US auditor urges anti-corruption drive in Iraq - Yahoo! News

US auditor urges anti-corruption drive in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "- Corruption continues to cost
Iraq billions of dollars each year, and Washington and Baghdad should be doing far more to stop it, the top U.S. auditor for Iraq's reconstruction said in a report released on Sunday."

Libby Lies (alleged from indictment - link in next post)

21
Q. The next set of questions from the Grand Jury are – concern this fact.
If you did not understand the information about Wilson's wife to have
been classified and didn't understand it when you heard it from Mr.
Russert, why was it that you were so deliberate to make sure that you
told other reporters that reporters were saying it and not assert it as
something you knew?
A. I want – I didn't want to – I didn't know if it was true and I didn't want
people – I didn't want the reporters to think it was true because I said
it. I – all I had was that reporters are telling us that, and by that I
wanted them to understand it wasn't coming from me and that it
might not be true. Reporters write things that aren't true sometimes,
or get things that aren't true. So I wanted to be clear they didn't, they
didn't think it was me saying it. I didn't know it was true and I wanted
them to understand that. Also, it was important to me to let them
know that because what I was telling them was that I don't know Mr.
Wilson. We didn't ask for his mission. That I didn't see his report.
Basically, we didn't know anything about him until this stuff came out
in June. And among the other things, I didn't know he had a wife.
That was one of the things I said to Mr. Cooper. I don't know if he's
married. And so I wanted to be very clear about all this stuff that I
didn't, I didn't know about him. And the only thing I had, I thought
at the time, was what reporters are telling us.
. . . .
Well, talking to the other reporters about it, I don't see as a crime. What I
said to the other reporters is what, you know – I told a couple reporters what
other reporters had told us, and I don't see that as a crime.
3. In truth and fact, as LIBBY well knew when he gave this testimony, it was false in
that LIBBY did not advise Matthew Cooper or other reporters that LIBBY had heard other reporters
were saying that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA, nor did LIBBY advise Cooper or other reporters
that LIBBY did not know whether this assertion was true;
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1623.

Scooter Libby Lies (Alleged - from indictment - link to indictment)

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_indictment_28102005.pdf

2. On or about March 5, 2004, in the District of Columbia,
I. LEWIS LIBBY,
also known as “SCOOTER LIBBY,”
defendant herein, having taken an oath to testify truthfully in a proceeding before a grand jury of the
United States, knowingly made a false material declaration, in that he gave the following testimony
regarding a conversation that he represented he had with Tim Russert of NBC News, on or about July
10, 2003 (underlined portions alleged as false - ((NOW BOLD))):

. . . . And then he said, you know, did you know that this – excuse me, did you know
that Ambassador Wilson's wife works at the CIA? And I was a little taken aback by
that. I remember being taken aback by it. And I said – he may have said a little more
but that was – he said that. And I said, no, I don't know that. And I said, no, I don't
know that intentionally because I didn't want him to take anything I was saying as in
any way confirming what he said, because at that point in time I did not recall that
I had ever known, and I thought this is something that he was telling me that I was
first learning. And so I said, no, I don't know that because I want to be very careful
not to confirm it for him, so that he didn't take my statement as confirmation for him.
Now, I had said earlier in the conversation, which I omitted to tell you, that
this – you know, as always, Tim, our discussion is off-the-record if that's okay with
you, and he said, that's fine.
So then he said – I said – he said, sorry – he, Mr. Russert said to me, did you
know that Ambassador Wilson's wife, or his wife, works at the CIA? And I said, no,
I don't know that. And then he said, yeah – yes, all the reporters know it. And I said,
again, I don't know that. I just wanted to be clear that I wasn't confirming anything
for him on this. And you know, I was struck by what he was saying in that he
thought it was an important fact, but I didn't ask him anymore about it because I
didn't want to be digging in on him, and he then moved on and finished the
conversation, something like that.

3. In truth and fact, as LIBBY well knew when he gave this testimony, it was false in
that:
a. Russert did not ask LIBBY if LIBBY knew that Wilson’s wife worked for
the CIA, nor did he tell LIBBY that all the reporters knew it; and
b. At the time of this conversation, LIBBY was well aware that Wilson’s wife
worked at the CIA;
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1623.

Poll results: Eliminating poverty should be No. 1 U.S. priority

Poll results: Eliminating poverty should be No. 1 U.S. priority:

"Eliminating poverty in America is more important than fighting terrorism, U.S. troops should be pulled out of Iraq, and money saved on war should be used to rebuild hurricane-scarred New Orleans, according to a national poll."

Three Indonesian girls beheaded

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Three Indonesian girls beheaded:

"Three girls have been beheaded and another badly injured as they walked to a Christian school in Indonesia.

They were walking through a cocoa plantation near the city of Poso in central Sulawesi province when they were attacked.

This is an area that has a long history of religious violence between Muslims and Christians."

Military shares public's declining support for Bush, war

Local News | News for Charlotte, North Carolina | WCNC.com | North Carolina News: "Associated Press

More than half the North Carolina military members surveyed in the latest Elon University poll don't like the way President Bush is handling his job and the war in Iraq.

The survey results were released today.

Of the 539 adults surveyed, nearly 53 percent of military members said they strongly disapproved or disapproved of Bush's handling of his job. And 56 percent of that same group said they strongly disapproved or disapproved of his handling of the Iraq war."

CBS News | Wilson: There Have Been Threats | October 28, 2005�22:30:05

CBS News | Wilson: There Have Been Threats | October 28, 2005�22:30:05:

"(CBS) Joe Wilson, whose wife’s unmasking as a CIA agent is at the center of the special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation, said today that that his wife, Valerie Plame, has been threatened. Wilson talks to 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley, in his first interview since Fitzgerald announced the indictment of I. Lewis Libby, Sunday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

'There have been specific threats [against Plame]. Beyond that I just can’t go,' Wilson tells Bradley. Wilson says he and his wife have discussed security for her with 'several agencies.'"

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold - “investigate the whole mess” related to “phony evidence to justify a war”

La Crosse Tribune - 6.0:

"Congress needs to “investigate the whole mess” related to “phony evidence to justify a war” in the wake of Friday’s indictment of the vice president’s chief of staff, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold said Friday in La Crosse.

But that might not happen because Republicans control both houses of Congress, and any committee chairman who dares to call hearings won’t be a chairman for long, the Wisconsin Democrat told reporters."

White House Ethics, Honesty Questioned

White House Ethics, Honesty Questioned: "Sunday, October 30, 2005; Page A14

A majority of Americans say the indictment of senior White House aide I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby signals broader ethical problems in the Bush administration, and nearly half say the overall level of honesty and ethics in the federal government has fallen since President Bush took office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News survey.

The poll, conducted Friday night and yesterday, found that 55 percent of the public believes the Libby case indicates wider problems 'with ethical wrongdoing' in the White House, while 41 percent believes it was an 'isolated incident.' And by a 3 to 1 ratio, 46 percent to 15 percent, Americans say the level of honesty and ethics in the government has declined rather than risen under Bush.

In the aftermath of the latest crisis to confront the White House, Bush's overall job approval rating has fallen to 39 percent, the lowest of his presidency in Post-ABC polls. Barely a third of Americans -- 34 percent -- think Bush is doing a good job ensuring high ethics in government, which is slightly lower than President Bill Clinton's standing on this issue when he left office."

Libby indictment raises questions about Cheney, other officials

KR Washington Bureau | 10/29/2005 | Libby indictment raises questions about Cheney, other officials:

"'There's no ability to go past Libby unless Libby were to turn on his boss, and that doesn't seem likely,' said former federal prosecutor Kendall Coffey, a prominent Miami lawyer. 'A convicted defendant facing significant jail time can become much more cooperative. That could be a scenario.'

Former federal prosecutor John P. Flannery, now a defense lawyer in Leesburg, Va., said he suspects that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is primarily interested in Cheney.

'Cheney is an objective that may or may not be achieved by Fitzgerald. He needs Libby,' said Flannery, an outspoken Democrat. 'His best option for him and his family is to, A, plead guilty; and, B, cooperate. Is he going to fall on his sword to save Cheney?'

Even if Libby sticks with his defense plea, his trial would almost certainly delve into internal White House discussions that go to the heart of Bush's case for war. Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the Bush administration of exaggerating the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Cheney appears at critical moments in Fitzgerald's indictment of Libby. The prosecutor contends the vice president was among the first to tell Libby about Plame's CIA connection.

The indictment also alleges that Libby sought advice on dealing with questions about Wilson during a July 12, 2003, plane trip with Cheney and other unnamed officials.

It was later that same day, according to the indictment, that Libby discussed Wilson and his wife with two reporters."

Cheney's office at center of CIA leak indictment - Yahoo! News

Cheney's office at center of CIA leak indictment - Yahoo! News: "Sat Oct 29, 3:40 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The indictment of former top White House aide Lewis Libby in the
CIA leak investigation will put Vice President
Dick Cheney's office at the center of court proceedings, raising the specter of a politically damaging trial for the beleaguered Bush administration."

Pentagon: 26,000 Iraqi casualties

Star-Telegram.com | 10/29/2005 | Pentagon: 26,000 Iraqi casualties: "Sat, Oct. 29, 2005
Click here to find out more!

Pentagon: 26,000 Iraqi casualties

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - In a rare look at how the Defense Department tracks non-U.S. casualties in the war in Iraq, the Pentagon is estimating that 26,000 Iraqis have been killed or wounded by insurgents since Jan. 1, 2004.

The Pentagon, in response to questions from congressional staffers, provided daily casualty estimates _ those killed and wounded _ over six time periods, the most recent period ending Sept. 16 of this year. Applying those daily estimates to the number of days in each period results in nearly 26,000, a total not included in the Pentagon report to Congress.

In the most recent period, from Aug. 29 to Sept. 16, an estimated 64 Iraqis became casualties each day, the report indicated. The rate increased in four of the last five periods.

'It's a kind of a snapshot,' Pentagon spokesman Greg Hicks said Saturday. 'The Defense Department doesn't maintain a comprehensive or authoritative count of Iraqi casualties.'

The Pentagon provided the estimates in a bar graph in a 44-page security and stability report to Congress on Oct. 13, its second quarterly report, mandated by lawmakers.

Hicks said the estimates were gathered from initial incident reports by subordinate units of coalition forces and are not meant to be taken as comprehensive.

The graph indicated that the average daily casualty rates for Iraqis since January 2004 were approximately:

26: Jan. 1-March 31, 2004.
30: April 1-June 28, 2004.
40: June 29-Nov. 26, 2004.
51: Nov. 27, 2004-Feb. 11, 2005.
49: Feb. 12-Aug. 28, 2005.
64: Aug. 29-Sept. 16, 2005.

A recent Associated Press count found that at least 3,870 Iraqis have died in the last six months. A U.S. military spokesman told the AP last week that as many as 30,000 Iraqis may have died during the war, which began with the U.S. invasion in March 2003.

The AP count found that two-thirds of those killed were civilians and one-third were security personnel.

More than 2,000 U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq have died since the war began."

Italy's PM says warned Bush against Iraq war - Yahoo! News

Italy's PM says warned Bush against Iraq war - Yahoo! News: "Sat Oct 29, 3:56 PM ET

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, on the eve of a trip to Washington, said he repeatedly tried to persuade U.S.
President George W. Bush against invading
Iraq.

The Italian leader voiced his unease with the military operation to topple
Saddam Hussein during a television interview to be broadcast on Monday -- the same day he meets Bush.

Berlusconi is one of Washington's strongest allies but he did not send troops to join the invasion, preferring to despatch troops only after the fall of Baghdad.

'I tried many times to convince the American president not to go to war,' Berlusconi was quoted as saying by La7 television network, which recorded the interview."

Libby Indictment in full PDF

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_indictment_28102005.pdf


12
a. When LIBBY spoke with Tim Russert of NBC News on or about July 10,
2003:

i. Russert did not ask LIBBY if LIBBY knew that Wilson’s wife
worked for the CIA, nor did he tell LIBBY that all the reporters knew
it; and

ii. At the time of this conversation, LIBBY was well aware that
Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA; in fact, LIBBY had participated in
multiple prior conversations concerning this topic, including on the
following occasions:

• In or about early June 2003, LIBBY learned from the Vice
President that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA in the
Counterproliferation Division;

• On or about June 11, 2003, LIBBY was informed by a senior
CIA officer that Wilson’s wife was employed by the CIA and
that the idea of sending him to Niger originated with her;

• On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was informed by the
Under Secretary of State that Wilson’s wife worked for the
CIA;

• On or about June 14, 2003, LIBBY discussed “Joe Wilson”
and “Valerie Wilson” with his CIA briefer, in the context of
Wilson’s trip to Niger;

• On or about June 23, 2003, LIBBY informed reporter Judith
Miller that Wilson’s wife might work at a bureau of the CIA;

• On or about July 7, 2003, LIBBY advised the White House
Press Secretary that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA;

• In or about June or July 2003, and in no case later than on or
about July 8, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Assistant to
the Vice President for Public Affairs that Wilson’s wife
worked for the CIA;

• On or about July 8, 2003, LIBBY advised reporter Judith
Miller of his belief that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA;

and

• On or about July 8, 2003, LIBBY had a discussion with the
Counsel to the Office of the Vice President concerning the
paperwork that would exist if a person who was sent on an
overseas trip by the CIA had a spouse who worked at the
CIA;

'Official A' Stands Out in Indictment - Yahoo! News

'Official A' Stands Out in Indictment - Yahoo! News: "Fri Oct 28, 6:52 PM ET

WASHINGTON - In a sign of the trouble lingering for the Bush administration, the indictment handed up Friday in the
CIA leak probe refers to someone at the White House known as 'Official A.'

The unidentified official could become a courtroom witness against I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, who left his job as vice presidential aide shortly after his indictment on charges of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury.

Although other officials are mentioned but not named in the indictment, all were identified Friday afternoon during briefings at the Justice Department.

Except for 'Official A.'

The mysterious official is identified in the indictment only as 'a senior official in the White House.'"

Confused about the CIA leak case? Start here. | csmonitor.com

Confused about the CIA leak case? Start here. | csmonitor.com:

"Timeline of the CIA leak case

2002

February The CIA sends Joseph Wilson to Niger to investigate whether Iraq tried to purchase yellowcake uranium. He concludes it did not.

September The British government asserts that Saddam Hussein had attempted to buy uranium from an African country.

2003

January President Bush mentions the British claim in his State of the Union address.

March Mr. Bush orders the invasion of Iraq.

July Mr. Wilson disputes Bush's claim about the Iraq-Africa uranium connection.

CIA Director George Tenet and other White House officials say Bush's reference to African uranium should not have been included in his State of the Union address.

Columnist Robert Novak names Valerie Plame as a CIA operative.

September The Washington Post reports that at least six journalists had been told of the Plame story before Novak's column appeared.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan says that '[i]f anyone in this administration is involved in [the leak], they would no longer be in this administration.'

The Justice Department launches a probe of the leak.

December Patrick Fitzgerald is named special prosecutor in the case.

2004

January A grand jury begins hearing testimony. Dozens of powerful government and media figures testify over the next 22 months. White House aide Karl Rove appears before the grand jury four times.

July The British and US governments publish separate reviews of prewar intelligence estimates. The reports express skepticism about the credibility of some aspects of prewar intelligence assessments, and they note that some of the evidence used to allege an Iraq-Africa uranium connection relied on Italian documents that later proved to be forgeries. However, the British and US reports generally support the reasonableness of Bush's claim at the time that he made it.

2005

June US Supreme Court refuses to hear appeals from Ms. Miller and Time magazine's Matt Cooper to avoid testifying before the grand jury.

July Mr. Cooper testifies before the grand jury, after his source releases him from a confidentiality pledge.

New York Times reporter Judith Miller goes to jail to protect the identity of source(s) who leaked Plame's name to her.

September 29 Miller is released from jail and testifies before the grand jury.

October 28 The grand jury was scheduled to expire Friday."

Arar tortured in Syria, report determines

The Globe and Mail: Arar tortured in Syria, report determines: "Thursday, October 27, 2005 Posted at 3:16 PM EDT

Globe and Mail Update

Ottawa — An independent factfinder says there is no doubt that Maher Arar was tortured in Syria and that the horrible ordeal has had a devastating effect on the Ottawa software engineer and his family.

'Mr. Arar's psychological state was seriously damaged, and he remains fragile,' says the factfinder's report, released Thursday.

'His relationship with members of his immediate family have been significantly impaired. Economically, the family has been devastated,' the report adds."

Bush campaign fund-raiser indicted - Yahoo! News

Bush campaign fund-raiser indicted - Yahoo! News: "Thu Oct 27, 6:12 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A prominent Republican fund-raiser for
President George W. Bush in Ohio has been charged with illegally funneling money to Bush's re-election campaign, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT

A federal grand jury in Toledo charged Thomas Noe with making illegal contributions in the names of others to the Bush campaign and with making false statements to the
Federal Election Commission.

The three counts lodged against Noe each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine.

A separate investigation is examining a money-losing investment in rare coins Noe made for the state of Ohio."

US troops in Iraq hit record number - Yahoo! News

US troops in Iraq hit record number - Yahoo! News:

"The United States has increased its forces in
Iraq to the highest total of the war at 161,000 troops, and the
Pentagon said on Thursday it expected a similar number in place for the December elections.
ADVERTISEMENT"

Former Army Reserve doctor says Iraq war unjust

WWAY NewsChannel 3, Wilmington, NC: Former Army Reserve doctor says Iraq war unjust:

"A former doctor in the Army reserves says the war in Iraq is unjust and very difficult for citizen soldiers from the Reserves and National Guard.
Dr. Arnold Brown was speaking at a vigil in Asheville to mark the death of two thousand members of the U.S. military.

The vigil was organized by the group MoveOn - dot - org.

The 66-year-old Brown says he thinks the ethical thing for the government to do is admit it was wrong about the war in Iraq and send troops home."

Coverage of Americans wounded in Iraq war leaves US media hurting - Yahoo! News

Coverage of Americans wounded in Iraq war leaves US media hurting - Yahoo! News: "Oct 26, 3:48 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The number of American troops wounded in
Iraq surpasses the number killed by thousands, but US media still appear reluctant to place their stories on the front page.

Indeed, media outlets seem to be treading lightly in their coverage of such sensitive wartime topics for fear of being branded 'anti-war' or angering the
Pentagon, which has forbidden the publication of photos showing caskets of the war dead arriving in the United States.

While more than 2,000 soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the conflict began, US military officials have tallied nearly 16,000 wounded, including 7,837 who were seriously injured."

Ex-Head of F.D.A. or Wife Sold Stock in Regulated Area - New York Times

Ex-Head of F.D.A. or Wife Sold Stock in Regulated Area - New York Times: "October 27, 2005

Dr. Lester M. Crawford, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, or his wife sold shares in companies regulated by the agency in 2004, according to financial disclosure forms."

In Hurricane Tax Package, a Boon for Wealthy Donors - New York Times

In Hurricane Tax Package, a Boon for Wealthy Donors - New York Times: "October 27, 2005

A little-noted provision in the tax relief package to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina is shaping up as a windfall for charity and a drain on government coffers.

It allows donors who make cash gifts to almost any charity by the end of this year to deduct an amount equal to virtually 100 percent of their adjusted gross incomes, double the normal limit of 50 percent of income. The tantalizing prospect has set off a financial scramble among some wealthy donors and charities vying for their dollars.

'I just keep thinking there's got to be a catch, they can't really be doing this,' said C. Kemmons Wilson Jr., a Memphis businessman whose father was the founder of Holiday Inns Inc."

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report - New York Times

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report - New York Times:

"Oct. 24 - I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby's testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said.

The notes, taken by Mr. Libby during the conversation, for the first time place Mr. Cheney in the middle of an effort by the White House to learn about Ms. Wilson's husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was questioning the administration's handling of intelligence about Iraq's nuclear program to justify the war.

Lawyers involved in the case, who described the notes to The New York Times, said they showed that Mr. Cheney knew that Ms. Wilson worked at the C.I.A. more than a month before her identity was made public and her undercover status was disclosed in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak on July 14, 2003."

Letters Show Frist Notified Of Stocks in 'Blind' Trusts

Letters Show Frist Notified Of Stocks in 'Blind' Trusts: "October 24, 2005; Page A01

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was given considerable information about his stake in his family's hospital company, according to records that are at odds with his past statements that he did not know what was in his stock holdings.

Managers of the trusts that Frist once described as 'totally blind,' regularly informed him when they added new shares of HCA Inc. or other assets to his holdings, according to the documents.

Since 2001, the trustees have written to Frist and the Senate 15 times detailing the sale of assets from or the contribution of assets to trusts of Frist and his family."

The extent of Frist's knowledge of the inner workings of his trusts and his family's health care company is related to a recently launched federal investigation of possible insider trading involving the liquidation this summer of Frist's HCA stock. Within weeks of Frist's decision to sell his holdings in June, HCA shares fell sharply because of a weak earnings report. Frist has said he possessed only publicly available and not "insider" information about the company when he directed the sale and, therefore, did nothing wrong.

Study: Most Katrina Victims Were Elderly

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Study: Most Katrina Victims Were Elderly: "Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A majority of people killed by Hurricane Katrina were older residents unable or unwilling to evacuate in the rising floodwaters, according to a study of almost half the bodies recovered in Louisiana.

About 60 percent of the nearly 500 victims identified so far were age 61 or older, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals reported.

``The elderly were much more likely to be in hospitals and nursing homes as well as possibly homebound and not able to access transportation in order to evacuate from the storm,'' said agency spokesman Bob Johannessen.
.................

Forty-two percent of the identified victims were black, 37 percent white and 3 percent Hispanic, the report said. The remaining 18 percent weren't identified by race or ethnicity."

Journalist Convicted of Blasphemy in Afghanistan - New York Times

Journalist Convicted of Blasphemy in Afghanistan - New York Times: "Published:October 23, 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 23 - For the first time since the fall of the Taliban's Islamic government four years ago, a journalist has been convicted by a Kabul court under the country's blasphemy laws.

Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, the editor of "Women's Rights," a monthly magazine for women, was sentenced on Saturday to two years in prison by Kabul's primary court. The sentence will automatically be reviewed on appeal.

The sentencing came after a strenuous battle between Kabul's conservative judges, led by members of the Supreme Court, and the liberal Minister of Information and Culture, Sayed Makhdum Raheen, and reveals the strains between moderates and conservatives in the government of President Hamid Karzai.

The prosecutor called for the maximum sentence of death, accusing the editor of apostasy, so the two-year sentence appears to have been a compromise. But it is a reminder that Afghanistan is still ruled by Islamic Shariah law and that, on issues of religion, conservatives are determined to enforce it.
...............

The prosecution contended that the magazine had run two articles in its latest issue about apostasy that violated the law by saying that while apostasy was taboo, it was not a crime under Islam. The authorities apparently ordered the issue removed from newsstands...."

Iraqi bar association urges boycott of Saddam court

International News Article | Reuters.com:

"The Iraqi Bar Association on Sunday urged lawyers to stop working with the special court hearing the case against Saddam Hussein until the murder of a member of the defense team is solved.

The association also passed a resolution calling a one-day strike for Wednesday to protest the killing of Saadoun Janabi, who was bundled out of his Baghdad office last Thursday by heavily-armed men and later found dead of gunshot wounds.

'The crime was clear and witnessed, and it should be easy for any investigatory agency to solve, so arresting the killers should not be difficult,' bar association president Khamal Hamdoon Mulla Allawi told reporters.

'The purpose behind this assassination was to prevent lawyers from doing their duty. Protecting lawyers will be possible only if the killers are caught and put behind bars.'"

Poll shows Iraqis back attacks on UK, US forces - Yahoo! News

Poll shows Iraqis back attacks on UK, US forces - Yahoo! News:

"Forty-five percent of Iraqis believe attacks on U.S. and British troops are justified, according to a secret poll said to have been commissioned by British defense leaders and cited by The Sunday Telegraph.

Less than 1 percent of those polled believed that the forces were responsible for any improvement in security, according to poll figures.

Eighty-two percent of those polled said they were 'strongly opposed' to the presence of the troops.

The paper said the poll, conducted in August by an Iraqi university research team, was commissioned by the Ministry of Defense."

Worker Tells of Response by FEMA - New York Times

Worker Tells of Response by FEMA - New York Times:

"Oct. 20 - It was on the day before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, after thousands of people had packed the Superdome, that the lone FEMA worker in New Orleans sent his first plea for help.

'Issues developing at the Superdome,' the official, Marty J. Bahamonde, wrote in an agency e-mail message released Thursday by Congressional investigators. 'The medical staff at the dome says they will run out of oxygen in about two hours.'

Mr. Bahamonde sent a series of messages as the hours and days passed, desperation growing. Most startling, he told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, was that his supervisors in Washington did not seem to understand. In a series of e-mail messages in which he warned of worsening problems, he was told that the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency needed time to eat dinner at a restaurant in Baton Rouge, La., and to have a television interview.

'It was sad, it was inhumane, it was heartbreaking, and it was so wrong,' Mr. Bahamonde said of the conditions and the response. 'There was a systematic failure at all levels of government to understand the magnitude of the situation.'

A spokesman for the Homeland Security Department, William R. Knocke, said Mr. Bahamonde was a respected official and did not contest his testimony. He said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was also frustrated at the response that Mr. Bahamonde was reporting."

PDF of emails - http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20051022_FEMA2.pdf

Secret Service Records Prompted Miller's Testimony on Key Meeting (10/20/05)

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Secret Service Records Prompted Miller's Testimony on Key Meeting (10/20/05):

"New York Times reporter Judith Miller told the federal grand jury in the CIA leak case that she might have met with I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby on June 23, 2003 only after prosecutors showed her Secret Service logs that indicated she and Libby had indeed met that day in the Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, according to attorneys familiar with her testimony."

Bush Critic Became Target of Libby, Former Aides Say - Los Angeles Times

Bush Critic Became Target of Libby, Former Aides Say - Los Angeles Times:

"Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff was so angry about the public statements of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, a Bush administration critic married to an undercover CIA officer, that he monitored all of Wilson's television appearances and urged the White House to mount an aggressive public campaign against him, former aides say."

Suspicious vote totals delay election results / 99% reportedly backed constitution in some provinces

Suspicious vote totals delay election results / 99% reportedly backed constitution in some provinces:

"Iraqi election officials are investigating unusually high vote totals in 12 Shiite and Kurdish provinces, where as many 99 percent of the voters were reported to have cast ballots in favor of Iraq's new constitution, raising the possibility that the results of Saturday's referendum could be called into question."

TIME.com: Stealing Votes in Iraq? -- Page 1

TIME.com: Stealing Votes in Iraq? -- Page 1:

"For Iraqis who'd seen Saddam Hussein, 're-elected' on Oct. 15, 2002 with 100 percent of the vote, there may have been something oddly familiar in the news from the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, shortly after the polls closed on Saturday, that 99 percent of voters in some provinces in the Shi'ite south had approved the charter."

ABC News: Iraq Election Commission Checking Ballots

ABC News: Iraq Election Commission Checking Ballots:

"The investigation by Iraq's election commission has raised the possibility that the results of the referendum could be called into question. As many as 99 percent of the voters reportedly approved Iraq's draft constitution in some of the provinces being investigated."

AP Wire | 10/19/2005 | AP: Rove, Libby discussed reporter info

AP Wire | 10/19/2005 | AP: Rove, Libby discussed reporter info:

"Top White House aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby discussed their contacts with reporters about an undercover CIA officer in the days before her identity was published, the first known intersection between two central figures in the criminal leak investigation."

ABC News: Senators Say Miers' Answers Insufficient

ABC News: Senators Say Miers' Answers Insufficient:

"The senators in charge of Harriet Miers' confirmation are demanding more information from her before hearings begin, one describing the Supreme Court nominee's answers so far as 'incomplete to insulting.'

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and senior Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont agreed Wednesday to begin Miers' hearings on Nov. 7, but also jointly sent a letter to the White House counsel asking her to more fully answer a questionnaire she turned in Tuesday.

The two senators also plan to ask the White House to provide information about Miers' work for President Bush, something the White House has said previously it will not do. 'A number of Republicans have asked for non-privileged information,' Specter said at a news conference."

Delay Arrested, Fingerprinted

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News: "October 20, 2005

Associated Press

Tom DeLay
Harris County Sheriff’s Dept.
Tom DeLay is shown in this booking photo.

HOUSTON - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on Thursday turned himself in at the Harris County sheriff's bonding office, where he was photographed, fingerprinted and released on bond on state conspiracy and money laundering charges.

'He posted $10,000 bond and they have left the bonding office,' Lt. John Martin with the sheriff's department said.

DeLay, accompanied by his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, showed up about 12:15 p.m., appeared before a judge and was gone in less than 30 minutes, Martin said.

The appearance came a day after a state court issued an arrest warrant for DeLay and set an initial bail, a routine step before the Texas Republican's first court appearance Friday in Austin."

FT.com / World / US - ‘Cheney cabal hijacked US foreign policy’

FT.com / World / US - ‘Cheney cabal hijacked US foreign policy’: "October 20 2005 00:19

Dick CheneyVice-President Dick Cheney and a handful of others had hijacked the government's foreign policy apparatus, deciding in secret to carry out policies that had left the US weaker and more isolated in the world, the top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed on Wednesday.

In a scathing attack on the record of President George W. Bush, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Mr Powell until last January, said: “What I saw was a cabal between the vice-president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made.

“Now it is paying the consequences of making those decisions in secret, but far more telling to me is America is paying the consequences.”"

Defense lawyer in Saddam trial abducted - Yahoo! News

Defense lawyer in Saddam trial abducted - Yahoo! News:

"A lawyer for one of
Saddam Hussein's co-defendants was kidnapped on Thursday, a day after his client sat in the dock next to the former president on the opening day of their trial for crimes against humanity."

The Nexus of politics and terror - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com

The Nexus of politics and terror - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com:

"Last Thursday on Countdown, I referred to the latest terror threat - the reported bomb plot against the New York City subway system - in terms of its timing. President Bush’s speech about the war on terror had come earlier the same day, as had the breaking news of the possible indictment of Karl Rove in the CIA leak investigation.

I suggested that in the last three years there had been about 13 similar coincidences - a political downturn for the administration, followed by a “terror event” - a change in alert status, an arrest, a warning.

We figured we’d better put that list of coincidences on the public record.
........................

Number One:

May 18th, 2002. The first details of the President’s Daily Briefing of August 6th, 2001, are revealed, including its title - “Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S.” The same day another memo is discovered - revealing the FBI knew of men with links to Al Qaeda training at an Arizona flight school. The memo was never acted upon. Questions about 9/11 Intelligence failures are swirling.

May 20th, 2002. Two days later, FBI Director Mueller declares another terrorist attack “inevitable.” The next day, the Department of Homeland Security issues warnings of attacks against railroads nationwide, and against New York City landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

Number Two:

June 6th, 2002. Colleen Rowley, the FBI agent who tried to alert her superiors to the specialized flight training taken by Zacarias Moussaoui, whose information suggests the government missed a chance to break up the 9/11 plot, testifies before Congress. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Graham says Rowley’s testimony has inspired similar pre-9/11 whistle-blowers.

June 10th, 2002. Four days later, speaking from Russia, Attorney General John Ashcroft reveals that an American named Jose Padilla is under arrest, accused of plotting a radiation bomb attack in this country. Padilla had, by this time, already been detained for more than a month.

Number Three: (etc.)"

Serono admits Aids drug charges

BBC NEWS | Business | Serono admits Aids drug charges:

"Swiss drugs maker Serono has admitted it was guilty of illegally promoting its Aids drug, Serostim, and has agreed to pay a $704m (£398m) settlement.

The payout relates to allegations that it offered kickbacks to doctors to write prescriptions for the drug to boost sagging sales."

Abramoff investigation has GOP holding its breath

Abramoff investigation has GOP holding its breath:

Sunday, October 16, 2005

WASHINGTON — A grand jury investigating the White House leak of a CIA agent's name is expected to wrap up its work in the next couple of weeks, but it is another investigation — of former Republican superstar lobbyist Jack Abramoff — that has the Republican political establishment holding its breath.

Abramoff is at the center of ever more complicated inquiries that touch on subjects as wide-ranging as allegations of influ- ence-peddling in Congress and the White House, a gangland-style slaying in Florida and political shenanigans in Guam.

And while the CIA leak investigation by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, now in its second year, has yet to yield indictments, the investigations of Abramoff have resulted, so far, in bank fraud charges against him; obstruction charges against David Safavian, the Bush administration's former chief procurement official; and the withdrawal of President Bush's nomination of Timothy Flanigan, a onetime associate of Abramoff, to be the No. 2 official at the Justice Department.

Abramoff has had close connections with leading Republicans, including Bush; U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, the former House majority leader; Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania; party strategist Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform; and strategist Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition executive director and Bush campaign official who is now running for lieutenant governor of Georgia."

RealClear Politics - Polls

RealClear Politics - Polls: "President George W. Bush - Job Approval Ratings - all polls average approval 39.5%

Reporter, Times Are Criticized for Missteps

Reporter, Times Are Criticized for Missteps: "October 17, 2005; Page A02

Media analysts assailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller and her editors yesterday for what they called a series of missteps and questionable decisions revealed in two lengthy articles about the problems of covering the CIA leak investigation while defending the embattled journalist.

Alex Jones, a former Times reporter who heads the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University, noted the paper's disclosure that Executive Editor Bill Keller had told Miller in 2003 she could no longer cover Iraq and weapons of mass destruction after some of her stories turned out to be wrong."

ABC News: Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

ABC News: Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged:

"Oct 14, 2005 — It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution.

'This is an important time,' Allison Barber, deputy assistant defense secretary, said, coaching the soldiers before Bush arrived. 'The president is looking forward to having just a conversation with you.'

Barber said the president was interested in three topics: the overall security situation in Iraq, security preparations for the weekend vote and efforts to train Iraqi troops.

As she spoke in Washington, a live shot of 10 soldiers from the Army's 42nd Infantry Division and one Iraqi soldier was beamed into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from Tikrit the birthplace of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

'I'm going to ask somebody to grab those two water bottles against the wall and move them out of the camera shot for me,' Barber said.

A brief rehearsal ensued.

'OK, so let's just walk through this,' Barber said. 'Captain Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?'

'Captain Smith,' Kennedy said.

'Captain. Smith? You take the mike and you hand it to whom?' she asked.

'Captain Kennedy,' the soldier replied.

And so it went.

'If the question comes up about partnering how often do we train with the Iraqi military who does he go to?' Barber asked.

'That's going to go to Captain Pratt,' one of the soldiers said.

'And then if we're going to talk a little bit about the folks in Tikrit the hometown and how they're handling the political process, who are we going to give that to?' she asked.

Before he took questions, Bush thanked the soldiers for serving and reassured them that the U.S. would not pull out of Iraq until the mission was complete.

'So long as I'm the president, we're never going to back down, we're never going to give in, we'll never accept anything less than total victory,' Bush said."

Was Bush Teleconference with Soldiers in Iraq Scripted?

Was Bush Teleconference with Soldiers in Iraq Scripted?:

"Yet when asked if the soldiers' comments or questions were pre-screened, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan answered, 'no.'

At a press briefing later on Thursday, a reporter asked McClellan about the teleconference.

Q Scott, why did the administration feel it was necessary to coach the soldiers that the President talked to this morning in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, I don't know what you're suggesting.

Q Well, they discussed the questions ahead of time. They were told exactly what the President would ask, and they were coached, in terms of who would answer what question, and how they would pass the microphone.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, are you suggesting that what our troops were saying was not sincere, or what they said was not their own thoughts?

Q Nothing at all. I'm just asking why it was necessary to coach them.
............................

Q But we asked you specifically this morning if there would be any screening of questions or if they were being told in any way what they should say or do, and you indicated no.

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think that's what the question was earlier today. I think the question earlier today was asking if they could ask whatever they want, and I said, of course, the President was -- and you saw --

Q And I asked if they were pre-screened.

MR. McCLELLAN: You saw earlier today the President was trying to engage in a back-and-forth with the troops. And I think it was very powerful what Lieutenant Murphy was saying at the end of that conversation, when he was talking about what was going on in January, how the American troops and coalition forces were in the lead when it came to providing security for the upcoming election, an election where more than eight million Iraqis showed up and voted. It was a great success.

And he talked about how this time, when we had the preparations for the upcoming referendum this Saturday, you have Iraqi forces that are in the lead, and the Iraqi forces are the ones that are doing the planning and preparing and taking the lead to provide for their own security as they get ready to cast their ballots again.

Q But I also asked this morning, were they being told by their commanders what to say or what to do, and you indicated, no. Was there any prescreening of --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not aware of any such -- any such activities that were being undertaken. We coordinated closely with the Department of Defense. You can ask if there was any additional things that they did. But we work very closely with them to coordinate these events, and the troops can ask the President whatever they want. They've always been welcome to do that.
E&P Staff (letters@editorandpublisher.com"

Christian Coalition head to "withdraw from political life"

The Seattle Times: Local News: Christian Coalition head to "withdraw from political life": "The Associated Press

PORTLAND — The longtime head of the Christian Coalition of Oregon said today that he is 'withdrawing from public life,' a day after news reports detailed accusations of sexual abuse against him by three female relatives.
.............

Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk told The Oregonian newspaper that officials are investigating the complaints against Beres.

The three women - now adults - allege they were abused by Beres as preteens. Their families called the child abuse hot line last month, after the three openly discussed the alleged abuse for the first time."

Rice admits to NOT going after Al-qaueda - MSNBC.com

Transcript for October 16 - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC - MSNBC.com:

"We could decide that the proximate cause was al-Qaeda and the people who flew those planes into buildings and, therefore, we would go after al-Qaeda... and then our work would be done .

Or we could take a bolder approach (go into Iraq)"

Subway 'terror' - Who tipped big shots?

New York Daily News - Home - Who tipped big shots?:

"The Homeland Security Department launched internal probes into whether its officials tipped off friends and relatives to a possible subway terror plot days before average New Yorkers were alerted, authorities said yesterday.

The two investigations came after the Daily News revealed that two E-mails describing the purported bombing plot had been sent early last week to a select crowd of business and arts executives by New Yorkers who claimed to have close connections to Homeland Security.

'It's disturbing. It's just not right,' said Gov. Pataki, who was one of several officials to call for a probe. 'The public should know at the same time.'"

Boortz brings back "Let them eat cake" ... [Media Matters]

Boortz: Faced with an impending national disast ... [Media Matters]:

"If we are faced with disaster in this country -- let me ask you this, OK? You just be logical. Get all of the emotion out of this. Get all of the emotion out of this. But if we are faced with a disaster in this country, which group do we want to save? The rich or the poor? Now, if you have time, save as many people as you can. But if you have to set some priorities, where do you go? The rich or the poor? OK? Who is a drag on society? The rich or the poor? Who provide the jobs out there? The rich or the poor? Who fuels -- you know, which group fuels our economy? Drives industry? The rich or the poor? Now if you -- all of a sudden, somebody walks up to you and says, 'Hey, Boortz listener. You're gonna have a -- you have to make a choice. You're going to -- we're gonna move you to another country. And you're just gonna have to make your way in this other country. We have a choice of two countries for you. In this country, people achieve a lot and they are wealthy because of their hard work. In this country, people don't achieve squat. They sit around all the time waiting for somebody else to take care of them. They have children they can't afford. They're uneducated. They can barely read. And the high point of their day is Entertainment Tonight on TV. Which country do you want to live in? The country of the high achievers, or the country of sheep, the country of followers?' You know what you're gonna do. I don't see what the big problem is. I just don't. I mean, if you -- who do I want to save first? The rich. Save the poor first. Then, when everything's over, where are you gonna go for a job? OK, hey, if I get a tin cup, can I sit next to you and sell pencils too?

[...]

I'm serious about that, folks. You see, that's the kind of thing that's going to end up in news stories: 'Neal Boortz said that in times of disaster we should save the rich people first.' Well, hell, yes, we should save the rich people first. "

Are Apartment REIT's a Good Bet? - New York Times

Are Apartment REIT's a Good Bet? - New York Times:

"Is there a big upswing in the works for apartment owners as more people put off home buying? And what, in particular, will this mean for dividend-paying real estate investment trusts with portfolios of rental apartment properties?"

Kashmir prized but little aided | csmonitor.com

Kashmir prized but little aided | csmonitor.com:

Separatists and mosques filled in the void of official quake aid.

"On both sides of the border, the best organized aid groups are radical Islamic parties such as Jamaat i-Islami, a group that previously threw its support behind the Taliban government of Afghanistan."

The Miller Case: A Notebook, a Cause, a Jail Cell and a Deal - New York Times

The Miller Case: A Notebook, a Cause, a Jail Cell and a Deal - New York Times: "October 16, 2005

In a notebook belonging to Judith Miller, a reporter for The New York Times, amid notations about Iraq and nuclear weapons, appear two small words: 'Valerie Flame.'

Ms. Miller should have written Valerie Plame. That name is at the core of a federal grand jury investigation that has reached deep into the White House. At issue is whether Bush administration officials leaked the identity of Ms. Plame, an undercover C.I.A. operative, to reporters as part of an effort to blunt criticism of the president's justification for the war in Iraq.

Ms. Miller spent 85 days in jail for refusing to testify and reveal her confidential source, then relented. On Sept. 30, she told the grand jury that her source was I. Lewis Libby, the vice president's chief of staff. But she said he did not reveal Ms. Plame's name.

And when the prosecutor in the case asked her to explain how 'Valerie Flame' appeared in the same notebook she used in interviewing Mr. Libby, Ms. Miller said she 'didn't think' she heard it from him. 'I said I believed the information came from another source, whom I could not recall,' she wrote on Friday, recounting her testimony for an article that appears today."

Abramoff - Paying off Christian Conservatives to promote Gambling - W Post

How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck:

"An anti-gambling bill had cleared the Senate and appeared on its way to passage by an overwhelming margin in the House of Representatives. If that happened, Abramoff's client, a company that wanted to sell state lottery tickets online, would be out of business.

But on July 17, 2000, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act went down to defeat, to the astonishment of supporters who included many anti-gambling groups and Christian conservatives.

"The vote that day in July was just one part of an extraordinary yearlong effort by Abramoff on behalf of eLottery, a small gambling services company based in Connecticut. Details of that campaign, reconstructed from dozens of interviews as well as from e-mails and financial records obtained by The Washington Post, provide the most complete account yet of how one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists leveraged his client's money to influence Congress.

The work Abramoff did for eLottery is one focus of a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation into his dealings with members of Congress and government agencies. Abramoff is under indictment in another case in connection with an allegedly fraudulent Florida business deal.
.................

Abramoff quietly arranged for eLottery to pay conservative, anti-gambling activists to help in the firm's $2 million pro-gambling campaign, including Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, and the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition. Both kept close contact with Abramoff about the arrangement, e-mails show. Abramoff also turned to prominent anti-tax conservative Grover Norquist, arranging to route some of eLottery's money for Reed through Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform."
..................

At one point, eLottery's backers even circulated a forged letter of support from Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R).
...................

To reach the House conservatives, Abramoff turned to Sheldon, leader of the Orange County, Calif. - based Traditional Values Coalition, a politically potent group that publicly opposed gambling and said it represented 43,000 churches.
.....................

Abramoff asked eLottery to write a check in June 2000 to Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition (TVC). He also routed eLottery money to a (Ralph) Reed (formerly of the Christian Coalition) company, using two intermediaries, which had the effect of obscuring the source.
.............................

According to the e-mails, Reed provided the name and address where Norquist was supposed to send the money: to Robin Vanderwall at a location in Virginia Beach.

Vanderwall was director of the Faith and Family Alliance, a political advocacy group that was founded by two of Reed's colleagues and then turned over to Vanderwall, Vanderwall said and records show.

Vanderwall, a former Regent University Law School student and Republican operative, was later convicted of soliciting sex with minors via the Internet and is serving a seven-year term in Virginia state prison.

In a telephone interview, Vanderwall said that in July 2000 he was called by Reed's firm, Century Strategies, alerting him that he would be receiving a package. When it came, it contained a check payable to Vanderwall's group for $150,000 from Americans for Tax Reform, signed by Norquist. Vanderwall said he followed the instructions from Reed's firm -- depositing the money and then writing a check to Reed's firm for an identical amount.

"I was operating as a shell," Vanderwall said, adding that he was never told how the money was spent. He said: "I regret having had anything to do with it.
......................

Abramoff had previously paid Reed's consulting firms to whip up Christian opposition to Indian casinos ... that would compete with the gambling business of Abramoff's ... clients"
....................

Another check issued in 2000 by eLottery at Abramoff's direction wound up helping to fund the Scotland golfing trip attended by Rudy and DeLay.""

Lautenberg: congratulations Halliburton and Vice President Cheney!

Lautenberg: congratulations Halliburton and Vice President Cheney!:

"WASHINGTON -- Senator Frank R. Lautenberg reiterated his call for Vice President Dick Cheney to forfeit his continuing financial interest in the Halliburton Co (HAL), in light of the surging value of Vice President Cheney's Halliburton holdings. Vice President Cheney continues to hold 433,333 Halliburton stock options, now worth $9,214,154.93 (at close yesterday.)

'As Halliburton's fortunes rise, so does the Vice President's, and that is wrong,' said Senator Lautenberg. 'Halliburton has already raked in more than $10 billion from the Bush-Cheney Administration for work in Iraq, and now they are being awarded some of the first Katrina contracts. It is unseemly for the Vice President to continue to benefit from this company at the same time his Administration funnels billions of dollars to it.'"

Bankruptcy Law Is Criticized for Creditors' Role in Counseling - New York Times

Bankruptcy Law Is Criticized for Creditors' Role in Counseling - New York Times: "October 14, 2005

A requirement of the new bankruptcy law that sends Americans into credit counseling before they can erase their debts is drawing criticism from consumer advocates, bankruptcy lawyers and financial educators, who are concerned that the creditors are subsidizing the counseling.

Critics say that the new counseling requirement, part of the law that takes effect on Monday, increases the risk that people will be improperly steered away from the courts and into debt management plans, for which the counseling agency often receives part of any debts repaid."

Army 'to improve' treatment of fallen soldiers' families - Oct 13, 2005

CNN.com - Army 'to improve' treatment of fallen soldiers' families - Oct 13, 2005: "October 13, 2005; Posted: 10:39 a.m. EDT (14:39 GMT)

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- After Gay and Fred Eisenhauer learned their son had been killed while serving in Iraq in May, the couple traveled to the cargo area at Lambert Airport in St. Louis to get his body.

Army Pfc. Wyatt Eisenhauer's flag-draped coffin was delivered to his parents in a crate-filled area of the airport where workers on break sat nearby smoking cigarettes.

For Gay Eisenhauer, it was an impersonal place to meet her 26-year-old son on his final trip home.

'When we bring them home and we call them heroes, let's treat them like heroes all the way and not pull them into a cargo section and bring them home to the family that way,' said Eisenhauer, of Pinckneyville, on Wednesday."

Scandals Take Toll On Bush's 2nd Term

Scandals Take Toll On Bush's 2nd Term:

"'In my administration,' Bush told voters in Pittsburgh in October 2000, 'we will ask not only what is legal but what is right, not what the lawyers allow but what the public deserves.'"

Saddam's trial may be televised

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saddam's trial may be televised:

"The chief judge in the trial of Iraqi ex-leader Saddam Hussein has said he hopes the proceedings - due to start next week - will be televised."

US considers rapid home HIV test

BBC NEWS | Health | US considers rapid home HIV test:

"The US is considering approving the first rapid home testing kit for HIV.

An individual would be able to tell within 20 minutes whether they had the infection or not, in the privacy of their own home."

Iraqis ready to vote, US troops tell Bush - Yahoo! News

Iraqis ready to vote, US troops tell Bush - Yahoo! News: "Oct 13, 4:53 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a carefully scripted event, a handpicked group of U.S. troops told
President George W. Bush what he wanted to hear on Thursday -- that Iraqis were eager to vote on a new constitution this weekend."

Bush's ratings sink amid public pessimism - Yahoo! News

Bush's ratings sink amid public pessimism - Yahoo! News:

"Bush's approval rating dropped below 40 percent for the first time in polls by the Pew Research Center and NBC News/Wall Street Journal, and fewer than 30 percent of Americans believed the country was on the right track amid violence in
Iraq, high gas prices and growing budget deficits.

A new Fox News poll also showed Bush's approval rating dropping to its lowest level in that survey, falling to 40 percent from 45 percent since late September."

Catholic journal condemns boxing

BBC NEWS | Europe | Catholic journal condemns boxing:

"A leading Catholic magazine has described professional boxing as 'a legalised form of attempted homicide', driven by 'cruel' businessmen.

The latest issue of Civilta Cattolica (Catholic Civilisation) says 500 boxers have died from injuries sustained in the ring over the past 100 years."

Frist subpoenaed in probe of stock sales: WPost - Yahoo! News

Frist subpoenaed in probe of stock sales: WPost - Yahoo! News: "Oct 13,12:56 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider trading, The Washington Post reported on Thursday."

Whistleblowers meet to share stories, strategies (10/11/05)

www.GovExec.com - Whistleblowers meet to share stories, plot strategies (10/11/05):

"Most of the whistleblowers at the conference said they were ardent conservatives or lifelong Republicans. But their experiences have brought them into a world where they mingle with representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and Democratic lawmakers.

Conference participants said they'd spent the better part of their careers in government or military service, and had never thought about going public with their allegations, which ranged from suspected espionage inside national security agencies to criminal misconduct by superiors. But efforts to report allegations and complaints through their formal chains of command failed, they said, leaving them no alternative but to become public whistleblowers.

Through panel discussions and keynote speeches, participants told their stories, heard from organizations that support whistleblowers, and discussed legal, legislative and media strategies. They talked of building a sustained movement that will help career civil servants, military service members and government contractors report wrongdoing.

'We are here to stay,' Edmonds said. 'We have different ideologies, we have different personalities, we have different agencies, but we have a common goal.'

That goal, they say, is government accountability, which includes strong congressional oversight and protections for employees who disclose suspected wrongdoing at national security agencies."

Disquieted whistle-blowers (10/11/05)

USNews.com: N and W: Disquieted whistle-blowers (10/11/05): "10/11/05
By Kevin Whitelaw

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. – The first annual National Security Whistleblowers Conference, held on this tiny resort island, has to be one of the more unusual gatherings of intelligence veterans in recent years. The nearly 20 current or former officials from the FBI, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and even the supersecret National Security Agency who make up the core of the conference share an unusual distinction: They are all deeply out of favor with their longtime employers.

After speaking up, either internally or publicly, about alleged wrongdoings, many have been pushed out, typically under a cloud of usually unrelated but classified personal allegations. Many are still fighting to preserve their careers or at least their reputations. Most cannot discuss the allegations they are making in detail because the specifics are highly classified. Some even have trouble outlining the alleged violations that ended their own careers. The agencies they work for also refuse to answer questions about the specific cases.

So this disparate lot of intelligence and law enforcement veterans came together this week to see what they might all have in common. The tone was deeply pessimistic. In the wake of 9/11, many in Washington had voiced strong support for whistle-blowers like Colleen Rowley, the FBI analyst who wrote a memo laying out a series of failures in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, who had been arrested while attending flight school a month before the al Qaeda attacks. But the current and former officials at the conference said that today's climate in Washington has never been worse for whistle-blowers. Citing what many referred to as the Bush administration's penchant for secrecy amid their war on terrorism, several panelists bemoaned the difficulty of government officials raising allegations of government abuse, fraud, or incompetence without suffering retribution in their careers."

Los Angeles Files Recount Decades of Priests' Abuse - New York Times

Los Angeles Files Recount Decades of Priests' Abuse - New York Times: "October 12, 2005

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 - The confidential personnel files of 126 clergymen in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles accused of sexual misconduct with children provide a numbing chronicle of 75 years of the church's shame, revealing case after case in which the church was warned of abuse but failed to protect its parishioners.
....................

The personnel files - some of which date from the 1930's - were produced as part of settlement talks with lawyers for 560 accusers in a civil suit here.
....................

"Unfortunately, these files do not contain the full story of the participation by the church in the manipulation and movement of these priests," he said. "The full files would show how deep and pervasive this problem was and how much the church put its own interests ahead of those of the children and others who were molested by the priests. That is a broader and deeper story."
......................

The size of the priestly abuse problem here rivals that in Boston, where more than 500 members of the clergy were accused of abusing children over the past 60 years and where the church paid $85 million in 2003 to settle civil claims against it.

Since then, the stakes have risen. Late last year, the Diocese of Orange County in California paid $100 million to settle 85 cases.

The documents will be posted within a day or two on the archdiocese Web site (www.la-archdiocese.org) or on a site kept by the church's lawyers (www.la-clergycases.com), said J. Michael Hennigan, lead lawyer for the archdiocese.

"

Iraq's Zarqawi urged to prepare for Islamic rule: US - Yahoo! News

Iraq's Zarqawi urged to prepare for Islamic rule: US - Yahoo! News:

"Al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, has urged the militant network's leader in
Iraq to prepare for an Islamic government to take over the country when U.S. forces leave, according to a letter released on Tuesday by U.S. intelligence officials."


http://www.dni.gov/letter_in_english.pdf

Sunni party urges approval of constitution after late deal

KRT Wire | 10/11/2005 | Sunni party urges approval of constitution after late deal:

"Shiite legislator Miriam Rais said that the proposed amendment would be put to a vote in the assembly and that many Shiites were opposed to it, suggesting that the deal may yet be scuttled by the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite coalition that commands a narrow majority in the assembly.

'You can't say everybody has agreed so far,' Rais said. 'I can tell you, there is not much support among the UIA for this suggestion.'

Jawad Maliki, a senior Shiite negotiator, said that although the Shiite coalition had agreed in principle to the amendment, disputes remained about the mechanism for making changes to the constitution, with the Shiites insisting that a two-thirds majority should be required in the National Assembly.

It also wasn't clear whether the deal would win the support of the Kurds, who won virtually ironclad guarantees for their autonomy in the existing constitutional draft and have no wish to open the door to changes."

Sunnis Reach Deal Over Iraqi Constitution - Los Angeles Times

Sunnis Reach Deal Over Iraqi Constitution - Los Angeles Times:

"Under the terms of the compromise, Sunni leaders would drop their opposition to the constitution if the current National Assembly requires its successors to renegotiate the charter. A new legislature is to be elected in December, and the deal mandates that a second constitutional referendum would be held within four months."

Shield Law Sponsor: Bloggers 'Probably Not' Considered Journos

Shield Law Sponsor: Bloggers 'Probably Not' Considered Journos:

"In other remarks about the legislation at IAPA's 61st General Assembly, Lugar acknowledged that the legislation could amount to a 'privilege' for reporters over other Americans.

'I think, very frankly, you can make a case that this is a special boon for reporters, and certainly for their role in freedom of the press,' he said. 'At the end of the day what we will come out with says there is something privileged about being a reporter, and being able to report on something without being thrown into jail.'"

Airmen Fill the Gaps in Wartime - Los Angeles Times

Airmen Fill the Gaps in Wartime - Los Angeles Times:

"Straining to find ground troops to maintain its force levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has begun deploying thousands of Air Force personnel to combat zones in new jobs as interrogators, prison sentries and gunners on supply trucks."

Fabricated fear

Newsday.com: Fabricated fear:

"The warning was announced Thursday after two operatives were questioned in Iraq based on a tip from an informant ...

N.Y. officials defend response - Oct 11, 2005

CNN.com - N.Y. officials defend response - Oct 11, 2005:

"Bloomberg said he was also told that when three men allegedly linked to the supposed New York plot were arrested in Iraq, one of them had shouted, 'You are too late to stop us!'

The three men were later interviewed and given lie detector tests that showed they knew nothing about such a plan, according to government sources.

In addition, information alleging that someone involved in a possible New York plot had entered the United States has not been corroborated. 'We still do not know if such a person even exists,' an official said."

IRAQ: Traumatised young Iraqis turn increasingly to hard drugs

Reuters AlertNet - IRAQ: Traumatised young Iraqis turn increasingly to hard drugs:

"It is early morning. Khalid's father snorts a small quantity of heroin himself and wishes his son good luck as he sets out into the streets of this city, 160 km south of Baghdad, to find new customers.

'In the beginning I found the idea strange, but today I feel comfortable doing it because at the same time as I'm earning my own money, I'm also using the drug and it helps me forget the terror that has descended on our lives since the foreigners took over our country,' Hussein said.

He and his father are among the rising number of Iraqi addicts who also work as dealers to make money and finance their expensive habit."

.....................
Many consumers of heroin and cocaine say they have been traumatised by the increasing cycle of political violence in Iraq as Islamic insurgents step up their fight against the US-led coalition which invaded the country in 2003 to depose former president Saddam Hussein.

And drug pushers told IRIN they had found a lucrative market amongst soldiers in the US-led occupation forces. They report strong demand from Italian troops in particular.

Poll: Groups Unhappy With Bush Performance - Yahoo! News

Poll: Groups Unhappy With Bush Performance - Yahoo! News:

"'
Among those most likely to have lost confidence about the nation's direction over the past year are white evangelicals, down 30 percentage points since November, Republican women, down 28 points, Southerners, down 26 points, and suburban men, down 20 points.

Bush's supporters are uneasy about issues such as federal deficits, immigration and his latest nomination for the Supreme Court. Social conservatives are concerned about his choice of Miers, a relatively unknown lawyer who has most recently served as White House counsel.

'Bush is trying to get more support generally from the American public by seeming more moderate and showing he's a strong leader at the same time he has a rebellion within his own party,' Thurber said. 'The far right is starting to be very open about their claim that he's not a real conservative.'

The president's job approval is mired at the lowest level of his presidency — 39 percent. While four of five Republicans say they approve of Bush's job performance — enthusiasm in that support has dipped over the last year.

In December 2004, soon after his re-election, almost two-thirds of Republicans strongly approved of the job done by Bush. The AP-Ipsos survey found that just half in his own party feel that way now."

ICRC concern at Guantanamo strike - BBC NEWS | Americas |

BBC NEWS | Americas | ICRC concern at Guantanamo strike:

"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is worried about a hunger strike inside the US detention camps at Guantanamo Bay.

The ICRC spokeswoman, Antonella Notari, said the situation there was serious, and her organisation was following it with concern.

But she would not give details of what the ICRC had found during its visits."

Gitmo hunger strike in 56th day

"Amnesty International and human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, a lawyer representing some 40 detainees, said on Thursday that U.S. authorities were keeping 21 alive by forcing food into their stomachs through tubes pushed up their noses.

The prisoners were on the 56th day of their strike and were shackled to their beds 24 hours a day to stop them removing the tubes, Stafford Smith said.

Force-feeding is not banned under international law, but the World Medical Association declaration, endorsed by the American Medical Association, sets guidelines for doctors involved in hunger strikes and says they should not participate in force-feeding.

The United States opened Guantanamo in January 2002. Many detainees were seized in Afghanistan. Only four of the

prisoners there have been charged and many have been held more than three years. Some former prisoners have said they were tortured.">Top News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "Amnesty International and human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, a lawyer representing some 40 detainees, said on Thursday that U.S. authorities were keeping 21 alive by forcing food into their stomachs through tubes pushed up their noses.

The prisoners were on the 56th day of their strike and were shackled to their beds 24 hours a day to stop them removing the tubes, Stafford Smith said.

Force-feeding is not banned under international law, but the World Medical Association declaration, endorsed by the American Medical Association, sets guidelines for doctors involved in hunger strikes and says they should not participate in force-feeding.

The United States opened Guantanamo in January 2002. Many detainees were seized in Afghanistan. Only four of the

prisoners there have been charged and many have been held more than three years. Some former prisoners have said they were tortured."

New CBS poll has Bush at new low

New CBS poll has Bush at new low: "Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A new CBS poll finds President Bush's job approval rating has hit a record low with only 37 percent giving him positive marks.

Related Headlines

Bush approval falls in second poll (September 1, 2005) -- In a second poll in as many days, U.S. President George Bush's public approval rating has fallen to a record low 45 percent. The results of a ... > full story

Bush at 40 percent approval in Gallup Poll (August 26, 2005) -- A new Gallup Poll show President Bush's approval rating at 40 percent -- the lowest Gallup rating of Bush's presidency. The Princeton, ... > full story

Harris Poll: Bush at 40 percent positive (August 24, 2005) -- A Harris Poll issued Wednesday showed President Bush's job approval rating at 40 percent -- the lowest it's been during his ... > full story

Bush hits new Gallup low (July 29, 2005) -- A new Gallup Poll finds 44 percent of Americans approve of President George W. Bush's job performance, a new low for Bush in the CNN/USA ... > full story

New poll suggests bad news for Bush (June 7, 2005) -- Most Americans say President Bush is ignoring major problems, focusing instead on issues of little importance to most people, a newly released poll ... > full story

The survey found Republicans continue to support the president, with almost 80 percent saying he is doing a good job. Democrats continue to disapprove.

The big shift is among independents. Bush's approval rating fell from 40 percent a month ago to 29 percent.

The economy and the continued violence in Iraq appear to be fueling Bush's low numbers, CBS said.

The poll found 69 percent of respondents saying the country is going in the wrong direction -- the highest percentage since CBS began including the question 22 years ago -- while only 26 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction."

Bush will veto anti-torture law after Senate revolt

Telegraph | News | Bush will veto anti-torture law after Senate revolt: "07/10/2005)

The Bush administration pledged yesterday to veto legislation banning the torture of prisoners by US troops after an overwhelming and almost unprecedented revolt by loyalist congressmen."

White House denies Bush God claim

BBC NEWS | Americas | White House denies Bush God claim: "Last Updated: Thursday, 6 October 2005

The White House has dismissed as 'absurd' allegations made in a BBC TV series that President Bush claimed God told him to invade Iraq.

'He's never made such comments,' White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The comments were attributed to Mr Bush by the Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath in the upcoming TV series Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs.

Mr Shaath said that in a 2003 meeting with Mr Bush, the US president said he was 'driven with a mission from God'.

'President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan. And I did, and then God would tell me, George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq... And I did.

''And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East. And by God I'm gonna do it.''"

George Bush: 'God told me to end the tyranny in Iraq'

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | George Bush: 'God told me to end the tyranny in Iraq':

"George Bush has claimed he was on a mission from God when he launched the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a senior Palestinian politician in an interview to be broadcast by the BBC later this month.

Mr Bush revealed the extent of his religious fervour when he met a Palestinian delegation during the Israeli-Palestinian summit at the Egpytian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, four months after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003."

'God gave' Bush mission to invade Iraq and Afghanistan

Scotsman.com News - International - 'God gave' Bush mission to invade Iraq and Afghanistan:

"GEORGE Bush told Palestinian leaders that God had instructed him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new BBC television series."

Road Map in the Back Seat? (washingtonpost.com)

Road Map in the Back Seat? (washingtonpost.com):

"June 27, 2003; Page A27

Imagine our surprise Wednesday to read in the Israeli paper Haaretz (online), that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen, meeting recently with militants to enlist their support for a truce with Israel, said that, when they met in Aqaba, President Bush had told him this: ' God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam [ Hussein], which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.'
...........................

this is Abu Mazen's account in Arabic of what Bush said in English, written down by a note-taker in Arabic, then back into English."