November 7, 2008 the Next Day...Focus The Committee

MEMBERSHIP OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE


OFF THE TABLE HAD A BAD DAY TODAY!

Three of four procedural votes in the impeachment scenario passed. Now the resolution resides in the Judiciary committee. Once the committee makes its decision the final vote will be on whether Cheney should be impeached by the house of reps.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1037.xml The no section is in favor of impeachment on this one. Thank republicans for this one. (Defeat of Tabling)

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1038.xml This vote was to consider putting it to the judiciary committee (Close the Question)

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1039.xml This vote sends it to the judicary committee (Refer)

This is simply informational and I will have much more to say after a bit more time to digest the votes and the game that was played out today…very interesting.


Click Here: Dennis Kucinich: Standing Tall In The House As Cheney Impeachment Bill Advances

DEMOCRAT

*Hon. John Conyers, Jr.
(D) Michigan, 14th

Hon. Berman
(D) California, 28th

Hon. Boucher
(D) Virginia, 9th

Hon. Nadler
(D) New York, 8th

Hon. Scott
(D) Virginia, 3rd

Hon. Watt
(D) North Carolina, 12th

Hon. Lofgren
(D) California, 16th

Hon. Jackson Lee
(D) Texas, 18th

Hon. Waters
(D) California, 35th

Hon. Delahunt
(D) Massachusetts, 10th

Hon. Wexler
(D) Florida, 19th

Hon. Sánchez
(D) California, 39th

Hon. Cohen
(D) Tennessee, 9th

Hon. Johnson
(D) Georgia, 4th

Hon. Sutton
(D) Ohio, 13th

Hon. Gutierrez
(D) Illinois, 4th

Hon. Sherman
(D) California, 27

Hon. Baldwin
(D) Wisconsin, 2nd

Hon. Weiner
(D) New York, 9th

Hon. Schiff
(D) California, 29th

Hon. Davis
(D) Alabama , 7th

Hon. Wasserman Schultz
(D) Florida, 20th

Hon. Ellison
(D) Minnesota, 5th

REPUBLICAN

*Hon. Lamar S. Smith

(R) Texas, 21st

Hon. Sensenbrenner Jr.
(R) Wisconsin, 5th

Hon. Coble
(R) North Carolina, 6th

Hon. Gallegly
(R) California, 24th

Hon. Goodlatte
(R) Virginia, 6th

Hon. Chabot
(R) Ohio, 1st

Hon. Lungren
(R) California, 3rd

Hon. Cannon
(R) Utah, 3rd

Hon. Keller
(R) Florida, 8th

Hon. Issa
(R) California, 49th

Hon. Pence
(R) Indiana, 6th

Hon. Forbes
(R) Virginia, 4th

Hon. King
(R) Iowa, 5th

Hon. Feeney
(R) Florida, 24th

Hon. Franks
(R) Arizona, 2nd

Hon. Gohmert
(R) Texas, 1st

Hon. Jordan
(R) Ohio, 4th

THE TASK NOW IS TO GET ON THESE COMMITTEE MEMBERS SO THE ISSUE IS NOT BURIED IN COMMITTEE. TODAY IS THE FIRST TIME THAT ALL MEDIA OUTLETS HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE!

Cheney impeachment buried in committee
Chicago Tribune - United Statesby Matthew Hay Brown House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wasn't able to table the articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney, but he appears ...See all stories on this topic

Cheney impeachment buried in committee
by Matthew Hay Brown

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wasn’t able to table the articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney, but he appears to have found another way to kill them.

After Republicans voted to force a debate on the measure introduced today by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Democrats voted to refer it without further discussion to the House Judiciary Committee, where Chairman John Conyers has expressed his reluctance to take the matter up.

The articles of impeachment proposed by Kucinich charge Cheney with misleading Congress and the American public into the war in Iraq, and trying now to mislead lawmakers and voters into a war with Iran. The Ohio Democrat, who is also running for president, has gathered 21 co-sponsors for the effort.

Party leaders have sought to avoid debate on an issue that divides their base. But Hoyer’s attempt to table the matter ran into opposition from Republicans, who wanted to see just such a spectacle.

"We're going to help them out, to explain themselves," Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican, told the Associated Press. "We’re going to give them their day in court."

In what amounted to a game of legislative chicken, Republicans looking to force a debate were joined by Democrats who back impeachment to defeat the motion to table, 251-162.

Then Hoyer moved to send the measure to committee. That tactic reunified Democrats: those who back impeachment can say they moved the process along; those who don’t can say they sent it off to die. Before the vote, Conyers had warned that impeachment could open a split that could disrupt the majority for the remainder of the 110th Congress.

That motion passed in a largely party-line vote, 218-194.

Hoyer, caught off guard by the GOP maneuver, called it “a continuation of Republicans’ gotcha games that achieve nothing more than short-term entertainment for themselves.”

“I am surprised that Republicans would treat an issue as important as the potential impeachment of a vice president of the United States as a petty political game,” he said in a statement.

And the House moved on to a happier subject for Democrats: The Water Resources Development Act -- a veto by President Bush that Congress can override.

Group backs Cheney impeachment
The Times of Trenton - NJ.com - Trenton,NJ,USAby The Times PRINCETON BOROUGH -- A group of area residents gathered on Monday night at the SuzÂanne Paterson Center to support the impeachment of Vice ...See all stories on this topic

Cheney Impeachment Resolution Sent to House Committee
Washington Post - United StatesThe House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed ...See all stories on this topic

Peace and Impeachment in Los Angeles
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USAYoung people turned out too and are creating their own events with Ann. Los Angeles even has a busy office known as the Los Angeles National Impeachment ...See all stories on this topic

Kucinich Pushes Cheney Impeachment
By David M. Herszenhorn The longshot Democratic candidate for president tries to push his cause, and Republicans respond by trying to embarrass the Democratic-controlled House.The Caucus - http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

cheney impeachment
By admin Articles of Impeachment To Be Filed On Cheney - The Sleuth But for some reason, it seems just barely possible that they might feel better about supporting a Cheney impeachment bid. ... http://blog.washingtonpost.com/ ...- http://getdigg.com

Dems will crush Kucinich's impeachment drive
By Bryan Too bad. It would be nice to make them all vote on Kucinich's nonsense, and kill it, so it would go away for good. [...] Read the rest »Hot Air » Top Picks - http://hotair.com

Rep's Conyers/Ellison/Waters Discuss Impeachment By Jennifer Umolac
By dandelionsalad On Tuesday, October 23rd, Impeach for Peace was granted a meeting with Representative John Conyers in Washington DC to discuss H. Res 333 and the status of impeachment. The meeting took place in the Judiciary Offices of the Rayburn ...Dandelion Salad - http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.

NJ roll call on impeachment motion
By Herb Jackson Everything looked like the motion to table would go through, then Republicans -- apparently motivated by polls that show the public doesn't want Congress spending time on impeachment -- began to switch their votes to force Congress to ...Capital Games - http://njmg.typepad.com/herbjackson/

IF YOU DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ALL OF DENNIS’S REMARKS REGARDING IRAN; READ THESE PLEASE

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L024165.htm

http://www.topix.com/forum/us/navy

http://www.topix.com/forum/us/navy/T7VCPE1VD63L77ML8

http://justanothercoverup.com/?p=308%20

Nov 04, 2007
US Navy starts exercises in Gulf waters
... previous LONDON) MANAMA, Nov 2 - The US Navy began a series of exercises in the Gulf and wider Gulf waters on Friday involving a US aircraft carrier and two ...
Nov 02, 2007

US Navy starts exercises in Gulf waters
MANAMA - The US Navy began a series of exercises in the Gulf and wider Gulf waters on Friday involving a US aircraft carrier and two expeditionary assault ships ...
Nov 02, 2007

Navy starts exercises in Gulf waters
MANAMA - The US Navy began a series of exercises in the Gulf and wider Gulf waters on Friday involving a US aircraft carrier and two expeditionary assault ships ...
Nov 02, 2007

US Navy says starts naval exercises in Gulf waters
LONDON, Nov 2 - The US Navy said it had begun a series of exercises in the Gulf and wider Gulf waters on Friday involving a US aircraft carrier and two ...
Nov 02, 2007

THE REST OF THE NEWS AND REVIEWS

Cheney Impeachment Resolution Sent to House Committee 06 Nov 2007 The House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President [sic] Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed DemocRATic leaders who were forced into the parliamentary tactic to avoid a floor debate on impeachment. Led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), scores of Democrats were joined by scores of Republicans in initially supporting a Kucinich resolution that would have prompted a full debate on impeaching Cheney.

Debate on Cheney Impeachment Averted 06 Nov 2007 House Democrats on Tuesday narrowly managed to avert a bruising debate on a proposal to impeach Dick Cheney after Republicans, in a surprise maneuver, voted in favor of taking up the measure. Republicans, changing course midway through a vote, tried to force Democrats into a debate on the resolution sponsored by presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. The Ohio Democrat, in his resolution, accused Cheney of purposely leading the country into war against Iraq and manipulating intelligence about Iraq's ties with al-Qaida [al-CIAduh].

US House Democratic Leader to Block Cheney Impeachment Effort 06 Nov 2007 U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Traitor-Md., said Tuesday he will block an effort to impeach Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney. Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio has announced he will try to force a vote on Cheney's impeachment. Hoyer said he will use parliamentary tactics to table that effort.

National Lawyers Guild Votes For Impeachment of President [sic] Bush and Vice President [sic] Cheney 06 Nov 2007 The National Lawyers Guild voted unanimously and enthusiastically for the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney at its national convention in Washington, DC. The resolution lists more than a dozen high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush and Cheney administration and "calls upon the U.S. House of Representatives to immediately initiate impeachment proceedings, to investigate the charges, and if the investigation supports the charges, to vote to impeach George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney as provided in the Constitution of the United States of America."

House, Senate Approve Defense-Spending Bill 06 Nov 2007 House and Senate negotiators approved a $471.2 billion defense budget bill after rejecting Republican efforts to add $70 billion to sustain continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring. House Democrats said they are prepared to take up the war-funding issue later this week, but the sum will be closer to $50 billion and provisions could be added to press for a change in Iraq policy and impose stricter safeguards against torture of any prisoners held by the U.S.

Iraq War Funding to Move Separately From Defense Spending 06 Nov 2007 House and Senate conferees on Tuesday approved a fiscal 2008 spending bill for the 'Defense' Department that does not include funding for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. Instead, Democratic congressional leaders decided to bring to the floor a separate "bridge fund" bill for war operations that could be as much as $70 billion. The core $459.3 billion Defense spending measure does contain $11.6 billion in emergency funding for vehicles to protect troops in Iraq from improvised explosive devices Bush's corpora-terrorists.

2007 Is Deadliest Year for U.S. Troops in Iraq 07 Nov 2007 Six American soldiers were killed in three separate attacks Monday, the military said Tuesday, taking the number of deaths this year to 852 and making 2007 the deadliest year of the war for United States troops.

Deadliest year for US troops in Iraq as six more killed 06 Nov 2007 Six American troops have been killed in bomb attacks in Iraq, the US military said on Tuesday, making 2007 the deadliest year for the American forces since the invasion. According to an AFP tally based on Pentagon figures, 851 US soldiers have died so far this year in Iraq, against 846 in 2004, the previous most lethal year for the American military since the US-led invasion of March 2003.

22 bodies found in mass grave in Iraq 06 Nov 2007 Twenty-two bodies have been discovered in a mass grave north-west of Baghdad, according to the US military. Twenty-five bodies were also found in a mass grave in the same area last month.

Over 100 killed, injured in suicide attack in N Afghanistan 07 Nov 2007 A suicide bomb blast killed and injured more than 100 people, including six parliamentarians in northern Afghan province of Baglan on Tuesday afternoon, local officials said.

Private security firms lack supervision in wars: UN 06 Nov 2007 Private security companies operate without supervision or accountability in war zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and represent a new form of mercenary activity, a United Nations report said on Tuesday. The United States' reliance on private contractors has fuelled a growing demand for former police and military personnel in developing countries to be recruited as "security guards" who in fact serve as private armed soldiers, it said.

Armed Forces 'are so overstretched they will need a decade to recover' 05 Nov 2007 The Armed Forces are "running on empty", overstretched by the long-running operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report on the state of the military. "The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have seriously diminished the ability of the Armed Forces to meet future challenges," the think-tank Demos said.

Armed forces 'at breaking-point' 05 Nov 2007 Britain's armed forces need up to a decade to recover from their current operations as they are "running on empty" at present, a report has warned. Thinktank Demos concludes in its Out of Step report on the relationship between Britain's military and the government that the military covenant is "damaged" and needs to be revised.

Role playing a nightmare scenario for U.S. energy policy 02 Nov 2007 War in Iran. Gasoline rationing. A military draft. A Chinese takeover of Taiwan. Double-digit inflation and unemployment. The draining of the strategic petroleum reserve. This is where current energy policy is going in the United States, according to a nightmare scenario played out as a policy-making exercise on Thursday by a group of former top government officials.

Nomination of Mukasey Sent to Full Senate 06 Nov 2007 The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning endorsed the nomination of [waterboard-waffler] Michael B. Mukasey to be attorney general, virtually assuring his confirmation by the full Senate. The vote was 11 to 8, with two DemocRATs, Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, joining all nine Republicans on the panel in backing the nominee.

Senate panel moves Mukasey nomination forward 06 Nov 2007 A divided Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved waterborad-waffler Michael Mukasey as U.S. attorney general despite concerns about the retired judge's refusal to denounce simulated drowning as unlawful torture.

Terrorist jailed over failed July 21 bomb plot 06 Nov 2007 A British terrorist who helped plot the failed suicide bomb attacks on July 21 has been sentenced to nearly seven years in jail. Adel Yahya, 24, a student from Tottenham, North London, admitted collecting information [!] useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Crude oil rallies to new high at $97 a barrel 06 Nov 2007 Crude-oil futures rallied nearly 3% to a new all-time high Tuesday, joining a broad commodities rally, boosted by expectations [?!?] for a drop in crude inventories and weakness in the dollar. Crude for December delivery rallied $2.72 at $96.70 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, crude hit a new record high of $97. [See: Exxon Mobil: $9.4B profit in 3 months 01 Nov 2007.]

FEMA closing post-Katrina trailer parks 05 Nov 2007 The U.S. government is closing many of the temporary trailer parks in Orleans Parish, La., that were set up for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many residents of the trailer parks say they are having trouble finding replacement lodgings at reasonable prices while the Federal Emergency Management Agency closes down the temporary sites, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Monday.

House Judiciary Committee threatens White House aides with contempt charges 05 Nov 2007 The US House Judiciary Committee submitted a report Monday to the House clerk accusing White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House legal counsel Harriet Miers of contempt for repeatedly failing to comply with subpoenas relating to the committee's investigation into the US Attorneys firing scandal. In a Monday letter to White House counsel Fred Fielding, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) urged White House officials to comply with subpoenas, warning that they have until November 9 to respond.

U.S. Congress sets ultimatum on subpoenas for White House 05 Nov 2007 The U.S. Congress offered the White House one last chance Monday to comply with subpoenas for documents and testimony from Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers. "I have written to you on eight previous occasions attempting to reach agreement on this matter," House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) wrote in a letter Monday to White House Counsel Fred Fielding. Conyers said he was seeking to resolve the conflict one last time even as he filed a contempt citation with the House. "As we submit the committee's contempt report to the full House, I am writing one more time to seek to resolve this issue on a cooperative basis," he wrote Conyers.

AIPAC subpoenas to put Bush team under scrutiny 04 Nov 2007 Subpoenas issued to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and other top Bush administration officials could end up shedding unprecedented light on the government's dealings with the pro-Israel lobby and the Bush regime's inner workings.

Former U.S. defense contractor convicted of bribery 06 Nov 2007 A former defense contractor was found guilty Monday of bribing former San Diego Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham with cash, trips, furniture and prostitutes to get government contracts. Brent Wilkes of Poway was convicted of all 13 counts against him, including conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and fraud.

Feds Fight Ruling on Security Letters 05 Nov 2007 The U.S. government on Monday appealed a ruling that it shouldn't be able to get personal phone, e-mail and financial records without a judge's approval, as now allowed under the USA Patriot Act. The decision to appeal the September ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero prompted the American Civil Liberties Union to put out a release quoting the unidentified plaintiff in the lawsuit. "This seems to be counterintuitive to everything I assumed about this country's commitment to free speech and the value of political discourse." The judge said the NSL statute was so improper that to let it stand might turn the law into "the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering, with an ominous free pass to the hijacking of constitutional values."

Bush readies government by executive order [dictatorship] By Kenneth T. Walsh 02 Nov 2007 [George W. Bush] has ordered his staff to prepare a variety of executive orders and administrative actions that will let him end-run Congress for the remainder of his term. This has been done by presidents before, but Bush's plans seem more extensive. White House officials say that Bush is considering a lengthy series of unilateral actions on [several] hot-button topics...

The presidency is now a criminal conspiracy By Keith Olbermann 05 Nov 2007 Study after study for generation after generation has confirmed that torture gets people to talk, torture gets people to plead, torture gets people to break, but torture does not get them to tell the truth. Of course, Mr. Bush, this isn't a problem if you don't care if the terrorist plots they tell you about are the truth or just something to stop the tormentors from drowning them. If, say, a president simply needed a constant supply of terrorist threats to keep a country scared... Now if that's what this is all about, you tortured not because you're so stupid you think torture produces confession but you tortured because you're smart enough to know it produces really authentic-sounding fiction -- well, then, you're going to need all the lawyers you can find … because that crime wouldn't just mean impeachment, would it?

That crime would mean George W. Bush is going to prison... Mr. Bush, in the seven years of your nightmare presidency [sic], this whole string of events has been transformed. From its beginning as the most neglectful protection ever of the lives and safety of the American people ... into the most efficient and cynical exploitation of tragedy for political gain in this country's history ... and, then, to the giddying prospect that you could do what the military fanatics did in Japan in the 1930s and remake a nation into a fascist state so efficient and so self-sustaining that the fascism would be nearly invisible.

Targeting Iran's oil industry could hurt America more [Right, that's why Bush is *doing it.*] 05 Nov 2007 The United States has begun increasing the pressure on Iran's lucrative oil industry, targeting individual firms for one of the first times in the nuclear standoff. But the effort remains limited — mostly because aggressive oil measures could hurt America's economy more than Iran's. The dilemma for the U.S. is clear: Hitting Iran's energy industry with strong sanctions now could cause world oil prices to spike, at a time when they are already at record levels, enriching Tehran and harming the U.S. [*Duh.*]

Scramble to insure against more oil price rises 05 Nov 2007 Energy consumers and speculators are scrambling to take out options contracts to insure themselves against oil prices rising above $100 a barrel – a further sign of growing expectations of a spike in the crude market. Some have even taken out contracts to protect themselves against prices rising to $250 a barrel in the next two years.

Gasoline prices near summer peaks on $95 crude 05 Nov 2007 U.S. retail gasoline prices have rebounded to summertime levels following the five-week bull run that has lifted crude oil prices above $96 per barrel, according to retail surveys released this week. The 17 percent jump in crude prices has pushed U.S. pump prices above $3 per gallon for the first time ever in November.

U.S. imposes sanctions to hinder Syria 05 Nov 2007 The Bush regime, trying to combat Syrian attempts to reassert control over Lebanon's political system, said Monday it was imposing economic sanctions against four people. The Treasury Department announced that it was freezing any assets the four individuals might have in U.S. financial institutions. The action also prohibits any U.S. citizen from engaging in transactions with the four. [Oh, and what was the *US* doing when it invaded *Iraq?* Was the US not trying to "assert control?"]

Bush declares Kurdish militants 'enemy of Turkey ... enemy of Iraq ... enemy of the United States' 05 Nov 2007 Dictator Bush says he has set up a tripartite arrangement for the United States to communicate with Turkey over concerns about the attacks that Kurdish militants are alleged to have mounted from inside northern Iraq. "The PKK's a terrorist organization," Bush says after a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "They're an enemy of Turkey, they're an enemy of Iraq and they're an enemy of the United States." [And Bush is an enemy of the human race.]

Bush pledges to stop PKK in bid to stave off Turkish attack on Iraq 06 Nov 2007 The threat of a full-scale Turkish invasion of northern Iraq seemed to recede yesterday, as President [sic] Bush pledged that Washington would do all in its power to stop the PKK Kurdish independence movement from launching cross-border attacks into Turkey from Iraqi Kurdistan.

$72M Iraqi Police Barracks Go Unrepaired 06 Nov 2007 More than a year after the Parsons Corporation, the American contracting giant, promised Congress that it would fix the disastrous plumbing and shoddy construction in barracks the company built at the Baghdad police academy, the ceilings are still stained with excrement, parts of the structures are crumbling and sections of the buildings are unusable because the toilets are filthy and nonfunctioning. The project, where United States inspectors found giant cracks snaking through newly built walls and human waste dripping from ceilings, became one of the most visible examples of a $45 billion American reconstruction program that is widely seen as a failure. The structures were refurbished or built from scratch at an overall cost of $72 million in American taxpayer money.

Air Force grounds F-15s in Afghanistan after Missouri crash 05 Nov 2007 A mandatory grounding of Air Force F-15s has been expanded to cover those flying combat missions over Afghanistan after a crash in Missouri last week, Air Force officials said Monday.

Israeli police who impersonated reporters to arrest a man condemned by media agencies 05 Nov 2007 Israeli police disguised themselves as a TV news crew in order to arrest a wanted Palestinian, provoking an outcry from critics who said the sting threatened to put the lives of newspeople at risk.

Climate change threatens national security -report 05 Nov 2007 Climate change could end globalization by 2040 as nations look inward to conserve scarce resources and conflicts flare when refugees flee rising seas and drought, national security experts warned on Monday. Scarcity could dictate the terms of international relations, according to Leon Fuerth of George Washington University, one of the report's authors.

Plans for crackdown on terrorism on the web 06 Nov 2007 The European Commission is to announce plans to make using the Internet to promote acts of terrorism a criminal offence. The measures will criminalise anything on the web that amounts to training for terrorism or incitement to commit terrorist acts, including guides to bomb and weapons assembly. The European Commission proposal warns that the Internet is one of the principal boosters of the processes of radicalisation and recruitment. [Start reading.]

'Al-Qaeda grooming children to attack Britain' Al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] is actively "grooming" children and young people to carry out attacks in Britain, the head of the country's domestic intelligence service said. Jonathan Evans, in his first public speech since becoming MI5 chief in April, said Britain was facing "the most immediate and acute peacetime threat" that his century-old agency has ever known.

EU seeks new tools to fight terrorism 05 Nov 2007 The EU's 27 states must collect data on air travellers and crack down on militant Web sites to better fight terrorism, the bloc's executive Commission will say on Tuesday after a new warning on the risk posed by al Qaeda [al-CIAduh].

Anger as EU plans to store airline passengers' personal details for 13 years 05 Nov 2007 The European Union's top justice official is due to unveil controversial plans that will allow the EU to store personal details of airline passengers for 13 years. It would give police in all European countries long-term access to millions of e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and payment details as part of an 'anti-terror drive', according to a copy of the plan.

Alleged 'Toronto 17' terrorist granted bail 04 Nov 2007 The oldest alleged member of the so-called "Toronto 17" group has been granted bail. Qayyum Jamal, a 44-year-old labourer from Mississauga, was arrested in June, 2006, as police accused young Muslims in their teens and early 20s of hatching a terrorist bomb plot against targets in Toronto.

Election Workers Plead No Contest In Recount-Rigging Case --Workers Rigged 2004 Presidential Recount in Ohio 05 Nov 2007 The case against two elections workers charged with rigging a recount during the 2004 presidential election coup in Cleveland was settled Monday. Prosecutors said Jacqueline Maiden and Kathleen Dreamer rigged the recount to avoid a more thorough hand-count. [See: Coup 2004.]

Ron Paul Raises More Than $4M on Guy Fawkes Day 06 Nov 2007 Historians and British schoolchildren remember Guy Fawkes as the Roman Catholic, anti-Protestant rebel who on Nov. 5, 1605, tried to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Parliament. Supporters of the Republican primary campaign of the libertarian Representative Ron Paul may remember Fawkes as a wildly successful fund-raising gimmick. On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day. Many fans of Mr. Paul know of the day primarily through a movie based on the futuristic graphic novel "V for Vendetta," in which a terrorist freedom fighter modeled after Fawkes battles a fascist government that has taken over Britain.

Crash is coming, warns top investor 04 Nov 2007 The man responsible for investing $41 billion of the State's money has warned mum-and-dad investors to prepare for a massive sharemarket crash. He says a dramatic downturn is inevitable as the rapid rate of investment is unsustainable, and the repercussions of the $300 billion subprime lending crisis in the US are yet to be felt fully.

MI5: Two thousand terrorists pose threat in Britain 06 Nov 2007 The new head of British security service MI5 Jonathan Evans said on Monday that there are at least 2,000 people in Britain who pose a threat to national security because of their support for terrorism. In his first public speech, made in Manchester, since taking the job in April, Evans said there had been a rise of 400 since November 2006 and some are young as 15.

MI5 head warns of child 'terror grooming' 05 Nov 2007 Children living in Britain are being "groomed" by al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] to carry out terrorist attacks in the UK, the head of MI5 has warned. Giving his first public speech since becoming director-general in April, Jonathan Evans said al-Qaeda is waging a "deliberate campaign" against the UK.

'Labour's plans for 90-day detention echo the power of apartheid police' 05 Nov 2007 Gordon Brown has been warned by a veteran of the South African anti-apartheid movement that he must withdraw plans to extend detention without charge or face a parliamentary battle royal. Sir Sydney Kentridge, the civil rights lawyer who represented Nelson Mandela and the family of Steve Biko, said there was no evidence to justify holding terror suspects beyond the current 28-day limit... Geoffrey Vos QC, the chairman of the Bar, also voiced concerns about the balance to be struck between national security and human rights. But his criticism was mostly aimed at America. He told the conference: "Muslim countries are not impressed with being told that they should adhere to the democratic principles of human rights and the rule of law by a nation that interns people without trial in Guantanamo."

ID cards plan behind schedule and soaring in cost, say critics 05 Nov 2007 The Government's plan to bring in identity cards is running behind schedule and the cost is soaring, according to critics. Ministers have revealed they have spent £69m on opening 59 passport interview centres that will form the core of the ID registration network.

Pentagon sends home 11 Guantanamo captives 05 Nov 2007 The Pentagon has sent home 11 more captives from its Guantanamo Bay detention centre in southeast Cuba - eight to Afghanistan and three to Jordan. A US Department of Defence statement released on Sunday did not name the men and it was not immediately possible to discover their identities through independent sources.

NSA Sought Data Before 9/11 By Shane Harris 02 Nov 2007 Beginning in February 2001, almost seven months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the government's top electronic eavesdropping organization, the National Security Agency, asked a major U.S. telecommunications carrier for information about its customers and the flow of electronic traffic across its network, according to sources familiar with the request. The carrier, Qwest Communications, refused, believing that the request was illegal unless accompanied by a court order.

West opposes legal investigation of Iran nuclear dossier: expert 05 Nov 2007 The U.S. and some European countries are by no means willing the Iranian nuclear dossier to be investigated through a "legal channel", international expert Davud Hermidas Bavand said here on Saturday.

No evidence of Iranian nuclear-weapons program, experts say 03 Nov 2007 Despite President [sic] Bush's claims that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons that could trigger ''World War III,'' experts in and out of government say there's no conclusive evidence that Tehran has an active nuclear-weapons program.

Blackwater evades U.S. taxes with 'small business' classification 05 Nov 2007 The Small Business Administration has found itself in the middle of the controversy over Blackwater USA, the private security company under fire for its actions in Iraq. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is raising questions about whether Blackwater is evading U.S. taxes by classifying its armed guards terrorists who are working in Iraq under contract to the State Department as independent contractors instead of employees. Businesses do not have to pay payroll taxes or unemployment taxes or withhold income taxes for independent contractors.

Come to work in Baghdad, pleads US mission 05 Nov 2007 Diplomats at the American embassy in Baghdad on Monday pleaded to their state department colleagues back home to come to work in Iraq -- a posting seen as one of the most dangerous in the world. "There are all kinds of opportunities here," said Patricia Butenis, the deputy chief of the US mission. "There are people who think we live under a constant barrage of mortar attacks, but it isn't that way all the time."
Dutch soldier killed in Afghanistan 05 Nov 2007 A 21-year-old Dutch soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, bringing the Dutch death toll in the Asian country to 12, Dutch media reported Monday.

U.S. Is Likely to Continue Military Aid to Pakistan 05 Nov 2007 The Bush regime signaled Sunday that it would probably continue to keep billions of dollars flowing to Pakistan's military, despite the detention of human rights advocates and leaders of the political opposition by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the country’s president.

As many as 3,500 detained in Pakistan 05 Nov 2007 As international pressure mounted, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Monday he would give up his military role and become a civilian leader as soon as the political situation allows. Opposition groups said 3,500 have been detained nationwide since the Musharraf suspended the constitution and imposed martial law on Saturday. The government put the number at around half that... Benazir Bhutto, who took power in a 1999 coup and is also head of Pakistan's army, has been a vital U.S. ally in the war on [of] terror.

Pakistan police beat up lawyers 05 Nov 2007 Police have baton-charged a rally by Pakistani lawyers protesting outside the High Court in Karachi against the state of emergency martial law, lawyers say. "Police beat lawyers with batons as they came to the High Court in the morning," Akhtar Hussain, a former president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, told Reuters news agency. "Many of them have been arrested." Senior lawyer Akhtar Hussain told the AFP news agency that police had detained "some 50 lawyers" and "whisked them away in waiting vans". Police also "mercilessly beat" half a dozen lawyers who were chanting anti-government slogans at a court in the city of Rawalpindi, lawyer Mudassir Saeed told AFP.

Pakistan Moves Against Opposition, News Media --Critics call crackdown, emergency ruling "a second coup," with General Musharraf taking over the government of President Musharraf. 05 Nov 2007 Pakistan's government on Sunday executed a nationwide crackdown on the political opposition, the news media and the courts, one day after President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule martial law and suspended the constitution. Police throughout the country raided the homes of opposition party leaders and activists, arresting at least 500. Top lawyers were also taken into custody, and 70 activists were detained at the offices of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in the eastern city of Lahore.

Musharraf snubbed Brown and Rice on emergency rule 05 Nov 2007 President Pervez Musharraf gave a firm commitment to Gordon Brown and Condoleezza Rice that he would hold elections on schedule by January just before imposing a state of emergency martial law, it emerged yesterday. But hours later his government suggested he might renege on that pledge.

Top US legal adviser refuses to rule out torture technique --Aide to Rice declines to denounce waterboarding 05 Nov 2007 The top legal adviser within the US state department, who counsels the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, on international law, has declined to rule out the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding even if it were applied by foreign intelligence services on US citizens. John Bellinger refused to denounce the technique, which has been condemned by human rights groups as a form of torture, during a debate on the Bush administration's stance on international law held by Guardian America, the Guardian's US website. He said he would not include or exclude any technique without first considering whether it violated the convention on torture.
Gag me with a chainsaw: Judge Mukasey has my vote --The attorney general nominee's answers on torture are clear, and he will rise to the challenges of the job. By Dianne Feinstein 03 Nov 2007 I believe that Judge Mukasey is the best nominee we are going to get from this administration and that voting him down would only perpetuate acting and recess appointments, allowing the White House to avoid the transparency that confirmation hearings provide and to diminish effective oversight by Congress... Our nation needs a strong and independent attorney general, and I believe that Judge Mukasey will rise to the challenge.

Mukasey Is (Much) Worse Than Gonzales By John Nichols 04 Nov 2007 George Bush's nominee to replace disgraced former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, retired Federal Judge Michael B. Mukasey, must be rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee for the same reason that Gonzales should have been rejected in 2005. Like Gonzales, Mukasey refuses to accept that the president of the United States must abide by the laws of the land, beginning with the Constitution.

Survey contradicts 'vote' machine firm's failure rate claim 03 Nov 2007 A leading 'voting' machine manufacturer [Diebold Inc.] said some of its 25,000 optical scan readers used locally and throughout the nation have developed a problem that causes memory card failures during elections. In Volusia County during the November 2006 election, 11 of 249 optical scan memory cards had to be replaced, according to a county report. In Flagler County, one of 51 cards failed.

Ohio Cities Buying Up Foreclosed Homes For $1 Each 04 Nov 2007 Under a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program, cities in Ohio may buy unsold foreclosed homes for $1 each. Through the program, any foreclosed home that HUD has unsuccessfully listed for sale for longer than six months is available for city purchase.

Extinctions Linked to Hotter Temperatures 23 Oct 2007 Whenever the world's tropical seas warm several degrees, Earth has experienced mass extinctions over millions of years, according to a first-of-its-kind statistical study of fossil records. And scientists fear it may be about to happen again -- but in a matter of several decades, not tens of millions of years.

2007 death toll nears highest for US forces in Iraq 04 Nov 2007 With just under two months left in the year, 2007 is on course to be the deadliest year on record for American forces in Iraq, despite a recent sharp drop in U.S. deaths. At least 847 American military personnel have died in Iraq so far this year -- the second-highest annual toll since the war began in March 2003, according to Associated Press figures.

Administration Weighs Plan to Close Guantánamo 04 Nov 2007 Administration officials are considering granting Guantánamo prisoners substantially greater rights as part of an effort to close the detention center and possibly move much of its population to the United States, according to officials involved in the discussions. Some officials say that enhancing prisoners' rights could also help the administration strategically, by undercutting a case brought by suspects at Guantánamo that is now before the Supreme Court, which could wind up winning them even more power to challenge their detention.

U.S. weighs plan for closing Guantanamo: NY Times 03 Nov 2007 Bush regime officials are weighing a plan that would grant detainees at Guantanamo Bay greater rights, as part of an effort to close the facility and possibly move some of the prisoners to U.S. locations, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions.

Feingold to vote against attorney general nominee --But Senate panel appears likely to confirm Mukasey 04 Nov 2007 Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold said Saturday that he will vote against attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey, saying he was troubled by Mukasey's views on the power of the presidency.

Specter says he will back AG nominee 04 Nov 2007 The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he is bothered by Michael Mukasey's refusal to say whether waterboarding is torture but will support his nomination for attorney general anyway.

Defector behind Iraq lies to be unmasked 05 Nov 2007 The Iraqi defector [Cheney troll, Rafid Ahmed Alwan] whose fabricated account of Baghdad's biological weapons program was crucial to the US case for war was to be identified on American TV as an accused thief and failed chemical engineering student.

Whistleblowers claim KBR fraud ignored 04 Nov 2007 Barrington "Barry" Godfrey of Houston tried to get mega-contractor KBR to quit overcharging the government for thousands of troops he said the company never fed. He alleges he was forced out for raising the issue, and that the inJustice Department tried unsuccessfully to keep his allegations secret and then refused to join him in a whistleblower suit.

Iraqi official gunned down in Baghdad 04 Nov 2007 Two carloads of [Blackwater] gunmen ambushed a top aide to Iraq's Finance Ministry on Sunday in Baghdad, killing him and his driver, police said. The two were among 15 people killed or found dead in Iraq.


Iran-IAEA cooperation successful: official 04 Nov 2007 Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have had a successful cooperation, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Undersecretary for International Affairs, Javad Vaeedi, said here on Saturday.

Report: US okayed wide-scale Gaza operation 03 Nov 2007 The American administration has given a "green light" for a wide-scale Israeli military operation in Gaza, Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar reported Saturday, quoting diplomatic sources. The sources added that "Washington's approval undermines the negotiations for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement ahead of the Annapolis peace conference."

More headless bodies found in war zone 04 Nov 2007 Beheaded bodies of two Afghans have been found in Rafhidan district of central Afghanistan's Ghazni province. The local police chief says a man and a woman were abducted by unknown people [Blackwater terrorists] about three days ago in Rafhidan district and their bodies were found Friday afternoon in the area.

Canadian soldier hurt by blast in Afghanistan 03 Nov 2007 A Canadian soldier was injured yesterday when an explosion rocked a Leopard tank in Arghandab district, a region north of Kandahar city where Canadian and Afghan forces pushed back a major Taliban offensive this week.

Emergency may delay Pakistan poll 04 Nov 2007 Planned elections in Pakistan could be delayed by up to a year after President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule martial law, the country's PM says.

Musharraf Consolidates His Control With Arrests 04 Nov 2007 About 500 opposition party workers, lawyers and human rights activists were arrested today as the government of General Pervez Musharraf tried to consolidate its control after imposing emergency rule martial law.

Pakistan emergency orders set to backfire 04 Nov 2007 Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's bid to cling to power is set to backfire badly, destabilising a key US ally, spawning new militant attacks and straining relations with the army, analysts have said.

Arms makers winning war 'on' terrorism 04 Nov 2007 Arms manufacturers are making record profits from the war on [of] terrorism and unprecedented spending on weapons programs. The massive earnings have drawn condemnation from Australian defence experts, who say expensive weapons such as jet fighters, warships and satellites are not the way to combat terrorism.

Marine recruiters busted in exam fraud --Stand-ins took test required of 15 marginal enlistees 01 Nov 2007 Nine Marine Corps recruiters who worked in the Houston area were punished for using fraudulent stand-ins to take military-entrance exams for prospective recruits who might not otherwise measure up, the military confirmed Wednesday.

Pirates leave ships under US Navy escort 04 Nov 2007 Somali pirates gave up control of two ships hijacked months earlier and U.S. Navy escorted the boats to safer waters Sunday as it stepped up efforts to bring security to the seas off the chaotic Horn of Africa nation.

Habib loses appeal for Aussie passport 02 Nov 2007 Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib has lost his legal bid before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to regain his Australian passport. Mr Habib's passport was revoked following an ASIO assessment that he remained a potential security threat, and the AAT has ruled this would not be overturned.

E.U. Seeks Data on American Passengers --Airlines Would Report Personal Details of Europe-Bound Travelers 04 Nov 2007 American travelers' personal data would for the first time be exported to all European Union states by airline carriers flying to Europe under a proposal to be announced this week. The data, including names, telephone numbers, credit card information and travel itinerary, would be sent to E.U. member states so they could assess passenger risk for counterterrorism purposes, according to a draft copy obtained by The Washington Post.

PNR (passenger name record) scheme proposed to place under surveillance all travel in and out of the EU 01 Nov 2007 The European Commission is to put forward, on Tuesday 6 November, a proposal to collect personal data (PNR) on everyone flying in and out of the EU. The data to be collected are almost exactly the same as that being collected under the controversial EU-US PNR scheme.

State to pursue probe of NSA access to phone records 01 Nov 2007 Vermont will continue pressing forward with its investigation of a surveillance agency's access to customer information from phone companies, despite federal opposition and a pending court decision that could affect the case.

Coup 2008: Cheney: GOP will win in '08 02 Nov 2007 Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney this afternoon said he is convinced that a Republican candidate will win the 2008 presidential election, but declined to say who he thinks is the favorite. "I frankly think a Republican will win the '08 election. There's no question in my mind," Mr. Cheney said during an interview with a conservative radio-show host in Dallas, Texas.

Poll Finds Americans Pessimistic, Want Change --War, Economy, Politics Sour Views of Nation's Direction 04 Nov 2007 One year out from the 2008 election, Americans are deeply pessimistic and eager for a change in direction from the agenda and priorities of President [sic] Bush, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Just 24 percent think the nation is on the right track, and three-quarters said they want the next president to chart a course that is different than that pursued by Bush.

Obama calls Bush's leadership catastrophic --Democrat criticizes rival Clinton’s calculated politics 03 Nov 2007 Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama told voters Saturday that in the wake of President [sic] Bush’s "catastrophic failure of leadership" the nation needs a candid leader like himself, not rival Hillary Rodham Clinton’s calculated politics.

N. Hampshire flips to Democrats --Granite State was once rock of GOP 04 Nov 2007 A Democratic surge, fueled by anger at President [sic] Bush and the Iraq war, ousted Republicans from county clerks to congressmen. New Hampshire's two GOP House members both lost, the state legislature turned Democratic for the first time since 1874 and Hopkinton sent three Democrats to the legislature for the first time.

Thompson Adviser Sold Drugs --Cocaine-trafficker, conspirator was picked by Thompson to raise seed money for his White House bid 04 Nov 2007 Republican presidential candidate Fred D. Thompson has been crisscrossing the country since early this summer on a private jet lent to him by a businessman and close adviser [Philip Martin] who has a criminal record for drug dealing.

Prostates and Prejudices By Paul Krugman 02 Nov 2007 For generations, conservatives have denounced every attempt to ensure that Americans receive needed health care, from Medicare to S-chip, as "socialized medicine." ...Mr. Giuliani’s false claims about prostate cancer -- which he has, by the way, continued to repeat, along with some fresh false claims about breast cancer -- should be a major political scandal. As far as I can tell, however, they aren’t being treated that way. To be fair, there has been some news coverage of the prostate affair. But it’s only a tiny fraction of the coverage received by Hillary’s laugh and John Edwards’s haircut... Memo to editors: If a candidate says something completely false, it’s not "in dispute." It’s not the case that "Democrats say" they’re not advocating British-style socialized medicine; they aren’t.

Top US analyst hits back after death threats over Citigroup downgrade 03 Nov 2007 Meredith Whitney, the analyst who prompted a $369 billion (£177 billion) plunge in the value of US shares on Thursday by issuing a negative note on Citigroup, hit out at Wall Street’s culture of intimidation yesterday after receiving several death threats from investors in the bank.

Fed has biggest day of injections since Sept 2001 01 Nov 2007 The U.S. Federal Reserve added a total of $41 billion in temporary reserves to the banking system on Thursday, the biggest single day of such injections since September 2001.

Study: Gas prices up 16 cents in 2 weeks 04 Nov 2007 The national average price for gasoline rose about 16 cents over the last two weeks, according to a survey released Sunday.