Taken-for-granted graves for Iraqi journalists 05 Mar 2008 Resent-Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 20:00:47 -0600 (CST) Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government 05 Mar 2008 http://www.legitgov.org/ All items are here: http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news Taken-for-granted graves for Iraqi journalists 05 Mar 2008 It is one of the ironies in Iraq that instead of having houses where they can live with their families, the Najaf governor has granted Iraqi journalists a piece of land in Dar Al-Salam cemetery where they can be buried after [US] militias assassinate them. Since March 2003, when the Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) began, 124 journalists and 49 of their staffers have died in Iraq. Bush officials: Congress irrelevant on Iraq 05 Mar 2008 The Bush dictatorship says the 2002 congressional authorization to go to war in Iraq gives it the authority to conduct combat operations in Iraq and negotiate far-reaching agreements with the current Iraqi government without consulting Congress. The assertion, jointly made Tuesday by U.S. Ambassador David Satterfield and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Mary Beth Long, drew an incredulous reaction from Democrats on a Joint House committee during a hearing on future U.S. commitments to Iraq. Administration says president can keep troops in Iraq even after UN mandate expires 05 Mar 2008 The Bush administration can keep troops in Iraq into next year even after the current U.N. mandate governing operations there expires and without Congress' permission, a senior State Department official told a Democratic lawmaker on Wednesday. In a letter to Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., David Satterfield said military operations can continue "beyond the end of this year under the laws passed by Congress and the president's [sic] authority as commander in chief." US senator wants Iraq oil funds used for rebuilding 04 Mar 2008 The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on Tuesday he may try to require Iraq to spend more of its oil revenue on reconstruction instead of investing the money in foreign banks. Turkey launches air strikes against rebels in N Iraq 06 Mar 2008 Turkey launched air strikes Tuesday night on rebel targets in northern Iraq, an Iraqi security source said on Wednesday. Turkish warplane targeted the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in the Sidekan area of Arbil province, but no casualties had been reported, the source said on conditional of anonymity. US soldier among eight killed in Iraq 05 Mar 2008 A US soldier and seven others were killed when an Iraqi military helicopter crashed in northern Iraq, the US military said. Elsewhere, there was little violence reported in Iraq, except for US operations against 'al-Qaeda.' Khadr lawyers allege Cheney linked to video release 03 Mar 2008 Omar Khadr's defense lawyers will try to find out whether U.S. Vice-President [sic] Dick Cheney's office secretly leaked a video of the imprisoned Canadian to an American media outlet -- an allegation that, if proven, would be a clear violation of court orders and further proof that the process by which Mr. Khadr is being tried is a political, not legal one, his military lawyer says. Lawyers for Canadian Gitmo Detainee Accuse Cheney of Leaking Video to '60 Minutes' 04 Mar 2008 Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney's office may have leaked an incriminating video of a Canadian terror suspect facing a war-crimes 'trial,' according to a claim filed by the suspect's lawyers in Guantanamo Bay military court. Lawyers for Omar Khadr say the video, which apparently shows their client making a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, may have been leaked to the television program "60 Minutes" to counter publicity that has focused on legal setbacks in the case and descriptions of Khadr as a child soldier. "60 Minutes" aired the tape in November. Afghanistan produces 93 percent of global opiates -- INCB 06 Mar 2008 Afghanistan's illicit opium poppy cultivation has increased 17 percent in 2007 and the country now accounts for 93 percent of the global illicit market for opiates, practically all the heroin in Europe comes from Afghanistan, according to International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Annual Report, released in Vienna, Austria. Bombings in Afghanistan kill 5 03 Mar 2008 A suicide car bomber attacked a government building Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, killing a policeman a day after a similar blast left four people--including two NATO soldiers--dead. 'Civilian-military partnership necessary against terrorism' 05 Mar 2008 Senior journalist and analyst Ahmad Rasheed said on Tuesday that only a civilian-military partnership could prove to be effective in the fight against terrorism, as Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] and the Taliban had allied to destabilise Pakistan and terrorise its people. Speaking to Geo TV, Rasheed said the series of [US] bombings after the general elections were apparently creating hurdles in the formation of the government. [See: Minister: US 'behind lawlessness and terrorism' in Pakistan 03 Mar 2008.] Uzbekistan gives U.S. use of Termez base 05 Mar 2008 Uzbekistan will allow U.S. nationals to use its Termez airbase under strict conditions, officials said on Wednesday, almost three years after ordering out U.S. troops in a row over human rights [such as boiling people alive]. Ecuador ready for 'ultimate consequences' in regional crisis 05 Mar 2008 Venezuela was today completing a big military buildup on its border with Colombia as the president of Ecuador, the other player in the region's most perilous crisis for years, said his country would risk the "ultimate consequences" to defend itself. DOD set to boost spending for communications, electronics, and intelligence 14 Feb 2008 Leaders of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) propose spending $29.16 billion in fiscal year 2009 for procurement and research in communications, electronics, telecommunications, and intelligence (CET&I) technologies, which would represent an 8.5 percent increase from current-year enacted levels. Soldier Accused of 2 Slayings Turned Over to Army 05 Mar 2008 The Army is taking over prosecution [cover-up] of a Fort Lewis soldier accused of killing two married soldiers at their home in Parkland, the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office said. Jury Convicts Former Navy Sailor On Terror Charges 05 Mar 2008 A former Navy sailor has been convicted of leaking details of ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters. Jurors convicted Hassan Abu-Jihaad of Phoenix of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing classified national defense information. Abu-Jihaad was prosecuted in New Haven because the investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider. Conn. teen appeals school punishment for vulgar Web language, hearing begins 05 Mar 2008 A teen who used vulgar slang in an Internet blog to complain about school administrators shouldn't have been punished by the school, her lawyer told a federal appeals court. But a lawyer for the Burlington, Conn., school told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that administrators should be allowed to act if such comments are made on the Web. Oil surpasses $104 a barrel, gaining more than $5 --U.S. inventories drop 'unexpectedly;' OPEC leaves output unchanged 05 Mar 2008 Crude-oil futures on Wednesday surged past $104 a barrel for the first time, rallying after data showed U.S. inventories fell unexpectedly and after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to keep its production levels unchanged. [See: Exxon guns for all-time profit record 23 Jan 2008 Exxon Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, is within striking distance of setting an all-time profit record - again. "For every $1 [increase] in the price of oil, Exxon makes [another] $125 million for the quarter," said Fadel Gheit, a senior energy analyst at Oppenheimer.] Vermont towns vote to arrest Bush and Cheney 05 Mar 2008 Voters in two Vermont towns on Tuesday approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest President [sic] George W. Bush and Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution," local media reported. The nonbinding, symbolic measure passed in Brattleboro and Marlboro, instructs town police to "extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them." Vermont towns approve Bush, Cheney indictments 04 Mar 2008 Voters in two Vermont towns approved measures calling for the indictment of President [sic] Bush and Vice President [sic] Cheney. Both are accused of violating the Constitution. The measures call on police to arrest Bush and Cheney if they ever visit Brattleboro or nearby Marlboro. Bush says of McCain: 'He's going to win' 05 Mar 2008 Sen. John McCain just arrived at the White House for the official endorsement he's about to get from President [sic] Bush. "He's going to win," Bush said of his fellow Republican, who yesterday wrapped up the party's presidential nomination. McCain gets formal Bush endorsement 05 Mar 2008 John McCain went to the White House today for lunch with President [sic] Bush -- and for his formal blessing. The Arizona senator, who hopes to succeed him in the White House, mathematically clinched the Republican nomination by sweeping Tuesday's primaries. McCain clinches GOP nomination 05 Mar 2008 John McCain clinched the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday. According to the AP count, the four-term Arizona senator surpassed the requisite 1,191 GOP delegates as voters in Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island and Texas put him over the threshold. Huckabee drops out of presidential race 05 Mar 2008 Mike Huckabee bowed to reality Tuesday and out of the Republican presidential race. "We kept the faith," he told his end-of-the-road rally Tuesday after John McCain clinched the nomination. Clinton Likes the Idea of Vice President --Obama Drops Hint On 'The Early Show'; Barack: Not So Fast 05 Mar 2008 One day after Hillary Clinton's dramatic victories over Barack Obama, both candidates are firing away at each other. Although Clinton is calling her herself the comeback kid, she is hinting at a possible Democratic dream ticket with Obama. Obama Regains Ground in Texas Caucuses 05 Mar 2008 Barack Obama regained lost ground in the fierce competition for Democratic convention delegates on Wednesday based on results from the Texas caucuses, partially negating the impact of Hillary Clinton's string of comeback primary victories. Clinton is back - big wins in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island 05 Mar 2008 Hillary Clinton has made a triumphant come-back in the 2008 race for the White House. Trailing Senator Barack Obama's twelve-straight gains in the primaries, Clinton has fought back to gain the two biggest states in the country, Texas and Ohio, and has also defeated Obama for Rhode Island. Clinton wins Ohio, Texas; Obama, Vermont 05 Mar 2008 Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton revived her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination with victories yesterday in the Ohio and Texas primaries that erased the sting of her 11 straight losses. Canada says leak was "blatantly unfair" to Obama 05 Mar 2008 The leak of information about Barack Obama's position on the North American Free Trade Agreement was "blatantly unfair" to his campaign, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday. Kucinich wins Ohio primary 04 Mar 2008 Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) prevailed in the Democratic primary against a insurgent primary campaign from a well-funded Cleveland city councilor, Joe Cimperman and three other Democratic challengers. Gulf investors may not save Citigroup, Dubai executive says 04 Mar 2008 Mideast sovereign wealth funds may fail to save troubled U.S. banking giant Citigroup Inc. unless more cash is pumped into the lender, the head of a $13 billion Dubai-owned investment firm said Tuesday. Unlike Consumers, Companies Are Piling Up Cash 04 Mar 2008 At least someone knows how to fill a piggy bank. Unlike most American consumers, whose failure to save has exasperated economists for years, the typical American corporation has increased its savings so sharply that it probably has enough cash on hand to completely pay off its debts. Fraud compounds woes of housing crisis 05 Mar 2008 As the U.S. housing meltdown forces hundreds of thousands of Americans from their homes, the extent to which fraud was a factor in the crisis is just coming to light. CLG needs 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:] Top US military man arrives in Pakistan 03 Mar 2008 On his second visit in a month, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has arrived in Islamabad. He is visiting the increasingly violent country for talks with embattled President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan's military leadership. Iranian leader lends Iraq $1 billion, tells U.S. to leave 04 Mar 2008 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lent $1 billion on Monday and told America to go home, as he wrapped up a two-day visit to Baghdad aimed at cementing Iran's blossoming relationship with its one-time enemy. Insurgents 'took a break' during Ahmadinejad visit 05 Mar 2008 A top US general says 'Iranian-backed insurgents' took a couple of days off during the recent visit to Baghdad by Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, who has only just returned from duty as the second highest ranking US officer in Iraq, says Iran still controls 'insurgent' groups in Iraq. Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Those who'd like to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name. Those who wish to be removed from the list can access the same link and click 'unsubscribe.' Please write to: signup@legitgov.org for inquiries/issues/concerns with your subscription. CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright ) 2008, Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.