ICH: Weekend Late Edition Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 23:41:13 -0500 (CDT) Note from Tom I am sorry about the delay in publishing the newsletter for the last 2 days. Our website server was hacked on a number of occasions and it was pretty frustrating trying to get if back on line and updated. I hope we have resolved the problem. I appreciate you patience. Peace and Joy - Tom === "Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular- but one must take it simply because it is right." : Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968 === "Today's human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow's conflicts." Mary Robinson: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Retired) === "Misunderstanding arising from ignorance breeds fear, and fear remains the greatest enemy of peace." : Lester B. Pearson === "Today the real test of power is not capacity to make war but capacity to prevent it." : Anne O'Hare McCormick: First woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism for her work as a foreign correspondent. === It is a tragic mix-up when the United States spends $500,000 for every enemy soldier killed, and only $53 annually on the victims of poverty: Martin Luther King, Jr: 1929-1968 === Click here for text only version of the site (great for dialup users)! http://www.ichblog.eu/text/ === Read this newsletter online http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy === Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's War On Iraq - At Least 655,000 + + http://tinyurl.com/usq4x Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America'sWar On Iraq 3521 http://icasualties.org/oif/ The War in Iraq Costs $435,384,879,626 See the cost in your community http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182 === Blowback Across Lebanon By Franklin Lamb Whoever killed anti-Syrian Lebanese MP Walid Eido Wednesday knew Syria would be blamed and that the country would move closer to civil war. Pro-government factions turned out in force along Beirut's Roauche sea front chanting anti-Syrian and anti-Hezbollah slogans but no serious fighting has been ignited yet. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17893.htm === A cry for justice from a good man who expected us to protect his son By Robert Fisk I had seen British military brutality in Northern Ireland - I had even been threatened by British officers in Belfast - but I somehow thought that things had changed, that a new, more disciplined army had emerged from the dark, sinister days of the Irish conflict. But I was wrong. Baha Mousa, Daoud's son, had died from the injuries he received in British custody, a young, decent man whose father was a cop, who did nothing worse than work as a receptionist in a Basra hotel. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17897.htm === In the Absence of Reason By Charles Sullivan My coworkers are good people, but they are sadly misinformed about the world in general, and things political in particular. They have subscribed to the mythos that the United States can do no wrong, and that the actions of the government in the Middle East, and elsewhere, are not only justified, but sanctified by god. That is the thinking behind manifest destiny. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17896.htm === War Foretold: Mark Twain and the Sins of Our Race By Ramzy Baroud When I resorted to Mark Twain's writings I attempted to escape, at least temporarily from my often distressing readings on war, politics and terror. But his "The Mysterious Stranger", although published 1916, still left me with an eerie feel. The imaginative story calls into question beliefs that we hold as a "matter of course" - a favorite phrase of his. It summons the awful tendencies of "our race": our irrational drive for violence, be it burning 'witches' at the stake or engaging in wars that only serve the "little monarchs and the nobilities." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17898.htm === The Battle of Gaza By Mike Whitney In less than 24 hours of fierce street-fighting, Bush's proxy-army in Gaza was routed by armed units of Hamas. It was a stunning defeat for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and for US-Israeli policymakers who have done everything in their power to overturn the "free and fair" election of the Hamas government. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17894.htm === Welcome to 'Palestine' By Robert Fisk How troublesome the Muslims of the Middle East are. First, we demand that the Palestinians embrace democracy and then they elect the wrong party - Hamas - and then Hamas wins a mini-civil war and presides over the Gaza Strip. And we Westerners still want to negotiate with the discredited President, Mahmoud Abbas. Today "Palestine" - and let's keep those quotation marks in place - has two prime ministers. Welcome to the Middle East. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17890.htm === The Gaza Cage By Uri Avnery Successive Israeli governments have destroyed Fatah systematically, cut off the feet of Abbas and prepared the way for Hamas. They can't pretend to be surprised. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17895.htm === What Every American Should Know About Iraq By David Michael Green While many can imagine political leaders making mistakes, most Americans find it inconceivable that an American president could actually put personal or political interests ahead of the national interest or the welfare of the troops, especially on so grave an issue as war and peace. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17891.htm === Americans Unready to Revolt, Despite Revolting Conditions By Joel S. Hirschhorn The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll results vividly show a population incredibly dissatisfied with their nation's political system. In other countries in other times such a depressing level of confidence in government would send a signal to those running the government that a major upheaval is imminent. But not here in the USA. Why? http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17892.htm === At least 34 killed as U.S. occupation grinds on: The Iraqi army has killed 10 suspected insurgents and arrested 79 others during operations in the last 24 hours http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM732060.htm === Six killed, 15 injured in suicide attack in occupied Baghdad : A suicide bomber, wearing an explosive belt, blew himself up after getting into a crowd of Iraqi volunteers for police force in the city 45 kilometers west of Baghdad, http://tinyurl.com/368roe === Maliki asks US troops to resist arming Iraqi tribes: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki has warned that US troops sometimes create new militias by arming Iraqi tribes, urging that such decisions be left to his government. http://tinyurl.com/329hpq === Blair knew US had no post-war plan for Iraq: Tony Blair agreed to commit British troops to battle in Iraq in the full knowledge that Washington had failed to make adequate preparations for the postwar reconstruction of the country. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,2104984,00.html?gusrc=rss&fe ed=12 === How Blair despaired of US Iraq war plans: Mr Bush told Mr Blair that he did not have to commit soldiers and could help 'in some other way'. But the PM replied: "No, I'm with you." http://tinyurl.com/2q7f8o === A bloody epitaph to Blair's war : The death of a hotel receptionist in British custody was first reported by the IoS. In the week that the Law Lords ruled that the Human Rights Act applies to Iraqis in British custody, Andrew Johnston reveals the shocking witness statements that shed new light on a dark chapter in an illegal war http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article2666413.ece === US troops could stay in Iraq for a decade: General : US forces could be needed in Iraq for a decade to battle insurgents, the top coalition commander said yesterday while vowing a "forthright" review in September on whether a troop surge is working. http://tinyurl.com/3axrwa === At Least 35 Police Officers Killed In Kabul Bus Bombing: : BBC on Sunday reported that at least 35 police officers were killed after their bus was hit by a suicide bomber in the Afghan capital of Kabul, citing the police chief http://tinyurl.com/39j8hq === 3 coalition occupation force soldiers, Afghan interpreter killed by roadside blast : A roadside bombing killed three soldiers of the U.S.-led coalition forces and an Afghan interpreter in Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon, a coalition statement said. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-06/18/content_6255051.htm === Manufacturing Consent For War With Iran: We cannot have Iranian base outside of Tel Aviv: Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel should besiege the Gaza Strip and prepare for military action in order to defeat Hamas. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3413812,00.html === Israel sends troops into occupied Gaza: ISRAEL has sent troops into northern Gaza and cut petrol supplies to the territory in a move to isolate the Islamic militants of Hamas who have seized full control. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21923343-5006003,00.html === Israel plans attack on Gaza: According to senior Israeli military sources, the plan calls for 20,000 troops to destroy much of Hamas's military capability in days. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1942918.ece === U.S. couldn't deliver on plan to prop up Mideast "moderates": "Israel and the Americans repeatedly said that they would support Abu Mazen, but materially they did not," said Ayman Shaheen, a political analyst at Al Azar University in Gaza City. "We saw during these five days of fighting the superiority of the Hamas forces." http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/17379498.htm === After Hamas's bloody triumph, showdown with Israel looms: The Palestinian civil war is about to become a wider conflict http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1942875.ece === Palestinian police chief bans working with Hamas : The pro-Fatah Palestinian police chief on Saturday banned his men in Gaza from cooperating with the rival Hamas group following its seizure of the territory, saying they will be treated as mutineers. http://tinyurl.com/2pth63 === Fatah officer: 'Our leaders betrayed us': A Fatah security officer who surrendered to Hamas in the Gaza Strip said over the weekend that he and his colleagues did not fight because "we are very disappointed with our leadership." http://tinyurl.com/2koueo === Raceism on display: Which of these is the greater threat to Israel?: Israel must cope with two far deeper dangers than Iran's amateur atom bomb, or even unending waves of suicide bombers. http://tinyurl.com/38dd67 === U.N. peacekeepers says rocket attack "serious" breach of Lebanon-Israel cease-fire,: Two rockets fired from Lebanon landed Sunday in northern Israel, causing damage but no casualties. Hezbollah, the main guerrillas group in Lebanon that fought the Israelis last year, denied any involvement. The Lebanese army said three rockets were fired and a fourth was found before it was launched. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/17/africa/ME-GEN-Lebanon-Israel-UN.php === Lebanon under US custodianship : In September 2004, the United States and France managed to legalise their interference in Lebanon's internal affairs by internationalising its issue through the UN Security Council resolution No 1559. http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10133076.html === Iran: Russia will block US missile defense plan: Iran said Sunday it had received indications from Russia's president that he would not follow through with an offer to allow the US to use a radar station in neighboring Azerbaijan for missile defense against Teheran. http://tinyurl.com/2ogumk === There's money out there, but little sign of responsibility: The super-rich are back, and would much rather buy private planes or build golf courses than recognise their debt to society http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2104908,00.html === NEWS FOR 06/16/07 === Iraq: At least 27 killed in another bloody day of U.S.occupation: U.S. and Iraqi forces killed four suspected insurgents and detained 20 others during operations in Falluja, Mosul and Baghdad http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16391796.htm === SAS man sets up Sunnis to take on al-Qa'eda: A British general is at the forefront of a risky American strategy to turn former Sunni insurgents into "freedom fighters" battling al-Qa'eda in Baghdad. http://tinyurl.com/3ymfqf === Mercenaries face mounting losses : Companies, funded by billions of dollars in U.S. military and State Department contracts, are fighting insurgents on a widening scale in Iraq, enduring daily attacks, returning fire and taking hundreds of casualties that have been underreported and sometimes concealed, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials and company representatives. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19256869/ === U.S.: 60 Pct of Baghdad Not Controlled : Security forces in Baghdad have full control in only 40 percent of the city five months into the pacification campaign, a top American general said Saturday http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6714881,00.html === Some doubt U.S. claims Iran arming Taliban": Some analysts question U.S. reports that Iran is arming the Taliban, saying Tehran has other allies there and the weapons are available on the open market http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20070613-041300-8367 === Backlash feared to US funding in Iran: The survival of Iran's fragile pro-democracy movement is being threatened by the US administration's continuing attempts to fund the country's civil society, leading activists have warned. http://tinyurl.com/34lvh6 === Suicide bomber kills four in Afghan capital: A suicide car-bomber attacked a military-civilian convoy on Saturday in the Afghan capital, killing four civilians, police and NATO-led forces said, in the third such attack on international forces in two days. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070616/ts_nm/afghan_bombing_dc === Suicide bombing kills 2 Afghan civilians, injures 6 others : A suicide bombing targeting a NATO military convoy killed two civilians and injured six others in Mazari Sharif, the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-06/16/content_6250927.htm === U.S. occupation force soldier fires into crowd after Kabul suicide bombing: A suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of American contract workers and military personnel in the Afghan capital on Saturday, killing at least four civilians, officials said. A U.S. soldier opened fire afterward, killing one civilian and sparking an angry protest. http://tinyurl.com/34x2bu === NATO "Image Problem": Civilian Deaths : NATO has an image problem in Afghanistan - and a U.S. soldier who fired a Humvee's machine gun into a crowd of civilians after a deadly suicide bombing Saturday shows why. http://tinyurl.com/3crs57 === Pakistan's soldiers 'huddling in their bases' : The Pakistani army is paralysed by the growing Taliban threat and some retired officers are covertly aiding the militants, according to a former CIA officer. http://tinyurl.com/2tyfel === Six Palestinian killed, 11 injured in Gaza clashes : Six Palestinian were killed and 11 injured in armed clashes in Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said Saturday. http://tinyurl.com/3yq45b === 'Condoleezza! This is Hamas. You must deal with us now' : A MASKED Hamas fighter sat down at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's desk yesterday and declared an end to the Western-backed authority in the Gaza Strip - in an imaginary telephone call to the United States. http://tinyurl.com/2tgd5h === Hamas, Fatah Launch Separate Governments: Leaders of the Hamas and Fatah parties began operating parallel Palestinian governments Friday after days of intense factional fighting that have sharply defined the political and geographic divisions undermining the Palestinian drive for statehood. http://tinyurl.com/3xu9zm === Hamas appoints new security chief in Gaza : In a move to tighten control of the Gaza Strip, deposed prime minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas on Saturday appointed a new security chief for the Gaza Strip to replace a pro-Fatah command, local TV reported. http://tinyurl.com/2w4uqk === U.S. Strenghtens Support Offer To Abbas: The U.S. strengthened its offer of support for President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, telling him an international aid embargo against the Palestinians would end as soon as he forms a new government without Hamas, aides to Abbas said. http://tinyurl.com/328yt7 === Crisis of American Superpower: Charlie Rose Interviews Zbigniew Brzezinski : A conversation with former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski about his book Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower. http://tinyurl.com/2r9evv === Secret New Plan For EU Superstate: TONY Blair wants to hand the European Union radical new powers in his last act as Prime Minister, it emerged today. http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/9970/ === Push for Blair as new EU president: Tony Blair, the British prime minister, could end up swapping Downing Street for a job as the first full-time European Union president, under a plan being actively touted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2bc60e12-1b72-11dc-bc55-000b5df10621.html === Seymour M. Hersh : The General's Report: How Antonio Taguba, who investigated the Abu Ghraib scandal, became one of its casualties. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/25/070625fa_fact_hersh === Child soldiers : 12 Minute Video: Sir David Frost talks to a former child soldier from Sierra Leone and to John Pilger about the plight of the Chagos islanders. http://tinyurl.com/2scuzo === Russia bans human tissue export in bioweapon alert: Kommersant attributed the ban to fears in the secret service that Russian genetic material could be used abroad to make biochemical weapons targeting Russians. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11952 ===