AMMAN (Reuters) - From street protests to newspaper columns, many Arabs in the
Middle East say the only
liberty they see so far in "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is that of the United States and
Britain to wage war at will.

"The Bush-Blair war can be called a lot of things, but it cannot be called a war to free
Iraqis," said columnist
Taher al-Adwan in the independent Jordanian newspaper al-Arab al-Youm.

"A better name is the "War of Lies," because it is through lies that they think they can
fool all the people all
the time," he wrote in a recent column entitled "Freedom to Kill Iraqis."

Nearly two weeks into the war, many Arabs bombarded with images of bombings in
Baghdad and handcuffed
Iraqi prisoners say they are not buying into the stated aim of what President Bush's
government calls
Operation Iraqi Freedom.

N Korea: Inspectors? And end up like Iraq?

N. Korea Cites Iraq in Nixing Compromise
(AP) - North Korea on Saturday pointed to the weapons inspections that preceded the war in
Iraq as a reason not to compromise in its own standoff with the United States. Iraq invited its
"miserable fate" by opening its weapons facilities to U.N. inspectors, the North's main state-run
newspaper said. North Korea, it added, will not make the same mistake. "It is clear that the
destiny of Iraq is at stake due to its concession and compromise," the Rodong Sinmun
newspaper said.

MORE!

Prepare for PNAC to become the new reason for war:


I've been wondering for some time how more and more mainstream
media outlets let this cat out of the bag (to no one's outrage). I am
starting to think that it's nothing but "softening" the audience (the way
they are softening Baghdad) to the next phase. As stories like these
will become more prevalent, PNAC will be perceived as a rational
response to it (forget the fact that they created the situationn to begin
with). You heard it here first.

Turks shower U.S. soldiers with eggs, stones


SILOPI, Turkey, March 29 (Reuters) - Turkish villagers showered U.S. soldiers with
eggs and stones on Saturday when they arrived to recover pieces of a Tomahawk
cruise missile which came down in eastern Turkey on Friday.

Scores of people in Urfa province set upon four jeeps carrying some 10 American
soldiers, breaking windows and shouting slogans against the U.S.-led war in
neighbouring Iraq, Anatolian news agency reported.

Turkish gendarmes later intervened to break up the demonstration. There were no
initial reports of injuries.

Sukru Kocatepe, governor of Urfa province, told Reuters on Friday a Tomahawk
cruise missile, launched from U.S. navy ships in the Mediterranean, had fallen in the
sparsely populated area gouging a deep hole but without exploding.

Did we say W isn't watching TV? um, We lied!

NYT:
WASHINGTON, March 29 — George W. Bush was standing three feet from his
television screen in his cabin at Camp David last weekend, absorbed in every detail
of the news from Iraq, when a correspondent came on to report that the president of
the United States, according to White House officials, was not glued to the TV.

Mr. Bush started laughing, said his close friend Roland Betts, who was with the
president at the time.

"He is just totally immersed," Mr. Betts said in an interview. Mr. Betts said that he
and Mr. Bush talked of little else but the war over two days at Camp David last
weekend, and that the president regularly turned in to the cable channels for
updates on Iraq.
...
In the opening days of the conflict, White House officials were so eager not to
personalize the war as a Bush revenge match against the dictator who tried to
assassinate his father that Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, at first
suggested that Mr. Bush was not even watching the enormous blasts on live
television of the first bombs thundering down on Baghdad. Mr. Fleischer said later
that the president had indeed been watching television. The reality is that the war
now dominates the White House and the president's life.

NYT:


"We had a great day," Sergeant Schrumpf said. "We killed a lot of people."

>snip<

But more than once, Sergeant Schrumpf said, he faced a different choice:
one Iraqi soldier standing among two or three civilians. He recalled one
such incident, in which he and other men in his unit opened fire. He recalled
watching one of the women standing near the Iraqi soldier go down.

"I'm sorry," the sergeant said. "But the chick was in the way."

Angry Arabs Say Baghdad Market Blast U.S. Massacre
Sat March 29, 2003 11:44 AM ET
By Miral Fahmy
DUBAI (Reuters) - A massacre, a crime against humanity, another U.S. atrocity
against the people of Iraq.

These were some of the words many Arabs and much of the Middle East's
state-run press used on Saturday to describe Friday's devastating air assault on
a busy Baghdad market that an Iraqi doctor said killed 62 people and wounded
49.

>>>>>Prayer for Humiliation Day already?

ABC News: Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called "A
Christian's Duty," a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out
section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who
sends it in has been praying for Bush.

"I have committed to pray for you, your family, your staff and our
troops during this time of uncertainty and tumult. May God's peace
be your guide," says the pledge, according to a journalist
embedded with coalition forces.
>>>

Sunday's is "Pray that the President and his advisers will seek God
and his wisdom daily and not rely on their own understanding".
>>>>

BC Forum - Oleary25 letter to Aaron Brown:

Dear Mr. Brown:

Last night you spent some time scolding the Iraqis in your most
morally superior tone for their "...lack of basic human decency."

Let me tell you something, Mr. Brown, when you INVADE a sovereign
nation which has not threatened nor is now threatening you, in
volation of international law, and start dropping the most
horrendously large explosive weapons ever devised by the mind of
man in regions, no matter what your intentions, that are certain to
involve some civilians, YOU DON'T GET TO COMPLAIN ABOUT LACK
OF HUMAN DECENCY BY THE COUNTRY YOU INVADED.

Please show some basic human reportorial sense,

Prediction of the Day:


"This will be no war-there will be a fairly brief and ruthless
military intervention. The President will give an order. The
attack will be rapid, accurtate and dazzling...It will be
greeted by the majority of the Iraqi people as an emancipation.
And I say, bring it on."
-Christopher Hitchens, Jan. 28

WASHINGTON (AP) - Annoyed by questions about how the war in Iraq is going,
Bush administration officials are criticizing press coverage.

At one point Friday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld complained of "mood
swings" in the media.

And one senior official said President Bush thinks it's silly to suggest the war is
not going well and right on schedule. Unlike Rumsfeld, that official would not
speak for attribution.

China readies for fight with US

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- The Iraqi war has convinced the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) leadership that some form of confrontation with the
U.S. could come earlier than expected.

Beijing has also begun to fine-tune its domestic and security policies to
counter the perceived threat of U.S. "neo-imperialism."

Oops!

Faux:"...The U.S. Central Command denied Friday that it had
underestimated Iraq's fighting ability but acknowledged that
battlefield commanders may be seeing a "more precise" reality of
resistance than headquarters."

In gushing over "CEO bush" Washington Post reveals:


Bush has said he believes, as commander-in-chief, that he should be the last
person in the chain of command to express doubts or worries about what his
administration is doing, fearing that would quickly demoralize his team. Aides said
he has not done so even privately this week. But with questions swirling outside the
government and in some parts of the administration about whether the war is going
as well as predicted, he may be forced to deal with growing debate among his
advisers.

A.Schlessinger: Americans live in infamy


What drove the rush to war? Hussein has a significantly smaller military
force than he had in 1990, and he has grown weaker as more weapons have been
exposed and destroyed under the United Nations' inspection regime. The cause
of our rush to war was so trivial as to seem idiotic. It was the weather.
American troops, our masters tell us, will lose their edge in the Persian
Gulf's midday sun; so we had to go to war before summer. This is a reason to
rush to war? We have, after all, a professional army -- and a professional
army ought not to lose its edge so quickly and easily.

15 Stories they already bungled:



Here, then, is a list of stories that have been widely misreported or poorly reported so far:

1. Saddam may well have been killed in the first night's surprise attack (March 20).

2. Even if he wasn't killed, Iraqi command and control was no doubt "decapitated" (March 22).

3. Umm Qasr has been taken (March 22).

4. Most Iraqis soldiers will not fight for Saddam and instead are surrendering in droves (March 22).

5. Iraqi citizens are greeting Americans as liberators (March 22).

6. An entire division of 8,000 Iraqi soldiers surrendered en masse near Basra (March 23).

7. Several Scud missiles, banned weapons, have been launched against U.S. forces in Kuwait (March
23).

8. Saddam's Fedayeen militia are few in number and do not pose a serious threat (March 23).

9. Basra has been taken (March 23).

10. Umm Qasr has been taken (March 23).

11. A captured chemical plant likely produced chemical weapons (March 23).

12. Nassiriya has been taken (March 23).

13. Umm Qasr has been taken (March 24).

14. The Iraqi government faces a "major rebellion" of anti-Saddam citizens in Basra (March 24).

15. A convoy of 1,000 Iraqi vehicles and Republican Guards are speeding south from Baghdad to
engage U.S. troops (March 25).

Source: Editor & Publisher Onlineˇ

US walks out of UN debate
By Steve Schifferes
BBC News Online Washington correspondent

The US delegation has walked out of the United Nations as Iraq condemns US
aggression.
John Negroponte, the US ambassador, left the Security Council chamber while
Mohammed al-Douri, his Iraqi counterpart, was winding up his speech condemning
US aggression against Iraq.
"I did sit through quite a long part of what he had to say, but I had heard enough
after what he had to say and did not hear anything new," Mr Negroponte said.
He said he was fed up with hearing preposterous allegations against the US.
Iraq's UN envoy charged that the United States and its allies were beginning a
"war of extermination" against the Iraqi people, and had arranged for contracts to
rebuild Iraq in 1997, six years before the war began.

Wounded U.S. Soldiers Shocked at Iraqi Resistance
Wounded U.S. Soldiers Shocked at Iraqi Resistance
Thu March 27, 2003 11:16 AM ET

By Jeff Mason
LANDSTUHL, Germany (Reuters) - For them, the war is over. A few U.S. soldiers were
half the way home on
Thursday, bearing wounds inflicted by Iraqis they thought they were liberating.

Two army soldiers and one marine recounted to journalists how they came under fire at
the weekend from Iraqi
troops in civilian dress at the city of Nassiriya, scene of some of the fiercest fighting to
date.

"We were very surprised. We were told when we were going through Nassiriya that we
would see little to no
resistance," Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Menard told a news conference at the U.S.
military's medical facilities
at Landstuhl, Germany.

Robert Fisk:

"

"It’s as if the whole idea of the war was not planned militarily, it was
planned politically, it was planned ideologically, as if there’s an
ideological plan behind the war. It started with al Qaeda, it moved on
to weapons of mass destruction, then we’re going to liberate the
people- and it’s all going wrong. Whatever kind of ideological plan
there was has fallen to bits"

French" Toast Banished from Air Force 1
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida, March 26 (AFP) - Add President George W.
Bush's official Air Force One airplane to the list of spots where "French" toast has
come off the menu due to Franco-US tensions over Iraq.
(my take:I know many of you think he's a sock puppet and others do the planning of the evil deeds for him, but I firmly believe that he came up with this all on his own.
First of all, because when he threatened mexico with repercussions he said: "A funny thing happened to France - nothing we started - just the people" (rule of thumb - see what a GOP denies of doing to know what he actually did).
Also, after 9.11 it was revealed that like all demented dictators, bush keeps a scorecard of enemies (like in baseball!!!). So, all the hate-jocks and the GOP Congress got the green light from Karl - but this is George's contribution to this mess. Some day, Woodward will lovingly confirm this.



Reporters flying here Wednesday with Bush aboard the modified Boeing 747 were
offered "freedom toast" stuffed with cream cheese and garnished with strawberries
for breakfast.

Lightning DOES strike twice!

The chartered British Airways plane touched down at Andrews Air Force base
outside Washington.

About 20 minutes before landing the 777 jet was struck by a small lightning bolt
while flying at about 10,000 feet.

The lightning struck the left-hand wing but did not cause it to change course or
descend.

Captain John Lindsey quickly reassured Mr Blair, his officials and reporters
travelling on the plane.

Oil is ours, but UN can pay costs


The United States will not cede control of Iraq to the United Nations if and when it
overthrows President Saddam Hussein, Secretary of State Colin Powell says.

"We didn't take on this huge burden with our coalition partners not to be able to
have a significant dominating control over how it unfolds in the future," Powell told a
House of Representatives subcommittee.

"We would not support ... essentially handing everything over to the U.N. for
someone designated by the U.N. to suddenly become in charge of this whole
operation," he added.

"We have picked on a greater obligation -- to make sure there is a functioning Iraqi
government that is supported by the coalition, the centre of gravity remaining with
the coalition, military and civilian," he said.

Powell said the United Nations should, however, have a role in a post-Saddam Iraq,
if only because it makes it easier for other countries to contribute to reconstruction
costs. ---

Bodies Litter Baghdad Street After U.S. Air Raids
At least 15 scorched corpses littered a poor residential street in Baghdad on
Wednesday after U.S. bomb and missile strikes intensified on the city, Reuters
witnesses said.

Residents and Iraqi officials said two missiles slammed into the area, leaving
burned bodies, mangled cars and rubble from broken buildings. Flames poured
from an oil tanker.

Reuters correspondents counted at least 15 bodies lying in the street in
Baghdad's Shaab district. "There are at least 13 killed and some 30 injured. Two
missiles hit the street," local civil defense official Haneed Dulaimi told Reuters.

Americans ARE against war:

"42% felt that the Bush Administration's
decision to attack was justified, vs. the 56% who thought it wasn't... More than 60% think that
the conflict will have become too bloody if the number of deaths of Iraqi citizens, and of U.S.
and British soldiers, reach beyond a few hundred [the current count is at least 200]... 67%
saying terrorist attacks will become either more likely or much more likely."
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/mar2003/nf20030321_0364_db064.htm

We sort of Blew it:

NYT:WASHINGTON, March 25 — The nation's top military officer acknowledged
today that the Pentagon's strategy to shock the Iraqi government quickly
with a devastating early air assault has not worked exactly as desired.

UN Security Council Sets Emergency Debate on Iraq
Tue March 25, 2003 03:24 PM ET By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council agreed on Tuesday to
hold an emergency debate on Iraq but Arab envoys were undecided whether to
push a resolution demanding an immediate end to the U.S.-led war.

The debate was set for Wednesday at 3 p.m. and council diplomats said all 191
U.N. members would be invited to speak rather than just the council's 15
member-nations.

Arab diplomats said they feared a resolution calling for an immediate
withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq could be defeated and thereby serve to
legitimize the U.S.-British invasion after the fact.

Syrian U.N. Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe, who on Monday said the Arab group at
the United Nations intended to seek adoption of a resolution demanding an end
to the U.S.-led invasion, said on Tuesday that no decision had yet been made
on a resolution.

"No, not yet," Wehbe said when asked whether Arab envoys had decided to press
for a resolution.

He said the emergency council debate would give U.N. members a chance "to
raise their voices."

"After that, we will see what we can do in the light of the discussions,"
Wehbe said.

Another Arab envoy, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "We are holding
off on putting forward a draft resolution. We must first see what is
possible."

The Arab group of 22 countries formally requested an urgent Security Council
debate on Monday evening after Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo
adopted a declaration demanding an immediate end to the Iraq war and the
withdrawal of all foreign forces.

The group's request was delivered to the council by Iraqi U.N. ambassador
Mohammed Aldouri, this month's Arab group president.

The U.N. group of 166 non-aligned nations, currently led by Malaysia, also
backed an emergency session, and routine council approval of the request had
been widely expected.

But a resolution demanding an end to the U.S.-led attack on Iraq would appear
to have no chance of approval. Both the United States and Britain have veto
power in the council.

In addition, six of the council's 15 members refused to take sides earlier
this month when the United States and Britain pushed for a resolution giving
Iraq an ultimatum to quickly show its commitment to disarmament or face war.

China ready to back any plans to stop Iraq war

Reuters

Beijing, March 25: China said on Tuesday it was ready to back any plan to stop
the US-led war in Iraq after Arab states called for an emergency session of the UN
Security Council to demand an end to the invasion.

"We are willing, along with the international community, to take all possible
measures to promote returning the Iraq issue to the framework of a political
resolution within the United Nations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan
said.

"The Chinese side would give serious consideration to any plans and suggestions
conducive to stopping the war and resuming peace and conducive to returning the
Iraqi issue to the path of a political resolution,"

Force will only worsen wounds: France

By Vaiju Naravane


Paris March 25. The French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, launched yet
another blistering attack against the United States on Monday saying no country
should "set itself up as the world's guardian".

Speaking on French television, Mr. De Villepin, said force would only worsen the
"wounds of the world''. Arguing in favour of a world order where the tenets of
sovereignty, human rights and the rule of law were respected, he said the U.S.-led
intervention had opened up the risk of the use of force in other crises in the world.
``From the moment the military timetable was in place.., dialogue became more
and more difficult.''

Risks of Rumsfeld's strategy becoming apparent, experts say
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - Five days into the war, warnings are surfacing about a potential
mismatch between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's strategy and the force he
sent to carry it out.

The optimistic assumptions of the Pentagon's civilian war planners have yet to be
realized, and the risks of the campaign are becoming increasingly apparent, say
some current and retired military officials.

The outcome of the war isn't in doubt: Iraq's forces are no match for America and
its allies.

Army Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, vice chief of operations for the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday he did not think the U.S. military
had invaded Iraq with too small and too light a force.

The Hitler vs Stalin metaphor is so apt!

is so perfect! Think about it! A Frontline was making the point that Saddam was modeling himself after Stalin. Rummy OTOH, went in McLehrer News in 2001 and talked about reorganizing our troops by the Blitzkrieg
model. I think both dictators, their goals, their styles match - and the battle of Stalingrad is looming! Fisk also said how Saddam's speech asked several times the Iraqis to be patient - not unlike Stalin before the famous battle.

What if we bomb you to get rid of bush?

An Iraqi teen asked US teens in a debate on Ch 25 (WNYE). One of the girls was smiling and nodding: "yeah, please, do" but the question is a poignant one.
In the same vein, I heard on WBAI this morning that shiites are joining the fight against US - in spite of hating Saddam as much as I hate bush. So, I was thinking: in a sililar situation, yeah, I would join the fight because removing bush is no one else's business but ours.

== Still Watchin' Teletubbies, Pickin' Lint ==

War has brought little change to the regulated, by-the-numbers life of
the Shrubster, isn't that nice. He is not worried or plagued by doubts,
aides say, and is hewing closely to his usual routines and habits,
including but not limited to "riding" around the war room on a wooden
stick horsey while yelping like a drunk puppy and making explosion
sounds with his mouth, regular sing-along spongebaths by Momma Barbara,
actively decimating the very heart of a nation via innumerable odious
domestic policies that reek of corporate greedmongering, and sneaking
up to Uncle Dick every five minutes and yelling "sodomy!" to try and
get his defibrillator to make that funny high-pitched humming noise --
even as American bombs pelt Baghdad and allied tanks dash across the
Iraqi desert. "The president is following his normal routine," Bush's
spokesman, Ari Fleischer, actually said, as small angry worms ate at
his shriveled soul, just before the president left to spend the
weekend, as he has often throughout his term, at the secluded Camp
David presidential retreat, because there's nothing like that nice
feeling a nation gets when its president launches a big nasty
ultraviolent war and he runs off every weekend to take long naps and
play checkers. Don't let that little war disturb your jogging routine,
Mr. President. You little dink.

DJ No Chemical Weapons Found At Site In Najaf - TV

03/24/2003
Dow Jones News Services

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. officials said Monday that no chemical weapons were
found at a suspected site at Najaf in central Iraq, U.S. television networks
reported.

NBC News reported from the Pentagon that no chemicals at all were found at the
site. CNN, also reporting from the Pentagon, said officials now believe the plant
there was abandoned long ago by the Iraqis.

Arab League ministers draft anti-war resolution
Arab foreign ministers have discussed a strongly-worded draft resolution opposing
the invasion of Iraq and calling for an immediate withdrawal of US and British forces.

The draft, circulated by the Arab League secretariat, "considers the US-British attack
on Iraq as an armed aggression that aims at occupying a member state of the Arab
League and the United Nations, in violation of international law and the UN charter".

It calls for "an immediate withdrawal of US-British forces aggressing Iraq".

Diplomatic sources say it is highly unlikely that Washington's Arab allies, in particular
Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, who are being used as launch pads for the invasion, will
agree on the text.

At least seven foreign ministers, including Iraq's Naji Sabri, are attending the
meeting of the 22-member Arab League, the first Arab gathering since the war began
last Thursday.

Thousands Of Arab Afghans Heading To Iraq
Mar 24, 2003
Source: Islammemo. Translated by Jihad Unspun

The London based "The Middle East" newspaper said that thousands of Arab
Mujahedeen in Afghanistan entered Iraq after they had get approval from the Iraqi
government to take part in the fight against the American troops.



The same sources disclosed the presence of 2500 Lebanese volunteer participating
in special training camps in Iraq since almost 6 months. The groups of volunteers
had entered the Iraqi territories through Syria and Jordan. The sources added that
there are also about 700 Algerian volunteers with their weapons and ammunitions in
the Iraqi training camps.

Noman Ben Othman the Libyan expert referred to the understanding of the Iraqi
government to the requirements of the Mujahedeen to not fight under the command
of a secular party. He added that Mujahedeen were very keen to fight in Iraq
because they believe that the occupation of Iraq will pave the way for the occupation
of other Muslim countries.

"Fuck Saddam, We're taking him out"


Time Magazine: "Fuck Saddam. We're taking him out." Those were the words of
President George W. Bush, who had poked his head into the office of
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. It was March 2002, and
Rice was meeting with three U.S. Senators, discussing how to deal with
Iraq through the United Nations, or perhaps in a coalition with
America's Middle East allies. Bush wasn't interested. He waved his
hand dismissively, recalls a participant, and neatly summed up his
Iraq policy in that short phrase. The Senators laughed uncomfortably;
Rice flashed a knowing smile. The President left the room.

But they report it anyway:


Chemical Weapons find report 'premature': US
The Pentagon says that reports of a "huge" cache of chemical weapons being
found by allied troops south of Baghdad are ``premature'', although the US is
"looking into sites of interest".


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/24/1048354488685.html

Protests Close US Embassies - Pakistan, Paris


The United States closed its embassy in Pakistan yesterday for an indefinite
period as protests grew countrywide against the US-led attack on Iraq.

Non-essential embassy staff flew out of Pakistan on Thursday, leaving a small
number of personnel and marine guards. Private US citizens have been
advised to consider leaving the country, as have nationals of allied countries,
including Australia.

Pakistani police have cordoned off roads leading to the US embassy and to US
consulates in other cities, which have also been closed except to handle
queries from US citizens. Armed police in bulletproof vests have appeared on
many street corners in major cities, and extra guards placed on hotels and
other locations used by foreigners.

It appears that protests closed the US Embassy in Paris as well.

Here's the
One Million New Yorkers

Today I was proud of my New York!

Our march was a beaut'! It started to get good since the subway where a whole contingent of "Kids for peace" was taking the same train with us for 36 and Broadway - my 5 years old was very happy. Some other groups started chanting right in the subway station. We miraculously met the rest of our family at 36 and Broadway - but then the cops said we missed our chance to get in there and we need to walk on the sidewalk another block. I got a less than friendly arm squeeze but that was the worst of it. They were actually allowing people to join the march in progress - and it went on for as far as the eye could see. Some of the signs I remember: "I LIKE MY FRIES FRENCH" "LITTLE DICKS GROW UP TO BE DICTATORS" FREEDOM FRIES WHILE BAGDAD BURNS" "AFTER THE WAR HE'LL HAVE A JOB - WILL YOU?" (with a shifty Cheney next to an oil well.)
The crowd was spirited, chanting: "PEACE NOW". It was a beautiful spring day. Some were blowing bubbles, people were waving from windows with peace signs.
The cops actually let us march - they even complimented my guys anti-bush T-Shirt (a MacDonald reversed arches in a W " Billions of corporations served")
Someone in Union Square was distributing free water bottles - it was hot by then.
I was looking around me at the spirited faces - all ages - I felt so proud to be with them!
Towards the end, someone asked: "Bartcop?" (I had todays cartoon on my back and a whole collection of others on my sign getting lots of attention). It was Nolita NYC - and we talked forum for a while. The march ended su abruptly, I kick myself I forgot to give her one of my BUSH KNEW buttons (next time!).

From "Get Your War ON:

"All I have to say,
Once this is over, the Iraqi people better be the FREEST fucking
people on the face of the earth. They better be freer than ME. They
better be so fucking free they can FLY.

Sydney Morning Herald

"Dead bodies are everywhere".

"Marine Cobra helicopter gunships firing Hellfire missiles swept in
low from the
South. Then the Marine howitzers, with a range of 30 kilometers,
opened a sustained
barrage over the next eight hours. They were supported by U.S.
Navy aircraft which
dropped 40,000 pounds of explosives and napalm, a U.S. officer
told the Herald."

Posted on BC Forum by rudeboyee:

"Hitler to reichstag after invading Poland"



"All German minorities living the Polish Corridor] have been
ill-treated in the most
distressing manner." "I attempted to bring about, by the peaceful
method of making proposals for revision, an alteration of this
intolerable position." "All these proposals ... have been rejected."

"I am determined ... to see to it that a change is made in
the relationship between Germany and Poland that shall ensure a
peaceful co-existence."



"I will continue this struggle, no matter against whom,
until the safety of the Reich and its rights are secured."

He concludes with a declaration made when he "began the
struggle for power in the Reich." "If our will is so strong that
no hardship and suffering can subdue it, then our will and our
German might shall prevail."

"Every single building I can see is in flames," said the BBC's Paul
Wood as he surveyed the city from his vantage point in the city.

Robert Byrd in the Senate evokes the Henry Reed poem
Naming of Parts, which has 2 narrators: one is a botanist; the other is a drill
sergeant.
here's the text:

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neigboring gardens,
And to-day we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
For to-day we have naming of parts.

War Crimes

http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/romefra.htm
Relevant citation (Article 8, paragraph 2(b)(iv) and (v)):

Article 8
War crimes

1. The Court shall have jurisdiction in respect of war crimes in particular when
committed as part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of
such crimes.

2. For the purpose of this Statute, "war crimes" means:

(a) Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949,
namely, any of the following acts against persons or property protected
under the provisions of the relevant Geneva Convention . . . .
(b) Other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in
international armed conflict, within the established framework of
international law, namely, any of the following acts:
(iv) Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such
attack will cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians or
damage to civilian objects or widespread, long-term and severe
damage to the natural environment which would be clearly
excessive in relation to the concrete and direct overall military
advantage anticipated;
(v) Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages,
dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not
military objectives;

We are now bombing Bagdad!!!!!
bush can happily vacation at camp David after shooting his load.

Word of the day: Blitzkrieg:




(German: "lightning war") Military tactic used by Germany in World
War II, designed to create psychological shock and resultant
disorganization in enemy forces through the use of surprise, speed,
and superiority in matériel or firepower. The Germans tested the
blitzkrieg during the Spanish Civil War in 1938 and against Poland
in 1939, and used it in the successful invasions of Belgium, the
Netherlands, and France in 1940. The German blitzkrieg
coordinated land and air attacks--using tanks, dive-bombers, and
motorized artillery--to paralyze the enemy principally by disabling
its communications and coordination capacities.

http://education.yahoo.com/search/be?lb=t&p=url%3Ab/blitzkrieg

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP)

Senior presidential adviser Karl Rove says President Bush's decision to go to war
against Iraq is not about politics but about what's in the best interests of world
peace and U.S. security.

"It is really the height of cynicism to suggest that a president would take the
awesome decision of sending people into harm's way for politics," Rove said
Thursday night in New Braunfels, where he was honored by the Chamber of
Commerce as its "Texan of the Year."

"He did this because he believes fervently after 9-11 the world has changed,"
Rove told about 400 people. ---

The
The clip from the last piece

We Begin Combing in Five Minutes
The White House is vowing a strong retaliatory response after the BBC aired live
video of President Bush getting his hair coiffed in the Oval Office as he squirmed
in his chair and practiced on the teleprompter minutes before Wednesday night's
speech announcing the launch of military operations against Saddam Hussein.

The British network broadcast 1 minute and 37 seconds of presidential primping
to hundreds of millions of viewers in 200 countries around the world (and locally
on WETA, Channel 26) before Bush's formal address at 10:15 p.m. Yesterday
the BBC's White House producer, Mark Orchard, profusely and repeatedly
apologized to irked staffers for airing video of an "unauthorized" portion of the
pool feed while Washington anchor Mishal Husain chatted up a colleague about
the significance of the moment.

CBS News Washington bureau chief Janet Leissner, whose news crew was
responsible for pool coverage of the speech, also apologized to the White
House, explaining that a technician accidentally flipped a switch that fed the
images of a not-ready-for-prime-time Bush -- his eyes darting to and fro as a
female stylist sprayed, combed and patted down his hair.

(snip)

Henceforth, the official said, the White House -- not the networks -- will throw the
switches that make pool feeds available to broadcast outlets. "There have been
too many incidents," the official said, listing various presidential speeches
allegedly marred by pool-feed glitches. "We have to make sure we are
comfortable with the situation."

Murdoch's Sky: FRANCE THREATENS NEW UN VETO
France would block any UN resolution giving the US and Britain the power of
administration in Iraq, French President Jacques Chirac has declared.

He said France would still not support a resolution backing war at this stage and
would also oppose a resolution giving Washington and London administrative
power in Iraq.


"This idea of a resolution seems to me to be a way of authorising military
intervention after the event, and so is not, in my point of view, fitting in the
current situation," Mr Chirac said at a news conference in Brussels.

"France would not accept a resolution that authorises military intervention and
gives the United States and Britain administrative powers in Iraq."

Russia to seek UN ruling on war legality
Russia and other countries will ask the United Nations to rule whether the US-led
war on Iraq is legal, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov says.

"With other states, we will put this question before the UN's legal department. It is
very important that these arguments (about the legality of US actions) are
confirmed," he told the lower house of Parliament.

"This is the only way that we can use them as a strong weapon."

Fans boo as U.S. national anthem is played

By Associated Press, 3/21/2003 00:47

MONTREAL (AP) Fans booed during the playing of the U.S. national anthem before
the New York Islanders' 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

The sellout crowd of 21,273 at Bell Centre was asked to ''show your support and
respect for two great nations'' before the singing of the American and Canadian
national anthems.

But a significant portion of the crowd booed throughout ''The Star-Spangled Banner''
in an apparent display of their displeasure with the U.S.-led war against Iraq. More
than 200,000 people turned out for an anti-war demonstration in Montreal last
Saturday.

a (31181 posts)
Mar-21-03, 07:17 AM (ET)
Bush went to bed early as bombing began
Bush went to bed early as bombing began

'He's very focused, very collected. ... He's a person who knows he's made the
right decision'


By BARRIE McKENNA
From Friday's Globe and Mail

Washington — While much of the world was glued to TV sets Wednesday night,
U.S. President George W. Bush tucked himself into bed early after authorizing a
bold raid to kill Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and appearing on national TV to
declare the start of war.

Yesterday, the U.S. President rose early and was behind his desk in the Oval
Office by 7 a.m., not unlike most other days in the White House.

"This is a different kind of President," said Allan Lichtman, a veteran watcher of
U.S. presidents and chairman of the history department at American University in
Washington. "Bush is supremely good at focusing on a few things, staying on
message and delegating what he's not comfortable with to others. That's George
Bush."

Mr. Bush slept not knowing whether the raid had been successful and while Mr.
Hussein turned up -- apparently alive -- on Iraqi television, calling on his people
to rise up against the U.S. invaders and taunting the "little Bush."

UN panel declares Iraq not a threat
UNITED NATIONS - In a moment rich with irony, members of the United Nations
Security Council said Wednesday that Iraq does not present an imminent threat
and declared that it could be disarmed by peaceful methods.

The assertions, made by foreign ministers and ambassadors, were
overshadowed by recognition of the council's impotence in light of the United
States' decision this week to quit seeking U.N. approval to wage war.

Reuters "US Exaggerates Relative Size of Iraq Alliance":



U.S. leaders say they are proud of the alliance they have assembled against
Iraq (news - web
sites), even in comparison with the broad alliance the United States
assembled for the war to drive
Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a news conference on Thursday:
"The coalition in this
activity is larger than the coalition that existed during the Gulf War (news -
web sites) in 1991."

But the facts put out by the administration itself suggest otherwise.

In 1991 at least 33 countries sent forces to the campaign against Iraq and
16 of those provided
combat ground forces, including a large number of Arab countries.

In 2003 the only fighting forces are from the United States, Britain and
Australia. Ten other
countries are known to have offered small numbers of noncombat forces,
mostly either medical
teams and specialists in decontamination, making a comparable alliance of
about 13 countries.

BC Forum post: "I cannot believe what I saw on World Link TV - Mountainmama:


" They showed footage of the protests in SanFrancisco this morning.
There were parents with children, small children, which may be
questionable to some and I am not going to argue that point here.

The police were blocking passage across the street(same idea as
what was going on in NYC blocking protestors), of a man with his son
who looked to be 4-6 years old. The little boy was riding on his dad's
shoulders.

The police grabbed this guy, and wrestled the kid off his father's
shoulders, the dad was desperate and fighting to get to his kid, the
kid was frightened and the police were really nasty. The whole thing
was a very quick turnaround of attitude on the part of the police. It
was totally unexpected as I was watching.

I saw they had the dad on the ground face down and cuffed and they
took the kid away...where, I don't know. I just burst into tears
because I cannot, I repeat CANNOT believe what I am seeing
happening in SF of all places...And I live in podunk, USA. What can I
expect here?

I am pissed and again, I will not argue the wisdom of bringing a
child...I have brought very small children...one in a back carrier as a
matter of fact many long years ago. That is not what I am here to
talk about.

It is the utter "sit down and shut up" attitude of intimidation that I
could not believe; the police all in riot gear looking like the SS from
the Third Reich.

Times Square Protest

It was a huge crowd - which is remarcable considering the pouring of frozen rain. It's a day like the Coronation - with the same ominous feel to it - "this is the beginning of something very bad". The cops were penning the crowds along 41st Street - blocks and blocks of pens. People were chanting "PEACE - NOW!". We'll do it again on Saturday.

"I Feel Great!"



"Moments before his four-minute address - announced by his press secretary a
mere half-hour earlier - was beamed worldwide, Bush showed his mood.
Clenching his fist, he said, "I feel great."

Dubya Dubya three started last Night

Tom Brokaw:

"We have to be careful not to destroy the infrastructure of Iraq,
because in a few days we're going to own that country."

Russia Says No Proof Saddam Is Threat to U.S.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France and Germany said on Wednesday it was illegal for the Bush
administration to depose Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Russia maintained there was no proof
Iraq posed a threat to the United States.

With war against Iraq inevitable, five foreign ministers spoke at a U.N. Security Council meeting called to
hear a report by chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix, who expressed disappointment his inspections were
curtailed after only 3 1/2 months.

But their statements were more subdued than in past such meetings, an apparent recognition that the
Bush administration was not listening.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said no U.N. Security Council resolution authorized the use of force
against Iraq outside the U.N. Charter and "not one of them authorizes the violent overthrow of the
leadership of a sovereign state."

Pete Stark: This is Terrorism
"I think unleashing 3,000 smart bombs against the city of
Baghdad in the first several days of the war . . . to me, if those
were unleashed against the San Francisco Bay Area, I would call
that an act of extreme terrorism," said Stark, a Democrat from
Fremont.



Stark, a peace activist in the 1960s and a 30-year veteran in
Congress, is known for his sharp and sometimes careless
tongue. He told the Oakland Tribune Monday that if the
president initiates the war, "it's blood on Bush's hands."

His latest criticism is based on published reports that U.S.
forces plan to fire as many as 3,000 laser- and
satellite-guided missiles on Iraq in the first days of a military
campaign.

"You can't send in 3,000 bombs without some of them going
awry, in spite of the military's claims about accuracy," Stark
said in an interview Tuesday with The Chronicle. "If they get
two-thirds accuracy that means that 1,000 bombs will explode
(off target) inside a city of 6 million people. To me, that's a
terrorist act."

Justice Bans Media From Free
Speech Event
Supreme Court Justice Scalia Bans Media From Event
Where He's Accepting Free-Speech Award

The Associated Press



CLEVELAND March 19 —

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia banned broadcast media
from an appearance Wednesday where he will receive an
award for supporting free speech.

The City Club usually tapes speakers for later broadcast on
public television, but Scalia insisted on banning television and
radio coverage, the club said. Scalia is being given the
organization's Citadel of Free Speech Award.

"I might wish it were otherwise, but that was one of the
criteria
that he had for acceptance," said James Foster, the club's
executive director.

The ban on broadcast media, "begs disbelief and seems to be in
conflict with the award itself," C-SPAN vice president and
executive producer Terry Murphy wrote in a letter last week to
the City Club. "How free is speech if there are limits to its
distribution?"

., but also said that government has
room to scale back individual rights during wartime without violating the
Constitution.

"The Constitution just sets minimums," Scalia said. "Most of the rights that you
enjoy go way
beyond what the Constitution requires."

__From the Reichstag Fire to the World Trade Center: Following Hitler's Road to Fascism

Thom Hartmann writes, "February 27, 2003, was the 70th anniversary of Dutch terrorist
Marinus van der Lubbe's successful firebombing of the German Parliament (Reichstag) building,
the terrorist act that catapulted Hitler to legitimacy and reshaped the German constitution.
By the time of his successful and brief action to seize Austria, in which almost no German
blood was shed, Hitler was the most beloved and popular leader in the history of his nation.
Hailed around the world, he was later Time magazine's 'Man Of The Year.' Most Americans
remember his office for the security of the homeland... simply [as] the SS. We also remember
that the Germans developed a new form of highly violent warfare they named 'lightning war' or
blitzkrieg, which, while generating devastating civilian losses, also produced a highly desirable
'shock and awe' among the nation's leadership according to the authors of the 1996 book
'Shock And Awe' published by the National Defense University Press."

Gene Lyons
March 19, 2003

Fait Accompli

During his recent televised press conference, President Bush was asked if he
would call for a for a vote in the U.N. Security Council regarding Saddam
Hussein's failure to disarm. Absolutely, he vowed. Permitting himself a
faint smirk in what was otherwise so subdued a performance cynics suggested
he'd been sedated, the president employed a poker metaphor. The time had
come, Cowboy Dubya allowed, for everybody at the U.N. to show their cards.

Well, it's not going to happen. As the world knows, Junior only favors
counting the votes when he wins. What was it Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in
granting the Bush campaign's motion to stop the Florida recount during the
2000 election? That to permit it could "threaten irreparable harm to [Bush],
and to the country, by casting a cloud upon what he claims to be the
legitimacy of his election."

God forbid we should let a bunch of foreigners cast a cloud on the
legitimacy of the Little King's dynastic war with Iraq.

Powell Rejects North Korea's Talks Demand
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday rejected
North Korea's latest demand for direct talks and said North Korea would
complicate diplomacy if it started a plutonium reprocessing plant.

Bush clings to dubious accusations

Some U.S. claims about Saddam’s arsenal are hotly disputed

By Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank
THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON, March 18 — As the Bush administration prepares to attack Iraq this
week, it is doing so on the basis of a number of allegations against Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein that have been challenged — and in some cases disproved — by
the United Nations, European governments and even U.S. intelligence reports.

Vatican slams US
March 19, 2003

THE Vatican has scolded US President George W Bush, saying he had assumed a
"grave responsibility before God" in deciding that diplomacy to avoid conflict with
Iraq had been exhausted.

The Vatican's blunt rejection of Bush's 48-hour ultimatum to Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein came after Pope John Paul, one of the most prominent opponents
of a war on Iraq, had urged continued negotiation at the UN Security Council to
avoid a conflict.

"Whoever decides that all peaceful means under international law have been
exhausted is assuming a grave responsibility before God, his conscience and
before history," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a terse statement
delivered at the Holy See.

__Russia Says Bush's W-ar is Illegal under UN 1441

Resolution 1441, to which so many references are made, does not give anyone the right to use
force automatically,' he said... Ivanov said the resolution contained a clause obliging Security
Council members, if necessary, to meet immediately to ensure Iraq's strict implementation of
its terms."

France Denounces U.S. and Its Allies
PARIS, March 17 -- French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin denounced the
United States, Britain and Spain today for planning to wage war against Iraq,
saying such a conflict ran counter to international opinion and risked "serious
consequences" for the Middle East and the world.

De Villepin issued the forcefully worded written statement this evening, hours
before President Bush was scheduled to deliver a television address on Iraq. The
minister reaffirmed the French position that war was not justified now because
U.N. inspections were effectively disarming Saddam Hussein's government.

"A wide majority" of the 15 members of the Security Council support the French
stance, de Villepin said. The United States, Britain and Spain were resorting to
force "despite the clearly expressed will of the international community," he said.

(snip)

In the diplomatic battle of words with America, de Villepin jabbed back at Bush for
a poker metaphor he used in the Azores. Bush had said France's veto threat
meant it had "shown its card."

De Villepin, speaking in English, said, "I think this expression is unfortunate,"
Reuters reported. "I don't think we can compare war to any kind of game. It's not
a game," de Villepin said.

Guardian:
Russia's parliamentary speaker, Gennady Seleznyov, said an attack would cause
the world to consider that "the US is a terrorist state that can only be dealt with in
the Hague tribunal". US officials said Moscow had declined a Pentagon offer to
coordinate postwar issues such as humanitarian aid.

The Most Shameful Moment in American History

Howard Zinn's reaction to the fuhrer's ultimatum (Saddam AND his sons have to live in 48h or we bomb). If he leaves, we'll invade peacefully. And, stay away from those oil wells - war crimes will be prosecuted.

Cook's anti-war stance wins ovation

Tom Happold
Monday March 17, 2003

Robin Cook was given a standing ovation
by Labour MPs this evening when
he
announced that he would be voting
against an attack on Iraq tomorrow.

The former leader of the Commons
resigned from the government earlier
today because he opposed military action
without UN authorisation. His
resignation statement came after his
successor as foreign secretary,
snip

Mr Cook dismissed the argument that
France's President Chirac had alone
stopped a resolution, saying that to
think that was to "delude ourselves".
Neither Nato, nor the EU, nor the
security council supported Britain and
the
US, he added.

snip
Mr Cook dismissed comparisons with the
present situation and the
intervention in Kosovo. It is because
Britain lacks the support it had then,
he said, that "it was all the more
important to gain support in the security
council".

"Our difficulty in getting support this
time", he argued, is because the
"international community and British
public is not persuaded".

Mr Cook warned that "none of us can
predict the death toll" of war, but
that


He attacked George Bush's administration
for greeting evidence of
disarmament with "consternation",
because it undermines the case for
war.
In reference to Mr Bush's controversial
election victory, Mr Cook claimed
that Britain was only now going to war
"because of some hanging chads in
Florida".

Public (216 posts)
Mar-17-03, 03:19 PM (ET)
Reuters: France attacks US with pretzels for peace
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=24&art_id=qw1047918969621B262&set_id=1

Paris - United States citizens have turned on French fries and toast to vent their
frustration at France's anti-war stance on Iraq. Now the French have joined in the
food war - with pretzels.

A French website is urging people to send pretzels to US President George Bush,
who fainted and fell off a sofa in January 2002 after gagging on the salty snack.

The website, www.bretzelforbush.com, says the pretzels will be stored at a secret
location before being sent to the White House in a historic mass action.

Chretien: "Canada will not participate"

in war without Security Council approval. He just said it during Parliament's
question time, in response to the first question of the day.

On edit: CBC story....

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/03/17/pm_iraq030317

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Jean Chrétien indicated Monday that Canada will not go
to war against Iraq.

He said the government would only support military action if there were a United
Nations Security Council resolution, and the Council decided Monday it will not vote
on the resolution.

Without a resolution, "Canada will not participate," Chrétien said to cheers in
Parlaiment.

Iraq Rejects Bush Call for Saddam Exile
Mon March 17, 2003 02:20 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq on Monday defiantly rejected a U.S. ultimatum
for Saddam Hussein to step down or face war, saying President Bush should
be the one to leave office.

"The only option (to secure peace) is the departure of the warmonger
number one in the world, the failing President Bush who made his country a
joke," Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told reporters.

Nothing To report Here!

NEW YORK (AP) - Two American television networks, concerned that a war with
Iraq could be imminent, are removing their reporters from Baghdad.

NBC News decided to pull its six-member television crew after comments from the
Bush administration indicating that a military conflict could begin within days,
network spokeswoman Allison Gollust told The New York Times.

On Monday, two foreign reporters from ABC also said they were leaving. A week
ago, there were 450 foreign journalists in Baghdad. On Monday, the number was
down to 300, Iraq's Information Ministry said.

France, Russia and Germany reject 24 hour ultimatum

France, Russia and Germany today delivered a defiant response to the 24 hour
ultimatum on Iraq laid down yesterday by the US and UK.
The three countries are standing firm in their opposition to any resolution that would
authorise military action against Iraq while UN weapons inspectors continue to make
progress.

The French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, today told a French radio
station: "France cannot accept a resolution that sets an ultimatum and envisages an
automatic use of force."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,915938,00.html



http://Zoia.blogspot.com

Putin: War Would Endanger World Security


MOSCOW (AP) - Ending weeks of silence about Iraq, Russian President Vladimir
Putin said Monday that a war to force Saddam Hussein to disarm would imperil
world security.

``We are for solving the problem exclusively by peaceful means,'' Putin said,
according to the Interfax news agency.

``Any other development would be a mistake - fraught with the toughest
consequences, leading to victims and destabilization of the international situation
as a whole,''

Candle Light vigil in Union Square (NYC)

At 7 PM we went do do our part in the Moveon international action.
We chose that spot not just because it's close (we had a richness of locations next to us). But
ever since 9.11 Union Square has been a spontaneous place for us to get together and find our
sanity amongst the warmongering rhetoric. Tonight more than half of the park was filled up -
I'd say several thousands of people were there. On the steps on the South of the Park a street
show was going on. At 7:00 PM they respectfully stopped for us. A group came singing softly
"We shall overcome" and we joined in. A guy with a box of chalk was drawing hearts on the
pavement and giving away chalk. Our little girl got pretty good at writing "NO WAR" (pretty
much the extent of her writing so far). We then gave the chalk to other kids (There were
plenty of them around. There was one deranged man yelling about a cousin lost in 9.11. Some
tried to explain to him the facts but the man came there to scream so scream he did - but
walking away very fast.
There was a great atmosphere and no cops in sight.
We left after 30 minutes (bed times to be kept) but the crowd was still there, and people
were still coming. From across the street, the thousands of lights on the steps looked like the
sky itself. People were asking us on the way home what was going on (since we were carrying
our lit candles). An older woman thanked us for doing this.
Some security guard asked very defensively what does this mean. "Peace? Is that a religious
thing?" "No. It's just a desire not to kill"

From DU:
cnn just notes "christian" push for war
on lou dobbs money line candy cowley was debunking the accusation that
american jews are a primary force behind bush's war push and observed in
conclusion that

CONSERVATIVE 'CHRISTIANS' ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE THE FORCE BEHIND WAR
SINCE THEY ARE PRO BUSH AND PRO WAR.

a shocking observation of the real story.

The Onion: bush Orders Iraq To Disarm Before Start of War

Washington, DC- president bush ordered Iraq to fully dismantle its military operation before US
begins its invasion next week. snip
bush said during his weekly radio address: "This madman has every intention of firing back at
our troops when we attack his country" bush warned the Iraqi dictator to "lay down his weapons
and enter battle unarmed or suffer the consequences"

OK Record:
BUSH SCRAPS HIS VISIT TO BLAIR

GEORGE BUSH abandoned plans yesterday to fly to London to support his crisis-hit ally
Tony Blair.

The US President wanted the last-minute visit to boost morale as Blair tries
desperately to get United Nations backing for war in Iraq.

But sources said Downing Street advised against the trip because the sight of Bush
would anger rebel Labour backbenchers rather than pacify them.

Blair faces fury in his party and the country if he goes to war without the UN.

The pressure built yesterday after a Cabinet meeting where Leader of the House Robin
Cook threatened to resign if Britain goes it alone.

But thousands of troops and tanks continued to move towards the border between
Kuwait and Iraq.

NY Daily News: Former President Bill Clinton double-dissed President Bush
last night, saying his successor in the White House has bungled
handling the U.S. economy and the crisis over Iraq.

Clinton, who drew standing ovations from a packed auditorium at the
92nd Street Y on the upper East Side, criticized the administration's
economic policies as "wrongheaded" and getting worse.<

LAT: State Department: "Domino Democracy Theory - pure BS

classified State Department report expresses deep skepticism
that installing a new regime in Iraq will foster the spread
of democracy in the Middle East, a claim President Bush has
made in trying to build support for a war, according to
intelligence officials familiar with the document.

The report exposes significant divisions within the Bush
administration over the so-called democratic domino theory, one
of the arguments that underpins the case for invading Iraq.

The report, which has been distributed to a small group of top
government officials but not publicly disclosed, says that
daunting economic and social problems are likely to undermine
basic stability in the region for years, let alone prospects
for democratic reform.

Even if some version of democracy took root -- an event the
report casts as unlikely -- anti-American sentiment is so
pervasive that elections in the short term could lead to the
rise of Islamic-controlled governments hostile to the United
States.

"Liberal democracy would be difficult to achieve," says one
passage of the report, according to an intelligence official who
agreed to read portions of it to the Los Angeles Times.
"Electoral democracy, were it to emerge, could well be subject to
exploitation by anti-American elements."

NY Observer Editorial:


The callow, smug, inarticulate man who was the lead player in a farce called "White House News
Conference" gave us no new reasons to go to war, no sense of the dangers involved and no
confidence in his
leadership. The television appearance itself—more a blustering tape loop than exchange with the
press—could only be called a national disgrace; President George W. Bush’s performance in front
of a docile
collection of game-show hosts posing as reporters ought to frighten all of us. We live in terrible
times,
dangerous times, and all this man can do is mouth platitudes and assertions put on his podium
cards by his
war-crazed handlers. Eight times he interchanged the war on Iraq with the attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, and
eight times he was unchallenged.

Amazingly, in the immediate aftermath of the President’s disgraceful performance, news outlets
described
him as "solemn" and "determined." These pieces must have been put together before the
President actually
spoke, because there was nothing solemn or determined about him; "clueless" and "lost" would
have been
closer.

A journalist's confession (courtesy - Atrios):

From JONATHAN WEISMAN, Economics Writer, Washington Post:
In the wake of Seymour Hersh's open statements about the way the
White House treats the press, I feel compelled to relate a personal
story that illustrates how both the White House and the press have
allowed manipulation of the printed word in Washington to get out of
hand. This is a bit of a confession as well as an appeal to the White
House and my fellow reporters to rethink the way journalism is
practiced these days.

Recently, I was working on a profile of the now-departed chairman of
the White House Council of Economic Advisers, R. Glenn Hubbard. I
dutifully went through the White House press office to talk to an
administration economist about Hubbard's tenure, and a press office
aide helpfully got me in touch with just the person I wanted. The
catch was this: The interview would be off the record. Any quotes I
wanted to put into the newspaper would have to be e-mailed to the
press office. If approved, the quotation could be attributed to a White
House official. (This has become fairly standard practice.)

Since the profile focused on Hubbard's efforts to translate relatively
arcane macroeconomic theory into public policy, the quote I wanted
referenced the president's effort to end the double taxation of
dividends: "This is probably the most academic proposal ever to
come out of an administration." The press office said it was fine, but
the official wanted a little change. Instead, the quote was to read,
"This is probably the purest, most far reaching economic proposal
ever to come out of an administration." I protested that the point of
the quote was the word "academic," so the quote was again amended
to state, "This is probably the purest, most academic, most far
reaching economic proposal ever to come out of an administration."

What appeared in the Washington Post was, "This is probably the
purest, most academic ... economic proposal ever to come out of an
administration." What followed was an angry denunciation by the
White House press official, telling me I had broken my word and
violated journalistic ethics.

I had, of course, violated journalistic ethics, by placing into quotation
marks a phrase that was never uttered by the source, ellipses or no
ellipses. I had also played ball with the White House using rules that
neither I nor any other reporter should be assenting to. I think it is
time for all of us to reconsider the way we cover the White House. If
administration officials want to speak off the record, they are off the
record. If they are on background as an administration official, I
suppose that's the best we can expect. But the notion that reporters
are routinely submitting quotations for approval, and allowing those
quotes to be manipulated to get that approval, strikes me as a step
beyond business as usual.

Paul Krugman: George W Queeg

What really has the insiders panicked, however, is the
irresponsibility of Mr. Bush and his team, their almost childish
unwillingness to face up to problems that they don't feel like
dealing with right now.

I've talked in this column about the administration's eerie passivity
in the face of a stalling economy and an exploding budget deficit:
reality isn't allowed to intrude on the obsession with long-run tax
cuts. That same "don't bother me, I'm busy" attitude is driving
foreign policy experts, inside and outside the government, to despair.

The Bush Leagues
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_1926.shtml

White House changes tune on UN vote delay
By The Associated Press
Mar 13, 2003, 08:13


In a reversal, the White House said Thursday that President Bush is open to
briefly
delaying a vote on his U.N. war resolution until next
week if the postponement would help gain support for
the measure.

"It may conclude tomorrow. It may continue into next
week," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

As the vote was delayed, White House officials
scrambled to organize an overseas trip for Bush, two
senior White House officials said. They declined to say
where he was going.

Gary Hart calls Bush's War Plan "Monomaniacal"

The United States is not prepared for the likely consequences of attacking Iraq,
former U.S. senator and possible presidential candidate Gary Hart said
Wednesday.

Hart said a "monomaniacal" war would bring retaliatory strikes from terrorists, and
the Bush administration has failed to answer crucial questions about the possibility
of war.

"Rob Reiner blasts bush at TV Land awards"



Under the guise of "What would Meathead say today?" he presented
all the arguments about the war with Iraq, followed by a raspberry for
Archie's answer as Sally Struthers was doing Gloria and Edith.

George W. Bush: War criminal?
By CHB Staff
Mar 10, 2003, 05:42

Is Pope John Paul II telling the world that if President George W.
Bush goes ahead with his plans to invade Iraq without United
Nations sanctions, the Catholic Church will consider Bush a war
criminal?

“A war would be a defeat for humanity and would be neither morally
nor legally justified,” the Pope told Bush in a papal message
delivered last week by a special envoy. “It is an unjust war.”
This leads even conservatives like John McLaughlin, host of the
syndicated McLaughlin Group and a longtime supporter of both
conservative and Republican causes, to have second thoughts.
“The Pope is saying an invasion of Iraq would be criminal,” says
McLaughlin, who is also a former Jesuit priest. “A statement that
strong cannot be ignored.”
>>>>>

"Can't Allow Saddam to continue Disarming" - paging Dr Freud

John Randall, the Tory whip who resigned this week over Iraq, asks the prime
minister to publish the legal advice the government has received.

Mr Blair replies that this is not the precedent, before making a slip of the tongue
to assert that "we cannot allow Saddam Hussein to continue disarming" - a
moment that may be replayed on TV, if anyone notices it.

"Short war soon=low oil prices. Otherwise, they go up - NWI"




News World International reported that OPEC refuses to increase
productions as prices are already going up. The only thing to stop oil
prices from escalating would ve a short war - and soon,
please!Otherwise - watch it - the prices are already at the lever prior to
the first Gulf war!

The Wheels are Coming off:

Labour Party discontent over Tony Blair's stance on Iraq burst into the
open for the first time yesterday when more than 40 MPs called for the
Prime Minister to resign."

"John McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington, issued a statement
on behalf of the 40 MPs in the Campaign Group that read: "It is time
for the Prime Minister to consider his position. If he is not prepared to
stand up to George Bush, he must make way for those that will," it
said."

Radio News: Un puts US on Notice

The U.N. has officially put the United States government on notice that
if they attack Iraq without U.N. approval, it would be in violation of U.N.
charter and international law and another vote may come to seek
ejection of the United States from the U.N.!

Terry Jones:


I'm not saying that George W. Bush
shouldn't be allowed to kill as many
people as he wants. After all he is the
unelected leader of the most powerful
country on earth, so if he can't do
anything he likes, who can?

HELEN THOMAS: How do you know what the Iraqis think - do
you think they'd rather be dead? What is this "liberty"?
You're going to send 3000 missiles over in 48 hours? How
many people are going to survive that?

Star Studed Delivery of Moveon to the US Mission

I just returned from that action. The celebrities had a press conference at the Crown Plaza (Jessica Lange, Ethan Hawke, Steve Buscemi). After the conference, we joined them in a march to the US mission - surrounded by cameras. Once we got there, we got word that the boxes (of one million signatures) would be accepted. We applauded and left.
More interestingly, earlier on the Moveon delegation was received there at 8:30 with the petition. A dozen of Moveon members went and were allowed to make short statements to a very nasty belligerant mission rep (who according to them sounded very much like bush "yada-yada-yada Saddam must go" . One statement in particular infuriated him - when a daughter of missionaries mentioned God. Bush's man became aggressive: "how dare you insult bush's personal God?"
Anyway, the others UNSC missions also received the one million signatures.

Truth in the Media?

On the ABC morning show, they had a very good exposee of the fabrication of uranium info on Iraq (they even tied it in with the previous phony "dossier" from a studen'ts thesis.). They showed Powell insisting in the lie, mentioned that it was part of SOTU and debunked by the inspectors. They said that it led to fingerpointings between US and UK and it's embarassing. Of course, in the end, they had to bring Stephi to throw cold water over it: "yeah, but other nations also underplay the threats of chemical weapons that we brought up so it's a wash"

The Simpsons (posted on BC Forum by Onehandle):

Krusty ran for Congress as a Republican.

At the Republican HQ they were going over their plans to rename
everything(else) after Reagan.

During a Faux Newscast, the news-crawler read "Do Democrats Cause
Cancer". In the Fox debate, the Democrat had devil horns
superimposed on his head and a Soviet flag placed in the background.
The faux moderator referred to Krusty as "Congressman" and cut off
the Democrat with a Krusty commercial. When the Democrat
complained, the faux moderator said: "What an adulterous thing to
say".


"Fox News, your source for evil."

From the News-Crawler:

92% of democrats are gay
rupert murdoch: exceptional dancer
jfk posthumously joins republican party
oil slicks keep seals young, supple

--

Former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter on Sunday
condemned preparations for a unilateral U.S. attack on Iraq, saying it would be an
unjust war "almost unprecedented in the history of civilized nations." ...

"I became thoroughly familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a
substantially unilateral attack on Iraq does not meet these standards," he said.

France wants Bush at "life or death" Iraq vote
By Sophie Louet

PARIS, March 8 (Reuters) - France on Saturday reinforced its call for President
George W. Bush to attend next week's United Nations vote on war against Iraq,
insisting leaders take personal responsibility for a "life or death" decision.

The move came as Paris said it was sending Foreign Minister Dominique de
Villepin on a whistle-stop tour of three African states from Sunday to urge them to
reject a U.S.-backed draft resolution setting a March 17 deadline for Iraq to
disarm.

"When you decree life or death, it should be done at the highest level of
responsibility," a source close to President Jacques Chirac said of a vote on a new
resolution expected next Tuesday or soon after.

"Given the importance of the decision, it seems legitimate that it is taken by
heads of state and government," the Elysee Palace source said.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he did not see a need for Bush to attend,
after Villepin floated the idea on Friday.