time to go back and hide under the covers

[Guest guest]

Italy Warned US On Iraq-Niger Documents

Meanwhile, the Italian government says it warned the Bush administration

documents purporting to show an Iraqi attempt to buy uranium from Niger were

fakes. Italian Senator Massimo Brutti said the warning was issued around the

same time President Bush made the claim in his State of the Union speech of

January 2003. The claim played a key part in the Bush administration’s

attempts to justify the war on Iraq. CIA agent Valerie Plame’s identity was

leaked after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, questioned the

Iraq-Niger connection.

 

Red Cross Calls for Access to Detainees in Secret Prisons

The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for access to detainees

held in secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe. The unidentified facilities were

revealed in Wednesday’s Washington Post. Meanwhile, the European Union

announced it would be looking into allegations made by Human Rights Watch that

Poland and Romania are the likely sites of the prisons. Both countries have

denied the allegations.

 

Riots Intensify in Paris Suburbs

In France, clashes intensified as rioting in several Paris suburbs entered its

eight day. The violence started October 27 following the deaths of two teenagers

in the poor area of Clichy-sous-Bois. The two teens were electrocuted in a power

grid while fleeing from police. One of the child’s parents has filed a

complaint with local authorities. The suburbs are home to a large North African

community and plagued by chronic unemployment and poverty. Unrest has now spread

to at least 20 towns. Police say they’ve made over 140 arrests. French

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has drawn criticism for calling the suburban

youths " scum, " and pledging a " war without mercy " on them.

 

UN Warns of Ethiopia-Eritrea War

In Africa, the UN is warning tensions along the border between Ethiopia and

Eritrea could lead to the outbreak of war. Forces from both countries are moving

troops and military supplies closer to the shared buffer zone. 200,000 troops

are on the Eritrean side alone. Close to 70,000 people were killed when the two

countries fought over a border dispute in 1998. Meanwhile, anti-government

protests continued in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Residents said

police fired on demonstrators and arrested several human rights activists.

Doctors say at least three people were killed in the clashes, bringing the

week’s death toll to at least 11.

 

Installed Haiti Government Files Suit Against Aristide

This news from Haiti – the U.S.-installed interim government has filed a

lawsuit against ousted President Jean Bertrand Aristide in U.S. federal court.

The suit alleges Aristide and several accomplices engaged in drug trafficking

and stole “millions of dollars†in public funds. Aristide was ousted in a

U.S.-backed coup in February 2004. He currently lives in exile in South Africa.

Aristide attorney Ira Kurzban called the charges “baselessâ€, saying : " The

lawsuit is based on a fraudulent report issued by the unelected officials who

are temporarily running the Haitian government, and has no credibility. "

 

10,000 March for Preval in Haitian Capital

In other Haiti news, an estimated crowd of 10,000 people marched through

Port-au-Prince Thursday in support of the election campaign of former President

Rene Preval. Preval was a close Aristide ally when he succeeded him in the

country’s first ever democratic transition in 1996. Aristide’s political

party Lavalas has split over whether to take part in the elections. Hundreds of

political prisoners are in jail and many elected Lavalas officials remain in

forced exile.

 

Tomlinson Resigns From CPB Board

In media news, Kenneth Tomlinson has resigned from the board of the Corporation

for Public Broadcasting. Tomlinson issued his resignation one day after the

submission of an inspector general’s report critical of his tenure. Tomlinson,

a staunch conservative, was head of the board until stepping down in September.

He drew controversy for hiring a Republican operative to monitor the political

leanings of shows hosted by Bill Moyers, Tavis Smiley and Diane Rehm, and for

hiring Republican lobbyists to defeat bills that would have modified rules on

board membership.

 

Senate, House Approve Food Stamp, Health Care Cuts

On Capitol Hill, separate measures in both Houses of Congress approved cuts in

health care and food stamp programs Thursday. The US Senate passed a bill that

will trim $10 billion dollars by restructuring Medicare and Medicaid health

programs. The Associated Press notes the bill’s $36 billion in overall savings

would be dwarfed by the $13.8 trillion expected to be spent under a Republican

budget plan approved in April. The approved bill also enables a controversial

plan to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Meanwhile, the House Budget Committee approved a $844 million dollar cut in food

stamp and child welfare programs.

 

Alito Advocated Firing HIV-Positive Employees

This news on the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito – the Washington

Post has revealed Alito co-authored a 1986 Justice Department opinion that said

employers should be able to legally fire HIV-positive employees. The opinion

stated “fear of contagion, whether reasonable or not, " was a sufficient reason

for firing an HIV-positive worker. Alito later said : “We certainly did not

want to encourage irrational discrimination, but we had to interpret the law as

it stands.†Meanwhile the Senate Judiciary Committee announced confirmation

hearings for Alito will begin January 9th. President Bush had pushed for a

confirmation vote by year’s end.

 

Brown Complained, Discussed Wardrobe as Katrina Hit

And newly-released e-mails continue to call into question the job performance of

former FEMA head Michael Brown. On the morning Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf

Coast, Brown wrote to a colleague: “Can I quit now? Can I come home? " A few

days later, he wrote to an acquaintance: " I'm trapped now, please rescue me. " In

other e-mails written during the days leading up to and during the storm, Brown

discussed searching for a dog-sitter and mused on his wardrobe. Three days

before Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, Brown wrote to his press secretary

Sharon Worthy: " Tie or not for tonight? Button-down blue shirt? " Days later,

Worthy advised Brown: " Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt, all shirts.

Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis]

and on TV you just need to look more hard-working. " On August 29, the day the

storm hit New Orleans, Brown received an e-mail from deputy director of FEMA

public affairs Cindy Taylor. Taylor wrote: " You look fabulous – And I’m not

talking about the makeup! " Brown replied: " I got it at Nordstroms... Are you

proud of me? " Brown wrote in another e-mail one hour later: " If you'll look at

my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god. " Two days later,

Brown received an e-mail from Marty Bahamonde, one of the only FEMA employees on

the ground in New Orleans. Bahamonde told Brown “the situation is past

critical†at the Louisiana Superdome. Brown responded: " Thanks for the update.

Anything specific I need to do or tweak? " Brown resigned as FEMA director

September 12th. He continues to collect a $148,000 dollar annual salary.

 

 

 

 

External control are you gonna let them get you?

Do you wanna be a prisoner in the boundaries they set you?