From: http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy
12.28.06


"If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners
of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power.
They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.":
Howard Zinn, historian and author

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain
of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell, philosopher,
mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

"Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed
to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in
striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong: James Bryce
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Read this newsletter online http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy
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Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's War? More Than 655,000
http://tinyurl.com/usq4x

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In Bush's War  2983
http://icasualties.org/oif/

The War in Iraq Costs
$353,535,575,374

See the cost in your community
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

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Five Years of Infamy: Close Guantanamo!

By Colonel Ann Wright, Retired

As a retired US Army colonel with 29 years of service on active duty and in the US Army Reserves, and as a US diplomat for 16 years, I firmly believe that there must be accountability and responsibility for criminal actions that we know have occurred - whether the perpetrators are in the Pentagon, the CIA, the Justice Department, or the White House.
http://tinyurl.com/ygbkd7

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Freedom's prize in disturbing war

By BILL KAUFMANN

U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins' revelation Maher Arar is still considered a threat to his nation and is barred from entering it should be seen in the context of the Bush administration's rap sheet on abduction, torture, rendition, false imprisonment and kangaroo justice.
http://tinyurl.com/yefk99

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Will Stinky Cut The Big One?
 
 by Sheila Samples
 
 Bush is a brutal, pathological liar -- arguably a homicidal maniac. After losing two wars against helpless, unarmed nations, he's bored. The Decider is moving on to greater things, and those who know how to listen to him know the decision to nuke Iran has already been made.
http://tinyurl.com/ylaojp

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A Look Back and Ahead In An Age of Neocon Rule

By Stephen Lendman

The US ranks 41st in infant mortality, and the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the country 37th in the world in "overall health performance" and 54th in the fairness of health care despite spending at a current level overall of around $2 trillion a year or about double the amount per capita of the OECD countries that deliver superior health care overall to their citizens as a national priority.
http://tinyurl.com/ymlgua

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At least 98 killed in occupied Iraq:

A total of 40 bodies were found, shot dead and most showing signs of torture
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR734314.htm

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Anger in Iraq's Najaf after U.S. kills Sadr aide:

Thousands of supporters of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr marched through the holy Iraqi city of Najaf in an angry funeral procession after a senior Sadr aide was killed by a U.S. soldier on Wednesday.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2754298

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Roy Hattersley: What has long been a catastrophic tragedy is also now a horrific farce:

The British occupation army's assault on its own police force in Basra confirms Iraq as a far greater disaster than Suez
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329671150-103677,00.html

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Talabani awaits ruling on execution :

If presidential approval is not required, Saddam would lose his last legal means of avoiding the death penalty.
http://tinyurl.com/yh6t69

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Saddam: Farewell letter urges Iraqis not to hate:

"I also call on you not to hate the people of the other countries that attacked us," it said of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
http://tinyurl.com/yja6xw

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Saddam Hussein's Baath party threatens to retaliate if their leader is executed:

Saddam Hussein's Baath Party threatened Wednesday to retaliate if the ousted Iraqi leader is executed, warning in an Internet posting it would target U.S. interests anywhere.
http://tinyurl.com/yng42m

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Reverse Decision to Execute Saddam:

The Iraqi government should not implement the death sentence against Saddam Hussein, which was imposed after a deeply flawed trial for crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said today
http://tinyurl.com/yhp3wm

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In case you missed it:

Ministers were told of need for Gulf war:

MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1650822,00.html

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The real menace:

The public, seeing through the tissue of Bush administration lies told to justify an invasion that never had anything to do with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 or weapons of mass destruction, now has begun a national questioning: Why are we still in Iraq?
http://tinyurl.com/ydpryy

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Another 3500 US troops to Middle East:

THE Pentagon said today it would send about 3500 troops to Kuwait as a standby force for Iraq or elsewhere in the region
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20981307-5005361,00.html

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War pimp alert:

U.S. says evidence links Iran military to plots in Iraq:

The U.S. military said it had credible evidence linking Iranians and their Iraqi associates, detained here in raids last week, to criminal activities, including attacks against U.S. forces
http://tinyurl.com/yctl5x

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The gathering Gulf storm:

One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the renewed US campaign about the Iran nuclear issue camouflages a struggle for the domination of the Gulf and the Middle East region that set the tempo of the Cold War in the last century and will significantly determine the contours of the world order struggling to be born.
http://tinyurl.com/yadjyo

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Iran summons UK ambassador over Blair remarks :

Iran summoned Britain's ambassador in Tehran to its foreign ministry to hear its "strong objections" to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's claim that the Islamic republic poses a threat to the region.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061226/wl_mideast_afp/iranpoliticsbritain

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Iran's parliament votes to revise ties with the U.N. nuclear agency :

The bill passed by Iran's parliament said the government was ''obliged to accelerate the country's peaceful nuclear program and revise its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency based on national interests.''
http://tinyurl.com/yhydlf

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Iran's oil revenue running dry, analysis shows:

Iran is suffering a staggering decline in revenue from its oil exports, and if the trend continues income could virtually disappear by 2015, according to an analysis published Monday in a journal of the National Academy of Sciences.
http://tinyurl.com/yckh8a

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Iran's nuclear drive linked to looming oil crisis: US study:

"The regime's dependence on export revenue suggests that it could need nuclear power as badly as it claims," Stern wrote.
http://www.spacewar.com/2006/061226030031.kd1802go.html

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Building a Vichy Army for Palestine :

Badr Brigade Not Ready to Reinforce Abbas:

Israel has already agreed in principle to allow the unit to enter Gaza to reinforce pro-Abbas forces there. However, senior political and security sources say the Badr Brigade is not yet ready to operate.
http://tinyurl.com/ym7rzp

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EU reminds Israel West Bank settlement "illegal":

The European Union Wednesday strongly criticised Israel's approval of a new settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than 10 years, describing it as illegal under international law.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YSAR-6WVQFQ?OpenDocument

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Finland condemns Israel's new "settlement" construction in occupied West Bank :

 Such unilateral actions are illegal under international law and threaten to render the two-state solution physically impossible to implement, the statement said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-12/28/content_5540098.htm

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Israel "Settlement" Breaks Promise to U.S. :

Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the U.S. to halt home construction in the Palestinian territories.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6304475,00.html

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State Department challenges Israel:

Israel's plan to construct a new settlement on the West Bank drew rare criticism Wednesday from the Bush administration.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_go_ot/us_israel

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U.S. Judge Dismisses Suit Against Israeli General :

In a December 14 decision, Judge Paul Friedman argued that the retired Israeli general is immune from any legal measures in the United States since his actions were carried out as part of his official capacity in the Israeli military.
http://www.forward.com/articles/us-judge-dismisses-suit-against-israeli-general-1/

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'Corrie' canceled in Canada:

Play has potential to offend Jewish community
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117956295.html?categoryid=19&cs=1

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Afghan civilian killed by NATO occupation soldiers:

The Afghan was at least the eighth civilian to be killed since November 15 by gunfire from Nato soldiers on public roads.
http://tinyurl.com/yl3tug

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Taliban confirm top commander killed:

A Taliban commander confirmed on Wednesday that the rebels' military chief in southern Afghanistan had been killed in a U.S. airstrike on December 19
http://tinyurl.com/yztvnu

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Afghanistan may destabilise Pakistan, India - Armitage:

Failure to restore peace to Afghanistan may jeopardise stability in neighbouring Pakistan and have a knock-on effect on India, former U.S. deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said on Monday.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=SIN284489

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U.N. voices concern over Pakistan plan to mine part of border with Afghanistan :

A top U.N. human rights officer said Wednesday that Pakistan's plan to mine parts of its border with Afghanistan would only add to civilian casualties in a region already littered with unexploded ordnance
http://tinyurl.com/ygzf2g

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Pakistan's Afghan border fence plan "impractical":

A Pakistani plan to build a fence and lay landmines on parts of its Afghan border is impractical and will not stop an intensifying Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, analysts said on Wednesday.
http://tinyurl.com/yma3q6

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Afghan heroin supply on rise across America:

The amount of high-quality heroin throughout America is surging because of an increasing supply from Afghanistan, and with it the fear that record-breaking poppy harvests after the U.S. invasion are fueling more addictions and overdose deaths back home.
http://tinyurl.com/y9napx

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Fighting re-erupts in eastern Congo; 19 killed:

 Fighting broke out in eastern Congo today between government troops and forces loyal to a dissident general, killing at least 19 people, a U.N. official said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4428941.html

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Ethiopian forces advance on Mogadishu:

Ethiopian forces pushed to within 18 miles of the Islamist stronghold of Mogadishu today, as international criticism of their incursion into Somalia mounted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1979036,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1

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African Union orders Ethiopia out :

The African Union has demanded that all foreign players, including Ethiopia, immediately withdraw their forces from Somalia.
http://tinyurl.com/yzwmwr

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US Defends Ethiopian Action in Somalia:

"Ethiopia has genuine security concerns with regard to developments in Somalia and has provided support at the request of the legitimate governing authority, the Transitional Federal institutions."
http://voanews.com/english/2006-12-26-voa36.cfm

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Absence of US diplomacy blamed for Somalia 'flare-up" <http://voanews.com/english/2006-12-26-voa36.cfm===AbsenceofUSdiplomacyblamedforSomalia'flare-up> :

US support for Ethiopia's incursion into Somalia highlights another failure by Washington to use diplomacy rather than military might in dealing with Islamist threats to its moderate allies, analysts say.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061227/pl_afp/somaliaunrestethiopia

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Australia: Billions lost in Defence black hole:

DAYS after the Defence Department launched an inquiry into fears that criminals have gained access to army shoulder-fired rocket launchers, the Auditor-General has found it cannot adequately account for inventory and "repairable items" worth $3.9 billion.
http://tinyurl.com/ydu8gx

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Courts Side With NSA On Wiretaps:

In at least 17 criminal cases, federal district judges - have ruled against requests to force the government to tell defendants, most accused of terrorism-related crimes, whether the NSA eavesdropped on them without a court warrant.
http://www.nysun.com/article/45686

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The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ:

The American Right achieved its political dominance in Washington over the past quarter century with the help of more than $3 billion spent by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon on a daily propaganda organ, the Washington Times, according to a 21-year veteran of the newspaper.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/122706.html

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Carolyn Baker: The Good Shepherd": When Patriotism Murders Humanity:

I heard one reviewer describe the film as an attempt to „take on‰ the CIA, yet I came away on the one hand in awe of its psychological depiction of Edward Wilson, but also aware of the film‚s paucity of information regarding the agency‚s sordid machinations before, during, and after the Cold War.
http://tinyurl.com/yzclxg

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Castro 'does not have cancer' :

A Spanish surgeon who has examined Fidel Castro has said that the Cuban leader does not have cancer.
http://tinyurl.com/ydoetj

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U.S. doctors are being trained in Cuba:

Many aspiring doctors are leaving the United States to receive free medical training in Cuba.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16325116.htm

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Seething Cuba slams Costa Rica‚s Arias as pawn of US:

Cuba was outraged in particular when in recent statements Arias Œdisrespectfully and unethically compared Fidel (Castro) with the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet,‚ the statement added.
http://tinyurl.com/yz8wlk

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U.S. seizes funds purchased for ex-Nicaraguan President Aleman:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials seized $700,000 worth of Certificates of Deposit purchased on behalf of former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman with money stolen from the Central American country's government, officials said Wednesday.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/16329961.htm

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Chavez targets Venezuela homeless woes :

President Hugo Chavez has pledged to do away with homelessness in Venezuela through an aggressive outreach program that is offering street people communal housing, drug treatment and a modest stipend.
http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=20893

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Yes, oil from Venezuela:

THERE'S BEEN a lot of controversy lately over whether Citizens Energy Corp. should distribute -- and the poor should accept -- discount heating oil from Venezuela while that country is under the leadership of President Hugo Chávez.
http://tinyurl.com/yjkeht

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Richest 2 percent own more than half the world:

Two percent of adults command more than half of the world's wealth, while the bottom 50 percent possesses just 1 percent, according to a U.N. development institute study
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1806182006

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Climate change at crisis level:

The United States produces about one-fourth of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, yet we're the only major nation that officially denies there's a problem. This is the year for all of us -- government, business, individuals -- to aggressively attack global warming.
http://tinyurl.com/yknu4m

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Latest Katrina Disaster: Waste Estimate Doubles to $2 Billion:

Turns out the Bush Administration´s handling of Katrina was even worse than we thought, which is saying something.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2006/12/3171_latest_katrina.html

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Dollar Declines on Speculation U.S. Consumer Confidence Dropped :

The dollar had its biggest drop this month against the yen on speculation waning consumer confidence in the U.S. will increase the likelihood for a cut in interest rates by the Federal Reserve in the first quarter.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=an4JRF0g4CK8&refer=europe

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U.S. Recession Ahead, Researcher Forecasts:

The United States will slide into a "systemic recession" influenced by high consumer debt and low incomes in 2007, a leading trends researcher predicted.
http://tinyurl.com/ycpa7d

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Homeowners' losses are others' gains :

Profits from defaulted loans are soaring as lawyers, listing agents, property managers, investors and auctioneers get a piece of the pie.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4900525

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World's `Worst' Visa System Scares Business Away From the U.S. :

For growing numbers of international business travelers, visa and customs regulations are making trips to the U.S. a thing of the past.
http://tinyurl.com/ylvy3b

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Peace & Joy
Tom Feeley
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Liberty can not be preserved without general knowledge among people." (August 1765) John Adams



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