the worlds a scary place

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Ex-Powell Aide: Cheney 'Cabal' Hijacked Foreign Policy

Colin Powell's former chief of staff publicly accused top-level officials in the

Bush administration of hijacking the country's foreign policy in ways that have

undermined American democracy. The official - Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson spoke

Wednesday in Washington. Up until January he was chief of staff to then

Secretary of State Powell. " What I saw was a cabal between the Vice President of

the United States, Richard Cheney, and the Secretary of Defense... that made

decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made, " Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson went on to accuse President Bush and Rumsfeld of condoning the abuse

of detainees overseas. The Financial Times described Wilkerson's comments as the

harshest attack on the administration by a former senior official since

criticisms by Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill early last year. Wilkerson

admitted Wednesday his decision to publicly criticize the administration has led

to a falling out with Colin Powell, who he worked with for 16 years.

Report: Bush Knew Rove's Role in Leak Two Years Ago

A number of new developments have emerged in the growing scandal over the outing

of CIA operative Valerie Plame. The New York Daily News reports that President

Bush admonished Karl Rove two years ago after the president reportedly learned

of Rove's involvement in the leak. Meanwhile the Washington Post reports Rove

told the grand jury that it may have been Vice President Cheney's chief of staff

Lewis " Scooter " Libby who first told him that Plame worked for the CIA.

 

Quarter of Iraq War Vets Return With Health Problems

A new Pentagon study has found 28% of U.S. troops returning from Iraq face

health problems that require medical or mental health treatment. So far this

year almost 1,700 returning soldiers harbored suicidal or self-harming thoughts;

nearly 20,000 reported nightmares; and more than 3,700 said they had fears they

might " hurt or lose control " with someone else. The study also shows more

soldiers are afraid in Iraq now than at any other point of the occupation of

Iraq.

 

Spanish Judge Orders Arrest of U.S. Soldiers in Couso Killing

A Spanish judge has ordered the arrest and extradition of three U.S. soldiers

connected to the killing of Spanish tv cameraman Jose Couso in Iraq. The judge

said the action was needed because the U.S. had provided " no judicial

cooperation " in trying to resolve the death. We'll have more on this in a few

minutes.

 

Guardian Reporter Kidnapped in Baghdad

A 33-year-old Irish correspondent for the Guardian newspaper has been kidnapped

in Baghdad. Rory Carroll was apprehended Wednesday by masked gunmen after

interviewing a victim of Saddam Hussein's regime. The newspaper's editor Alan

Rusbridger, said " We urge those holding him to release him swiftly - for the

sake of his family and for the sake of anyone who believes the world needs to be

kept fully informed about events in Iraq today. "

 

Report: U.S. Soldiers Burnt Bodies of Captured Taliban Fighters

This news on Afghanistan - an Australian TV program has aired footage of U.S.

soldiers burning the bodies of two dead Taliban fighters. The program also aired

footage of a U.S. Army psy-ops unit caught on tape broadcasting news of the

burning to local residents. The message read : " You allowed your fighters to be

laid down facing west and burnt. You are too scared to retrieve their bodies.

This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be... You

attack and run away like women. You call yourself Taliban but you are a disgrace

to the Muslim religion, and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight

like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are. " On Wednesday the Pentagon

announced it would investigate the incident.

 

Lawyer: Guantánamo Detainees Tortured, Force-Fed, Induced to Vomit

Meanwhile at Guantanamo Bay, detainees are accusing guards and medical officials

of mistreating prisoners taking part in a camp-wide hunger strike. Detainees

said large feeding tubes were forcibly shoved up their noses and down into their

stomachs, with guards using the same tubes from one patient to another. The

force-feedings reportedly resulted in prisoners vomiting up " substantial amounts

of blood. " The detainees say no sedatives were provided during these procedures,

which they allege took place in front of U.S. physicians, including the head of

the prison hospital. The accusations were made to New York-based attorney Julia

Tarver of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Tarver says one client told her

QUOTE: " now after four years in captivity, life and death are the same. "

 

Rice Says Bush administration Will Not Rule Out Attack on Syria

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Bush administration will not rule

out the use of force against Syria. Appearing before the Senate Foreign

Relations Committee yesterday, Rice said quote: " I'm not going to get into what

the president's options might be. I don't think the president ever takes any of

his options off the table concerning anything to do with military force. " Rice

also ruled out setting a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

 

Bush & Abbas Meet in Washington

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in Washington today for a meeting with

President Bush at the White House. Abbas is expected to ask Bush to pressure the

Israeli government to ease restrictions on Palestinian movement and to freeze

settlement activity in the West Bank. Meanwhile Bush is expected to urge Abbas

to ban members of Hamas from running in upcoming elections unless they disarm

and renounce violence.

 

Senate Rejects Minimum Wage Increase

On Capitol Hill, the Senate rejected a pair of proposals Wednesday to increase

the federal minimum wage for the first time since 1997. Senator Ted Kennedy had

proposed raising the wage from $5.15 to 6.25. Kennedy said a single parent with

two children working a minimum wage job would earn less than $11,000 a year --

$4,500 below the poverty line.

 

Texas Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Tom DeLay

A Texas state court has issued an arrest warrant for Tom DeLay. This comes two

weeks after two separate grand juries indicted Delay on conspiracy and money

laundering charges. Delay has temporarily stepped down as House Majority leader.

He will now be required to appear in Texas for booking and possibly be

fingerprinted and photographed.

 

Hurricane Wilma Remains " Potentially Catostrophic "

And finally the US National Hurricane Center is warning Wilma has become a

" potentially catastrophic " hurricane. At one point on Wednesday, Wilma became

the strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane on record. It has since been downgraded

to a Category 4 storm. A mandatory evacuation order was in effect in the Florida

Keys, where the storm is expected to hit Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

When they kick out your front door

How you gonna come?

With your hands on your head

Or on the trigger of your gun

 

When the law break in

How you gonna go?

Shot down on the pavement

Or waiting on death row