Wingnut Ted: Digby posts an email from someone she calls 'Wingnut Ted'. On first reading I'm not convinced this isn't a troll or a joke from some clever kid. But most (including Digby) seem to take it as genuine.

If genuine, it is bizarre, and frightening. People have been completely brainwashed, believing nonsense, unaware that that is the case. It is a deep insight into the crisis of modern American politics. Progressives often argue that Ann Coulter should be ignored. I disagree. Coulter and her followers are a remarkable and important phenomenon that should be brought to the centre of discussion (and the ugliness identified with the Administration, if possible). The nearest thing we have in Australia would be Piers Akerman, Miranda Devine or Andrew Bolt, who I regard as paid propagandists, not journalists. They get their talking points from some rightwing thinktank (or Howard's press office) and off they go. Sometimes it is patently insincere (as well as hateful), such as when Akerman recently talked about 'man and dog' and 'man and goat' in reference to gay marriage on the ABC Insiders program. I dont believe Akerman (or Howard or Abbott for that matter) give two hoots about gays and gay marriage. They are simply working the political and propaganda advantage, no doubt influenced to some extent by the successful tactics of the US Republican party.

Digby's commenters, as usual, are as good as Digby:

boil: I don't get Ann Coulter's or Rush's shtick. Unfortunately I have lots of loved ones who do, and I'm always trying to understand. Their defenders say that they are not to to be taken literally, that they are satirists, humorists, etc. I don't get the joke. I also don't get how it is that Democrats hate America, when what Democrats are constantly fighting for is to uphold the Constitution. The America of the wingnutters seems to be divorced from the Constitution. It's some gung-ho far west ideal that has nothing to do with the laws that were meant to guarantee the freedom of American citizens. Government wiretapping without a warrant is against the law, yet to point that out is somehow un"American". Torture is against the law, yet to point that out is somehow to give comfort to the enemy. POinting out that criminals have rights that are spelled out in the Constitution is somehow to pander to pedophiles. I can see why rich pigs like Rush and Ann continue to shovel this shit, because hey profit from it, but what does it profit my Mom to toe the Repub line? She doesn't get any tax breaks, but boy she will not hesitate to call Russ Feingold a traitor. She claims to love America, but anyone who exercises their right to free speech at a Bush gathering deserves to go to jail. WTF?

Republicant:

boil,

For your sake, I am glad you do not understand it. Let me sum it up for you:

The new improved shiny Republican party of today believes America is a nation of men not laws. The "men" in this case is G.W. Bush and everyone who agrees absolutely with him and will toe the line no matter how absurd or ridiculous the policy may be.

That is: Bush = good.
Not Bush = bad.

Conservatism be damned, this is a cult of personality, an authoritarian and reactionary (and I might add spoiled and adolescent) personality at that. It is that simple.
I suspect that your loved who have these views also believe that men are inherently evil and cannot be trusted to do the right thing unsupervised. They are projecting their own weaknesses and faults onto everyone else. Too bad for them. Too bad for the rest of us too because unfortunately they are the people who keep theses bastards in power.

Alderaan: "Their defenders say that they are not to to be taken literally, that they are satirists, humorists, etc."

No, they are "kidding" the same way the racist guy in the office or around the dinner table is "kidding": not kidding at all, but he knows what he says is now socially unacceptable to the mainstream without pretending they don't really mean it.

[Bernard]: My view is that you have to call people on racism, hatespeech, fascism etc. It has to be not just socially, but also politically unacceptable, ie vocally condemned by both right and left. The right tactic was used orignally re Howard and Hanson, when Howard was called upon to publicly condemn her remarks. Howard of course, didnt condemn Hanson, but evaded the issue by talking about 'free speech', and ultimately profited enormously from Hanson. This is the distinguishing feature of his Prime Ministership. In time however, the right/conservatives must again condemn publicly and unequivocally the statement or exploitation of racist and fascist hatespeech.

Fencer X: The rightwing has mastered the art of simplification in it's debating tactics. They are capable of simplifying things so much that they no longer have any meaning, only emotional context - and I believe that is the point. They have taken Orwellian Doublespeak, used it to strip all meaning from many words in the English language and then replaced their meaning with emotional context. Everything they don't agree with can be lumped into a simple emotional category, "Bad/Scary/Dangerous." And since they have been so successful in removing rational thought from every day discussion in this country they are free to conflate anything that falls under the Bad/Scary/Dangerous emotional meme. This is what allows them to call Liberals terrorists and traitors, it allows them to say that Nazis and Communists are lionized by the ivory tower liberal elite, it empowers hate spewing, intellectually crippled serial liars like Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin and creates an enviornment completely hostile to rational discourse. Liberal arguments are automatically dismissed because we're the enemy, we hate America and we want the terrorists to win. So anything we say must be some subtle ploy to undermine America's will to fight those damn dirty Arab terrorists who want to destroy our American way of life (mom, apple pie and all). The villification of intellectuals only further complicates the matter. Informed discourse is seen as haughty, possibly subversive and probably manipulative.

Wingnut Ted: Digby posts an email from someone she calls 'Wingnut Ted'. On first reading I'm not convinced this isn't a troll or a joke from some clever kid. But most (including Digby) seem to take it as genuine.

If genuine, it is bizarre, and frightening. People have been completely brainwashed, believing nonsense, unaware that that is the case. It is a deep insight into the crisis of modern American politics. Progressives often argue that Ann Coulter should be ignored. I disagree. Coulter and her followers are a remarkable and important phenomenon that should be brought to the centre of discussion (and the ugliness identified with the Administration, if possible). The nearest thing we have in Australia would be Piers Akerman, Miranda Devine or Andrew Bolt, who I regard as paid propagandists, not journalists. They get their talking points from some rightwing thinktank (or Howard's press office) and off they go. Sometimes it is patently insincere (as well as hateful), such as when Akerman recently talked about 'man and dog' and 'man and goat' in reference to gay marriage on the ABC Insiders program. I dont believe Akerman (or Howard or Abbott for that matter) give two hoots about gays and gay marriage. They are simply working the political and propaganda advantage, no doubt influenced to some extent by the successful tactics of the US Republican party.

Digby's commenters, as usual, are as good as Digby:

boil: I don't get Ann Coulter's or Rush's shtick. Unfortunately I have lots of loved ones who do, and I'm always trying to understand. Their defenders say that they are not to to be taken literally, that they are satirists, humorists, etc. I don't get the joke. I also don't get how it is that Democrats hate America, when what Democrats are constantly fighting for is to uphold the Constitution. The America of the wingnutters seems to be divorced from the Constitution. It's some gung-ho far west ideal that has nothing to do with the laws that were meant to guarantee the freedom of American citizens. Government wiretapping without a warrant is against the law, yet to point that out is somehow un"American". Torture is against the law, yet to point that out is somehow to give comfort to the enemy. POinting out that criminals have rights that are spelled out in the Constitution is somehow to pander to pedophiles. I can see why rich pigs like Rush and Ann continue to shovel this shit, because hey profit from it, but what does it profit my Mom to toe the Repub line? She doesn't get any tax breaks, but boy she will not hesitate to call Russ Feingold a traitor. She claims to love America, but anyone who exercises their right to free speech at a Bush gathering deserves to go to jail. WTF?

Republicant:

boil,

For your sake, I am glad you do not understand it. Let me sum it up for you:

The new improved shiny Republican party of today believes America is a nation of men not laws. The "men" in this case is G.W. Bush and everyone who agrees absolutely with him and will toe the line no matter how absurd or ridiculous the policy may be.

That is: Bush = good.
Not Bush = bad.

Conservatism be damned, this is a cult of personality, an authoritarian and reactionary (and I might add spoiled and adolescent) personality at that. It is that simple.
I suspect that your loved who have these views also believe that men are inherently evil and cannot be trusted to do the right thing unsupervised. They are projecting their own weaknesses and faults onto everyone else. Too bad for them. Too bad for the rest of us too because unfortunately they are the people who keep theses bastards in power.

Alderaan: "Their defenders say that they are not to to be taken literally, that they are satirists, humorists, etc."

No, they are "kidding" the same way the racist guy in the office or around the dinner table is "kidding": not kidding at all, but he knows what he says is now socially unacceptable to the mainstream without pretending they don't really mean it.

[Bernard]: My view is that you have to call people on racism, hatespeech, fascism etc. It has to be not just socially, but also politically unacceptable, ie vocally condemned by both right and left. The right tactic was used orignally re Howard and Hanson, when Howard was called upon to publicly condemn her remarks. Howard of course, didnt condemn Hanson, but evaded the issue by talking about 'free speech', and ultimately profited enormously from Hanson. This is the distinguishing feature of his Prime Ministership. In time however, the right/conservatives must again condemn publicly and unequivocally the statement or exploitation of racist and fascist hatespeech.

Fencer X: The rightwing has mastered the art of simplification in it's debating tactics. They are capable of simplifying things so much that they no longer have any meaning, only emotional context - and I believe that is the point. They have taken Orwellian Doublespeak, used it to strip all meaning from many words in the English language and then replaced their meaning with emotional context. Everything they don't agree with can be lumped into a simple emotional category, "Bad/Scary/Dangerous." And since they have been so successful in removing rational thought from every day discussion in this country they are free to conflate anything that falls under the Bad/Scary/Dangerous emotional meme. This is what allows them to call Liberals terrorists and traitors, it allows them to say that Nazis and Communists are lionized by the ivory tower liberal elite, it empowers hate spewing, intellectually crippled serial liars like Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin and creates an enviornment completely hostile to rational discourse. Liberal arguments are automatically dismissed because we're the enemy, we hate America and we want the terrorists to win. So anything we say must be some subtle ploy to undermine America's will to fight those damn dirty Arab terrorists who want to destroy our American way of life (mom, apple pie and all). The villification of intellectuals only further complicates the matter. Informed discourse is seen as haughty, possibly subversive and probably manipulative.

Soil erosion: devastating threat: "The United States is losing soil 10 times faster -- and China and India are losing soil 30 to 40 times faster -- than the natural replenishment rate.

As a result of erosion over the past 40 years, 30 percent of the world's arable land has become unproductive."

Soil erosion: devastating threat: "The United States is losing soil 10 times faster -- and China and India are losing soil 30 to 40 times faster -- than the natural replenishment rate.

As a result of erosion over the past 40 years, 30 percent of the world's arable land has become unproductive."

Turkey's biggest budget ever movie to be released in the US: "Valley of the Wolves: Iraq starts off factually enough, with a depiction of a July 4, 2003, incident in which around 100 soldiers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade stormed the barracks of a Turkish special forces office in Iraq, arresting 11 Turks who allegedly were planning to assassinate the Kurdish governor of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The Americans not only handcuffed the Turks but also forced hoods over their heads and held them in custody for more than two days. The U.S. government later apologized, explaining that its soldiers couldn't tell the difference between Turks and Iraqi insurgents because the Turks were not in uniform. Turkey didn't buy it, and this blockbuster is the payback.

"As the flick takes a sharp turn toward fiction, one of the 11 Turks in the 2003 debacle commits suicide to regain his warrior honor. His suicide note is sent to Polat Alemdar, the Turkish intelligence officer who stars in the Valley of the Wolves television show. Alemdar heads to Iraq to find U.S. Special Forces Cmdr. Sam William Marshall (played by Billy Zane), who, in his role as a self-described 'peacekeeper of God,' is busy leading a massacre of machine-gun fire on unsuspecting civilians at an Iraqi wedding. Survivors are sent to a facility where a Jewish-American doctor (played by Gary Busey) pulls out human hearts with Mengelian apathy and sells them to aristocrats in London, New York, and Tel Aviv. When one of the American soldiers expresses concern that a truckful of Iraqi civilians are packed in too tight to breathe, a fellow soldier stops the car and bullet-soaks the trailer and its human cargo. 'I was making sure they could breathe,' he quips, pointing to the holes in the truck."

While rooted in truth, it is the very excesses and caricatures of films such as this which will undoubtedly contribute to their popular success. As the Hollywood system finally breaks down and 'third world' movies and culture rise, one of the biggest casualties will be US imperialism and its international reputation.

Turkey's biggest budget ever movie to be released in the US: "Valley of the Wolves: Iraq starts off factually enough, with a depiction of a July 4, 2003, incident in which around 100 soldiers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade stormed the barracks of a Turkish special forces office in Iraq, arresting 11 Turks who allegedly were planning to assassinate the Kurdish governor of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The Americans not only handcuffed the Turks but also forced hoods over their heads and held them in custody for more than two days. The U.S. government later apologized, explaining that its soldiers couldn't tell the difference between Turks and Iraqi insurgents because the Turks were not in uniform. Turkey didn't buy it, and this blockbuster is the payback.

"As the flick takes a sharp turn toward fiction, one of the 11 Turks in the 2003 debacle commits suicide to regain his warrior honor. His suicide note is sent to Polat Alemdar, the Turkish intelligence officer who stars in the Valley of the Wolves television show. Alemdar heads to Iraq to find U.S. Special Forces Cmdr. Sam William Marshall (played by Billy Zane), who, in his role as a self-described 'peacekeeper of God,' is busy leading a massacre of machine-gun fire on unsuspecting civilians at an Iraqi wedding. Survivors are sent to a facility where a Jewish-American doctor (played by Gary Busey) pulls out human hearts with Mengelian apathy and sells them to aristocrats in London, New York, and Tel Aviv. When one of the American soldiers expresses concern that a truckful of Iraqi civilians are packed in too tight to breathe, a fellow soldier stops the car and bullet-soaks the trailer and its human cargo. 'I was making sure they could breathe,' he quips, pointing to the holes in the truck."

While rooted in truth, it is the very excesses and caricatures of films such as this which will undoubtedly contribute to their popular success. As the Hollywood system finally breaks down and 'third world' movies and culture rise, one of the biggest casualties will be US imperialism and its international reputation.

The Left and the Blathersphere: Alexander Cockburn gets in some sharp jabs at the left 'blogosphere'. There is a lot of good stuff there but a significant element of it seems to be increasingly dedicated to Democrat election campaigns. Who could be interested in that? Not even many Americans, much less the rest of the world. The blogosphere is not radical enough. I think they underestimate the importance of solidarity and grassroots consciousness raising. As some blogs become progressively more involved in Democrat politics they also become progressively less interesting and less progressive altogether. Of course under the primitive US electoral system, with no preferential voting (not to mention proportional representation) there is a strong disincentive to the building of any alternative. Its largely Democrats or nothing.

The Left and the Blathersphere: Alexander Cockburn gets in some sharp jabs at the left 'blogosphere'. There is a lot of good stuff there but a significant element of it seems to be increasingly dedicated to Democrat election campaigns. Who could be interested in that? Not even many Americans, much less the rest of the world. The blogosphere is not radical enough. I think they underestimate the importance of solidarity and grassroots consciousness raising. As some blogs become progressively more involved in Democrat politics they also become progressively less interesting and less progressive altogether. Of course under the primitive US electoral system, with no preferential voting (not to mention proportional representation) there is a strong disincentive to the building of any alternative. Its largely Democrats or nothing.

Interesting interview with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov: The US seems to have been checkmated over Iran, or as Lavrov puts it the May 31 offer from Washington is "a victory of common sense".

Interesting interview with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov: The US seems to have been checkmated over Iran, or as Lavrov puts it the May 31 offer from Washington is "a victory of common sense".

'Wash Post' Obtains Shocking Memo from U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Details Increasing Danger and Hardship: The frank memo signed Khalilzad describes a thoroughly disastrous situation, eg, "Since April, the "demeanor" of guards in the Green Zone has changed, becoming more "militia-like," and some are now "taunting" embassy personnel or holding up their credentials and saying loudly that they work in the embassy: "Such information is a death sentence if overheard by the wrong people." For this reason, some have asked for press instead of embassy credentials."

Ambassador Khalilzad's memo also says: "More recently, we have begun shredding documents printed out that show local staff surnames. In March, a few staff members approached us to ask what provisions would we make for them if we evacuate." Sounds like a mission on the brink of complete collapse....

Digby's commenters are, again, too good not to quote:

Tupharsin: You want it straight? Try this from Gwynne Dyer, the former naval officer, historian and lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (Britain's West Point)...

"It is not enough that the United States lose in Iraq. It must be seen to lose by the American public, for otherwise the project that lay behind the invasion of Iraq will soon enough be resurrected by some other administration, and not necessarily a Republican one."

Bruce Emory: Although it may give succor to the rightwing to quote these thoughts, I feel that an unequivocal failure in Iraq is the best outcome for America's future. Unless and until we see the preemptive war doctrine rejected out of hand, it can only cause greater and greater misery throughout the world. Better it fail in its maiden voyage than be arguably successful enough to attempt again.

James E. Powell: The fact that this cable is not getting massive coverage, and I mean Monica's blue dress level coverage, is revealing.

What it reveals is something understood here and on other left and center-left blogs: the corporate press/media is nothing more or less than the propaganda ministry of the Republican Party. But this is not understood by the great mass of Americans who spend little or no time acquiring information about Iraq, and who get 100% of their information from the corporate press/media.

[Bernard]: Powell is right to condemn the corporate media as a propaganda institution, but I also believe this is a common error in the left blogosphere. I dont think the media coverage would really be much different on this and other issues if the Democrats were in charge, eg if Hillary were President and Kerry/Murtha controlled the Congress. The Democrat policy of corporate imperialism is essentially the same, although they would naturally like to claim they are competent at it, unlike Bush. Media coverage will only really change when the US corporate/ruling elite finally concludes that the Iraq venture is a disastrous failure and has to be ended. Look for the signs. Is the recent Marine massacre coverage, similar to My Lai, such a sign? Withdrawal will be a particularly difficult decision to make. Unlike Vietnam, Iraq and the mideast has vast strategic significance. At present the war is only costing taxpayer's money (which is getting largely channelled to defence contractors) and soldier's blood (poverty draft cannon fodder). That could be willingly expended for some time yet in the hope the situation turns around. It is also, of course, costing Bush poll support, but that will not concern the elite as much as if the leading Democrat candidate plumbed for withdrawal before the official say-so. Hillary obviously has no intention of doing that.

[Powell continues]: I have little faith that a disastrous outcome will effect any change. It is hard to think of a more disastrous adventure than the Viet Nam War, yet the prevailing belief about that war is that it was a noble cause that was betrayed and sabotaged by weak and traitorous elements in our own country. As the last president election showed, one's opposition to the Viet Nam War is a major political liability. One's vocal support of it, even if one dodged the draft, is a political asset.

What can we expect? If history is any guide, nothing good for a long while. How many years did it take for Western Europeans to become convinced that jingoism and nationalist dreams of conquest are political diseases and that politicians who advocate wars of conquest are to be shunned? How many people had to die to drive home this simple truth?

joejoejoe: Instead of covering this remarkably stark cable from our US Amb. to Iraq Khalilzad to our Secretary of State the WaPo puts this on A4:

"Bush's Gut Feeling On Maliki Is Positive"

Enough with the Psychic Friends Network foreign policy. The highest ranking US official in Iraq, an Arabic speaking PhD holding, old-fashioned diplomat cables Foggy Bottom and calmly mentions things like 'ethnic cleansing' and 'kidnapping' and admits most US allies in Iraq don't even tell their family members where they work. And the Post buries it. Meanwhile President Bush looks into more eyes and sees more souls.

'Wash Post' Obtains Shocking Memo from U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Details Increasing Danger and Hardship: The frank memo signed Khalilzad describes a thoroughly disastrous situation, eg, "Since April, the "demeanor" of guards in the Green Zone has changed, becoming more "militia-like," and some are now "taunting" embassy personnel or holding up their credentials and saying loudly that they work in the embassy: "Such information is a death sentence if overheard by the wrong people." For this reason, some have asked for press instead of embassy credentials."

Ambassador Khalilzad's memo also says: "More recently, we have begun shredding documents printed out that show local staff surnames. In March, a few staff members approached us to ask what provisions would we make for them if we evacuate." Sounds like a mission on the brink of complete collapse....

Digby's commenters are, again, too good not to quote:

Tupharsin: You want it straight? Try this from Gwynne Dyer, the former naval officer, historian and lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (Britain's West Point)...

"It is not enough that the United States lose in Iraq. It must be seen to lose by the American public, for otherwise the project that lay behind the invasion of Iraq will soon enough be resurrected by some other administration, and not necessarily a Republican one."

Bruce Emory: Although it may give succor to the rightwing to quote these thoughts, I feel that an unequivocal failure in Iraq is the best outcome for America's future. Unless and until we see the preemptive war doctrine rejected out of hand, it can only cause greater and greater misery throughout the world. Better it fail in its maiden voyage than be arguably successful enough to attempt again.

James E. Powell: The fact that this cable is not getting massive coverage, and I mean Monica's blue dress level coverage, is revealing.

What it reveals is something understood here and on other left and center-left blogs: the corporate press/media is nothing more or less than the propaganda ministry of the Republican Party. But this is not understood by the great mass of Americans who spend little or no time acquiring information about Iraq, and who get 100% of their information from the corporate press/media.

[Bernard]: Powell is right to condemn the corporate media as a propaganda institution, but I also believe this is a common error in the left blogosphere. I dont think the media coverage would really be much different on this and other issues if the Democrats were in charge, eg if Hillary were President and Kerry/Murtha controlled the Congress. The Democrat policy of corporate imperialism is essentially the same, although they would naturally like to claim they are competent at it, unlike Bush. Media coverage will only really change when the US corporate/ruling elite finally concludes that the Iraq venture is a disastrous failure and has to be ended. Look for the signs. Is the recent Marine massacre coverage, similar to My Lai, such a sign? Withdrawal will be a particularly difficult decision to make. Unlike Vietnam, Iraq and the mideast has vast strategic significance. At present the war is only costing taxpayer's money (which is getting largely channelled to defence contractors) and soldier's blood (poverty draft cannon fodder). That could be willingly expended for some time yet in the hope the situation turns around. It is also, of course, costing Bush poll support, but that will not concern the elite as much as if the leading Democrat candidate plumbed for withdrawal before the official say-so. Hillary obviously has no intention of doing that.

[Powell continues]: I have little faith that a disastrous outcome will effect any change. It is hard to think of a more disastrous adventure than the Viet Nam War, yet the prevailing belief about that war is that it was a noble cause that was betrayed and sabotaged by weak and traitorous elements in our own country. As the last president election showed, one's opposition to the Viet Nam War is a major political liability. One's vocal support of it, even if one dodged the draft, is a political asset.

What can we expect? If history is any guide, nothing good for a long while. How many years did it take for Western Europeans to become convinced that jingoism and nationalist dreams of conquest are political diseases and that politicians who advocate wars of conquest are to be shunned? How many people had to die to drive home this simple truth?

joejoejoe: Instead of covering this remarkably stark cable from our US Amb. to Iraq Khalilzad to our Secretary of State the WaPo puts this on A4:

"Bush's Gut Feeling On Maliki Is Positive"

Enough with the Psychic Friends Network foreign policy. The highest ranking US official in Iraq, an Arabic speaking PhD holding, old-fashioned diplomat cables Foggy Bottom and calmly mentions things like 'ethnic cleansing' and 'kidnapping' and admits most US allies in Iraq don't even tell their family members where they work. And the Post buries it. Meanwhile President Bush looks into more eyes and sees more souls.

Gabriel Kolko: Why a Global Economic Deluge Looms: "Financial liberalization has produced a monster"

Gabriel Kolko: Why a Global Economic Deluge Looms: "Financial liberalization has produced a monster"

Bin Laden's jihadi spring: "It often comes as a surprise to people to discover that bin Laden has never claimed that al-Qaeda can or would defeat the US, much less that al-Qaeda's goal was to destroy the 'American way of life' or 'Western civilization'."

They could only be surprised if they took seriously the pronouncements of the Anglo-saxon governments, a mistake that no informed observer should be making by this time.

"He is not a man given to grandiose pronouncements and has limited his goal to incrementally increasing the pain inflicted on the US and its allies to force them to disengage from the Middle East to the greatest extent possible. If achieved, bin Laden believes, this would then allow al-Qaeda and its allies to focus on its main targets: the tyrannies that rule most Arab states, and the State of Israel."

Bin Laden's jihadi spring: "It often comes as a surprise to people to discover that bin Laden has never claimed that al-Qaeda can or would defeat the US, much less that al-Qaeda's goal was to destroy the 'American way of life' or 'Western civilization'."

They could only be surprised if they took seriously the pronouncements of the Anglo-saxon governments, a mistake that no informed observer should be making by this time.

"He is not a man given to grandiose pronouncements and has limited his goal to incrementally increasing the pain inflicted on the US and its allies to force them to disengage from the Middle East to the greatest extent possible. If achieved, bin Laden believes, this would then allow al-Qaeda and its allies to focus on its main targets: the tyrannies that rule most Arab states, and the State of Israel."

Rolling Stone : Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Stolen US elections of 2000 and 2004 are or should be big news. But they are not.

Rolling Stone : Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Stolen US elections of 2000 and 2004 are or should be big news. But they are not.

Greens Senator Christine Milne: Australia to be nuclear waste dump under Howard's plan: "Make no mistake: the current debate about nuclear power in Australia is a furphy. The real agenda is the development of a nuclear enrichment industry and a global nuclear waste dump to store huge volumes of depleted uranium and to take high-level waste from all over the world, including the United States."

Greens Senator Christine Milne: Australia to be nuclear waste dump under Howard's plan: "Make no mistake: the current debate about nuclear power in Australia is a furphy. The real agenda is the development of a nuclear enrichment industry and a global nuclear waste dump to store huge volumes of depleted uranium and to take high-level waste from all over the world, including the United States."

Howard’s real nuclear agenda: "Prime Minister John Howard says he is 'yet to be convinced' of the economic and other arguments in favour of nuclear power generation in Australia. 'All I am wanting is this country being open minded enough to look at the alternatives', he said again last week. However, while the PM may have doubts about the financial attractions of nuclear power in Australia, he is plainly as keen as mustard to see Australia’s nuclear industries expand into other areas such as enrichment and the storage of nuclear waste. Details have recently come to light about just how Australia could fit into US President George W Bush’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) and how our island continent might become a one stop nuclear shop. And of course, what Dubbya wants, Johnny will bend over backwards to deliver."

"Australia and Canada have been invited to join this [US-led] "partnership" in which Australia’s role would be to mine and enrich uranium for export in the form of fuel rods for nuclear power generation to rapidly expanding economies like India and China. It would then accept the spent fuel rods back for storage. Australia would thus "lease" the nuclear fuel rods to customers."

Howard doesnt want a debate, he wants a smokescreen. Nothing that man says can be believed.

There's no debate, the nuclear debate was ended decades ago. This was nicely illustrated on this morning's Sunday panel discussion on the topic, which sported a number of aged gents advocating nukes: These old fossils backed the wrong horse a long time ago, but they have been wheeled out for one mad final fling in the nuclear cycle. Nuclear power is a failed industry if ever there was one. And if they are going to have a proper debate, can they please stop giving time to industry lobbyists in green drag? Green lipstick on a corporate pig. There is substantial and credible opposition to the nuclear power industry in the form of genuine opponents of nuclear and supporters of renewables, and those are the environmentalists who should be invited and quoted.

Sunday interview with Howard: when asked about dangers of nukes, Howard said that there are dangers elsewhere, as in windpower. I find this a revealing statement. So windpower incinerated 100,000 people in an instant? Or contaminated thousands of hectares in Ukraine rendering them unfit for human habitation? The statement on the face of it is absurd, and shows Howard's basic contempt and low regard for renewables and the environment.

Nuclear power is toxic, costly, dangerous, non-renewable and not the answer. The answer is renewable energy, and we need a 100% commitment to research and development of multiple forms of renewable energy, as well as a carbon tax to make alternatives more competitive, begin the phasing out of coal stations, and provide funds for research and other essential purposes. A carbon tax should be introduced immediately at a low rate with no exemptions, the rate rising gradually over time in order to be more effective in achieving its goals.

Any time or money spent on any nuclear 'debate' or 'inquiry' is simply time and money wasted. If the Labor party had the guts to decisively oppose Howard's initiative, together with the Greens they could crush Howard and the nuclear lobby at the same time.

Further questions for Howard: if Australia develops nuclear power, will it develop nuclear weapons? Will Howard rule that out? If Australia develops nuclear power as we are entitled to under the terms of the NPT, will we support Iran's right to do the same? Or will we rule out participating in any form in any US bombing or sanctions against Iran so long as it complies with the NPT? Or would Australia itself be liable for bombings or sanctions itself if it enriches uranium? Will other countries in the region, eg Indonesia, also go nuclear, and face the same issues?

There might be one benefit of everyone going nuclear, however. It might terminate once and for all the utterly foolish remarks of Downer and Howard about launching 'preemptive strikes' against Indonesia. But nuclear or non-nuclear, terrorists or no terrorists, Australia will not be making any unprovoked military attack on Indonesia, or any neigbouring country, please God. (I'm trying real hard right now to forget about Iraq). In the event that such an order was given, one might hope that the Defence forces would disobey, at least until such time as cabinet or parliament could convene and remove the Ministers responsible. Or perhaps the Governer-General could intervene and have the said Ministers taken into psychiatric care.

On cost alone, nuclear power is ruled out. Uranium ore is a limited resource, and at current rates of consumption is expected to deplete in about 40-50 years, sooner if the industry expands. But as the ore depletes, its price will go up. Australia has about 40% of known uranium ore reserves. A motza could be made in the export business. The whole 'debate' is simply a smokescreen for Howard to lobby for the mining industry.

Howard’s real nuclear agenda: "Prime Minister John Howard says he is 'yet to be convinced' of the economic and other arguments in favour of nuclear power generation in Australia. 'All I am wanting is this country being open minded enough to look at the alternatives', he said again last week. However, while the PM may have doubts about the financial attractions of nuclear power in Australia, he is plainly as keen as mustard to see Australia’s nuclear industries expand into other areas such as enrichment and the storage of nuclear waste. Details have recently come to light about just how Australia could fit into US President George W Bush’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) and how our island continent might become a one stop nuclear shop. And of course, what Dubbya wants, Johnny will bend over backwards to deliver."

"Australia and Canada have been invited to join this [US-led] "partnership" in which Australia’s role would be to mine and enrich uranium for export in the form of fuel rods for nuclear power generation to rapidly expanding economies like India and China. It would then accept the spent fuel rods back for storage. Australia would thus "lease" the nuclear fuel rods to customers."

Howard doesnt want a debate, he wants a smokescreen. Nothing that man says can be believed.

There's no debate, the nuclear debate was ended decades ago. This was nicely illustrated on this morning's Sunday panel discussion on the topic, which sported a number of aged gents advocating nukes: These old fossils backed the wrong horse a long time ago, but they have been wheeled out for one mad final fling in the nuclear cycle. Nuclear power is a failed industry if ever there was one. And if they are going to have a proper debate, can they please stop giving time to industry lobbyists in green drag? Green lipstick on a corporate pig. There is substantial and credible opposition to the nuclear power industry in the form of genuine opponents of nuclear and supporters of renewables, and those are the environmentalists who should be invited and quoted.

Sunday interview with Howard: when asked about dangers of nukes, Howard said that there are dangers elsewhere, as in windpower. I find this a revealing statement. So windpower incinerated 100,000 people in an instant? Or contaminated thousands of hectares in Ukraine rendering them unfit for human habitation? The statement on the face of it is absurd, and shows Howard's basic contempt and low regard for renewables and the environment.

Nuclear power is toxic, costly, dangerous, non-renewable and not the answer. The answer is renewable energy, and we need a 100% commitment to research and development of multiple forms of renewable energy, as well as a carbon tax to make alternatives more competitive, begin the phasing out of coal stations, and provide funds for research and other essential purposes. A carbon tax should be introduced immediately at a low rate with no exemptions, the rate rising gradually over time in order to be more effective in achieving its goals.

Any time or money spent on any nuclear 'debate' or 'inquiry' is simply time and money wasted. If the Labor party had the guts to decisively oppose Howard's initiative, together with the Greens they could crush Howard and the nuclear lobby at the same time.

Further questions for Howard: if Australia develops nuclear power, will it develop nuclear weapons? Will Howard rule that out? If Australia develops nuclear power as we are entitled to under the terms of the NPT, will we support Iran's right to do the same? Or will we rule out participating in any form in any US bombing or sanctions against Iran so long as it complies with the NPT? Or would Australia itself be liable for bombings or sanctions itself if it enriches uranium? Will other countries in the region, eg Indonesia, also go nuclear, and face the same issues?

There might be one benefit of everyone going nuclear, however. It might terminate once and for all the utterly foolish remarks of Downer and Howard about launching 'preemptive strikes' against Indonesia. But nuclear or non-nuclear, terrorists or no terrorists, Australia will not be making any unprovoked military attack on Indonesia, or any neigbouring country, please God. (I'm trying real hard right now to forget about Iraq). In the event that such an order was given, one might hope that the Defence forces would disobey, at least until such time as cabinet or parliament could convene and remove the Ministers responsible. Or perhaps the Governer-General could intervene and have the said Ministers taken into psychiatric care.

On cost alone, nuclear power is ruled out. Uranium ore is a limited resource, and at current rates of consumption is expected to deplete in about 40-50 years, sooner if the industry expands. But as the ore depletes, its price will go up. Australia has about 40% of known uranium ore reserves. A motza could be made in the export business. The whole 'debate' is simply a smokescreen for Howard to lobby for the mining industry.

Why Nuclear Power Cannot Be A Major Energy Source

Why Nuclear Power Cannot Be A Major Energy Source

Nightmare Scenario for US: Defeat and ejection from Iraq.

Nightmare Scenario for US: Defeat and ejection from Iraq.

The New York Review of Books: What Does Olmert Want?: Amos Elon discusses the tragic and absurd "'settlement project' in the occupied territories, now often described as the great historical mistake of 1967.... The settlement project remains a main, some say the main, impediment to a historic compromise to end a hundred-year war between two national movements over the same piece of real estate."

The New York Review of Books: What Does Olmert Want?: Amos Elon discusses the tragic and absurd "'settlement project' in the occupied territories, now often described as the great historical mistake of 1967.... The settlement project remains a main, some say the main, impediment to a historic compromise to end a hundred-year war between two national movements over the same piece of real estate."

Jennifer Loewenstein: Setting the Record Straight on Hamas: Loewenstein documents the Hamas record on the two-state solution. The issue is, not whether Palestine will recognise Israel, but whether Israel will recognise Palestine on the 67 borders. If it did, that would essentially resolve the conflict. Kadima is an acknowledgement that Israel has finally abandoned any attempt to annex Gaza or the whole of the West Bank, just as it had earlier effectively abandoned the Sinai or 'from the Nile to the Euprates', but Israel has given no sign of surrendering the rest of the Occupied Territories. Thus the conflict will continue indefinitely, which appears to be the long term policy.

Jennifer Loewenstein: Setting the Record Straight on Hamas: Loewenstein documents the Hamas record on the two-state solution. The issue is, not whether Palestine will recognise Israel, but whether Israel will recognise Palestine on the 67 borders. If it did, that would essentially resolve the conflict. Kadima is an acknowledgement that Israel has finally abandoned any attempt to annex Gaza or the whole of the West Bank, just as it had earlier effectively abandoned the Sinai or 'from the Nile to the Euprates', but Israel has given no sign of surrendering the rest of the Occupied Territories. Thus the conflict will continue indefinitely, which appears to be the long term policy.

Text of Palestinian Prisoners' Document - National Conciliation Document of the Prisoners - by Marwan Barghouthi, Abdul Khaleq al Natsheh and Coalition of Prisoners: Palestinian endorsement of the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders (the 'green line'). Eminently just and reasonable, except that they might be more forthright about a pragmatic solution to the refugee problem; and they might have paid more attention to a solidarity movement in Israel, the US and the world. The problem for the Palestinians is that Zionist Israel now has and has never had any intention of ever withdrawing from the Occupied Territories (except when forced to). On the contrary the whole point of colonialist zionism is to take Arab lands by force, kill or expel the local population, bulldoze or destroy their farms and houses, and build Jewish-only settlements.

Text of Palestinian Prisoners' Document - National Conciliation Document of the Prisoners - by Marwan Barghouthi, Abdul Khaleq al Natsheh and Coalition of Prisoners: Palestinian endorsement of the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders (the 'green line'). Eminently just and reasonable, except that they might be more forthright about a pragmatic solution to the refugee problem; and they might have paid more attention to a solidarity movement in Israel, the US and the world. The problem for the Palestinians is that Zionist Israel now has and has never had any intention of ever withdrawing from the Occupied Territories (except when forced to). On the contrary the whole point of colonialist zionism is to take Arab lands by force, kill or expel the local population, bulldoze or destroy their farms and houses, and build Jewish-only settlements.

Transport efficiency: "The Russians finished electrifying the Trans-Siberian Railroad, from Moscow to the Pacific, in 2002 and electrified to the Arctic Ocean port of Murmansk several months ago. Almost all of Japan and the continental European Union (EU) have already electrified their railroads – so there are no technical limitations. Electric railroads are cheaper to operate and can carry more freight because they accelerate and brake faster (and can generate electricity while braking, saving energy) and have no delays for refueling.... railroads are 8 times more energy efficient than heavy trucks and also are more labor-efficient."

If this is the case then how did the inefficient transport system get off the ground in the first place? What kind of broken politico-economic system really is capitalism? It can be noted that years and decades of 'microeconomic' 'neoliberal' 'trade' and 'market' reforms don't appear to have done anything to address the problem.

Transport efficiency: "The Russians finished electrifying the Trans-Siberian Railroad, from Moscow to the Pacific, in 2002 and electrified to the Arctic Ocean port of Murmansk several months ago. Almost all of Japan and the continental European Union (EU) have already electrified their railroads – so there are no technical limitations. Electric railroads are cheaper to operate and can carry more freight because they accelerate and brake faster (and can generate electricity while braking, saving energy) and have no delays for refueling.... railroads are 8 times more energy efficient than heavy trucks and also are more labor-efficient."

If this is the case then how did the inefficient transport system get off the ground in the first place? What kind of broken politico-economic system really is capitalism? It can be noted that years and decades of 'microeconomic' 'neoliberal' 'trade' and 'market' reforms don't appear to have done anything to address the problem.

The Gift of the Nile: "Having experienced a Cairo summer the first time I was in Egypt, I really can't imagine how life goes on in Baghdad now that the power is down to an unreliable hour or two a day. It's closer to hell than any human being who isn't Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld should ever have to go."

"In both the old and the new villages, however, many of the houses appeared only half built, with bouquets of steel rebar sprouting from their top-most, unfinished stories. Later I was told this look is a byproduct of the intersection of Egyptian-style family planning and tax planning.... – buildings under construction paying a much lower rate of property tax than finished homes."

"Egypt once had huge landed estates, originally owned by the Khedive (the Turkish governor – nominally loyal to the Ottoman Sultan but in practice an independent, hereditary ruler) and his cronies. These were later seized and sold by the Khedive’s European creditors when he was unable to service his debts, creating a cotton-growing aristocracy of foreigners and their native collaborators – what Trotsky called the comprador class.... One of Nasser’s early reforms – and one of the sources of his enormous popularity – was to expropriate the estates and parcel the land out to the fellaheen – the Egyptian peasantry."

The Gift of the Nile: "Having experienced a Cairo summer the first time I was in Egypt, I really can't imagine how life goes on in Baghdad now that the power is down to an unreliable hour or two a day. It's closer to hell than any human being who isn't Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld should ever have to go."

"In both the old and the new villages, however, many of the houses appeared only half built, with bouquets of steel rebar sprouting from their top-most, unfinished stories. Later I was told this look is a byproduct of the intersection of Egyptian-style family planning and tax planning.... – buildings under construction paying a much lower rate of property tax than finished homes."

"Egypt once had huge landed estates, originally owned by the Khedive (the Turkish governor – nominally loyal to the Ottoman Sultan but in practice an independent, hereditary ruler) and his cronies. These were later seized and sold by the Khedive’s European creditors when he was unable to service his debts, creating a cotton-growing aristocracy of foreigners and their native collaborators – what Trotsky called the comprador class.... One of Nasser’s early reforms – and one of the sources of his enormous popularity – was to expropriate the estates and parcel the land out to the fellaheen – the Egyptian peasantry."

Will biofuels always be hopeless?: "Fossil fuel emissions were up to about 8Gt/year and climbing fast.... Plants absorb about 120 Gt of carbon/year and turn it into sugars via photosynthesis (and then onto other materials). This is the gross primary production of photosynthesis in the biosphere."

"I do know that we've reached the point where defending our right to emit carbon on the scale we're doing it is several steps down the moral ladder from defending tobacco companies as innocent of causing cancer. On the contrary, I believe we are committing evil in emitting so much carbon, and we need to change. We are heading for disaster after disaster."

Will biofuels always be hopeless?: "Fossil fuel emissions were up to about 8Gt/year and climbing fast.... Plants absorb about 120 Gt of carbon/year and turn it into sugars via photosynthesis (and then onto other materials). This is the gross primary production of photosynthesis in the biosphere."

"I do know that we've reached the point where defending our right to emit carbon on the scale we're doing it is several steps down the moral ladder from defending tobacco companies as innocent of causing cancer. On the contrary, I believe we are committing evil in emitting so much carbon, and we need to change. We are heading for disaster after disaster."

Guardian Ombudsman rules in favour of Chomsky and against Aaronovitch and Kamm: There is some justice in the world. These sorts of attacks have been going on for years but it always seems to be the same to me: Chomsky is a person of integrity and in fact one of the greats, whereas his enemies are dishonest hacks and/or paid propagandists.

Guardian Ombudsman rules in favour of Chomsky and against Aaronovitch and Kamm: There is some justice in the world. These sorts of attacks have been going on for years but it always seems to be the same to me: Chomsky is a person of integrity and in fact one of the greats, whereas his enemies are dishonest hacks and/or paid propagandists.

Proportional Representation: Quota Notes reports on the British Columbia referendum, which gained 57% of the Vote for a change to STV, but narrowly failed to meet the difficult 60% double majority requirement.

QN also reports on Blair's victory in the British general election of 2005. With 35.2% of the vote, New Labor retained government with 55.1% of the seats in the House of Commons. "Coupled with the relatively low turnout of 61.3%, this was the lowest level of expressed support for a government since the 1832 Reform Act, and prompted The Independent newspaper to begin a “Campaign for Democracy” spearheaded by a petition for proportional representation."

This type of lopsided result is inherent in first past the post or single member systems, dearly beloved by the party or grouping that magically manages to transform a minority of votes into an absolute majority of parliament, but liked not so much by the majority of votes that acquired a minority. In these conditions, reform finally may become possible.

Proportional Representation: Quota Notes reports on the British Columbia referendum, which gained 57% of the Vote for a change to STV, but narrowly failed to meet the difficult 60% double majority requirement.

QN also reports on Blair's victory in the British general election of 2005. With 35.2% of the vote, New Labor retained government with 55.1% of the seats in the House of Commons. "Coupled with the relatively low turnout of 61.3%, this was the lowest level of expressed support for a government since the 1832 Reform Act, and prompted The Independent newspaper to begin a “Campaign for Democracy” spearheaded by a petition for proportional representation."

This type of lopsided result is inherent in first past the post or single member systems, dearly beloved by the party or grouping that magically manages to transform a minority of votes into an absolute majority of parliament, but liked not so much by the majority of votes that acquired a minority. In these conditions, reform finally may become possible.

Taleban: 'Do not send your children here. We will kill them': "WE RAN into the Taleban guerrillas only 24km (15 miles) south of the British base at Gereshk, half a dozen of them brazenly manning a checkpoint on a road to Lashkar Gah. They were bristling with weaponry and had belts of ammunition slung over their shoulders. They ordered us to stop, surrounded our four-wheel-drive vehicle and demanded to know who we were."

"“Our country has been occupied by infidels,” said the commander as he sat in the shade of an apricot tree. “The Americans, the British, Canadians and others have destroyed Afghanistan. We are hunting every individual who supports this imposed democracy . . . We will also hunt the puppet Afghans who are the rented bicycle for the infidels.”"

Taleban: 'Do not send your children here. We will kill them': "WE RAN into the Taleban guerrillas only 24km (15 miles) south of the British base at Gereshk, half a dozen of them brazenly manning a checkpoint on a road to Lashkar Gah. They were bristling with weaponry and had belts of ammunition slung over their shoulders. They ordered us to stop, surrounded our four-wheel-drive vehicle and demanded to know who we were."

"“Our country has been occupied by infidels,” said the commander as he sat in the shade of an apricot tree. “The Americans, the British, Canadians and others have destroyed Afghanistan. We are hunting every individual who supports this imposed democracy . . . We will also hunt the puppet Afghans who are the rented bicycle for the infidels.”"

Soil erosion, salinity: Devastating problems The illustration shows dramatically the enormous global extant of soil erosion, a problem which has been noted from ancient times: "Attica yielded far more abundant produce. In comparison of what then was, there are remaining only the bones of the wasted body; all the richer and softer parts of the soil having fallen away, and the mere skeleton of the land being left. But in the primitive state of the country, the mountains were high hills covered with soil, and plains were full of rich earth, and there was abundance of wood in the mountains. Of this last traces still remain, for although some of the mountains now only afford sustenance to bees, not so very long ago there were still to be seen roofs of timber cut from trees growing there, which were of such a size sufficient to cover the largest houses; and there were many other high trees, cultivated by man and bearing abundance of food for cattle.

"Moreover, the land reaped the benefit of the annual rainfall, not as now losing the water which flows off the bare earth into the sea, but, having an abundant supply in all places, and receiving it into herself and treasuring it up in the close clay soil, it let off into the hollows the streams which it absorbed from the heights, providing everywhere abundant fountains and rivers, of which there may still be observed sacred memorials in places where fountains once existed; and this proves the truth of what I am saying. (Plato)"

The EB article says "Erosion in some regions it is so great that a tonne of produce comes at a cost of 20 tonnes of topsoil." This can rightly be compared to wood 'production' on Easter Island. The workforce is larger, tonnage and income and profits are up, according to the conventional measures. There is an obvious and urgent need to reformulate the national accounts to incorporate the value of the environment, so that destructive if not suicidal activities such as these are shown immediately as loss of value and national impoverishment.

Soil erosion, salinity: Devastating problems The illustration shows dramatically the enormous global extant of soil erosion, a problem which has been noted from ancient times: "Attica yielded far more abundant produce. In comparison of what then was, there are remaining only the bones of the wasted body; all the richer and softer parts of the soil having fallen away, and the mere skeleton of the land being left. But in the primitive state of the country, the mountains were high hills covered with soil, and plains were full of rich earth, and there was abundance of wood in the mountains. Of this last traces still remain, for although some of the mountains now only afford sustenance to bees, not so very long ago there were still to be seen roofs of timber cut from trees growing there, which were of such a size sufficient to cover the largest houses; and there were many other high trees, cultivated by man and bearing abundance of food for cattle.

"Moreover, the land reaped the benefit of the annual rainfall, not as now losing the water which flows off the bare earth into the sea, but, having an abundant supply in all places, and receiving it into herself and treasuring it up in the close clay soil, it let off into the hollows the streams which it absorbed from the heights, providing everywhere abundant fountains and rivers, of which there may still be observed sacred memorials in places where fountains once existed; and this proves the truth of what I am saying. (Plato)"

The EB article says "Erosion in some regions it is so great that a tonne of produce comes at a cost of 20 tonnes of topsoil." This can rightly be compared to wood 'production' on Easter Island. The workforce is larger, tonnage and income and profits are up, according to the conventional measures. There is an obvious and urgent need to reformulate the national accounts to incorporate the value of the environment, so that destructive if not suicidal activities such as these are shown immediately as loss of value and national impoverishment.

Osama bin Laden humiliates US - again: "I begin by talking about the honorable brother Zacarias Moussaoui. The truth is that he has no connection whatsoever with the events of September 11th, and I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers – Allah have mercy upon them – with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission.... Moussaoui was arrested two weeks before the events, and had he known anything – however little – about the September 11th group, we would have told the brother Commander Mohamed Atta and his brothers – Allah have mercy upon them – to leave America immediately before their affair was exposed."

"I state the fact, about which I also am certain, that all the prisoners of Guantanamo, who were captured in 2001 and the first half of 2002 and who number in the hundreds, have no connection whatsoever to the events of September 11th, and even stranger is that many of them have no connection with al-Qaida in the first place, and even more amazing is that some of them oppose al-Qaida’s methodology of calling for war with America."

"...Bush and his administration are aware of this fact, but they avoid mentioning it, for reasons not hidden to the discerning. Among these reasons is that it is necessary to create justifications for the massive spending of hundreds of billions on the Defense Department and other agencies in their war against the Mujahideen. My mentioning of these facts isn’t out of hope that Bush and his party will treat our brothers fairly in their cases, because that is something no rational person expects, but rather it is meant to expose the oppression, injustice and arbitrariness of your administration in using force and the reactions that result from that. This is from one perspective, and from another perspective, perhaps there will one day come from the Americans someone who desires justice and fairness, and that is the path to security and safety, if you are interested in it."

Bush has killed 10,000 or more people in Afghanistan, and 100,000 or more in Iraq, none of whom had any connection with 9/11. Who is the greater terrorist? But of course, the crimes of our side are not counted, while we focus with laser-like precision on the crimes of official enemies. And things have reached a pretty pass when a mass murdering terrorist like Bin Laden has more credibility and coherence than the President of the United States.

List of tapes from Bin Laden since 9/11

Osama bin Laden humiliates US - again: "I begin by talking about the honorable brother Zacarias Moussaoui. The truth is that he has no connection whatsoever with the events of September 11th, and I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers – Allah have mercy upon them – with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission.... Moussaoui was arrested two weeks before the events, and had he known anything – however little – about the September 11th group, we would have told the brother Commander Mohamed Atta and his brothers – Allah have mercy upon them – to leave America immediately before their affair was exposed."

"I state the fact, about which I also am certain, that all the prisoners of Guantanamo, who were captured in 2001 and the first half of 2002 and who number in the hundreds, have no connection whatsoever to the events of September 11th, and even stranger is that many of them have no connection with al-Qaida in the first place, and even more amazing is that some of them oppose al-Qaida’s methodology of calling for war with America."

"...Bush and his administration are aware of this fact, but they avoid mentioning it, for reasons not hidden to the discerning. Among these reasons is that it is necessary to create justifications for the massive spending of hundreds of billions on the Defense Department and other agencies in their war against the Mujahideen. My mentioning of these facts isn’t out of hope that Bush and his party will treat our brothers fairly in their cases, because that is something no rational person expects, but rather it is meant to expose the oppression, injustice and arbitrariness of your administration in using force and the reactions that result from that. This is from one perspective, and from another perspective, perhaps there will one day come from the Americans someone who desires justice and fairness, and that is the path to security and safety, if you are interested in it."

Bush has killed 10,000 or more people in Afghanistan, and 100,000 or more in Iraq, none of whom had any connection with 9/11. Who is the greater terrorist? But of course, the crimes of our side are not counted, while we focus with laser-like precision on the crimes of official enemies. And things have reached a pretty pass when a mass murdering terrorist like Bin Laden has more credibility and coherence than the President of the United States.

List of tapes from Bin Laden since 9/11

Hundreds turn out for Chomsky lecture: "Chomsky gave a lecture to a packed house at the University of Cyprus last night on ‘Imminent Crises’, which was attended by at least 500people inside and outside, where a projector had been set up, you could have heard a pin drop as the audience clung to his every word.... Human survival was now at stake only no one seemed to care.

"He blamed this on what he called a prevailing moral and intellectual crisis, which was at the root of all the others “and is scarcely discussed at all”."

"Chomsky said the two countries were at the heart of the world’s major energy reserves and were recognised by Washington 60 years ago “to be a stupendous source of strategic power, the strategically most important area of the world and one of the greatest material prizes in world history and constitute critical leverage against industrial rivals Europe and Asia.”

"“For years the pretext was that the threat was Russia but that was a routine reflex all over the world and rarely stands up to scrutiny,” he said. “The huge military system is no longer meant to contain Russia but it has to be expanded because of the technological sophistication of third-world powers.”"

"Chomsky also said the US was eerily able to intimidate Europe when it “shakes its fist” but he said China refuses to be intimidated. “They have a 4,000 year history of contempt for the barbarians,” he said, adding that Washington’s biggest fear is that at current growth rates China will match the US economy in a decade."

"He said the Eastern Mediterranean had evolved in much the same framework. “Turkey is serving that plan right now. Cyprus of course was of course a major British military base and was used for the overthrow of the regime in Iran in 1953, for the Suez invasion in 1956, and for the US-British military actions in response to the coup in Iraq in 1958,” said Chomsky. “As British Prime Minster Anthony Eden put it: ‘Without Cyprus Britain would have no certain facilities to protect our oil’. Of course ‘our oil’ just happens to be somewhere else by accident.”

"Asked specifically about Cyprus, Chomsky said: “The strong do as they can and the weak suffer as they must and the rest of the theory of international relations is either footnote or disguises.”"

"Chomsky said the current moral and intellectual crisis in the West was nothing more than subservience to power."

Hundreds turn out for Chomsky lecture: "Chomsky gave a lecture to a packed house at the University of Cyprus last night on ‘Imminent Crises’, which was attended by at least 500people inside and outside, where a projector had been set up, you could have heard a pin drop as the audience clung to his every word.... Human survival was now at stake only no one seemed to care.

"He blamed this on what he called a prevailing moral and intellectual crisis, which was at the root of all the others “and is scarcely discussed at all”."

"Chomsky said the two countries were at the heart of the world’s major energy reserves and were recognised by Washington 60 years ago “to be a stupendous source of strategic power, the strategically most important area of the world and one of the greatest material prizes in world history and constitute critical leverage against industrial rivals Europe and Asia.”

"“For years the pretext was that the threat was Russia but that was a routine reflex all over the world and rarely stands up to scrutiny,” he said. “The huge military system is no longer meant to contain Russia but it has to be expanded because of the technological sophistication of third-world powers.”"

"Chomsky also said the US was eerily able to intimidate Europe when it “shakes its fist” but he said China refuses to be intimidated. “They have a 4,000 year history of contempt for the barbarians,” he said, adding that Washington’s biggest fear is that at current growth rates China will match the US economy in a decade."

"He said the Eastern Mediterranean had evolved in much the same framework. “Turkey is serving that plan right now. Cyprus of course was of course a major British military base and was used for the overthrow of the regime in Iran in 1953, for the Suez invasion in 1956, and for the US-British military actions in response to the coup in Iraq in 1958,” said Chomsky. “As British Prime Minster Anthony Eden put it: ‘Without Cyprus Britain would have no certain facilities to protect our oil’. Of course ‘our oil’ just happens to be somewhere else by accident.”

"Asked specifically about Cyprus, Chomsky said: “The strong do as they can and the weak suffer as they must and the rest of the theory of international relations is either footnote or disguises.”"

"Chomsky said the current moral and intellectual crisis in the West was nothing more than subservience to power."

Nuclear debate a diversion: Garrett: "'The prime minister's creating one his great false debates, flying kites, making mischief, and covering up for the fact that he's done absolutely zip on climate change - nothing in the budget for it,' Mr Garrett told ABC radio.

"'(He) abolishes the Australian Greenhouse Office. We've seen half a billion dollars worth of investment in wind farms and alternative technologies go overseas because of this government's lack of action. 'The prime minister comes back from America as a nukes enthusiast, but he's just clouding the debate and covering his own deficiencies.... more importantly, why isn't this government investing in technologies that are good for the country?'"

Since when did Howard, who joined with Bush in refusing to sign the Kyoto treaty and invading Iraq, care about global warming? There's a suggestion that its a tactic to divide the Labor party, which looks likely to succeed with its rudderless leadership and lack of commitment.

Nuclear debate a diversion: Garrett: "'The prime minister's creating one his great false debates, flying kites, making mischief, and covering up for the fact that he's done absolutely zip on climate change - nothing in the budget for it,' Mr Garrett told ABC radio.

"'(He) abolishes the Australian Greenhouse Office. We've seen half a billion dollars worth of investment in wind farms and alternative technologies go overseas because of this government's lack of action. 'The prime minister comes back from America as a nukes enthusiast, but he's just clouding the debate and covering his own deficiencies.... more importantly, why isn't this government investing in technologies that are good for the country?'"

Since when did Howard, who joined with Bush in refusing to sign the Kyoto treaty and invading Iraq, care about global warming? There's a suggestion that its a tactic to divide the Labor party, which looks likely to succeed with its rudderless leadership and lack of commitment.

Prodi: War in Iraq Was 'Grave' Mistake: "Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Thursday the war in Iraq was a 'grave' mistake, but said Italy would remain on the front lines in the war against terror.

"'We consider the war and occupation in Iraq a grave error that hasn't solved _ but has complicated _ the problem of security,' Prodi said in his first address to the Senate as prime minister. 'Terrorism has found a new base and new excuses for internal and external terrorist action.'

"Prodi said his government would participate in anti-terror operations if they are sanctioned by international organizations, such as the United Nations. 'We are convinced participants in the war against terrorism, even militarily, when it is legitimized by an international organization to which we belong.'"

The statement is generally true but he should drop the 'War on Terror' terminology - there is no such thing as a 'war on terror' and such language legitimates real wars such as the invasion of Iraq (which has nothing to do with terror).

Prodi: War in Iraq Was 'Grave' Mistake: "Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Thursday the war in Iraq was a 'grave' mistake, but said Italy would remain on the front lines in the war against terror.

"'We consider the war and occupation in Iraq a grave error that hasn't solved _ but has complicated _ the problem of security,' Prodi said in his first address to the Senate as prime minister. 'Terrorism has found a new base and new excuses for internal and external terrorist action.'

"Prodi said his government would participate in anti-terror operations if they are sanctioned by international organizations, such as the United Nations. 'We are convinced participants in the war against terrorism, even militarily, when it is legitimized by an international organization to which we belong.'"

The statement is generally true but he should drop the 'War on Terror' terminology - there is no such thing as a 'war on terror' and such language legitimates real wars such as the invasion of Iraq (which has nothing to do with terror).

We must move to nuclear fuel: PM: "Nuclear power costs twice as much as coal power ... Academics at NSW University and the University of Technology Sydney said no private investor would take on the risk without huge government subsidies.... The NSW Greens MLC Ian Cohen said that after 50 years, the nuclear industry still had not found a way to store its waste safely. "We don't want it back and we don't want to create it here.""

No figures given on the real solution, renewable energy.

We must move to nuclear fuel: PM: "Nuclear power costs twice as much as coal power ... Academics at NSW University and the University of Technology Sydney said no private investor would take on the risk without huge government subsidies.... The NSW Greens MLC Ian Cohen said that after 50 years, the nuclear industry still had not found a way to store its waste safely. "We don't want it back and we don't want to create it here.""

No figures given on the real solution, renewable energy.

Tanya Reinhart reports on the struggle to stop The Wall: "The army decided to treat this action with the harshest of measures, perhaps to send a signal to Israeli activists to stay out of the Palestinian struggle. The soldiers immediately started firing live rounds. A sniper, identified in Ha’aretz as N.,[16] aimed carefully at the knee of one of the protestors, Gil Na’amati; Na’amati was shot in the knee, and the thigh of his other leg. This careful targeting of the smallest parts of the body, like the knee, requires extensive training and it is part of a technique developed by the Israeli army in the occupied territories since the early stages of the present intifada. It is designed to severely injure and disable people, without killing them."

"This Saturday evening hundreds of furious demonstrators, many of them young, blocked the road in front of Tel Aviv's Defense Ministry for hours... "

"Paradoxically, the army’s attempt to scare the Israeli activists, and put an end once and for all to their presence in the Palestinian villages, gave considerable momentum to the struggle against the wall in Israel. This was the first time the army had used live ammunition against Israeli demonstrators - and this in a situation where there was absolutely no danger to the soldiers. There was a widespread feeling that a line had been crossed. Though Israeli society tolerated such violence against Palestinian demonstrators, and even remained relatively passive over the cases of the various internationalists shot earlier in the year, this episode could not so easily be ignored. The event, the anarchist participants, their parents and the subsequent protests, were covered heavily in the Israeli media."

"The people of Budrus did manage to organize, unite and sustain the struggle, despite the lack of support, and even obstacles, put in their way by the Palestinian Authority. Indeed this time, unlike in Mas’ha, the village’s Fatah party joined the struggle. Budrus provided the first successful model for a popular grassroots struggle in the West Bank, clearly defining the principles of non-violent civil resistance."

Tanya Reinhart reports on the struggle to stop The Wall: "The army decided to treat this action with the harshest of measures, perhaps to send a signal to Israeli activists to stay out of the Palestinian struggle. The soldiers immediately started firing live rounds. A sniper, identified in Ha’aretz as N.,[16] aimed carefully at the knee of one of the protestors, Gil Na’amati; Na’amati was shot in the knee, and the thigh of his other leg. This careful targeting of the smallest parts of the body, like the knee, requires extensive training and it is part of a technique developed by the Israeli army in the occupied territories since the early stages of the present intifada. It is designed to severely injure and disable people, without killing them."

"This Saturday evening hundreds of furious demonstrators, many of them young, blocked the road in front of Tel Aviv's Defense Ministry for hours... "

"Paradoxically, the army’s attempt to scare the Israeli activists, and put an end once and for all to their presence in the Palestinian villages, gave considerable momentum to the struggle against the wall in Israel. This was the first time the army had used live ammunition against Israeli demonstrators - and this in a situation where there was absolutely no danger to the soldiers. There was a widespread feeling that a line had been crossed. Though Israeli society tolerated such violence against Palestinian demonstrators, and even remained relatively passive over the cases of the various internationalists shot earlier in the year, this episode could not so easily be ignored. The event, the anarchist participants, their parents and the subsequent protests, were covered heavily in the Israeli media."

"The people of Budrus did manage to organize, unite and sustain the struggle, despite the lack of support, and even obstacles, put in their way by the Palestinian Authority. Indeed this time, unlike in Mas’ha, the village’s Fatah party joined the struggle. Budrus provided the first successful model for a popular grassroots struggle in the West Bank, clearly defining the principles of non-violent civil resistance."

The Deep Breath Before the Plunge: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just announced that starting this July, Iran will stop trading oil for dollars. Instead, anyone who wants to buy oil from Iran will have to pay for it in euros. Coming on the heels of the Iranian Oil Bourse (IOB), an energy exchange Iran just registered on the Island of Kish on May 5, this looks like a calculated effort to undermine the US dollar."

"In related news, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a similar plan: he is calling for Russia to establish an oil exchange denominated in rubles. Depending on how Russia is prepared to go in its requirements for selling oil, this could prove far more damaging to the global market for petrodollars."

"The best outcome for all would be a smooth, managed transition from a pre-eminent petrodollar system to a basket of oil trading currencies, including the dollar, euro, ruble, renminbi, and others. However, the Bush administration has made it very clear that it is not prepared to share power.

"It remains to be seen just how far the United States will go diplomatically and militarily to preserve its hegemony, and how far Iran, Russia, and other potential rivals waiting in the wings will go to break that hegemony up.

"Analysts from all over the political spectrum are speculating that this round of increasingly aggressive posturing could escalate into a major conflict, even another world war. The potential for global devastation is so appalling that whatever its likelihood, the parties involved should be doing everything they can to let careful diplomacy map a way out."

The dollar's falling, gold soaring, markets falling, war plans forming - there's almost an air of inevitability about the coming catastrophe.

The Deep Breath Before the Plunge: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just announced that starting this July, Iran will stop trading oil for dollars. Instead, anyone who wants to buy oil from Iran will have to pay for it in euros. Coming on the heels of the Iranian Oil Bourse (IOB), an energy exchange Iran just registered on the Island of Kish on May 5, this looks like a calculated effort to undermine the US dollar."

"In related news, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a similar plan: he is calling for Russia to establish an oil exchange denominated in rubles. Depending on how Russia is prepared to go in its requirements for selling oil, this could prove far more damaging to the global market for petrodollars."

"The best outcome for all would be a smooth, managed transition from a pre-eminent petrodollar system to a basket of oil trading currencies, including the dollar, euro, ruble, renminbi, and others. However, the Bush administration has made it very clear that it is not prepared to share power.

"It remains to be seen just how far the United States will go diplomatically and militarily to preserve its hegemony, and how far Iran, Russia, and other potential rivals waiting in the wings will go to break that hegemony up.

"Analysts from all over the political spectrum are speculating that this round of increasingly aggressive posturing could escalate into a major conflict, even another world war. The potential for global devastation is so appalling that whatever its likelihood, the parties involved should be doing everything they can to let careful diplomacy map a way out."

The dollar's falling, gold soaring, markets falling, war plans forming - there's almost an air of inevitability about the coming catastrophe.

The British lose Basra: "Iran, which has long held imperial designs on Basra as part of its dream of a grand Shi’a alliance, offered sky-high prices for copper, leading locals to tear up cables and pipes to sell them for scrap."

Interesting suggestion, can this be verified? How cleverly has Iran played its hand compared to the ignorance, brutality and hubris of the US?

The British lose Basra: "Iran, which has long held imperial designs on Basra as part of its dream of a grand Shi’a alliance, offered sky-high prices for copper, leading locals to tear up cables and pipes to sell them for scrap."

Interesting suggestion, can this be verified? How cleverly has Iran played its hand compared to the ignorance, brutality and hubris of the US?

Where is the global outcry at this continuing cruelty?: "Israel is 58 years old today. Israelis have already celebrated with barbecues and parties. And so they should, for they've pulled off an amazing stunt: the creation of a state for one people on the land of another - and at their massive expense - without incurring effective sanction. Some of those not celebrating, the Arab citizens of Israel, were also there, demonstrating to remind the world that Israel displaced 250,000 to take their land without compensation. Millions more Palestinians will demonstrate today in the refugee camps of Gaza, the West Bank and neighbouring Arab states against their expulsion by Israel. The world, however, is not listening, any more than it did in 1948, when most of Palestine's inhabitants were expelled to make way for Jewish immigrants."

Where is the global outcry at this continuing cruelty?: "Israel is 58 years old today. Israelis have already celebrated with barbecues and parties. And so they should, for they've pulled off an amazing stunt: the creation of a state for one people on the land of another - and at their massive expense - without incurring effective sanction. Some of those not celebrating, the Arab citizens of Israel, were also there, demonstrating to remind the world that Israel displaced 250,000 to take their land without compensation. Millions more Palestinians will demonstrate today in the refugee camps of Gaza, the West Bank and neighbouring Arab states against their expulsion by Israel. The world, however, is not listening, any more than it did in 1948, when most of Palestine's inhabitants were expelled to make way for Jewish immigrants."

Geonomics

Principles of Geonomics (does this come before the review, or after, as a summary?)

Definition of Geonomics - rule or law or management of the earth: an explicitly global or environmental discipline which replaces economics, the management of the household (land, slaves/ labor, capital) or the firm.

Humans, Resources, Production, Products, Capital.

Theory of Value - economy of effort. Exchange including credit at equal value.

Space, Time, Toil

Rent, Wages, Interest: Money/Credit and 'the economy.' Self-ordered allocation ('invisible hand').

The function of government is to collect the rent and invest in the earth. The word invest is used advisedly: invest with a view to return - higher revenues. Physical Infrastructure (right of way): transport, water, sewer, power, communications. Social infrastructure: justice, health, education, pension. And last but not least: the environment or the earth itself.

Physical infrastructure is a necessity that must not be neglected. It has first call on revenue, ahead even of social infrastructure (except justice). Social infrastructure is a function of wealth and abundance.

Conquest and enslavement: Land Monopoly (optional slavery).

Robbery through taking of man, product, or land. Exploitation, unearned income.

Kapital: 'capitalised or exchange value of politically created unearned income'.

Alienation of the physical product, reduced production, wasteful or luxurious consumption, land and financial speculation and manipulation.

Summarise in the Geonomic Table - Healthy and Sick (Land Monopoly)

Review of Economic Theory - Aristotle (Oikos nomos, 2 uses), Quesnay, Ricardo, Marx, George, NCE (Gaffney), Pearce.

Integration of Geonomics with Political and other Philosophy - Liberalism, anarchism, socialism, environmentalism.

Geonomics and Geopolitics - Dialectical Materialism and False and True Consciousness (Marx, Hegel)

Review of current situation - hegemony and global military, fiscal, financial, political and environmental collapse. (Chomsky, Hudson).

Geonomics

Principles of Geonomics (does this come before the review, or after, as a summary?)

Definition of Geonomics - rule or law or management of the earth: an explicitly global or environmental discipline which replaces economics, the management of the household (land, slaves/ labor, capital) or the firm.

Humans, Resources, Production, Products, Capital.

Theory of Value - economy of effort. Exchange including credit at equal value.

Space, Time, Toil

Rent, Wages, Interest: Money/Credit and 'the economy.' Self-ordered allocation ('invisible hand').

The function of government is to collect the rent and invest in the earth. The word invest is used advisedly: invest with a view to return - higher revenues. Physical Infrastructure (right of way): transport, water, sewer, power, communications. Social infrastructure: justice, health, education, pension. And last but not least: the environment or the earth itself.

Physical infrastructure is a necessity that must not be neglected. It has first call on revenue, ahead even of social infrastructure (except justice). Social infrastructure is a function of wealth and abundance.

Conquest and enslavement: Land Monopoly (optional slavery).

Robbery through taking of man, product, or land. Exploitation, unearned income.

Kapital: 'capitalised or exchange value of politically created unearned income'.

Alienation of the physical product, reduced production, wasteful or luxurious consumption, land and financial speculation and manipulation.

Summarise in the Geonomic Table - Healthy and Sick (Land Monopoly)

Review of Economic Theory - Aristotle (Oikos nomos, 2 uses), Quesnay, Ricardo, Marx, George, NCE (Gaffney), Pearce.

Integration of Geonomics with Political and other Philosophy - Liberalism, anarchism, socialism, environmentalism.

Geonomics and Geopolitics - Dialectical Materialism and False and True Consciousness (Marx, Hegel)

Review of current situation - hegemony and global military, fiscal, financial, political and environmental collapse. (Chomsky, Hudson).

Save the Internet: More on net neutrality: "The cable and telephone industry see enormous revenues as operators of a private internet toll-road. How has the internet -- so diverse and unwieldly -- fallen into their hands? The answer is (of course) the Bush administration. Heavily lobbied by the cable and phone giants, the Bush Federal Communications Commission has been eliminating the rules that required the internet to operate in a nondiscriminatory manner."

We will have to watch to see if the Howard government will follow policies as destructuve as this.

Save the Internet: More on net neutrality: "The cable and telephone industry see enormous revenues as operators of a private internet toll-road. How has the internet -- so diverse and unwieldly -- fallen into their hands? The answer is (of course) the Bush administration. Heavily lobbied by the cable and phone giants, the Bush Federal Communications Commission has been eliminating the rules that required the internet to operate in a nondiscriminatory manner."

We will have to watch to see if the Howard government will follow policies as destructuve as this.

Review of Medialens' 'Guardians of Power': "The authors conclude by arguing that a corporate-media system whose prime motivation is the increment of profit will always fall in line with the ideology of the state and business sector, of which it is part. While they argue that it is possible to influence and pressurise journalists' performance, this does not resolve the central issue of the media's structural flaws. Yet for Edwards and Cromwell, democratic and compassionate media are already beginning to have some considerable influence. They cite the example of South Korea where the Internet has played a fundamental role in that country's recent democratic opening. For the first time ordinary people have access to insightful and brilliant journalism from all over the world. Many 'alternative' media organisations, like Z Magazine and its web counterpart ZNet, are non-profit and don't advertise yet produce excellent articles challenging Thatcher's maxim that 'there is no alternative.' Such organisations are becoming increasingly influential and important for those sick and tired of the mainstream acquiescence to elite interests."

Somehow the broad masses of the public have to come to realise that corporate journalism is not information but propaganda comparable (but different) to Pravda and Goebbels' Ministry of Progaganda. 'Alternative', non-profit, principled reporting has to become the mainstream.

Review of Medialens' 'Guardians of Power': "The authors conclude by arguing that a corporate-media system whose prime motivation is the increment of profit will always fall in line with the ideology of the state and business sector, of which it is part. While they argue that it is possible to influence and pressurise journalists' performance, this does not resolve the central issue of the media's structural flaws. Yet for Edwards and Cromwell, democratic and compassionate media are already beginning to have some considerable influence. They cite the example of South Korea where the Internet has played a fundamental role in that country's recent democratic opening. For the first time ordinary people have access to insightful and brilliant journalism from all over the world. Many 'alternative' media organisations, like Z Magazine and its web counterpart ZNet, are non-profit and don't advertise yet produce excellent articles challenging Thatcher's maxim that 'there is no alternative.' Such organisations are becoming increasingly influential and important for those sick and tired of the mainstream acquiescence to elite interests."

Somehow the broad masses of the public have to come to realise that corporate journalism is not information but propaganda comparable (but different) to Pravda and Goebbels' Ministry of Progaganda. 'Alternative', non-profit, principled reporting has to become the mainstream.

Chomsky on attacking Iran: "My assumption all along has been that they would not attack Iran, and I strongly suspect that the Pentagon and US intelligence (and their British counterparts) are trying to leak dire warnings in the hope of cutting it off at the pass. I suspect that's the basis for what Seymour Hersh recently reported, and other reports like it at about the same time.

"That doesn't mean that Cheney-Rumsfeld-Bush will follow that advice. They have created a major catastrophe in Iraq, not only for Iraqis but even for themselves, and they may be desperate to prevent what could turn into a real nightmare for them. A man-eating tiger in your backyard is not very pleasant. A wounded one is a lot worse."

Chomsky on attacking Iran: "My assumption all along has been that they would not attack Iran, and I strongly suspect that the Pentagon and US intelligence (and their British counterparts) are trying to leak dire warnings in the hope of cutting it off at the pass. I suspect that's the basis for what Seymour Hersh recently reported, and other reports like it at about the same time.

"That doesn't mean that Cheney-Rumsfeld-Bush will follow that advice. They have created a major catastrophe in Iraq, not only for Iraqis but even for themselves, and they may be desperate to prevent what could turn into a real nightmare for them. A man-eating tiger in your backyard is not very pleasant. A wounded one is a lot worse."

Blair clings to power and sacks Jack Straw: "Jack Straw made two crucial mistakes in his dealings with Tony Blair: one involved the prime minister's relationship with Gordon Brown and the other Iran. Mr Straw has said repeatedly that it is 'inconceivable' that there will be a military strike on Iran and last month dismissed as 'nuts' a report that George Bush was keeping on the table the option of using tactical nuclear weapons against Tehran's nuclear plants. But Mr Blair, who sees Iran as the world's biggest threat, does not agree with his former foreign secretary.... Downing Street phoned the Foreign Office several times to suggest Mr Straw stop going on the BBC Today programme and ruling it out so categorically. His fate was sealed when the White House called Mr Blair and asked why the foreign secretary kept saying these things."

My God they have got to get rid of that disastrous conman, liar and war criminal Blair sooner rather than later. How could he possibly hang on so long?

Blair clings to power and sacks Jack Straw: "Jack Straw made two crucial mistakes in his dealings with Tony Blair: one involved the prime minister's relationship with Gordon Brown and the other Iran. Mr Straw has said repeatedly that it is 'inconceivable' that there will be a military strike on Iran and last month dismissed as 'nuts' a report that George Bush was keeping on the table the option of using tactical nuclear weapons against Tehran's nuclear plants. But Mr Blair, who sees Iran as the world's biggest threat, does not agree with his former foreign secretary.... Downing Street phoned the Foreign Office several times to suggest Mr Straw stop going on the BBC Today programme and ruling it out so categorically. His fate was sealed when the White House called Mr Blair and asked why the foreign secretary kept saying these things."

My God they have got to get rid of that disastrous conman, liar and war criminal Blair sooner rather than later. How could he possibly hang on so long?

Interview with Dr. Faber: "We are in a global boom but it doesn't change the fact that it is an imbalanced boom and it's driven largely by credit creation in the US, leading to overconsumption, leading to a growing trade deficit, current account deficit, the accumulation of reserves in Asia and a global boom. But it is nevertheless an imbalanced boom and one day there will be a problem, certainly with the US dollar. The US dollar is a doomed currency. Doomed? Doomed. Will be worthless. Actually each one of your listeners should buy one US Treasury bond and frame it - put it on the wall so they can show their grandchildren how the US dollar and how US dollar bonds became worthless as a result of monetary inflation."

Every Tom, Dick and Harry has been predicting the fall of the dollar for years now, but it just keeps hanging up there. But with the Bush Administration threatening war against Iran and the booming gold price, maybe soon now.....

Interview with Dr. Faber: "We are in a global boom but it doesn't change the fact that it is an imbalanced boom and it's driven largely by credit creation in the US, leading to overconsumption, leading to a growing trade deficit, current account deficit, the accumulation of reserves in Asia and a global boom. But it is nevertheless an imbalanced boom and one day there will be a problem, certainly with the US dollar. The US dollar is a doomed currency. Doomed? Doomed. Will be worthless. Actually each one of your listeners should buy one US Treasury bond and frame it - put it on the wall so they can show their grandchildren how the US dollar and how US dollar bonds became worthless as a result of monetary inflation."

Every Tom, Dick and Harry has been predicting the fall of the dollar for years now, but it just keeps hanging up there. But with the Bush Administration threatening war against Iran and the booming gold price, maybe soon now.....

Windows XP EULA in Plain English: As Danny Yee says, "I'll take this anyday." It's not about 'open source', it's all about the license.

Windows XP EULA in Plain English: As Danny Yee says, "I'll take this anyday." It's not about 'open source', it's all about the license.

What’s Really at Stake with Net Neutrality: "Broadband will soon deliver nearly all television, radio, phone service – and of course the Web – to most Americans. This transition is our big chance to do an end run around 24-7 lapdog journalism, low-brow entertainment, celebrity gossip, and rampant commercialism that has left the public in a fog of Brangelina, windbag pundits, sound bytes and little knowledge about what’s happening in the world and what our elected officials actually think or stand for.

"If we lose this net neutrality battle, we lose the greatest opportunity of our lifetimes to get critical journalism and diverse media into living rooms across the nation, as the largest cable and phone companies turn the Internet into modern cable TV: they control what you see and how much it costs."

What’s Really at Stake with Net Neutrality: "Broadband will soon deliver nearly all television, radio, phone service – and of course the Web – to most Americans. This transition is our big chance to do an end run around 24-7 lapdog journalism, low-brow entertainment, celebrity gossip, and rampant commercialism that has left the public in a fog of Brangelina, windbag pundits, sound bytes and little knowledge about what’s happening in the world and what our elected officials actually think or stand for.

"If we lose this net neutrality battle, we lose the greatest opportunity of our lifetimes to get critical journalism and diverse media into living rooms across the nation, as the largest cable and phone companies turn the Internet into modern cable TV: they control what you see and how much it costs."

Chalmers Johnson on the failure of 'democratisation': "On the eve of our entry into World War I, William Jennings Bryan, president Woodrow Wilson's first secretary of state, described the United States as 'the supreme moral factor in the world's progress and the accepted arbiter of the world's disputes'.

"If there is one historical generalization that the passage of time has validated, it is that the world could not help being better off if the American president had not believed such nonsense and if the United States had minded its own business in the war between the British and German empires. We might well have avoided Nazism, the Bolshevik Revolution, and another 30 to 40 years of the exploitation of India, Indonesia, Indochina, Algeria, Korea, the Philippines, Malaya and virtually all of Africa by European, American and Japanese imperialists."

"The Federation of American Scientists has compiled a list of more than 201 overseas military operations from the end of World War II until September 11, 2001, in which we were involved and normally struck the first blow.... The current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not included. In no instance did democratic governments come about as a direct result of any of these military activities."

Chalmers Johnson on the failure of 'democratisation': "On the eve of our entry into World War I, William Jennings Bryan, president Woodrow Wilson's first secretary of state, described the United States as 'the supreme moral factor in the world's progress and the accepted arbiter of the world's disputes'.

"If there is one historical generalization that the passage of time has validated, it is that the world could not help being better off if the American president had not believed such nonsense and if the United States had minded its own business in the war between the British and German empires. We might well have avoided Nazism, the Bolshevik Revolution, and another 30 to 40 years of the exploitation of India, Indonesia, Indochina, Algeria, Korea, the Philippines, Malaya and virtually all of Africa by European, American and Japanese imperialists."

"The Federation of American Scientists has compiled a list of more than 201 overseas military operations from the end of World War II until September 11, 2001, in which we were involved and normally struck the first blow.... The current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not included. In no instance did democratic governments come about as a direct result of any of these military activities."

Robert Fisk interviews Sy Hersh: Once again, Hersh is quite alarming about Bush and Iran: they are deluded, powermad and out of touch. A conventional or even nuclear attack is a frightening possibility.

Robert Fisk interviews Sy Hersh: Once again, Hersh is quite alarming about Bush and Iran: they are deluded, powermad and out of touch. A conventional or even nuclear attack is a frightening possibility.

Property investors hit hard: "A GROWING band of Sydney home owners who bought near the peak of the property boom in late 2003 are facing negative equity as property prices sag.... Prices have now fallen 9.6 per cent on average since property prices turned, slashing the city's median home value from $570,000 to $516,000."

"Late last year an American pro-growth consultancy named Demographia announced that the median house in this city cost 8.5 times the median household income. This was up from a multiple of five in the 1980s, which even then was steep. Demographia defines "affordable" as a multiple of no more than three. The 2005 result meant housing in Sydney was the sixth least affordable of 100 cities looked at around the world."

Property investors hit hard: "A GROWING band of Sydney home owners who bought near the peak of the property boom in late 2003 are facing negative equity as property prices sag.... Prices have now fallen 9.6 per cent on average since property prices turned, slashing the city's median home value from $570,000 to $516,000."

"Late last year an American pro-growth consultancy named Demographia announced that the median house in this city cost 8.5 times the median household income. This was up from a multiple of five in the 1980s, which even then was steep. Demographia defines "affordable" as a multiple of no more than three. The 2005 result meant housing in Sydney was the sixth least affordable of 100 cities looked at around the world."

Review of Gabriel Kolko's 'Age of War': "A fuller list, such as one provided by ZNet, numbers at least 60 US military and/or covert interventions since 1950, excluding shows of naval/air strength, covert action and/or the use of proxy forces where the United States did not have command, and US pilots flying foreign warplanes. Instances in which the US has used proxy forces and/or covert action for regime change, for propping up 'friendly' rulers, or to fight communism include scores of countries around the globe: Angola, Cuba, Venezuela, Indonesia, the Philippines, Namibia, Iran in 1953, Afghanistan in the 1980s, Iran again in 2006, to name just a very few.

"And all this for what? As Kolko writes, everywhere it has intervened, militarily, covertly, or by providing funding, arms and training for 'friendly' repressive regimes and their state-terrorist organs, the US has created enemies. Hardly anywhere has Washington's desired political outcome been achieved, despite - or because of - the staggering human, social and financial costs. In many cases, all the US has achieved has been stalemate (eg, Korea), defeat (eg, Vietnam), or blowback (eg, from its onetime proxy in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden). In other cases it has set in motion unforeseen and uncontrollable developments (eg, the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia). The US itself is at greater risk than ever, as it discovered in 2001 when war came to its shores. Its enemies are now far more diverse than they were during the Cold War. They are harder to identify, let alone attack, and threats and potential threats to the US are harder to see and foresee."

They call this nakedly aggressive, imperialistic, resource-dominating, hegemonic project a 'War on Terror' and people take them seriously. The power of state-sponsored propaganda, disinformation, mass delusion and self deception is staggering. This is a salutary lesson which every adult person must learn. In fact it should be taught from childhood.

Review of Gabriel Kolko's 'Age of War': "A fuller list, such as one provided by ZNet, numbers at least 60 US military and/or covert interventions since 1950, excluding shows of naval/air strength, covert action and/or the use of proxy forces where the United States did not have command, and US pilots flying foreign warplanes. Instances in which the US has used proxy forces and/or covert action for regime change, for propping up 'friendly' rulers, or to fight communism include scores of countries around the globe: Angola, Cuba, Venezuela, Indonesia, the Philippines, Namibia, Iran in 1953, Afghanistan in the 1980s, Iran again in 2006, to name just a very few.

"And all this for what? As Kolko writes, everywhere it has intervened, militarily, covertly, or by providing funding, arms and training for 'friendly' repressive regimes and their state-terrorist organs, the US has created enemies. Hardly anywhere has Washington's desired political outcome been achieved, despite - or because of - the staggering human, social and financial costs. In many cases, all the US has achieved has been stalemate (eg, Korea), defeat (eg, Vietnam), or blowback (eg, from its onetime proxy in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden). In other cases it has set in motion unforeseen and uncontrollable developments (eg, the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia). The US itself is at greater risk than ever, as it discovered in 2001 when war came to its shores. Its enemies are now far more diverse than they were during the Cold War. They are harder to identify, let alone attack, and threats and potential threats to the US are harder to see and foresee."

They call this nakedly aggressive, imperialistic, resource-dominating, hegemonic project a 'War on Terror' and people take them seriously. The power of state-sponsored propaganda, disinformation, mass delusion and self deception is staggering. This is a salutary lesson which every adult person must learn. In fact it should be taught from childhood.

The Return of the Death Squads - by John Pilger Pilger argues that the incitement of civil war and the breakup of Iraq is original war aim of the US. Many people will find this hard to accept, but when one considers the hideous reality of the Vietnam 'Phoenix Program' or the Central American 'Death Squad Democracies' it is more than possible.

The breakup of Iraq gains in inevitability every day, but I am not convinced this was the 'original war aim'. A revised war aim, maybe.

The Return of the Death Squads - by John Pilger Pilger argues that the incitement of civil war and the breakup of Iraq is original war aim of the US. Many people will find this hard to accept, but when one considers the hideous reality of the Vietnam 'Phoenix Program' or the Central American 'Death Squad Democracies' it is more than possible.

The breakup of Iraq gains in inevitability every day, but I am not convinced this was the 'original war aim'. A revised war aim, maybe.

Moussaoui Trial Leaves Questions Unanswered: "Now that the trial has concluded, Moussaoui will be transferred to the federal maximum security prison at Florence, Colorado. And the world will be left to ponder why the main organizers of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh – both of whom are in U.S. custody – have never been put on trial."

Moussaoui Trial Leaves Questions Unanswered: "Now that the trial has concluded, Moussaoui will be transferred to the federal maximum security prison at Florence, Colorado. And the world will be left to ponder why the main organizers of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh – both of whom are in U.S. custody – have never been put on trial."

Laurence Britt: Fascism in America? Interview with Dr Britt, author of the widely circulated 14 common characteristics of fascist regimes.

Laurence Britt: Fascism in America? Interview with Dr Britt, author of the widely circulated 14 common characteristics of fascist regimes.

Let's calm down. Messianic Bush isn't about to rain down nukes on Iran: So David Aaronovitch blithely reassures us, dismissing Seymour Hersh in the process.

Hersh's article was based largely (exclusively?) on anonymous sources. This is a discredited tactic in American journalism and Hersh, because of his track record and reputation for integrity, is one of the few who could get away with using it on a major story like this. The journalist's reputation is why it became world news.

It remains to be seen whether Bush will indulge in the supreme folly of a nuclear or conventional attack on Iran. I think it possible but unlikely. Hersh's view is that the US administration definitely wants to do it but may (or may not) be deterred in the end by the consequences, the complications, and resistance from other sectors of the US elite.

The Turkish FM has come out with a forthright statement which should be emulated by all countries including Australia:

"Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Sunday that his country refused a request from the United States to attack Iran from its Air Force base in Incirlik, despite the U.S. offer of a nuclear reactor, according to a report in Al Biyan.

"In an interview for the United Arab Emirates newspaper, Gul noted that America’s efforts to attack Iran are “imaginary” and that Turkey’s stance is “strategic” and refuses the use of its land for any belligerent activity against neighboring countries."

Appeasement of US aggression must end.

Let's calm down. Messianic Bush isn't about to rain down nukes on Iran: So David Aaronovitch blithely reassures us, dismissing Seymour Hersh in the process.

Hersh's article was based largely (exclusively?) on anonymous sources. This is a discredited tactic in American journalism and Hersh, because of his track record and reputation for integrity, is one of the few who could get away with using it on a major story like this. The journalist's reputation is why it became world news.

It remains to be seen whether Bush will indulge in the supreme folly of a nuclear or conventional attack on Iran. I think it possible but unlikely. Hersh's view is that the US administration definitely wants to do it but may (or may not) be deterred in the end by the consequences, the complications, and resistance from other sectors of the US elite.

The Turkish FM has come out with a forthright statement which should be emulated by all countries including Australia:

"Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Sunday that his country refused a request from the United States to attack Iran from its Air Force base in Incirlik, despite the U.S. offer of a nuclear reactor, according to a report in Al Biyan.

"In an interview for the United Arab Emirates newspaper, Gul noted that America’s efforts to attack Iran are “imaginary” and that Turkey’s stance is “strategic” and refuses the use of its land for any belligerent activity against neighboring countries."

Appeasement of US aggression must end.

Nuclear no cure for climate change, scientists warn: "The cost of building the large number of nuclear power stations needed to even partly replace coal as a source of electricity would be so heavy no private investor would take on the risk without huge government subsidies."

This isnt news. Nuclear power cannot survive without massive corporate welfare. Nuclear power advocates, who are essentially 'welfare queens' trying to put the industry on the public teat, should always be asked, can your industry survive without corporate welfare?

It is typical of course that Treasurer Cosello should come out in favour of corporate welfare.

Nuclear power: Costly, toxic, non-renewable and not the answer. Any public funds available should be put into genuinely renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal etc. The debate is over and the time is now. And to make renewable energy more competitive, carbon taxes should be imposed on the coal industry, which currently gets a free ride in the classic corporate sense of costfree devastation of the commons.

Nuclear no cure for climate change, scientists warn: "The cost of building the large number of nuclear power stations needed to even partly replace coal as a source of electricity would be so heavy no private investor would take on the risk without huge government subsidies."

This isnt news. Nuclear power cannot survive without massive corporate welfare. Nuclear power advocates, who are essentially 'welfare queens' trying to put the industry on the public teat, should always be asked, can your industry survive without corporate welfare?

It is typical of course that Treasurer Cosello should come out in favour of corporate welfare.

Nuclear power: Costly, toxic, non-renewable and not the answer. Any public funds available should be put into genuinely renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal etc. The debate is over and the time is now. And to make renewable energy more competitive, carbon taxes should be imposed on the coal industry, which currently gets a free ride in the classic corporate sense of costfree devastation of the commons.

Mini-Microsoft: Vista 2007. Fire the leadership now!: "Vista is the biggest software development failure of all time"

Fun gossip about Microsoft Vista and the 'slippage'. If free software like linux, Open Office and Firebird are fully functional and fully legal, I dont understand why they are not installed by default on every computer. Proprietary, purchased software can only be justified where there is a proven need for functionality not otherwise available.

Mini-Microsoft: Vista 2007. Fire the leadership now!: "Vista is the biggest software development failure of all time"

Fun gossip about Microsoft Vista and the 'slippage'. If free software like linux, Open Office and Firebird are fully functional and fully legal, I dont understand why they are not installed by default on every computer. Proprietary, purchased software can only be justified where there is a proven need for functionality not otherwise available.

Chomsky: Democratic collapse in the face of crisis issues: "We began by considering four critical issues that should rank high on the agenda of those concerned with the prospects for a decent future. Two of them are literally matters of survival: nuclear war and environmental disaster. The first danger is ever-present, beyond imagination, and in principle avoidable; practical ways to proceed are understood. The second is longer-term, and there is much uncertainty about how a serious crisis can be averted, or at least mitigated, though it is clear enough that the longer the delay in confronting the tasks, they harder they will be. And again, sensible measures to proceed are well known. The third major crisis is that the government of the global superpower is acting in ways that enhance these threats, and others as well, such as the threat of terrorism by enemies. That conclusion, unfortunately all too credible, brings to prominence a fourth critical issue: the growing democratic deficit, the gap between public will and public policy, a sign of the increasing failure of formal democratic institutions to function as they would in a democratic culture with vitality and substance."

When one looks at the Iraq war, a act of naked aggresion based on lies that would do Goebbels proud, and the miserable failure or complicity of parliament, press and institutions in stopping or objecting to the war, one could indeed be deeply concerned about the decline of late Western democracy.

Chomsky: Democratic collapse in the face of crisis issues: "We began by considering four critical issues that should rank high on the agenda of those concerned with the prospects for a decent future. Two of them are literally matters of survival: nuclear war and environmental disaster. The first danger is ever-present, beyond imagination, and in principle avoidable; practical ways to proceed are understood. The second is longer-term, and there is much uncertainty about how a serious crisis can be averted, or at least mitigated, though it is clear enough that the longer the delay in confronting the tasks, they harder they will be. And again, sensible measures to proceed are well known. The third major crisis is that the government of the global superpower is acting in ways that enhance these threats, and others as well, such as the threat of terrorism by enemies. That conclusion, unfortunately all too credible, brings to prominence a fourth critical issue: the growing democratic deficit, the gap between public will and public policy, a sign of the increasing failure of formal democratic institutions to function as they would in a democratic culture with vitality and substance."

When one looks at the Iraq war, a act of naked aggresion based on lies that would do Goebbels proud, and the miserable failure or complicity of parliament, press and institutions in stopping or objecting to the war, one could indeed be deeply concerned about the decline of late Western democracy.

Stephen Colbert comedy routine at White House event (9mbvid): Evidently Bush didn't find this funny. A real tyrant would have to have the clown killed. Power cannot afford to be laughed at unless it is at its end.

Billmon has some good commentary on this:

"Colbert's routine was designed to draw blood -- as good political satire should. It seemed obvious, at least to me, that he didn't just despise his audience, he hated it. While that hardly merits comment here in Left Blogostan, White House elites clearly aren't used to having such contempt thrown in their faces at one of their most cherished self-congratulatory events. So it's no surprise the scribes have tried hard to expunge it from the semi-official record -- as Peter Daou notes over at the Huffington Post."

"It's becoming harder and harder to conceal the ruthlessness of the struggle for power, or ignore the consequences of losing it. There were people at last night's dinner who really could end up in jail -- depending on Patrick Fitzgerald's theory of the case and/or the results of the next two elections. Things have been done over the past five years that can't be undone; crimes committed that can't be uncommitted. If Colbert faced a tough crowd last night, it was probably because so many of them understand that the Cheneyites and the Rovians really are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenberg, and that if the airship goes down in flames their own window seats are going to get pretty toasty. Jobs are at stake. Careers could be at stake. For all we know lives could be at stake. It's an ugly moment, and expecting people like that to laugh at their own misfortunes isn't very realistic."

Stephen Colbert comedy routine at White House event (9mbvid): Evidently Bush didn't find this funny. A real tyrant would have to have the clown killed. Power cannot afford to be laughed at unless it is at its end.

Billmon has some good commentary on this:

"Colbert's routine was designed to draw blood -- as good political satire should. It seemed obvious, at least to me, that he didn't just despise his audience, he hated it. While that hardly merits comment here in Left Blogostan, White House elites clearly aren't used to having such contempt thrown in their faces at one of their most cherished self-congratulatory events. So it's no surprise the scribes have tried hard to expunge it from the semi-official record -- as Peter Daou notes over at the Huffington Post."

"It's becoming harder and harder to conceal the ruthlessness of the struggle for power, or ignore the consequences of losing it. There were people at last night's dinner who really could end up in jail -- depending on Patrick Fitzgerald's theory of the case and/or the results of the next two elections. Things have been done over the past five years that can't be undone; crimes committed that can't be uncommitted. If Colbert faced a tough crowd last night, it was probably because so many of them understand that the Cheneyites and the Rovians really are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenberg, and that if the airship goes down in flames their own window seats are going to get pretty toasty. Jobs are at stake. Careers could be at stake. For all we know lives could be at stake. It's an ugly moment, and expecting people like that to laugh at their own misfortunes isn't very realistic."

Only Politically Correct Refugees Allowed: "The Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone, has written an extraordinary piece for The Australian newspaper (which unfortunately does not appear to be online). Amazingly, after starting off saying “there needs to be increased understanding of our protection visa obligations,” she then goes on to say that “it is the Government’s strong preference that protection is not offered in Australia to Papuan separatists” – a statement which is a blatant contradiction of the provisions of the Refugee Convention, and therefore of the Migration Act which the Minister is supposed to be overseeing."

The Howard government has adopted Hansonism, which is a revived version of the White Australia policy, because it is seen to be a vote winner. Remember that Hanson attracted one million votes in an earlier election, many of them former conservative voters.

Only Politically Correct Refugees Allowed: "The Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone, has written an extraordinary piece for The Australian newspaper (which unfortunately does not appear to be online). Amazingly, after starting off saying “there needs to be increased understanding of our protection visa obligations,” she then goes on to say that “it is the Government’s strong preference that protection is not offered in Australia to Papuan separatists” – a statement which is a blatant contradiction of the provisions of the Refugee Convention, and therefore of the Migration Act which the Minister is supposed to be overseeing."

The Howard government has adopted Hansonism, which is a revived version of the White Australia policy, because it is seen to be a vote winner. Remember that Hanson attracted one million votes in an earlier election, many of them former conservative voters.

Report: Turkey won’t let U.S. attack Iran from its land: "Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Sunday that his country refused a request from the United States to attack Iran from its Air Force base in Incirlik, despite the U.S. offer of a nuclear reactor, according to a report in Al Biyan.

"In an interview for the United Arab Emirates newspaper, Gul noted that America’s efforts to attack Iran are “imaginary” and that Turkey’s stance is “strategic” and refuses the use of its land for any belligerent activity against neighboring countries."

Describing the US plan to attack Iran as 'imaginary' is humiliating for Bush and the neocons. This principled stand of non-cooperation with proposed aggression should be adopted by all countries including Australia.

Report: Turkey won’t let U.S. attack Iran from its land: "Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Sunday that his country refused a request from the United States to attack Iran from its Air Force base in Incirlik, despite the U.S. offer of a nuclear reactor, according to a report in Al Biyan.

"In an interview for the United Arab Emirates newspaper, Gul noted that America’s efforts to attack Iran are “imaginary” and that Turkey’s stance is “strategic” and refuses the use of its land for any belligerent activity against neighboring countries."

Describing the US plan to attack Iran as 'imaginary' is humiliating for Bush and the neocons. This principled stand of non-cooperation with proposed aggression should be adopted by all countries including Australia.

The Worst President in History? Monster deficits... "Between 2001 and 2005 alone, the Bush White House borrowed $1.05 trillion, more than all of the previous presidencies combined (the forty-two presidents who held office between 1789 and 2000 borrowed a combined total of $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions.)"

The Worst President in History? Monster deficits... "Between 2001 and 2005 alone, the Bush White House borrowed $1.05 trillion, more than all of the previous presidencies combined (the forty-two presidents who held office between 1789 and 2000 borrowed a combined total of $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions.)"

Mason Gaffney discusses Hurricane Katrina and Recovering from Another Great Disaster, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906: "How did a city [San Francisco] with so few assets raise funds to repair its broken infrastructure and rise from its ashes? It had only the local property tax, and much of this tax base was burned to the ground. The answer is that it taxed the ground itself, raising money while also kindling a new kind of fire under landowners to get on with it or get out of the way."

"Even in the flooded and abandoned areas [of New Orleans] there is strong demand from absentee bottom-fishers looking for a free ride up the price elevator as the efforts of others bring back the neighborhoods. Yet this kind of dynamism is worse than stasis. These absentees choke out other buyers aiming to commit themselves -- to rebuild and reside and make neighborhoods.... Mayor Nagin of New Orleans tells the world that Katrina wiped out most of his tax base, so he is impotent."

Mason Gaffney discusses Hurricane Katrina and Recovering from Another Great Disaster, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906: "How did a city [San Francisco] with so few assets raise funds to repair its broken infrastructure and rise from its ashes? It had only the local property tax, and much of this tax base was burned to the ground. The answer is that it taxed the ground itself, raising money while also kindling a new kind of fire under landowners to get on with it or get out of the way."

"Even in the flooded and abandoned areas [of New Orleans] there is strong demand from absentee bottom-fishers looking for a free ride up the price elevator as the efforts of others bring back the neighborhoods. Yet this kind of dynamism is worse than stasis. These absentees choke out other buyers aiming to commit themselves -- to rebuild and reside and make neighborhoods.... Mayor Nagin of New Orleans tells the world that Katrina wiped out most of his tax base, so he is impotent."

Prisoner of conscience: RAF doctor who refused Iraq service is jailed: "“The invasion and occupation of Iraq is a campaign of imperial military conquest and falls into the category of criminal acts. I would have had criminal responsibility vicariously if I had gone to Iraq.""

During the whole course of the obviously illegal and criminal Iraq war a mere handful of people in the military, government and public service of the aggressor countries have had the courage to oppose it on principle. In one sense, the Nuremburg defence ('I was only following orders') is valid, in that you cannot seriously expect people in any numbers to risk career, income, status, freedom by making a stand against wrong. Those few that do, of course, are heroes.

Prisoner of conscience: RAF doctor who refused Iraq service is jailed: "“The invasion and occupation of Iraq is a campaign of imperial military conquest and falls into the category of criminal acts. I would have had criminal responsibility vicariously if I had gone to Iraq.""

During the whole course of the obviously illegal and criminal Iraq war a mere handful of people in the military, government and public service of the aggressor countries have had the courage to oppose it on principle. In one sense, the Nuremburg defence ('I was only following orders') is valid, in that you cannot seriously expect people in any numbers to risk career, income, status, freedom by making a stand against wrong. Those few that do, of course, are heroes.

Euston Manifesto: The comments are more amusing than the 'Manifesto':

"Do we need another warmongers charter?"

"I don’t think this is a left-wing manifesto at all. I think it is a neo-conservative one, with some vague, sugary liberal coating about human rights."

"Pretentious and hilarious in equal measure. The ‘Euston Group’ is a 21st-century attempt at creating another Bloomsbury Group, albeit with even more elitism and even less influence. Despite all the pompous posturing, all it does is create “a new Website”.

"As for the Manifesto itself, it is very telling that the only topics that are dealt with in any real depth are…the Iraq War and Islamic terrorism."

"Oh dear! History has passed them by and they find themselves beached with Bush, Blair and the zionists. So why not set up another “left-wing” group? Trouble is, who apart from those listed would be attracted?"

Euston Manifesto: The comments are more amusing than the 'Manifesto':

"Do we need another warmongers charter?"

"I don’t think this is a left-wing manifesto at all. I think it is a neo-conservative one, with some vague, sugary liberal coating about human rights."

"Pretentious and hilarious in equal measure. The ‘Euston Group’ is a 21st-century attempt at creating another Bloomsbury Group, albeit with even more elitism and even less influence. Despite all the pompous posturing, all it does is create “a new Website”.

"As for the Manifesto itself, it is very telling that the only topics that are dealt with in any real depth are…the Iraq War and Islamic terrorism."

"Oh dear! History has passed them by and they find themselves beached with Bush, Blair and the zionists. So why not set up another “left-wing” group? Trouble is, who apart from those listed would be attracted?"

Chomsky On Hegemony And Disarmament: "It is widely recognised among strategic analysts that unless production of weapons-grade fissile materials is controlled, the fate of the species is very much in doubt. There are sensible proposals as to how to deal with this problem: the proposal of Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to place production of fissile materials in the hands of an international agency, to which states could apply for legitimate uses; and the Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty (FISSBAN) called for in a UN resolution of 1993. The U.S. would never accept ElBaradei's proposal. In fact, the only state to have accepted it, to my knowledge, is Iran, in February 2006 (unreported in the Western press, to my knowledge)."

"India faces some important choices. It has made some steps towards closer relations with China, but is also tempted by the prospects of joining Britain in its role as a "spear-carrier for the pax Americana", as Blair's Britain is described in the journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs."

"The U.S. could gain access to Iranian energy resources and markets if it chose, but it is more important to punish Iran for defying Washington in 1979 by overthrowing the tyrant that the U.S. and U.K. had installed when they destroyed Iran's parliamentary system. Such "successful defiance", as it is described in the internal record, cannot be tolerated, just as it cannot be tolerated by the Mafia, to which international affairs bears an uncomfortable resemblance. It is possible that sooner or later Japan and China (the leading lenders to the U.S.), and others, might switch to a basket of currencies, primarily the Euro, and that energy producers might do so as well. The effects on the U.S. economy, and the global economy, could be substantial."

General Newbold provides an illustration of what is meant by the problem of 'successful defiance'. After explaining clearly enough why the invasion of Iraq was a mistake, he then says a 'precipitous' withdrawal would "send a signal, heard around the world, that would reinforce the jihadists' message that America can be defeated." The Mafioso Don's 'credibility' must be preserved above all else.

Chomsky On Hegemony And Disarmament: "It is widely recognised among strategic analysts that unless production of weapons-grade fissile materials is controlled, the fate of the species is very much in doubt. There are sensible proposals as to how to deal with this problem: the proposal of Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to place production of fissile materials in the hands of an international agency, to which states could apply for legitimate uses; and the Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty (FISSBAN) called for in a UN resolution of 1993. The U.S. would never accept ElBaradei's proposal. In fact, the only state to have accepted it, to my knowledge, is Iran, in February 2006 (unreported in the Western press, to my knowledge)."

"India faces some important choices. It has made some steps towards closer relations with China, but is also tempted by the prospects of joining Britain in its role as a "spear-carrier for the pax Americana", as Blair's Britain is described in the journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs."

"The U.S. could gain access to Iranian energy resources and markets if it chose, but it is more important to punish Iran for defying Washington in 1979 by overthrowing the tyrant that the U.S. and U.K. had installed when they destroyed Iran's parliamentary system. Such "successful defiance", as it is described in the internal record, cannot be tolerated, just as it cannot be tolerated by the Mafia, to which international affairs bears an uncomfortable resemblance. It is possible that sooner or later Japan and China (the leading lenders to the U.S.), and others, might switch to a basket of currencies, primarily the Euro, and that energy producers might do so as well. The effects on the U.S. economy, and the global economy, could be substantial."

General Newbold provides an illustration of what is meant by the problem of 'successful defiance'. After explaining clearly enough why the invasion of Iraq was a mistake, he then says a 'precipitous' withdrawal would "send a signal, heard around the world, that would reinforce the jihadists' message that America can be defeated." The Mafioso Don's 'credibility' must be preserved above all else.

The Iran Plans: Seymour Hersh's latest account of extensive Pentagon planning for war, even nuclear war, against Iran.

It is amusing to observe the disconnect in the following excerpt: "Bush and others in the White House view him as a potential Adolf Hitler, a former senior intelligence official said. “That’s the name they’re using. They say, ‘Will Iran get a strategic weapon and threaten another world war?’ ” "

As John Pilger has observed, the Bush Administration is the Third Reich of our time, and appeasement of US threats and aggression is the height of folly. It is Bush who is threatening nuclear war against Iran, threatening to start World War 111, but somehow this more or less obvious fact is not noticed by scores of journalists, politicians and commentators.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, to his credit, has publicly declared that a nuclear strike on Iran would be 'completely nuts.' An obvious question to ask Blair and Howard would therefore be Do they also consider a conventional or nuclear attack on Iran as inconceivable or 'nuts' and do they intent to convey that feeling to the US? Or do they intend to maintain the pattern of appeasement of US aggression even to the extent of nuclear warfare?

Jorge Hirsch has a typically even more alarming post about the likelihood of a nuclear attack against Iran: "If there is an aerial bombing of Iran, I believe it is inevitable it will go nuclear.... I believe President Bush has embraced the breaking of the 60-year old taboo against the use of nuclear weapons as his personal goal ... The President has sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, Congress has no say. The chain of command doesn't go through the Joint Chiefs of Staff that may oppose it as Hersh mentions: it goes directly from Bush and Rumsfeld to commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands such as Gen. Abizaid and Gen. Cartwright. Unless those individuals disobey orders, there is no way to stop it.... Iran will respond to a conventional attack with conventional weapons (eg missiles) and will not be deterred by a US nuclear threat from doing so. The US will use nuclear weapons against Iran because certain sectors of the American establishment, that are in power now, believe it is in the long term strategic interest of the US to do so.... no US military power will be able to contain the chaos and asymmetrical warfare that will engulf the region after the US attacks Iran."

The Iran Plans: Seymour Hersh's latest account of extensive Pentagon planning for war, even nuclear war, against Iran.

It is amusing to observe the disconnect in the following excerpt: "Bush and others in the White House view him as a potential Adolf Hitler, a former senior intelligence official said. “That’s the name they’re using. They say, ‘Will Iran get a strategic weapon and threaten another world war?’ ” "

As John Pilger has observed, the Bush Administration is the Third Reich of our time, and appeasement of US threats and aggression is the height of folly. It is Bush who is threatening nuclear war against Iran, threatening to start World War 111, but somehow this more or less obvious fact is not noticed by scores of journalists, politicians and commentators.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, to his credit, has publicly declared that a nuclear strike on Iran would be 'completely nuts.' An obvious question to ask Blair and Howard would therefore be Do they also consider a conventional or nuclear attack on Iran as inconceivable or 'nuts' and do they intent to convey that feeling to the US? Or do they intend to maintain the pattern of appeasement of US aggression even to the extent of nuclear warfare?

Jorge Hirsch has a typically even more alarming post about the likelihood of a nuclear attack against Iran: "If there is an aerial bombing of Iran, I believe it is inevitable it will go nuclear.... I believe President Bush has embraced the breaking of the 60-year old taboo against the use of nuclear weapons as his personal goal ... The President has sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, Congress has no say. The chain of command doesn't go through the Joint Chiefs of Staff that may oppose it as Hersh mentions: it goes directly from Bush and Rumsfeld to commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands such as Gen. Abizaid and Gen. Cartwright. Unless those individuals disobey orders, there is no way to stop it.... Iran will respond to a conventional attack with conventional weapons (eg missiles) and will not be deterred by a US nuclear threat from doing so. The US will use nuclear weapons against Iran because certain sectors of the American establishment, that are in power now, believe it is in the long term strategic interest of the US to do so.... no US military power will be able to contain the chaos and asymmetrical warfare that will engulf the region after the US attacks Iran."

An Interview with William Blum - Osama's Favorite Writer?: "They went around the world during the Cold War stamping out one attempt after another at improving people's lives The Cold War has always been sold to us as, 'We are the good guys and the Commies were the bad guys and the good guys won.' But it's a total fabrication."

"Those people who are beyond surgery or any kind of relief-I estimate their number at 15% of the population-- I suggest to activists to stop wasting their time on them. They will not change even if the Government comes into their homes and kidnaps their first-born and takes them away screaming The other 85% are capable of change if they get enough input."

An Interview with William Blum - Osama's Favorite Writer?: "They went around the world during the Cold War stamping out one attempt after another at improving people's lives The Cold War has always been sold to us as, 'We are the good guys and the Commies were the bad guys and the good guys won.' But it's a total fabrication."

"Those people who are beyond surgery or any kind of relief-I estimate their number at 15% of the population-- I suggest to activists to stop wasting their time on them. They will not change even if the Government comes into their homes and kidnaps their first-born and takes them away screaming The other 85% are capable of change if they get enough input."

Failed States, Noam Chomsky interviewed by Amy Goodman & Juan Gonzalez: "If we're talking about exit strategies from Iraq, we should bear in mind that for the U.S. to leave Iraq without establishing a subordinate client state would be a nightmare for Washington. All you have to do is think of the policies that an independent Iraq would be likely to pursue, if it was mildly democratic. It would almost surely strengthen its already developed relations with Shiite Iran right next door. Any degree of Iraqi autonomy stimulates autonomy pressures across the border in Saudi Arabia, where there's a substantial Shiite population, who have been bitterly repressed by the U.S.-backed tyranny but is now calling for more autonomy. That happens to be where most of Saudi oil is. So, what you can imagine -- I'm sure Washington planners are having nightmares about this."

"Second is their so-called democracy-promotion mission elsewhere in the world. The latter is just pure fraud. The only evidence that they're interested in promoting democracy is that they say so. The evidence against it is just overwhelming, including the cases you mentioned and many others. I mean, the very fact that people are even willing to talk about this shows that we're kind of insisting on being North Koreans: if the Dear Leader has spoken, that establishes the truth; it doesn't matter what the facts are. I go into that in some detail in the book."

Failed States, Noam Chomsky interviewed by Amy Goodman & Juan Gonzalez: "If we're talking about exit strategies from Iraq, we should bear in mind that for the U.S. to leave Iraq without establishing a subordinate client state would be a nightmare for Washington. All you have to do is think of the policies that an independent Iraq would be likely to pursue, if it was mildly democratic. It would almost surely strengthen its already developed relations with Shiite Iran right next door. Any degree of Iraqi autonomy stimulates autonomy pressures across the border in Saudi Arabia, where there's a substantial Shiite population, who have been bitterly repressed by the U.S.-backed tyranny but is now calling for more autonomy. That happens to be where most of Saudi oil is. So, what you can imagine -- I'm sure Washington planners are having nightmares about this."

"Second is their so-called democracy-promotion mission elsewhere in the world. The latter is just pure fraud. The only evidence that they're interested in promoting democracy is that they say so. The evidence against it is just overwhelming, including the cases you mentioned and many others. I mean, the very fact that people are even willing to talk about this shows that we're kind of insisting on being North Koreans: if the Dear Leader has spoken, that establishes the truth; it doesn't matter what the facts are. I go into that in some detail in the book."

15 Best Skylines in the World

15 Best Skylines in the World

Chomsky discusses the Israel Lobby: Chomsky reiterates his long held view that the US Israeli lobby, while it exists, is not as important in determining US policy as strategic and hegemonic considerations, or "strategic-economic interests of concentrations of domestic power in the tight state-corporate linkage", as he puts it.

Blankfort, however, makes the argument that 'Chomsky is soft on Israel.'

Chomsky discusses the Israel Lobby: Chomsky reiterates his long held view that the US Israeli lobby, while it exists, is not as important in determining US policy as strategic and hegemonic considerations, or "strategic-economic interests of concentrations of domestic power in the tight state-corporate linkage", as he puts it.

Blankfort, however, makes the argument that 'Chomsky is soft on Israel.'

Avnery on the Israeli election: "The main result of these elections is that the hold of the nationalistic-religious bloc, which has dominated Israel for more than a generation, has been broken... This is a turning point. The dream of a Greater Israel, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, is dead.

"Significantly, the "National Union", the party that is completely identified with the settlers, has won only 9 seats - more or less like last time. After all the heart-rending drama of the destruction of the Gaza settlements, the settlers remain as unpopular as ever. They have lost the decisive battle for public opinion."

"For those who are interested: the fascist group that called for my murder as part of their election program has failed to attain the 2% necessary to gain entry into the Knesset. But, of course, an assassin does not need 2% to follow such a call. (I would like to use this occasion to express my heartfelt thanks to all those around the world who expressed their solidarity.)"

Avnery on the Israeli election: "The main result of these elections is that the hold of the nationalistic-religious bloc, which has dominated Israel for more than a generation, has been broken... This is a turning point. The dream of a Greater Israel, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, is dead.

"Significantly, the "National Union", the party that is completely identified with the settlers, has won only 9 seats - more or less like last time. After all the heart-rending drama of the destruction of the Gaza settlements, the settlers remain as unpopular as ever. They have lost the decisive battle for public opinion."

"For those who are interested: the fascist group that called for my murder as part of their election program has failed to attain the 2% necessary to gain entry into the Knesset. But, of course, an assassin does not need 2% to follow such a call. (I would like to use this occasion to express my heartfelt thanks to all those around the world who expressed their solidarity.)"

Interview with US Sargeant Major Haney: "Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?

A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward."

Interview with US Sargeant Major Haney: "Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?

A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward."

Ogg Vorbis audio format as a replacement for mp3: "Vorbis was started following a September 1998 letter from Fraunhofer Gesellschaft announcing plans to charge licensing fees for the MP3 format.... Vorbis is considered to be one of the highest quality audio codecs in use today. For many applications, Vorbis has clear advantages over other modern codecs, in that it is patent-free, and therefore free to use, implement, or modify as one sees fit, yet produces smaller files than most other codecs at equivalent quality."

Ogg Vorbis audio format as a replacement for mp3: "Vorbis was started following a September 1998 letter from Fraunhofer Gesellschaft announcing plans to charge licensing fees for the MP3 format.... Vorbis is considered to be one of the highest quality audio codecs in use today. For many applications, Vorbis has clear advantages over other modern codecs, in that it is patent-free, and therefore free to use, implement, or modify as one sees fit, yet produces smaller files than most other codecs at equivalent quality."

Tim Tyler, prisoner of the drug war: "In 1992, my brother, my best friend, Tim, was sentenced to 2 life sentences without parole, under federal law for selling LSD. He is nonviolent (doesn't even eat meat), didn't have or use weapons, and was just a 'Deadhead' following the Grateful Dead shows. He has been in jail since he was 23."

"He had a public pretender, and they told him if he plead guilty, he would get maybe 20 years, so he plead guilty and they gave him double life, no parole. They "enhanced" his sentence using his priors in which adjudications were withheld. They were supposed to tell him that it was a minimum mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole before he plead guilty, but they did not."

Tim Tyler, prisoner of the drug war: "In 1992, my brother, my best friend, Tim, was sentenced to 2 life sentences without parole, under federal law for selling LSD. He is nonviolent (doesn't even eat meat), didn't have or use weapons, and was just a 'Deadhead' following the Grateful Dead shows. He has been in jail since he was 23."

"He had a public pretender, and they told him if he plead guilty, he would get maybe 20 years, so he plead guilty and they gave him double life, no parole. They "enhanced" his sentence using his priors in which adjudications were withheld. They were supposed to tell him that it was a minimum mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole before he plead guilty, but they did not."

The US Gulag Prison System - the shame of the nation and crime against humanity : SF Indymedia: "Today the US shamelessly has more people behind bars than any other nation including China with over 4 times our population.... Arnold J. Toynbee ... said: "America is today the leader of a world-wide anti-revolutionary movement in the defence of vested interests.""

The US Gulag Prison System - the shame of the nation and crime against humanity : SF Indymedia: "Today the US shamelessly has more people behind bars than any other nation including China with over 4 times our population.... Arnold J. Toynbee ... said: "America is today the leader of a world-wide anti-revolutionary movement in the defence of vested interests.""

WaPo Chat With Chomsky: "Lancaster, U.K: What do you feel are the limits to 'free speech' given the arguments recently over racial hatred and religious intolerance?

Noam Chomsky: My feeling is that the Supreme Court reached a reasonable standard of protection of speech in the 1960s, a standard higher than any other country in the world, to my knowledge. In brief, speech should be protected up to participation in imminent criminal action. So if you and I go into a store to rob it, and I say 'shoot,' that's not protected. Like all judicial decisions and legislation, this leaves plenty of gray areas, including many of great significance that are rarely discussed: advocacy of imminent war crimes, such as aggression, for example. I think we would all agree that such speech should be protected, despite the often horrific consequences, but it's worth noting that that stretches the doctrine to its limits.

Wellfleet, Mass.: Mr. Chomsky:

Many fear the country is moving towards a "police state" where the Executive acts according to its desires, without constraint. What possibilities do you see, if any, for the trend towards consolidation of power in the Executive to be thwarted?

Noam Chomsky: The concerns are justified. Thus in this morning's press it was reported that after signing the new version of the Patriot Act with grandiose flourishes, President Bush quietly issued a "signing statement" that exempted him from its requirement to notify Congress of FBI actions that go beyond court authorizaton. That is yet another brazen affirmation of executive power. There are many others. There is little doubt that this administration is at an extreme in seeking to establish a powerful state executive, free from interference by Congress or public awareness of its actions. The justification is the "war on terror," but that can hardly be taken seriously. Terror is doubtless a very serious threat, but it is all to easy to demonstrate that it does not rank high in administration priorities.

Though the concerns are valid, we should not exaggerate. The public is not likely to give up the achievements of centuries of struggle easily."

WaPo Chat With Chomsky: "Lancaster, U.K: What do you feel are the limits to 'free speech' given the arguments recently over racial hatred and religious intolerance?

Noam Chomsky: My feeling is that the Supreme Court reached a reasonable standard of protection of speech in the 1960s, a standard higher than any other country in the world, to my knowledge. In brief, speech should be protected up to participation in imminent criminal action. So if you and I go into a store to rob it, and I say 'shoot,' that's not protected. Like all judicial decisions and legislation, this leaves plenty of gray areas, including many of great significance that are rarely discussed: advocacy of imminent war crimes, such as aggression, for example. I think we would all agree that such speech should be protected, despite the often horrific consequences, but it's worth noting that that stretches the doctrine to its limits.

Wellfleet, Mass.: Mr. Chomsky:

Many fear the country is moving towards a "police state" where the Executive acts according to its desires, without constraint. What possibilities do you see, if any, for the trend towards consolidation of power in the Executive to be thwarted?

Noam Chomsky: The concerns are justified. Thus in this morning's press it was reported that after signing the new version of the Patriot Act with grandiose flourishes, President Bush quietly issued a "signing statement" that exempted him from its requirement to notify Congress of FBI actions that go beyond court authorizaton. That is yet another brazen affirmation of executive power. There are many others. There is little doubt that this administration is at an extreme in seeking to establish a powerful state executive, free from interference by Congress or public awareness of its actions. The justification is the "war on terror," but that can hardly be taken seriously. Terror is doubtless a very serious threat, but it is all to easy to demonstrate that it does not rank high in administration priorities.

Though the concerns are valid, we should not exaggerate. The public is not likely to give up the achievements of centuries of struggle easily."

Apache's Greg Stein says commercial software's days are numbered: "'As the [open-source] stack grows and grows and takes over more areas, there's less money available in packaged products,' Stein said. 'All of your software [will be] free. It means that over time, you aren't going to be paying for software anymore' but will instead pay for assistance with it. The shift could take an estimated five to 10 years, he said. 'The notion of [a] packaged product is really going to kind of go away,' Stein said."

Given that the cost of OpenOffice is zero, one would think that it's default installation everywhere was a no-brainer. If there are some things it cant do, that would be a case for the purchase of a limited number of specialist proprietary applications.

Apache's Greg Stein says commercial software's days are numbered: "'As the [open-source] stack grows and grows and takes over more areas, there's less money available in packaged products,' Stein said. 'All of your software [will be] free. It means that over time, you aren't going to be paying for software anymore' but will instead pay for assistance with it. The shift could take an estimated five to 10 years, he said. 'The notion of [a] packaged product is really going to kind of go away,' Stein said."

Given that the cost of OpenOffice is zero, one would think that it's default installation everywhere was a no-brainer. If there are some things it cant do, that would be a case for the purchase of a limited number of specialist proprietary applications.

US finally swinging back to support Sunni domination in Iraq?: "Sunni Arab leaders Adnan Dulaimi and Salih Mutlak have begun speaking of a convergence of interests between them and the United States. Al-Hayat say its sources tell it that the US now feels that aligning with the Sunni Arabs against the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance is a way of offsetting Iranian influence in Iraqi affairs. "

"Like many Iraqi and Arab observers, Muqtada was shocked when US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said last week that the US military would not intervene in an Iraqi civil war, leaving that to Iraqi forces.

"' "May God damn you," Sadr said of Rumsfeld. "You said in the past that civil war would break out if you were to withdraw, and now you say that in case of civil war you won't interfere." '"

A cynic would point out that Saddam is still alive and could be pulled out of prison and installed as 'President of Iraq.'

US finally swinging back to support Sunni domination in Iraq?: "Sunni Arab leaders Adnan Dulaimi and Salih Mutlak have begun speaking of a convergence of interests between them and the United States. Al-Hayat say its sources tell it that the US now feels that aligning with the Sunni Arabs against the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance is a way of offsetting Iranian influence in Iraqi affairs. "

"Like many Iraqi and Arab observers, Muqtada was shocked when US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said last week that the US military would not intervene in an Iraqi civil war, leaving that to Iraqi forces.

"' "May God damn you," Sadr said of Rumsfeld. "You said in the past that civil war would break out if you were to withdraw, and now you say that in case of civil war you won't interfere." '"

A cynic would point out that Saddam is still alive and could be pulled out of prison and installed as 'President of Iraq.'

The strange state of American politics: "What more can one say about a political party whose politicians want to censure a President in their own party for his role in a sex scandal, while fearfully refusing to censure a President in the other party for breaking the law -- repeatedly, deliberately and proudly -- while spying on American citizens?"

The strange state of American politics: "What more can one say about a political party whose politicians want to censure a President in their own party for his role in a sex scandal, while fearfully refusing to censure a President in the other party for breaking the law -- repeatedly, deliberately and proudly -- while spying on American citizens?"

The Campaign to Pacify Sunni Iraq: Michael Schwarz summarises the state of the guerilla war.

The Campaign to Pacify Sunni Iraq: Michael Schwarz summarises the state of the guerilla war.

Cockburn: Did Milosevic or His Accusers "Cheat Justice"? The Show Trial That Went Wrong

Cockburn: Did Milosevic or His Accusers "Cheat Justice"? The Show Trial That Went Wrong

Hawks Prevail In Preventing U.S. Troop Withdrawal: "We may never know who blew up the shrine and, with it, the prospects for troop withdrawals. It is assumed that the villains were either deranged Sunnis acting on their own, or al-Zarqawi cadres intent on civil war.

"There is another perspective for close observers of dirty wars, the possibility that the bombing was planned and handled by elements of Western counter-terrorism forces. Similar tactics were employed by British agents during the long conflict in Northern Ireland, and heavily-armed British commandos disguised as Arabs were captured in Basra just last year. One of the oldest imperial strategems is to divide and conquer, incite sectarian divisions, and justify military occupation to keep the natives from killing each other. This is precisely the justification for continued war that is heard from those who have admitted the original invasion was a “mistake.”"

Ever since the invasion of 2003 Iraq has been plagued by a devastating series of car and truck bombs, in a country which had not had a single car bombing in its history. Who on earth has been doing this and who is the beneficiary?

Hawks Prevail In Preventing U.S. Troop Withdrawal: "We may never know who blew up the shrine and, with it, the prospects for troop withdrawals. It is assumed that the villains were either deranged Sunnis acting on their own, or al-Zarqawi cadres intent on civil war.

"There is another perspective for close observers of dirty wars, the possibility that the bombing was planned and handled by elements of Western counter-terrorism forces. Similar tactics were employed by British agents during the long conflict in Northern Ireland, and heavily-armed British commandos disguised as Arabs were captured in Basra just last year. One of the oldest imperial strategems is to divide and conquer, incite sectarian divisions, and justify military occupation to keep the natives from killing each other. This is precisely the justification for continued war that is heard from those who have admitted the original invasion was a “mistake.”"

Ever since the invasion of 2003 Iraq has been plagued by a devastating series of car and truck bombs, in a country which had not had a single car bombing in its history. Who on earth has been doing this and who is the beneficiary?

Nuclear Power is Dead: "Last year's energy bill provided some pretty eye-popping incentives designed to make nuclear energy competitive including 80 percent loan guarantees, $2 billion of public insurance against legal or regulatory delays, an additional 1.8 cent/kWh in operating subsidies, payment for late acceptance for hazardous waste, capping liability for mishaps, free offsite security and another $1.3 billion tax break for decommissioning funds. Under that bill all risk is absorbed by tax payers and the promoters don’t even have to invest very much of their own money. With all this going for nuclear power plants, you would think that nuclear energy would be a market winner."

That would be the 'level playing field' 'free market' 'competitive system.' Without corporate welfare, nuclear power cannot survive. Its promoters are corporate tools. In one of the links to this article, it is shown that windpower is cheaper than gas-fuelled power.

Nuclear Power is Dead: "Last year's energy bill provided some pretty eye-popping incentives designed to make nuclear energy competitive including 80 percent loan guarantees, $2 billion of public insurance against legal or regulatory delays, an additional 1.8 cent/kWh in operating subsidies, payment for late acceptance for hazardous waste, capping liability for mishaps, free offsite security and another $1.3 billion tax break for decommissioning funds. Under that bill all risk is absorbed by tax payers and the promoters don’t even have to invest very much of their own money. With all this going for nuclear power plants, you would think that nuclear energy would be a market winner."

That would be the 'level playing field' 'free market' 'competitive system.' Without corporate welfare, nuclear power cannot survive. Its promoters are corporate tools. In one of the links to this article, it is shown that windpower is cheaper than gas-fuelled power.

Bush Nukes Legal and Ethical Constraints: "Eye-Ran. That's what the Americans call Iran — pronounced Ee-Ra'an. This is a minor matter, compared to how the U.S. is bullying Iran over its nuclear program, even while rewarding India for committing worse transgressions of international nuclear rules.

"All nation-states operate in their own interests, of course. But American disregard for the law, and the moral and political inconsistency of its foreign policy, has hit a new low under George W. Bush."

Bush Nukes Legal and Ethical Constraints: "Eye-Ran. That's what the Americans call Iran — pronounced Ee-Ra'an. This is a minor matter, compared to how the U.S. is bullying Iran over its nuclear program, even while rewarding India for committing worse transgressions of international nuclear rules.

"All nation-states operate in their own interests, of course. But American disregard for the law, and the moral and political inconsistency of its foreign policy, has hit a new low under George W. Bush."

The U.S. Role in Iraq’s Sectarian Violence: Stephen Zunes shows how the US first tried to install leaders in Iraq and then in response to massive demonstrations were forced to hold elections which were dominated by Shiites. Also how the dismissal of the Baath party and Iraq Army left a vacuum leading to the rise of sectarianism and the dissolution of Iraq.

The U.S. Role in Iraq’s Sectarian Violence: Stephen Zunes shows how the US first tried to install leaders in Iraq and then in response to massive demonstrations were forced to hold elections which were dominated by Shiites. Also how the dismissal of the Baath party and Iraq Army left a vacuum leading to the rise of sectarianism and the dissolution of Iraq.

Former Iranian president attacks Ahmadinejad over Holocaust -- Middle East Times: "'We should speak out if even a single Jew is killed. Don't forget that one of the crimes of Hitler, Nazism and German national socialism was the massacre of innocent people, among them many Jews,' the cleric said in comments carried in the Iranian press on Wednesday.

"The Holocaust, he asserted, should be recognized 'even if this historical reality has been misused and there is enormous pressure on the Palestinian people'. Ahmadinejad has caused international outrage by insisting that the Holocaust - the killing of an estimated 6 million Jews by the Nazis and their allies during World War II in death camps and elsewhere - was a myth used to justify the creation of Israel. He has also said that the Jewish state 'must be wiped off the map' or moved as far away as Alaska - comments that have provoked anger in the West and even condemnation from the UN Security Council.

"Ahmadinejad's violent rhetoric has also served to increase tensions over Iran's atomic energy drive, seen in the West as a mask for weapons development. Khatami served as Iran's president from 1997 to 2005, and attempted to open up Iran to the West and initiate a 'dialogue among civilizations' - in stark contrast to the ultraconservative agenda of Ahmadinejad.

"The mild-mannered former president, who has shied away from the political limelight since leaving office, also asserted Muslims were not out to persecute Jews. 'The persecution of Jews, just like Nazism, is a Western phenomenon. In the east, we have always lived side by side with them. And we follow a religion that states that the death of an innocent person is the death of all of humanity,' Khatami said. He also argued that it was of little importance 'whether the number killed [during the Holocaust] was high or not' - but at the same time went on to accuse Israel's leaders as being 'victims of fascism and practicing fascist policies today'.

"Ahmadinejad also came under attack from the prominent and centrist Shargh newspaper, which complained that 'the Holocaust has, as wished for by the president, become a topic of our foreign policy'. 'The Jewish question was never a problem for Iran or Islam, and is a Christian-European problem,' the paper argued. 'Don't we have enough with the nuclear question, human rights, free elections and political in-fighting, so do we need to add another problem to that?' it said, saying that Iran would be better off 'thinking of the creation of a Palestinian state rather than the destruction of Israel'."

Former Iranian president attacks Ahmadinejad over Holocaust -- Middle East Times: "'We should speak out if even a single Jew is killed. Don't forget that one of the crimes of Hitler, Nazism and German national socialism was the massacre of innocent people, among them many Jews,' the cleric said in comments carried in the Iranian press on Wednesday.

"The Holocaust, he asserted, should be recognized 'even if this historical reality has been misused and there is enormous pressure on the Palestinian people'. Ahmadinejad has caused international outrage by insisting that the Holocaust - the killing of an estimated 6 million Jews by the Nazis and their allies during World War II in death camps and elsewhere - was a myth used to justify the creation of Israel. He has also said that the Jewish state 'must be wiped off the map' or moved as far away as Alaska - comments that have provoked anger in the West and even condemnation from the UN Security Council.

"Ahmadinejad's violent rhetoric has also served to increase tensions over Iran's atomic energy drive, seen in the West as a mask for weapons development. Khatami served as Iran's president from 1997 to 2005, and attempted to open up Iran to the West and initiate a 'dialogue among civilizations' - in stark contrast to the ultraconservative agenda of Ahmadinejad.

"The mild-mannered former president, who has shied away from the political limelight since leaving office, also asserted Muslims were not out to persecute Jews. 'The persecution of Jews, just like Nazism, is a Western phenomenon. In the east, we have always lived side by side with them. And we follow a religion that states that the death of an innocent person is the death of all of humanity,' Khatami said. He also argued that it was of little importance 'whether the number killed [during the Holocaust] was high or not' - but at the same time went on to accuse Israel's leaders as being 'victims of fascism and practicing fascist policies today'.

"Ahmadinejad also came under attack from the prominent and centrist Shargh newspaper, which complained that 'the Holocaust has, as wished for by the president, become a topic of our foreign policy'. 'The Jewish question was never a problem for Iran or Islam, and is a Christian-European problem,' the paper argued. 'Don't we have enough with the nuclear question, human rights, free elections and political in-fighting, so do we need to add another problem to that?' it said, saying that Iran would be better off 'thinking of the creation of a Palestinian state rather than the destruction of Israel'."

Opposition to Iraq War Reaches 55% in Australia

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose Australia’s involvement in Iraq?

Support: 38%

Oppose: 55%

Do you support or oppose Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan?

Support: 45%

Oppose: 48%

Support for this stupid war has always been hard to drum up, all the more remarkable, therefore, that both major parties do support it.

Opposition to Iraq War Reaches 55% in Australia

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose Australia’s involvement in Iraq?

Support: 38%

Oppose: 55%

Do you support or oppose Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan?

Support: 45%

Oppose: 48%

Support for this stupid war has always been hard to drum up, all the more remarkable, therefore, that both major parties do support it.

Ubuntu - Killer App for Linux It was Unix and then became GNU - for Gnu's not Unix. Ok try again. Then we had Linux - unknown pronunciation, misleading egotism, clueless philosophy but very cute penguin.

Ubuntu is 'humanity to others' or 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. It puts the focus back on the principles of freedom and free software, sidestepping that tedious 'open source' corporate sales pitch.

Free download or free CDs - posted free to your door. It 'just works' out of the box. Even the linmodem works, with a little help from the folks at linmodems.org .

Ubuntu - killer marketing and killer app.

Ubuntu - Killer App for Linux It was Unix and then became GNU - for Gnu's not Unix. Ok try again. Then we had Linux - unknown pronunciation, misleading egotism, clueless philosophy but very cute penguin.

Ubuntu is 'humanity to others' or 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. It puts the focus back on the principles of freedom and free software, sidestepping that tedious 'open source' corporate sales pitch.

Free download or free CDs - posted free to your door. It 'just works' out of the box. Even the linmodem works, with a little help from the folks at linmodems.org .

Ubuntu - killer marketing and killer app.

John Zogby: On a New Poll Of U.S. Soldiers During Their Service in Iraq: "85% [of US troops in Iraq] said the U.S. mission is 'to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks,' while 77% said they believe the main or a major reason for the war was 'to stop Saddam from protecting al Qaeda in Iraq.'"

Cannon fodder - the poor deluded fools. They have been lied to and they do not realise, even today. Saddam had no part in 9/11; there were no links between Saddam and al-Qaeda.

There was appparently no question on whether the US invaded Iraq for reasons of oil or hegemony.

However, it is interesting to note that "72% of American troops in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year ... 29% thought the U.S. should pull its troops immediately."

John Zogby: On a New Poll Of U.S. Soldiers During Their Service in Iraq: "85% [of US troops in Iraq] said the U.S. mission is 'to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks,' while 77% said they believe the main or a major reason for the war was 'to stop Saddam from protecting al Qaeda in Iraq.'"

Cannon fodder - the poor deluded fools. They have been lied to and they do not realise, even today. Saddam had no part in 9/11; there were no links between Saddam and al-Qaeda.

There was appparently no question on whether the US invaded Iraq for reasons of oil or hegemony.

However, it is interesting to note that "72% of American troops in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year ... 29% thought the U.S. should pull its troops immediately."

Peter Singer: Against Holocaust denial, use arguments not laws: "The timing of Austria's conviction and imprisonment of David Irving for denying the Holocaust could not have been worse. Coming after the deaths of at least 30 people during protests in Arab and Muslim countries against the Danish cartoons ridiculing the prophet Muhammad, the Irving verdict made a mockery of the claim that in democratic countries freedom of expression is a basic right.

"We cannot consistently hold that cartoonists have a right to mock religious figures, but that it should be a criminal offense to deny the existence of the Holocaust. I believe that we should stand behind freedom of speech. And that means that David Irving should be freed."

"Laws against incitement to racial, religious, or ethnic hatred, in circumstances where that incitement is intended to - or can reasonably be foreseen to - lead to violence or other criminal acts, are different, and are compatible with maintaining freedom to express any views at all. Only when David Irving has been freed will it be possible for Europeans to turn to the Islamic protesters and say: "We apply the principle of freedom of expression even-handedly, whether it offends Muslims, Christians, Jews, or anyone else.""

Peter Singer: Against Holocaust denial, use arguments not laws: "The timing of Austria's conviction and imprisonment of David Irving for denying the Holocaust could not have been worse. Coming after the deaths of at least 30 people during protests in Arab and Muslim countries against the Danish cartoons ridiculing the prophet Muhammad, the Irving verdict made a mockery of the claim that in democratic countries freedom of expression is a basic right.

"We cannot consistently hold that cartoonists have a right to mock religious figures, but that it should be a criminal offense to deny the existence of the Holocaust. I believe that we should stand behind freedom of speech. And that means that David Irving should be freed."

"Laws against incitement to racial, religious, or ethnic hatred, in circumstances where that incitement is intended to - or can reasonably be foreseen to - lead to violence or other criminal acts, are different, and are compatible with maintaining freedom to express any views at all. Only when David Irving has been freed will it be possible for Europeans to turn to the Islamic protesters and say: "We apply the principle of freedom of expression even-handedly, whether it offends Muslims, Christians, Jews, or anyone else.""