Pentagon Moved to Fix Iraqi Media Before Invasion 10 May 2007 Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 20:12:04 -0500 (CDT) Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government 10 May 2007 http://www.legitgov.org/ All links to articles as summarized below are available here: http://www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news Pentagon Moved to Fix Iraqi Media Before Invasion --PowerPoint presentation had $51M budget for RRMT operation, part of one-to-two-year 'strategic information campaign' By Jim Lobe 09 May 2007 In the run-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon planned to create a 'Rapid Reaction Media Team' (RRMT) designed to ensure control over major Iraqi media while providing an Iraqi 'face' for its efforts, according to a 'White Paper' obtained by the independent National Security Archive (NSA) which released it Tuesday... Among other items, the budget called for the hiring of two U.S. "media consultants" who were to be paid 140,000 dollars each for six months' work. A further 800,000 dollars were to be paid for six Iraqi "media consultants" over the same period. Majority of Iraqi Lawmakers Now Reject Occupation By Raed Jarrar and Joshua Holland 09 May 2007 On Tuesday, without note in the U.S. media, more than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country. 144 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal, according to Nassar Al-Rubaie, a spokesman for the Al Sadr movement, the nationalist Shia group that sponsored the petition. House votes for more war funds in installments --Lawmakers defy Bush's veto threat 10 May 2007 The House of Representatives voted for additional funds for the Iraq war in installments on Thursday, defying President [sic] Bush's veto threat. The first portion would cover costs until Aug. 1 $42.8 billion to buy equipment [?] and train [!] Iraqi and Afghan security forces. Under the bill, it would take a summertime vote by Congress to free an additional $52.8 billion, the money needed to cover costs through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year. House Rejects Nine-Month Iraq Withdrawal 11 May 2007 The Democratic-controlled House defeated legislation Thursday to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within nine months, then pivoted quickly to a fresh challenge of President [sic] Bush's handling of the unpopular war. The vote on the nine-month withdrawal measure was 255-171. Bush Says He'll Seek Agreement on Iraq Benchmarks 10 May 2007 President [sic] George W. Bush, facing growing dissent among Republicans as well as Democrats over the war, said he'll negotiate with Congress on setting benchmarks for progress in Iraq as part of legislation to fund troops. Bush begs for more time as Republican revolt gathers pace 11 May 2007 President [sic] Bush pleaded for time over Iraq yesterday after being warned that the war was destroying the Republican Party and that allies on Capitol Hill were poised to defect. NBC: 11 Republicans Berate Bush Over Iraq In Private White House Meeting 09 May 2007 In a sign of the growing fissure between the White House and its congressional allies over the war, NBC News reports tonight that 11 Republican members of Congress pleaded yesterday with President [sic] Bush and his senior aides to change course in Iraq. One member of Congress called the discussion the "most unvarnished conversation theyve ever had with the president." In Iraq, Cheney defends deployment extensions --Vice president vows to 'stay on the offensive' despite growing opposition 10 May 2007 Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney saluted U.S. troops stationed near former Iraqi leader Saddam Husseins hometown on Thursday and defended the Bush administrations recent decision to extend military deployments as "vital to the mission." [What exactly is "the mission?" Monsanto's GM seeds, KBR's detention centres, Blackwater USA's mercenaries, and Exxon Mobil's smuggled oil. Oh, ok. Got it. --LRP] Strong explosion strikes Iraqi capital during visit by Cheney 09 May 2007 A thunderous explosion struck Baghdad on Wednesday, coinciding with a visit by U.S. Vice-President [sic] Dick Cheney to discuss efforts to reduce the violence in Iraq. The blast, which occurred about 6:25 p.m., appeared to strike in the vicinity of the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, but that could not immediately be confirmed. Cheneys spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said: "His business was not disrupted. He was not moved." [Of course he was 'not moved.' Nothing moves this heartless bastard. How many must die before he IS moved? --MDR] Iraqi parliament speaker slams U.S. officials over criticism of its summer break plans 09 May 2007 Iraq's maverick parliament speaker on Wednesday rejected U.S. criticism of the 275-seat legislature over its summer break plans, saying it amounted to unacceptable interference in Iraqi affairs as Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney was expected to take up the issue during a visit to Baghdad. White House threatens to veto short-term Iraq funding bill 09 May 2007 The White House threatened on Wednesday to veto a proposed House bill that would pay for the Iraq war only through July a limit Defense Secretary Robert Gates said would be disastrous. The warnings came as Gates also told reporters that his evaluation of force levels in Iraq in September will not lead to a rapid troop withdrawal, and that at least some U.S. forces are likely to be in Iraq for a protracted period of time. Haditha marine 'watched superior kill surrendering civilians' 10 May 2007 A US marine told a court yesterday that he had "pissed" on the head of one of 24 dead Iraqi civilians killed by his unit and watched a superior officer kill five Iraqis as they tried to surrender. Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz made the admission at a pre-trial hearing ahead of a series of military trials over the killings and alleged cover-up at Haditha, 120 miles west of Baghdad, in November 2005. US Marine 'urinated on dead Iraqi' 10 May 2007 Angered that a beloved member of his squad had been killed in an explosion, a US Marine urinated on one of the 24 dead Iraqi civilians killed by his unit in Haditha, the Marine testified. Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz, who has immunity from prosecution after murder charges against him were dismissed, also said he watched his squad leader shoot down five Iraqi civilians who were trying to surrender. US Marine killed in fighting west of Baghdad 10 May 2007 A US Marine was killed in fighting west of Baghdad, the military said Thursday. Two guilty of trying to leak details of Blair's talks with Bush 10 May 2007 Tony Blair's ill-fated war with Iraq claimed two more victims yesterday when a civil servant [David Keogh] and an MP's researcher [Anthony Clarke] were convicted of disclosing details of a secret conversation between the Prime Minister and President [sic] George Bush. Last night, MPs, lawyers and civil rights groups described the prosecution as a "farce" and accused the Government of misusing the Official Secrets Act to cover up political embarrassment over the war. Britain's Blair to leave office on June 27 11 May 2007 Prime Minister Tony Blair said he will quit on June 27, 10 years after winning power in what was hailed as a new dawn for Britain that has since been darkened by the Iraq war. Blair's resignation triggers a contest for the leadership of the ruling Labour Party, which finance minister Gordon Brown is favourite to win. Blair leaves saying 'I did what I thought was right' 10 May 2007 Prime Minister Tony Blair announced Thursday he will resign on June 27, ending a tumultuous decade as one of Britain's most successful leaders but who divided the nation over the Iraq war. Blair defended his record supporting the US-led invasion in 2003, insisting: "Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right." US-led raid kills 40 civilians in Afghanistan 10 May 2007 At least 40 civilians were killed in an air strike in Afghanistan by foreign forces, witnesses said on Thursday... The deaths on Tuesday in the southern province of Helmand, if confirmed, would raise the civilian toll at the hands of foreign troops to 110 in the past two weeks. Suicide Risk Said Higher for Veterans 11 May 2007 Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk of suicide because not all Veterans Affairs health clinics have 24-hour mental care available, an internal review says. The report released Thursday by the department's inspector general is the first comprehensive look at VA mental health care, particularly suicide prevention. Putin Cites Third Reich in Veiled Criticism of U.S. 09 May 2007 President Vladimir V. Putin obliquely compared the foreign policy of the United States to the Third Reich in a speech on Wednesday commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Canada-U.S. want formal rules for terror suspects caught at sea: sources 09 May 2007 Canada and the United States held talks last fall to set formal rules for the handover of Taliban and 'al-Qaida' fighters captured by Canadian warships at sea. The talks began with a visit to Washington last October by two senior members of the Defence Department's judicial branch, one of them a naval commander, and the exchange continued with at least one followup visit last winter, defence sources told The Canadian Press. Widow of London bomber held in anti-terror raids 10 May 2007 The widow of Mohammed Sidique Khan - the 'ringleader' of the July 7 suicide bombers - and her brother were among four people arrested yesterday in an anti-terrorist investigation. Gonzales 'not aware' of DOJ using Wales killing to explain firing 10 May 2007 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [aka Tortureboy] acknowledged Thursday there was a "great deal of concern" in some quarters about former U.S. Attorney John McKay's handling of election fraud allegations during the 2004 election in Washington state. But he said he doesn't know if that's why McKay was placed on a list of U.S. attorneys to be fired in March 2005. TestiLIEing before the House Judiciary Committee in the nation's capital, Gonzales also said he didn't know if McKay might have been fired because he pushed for appropriate resources to investigate the slaying of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Wales. Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove By Murray Waas 10 May 2007 The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protigi of Rove's, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. 'This case just reeks of rotten eggs. I would say this is just the perfect example of retaliation for exercising First Amendment rights.' U.S. retroactively labels 2003 leaked memo 'sensitive' 10 May 2007 The Bush dictatorship is belatedly accusing a fired air marshal of disseminating sensitive information, nearly four years after the officer leaked an embarrassing but routine memo on reducing hotel costs. The administration argues that ex-marshal Robert MacLean, who is trying to win his job back, should have known the unlabeled memo he received on his unsecured cell phone was considered "sensitive security information." Lawyers who handle national security cases said they could not recall an instance when the classification of "sensitive security information" was formally applied to a document made public years earlier. If the retroactive designation is upheld, lawyers say, it would instill new fears in whistle-blowers who want to release important but unclassified information to the public. New Whistleblower Surfaces At Chemical Weapon Depot --Worker Safety, Environmental Violations and Data Falsification at Kentucky Facility (PEER) 10 May 2007 A top scientist overseeing chemical weapons storage operations at the Bluegrass Army Depot claims he was fired for reporting worker safety, environmental and data integrity violations, according to legal filings released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The troubled Army facility in Kentucky is already the subject of a federal grand jury looking into these and other lapses at the repository for storing 500 tons of the worlds deadliest chemical warfare agents. Countering Radicalization --Our Other Prevention Strategy (FBI) 10 May 2007 On May 7, using our investigative and intelligence capabilitiesfrom undercover operations to informants and surveillancewe foiled an attack on a New Jersey military base by a group of homegrown extremists acting in the name of jihad. Even as we look back on the successful prevention of a terrorist attack, we are left to ask: how do wewe in the FBI and we as a nationprevent people like these living within our borders from becoming radicalized in the first place ... from taking their faith or political beliefs to the extremes of plotting acts of violence and destruction? [You can't. No justice; no peace. --LRP] Face recognition next in terror fight 10 May 2007 Homeland Security leaders are exploring futuristic and possibly privacy-invading technology aimed at finding terrorists and criminals by using digital surveillance photos that analyze facial characteristics. The government is paying for some of the most advanced research into controversial face-recognition technology, which converts photos into numerical sequences that can be instantly compared with millions of photos in a database. Internet Calls Subject to Phone Tapping --Starting May 14th VoIP Calls Will Be Easier to Tap 08 May 2007 Companies that provide Internet phone service have just six days to meet a deadline from the Justice Department. By next Monday, they'll have to make their systems easier to tap. That's right -- make it easier to secretly listen in on your phone calls, or face daily fines of $10,000 dollars. Anti-Sarkozy protests in Paris, students strike 09 May 2007 French police arrested more than 100 demonstrators and hundreds of students went on strike at a Paris university as left-wing protests against [rightwing] president-select Nicolas Sarkozy continued for a fourth night on Wednesday. OxyContin: The Giuliani Connection 10 May 2007 Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin. Federal officials say the company, Purdue Frederick, helped to trigger a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the time-release painkiller by failing to give early warnings that it could be abused. Michael Moore Faces U.S. Treasury Probe 10 May 2007 Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for taking ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba for a segment in his upcoming health-care documentary "Sicko," The Associated Press has learned. Police, Bomb Dog Search Colo. School 11 May 2007 Police searched a high school room by room Thursday after a cook reported seeing two suspicious men in the building around dawn, both wearing camouflage and one in a ski mask. Authorities said no classes or groups were meeting in Boulder High School at the time. Police sealed off the building, and school officials canceled classes for the day. A four-hour search by 23 officers in three SWAT teams found no signs of a break-in, Police Chief Mark Beckner said. Threat evacuates downtown college 10 May 2007 A bomb threat at Columbia College this morning forced the temporary evacuation of one of the school's buildings in downtown Chicago, but no explosives were found, authorities said. The building was evacuated, but no other information on the threat was made available. Cho's '05 dorm visit led to police complaint 09 May 2007 Virginia Tech police filed a harassment complaint against Seung Hui Cho with the university's honor court after the future mass killer made a late-night visit to a woman's dormitory room in November 2005, according to a campus police report. The university would not say whether Cho was called to a hearing or disciplined by the school. Kyoto expiry looms over climate talks 10 May 2007 A climate summit in Indonesia this December must launch formal talks to extend the Kyoto Protocol after 2012 or face a hunt for alternatives, climate analysts and policy officials said on Thursday. CLGers, we need your support. http://www.legitgov.org/#contribute Or, please mail a check or money order to the CLG: Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) P.O. Box 1142 Bristol, CT 06011-1142 Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible. [Previous lead stories:] Saddam security services get recall in secret 06 May 2007 Authorities with the US-led occupation have begun a covert campaign to recruit and train agents with the once-dreaded Iraqi intelligence service to help identify resistance to American forces here after months of increasingly sophisticated attacks and bombings, according to US and Iraqi officials. Gee, this can't be good... U.S. Embassy: wear flak jackets, helmets 09 May 2007 A sharp increase in mortar attacks on the Green Zone the one-time oasis of security in Iraq's turbulent [due to the US] capital has prompted the U.S. Embassy to issue a strict new order telling all employees to wear flak vests and helmets while in unprotected buildings or whenever they are outside. The order, obtained by The Associated Press, has created a siege mentality among U.S. staff inside the Green Zone following a recent suicide attack on parliament. Armed groups 'breeding like mushroom' in Baghdad despite U.S. campaign 09 May 2007 Baghdad inhabitants say the presence of armed groups has intensified since the start of U.S. military operations to pacify the city more than two months ago. More and more armed groups are springing up in Baghdad, they say, and restive quarters like Doura and Ghazaliya have turned into major 'insurgent' strongholds... Kadhem Abedsada, who has been forced to flee al-Ghazaliya district, said security conditions have aggravated since the government began its security plan. Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Those who'd like to be added to the Newsletter list can sign up: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg. Please write to: signup@legitgov.org for inquiries. CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright ) 2007, Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.