ICH: John Pilger: Latin America: The Attack On Democracy
 
Resent-Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:37:49 -0500 (CDT)


"It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be
sometimes cheated than not to trust": Samuel Johnson:

= "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a
man's character, give him power": Abraham Lincoln

= "The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause
of all our adversities": Sophocles

= "Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate
prejudices - just recognize them": Edward R. Murrow

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Read this newsletter online http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy

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Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered Since The U.S. Invaded Iraq "1,201,597"

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html

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Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged)
In America'sWar On Iraq 4,050 http://icasualties.org/oif/

The War And Occupation Of Iraq Costs $513,962,467,113

See the cost in your community
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

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Latin America: The Attack On Democracy

By John Pilger

An unreported war is being waged by the US to restore power to the
privileged classes at the expense of the poor.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19795.htm

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Crisis in Food Prices Threatens Worldwide Starvation

Is it Genocide?

By Richard C. Cook

Faced with the global financial crisis and the collapse of
mortgage-based securities, investors are flocking to resource-based
tangibles as a hedge against recession and the decline of the U.S.
dollar. Hence gold is at record levels with oil keeping the same
pace. How else to explain, for instance, the doubling of the price
of rice in Asian markets in less than two months?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19796.htm

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Subsidizing Corporate Crime and Rewarding Constitutional Abuses

By Shahid Buttar

Government handouts to corporations might seem untenable at a time
when more and more Americans suffer every day from the impacts of
a mounting economic crisis. Yet efforts to bolster the economy have
largely taken the form of corporate welfare - much like an appalling
effort, in the closing days of the Bush administration, to subsidize
corporate violations of the rule of law and individual liberties.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19798.htm

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The Single-Payer Solution

By Amy Goodman

As the media coverage of the Democratic presidential race continues
to focus on lapel pins and pastors, America is ailing. As I travel
around the country, I find people are angry and motivated.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19797.htm

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Hundreds killed in Sri Lanka battle :

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) claimed on Thursday
they killed more than 100 soldiers, wounded about 500 and lost only
16 of their fighters in a 10-hour firefight the day before.

http://tinyurl.com/5kj68m

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At least 31 killed in another bloody day of US occupation:

The U.S. military announced that Iraqi and U.S. soldiers killed
nine militants after coming under rocket-propelled grenade and
small-arms fire in Hussaniyah, an area just north of Baghdad
http://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSL2413377

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Presstitute and war pimp alert: US army kills four 'Iranian-backed'
gunmen north of Baghdad :

US troops came under attack during an operation in Rashidiyah, north
of Baghdad, to detain a "special groups criminal" suspected of
receiving money and weapons from Iran to launch attacks on coalition
forces, the military said.

http://tinyurl.com/49q7u4

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U.S. kills 800 in 3 weeks in Sadr city:

U.S. occupation forces have killed more than 800 people, most of
them innocent civilians, in their three-week long military campaign
to subdue the Mahdi Army in Sadr City, the leader of Sadr movement
in Baghdad said.

http://tinyurl.com/4fwg2b

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Iraqi factions agree to rejoin govt:

The main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, said it intended
to submit a list of candidates for cabinet positions within days
and could be back in Maliki's government soon. Its return has long
been a major goal of the United States.

http://tinyurl.com/4fwg2b

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Petraeus promotion keeps nation on its war course:

President Bush is promoting his top Iraq commander, Army Gen. David
Petraeus, and replacing him with the general's recent deputy, keeping
the U.S. on its war course and handing the next president a pair
of combat-tested commanders who have relentlessly defended Bush's
strategies.

http://tinyurl.com/3uhcvj

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Cheney's Compulsive Obsession with Iraq WMDs & Syrian Nukes:

Even after all of this time and President Bush's own abandonment
of the WMD theme, Vice President Richard Cheney is still convinced
that there are hidden WMDs in the Middle East that bear Saddam
Hussein's product mark.

http://tinyurl.com/6jyctd

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Pentagon spin taints TV:

Since the lead-up to the war in 2002, the major networks have trotted
out dozens of retired military officers as independent analysts -
many of whom, unknown to viewers, were being prepped by the Pentagon
to put out favorable messages about the Bush administration's conduct
of the war.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20080424/cm_usatoday/pentagonspintaintstv

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Turkish army attacks Northern Iraq:

Turkish warplanes fired on a group of Kurdish rebels in northern
Iraq on Wednesday as they tried to cross into Turkey, the army said
on Thursday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080424/wl_nm/turkey_army_dc

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17 Taliban "militants" killed in occupied Afghanistan:

Afghan army forces clashed with Taliban militants in separate areas
of the country, killing and wounding more than 17 insurgents,
including a rebel commander, the army said on Thursday.

http://tinyurl.com/4qnk8v

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Attacks kill 13 in occupied Afghanistan:

In Kandahar province, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a
vehicle carrying intelligence agents in the border town of Spin
Boldak, killing three civilians, Kandahar Gov. Assadullah Khalid
said.

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_9037159?source=rss

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U.S. occupation forces general predicts increase in Afghan resistance:

Schloesser also echoed warnings by U.S. officials that Pakistan's
tribal areas are a breeding ground for Taliban, al-Qaida and other
militant groups despite the presence of 100,000 Pakistani troops.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5727235.html

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Nine Killed As Afghan, Pakistani Troops Mistakenly Exchange Fire:

Afghan and Pakistani troops mistakenly exchanged fire in a chaotic
border battle in pre-dawn darkness Wednesday killing eight militants
and leaving one Pakistani soldier dead, the Pakistan army said.

http://tinyurl.com/3vl6ro

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Pakistan protests ISAF, Afghan forces firing, intrusion into its
territory :

Pakistan Thursday lodged strongly-worded protest with Afghanistan
and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) over firing and
intrusion incident that left one paramilitary trooper dead and
wounded another.

http://tinyurl.com/3tak99

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Taliban commander orders ceasefire in tribal areas:

Analysts and some American officials reacted coolly to the news,
fearing the militants would use the ceasefire as an excuse to re-arm
and intensify attacks into Afghanistan.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/24/pakistan

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US 'spy' killed in Pakistan :

Islamic militants shot and killed a shopkeeper in a Pakistani tribal
region, accusing him of spying for US forces across the border in
Afghanistan, an official said on Thursday.

http://tinyurl.com/3nblrr

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Agency Admits Spying on Afghan Politician and SPIEGEL Journalist:

The head of Germany's foreign intelligence agency has come under
fire over admissions his employees monitored e-mails exchanged
between a minister in the Afghan government and a SPIEGEL journalist.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,549488,00.html

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Hamas offers Gaza truce with Israel :

Hamas leaders handed over on Thursday proposals for a truce with
Israel in the Gaza Strip, with a timetable for extending it to the
West Bank, at a meeting of the Palestinian Islamist group with
Egyptian mediators.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080424/ts_nm/palestinians_hamas_truce_dc

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UN suspends Gaza food deliveries :

"I call on Israel to restore fuel supplies to Gaza, and to allow
the passage of humanitarian assistance and commercial supplies,
sufficient to allow the functioning of all basic services and for
Palestinians to live their daily lives," he said.

http://tinyurl.com/68pp79

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EU calls on Israel to ensure fuel supplies :

"It's essential that the fuel supply to Gaza is resumed, and in
particular that fuel provision for the United Nations agencies as
well as basic services be guaranteed immediately."

http://tinyurl.com/4vs7xa

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Hamas calls on Gazans to storm borders and break siege :

The Hamas organization issued notices on Wednesday calling upon the
public in the Gaza Strip to arrive en masse at the crossings on the
border with Israel after Friday prayers
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/977733.html

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UN walkout over Gaza 'Nazi' remarks :

The US, Britain, France and other members have walked out of a
closed meeting of the UN Security Council after Libya compared the
situation in Gaza to Nazi concentration camps in World War II.

http://tinyurl.com/5e9xb9

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Bush And Sharon Had Secret Deal To Expand West Bank, Claims Olmert:

The current Israeli prime minister, said this week that Bush's
letter gave the Jewish state permission to expand the West Bank
settlements that it hopes to retain in a final peace deal, even
though Bush's peace plan officially calls for a freeze of Israeli
settlements across Palestinian territories on the West Bank.

http://tinyurl.com/67kj6m

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Why is zayde being busted for spying 25 years ago?:

According to the New Jersey Jewish News, "Ben-Ami grew up in what
was then Palestine and fought with the Hagana. He also served in
both the British and American military during World War II and is
an ex-commander of the Jewish War Veterans Post 609 in Monroe."

http://tinyurl.com/4mf6dk

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Pollard prosecutor: Spy arrest shows Israel lied to US:

Pollard prosecutor Joseph E. DiGenova slams Israel, says Kadish
arrest shows 'this was much larger espionage operation with sleeper
cells in the United States than we understood or could have known
at the time' http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3535251,00.html

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Assad confirms Turkish mediation on Israel:

Syrian President says Turkey informed Damascus that Israel is ready
to give back Golan for peace.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=25534

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'Golan belongs to the Jewish people':

"The heads of Golan communities emphasize that the Golan belongs
to the Jewish people, who will never agree to relinquish it," the
Committee of Golan Heights Community Heads announced in a statement.

http://tinyurl.com/3kabv5

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U.S. intelligence claims to show N. Korea aided Syrian nuke site :

The Bush administration presented intelligence to U.S. lawmakers
on Thursday that it believes shows North Korea helped Syria to build
a suspected nuclear facility allegedly destroyed by Israel last
year.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/977783.html

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Iran expelled from military fair :

The Malaysian deputy prime minister, Najib Razak, said the firms
breached a UN ban on Iranian arms exports.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7365428.stm

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CIA admits they will continue rendition program:

The Central Intelligence Agency knew from the beginning that its
secret detention and torturous interrogation tactics probably
bordered on illegal from the start, according to new documents
identified through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

http://tinyurl.com/6njvgh

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CIA Acknowledges it Has More Than 7000 Documents Relating to Secret
Detention Program, Rendition, and Torture :

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) must stop stonewalling
congressional oversight committees and release vital documents
related to the program of secret detentions, renditions, and torture,
three prominent human rights groups said today.

http://tinyurl.com/4y3bsy

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Iraq's gift to Latin America:

Distracted by the Iraq war, the United States is ignoring a growing
socialist hegemony in Latin America which once it would have swiftly
countered
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/stephen_kinzer/2008/04/iraqs_gift_to_lati
n_america.html

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Colombia's Uribe under probe over 1997 massacre:

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe denied Wednesday charges he helped
plan a 1997 massacre by right-wing paramilitaries, while confirming
that his role was being examined in an official investigation.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBZjOvIOi6hYtaE3zHlhgwMMr_oQ

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In case you missed it:

A Reporter on the Lam in Latin America:

The heart of the Colombian problem is a longstanding civil war -
as well as Uribe's ties to paramilitaries and drug lords
http://tinyurl.com/46knrw

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Politicians accused of ties to rebels:

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is trying to navigate a crisis:
how to operate a government in which 30 Colombian congressmen have
been formally sought by prosecutors for alleged ties to right-wing
paramilitary groups.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/23/colombia.uribe/index.html

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Latin American food fund started :

Leaders from four Latin American countries have set up a $100m food
security fund for staples such as rice, beans and corn in a bid to
offset rising food prices that have sparked global protests.

http://tinyurl.com/6npu4o

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Rice price rises as curbs imposed:

US rice prices advanced above $25 for the first time today as
Wal-Mart's Sam's Club warehouse unit restricted purchases of some
types of rice in the US.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0424/breaking13.htm

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Shops ration sales of rice as US buyers panic:

The global food crisis reached the United States yesterday as big
retailers began to ration sales of rice in response to bulk purchases
by customers alarmed by rocketing prices of staples.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/24/food.usa

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Investing in hunger: Load Up the Pantry:

"I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They
think it isn't going to happen here. But I don't know how the food
companies can absorb higher costs." (Full disclosure: I am an
investor in Quaker Strategic)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881517227532621.html

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US soldier accused of executing Iraqi goes on trial :

An attorney for a US soldier charged with shooting dead an Iraqi
prisoner last year told a military jury Wednesday that his client
acted in self-defense.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080424/ts_alt_afp/usiraqmilitaryjustice

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What the Family Would Let You See, the Pentagon Obstructs:

Lt. Col. Billy Hall, one of the most senior officers to be killed
in the Iraq war, was laid to rest yesterday at Arlington National
Cemetery. It's hard to escape the conclusion that the Pentagon
doesn't want you to know that.

http://tinyurl.com/6eyklz

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White House Influence Is Cited in Corruption Trial :

A prominent Illinois Republican Party leader may have tried to use
his friendship with the former White House political aide Karl Rove
to push for the ouster of the United States attorney in Chicago, a
federal prosecutor said in court on Wednesday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/washington/24rezko.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=sl
ogin

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General Dynamics' Profit Rises 32 Percent:

General Dynamics said its earnings were up 32 percent in the first
quarter, helped by increased sales in its divisions that make tanks,
armored vehicles and other equipment.

http://tinyurl.com/45s6ar

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Barack Obama still takes in oil money:

The Illinois Democrat received $46,000 in donations from executives
and workers last month. In a campaign ad, he said he took no money
from oil companies.

http://tinyurl.com/3gu6st

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US new home sales at 16-year-low :

The median price of a home was down 13.3% from March 2007, which
is the biggest fall since July 1970.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7365375.stm

=== Let Us Work Towards Peace & Joy

Tom Feeley