THE MASSES ARE ASSES

115 YOUTHS KILLED BY SOLDIERS IN 2002

NABLUS, West Bank — One hundred fifteen unarmed Palestinians younger than 18 were killed by Israeli soldiers in 2002, an increase of more than 50 percent from the previous year, according to an Associated Press count.

The toll underlines the Israeli military's failure to quell riots without killing civilians, particularly minors. Most of the youngsters killed in 2002 were stone-throwers or bystanders hit by Israeli army fire.

Israel's experience with unrest goes back 15 years, to the first Palestinian uprising against occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It was fought largely with stones, bottles and firebombs. In putting down the riots, Israeli soldiers killed hundreds of Palestinians from 1987 to 1993…

WHITE HOUSE DEFICIT OUTLOOK WORSENING

WASHINGTON –– President Bush's budget chief said Wednesday that the White House envisions federal deficits in the $200 billion to $300 billion range over the next two years, a dramatic worsening of the government's fiscal picture since last summer.

Budget director Mitchell Daniels also refused to say when federal surpluses would return, commenting only, "Stand by."

Daniels provided no precise figures, saying only he expected shortfalls over the next two years to be in the range of 2 percent to 3 percent of the size of the economy. The nation's economy – the total value of the goods and services produced annually – is estimated at about $10.5 trillion...



The White House budget director acknowledged that the fiscal picture is significantly better since the government moved from mark-to-market accounting to something called HFV, or hypothetical future value accounting. Daniels added, "Now that we have done that, we can add a kazillion dollars to the bottom line."

CSIS AGENTS FORCED HIM TO SPY, MAN SAYS

Abdellah Ouzghar told the court that CSIS agents first visited him in 1996, when he was living in Montreal, and told him they wanted information about people he knew…

That 1996 visit, Mr. Ouzghar said, was the beginning of a long process that was marked by ever-increasing pressure on him to turn informant. Mr. Ouzghar, who was born in Morocco, told the court that police stopped him during a 1998 visit to his home country, took away his Canadian passport, and told him that he wouldn't get it back unless he agreed to spy…

He came to Canada in 1989 as an immigrant, and lived in Montreal and Quebec City. He studied and worked at a series of jobs and married a Muslim woman in 1991. He and his wife travelled several times between Canada and Morocco, where, Mr. Ouzghar says, he proudly displayed his Canadian passport…



CSIS has yet to realize that it's easier to set up guys that are 'new to Islam'.

JUDGE BLASTS GOVERNMENT STALL TACTICS

A federal judge assailed prosecutors Wednesday for resisting his order to allow an American citizen accused of plotting to detonate a “dirty bomb” in this country to meet with his attorneys.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mukasey directed his pique largely at U.S. Deputy Solicitor General Paul Clement for appealing his Dec. 4 order allowing the incarcerated Jose Padilla, whom President George W. Bush designated as an “enemy combatant,” to confer with his legal counsel.

Mukasey had directed the government and defense lawyers to come up with a schedule by Dec. 30, 2001, for Padilla to meet with his attorneys, while also permitting Padilla to argue through his lawyers that his detention is improper.

The New York-born Padilla, who later moved to Egypt and took the name Abdullah al Muhajir, was arrested in May as a material witness after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on a flight from Pakistan…



Intelligence reports indicate there may be a shake up at the world's leading terrorist organization. The very public legal troubles of Jose Padilla (the dirty bomber), along with the embarrassing arrests of John Walker Lindh (the American Taliban) and Richard Reid (the shoe bomber), have renewed criticism of Osama bin Laden and his inner circle. In a groundbreaking announcement, and at the risk of losing support from many of his high-ranking lieutenants, Osama bin Laden has cancelled Al Qaeda's once-popular diversity program and returned to recruiting Muslims.

From the Ari Fleischer files,
'reminding all Americans that they need to watch what they say and watch what they do.'


White House Press Briefing - Jan 13, 2003

Question: Two questions. A group of Republican businessmen took out a full-page ad in today's Wall Street Journal, and they charged that President Bush had betrayed them by first promising a more humble nation in our dealings with the world, and then turning around and preparing for preemptive wars.

They say in the ad, "to President Bush, you cannot keep proclaiming peace while preparing for war. You're waltzing blindfolded into what may well be a catastrophe. Show the humility and compassion that led us to elect you." In what sense is this doctrine of preemptive war -- in what sense does that reflect the more humble nation --

Ari Fleischer: I think precisely in the same way that President Kennedy meant it when President Kennedy used preemption as a possible American response to the Cuban missile crisis. Preemption is actually a time honored part of America's tool of diplomatic and foreign policy devices that are used, hopefully, to defuse crises and prevent war from ever taking place. And the President approaches it in the same manner.

And September 11th certainly has brought it home to the American people. If we had known that an attack was going to take place against the United States on September 11th that we could have taken military action to preempt, if President Bush had that type of actionable information, I think it's fair to say the American people would have said, preempt this attack. So I think it's part of America's time-honored tradition of keeping the peace through preemption.

Question: Second question. Both the federal government and almost all the state governments are projecting deficits as far as the eye can see. Given the immediate needs of the American people, why is the President supporting a one-time reported $15 billion appropriation that's $5 billion in military aid and $10 billion in loan guarantees for Israel -- and that's on top of the regular $3 billion a year -- at a time when Ariel Sharon is enmeshed in a corruption scandal and is killing innocent Palestinians?

Ari Fleischer: Well, the President has always viewed our aid package for many of the nations in the Middle East as an effective part of America's diplomacy. There has been a longstanding bipartisan consensus behind providing aid for the nations in the Middle East, especially and including Israel. And so this is a part of America's foreign policy that continues, and the President is proud to continue it.

ISRAEL SLOWLY ANNEXING BEST LAND IN WEST BANK: PALESTINIANS

The fence Israel is building to stop attacks across the "Green Line" that separates it from Palestinian territory is gnawing on the most fertile land in the Palestinian territory, Mustafa Barghuti, head of the main federation of Palestinian organizations, said.

"The area Israel plans to seize to erect its fence represents 10 percent of the West Bank and also includes the last water reservoir used for irrigation in the West Bank," he said.

Israel started building the 350-kilometre hi-tech security fence between its territory and the West Bank in June.

The government has argued that the route was designed to bring some isolated Jewish settlements back on to the Israeli side of the fence for security reasons…

ISRAEL CLOSES TWO PALESTINIAN UNIVERSITIES

JERUSALEM -- Israel shut down two Palestinian universities in the divided town of Hebron on Wednesday, while Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinians in West Bank clashes, officials said.

Israeli forces shut down the Islamic University and the Polytechnic Institute in Hebron as part of its response to a Palestinian suicide bombing in Tel Aviv earlier this month. That attack killed 22 people.

The front gate of the Polytechnic Institute was closed with an iron bar. Troops surrounded the school and imposed a curfew on the neighborhood. Stone-throwing clashes erupted between students and troops, who fired rubber-coated metal bullets at the demonstrators…



Reports indicate the Palestinian students were using stones wrapped in a hard candy shell.

US NAVY REPELS CARMEN LAWRENCE AND CO

The US navy today refused to allow a boat load of prominent West Australians, including Federal MP Carmen Lawrence, to conduct a "weapons inspection" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Accompanied by WA Greens MP Jim Scott and representatives of the legal and scientific communities, Dr Lawrence wanted to see the extent and nature of weapons of mass destruction aboard the world's largest aircraft carrier…

ARMS DEALS CRITICIZED AS CORPORATE US WELFARE

LONDON - After Lockheed Martin clinched one of its largest deals ever in Europe, Prime Minister Leszek Miller of Poland was taken for a spin last week in the same kind of F-16 fighter jet that his country is purchasing. He watched from the cockpit while a second
F-16 performed rolls and tactical maneuvers for his benefit.

Consider this private air show a kind of customer perk, which the Pentagon confirmed was paid for by the US government at the end of a long marketing campaign by Lockheed. The US government also provided a $3.8 billion loan to Poland, on very favorable terms, to finance the purchase of 48 F-16s, which are manufactured in President Bush's home state of Texas…

[US Committee on NATO director and Bruce] Jackson’s advocacy work in the expansion of NATO and Lockheed's arms deal with Poland highlight the political and corporate linkages that make the NATO expansion both a matter of strategic significance for the United States and economic advantage for its arms manufacturers…



Bruce Jackson, former Lockheed Martin vice president, argues that ‘greater security for the United States’ can be attained by having American taxpayers loan billions of dollars to U.S. arms manufacturers for the explicit purpose of encouraging European and Middle Eastern countries to resolve their differences using sophisticated weapons. At the same time, the government, the 'private sector' and its media extol the virtues of less government, free markets and small business.

ANGRY BUSH LEANS ON INSPECTORS

The United States is pressing the chief United Nations weapons inspector, Hans Blix, to remove Iraqi scientists for interviews after President Bush said he was "sick and tired of games and deception" from Saddam Hussein.

Mr Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, flew to New York yesterday to try to persuade Dr. Blix to conduct the confidential interviews on Baghdad's secret efforts to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

She also pressed Dr. Blix to scrap his plans to provide the UN Security Council with a report in late March. The Bush Administration wants his report due on January 27 to be the war marker…



President Bush reminded his national security adviser that the chief United Nations weapons inspector should not be confused with the 'evil' Dr. Blix who, as a result of a mutation from an experiment gone wrong, was now battling Spiderman.

U.S. OFFICIALS: NO PLOT TO BLOW UP TROOP AIRCRAFT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Monday they had no intelligence showing a plot to blow up aircraft carrying troops, dismissing a newspaper report that said authorities had specific evidence about a planned attack.

"There is no such intelligence," one U.S. official told Reuters. Other U.S. officials also said they had not seen any intelligence about such a plot.

The New York Times in Monday's editions, citing officials, said in the past three weeks U.S. intelligence had gathered credible evidence of a plot to bomb an airliner contracted to fly troops and freight for the military to the Gulf...



One of thousands of similar 'errors' since September 11, 2001.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS GONE MAD

America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the Bay of Pigs and in the long term potentially more disastrous than the Vietnam War…

The reaction to 9/11 is beyond anything Osama bin Laden could have hoped for in his nastiest dreams. As in McCarthy times, the freedoms that have made America the envy of the world are being systematically eroded. The combination of compliant US media and vested corporate interests is once more ensuring that a debate that should be ringing out in every town square is confined to the loftier columns of the East Coast press…

The imminent war was planned years before bin Laden struck, but it was he who made it possible. Without bin Laden, the Bush junta would still be trying to explain such tricky matters as how it came to be elected in the first place; Enron; its shameless favouring of the already-too-rich; its reckless disregard for the world’s poor, the ecology and a raft of unilaterally abrogated international treaties. They might also have to be telling us why they support Israel in its continuing disregard for UN resolutions…

BUSH DECLARES SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE DAY

WASHINGTON - Pledging to build a culture that respects life, President Bush is declaring a National Sanctity of Human Life Day.

"As we seek to improve quality of life, overcome illness and promote vital medical research, my administration will continue to honor our country's founding ideals of equal dignity and equal rights for every American," Bush said Tuesday in a document that enacts no change in policy or program...



The result of months of 'how come you guys never listen to any of my ideas?'

FCC'S POWELL CONCERNED BY MEDIA CONCENTRATION

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell said the agency would not allow one company to dominate local airwaves or other media outlets when it revisits the long-standing rules under court order…

Many expect the FCC to allow a company to own both a newspaper and a radio or television station in the same market. In some markets this has already occurred under FCC waivers…

But Powell and at least two other commissioners said they hoped to avoid the example of the radio business, which is now dominated by a few large companies, notably Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE: CCU), after Congress lifted ownership limits in 1996…

Media mergers would also still have to pass antitrust and public-interest reviews, [Powell] said...



The irony of trying to regulate corporations that spent decades warning us about Soviet propaganda.

GE WORKER KILLED AS 2-DAY STRIKE BEGINS

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. –– General Electric Co. workers picketed at plants around the country Tuesday as thousands joined a two-day strike protesting an increase in health care co-payments. In Kentucky, a striker was killed by a police car.

GE spokesman Gary Sheffer said at company headquarters in Fairfield, Conn., that about 17,500 employees were involved in the strike, which he said was affecting operations at plants across the nation.

GE was meeting the needs of its customers, Sheffer said.

"But that's not the company's focus today," he said. "The company's focus is on the tragic accident in Louisville and the loss of a colleague. Everyone at GE extends our heartfelt sympathy to the family. We're deeply saddened by this tragic accident."...



GE NET EARNINGS

2000 - $ 12.7 billion
2001 - $ 13.7 billion
2002 - $ 16.5 billion (projected - minus flowers and a large donation to the Policeman's Ball)

LEBANESE ENVOY MAKES NO APOLOGIES

Lebanon's ambassador yesterday did not retract controversial comments about the power of the "Zionist movement" in Canada, despite being summoned to a meeting with Foreign Affairs officials who told him they were "unacceptable and without foundation."…

The diplomatic dispute erupted after publication of an interview Mr. Baaklini gave to the Montreal-based Arabic-language newspaper Sada al Machric, in which he said the "Zionist movement" in Canada had the "number one role" in forcing Ottawa to outlaw Hezbollah…

Israel Asper, the chairman of CanWest Global Communications Corp., which operates the Global Television Network and is Canada's largest daily newspaper publisher, called Mr. Baaklini's remarks "sickening." Mr. Asper said Ottawa should revoke his diplomatic credentials.

"Who is this 'Zionist party' that, according to Baaklini, owns 90% of the Canadian mass media and takes instructions from abroad? It is certainly not CanWest," Mr. Asper said in a statement. "It would be news to all the other media organizations in Canada, including our competitors in the private and public sector, that this so-called 'Zionist party' controls them also."...



[Tonight] I make the charge that much of the world media who are covering the Arab-Israeli conflict have abandoned the fundamental precepts of honest reporting...Some examples of profound media bias against Israel which result in this dishonest reporting, are found in the world's leading media (the worst offenders - the Independent, the Guardian, BBC, Sky News, Reuters, Evening Standard, Britain's television network ITV, The Daily Mirror, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the L.A. Times, the Associated Press, and the CBC).
- CanWest Global Communications Corp. Executive Chairman Israel Asper unveiling the global media conspiracy against Israel - ( Israel Bonds Gala Dinner - October 30, 2002 )

BACK TO THE FRAMEWORK - By Jimmy Carter

The Bush administration brought a change in relationship with both Koreas.

Rejection of the "sunshine policy," which had earned the Nobel Peace Prize for South Korean President Kim Dae Jung; announcements that North Korea, like Iraq and Iran, was part of an "axis of evil"; public statements that the new "Great Leader" was loathed as a "pygmy" who deliberately starved his own people, that America was prepared to fight two wars at the same time, and that our missile defense system was a shield against North Korea -- all this helped cause many in that country to assume that they were next on America's hit list after Iraq…



The government and media of the only nation to ever murder hundreds of thousands of civilians using nuclear weapons continue to describe North Korea as 'evil and dangerous'.

BIGGER BUILDUP

Washington — The Bush administration may need more troops than it thought to fight and occupy Iraq, sources told ABCNEWS…

[This] may be just the start of what could end up involving more than 350,000 troops for a war and subsequent occupation of Iraq, ABCNEWS has learned…

Officials said it is quite possible that the United States will be occupying part of Iraq — needing to feed millions of people and manage many cities — while still having to fight in other parts of the country…



OPERATION INFINITELY SUBLIMINIBAL FURY: feeding millions, managing their cities and killing 'em in the parts that aren’t quite fed or managed.

STUDY SHOWS SURGE IN PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

CHICAGO (AP) - The number of U.S. children and adolescents on Ritalin, antidepressants or other psychiatric drugs surged between 1987 and 1996, a trend some experts say is continuing.

The study did not determine whether the youngsters were properly diagnosed and treated. Some experts have warned that American children are being overmedicated. But others say not all youngsters who really need treatment are getting it…



The experts looking out for the 'youngsters who really need treatment' were taking a break from the demands of defining and classifying new medical disorders. ie: before a pharmaceutical can market Viagara for females, experts need to clearly define 'female sexual dysfunction'

O'NEILL ASSAILS BUSH TAX CUTS

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Monday that President George W. Bush's plan to eliminate taxes on corporate dividends would do little or nothing to improve the U.S. economy.

"I would not have done it," he said, speaking out for the first time since being forced from his post.

O'Neill said some of the money from the president's $674 billion tax-cut plan would be better spent to shore up Social Security, the U.S. public pension system.



White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, in response to Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill's surprise resignation, stated that ‘Secretary O'Neill will pursue his interests and planned to retire and devote himself to improving health care and education.’ Fleischer was unable to explain how O’Neill managed to get through the front door.

HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW - January 14, 2003

DISMANTLE THE BORDER, CEOS SAY

''What we are really talking about is totally reinventing the border. The border should no longer be seen as a demarcation line between Canada and the United States. It should simply be an internal checkpoint,'' said Tom D'Aquino, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which represents Canada's 150 largest corporations…

''The whole focus on our strategy is homeland security and economic security. The two things are really inseparable.''…

The CEOs' council is holding a major conference in Toronto today and tomorrow featuring keynote speakers Paul Martin, the former finance minister and Liberal leadership front-runer, and Paul Cellucci, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada…

Bill Graham, the Foreign Affairs Minister, has even mused about expanding North American integration beyond trade and tariffs into social policy…



Failing to heed the imaginary line that separates corporate media from treason, The National Post continues its well-funded attack on Canadian sovereignty,...or what little is left of it. The Post marketing department has refused to let declining readership dampen its mission of complementing each and every corporate propaganda piece with ideologically congruent commentary.

SHARON ACCUSES ARAFAT OF MEDDLING IN ELECTION

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday dismissed an appeal by Yasser Arafat for a halt to attacks on Israeli civilians, calling it a ploy to boost the chances of Sharon's dovish challenger in January 28 elections.

A Palestinian cabinet statement Saturday condemned "all acts of violence that target Palestinian and Israeli civilians" and added: "As the Israeli election date gets closer, we appeal to all our people to practice self-restraint."…

Arafat regularly condemns suicide bombings and other attacks on Israeli civilians, and his officials say they cannot control Palestinian militant groups. Sharon's government insists Arafat is personally responsible for such attacks…

BRITIAIN MUST REIN IN U.S. OVER IRAQ, MINISTER SAYS

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's International Development Secretary Clare Short said Sunday London should not join a unilateral U.S. attack on Iraq and said it was Britain's duty to restrain Washington...

"I think it's very dangerous. I'm very very worried," Short told ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby program.

"I think all the people of Britain have a duty to keep our country firmly on the U.N. route, so that we stop the U.S. maybe going to war too early, and keep the world united," she said...

BUSH DOESN'T HOLD BACK ON AGENDA

Bush is plowing ahead with an ambitious agenda that's generating surprise and some indignation, even among his allies. Although he took office after a disputed election, and his party controls Congress by a tiny margin, he does not act as if his mandate has limits.

This week, Bush shocked Washington by proposing a 10-year, $674 billion tax-cut plan. And his administration made no apologies that it would benefit the richest Americans most…

''When you have popular support and political momentum, you have to realize it may not be there forever and it's wise to use it,'' says Fred Malek, a veteran Republican strategist…



PUSHING COLLAPSE: Strategy disguised as incompetence

U.S. National Debt - $ 6.4 Trillion
Proposed Tax Cut - $1.6 trillion

Minus $ 1.3 billion per day in national debt interest.
Minus $ 1.5 billion per day in foreign trade surplus.

RUSSIAN WARSHIPS ON STANDBY TO SAIL TO GULF

Russia has put three warships on standby to go to the Persian Gulf within the next month to protect its "national interests" in the event of an American invasion of Iraq…

The Marshal Shaposhnikov and the Admiral Panteleyev cruisers would be called upon to defend Russian "national interests" in the Gulf if the conflict between Iraq and the US escalates…

Lukoil, Russia's biggest oil firm, had a £13bn contract with Baghdad to develop the West Qurna oilfield cancelled last month, reportedly after the Iraqi regime discovered Russia had been negotiating with Iraq's opposition…



Eat the rich.

DUTCH ACTIVIST'S COMMENTS ANGER JEWISH GROUPS

Mrs. Duisenberg, wife of Wim Duisenberg, president of the European Central Bank, made comments while on a highly publicized visit to the West Bank, where she met Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday.

"The Holocaust excepted, the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is worse than the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands," she was quoted as saying Friday in an interview with the Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad…

"As a husband, he can be proud of her. He can say he loves his wife. But if it comes to the content of what she's saying, he must take a stand," Mr. Naftaniel, leader of the Centre for Information and Documentation for Israel, told The Associated Press. "If indeed he's backing her, then he shouldn't be president of the European Central Bank."

He said that he had hoped that Mr. Duisenberg would distance himself from the remarks in order to "stop a political process which may happen now and could lead to his removal."

A smaller Jewish activist group, the Jewish Federation of the Netherlands, said it had filed a second request for the Dutch public prosecutor to investigate Ms. Duisenberg for hate crimes.

An earlier request, made after she said she hoped to gather "six million" signatures on a pro-Palestinian petition, was rejected. The Jewish Federation said the remark was intended as a mocking reference to the number of Jews killed in the Second World War, which she denied.

Herman Loonstein, head of the Jewish Federation, said he wanted Ms. Duisenberg to be prevented from making any more public statements about Jews...

HARPER’S WEEKLY REVIEW

South Korea's president-elect said that he was skeptical about President Bush's policies on North Korea, particularly the new notion of "tailored containment" that was suggested this week. "Success or failure of a U.S. policy toward North Korea isn't too big a deal to the American people," he said. "But it is a life-or-death matter for South Koreans."…

…It was reported that Condoleezza Rice is sometimes teased by her colleagues in the White House for speaking in complete sentences…

...Scientists reported that orangutans possess culture because they apparently ape one another's behavior; for example, orangutans in one area make a characteristic sound when they are annoyed; others masturbate with sticks...

…Bush Administration officials said they were pleased with a recent thaw in relations with Syria, a country that remains on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. "The Syrians are highly opportunistic and pragmatic," said one anonymous source. "Which is why we can work with them."…

…Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as President of Brazil; the United States snubbed the celebration of Brazil's first leftist, working-class president by sending the U.S. trade representative, Robert Zoellick, whom Lula dismissed as "the subsecretary of a subsecretary of a subsecretary," after Zoellick warned that Brazil would be exporting its products to Antarctica if it didn't support President Bush's economic policies. Shortly after its first cabinet meeting, the new Brazilian government announced that it will postpone a planned $760 million purchase of military jets and said that the money could be better spent fighting hunger. "If at the end of my term of office," Lula said in a speech, "every Brazilian has the opportunity to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then I will have completed my mission in life."…

…The Naples, Florida, branch of the Salvation Army refused a $100,000 donation from a lottery winner because its director won't take money associated with gambling…

…Acting Governor Jane Swift of Massachusetts, who stepped down after becoming the first governor to give birth while in office, told a magazine that "it was virtually impossible for me to take advice and make decisions when I was responding emotionally as a mother, not thinking rationally as a public official." An elk drunk from eating rotten apples attacked an eight-year-old Swedish boy and was shot dead. Prozac was approved for children.

MARTIN NEARS $2-MILLION MARK IN CAMPAIGN DONATIONS

Mr. Martin, who is viewed as having a wide lead in the race to replace Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as Liberal Leader, released his most recent contributions to Ethics Counsellor Howard Wilson on Friday.

From Nov. 7 to Dec. 31, contributions from fundraisers and special events for Mr. Martin totalled $809,650.21. Coupled with his last disclosure of $1.12-million from September to November, Mr. Martin has made almost $2-million for his leadership bid…

That amount does not include how much money he has collected in the trust, which he established more than four years ago for his leadership bid. Political observers believe the amount contained in the trust could be substantial…

Other leadership hopefuls who disclosed their donations in July have revealed far lower campaign contribution amounts.

Industry Minister Allan Rock, who has been campaigning for years, revealed that he had raised $421,804. Mr. Manley had raised $171,950 and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps $54,489…

Stephen LeDrew, the Liberal party president, has suggested campaign expenses for the leadership will likely be capped at between $3.5-million and $4-million…



IMAGINARY STUFF FROM CANADA'S POLITBURO: Democracy, Freedom, Fairies and Eskimos

In breaking news from Ottawa, Elections Canada suspended all general elections at the
federal level and declared that the Liberal Party Convention would now determine Canada’s government.

This announcement rocked the Liberal leadership race, and put many of the candidates on their heels. Allan Rock supporters breathed easier once reminded of having donated ‘five times as much’ to Martin’s campaign while, in response to the many Sheila Copps comparisons, Manley insiders insisted that he had paid off all his student loans.

On Parliament Hill, the initial confusion brought on by the groundbreaking announcement gave way to unanimous agreement that even managed to cross party lines.

Stephen Harper of the Canadian Alliance announced his strong support for the “revolutionary example of fiscal responsibility” as demonstrating “the common sense in reducing taxes for
all average Canadians.”

Joe Clark indicated that, although the he felt the Progressive Conservative’s never received the recognition they deserved for "improving the lives of everyday Canadians", his party applauded the Election Canada declaration as the “natural evolution of grassroot-inspired policies such as the GST and NAFTA.”

Working on his float for the Jean Baptiste Day parade, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe voiced his approval by recognizing that the streamlining of Canada’s system of government would benefit the people of his country.

The NDP’s Ed Broadbent was unavailable for comment.

TOXIC ATTACK ON CITY IS 'LIKELY SOON'

British ministers have been warned by their security advisers that a west European city is "likely" to be the target of a terrorist attack using a chemical or other non-conventional weapon in the short-to-medium term.

They have also warned that they cannot be sure they know the identity of more than 50 per cent of people in the UK who might carry out a terrorist attack on behalf of al-Qaeda.

In a separate incident on Friday morning German authorities arrested two Yemeni men believed to be high-ranking members of al-Qaeda, according to German security officials. The federal crime office confirmed that two men were arrested at a Frankfurt airport hotel, on the request of US authorities. One of the men is a senior al-Qaeda financier and both had been involved in building al-Qaeda's network in Yemen, security officials were cited as saying…



This senior al-Qaeda financier has also been linked to a fifty-foot woman suspected of abducting children by Connie Chung on her missing child of the week series.

ALBERTA VLTs TO FLASH ANTI-ADDICTION MESSAGES

CALGARY - The Alberta government is replacing its video lottery terminals with new models that flash messages aimed at helping problem gamblers.

The pop-up messages will tell the gambler how long they've been on the machine and how much money they've spent…

Nova Scotia introduced similar features in 2001…But in its annual report for the year 2000-2001, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. states revenues from video lottery terminals went up by more than $15 million…



In focusing on ‘helping problem gamblers’ by showing them ‘how much money they've
spent’, we often forget the ad-exec that's kicking himself for not using the word 'invested’.

PARIS AIRPORT SUSPECT 'SET UP'

An airport baggage handler who was arrested in Paris when weapons and explosives were found in his car was the victim of a set-up, police said on Friday...

Two pistols, five cakes of plastic explosive, two detonators and a safety fuse were discovered in his car at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport at the end of December.

But a former Foreign Legion soldier, who said he had seen Mr Besseghir handling the weapons in an airport car park, admitted on Friday that there had been a plot to frame him.

It was the result of a long-standing family feud, a BBC correspondent in Paris says...



An Algerian baggage handler's family planted plastic explosives and automatic weapons in his car at Charles de Gaulle airport in an effort to frame him.

ALLIES IN A SPIN OVER LACK OF EVIDENCE

Washington and London responded to the failure of the UN inspectors to find evidence of forbidden weapons in Iraq by telling Saddam Hussein yesterday that he had yet to demonstrate "proactive cooperation" with the inspections.

Hans Blix, the head of Unmovic, the chemical and biological team, told reporters in New York: "We have now been there for some two months and been covering the country in ever wider sweeps and we haven't found any smoking guns."

The US and Britain sought to counter the view that Iraq could avoid being in further material breach of security council resolutions merely by failing to obstruct access to sites and people.

John Negroponte, the US ambassador, also called for "active cooperation", warning Iraq against a "legalistic" interpretation of its obligations…



Ambassador John Negroponte failed to specify whether the impending material breach will be found in the 'working version of the declaration' that the U.S. was 'proactive' in preparing.

ENVOY SAYS ZIONISTS RUN MEDIA

Lebanon's ambassador to Ottawa is under fire for comments he made about Canada in an Arabic-language newspaper in response to the government's decision to ban Hezbollah.

In an interview with the newspaper Sada al Machric, Raymond Baaklini said Canada outlawed the terrorist group last month because of pressure from a "Zionist party" that he said "controls 90% of the Canadian media."

"The most stubborn party benefiting from this subject is the Zionist party that exists in Canada," he was quoted as saying. "As you know this party controls 90% of the Canadian media. It takes instructions and help from many Zionist organizations either in Canada or abroad."…



In addition to the National Post (which published the above story), CanWest Global Communications Corp. now owns 14 large city dailies, 120 smaller dailies and weeklies, and Canada’s second-largest private broadcaster, the Global TV network. CanWest’s Executive Chairman and admitted Zionist, Israel ‘Izzy’ Asper, was quoted on January 30 as saying "on national and international key issues we should have one, not 14, editorial positions."

You can fit everyone who controls significant Canadian media in my office," Vince Carlin, chair of the School of Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto, told the Washington Post (1/27/02). "This is not a healthy situation."

THE MYTH OF DICK CHENEY'S COMPETENCE

In the current Washington Monthly, blogtopia's own Josh Marshall argues that Dick Cheney is building a record of half-assed mistakes that totally belies his rep as the intelligent one in the administration. (Marshall's best line: "Indeed, broadly speaking, the evolution of White House Iraq policy might be described fairly as a slow process of overruling Dick Cheney. ")

The article as a whole is (predictably) excellent - and may have been too kind to Cheney. In his summary of Cheney's resume, Marshall describes Cheney as "serving--with distinction--as defense secretary under the first President Bush." Maybe, but even then there were signs that Cheney is "competence-challenged." Cheney had a series of clashes with General Schwarzkopf, in which the basic conflict was that Cheney was being an idiot, as Schwarzkopf later described (in a very polite manner) in his autobiography. From suck.com:


Having figured out that the general was being too cautious with his fourth combat command in three decades of soldiering, Cheney got his staff busy and began presenting Schwarzkopf with his own ideas about how to fight the Iraqis: What if we parachute the 82nd Airborne into the far western part of Iraq, hundreds of miles from Kuwait and totally cut off from any kind
of support, and seize a couple of missile sites, then line up along the highway and drive for Baghdad? Schwarzkopf charitably describes the plan as being "as bad as it could possibly be... But despite our criticism, the western excursion wouldn't die: three times in that week alone Powell called with new variations from Cheney's staff. The most bizarre involved capturing a town in western Iraq and offering it to Saddam in exchange for Kuwait."

POT-SMOKING MOTORIST NOT GUILTY OF IMPAIRED DRIVING

PEMBROKE, ONT. - A man from the Ottawa Valley who was pulled over while smoking a marijuana joint has been found not guilty of driving while impaired.

Rick Reimer, a retired lawyer from Killaloe, Ont., has been granted an exemption by Health Canada to smoke marijuana to help him with his multiple sclerosis.

In February 2002, he was pulled over for crossing the centre line. The officer noticed that he was smoking a joint and charged him with impaired driving.

But Reimer, who defended himself in the case, insists that marijuana does not impair his ability to drive…

Reimer called several of his friends to testify in the case and they said they drive while smoking pot, too. Some said it made their driving better…

ACQUITTED BRITISH TERROR SUSPECT DIES
(part of our ongoing examination of the non-Muslim hiring practices of Al Qaeda)

LONDON -- The first Muslim to be tried under British terrorism laws after the Sept. 11 attacks has died following knee surgery, his lawyer said Thursday.

Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, 44, who was acquitted of charges he ran a weapons training program for terrorists, died Dec. 22 at Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge, west London, said his attorney Maddassar Arani…

He was born Francis Etim in central London and changed his name when he converted to Islam in 1979.



TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Which of the following radical Muslim fundamentalists has yet to be linked to Al QAEDA?

A) SULAYMAN BALAL ZAINULABIDIN
claim to fame: alleged to have recruited and trained terrorists
converted to Islam: 1979
answers to: Francis


B) SULEYMAN AL-FARIS
claim to fame: alleged to have fought as the ‘American Taliban’
converted to Islam: 1997
answers to: John

C) ABDEL RAHIM
claim to fame: alleged ‘shoe bomber’
converted to Islam: mid-1990s
answers to: Richard

D) ABDULLAH AL-MUHAJIR
claim to fame: alleged ‘dirty bomb’ suspect
converted to Islam: 1994
answers to: Jose

E) YUSUF ISLAM
claim to fame: alleged to have sold 30 million albums
converted to Islam: 1976
answers to: Cat Stevens

U.S. SAYS KNOWS 'FOR A FACT' IRAQ HAS WEAPONS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House insisted on Thursday that it knows "for a fact" that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction but provided no evidence, saying it will wait to see where U.N. inspections lead.

"The heart of the problem is Iraq is very good at hiding things" said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

U.S. officials took little comfort in the latest report from chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix saying arms experts after two months of looking have found no "smoking gun" proving Iraq has banned weapons.

"Well, the problem with guns that are hidden is you can't see their smoke. And so, we will still wait to see what the inspectors find in Iraq and what events in Iraq lead to," Fleischer told reporters…"We know for a fact that there are weapons there," he said, and added that the burden was on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to disarm.

The United States, keeping with past practice, did not reveal what evidence it possesses proving Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Washington says Iraq has chemical and biological weapons and is attempting to develop a nuclear bomb…



North Korea announces its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty because it may interfere with nuclear and ballistic missile programs they've been working on and Washington continues to stress Iraq may be 'attempting to develop a nuclear bomb.'

As with the 9/11 evidence against Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, the U.S. Government
can't reveal the evidence it possesses proving Iraq has weapons of mass destruction because they're lying about it.

GERMAN FACES JAIL FOR CONGRATULATING 9/11 TERRORISTS

A German man may face jail for up to three years over a comment posted on the internet, in which he is accused of degrading the September 11 attacks.

Holger Voss, who posted his remarks on the German message board Telepolis, is accused of "glorification of a criminal act", but insists his comments were supposed to be sarcastic…

The allegedly offensive remarks were made in response to a message posted by another internet user using the name Engine_of_Aggression, who wrote "congratulations to the people, who in this over-critical time, dare to grab evil at its root and eradicate it from the face of the earth!"

Holger Voss answered by writing "Yes, congratulations to the murderers of 11.09.02….Good, that on 11.09 a couple of real men found the courage to show the evil ones, the USA how it really is!"…



Myth-propagating Germans who take the name of sarcasm in vain deserve far more than 3 years without CNN.

PLAN WOULD GIVE U.S. A SAY ON OUR ENERGY

OTTAWA — Canada could give up the ability to regulate its energy resources if a sweeping proposal being discussed by Foreign Affairs and International Trade officials is accepted.

The officials are developing a proposal to broaden and extend the U.S.-Canada border accord to a far-reaching continental approach to the North American economy that could eliminate Canadian regulation of its energy resources…

According to a two-page internal memo obtained by the Star, ‘Securing Growth: Beyond The Border Accord’, "the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001" risked undermining the North American market, but the Smart Border Declaration [signed by John Manley, Dec. 12, 2001] succeeded in increasing border security and making it easier for legitimate trade to continue.

The memo stresses that business leaders in Canada and the U.S. have been urging the two governments to do more…



I hope they pick a cool logo.

Choose Life.

Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself.

Choose your future.

Choose life.

FLU-RELATED DEATHS ARE UP FOURFOLD SINCE '70S

Despite the advent of a vaccine four decades ago, flu-related deaths in the United States have risen dramatically since the 1970s, and influenza now claims more lives each year than AIDS, researchers say…

The U.S. death toll surged fourfold, from 16,263 in 1976-77 to 64,684 in 1998-99, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Flu deaths now average about 36,000 a year, up from 20,000 in previous estimates, the CDC said…

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said the news "that influenza may be taking an even larger toll than we have realized" underscores the importance of flu shots…



Skip the shot and take your chances with Al Qaeda.

THE BUSH ECONOMIC PLAN

President Bush formally annouced his 2003 economic stimulus, homeland security, healthcare, environmental protection, education, and perscription drug plans today in a speech at the Economic Club of Chicago. "Tax cuts," said the President. When pressed for details, Bush added "you know, for the wealthy."
- Defective Yeti

U.S. CAN HOLD CITIZENS AS COMBATANTS

WASHINGTON –– U.S. citizens overseas who take up arms against their country can be held as enemy combatants without the constitutional rights afforded other Americans, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond., Va., affirms President Bush's authority to detain indefinitely American citizens captured in foreign battles or those who participate in terrorist attacks against U.S. interests...



The U.S. Government continues to insist that enemy combatants, prisoners of the War on Terrorism, are not subject to the protections of the Geneva Convention because 'they're not prisoners of a real war.'
- anonymous White House official

EU CODEMNS ISRAEL

The greek presidency of the EU condemned the decision of the Israel Government to block the departure of Palestinian officials for London, as well as the movements of senior Palestinians in general, does not contribute to the efforts made by the international community to carry forward the reform process and to bring an end to the violence.

According to a communique from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this decision perpetuates hatred and extremism. Hence, the presidency of the EU calls upon the Israeli Government to reconsider this decision and to immediately lift the ban on the movement of Palestinian officials.

PARIS UNIVERSITY BOYCOTT RAISES FRENCH FUROR

LONDON - French politicians, media and academics have joined forces to denounce an attempted academic boycott of Israel, in response to a petition by a leading Paris university demanding that the European Union bar the country from research programs…

Nevertheless, the university did not withdraw the petition, which says "Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza has made education and research impossible for our Palestinian colleagues" and argues that continued scientific cooperation between the EU and Israel "will be interpreted as support for Israel's current policies."…

The decision by the faculty sparked a wave of denunciations in the mainstream French media. Le Monde, Le Figaro and La Liberation all published editorials on the importance of maintaining ties with Israel's academic institutions, arguing that these institutions serve as a moderating influence and as a place where Jews and Arabs can interact...



In a shocking turn of events, Ariel Sharon double-crossed the 'moderating influence' of the French media by closing "the places where Jews and Arabs can interact."

BIN LADEN'S DEPUTY CALLS FOR ATTACKS ON "ALL AMERICANS"

Osama bin Laden's Egyptian lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, has called for attacks on "all Americans", in a message attributed to him and sent to Cairo lawyer Montasser al-Zayyat.

"By God, do not prevent new Muslim souls from taking part in the Jihad (holy war), which consists of killing all Americans, just like they kill us all," Zawahri purportedly said in an e-mail, the lawyer told AFP…

The lawyer, who often represents Islamists on trial in Egypt, said he was convinced the message came from Zawahri.

Bin Laden's right-hand man in the al-Qaeda terror network also backed a recent decision by Egyptian Islamists to stop attacks in their home country. "As for the halt to operations in Egypt, this is the voice of reason," he said...



TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

This most recent ‘news’ article failed to describe Ayman al-Zawahri as Osama Bin Laden’s,

a) deputy
b) lieutenant
c) right-hand man
d) buddy

BUSH VOWS 'HEALTHY AND GROWING' ECONOMY

U.S. President George W. Bush unveiled his $670-billion (U.S.) "jobs and growth package" Tuesday, vowing to create jobs and put the shine back on the world's biggest economy.

"We can not be satisfied until every part of the economy is healthy and growing," Mr. Bush said during a televised address from the Economic Club of Chicago…



Any claims that the benefits of this tax cut would be spread broadly across a growing "investor class" would be misleading:

-Nearly two-thirds of the benefits of exempting corporate dividends from the individual income tax would flow to the top five percent of the population, because these taxpayers own the lion’s share of stocks. (The top five percent includes tax filers with incomes over $140,000; these filers have average income of $350,000.)

-The top one percent of tax filers — a group whose incomes start at $330,000 and that has average income of about $1 million — would receive 42 percent of the benefits.

-Those with incomes over $1 million — the top 0.2 percent of tax filers, with an average income that exceeds $3 million — would receive nearly one-quarter of the tax-cut benefits.

-In fact, the group with incomes over $1 million — which consists of about 226,000 tax filers in 2003 — would receive roughly as much in benefits as the 120 million tax filers with incomes below $100,000. Stated another way, the top 0.2 percent of tax filers would receive nearly as much from this tax cut as the bottom 90 percent of filers combined.
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

From the Ari Fleischer files,
'reminding all Americans that they need to watch what they say and watch what they do.'


White House Press Briefing - Jan 6, 2003

Question: At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the President deplored the taking of innocent lives. Does that apply to all innocent lives in the world? And I have a follow-up.

Ari Fleischer: I refer specifically to a horrible terrorist attack on Tel Aviv that killed scores and wounded hundreds. And the President, as he said in his statement yesterday, deplores in the strongest terms the taking of those lives and the wounding of those people, innocents in Israel.

Question: My follow-up is, why does he want to drop bombs on innocent Iraqis?

Ari Fleischer: Helen, the question is how to protect Americans, and our allies and friends--

Question: They're not attacking you.

Ari Fleischer: -- from a country --

Question: Have they laid the glove on you or on the United States, the Iraqis, in 11 years?

Ari Fleischer: I guess you have forgotten about the Americans who were killed in the first Gulf War as a result of Saddam Hussein's aggression then.

Question: Is this revenge, 11 years of revenge?

Ari Fleischer: Helen, I think you know very well that the President's position is that he wants to avert war, and that the President has asked the United Nations to go into Iraq to help with the purpose of averting war.

Question: Would the President attack innocent Iraqi lives?

Ari Fleischer: The President wants to make certain that he can defend our country, defend our interests, defend the region, and make certain that American lives are not lost.

Question: And he thinks they are a threat to us?

Ari Fleischer: There is no question that the President thinks that Iraq is a threat to the United States.

Question: The Iraqi people?

Ari Fleischer: The Iraqi people are represented by their government. If there was regime change, the Iraqi --

Question: So they will be vulnerable?

Ari Fleischer: Actually, the President has made it very clear that he has not dispute with the people of Iraq. That's why the American policy remains a policy of regime change. There is no question the people of Iraq --

Question: That's a decision for them to make, isn't it? It's their country.

Ari Fleischer: Helen, if you think that the people of Iraq are in a position to dictate who their dictator is, I don't think that has been what history has shown.

Question: I think many countries don't have -- people don't have the decision -- including us.

(Ari moves on)

FBI HEAD NOT TO TESTIFY IN GERMAN SEPT 11 TRIAL

HAMBURG, Germany, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The United States has again refused to allow the FBI director to testify in the first trial of a suspected September 11 plotter, a German court said on Tuesday.

A judge told the Hamburg court the U.S. Justice Department had rejected a second request for FBI Director Robert Muller to testify against Moroccan student Mounir El Motassadeq.

Motassadeq is charged with serving as the paymaster of the al Qaeda cell in Hamburg accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The judge also said the United States had rejected requests for September 11 co-plotter Ramzi bin al-Shaibah, now in U.S. custody at a secret location and considered a main witness, to testify.

"It will now be impossible to learn the truth," defence lawyer Hans Leistritz said afterwards...



The U.S. Government continues to 'plead the fifth' because they are guilty.

ALERT: 5 Middle Eastern Men (volume eleventy)

The U.S. Government, the FBI and the mainstream media went from 24 hours of admitting the alert for five Middle Eastern men was a hoax to a full day of blaming their most recent terror campaign on an informant named Michael John Hamdani, an immigrant-smuggling suspect jailed in Canada since October. A chorus of anonymous carbon-based officials speculate that Hamdani may have fabricated the information to try to get a lighter sentence when he faces charges in New York (Hamdani's lawyer, Deepak Paradkar, denies that).

Ironically, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the extradition hearing for Michael John Hamdani may be held in secret.



JUDGE SEALS ALL FILES OF WANTED MAN

TORONTO -- The extradition hearing for Michael John Hamdani may be held in secret as a result of an extraordinary ruling by an Ontario Superior Court judge.

Justice Terrance O'Connor issued a sweeping sealing order that prohibits the release of even the location or date of the next court appearance for Mr. Hamdani, according to lawyers on both sides of the case.

Evidence in the extradition proceeding against the Brampton resident, who is wanted by U.S. authorities on a charge of possessing false documents, has also been ordered sealed...

News media have reported that Mr. Hamdani, 44, provided information to the RCMP about an alleged smuggling ring that prompted the FBI to issue an alert on Dec. 28 for five men of Middle Eastern background.

An RCMP spokesman again questioned those reports yesterday.

"The RCMP has never acknowledged any link between Mr. Hamdani and the five persons of interest," said Sgt. Paul Marsh...



The U.S. Government, the FBI and the mainstream media have yet to communicate with Michael Hamdani.

Think about it.

From the Ari Fleischer files,
'reminding all Americans that they need to watch what they say and watch what they do.'


White House Press Briefing - Jan 6, 2003

Question: Ari, other than Elliot Abrams, how many convicted criminals are on the White House staff?

Ari Fleischer: You tell me, Russell.

Question: Could you give a list of convicted criminals on the White House staff, other than Elliot Abrams?

Ari Fleischer: I'll go right to the convicted criminals division and ask them.

Question: Seriously, why isn't being convicted of a crime a disqualifier for being on the White House staff?

Ari Fleischer: Russell, this is an issue that you like to repeat every briefing --

Question: But you don't answer it Ari.

Ari Fleischer: -- I refer you to the repeat that I gave you the third time that you asked, which masked the second, which corresponded to the first.

Question: Why isn't it a disqualifier?

(Ari moves on)

FAKE INFILTRATION

ABC News - The FBI has concluded the information that led to a nationwide hunt for five men suspected of infiltrating the United States on Christmas Eve was fabricated by [an] informant, sources told ABCNEWS…

Based on [the informant's] information, the FBI issued an alert that launched an all-out effort by law enforcement officials, who feared terrorists might be seeking to attack Americans during New Year's celebrations…

The FBI had released pictures of five men, and President Bush authorized an all-points bulletin to find them. "We need to know why they have been smuggled into the country and what they're doing in the country," Bush told reporters at the time…



Fake Infiltration - no kidding - what was the first clue?

Two days prior to New Years Eve, the White House, the FBI and the mainstream media launched a primetime campaign to alert (code for ‘scare the fuck out of’) the American public to five Middle Eastern men who may have slipped into the U.S. from Canada. The faces of these armed and dangerous, albeit fictional, characters were on every channel and in every newspaper.

In the hours that followed, the American Press was hard at work detailing the numerous ‘sightings’ that were soon reported all over the country (reminds me of all the heart-wrenching 'phone calls' made from those ill-fated planes). Canada's National Post, fortunate enough to find its own witness willing to share in her ordeal, took the opportunity to lambast the Canadian government for being 'soft on terrorism', unprepared to protect Canada’s borders and unwilling to commit to the military spending required for these dangerous times.

As Steven Wright would describe it:

Five men suspected of infiltrating the United States on Christmas Eve was fabricated by a
guy named Eddie…

…and I'm pretty sure he had something to do with the Pyramids.

NUCLEAR CHIEF: NO 'SMOKING GUN' IN IRAQ

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.N. agency searching for evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq said Monday that so far it has not found evidence of one.

Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said inspectors have found no proof that Iraq lied about nuclear weapons in its declaration on weapons of mass destruction presented to the United Nations.

Iraqi officials said the declaration stated that Iraq has no prohibited weapons.

ElBaradei said the agency's laboratory tests of samples taken in Iraq so far have found nothing suspicious...

US OFFICIAL DENIES DECISION ALREADY TAKEN TO ATTACK IRAQ

NEW DELHI, Jan 6 (AFP) - The United States has not taken any decision to attack Iraq, a top official traveling here said Monday.

Richard Haass, director of policy planning for the US State Department, said the United States was "working with the Iraqis to persuade them to cooperate," and denied plans to attack were set in stone.

Haass, on a two-day visit to India, said the United States wanted to see an Iraq without weapons of mass destruction, under a government which no longer "oppresses people."...



President Bush, snarling in an old jacket from Top Gun's prop-department, called Saddam Hussein's regime a 'grave threat' and scathingly dismissed its claim that it has no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons (there are currently 60,000 troops in the Gulf region, with another 70,000 on the way).

ISRAEL UPS PRESSURE ON PALESTINIANS

Israel has ordered its military to step up what it calls targeted operations against Palestinian militants after a double suicide bombing killed 23 people and two bombers on Sunday...

Last month, Mr Sharon defended the killing of selected Palestinian militants, saying it remained necessary. Other retaliatory measures agreed by Israeli ministers include:

-Not allowing Palestinian officials to attend talks in London later this month

-Preventing the Palestinian Central Council from meeting on Thursday in Ramallah

-The closure of three Palestinian universities accused by Israel of "inciting terrorism"

-Stricter travel restrictions on senior Palestinian officials, whose cars will be inspected when crossing from one area of the West Bank to another...



In a CNN interview this morning, Benjamin Netanyahu told Paula Zahn that he had proof that Palestinian children were being taught 'suicide-bombing' in kindergarten. Makes one wonder if having Israeli 'Defence' Forces in every town in the occuppied territories is enough.

WHITE HOUSE ANGER AT BOOK BY BUSH 'AXIS OF EVIL' SPEECHWRITER

Former Bush speechwriter David Frum -- credited with the phrase 'Axis of Evil' -- has infuriated top officials at the White House with his controversial new book, the first insider account of the W. Bush Administration, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Frum helped make international headlines when President Bush's 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

But now Axis Man must walk a fine line between the art of hyping a book and overshadowing a president's own words and policy…



'Axis of Evil' being penned by Bush's economic speech writer is telling, in itself.

DAVID FRUM'S 'AXIS OF EVIL'
AUTHORIAL VANITY STRIKES THE BUSH WHITE HOUSE

One of the occupational frustrations for established writers who become speechwriters is the absence of a byline. Apparently it's a frustration for their wives, too. Today Chatterbox was forwarded an e-mail apparently sent to family and friends by Danielle Crittenden, wife to White House speechwriter David Frum. Like her husband, Crittenden is a reasonably well-known Washington writer. Here's the e-mail...



Frum would later claim that the phrase he coined was not "axis of evil," but "all Palestinians must die."

'ISRAEL LIKE NAZI GERMANY' - ROW SPREADS

A Welsh politician was today accused of gross anti-Semitism after comparing Israel to Nazi Germany.

Labour councillor Ray Davies condemned Israel's "apartheid regime" and likened it to Hitler's occupation of Europe.

The councillor, from Caerphilly, south Wales, said: "Hitler's Nazi regime occupied Europe for four years only. Palestine and the West Bank have been occupied for 40 years."

His comments provoked outrage from the Israeli community.

Jean Evans, the director of the Israel information centre for Wales and the west of England, said: "This is a gross insult to Jews.

"It is anti-Semitic to compare Israel to Nazi Germany. There is no genocide in Israel. Experiments are not carried out on women and twins. Palestinians' fat is not turned into soap or their skin into lampshades…

US SPURNS SEOUL PLEA FOR NORTH KOREA 'GUARANTEE'

The United States and South Korea found themselves at loggerheads yesterday as Washington flatly rejected a suggestion by Seoul that it guarantee North Korea's security.

The public rift came as a source close to the administration said they were inclined to let the Stalinist nation "stew in its own juice" rather than give in to nuclear blackmail.

In a sign of how the 50-year-old US-South Korean alliance has drifted, a top aide to South Korea's president-elect Roh Moo-hyun echoed demands from North Korea that the US should sign a formal non-aggression treaty.

"We are working on a mediation proposal that asks for a concession from both US President George Bush and the North Korean leader," he said.

North Korea, which portrays its recent decision to restart its nuclear weapons programme as an act of self-defence, wants a categorical guarantee from the US never to invade or attack.

The North Korean ambassador to China, Choe Jin-su, yesterday held a rare press conference to declare: "If the US legally assures us of security by concluding a non-aggression treaty, the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula will be settled."...



Dealing with the Empire can be difficult.

FALL IN DOLLAR UNDERMINES MANUFACTURING

Manufacturers in Britain and Europe entered the new year in a dismal state, after the fall in the U.S. dollar undermined exports to the American market last month, new surveys showed yesterday.

The Chartered Institute for Purchasing and Supply blamed the dollar's slide for the first fall below 50 in its key activity indicator for UK manufacturing since July. Readings below 50 signal that the sector is contracting.

"Total order books were reported to have been undermined by the uncompetitive nature of UK manufacturers abroad. US dollar markets were reported to have been particularly tight, owing to the weakness of the American currency," CIPS said.

Sterling rose 4% against the dollar in December and is up more than 10% on a year ago.

The overall PMI index slipped to 49.5% from 50.1 in November, the first reading below the 50 level since July, prompting fears that weak recovery at the end of last year may already be running out of steam. "This is pretty gloomy and supports the idea that the sector is heading back into recession," said Jonathan Loynes at consultancy Capital Economics. "And it is not just global demand that is causing the trouble but industry just cannot compete at these exchange rate levels."...



The sector is 'heading back' into recession.

ARIEL SHARON'S SHAKEDOWN- by Pat Buchanan

“Tough Love for United,” exclaimed the Wall Street Journal, as it congratulated Uncle Sam for stiffing United Airlines’ plea for $1.8 billion in loan guarantees. Rebuffed, the beloved old airline had to declare its bankruptcy.

It’s all for the best, the Journal assures us, “maybe this tough love rejection will start a new government precedent, or at least we can dream.” Fine. May we now expect the Journal to call on Mr. Bush to reject the $10 billion in loan guarantees demanded by Ariel Sharon? Don’t bet on it.

Yet, Sharon’s demand is astonishing in its audacity. California and New York face huge budget shortfalls. The U.S. Treasury is running a deficit nearing $200 billion. Yet, Sharon, who ignored Bush when the president publicly called on him to pull his army out of West Bank cities, is demanding that U.S. taxpayers fork over $4 billion in new military aid and agree to pay off $10 billion Israel intends to borrow should Israel decide to default.

Why should we do this? What does America get out of this? What has all the $100 billion in aid we have shoveled out to Israel bought us, other than ingratitude and the enmity of the Arab world?...

ISRAELI FURY OVER BRITISH 'ARMS BAN'

ISRAEL has accused Britain of imposing a covert arms embargo that could compromise its air defences in a war against Iraq.

The diplomatic dispute between Washington’s two closest allies centres on Israeli protests that Britain has delayed the export of key spare parts without which Israel may have to ground its ageing fleet of Phantom fighter-bombers.

“This is a major cloud in our bilateral relations with Britain,” Victor Harel, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official, said last night.

British officials deny imposing any boycott, covert or otherwise, but confirm that all military exports to Israel are carefully scrutinised to ensure that they are not used against Palestinians in the occupied territories. “We won’t export anything that could be used for external aggression or internal repression,” a Foreign Office spokesman said…

U.S. AGENTS OPERATING IN IRAQ: ANALYSTS

WASHINGTON—About 100 U.S. special forces members and more than 50 Central Intelligence Agency officers have been operating in small groups inside Iraq for at least four months, searching for Scud missile launchers, monitoring oil fields, marking minefield sites, and using lasers to help U.S. pilots bomb Iraqi air-defence systems, according to intelligence officials and military analysts…

Even as U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated on Friday that it is not too late to avert war if Saddam fully complies with the U.N. weapons inspections, military analysts say that the bombing, almost daily, by U.S. jets over the mandated no-fly zone, coupled with CIA officers operating inside Iraq, means that a quiet, barely noticed fight has been unfolding.

"We're bombing practically every day as we patrol the no-fly zones, taking out air defence batteries, and there are all kinds of CIA and special forces operations going on. So I would call it the beginning of a war," said Timur Eads, a former U.S. special operations officer for 20 years who took part in missions inside Iraq in the 1990s…