint
do computerized searches of a person's drug use, gleaned from pharmacy
benefits managers and other databases." ... "Last year, the Federal Trade
Commission accused both companies of violating the Fair Credit Reporting
Act by not offering to provide consumers with information about them. The
companies agreed to settlements in which they promised to let people see
their personal information." (1, 2)
-By John Dorschner -MiamiHerald
-
China
-
Hackers
-
International
- Computer
-
Spying
-
Network
-
Investigation
-
-
Cams
- Political
-
Economic
-
Media
-
Military
- Tech
-
Canada
- United
Kingdom -
US
"UPDATE:
Deep computer-spying network touched 103 countries:
Analysts find spyware installed on servers belonging to foreign ministries,
embassies, and private companies." ... "A 10-month cyberespionage investigation
has found that 1,295 computers in 103 countries and belonging to international
institutions have been spied on, with some circumstantial evidence suggesting
China may be to blame." ... "The 53-page
report, released on Sunday, provides some of the most compelling evidence
and detail of the efforts of politically motivated hackers while raising
questions about their ties with government-sanctioned cyberspying operations."
... "[See also: Roger Grimes' Security
Adviser blog]" ... "It describes a network which researchers have
called GhostNet, which primarily uses a malicious software program called
gh0st RAT (Remote Access Tool) to steal sensitive documents, control Web
cams and completely control infected computers." ... ""GhostNet represents
a network of compromised computers resident in high-value political, economic
and media locations spread across numerous countries worldwide," said the
report, written by analysts with the Information Warfare Monitor, a research
project of the SecDev Group, a think tank, and the Munk Center for International
Studies at the University of Toronto [Canada]. "At the time of writing,
these organizations are almost certainly oblivious to the compromised situation
in which they find themselves."" ... ""Attributing all Chinese malware
to deliberate or targeted intelligence gathering operations by the Chinese
state is wrong and misleading," the report said." ... "However, China has
made a concerted effort since the 1990s to use cyberspace for military
advantage "The Chinese focus on cyber capabilities as part of its strategy
of national asymmetric warfare involves deliberately developing capabilities
that circumvent [United States] U.S. superiority in command-and-control
warfare," it said." ... "A second
report [PDF], written by University of Cambridge [United Kingdom] researchers
and published in conjunction with the University of Toronto paper, was
less circumspect, saying that the attacks against the Office of His Holiness
the Dalai Lama (OHHDL) were launched by "agents of the Chinese government."
The Cambridge team titled their report, "The Snooping Dragon."" (1, 2)
-By Jeremy Kirk with contributions by Robert McMillan
-IDG.net
via -InfoWorld
-
Corporate
-
Media
- Politics
-
Marketing
-
Religion
-
Government
- Law
-
History
-
Television
"Rev.
Moon Exemplifies Right Wing GOP Subsidy of Big Media to Frame Message."
... "[Reverend] Rev. Moon has adopted a relatively low-profile in recent
years (if you don't count his bizarre "coronation" by elected officials
in a Capitol Hill House of Representatives meeting room a couple years
back), but that hasn't prevented the weird religious leader (and close
ally of the Bush family) from pouring an estimated 1 - 2.5 billion dollars
into subsidizing the Washington Times since 1982." ... "In 2002, Rev. Moon
pronounced "The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading
the truth about God to the world." But the reality is that the Washington
Times -- like the New York Post and Weekly Standard for Rupert Murdoch
-- are investments in obtaining financial regulatory and other favors from
Republican administrations in return for helping frame and market the GOP
[GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] talking points of tax cuts, cultural wars,
and Wall Street gambling." ... "The Washington Times has only about 100,000
subscribers, but its newsboxes are next to the Washington Post throughout
D.C. [America's capital], allowing it to appear as an equal -- and to have
its banner headlines seen by tens of thousands of D.C. "influencers" every
day. Then, it also gives a byline and title for its writers to appear
as D.C. pundits on television (just as Bill Kristol is identified as editor
of the chronically money losing "Weekly Standard" during his ubiquitous
"pundit" appearances on the tube) -- as well as all television reporters
need to quote it to provide "balance."" ... "In short, Moon, in essence,
shells out hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars to use the Washington
Times as a public relations vehicle for "framing" the GOP perspective."
... "Meanwhile, wealthy liberal Democrats don't buy up or create large
media outlets; they just support efforts to criticize the corporate press
and the likes of Rev. Moon." ... "You can win elections, but you can't
make dramatic change unless you own part of the major media." ... "Rev.
Moon understands that. Why can't wealthy Democrats?" -By
Mark Karlin -BuzzFlash.com
-
Global
-
Climate
-
Earth
- Energy
-
Emissions
- Politics
-
Economic
-
Crisis
-
Floods
-
Plants
-
Animals
- History
-
"World
switches off to save planet in "Earth Hour"." ...
"Lights went out at tourism landmarks and homes across the globe on Saturday
for Earth Hour 2009, a global event designed to highlight the threat from
climate change." ... "Organizers said the action showed millions of people
wanted governments to work out a strong new [United Nations] U.N. deal
to fight global warming by the end of 2009, even though the global economic
crisis has raised worries about the costs." ... "The U.N. Climate Panel
says greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and will lead to more
floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions."
... "World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s." -By
Jon Boyle -Reuters
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 28, 2009 News URL: #March-28-2009-News
20090328
Saturday
-
Alberto
R Gonzales -
John
C Yoo -
Douglas
J Feith
-
William
J Haynes II -
Jay
S Bybee
-
David
S Addington -
Dick
Cheney -
Criminal
-
Torture
-
War
Crimes -
Secret
-
Prisoners
- Politics
-
History
-
International
- Law
-
US
-
Guantánamo
Bay - Cuba
-
Chile
-
Spain
"Spanish
Court Weighs Inquiry on Torture for 6 Bush-Era Officials."
... "A Spanish court has taken the first steps toward opening a criminal
investigation into allegations that six former high-level [Republican President]
Bush administration officials violated international law by providing the
legal framework to justify the torture of prisoners at Guantánamo
Bay, Cuba, an official close to the case said." ... "The case, against
former Attorney General Alberto
R. Gonzales and others, was sent to the prosecutor’s office for review
by Baltasar Garzón, the crusading investigative judge who ordered
the arrest of the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The official
said that it was “highly probable” that the case would go forward and that
it could lead to arrest warrants." ... "The complaint under review also
names John
C. Yoo, the former Justice Department lawyer who wrote secret legal
opinions saying the president had the authority to circumvent the Geneva
Conventions, and Douglas
J. Feith, the former under secretary of defense for policy." ... "Spain
can claim jurisdiction in the case because five citizens or residents of
Spain who were prisoners at Guantánamo Bay [Cuba] have said they
were tortured there. The five had been indicted in Spain, but their cases
were dismissed after the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that evidence obtained
under torture was not admissible." ... "The 98-page complaint, a copy of
which was obtained by The New York Times, is based on the Geneva Conventions
and the 1984 Convention Against Torture, which is binding on 145 countries,
including Spain and the United States. Countries that are party to the
torture convention have the authority to investigate torture cases, especially
when a citizen has been abused." ... "Gonzalo Boye, the Madrid lawyer who
filed the complaint, said that the six Americans cited had had well-documented
roles in approving illegal interrogation techniques, redefining torture
and abandoning the definition set by the 1984 Torture Convention." ...
"Secret memorandums by Mr. Yoo and other top administration lawyers helped
clear the way for aggressive policies like waterboarding and other harsh
interrogation techniques, which the [Central Intelligence Agency] C.I.A.
director, the attorney general and other American officials have said amount
to torture." ... "The other Americans named in the complaint were William
J. Haynes II, former general counsel for the Department of Defense; Jay
S. Bybee, Mr. Yoo’s former boss at the Justice Department’s Office of Legal
Counsel; and David
S. Addington, who was the chief of staff and legal adviser to [Republican]
Vice President Dick
Cheney." -By Marlise
Simons with contributions by Scott
Shane and Eric
Schmitt -NYTimes
-
Brazil
-
Poverty
-
Homes
-
Tourist
- Environment
-
Construction
- Politics
"Brazil
builds walls around Rio de Janeiro slums." ... "The
government of Rio de Janeiro is building concrete walls to prevent sprawling
slums from spreading farther into the picturesque hills of this world-famous
tourist destination, an official said on Saturday." ... "Officials say
the wall is to protect the remaining native forest but critics fear the
move could be seen as discriminatory and become a blemish symbolizing Brazil's
deep divisions between rich and poor." ... "By year-end the Rio de Janeiro
state government wants to build almost 7 miles (11 km) of walls to contain
19 communities." -By Raymond Colitt with contributions
by Bill Trott -Reuters
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 27, 2009 News URL: #March-27-2009-News
20090327
Friday
-
John
Roberts - Supreme
Court -
Nevada
"Reid:
Chief Justice Roberts "didn't tell us the truth"."
... "[United States] U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts "didn't
tell us the truth" before his 2005 confirmation, Senate Majority Leader
[and Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid said Friday." -By
David
Lightman -McClatchyDC.com
via -Yahoo
-
Iowa
-
North
Dakota
"Senators
Get Nasty: "You're Good" ... "Your Wife Said The Same Thing" (VIDEO)."
... "Budget Committee Chairman [and North Dakota Democratic Senator] Kent
Conrad (D-N.D. [Democratic-North Dakota]) was on the receiving end of this
one, after telling [Iowa Republican Senator] Sen. Charles Grassley (R [Republican]-Iowa),
"Oh, you are good."... [Chuck Grassley responded:] "Well, your wife said
the same thing," Grassley responded. " -By
Ryan
Grim -HuffingtonPost.com
WATCH:
Iowa Republican Senator Grassley say "Well, your wife said the same thing,"
in response to North Dakota Democratic Senator Conrad saying "Oh, you are
good."
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 26, 2009 News URL: #March-26-2009-News
20090326
Thursday
-
Economic
-
History
-
Jobs
-
Consumer
-
Government
"GDP
revision shows 6.3% decline in fourth quarter: Worst
quarter in 26 years led by weak spending, investment, exports." ... "The
U.S. economy experienced its most violent contraction in a generation during
the fourth quarter, with real gross domestic product plunging at a 6.3%
annualized seasonally adjusted rate, the Commerce Department reported Thursday
in its third estimate of quarterly growth." ... " GDP hadn't fallen so
much since the first quarter of 1982. It was the third largest decline
in GDP in 50 years." ... "Economists believe the current quarter, which
ends March 31, was nearly as bad. Current projections look for GDP to fall
at a 5.1% annual pace. Since 1947, GDP has never fallen by more than 4%
for two quarters in a row." ... "Some have a more extreme view: "The economy
will contract by a staggering 7% to 8% in the first quarter, before the
economy begins to stabilize,"wrote Nariman Behravesh, chief economist for
IHS Global Insight." ... "The recession that began in December 2007 intensified
in the fourth quarter following the government's rescue of several large
financial institutions and the collapse of Lehman Bros. The ensuing credit
squeeze has driven consumer and business confidence to generational lows,
and cost 3 million Americans their jobs." ... "The slump in the economy
in the fourth quarter was broad based, with declines in every major sector
except the federal government. Corporate profits fell at the fastest pace
since 1953." ... "Final sales to domestic purchasers -- domestic demand
-- fell at a 5.8% annual rate, the biggest drop since the second quarter
of 1980." -By Rex Nutting
-MarketWatch
-
Labor
-
Market
"U.S.
ongoing jobless claims rise to record 5.56 million:
First-time claims hit 652,000 for last week, underscoring lack of jobs."
... "Showing the labor market's considerable strain, the number of people
collecting state unemployment benefits reached yet another new record,
jumping 122,000 to a seasonally adjusted 5.56 million, the Labor Department
reported Thursday." ... "The four-week average of these claims rose 123,750
to stand at 5.33 million -- in itself a record high since the U.S. began
compiling these statistics -- also as of the week ended March 14." ...
"And for the week ended March 21, first-time claims for benefits rose 8,000
to 652,000, a level that's fully 78% higher than the same period in the
prior year." ... "The insured unemployment rate, representing the proportion
of covered workers who are receiving benefits, rose to 4.2% from 4.1%,
reaching the highest level since May 1983." -By Ruth
Mantell -MarketWatch
-
Real
Estate - History
"Commercial
Property Faces Crisis: Delinquency Rate at 1.8%,
Near Peak of Last Recession; Parallels to S&L Debacle." ... "Commercial
real-estate loans are going sour at an accelerating pace, threatening to
cause tens of billions of dollars in losses to banks already hurt by the
housing downturn." ... "The delinquency rate on about $700 billion in securitized
loans backed by office buildings, hotels, stores and other investment property
has more than doubled since September to 1.8% this month, according to
data provided to The Wall Street Journal by Deutsche Bank AG. While that's
low compared with the home-mortgage delinquency rate, it's just short of
the highest rate during the last downturn early this decade." ... "Some
experts say it now looks as if the current commercial real-estate slump
will rival or even exceed the one in the early 1990s, when bad commercial-property
debt played a big role in dragging the economy into a recession. Then,
close to 1,000 U.S. banks and savings institutions failed. Lenders took
about $48.5 billion in charges on commercial real-estate debt between 1990
and 1995, representing 7.9% of such debt outstanding." ... "Since late
2007, a total of 47 banks and savings institutions have failed, of which
a dozen or so had unusually high commercial-mortgage exposure. Foresight
Analytics in Oakland, Calif., estimates the U.S. banking sector could suffer
as much as $250 billion in commercial real-estate losses in this downturn.
The research firm projects that more than 700 banks could fail as a result
of their exposure to commercial real estate." ... "The Real Estate Roundtable,
a trade group, estimates that commercial real estate in the [United States]
U.S. is worth $6.5 trillion and financed by about $3.1 trillion in debt."
-By Lingling Wei with contributions by Maurice Tamman
and Jon Hilsenrath -WSJ.com
-
Barack
Obama -
Homeless
- People
-
Poverty
-
Families
- Jobs
-
Law
-
Politics
-
Los
Angeles -
California
-
Tennessee
-
Wash
-
Fla
"U.S.
cities deal with a surge in shanty towns." ... "Like
a dozen or so other cities across the nation, Fresno [California] is dealing
with an unhappy déjà vu: the arrival of modern-day Hoovervilles,
illegal encampments of homeless people that are reminiscent, on a far smaller
scale, of Depression-era shantytowns. At his news conference on Tuesday
night, [Democratic] President Obama was asked directly about the tent cities
and responded by saying that it was "not acceptable for children and families
to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.""
... "While encampments and street living have always been a part of the
landscape in big cities like Los Angeles [California] and New York, these
new tent cities have taken root — or grown from smaller enclaves of the
homeless as more people lose jobs and housing — in such disparate places
as Nashville [Tennessee's capital], Olympia, Wash. [Washington's capital],
and St. Petersburg, Fla. [Florida.]" ... "The problem in Fresno is different
in that it is both chronic and largely outside the national limelight.
Homelessness here has long been fed by the ups and downs in seasonal and
subsistence jobs in agriculture, but now the recession has cast a wider
net and drawn in hundreds of the newly homeless — from hitchhikers to truck
drivers to electricians." ... ""These are able-bodied folks that did day
labor, at minimum wage or better, who were previously able to house themselves
based on their income," said Michael Stoops, the executive director of
the National Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group based in Washington."
(1, 2)
-By Jesse Mckinley -IHT.com
- Politics
-
Government
"GOP
[Republican] Budget Proposal: Massive Tax Cut For Wealthy."
... "House Republican leaders called a press conference Thursday to unveil
their "alternative budget." While it was thin on specifics, it does include
one major policy proposal: a huge tax cut for the wealthy."
-By
Ryan
Grim -HuffingtonPost.com
-
Barack
Obama - US
-
Politics
-
Afghanistan
-
Police
- Pakistan
"Obama's
Afghanistan plan calls for 4,000 more U.S. troops."
... "[Democratic] President Obama announced Friday a proposal to stem the
worsening insurgency in Afghanistan by sending 4,000 more [United States]
U.S. troops and additional civilian aid workers, while also increasing
aid to neighboring Pakistan." ... "Obama said his objective is to suppress
the spreading insurgency by placing more emphasis on building local governments,
wooing the civilian population with aid and providing more help to the
Afghan army instead of a deploying a large number of combat troops." ...
"Check
out Obama's address [PDF]" ... ""The situation is increasingly perilous,"
Obama said. "It has been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed
from power, yet war rages on, and insurgents control parts of Afghanistan
and Pakistan."" ... "Key elements of the plan include:" ... "• Sending
the 4,000 new troops, who would train Afghan soldiers and police. The plan
includes a goal of having 134,000 soldiers in the Afghan army, up from
about 65,000 soldiers now. "That is how we will prepare Afghans to take
responsibility for their security, and how we will ultimately be able to
bring our troops home," Obama said." ... "Pakistan long sponsored the Taliban
regime that ruled Afghanistan and harbored al-Qaeda terrorists until overthrown
by U.S. forces in 2001. Many Taliban members remain in the mountainous
border region between the two countries." -By David
Jackson with contributions by Tom Vanden Brook and John Fritze
-USATODAY
-
Government
- Money
-
Politics
-
Deficit
-
Social
Security
"A
GOP [Republican] budget with no hard numbers." ...
""House Republicans release a 19-page
document [PDF] that contains no hard spending numbers or deficit
projections. Per the AP,
"One of the few hard bits of information is a promise to simplify the tax
code and cut income tax rates to 10 percent for people making $100,000
or less down. They also promise to cut domestic spending below current
levels but don't say whether they are exempting Social Security. It's impossible
to determine the projected deficit based on their offering."" ... "Not
surprisingly, the Democratic National Committee pounced on the GOP's [GOP's=Grand
Old Party's=Republican's] budget -- or lack thereof. "After 27 days, the
best House Republicans could come up with is a 19-page pamphlet that does
not include a single real budget proposal or estimate," said DNC [Democratic
National Committee] spokesman Hari Sevugan. "While there had been talk
that House Republicans were overriding their Senate counterparts to offer
a budget alternative, it's clear after this announcement that neither of
them have anything to offer but criticism."" -By Mark
Murray -AP
-MSNBC
-
Government
- Money
-
Accounting
- Politics
-
Jobs
-
Deficit
-
Iowa
"Republican
Budget Plan: ‘Undo’ The Stimulus, Cut Taxes For The Rich."
... "Today, House Republicans released their budget plan, entitled “The
Republican Road To Recovery.” They claim the plan “curbs spending, creates
jobs and lowers taxes, and controls the debt; and it will soon have our
economy growing again.”" ... "For an “alternative budget,” however, it
is very
short on numbers, including no mention of deficit implications. And
the plan for creating jobs and sparking economic growth is actually undoing
the stimulus and then cutting additional spending[.]" ... "Of course,
stimulus dollars are already on their way out the door, so it’s difficult
to envision how one would “undo” the bill. But even if it could be done,
it would be an act of neo-Hooverism
that would make [Iowa Republican Senator] Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA [Republican-Iowa])
insane
three-year spending freeze look wise and prudent." ... "As Matthew
Yglesias noted, “It’s strange that the Republicans railing about long-term
deficits seem to love long-term deficits when the point of the deficits
is to further
enrich the rich.”" -By Pat
Garofalo -ThinkProgress.org/Wonk
Room
-
Barack
Obama -
Government
- Business
-
Legislation
-
Politics
-
Home
Mortgages -
IN
-
MO
"Bayh:
My Group Of Blue Dogs ‘Literally Has No Agenda’ Other Than Blocking Obama’s."
... "Yesterday, MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, and several other
progressive groups began running
ads urging “moderate” Democratic members of Congress to “get
on board with the president’s budget.” The ads are, in part, a response
to [Indiana Democratic Senator] Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN [Democratic-Indiana])
and 14 of his Democratic colleagues who are creating what they call a “moderate
coalition that will meet regularly to shape public policy.” Bayh responded
to the new ads late yesterday, telling Politico that his group of “moderates”
should not be targeted because they have “no agenda”:"
"Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind. [Indiana]) is also unhappy with the friendly fire. Bayh…found himself targeted by an ad accusing him of “standing in the way of President Obama’s reforms.” “We literally have no agenda,” Bayh shot back. “How can they be threatened by a group that has taken no policy positions?”""Bayh’s claim that his group has no agenda is hard to believe. Indeed, as the Wall Street Journal explained yesterday, the group’s “stated goal is to…protect business interests.” Even before the group was officially formed, their efforts dampened a number of progressive policy proposals and they clearly have aspirations to expand their portfolio:"
"– Shrinking Economic Recovery: The group’s first significant “success” was “paring down the more than $900 billion economic stimulus bill to $787 billion,” reducing the government’s ability to spur economic recovery quickly. [Roll Call, 3/12/2009]""If Bayh is to be believed and his new group of moderates “literally have no agenda,” then what exactly are they doing? As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow explained last night, it appears that Bayh and his colleagues have found at least one niche to fill by helping Republicans obstruct the President’s agenda and deny voters the policies they endorsed last November:""– Preserving The [former Republican President] Bush Tax Cuts: Regarding [Democratic President] Obama’s plan to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire, Bayh said, “I do think that before we raise revenue, we first should look to see if there are ways we can cut back on spending.” [Politico, 3/3/2009]"
"– Delaying Cap-and-Trade: Bayh coaltion member, [Missouri Democratic Senator] Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO [Democratic-Missouri]), explained that the group might “push for a more lenient phase-in period for a cap-and-trade system and revenue-raising offsets to pay for expensive mandates.” [CQ Politics, 3/9/2009]"
"– Weakening Bankruptcy Protection: Centrist Democrats “forced changes to a House bill that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify [home] mortgages, ensuring that the legislation better reflected the concerns of the financial-services industry.” [WSJ, 3/25/09]"
"Anyone voting against a Democratic agenda voted Republican. Those votes produced a very small Republican minority in Congress. A small minority that now has way more power than they otherwise would because of conservative Democrats deciding to give Republicans as much power as they can."" -By Ryan Powers -ThinkProgress.orgWATCH: "'Conservadems' strike back" On Maddow show.
-
Pennsylvania
-
Secret
- Corporate
-
Government
-
Crime
-
Prison
-
Children's
-
Rights
- Politics
"Court
overturns hundreds of cases in court scandal." ...
"The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court said it would overturn the convictions
of hundreds of juveniles sentenced in the midst of the Luzerne County kickback
scheme." ... "Calling it a "first step," the court wielded a little- used
proceeding to throw out and expunge the case records of first-time offenders
convicted of minor crimes who appeared before Luzerne County Juvenile Court
Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. between 2003 and 2008." ... "In a report to
the Court, a specially appointed judge, Arthur E. Grim, said his investigation
uncovered "routine deprivation of children's constitutional rights to appear
before an impartial tribunal and have an opportunity to be heard."" ...
"Today's ruling, which authorizes Grim to overturn the cases, affects as
many as 1,200 juveniles, he said. Their cases will be reviewed individually
to determine if they meet the court's conditions." ... "Ciavarella and
another former Luzerne County judge, Michael T. Conahan, have pleaded guilty
earlier this year to taking $2.6 million in secret payments from the former
owner of two juvenile detention centers." ... "The judges admitted that
they helped the centers secure a county contract worth millions of dollars.
Ciavarella routinely sentenced children to them." -By
John Sullivan -Philly.com
-
Barack
Obama -
Federal
-
Enforcement
- Financial
-
Accounting
- Politics
-
American
International Group -
Consumer
-
Crises
- History
-
US
-
International
"Geithner
to Propose Vast Expansion Of U.S. Oversight of Financial System."
... "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner plans to propose today a sweeping
expansion of federal authority over the financial system, breaking from
an era in which the government stood back from financial markets and allowed
participants to decide how much risk to take in the pursuit of profit."
... "The [Democratic President] Obama administration's plan, described
by several sources, would extend federal regulation for the first time
to all trading in financial derivatives and to companies including large
hedge funds and major insurers such as American International Group. The
administration also will seek to impose uniform standards on all large
financial firms, including banks, an unprecedented step that would place
significant limits on the scope and risk of their activities." ... "Most
of these initiatives would require legislation." ... "In coming months,
the administration plans to detail its strategy in three other areas: protecting
consumers, eliminating flaws in existing regulations and enhancing international
coordination." ... "The nation's financial regulations are largely an accumulation
of responses to financial crises. Federal bank regulation was a product
of the Civil War. The Federal Reserve was created early in the 20th century
to mitigate a long series of monetary crises. The Great Depression delivered
deposit insurance and a federally sponsored mortgage market. In the midst
of a modern economic upheaval, the Obama administration is pitching the
most significant regulatory expansion since that time." ... "The administration's
signature proposal is to vest a single federal agency with the power to
police risk across the entire financial system." (1, 2,
3)
-By Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho with contributions
by Zachary A. Goldfarb -WashingtonPost
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 25, 2009 News URL: #March-25-2009-News
20090325
Wednesday
-
Italy
-
Swiss
-
Glaciers
-
Land
-
Atmosphere
-
Global
-
Climate
- Politics
-
History
-
France
-
Austria
"Melting
glaciers force Italy, Swiss to redraw border." ...
"Melting glaciers in the Alps may prompt Italy and Switzerland to redraw
their borders near the Matterhorn, according to parliamentary draft legislation
being readied in Rome [Italy's capital]." ... "The Italian Military Geographic
Institute says climate change is responsible for the Alpine glaciers melting."
... ""This draft law is born out the necessity to revise and verify the
frontiers given the changes in climate and atmosphere," [Italy's Democratic
Party member Franco] Narducci said. "The 1941 convention between Italy
and Switzerland established as criteria [for border revisions] the ridge
[crest] of the glaciers. Following the withdrawal of the glaciers in the
Alps, a new criterion has been proposed so that the new border coincides
with the rock."" ... "Narducci said the same negotiation will be proposed
to France and Austria[.]" -CNN
-
Afghan
-
Pakistan
-
US
-
Military
- Intelligence
-
Politics
-
History
"Afghan
Strikes by Taliban Get Pakistan Help, U.S. Aides Say."
... "The Taliban’s widening campaign in southern Afghanistan is made possible
in part by direct support from operatives in Pakistan’s military intelligence
agency, despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant
groups fighting in Afghanistan, according to American government officials."
... "The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning
guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to confront the international
force in Afghanistan that will soon include some 17,000 American reinforcements."
... "Support for the Taliban, as well as other militant groups, is coordinated
by operatives inside the shadowy S Wing of Pakistan’s spy service, the
Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, the officials said. There
is even evidence that ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] operatives meet
regularly with Taliban commanders to discuss whether to intensify or scale
back violence before the Afghan elections." ... "American officials have
complained
for more than a year about the ISI’s support to groups like the Taliban.
But the new details reveal that the spy agency is aiding a broader array
of militant networks with more diverse types of support than was previously
known — even months after Pakistani officials said that the days of the
ISI’s playing a “double
game” had ended." ... "Pakistan’s military and civilian leaders publicly
deny any government ties to militant groups, and American officials say
it is unlikely that top officials in Islamabad [Pakistan's capital] are
directly coordinating the clandestine efforts. American officials have
also said that midlevel ISI operatives occasionally cultivate relationships
that are not approved by their bosses." ... "The ISI helped
create and nurture the Taliban movement in the 1990s to bring stability
to a nation that had been devastated by years of civil war between rival
warlords, and one Pakistani official explained that Islamabad needed to
use groups like the Taliban as “proxy forces to preserve our interests.”"
... "Little is publicly known about the ISI’s S Wing, which officials say
directs intelligence operations outside of Pakistan. American officials
said that the S Wing provided direct support to three major groups carrying
out attacks in Afghanistan: the Taliban based in Quetta, Pakistan, commanded
by Mullah Muhammad
Omar; the militant network run by Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar; and a different group run by the guerrilla leader Jalaluddin
Haqqani." -By Mark
Mazzetti and Eric
Schmitt -NYTimes
-
Barack
Obama -
Government
- Financial
-
Law
-
Politics
-
American
International Group - US
-
Global
"Geithner
to Outline Major Overhaul of Finance Rules." ...
"The [Democratic President] Obama administration will detail on Thursday
a wide-ranging plan to overhaul financial regulation by subjecting hedge
funds and traders of exotic financial instruments, now among the biggest
and most freewheeling players on Wall Street, to potentially strict new
government supervision, officials said." ... "The Treasury secretary, Timothy
F. Geithner, will outline the broad revamping of the regulatory system,
which goes further than expected, in a hearing on Thursday. He is expected
to say that the new rules are necessary to prevent a repeat of the excesses
that nearly wrecked the global financial system and plunged the economy
into a recession." ... "The plan, which would require Congressional approval,
would give the government vast new powers over “systemically important”
banks and other financial institutions that are so big that their collapse
would jeopardize the economy as a whole." ... "The government would have
the power to peer into the inner workings of companies that currently escape
most federal supervision — insurance companies like the American International
Group, multibillion-dollar hedge funds like the Citadel Group and private
equity firms like the Carlyle Group or Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts."
... "But the most striking new proposals, and the ones that may provoke
the most heated opposition from the industry, would regulate so-called
private pools of capital — hedge funds, private equity funds and venture
capital funds — and the gigantic market in financial derivatives, including
instruments like credit-default swaps, the insurancelike instruments that
allow investors to hedge against bond defaults. " -By
Edmund
L. Andrews and Louise
Story -NYTimes
-
Hillary
Clinton -
Poll
-
Barack
Obama - US
-
China
-
Human
Rights
"Poll:
Clinton has high job approval." ... "Seventy-one
percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released
Wednesday said they approve of how [Democratic President Obama's Secretary
of State Hillary] Clinton is handling her job as America's top diplomat.
Fewer than one in four disapprove." ... ""Nine in 10 Democrats approve
of Clinton -- that's no surprise," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling
director. "But by a 50 percent to 43 percent margin, Republicans also think
she is doing a good job at the State Department. That's an interesting
result for a polarizing figure like Clinton."" ... "Clinton was met by
large crowds and warmly received by world leaders on both trips, although
"she met some criticism in Beijing [China's capital], where she was criticized
for a lower-key approach that seemed to downplay the importance of human
rights in the overall relationship with China," Labott said." ... ""Her
aides said she wanted a new approach to dealing with China's human rights
record, including less public criticism and more private discussions, which
may prove more productive in changing Chinese behavior."" -By
Paul Steinhauser -CNN
-
Hillary
Clinton - US
-
Mexico
-
Criminal
-
Drug
- Law
"Clinton:
U.S. drug habits fuel border violence: Secretary
of state in Mexico to bolster anti-narcotics cooperation." ... "[United
States] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday pledged
to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Mexico in its violent struggle against
drug cartels, and acknowledged the U.S. shares blame because of its demand
for drugs and supply of weapons." ... "She said the United States shares
responsibility with Mexico for dealing with violence now spilling across
the border and promised cooperation to improve security on both sides."
... ""The criminals and kingpins spreading violence are trying to corrode
the foundations of law, order, friendship and trust between us that support
our continent. They will fail," she told Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary
Patricia Espinosa. "We will stand shoulder to shoulder with you.""
-AP via -MSNBC
-
Hillary
Clinton -
Barack
Obama - US
-
Mexico
-
Illegal
-
Drug
-
Enforcement
-
Military
- Health
-
Brazil
-
Colombia
"Clinton:
U.S. Drug Policies Failed, Fueled Mexico's Drug War."
... "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Mexico on Wednesday
with a blunt mea culpa, saying that decades of U.S. anti-narcotics policies
have been a failure and have contributed to the explosion of drug violence
south of the border." ... ""Clearly what we've been doing has not worked,"
Clinton told reporters on her plane at the start of her two-day trip, saying
that [United States] U.S. policies on curbing drug use, narcotics shipments
and the flow of guns have been ineffective." ... ""Our insatiable demand
for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade," she added. "Our inability to prevent
weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals
causes the deaths of police, of soldiers and civilians."" ... "More than
7,000 Mexicans have been killed in the bloodletting since January 2008,
with the gangs battling authorities and one another for supremacy." ...
"The [Democratic President] Obama administration announced Tuesday that
it is sending hundreds more agents and extra high-tech gear to the border
to intercept weapons and drug proceeds heading south." ... "Last month,
former presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico called on the United States
in a report to consider legalizing marijuana use and focusing more on treatment
for drug users. Obama has emphasized his support for expanded treatment
facilities, although not for allowing marijuana use. " (1, 2)
-By Mary Beth Sheridan
-WashingtonPost
-
Israel
-
Secret
-
Housing
-
Construction
-
Palestine
-
Land
"Netanyahu,
Lieberman 'struck secret deal for West Bank construction'"
... "Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a secret deal
with Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman for highly contentious construction
on West Bank land [Palestine] known as E1, Army Radio reported Wednesday."
... "The plan is for the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim to build
3000 new housing units on the territory, which stretches between it and
Jerusalem [Israel's capital], the source was quoted as saying." ... "Construction
in the area is particularly sensitive because it would create contiguity
between the settlement and the capital, which in turn would prevent Palestinian
construction between East Jerusalem and Ramallah [administrative capital
of Palestine]." ... "This would also make it difficult to reach agreement
between Israel and the Palestinians on the question of permanent borders."
-Haaretz.com
_2009
News News Reference March
2009 News
March 21, 2009 News URL: #March-21-2009-News
20090321
Saturday
-
Israeli
-
Religious
- Terrorism
-
Military
-
War
Crimes - Politics
-
Land
-
Palestinian
- Human
-
Rights
-
Investigation
"Israelis
told to fight 'holy war' in Gaza." ... "Many Israeli
troops had the sense of fighting a "religious war" against Gentiles during
the 22-day offensive in Gaza [Palestinian territory], according to a soldier
who has highlighted the martial role of military rabbis during the operation."
... "The soldier testified that the "clear" message of literature distributed
to troops by the rabbinate was: "We are the Jewish people, we came to this
land by a miracle, God brought us back to this land and now we need to
fight to expel the Gentiles who are interfering with our conquest of this
holy land."" ... "After the offensive, Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights
group called for the dismissal of the military's head chaplain, Rabbi Avichai
Rontzki, a brigadier general. It said that he had distributed to troops
a booklet saying that it was "terribly immoral" to show mercy to a "cruel
enemy" and that the soldiers were fighting "murderers"." ... "The longer
transcript conveys a fuller sense of the debate involving graduates from
the Yitzhak Rabin military preparatory course." ... "The latest casualty
figures published by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights list the names
of 1,434 dead of whom they say 926 were civilians, 236 fighters and 255
police officers." -By Donald Macintyre
-Independent.co.uk
-
Israeli
-
Religious
- Terrorism
-
Military
- Politics
-
Land
-
Palestinian
-
Noteworthy
"Israeli
Soldier Says Military Rabbis Framed Gaza Mission as Religious."
... "A soldier involved in Israel's recent military offensive in the Gaza
Strip [Palestinian territory] said in published reports Friday that the
military's rabbinical staff distributed material characterizing the operation
as a religious mission to "get rid of the gentiles who disturb us from
conquering the holy land."" ... "In the second day of published accounts
from soldiers critical of the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza,
the daily Maariv ran excerpts of an interview with a squad commander in
Israel's Givati Brigade. He was identified only by his first name, given
as Rahm." ... "The daily quoted him as saying that the Gaza operation from
the beginning had "the feeling of almost a religious mission."" ... ""The
military rabbinate brought many magazines and articles with a very clear
message: 'We are the Jewish people, a miracle brought us to the land of
Israel, God returned us to the land, and now we have to struggle so as
to get rid of the gentiles who disturb us from conquering the holy land.'
All the feeling throughout all this operation of many of the soldiers was
of a war of religions," he said. "As a commander, I tried to explain that
the war is not a war of Kiddush Hashem [the sanctification of God's name,
including through martyrdom] but over the stopping of the launching of
the Qassam rockets."" ... "The soldiers' accounts were elicited by the
head of a training school for future military recruits. At a recent gathering,
graduates of the school described how the realities of military life clashed
with the values taught in the school's curriculum." ... "The school is
named in honor Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli leader who signed the 1993 Oslo
peace accords with the Palestinians and who was assassinated by an Israeli
who opposed the agreements. The school is secular in nature and its graduates
would likely be sensitive to the intrusion of religious politics into the
conduct of a military operation, said retired Brig. Gen. Meir Elran, a
security analyst with the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies
at Tel Aviv University." ... "Given that one of Israel's chief struggles
is against organizations, such as Hamas, that entwine religion and violence,
the presence of similar material among Israeli soldiers is disturbing,
Elran said. " -By Howard Schneider -WashingtonPost
-
Barack
Obama - Corporate
-
Government
- Politics
-
History
-
Texas
"Despair
over financial policy." ... "The [Democratic President
Obama's Treasury Secretary Tim] Geithner plan has now been leaked
in detail. It’s exactly the plan that was widely analyzed — and found
wanting — a couple of weeks ago. The zombie
ideas have won." ... "In effect, Treasury will be creating — deliberately!
— the functional equivalent of Texas S&Ls in the 1980s: financial operations
with very little capital but lots of government-guaranteed liabilities.
For the private investors, this is an open invitation to play heads I win,
tails the taxpayers lose. So sure, these investors will be ready to pay
high prices for toxic waste. After all, the stuff might be worth something;
and if it isn’t, that’s someone else’s problem." ... "Or to put it another
way, Treasury has decided that what we have is nothing but a confidence
problem, which it proposes to cure by creating massive moral hazard."
-By
Paul
Krugman/Blog
-NYTimes
