Posts
DEBTOCRACY- A GREEK FILM WITH LESSONS FOR IRELAND
13 years ago
Saturday, February 25, 2006
cindy sheehan was never invited into the crawford ranch
but some other rather SHADY characters do. yes, NORE from me on the port deal. the ties between many members of the bushwhacked monarchy and the uae and the saudis are so deep and so circuitous i would rather put together a one million piece one color jig saw puzzle. what i want to know is, what is all of this money going to do for them when the impending rapture occurs? ah, i know. they ain't getting into heaven unless they can bribe their way in. THAT'S why they need all that money now! by george (so to speak), i think I'VE GOT IT! AMERICA FOR SALE / THE SAUDI CONNECTION America is for sale ~ Dick Cheney is the auctioneer, Bush is the oblivious cheerleader, Rumsfeld is the bad cop , Rice is the good cop and the target is Arab wealth : Allen L Roland by Allen L Roland, Ph.D http://www.opednews.com/ To understand the attempted Cheney/Bush selloff of U.S. port operations to Dubai ~ you must first fully understand that its all about big money, the Saudi connection and the Saudi-backed Carlyle Group. Congress and the American people have every right to not only oppose this sale but to finally fully explore the Saudi Connection.In March, 2004 I posted a brilliant must read synopsis of the ominous Saudi Connection, pre 9/11 to post 9/11, by the Center for American Progress ~ and it still rings true today. Excerpt: " As the Boston Herald reported, a "revolving U.S.-Saudi money wheel" exists "within President Bush's own coterie of foreign policy advisers." First and foremost, the current President's father "remains a senior adviser to the Carlyle Group" – an investment bank with deep connections to the Saudi royal family, and received $1 million for his Presidential library from the royal family. George W. Bush "himself is also linked" to the Saudi-backed Carlyle Group: he was a director of a Carlyle subsidiary called called Caterair. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice "is a former longtime member of the board of Chevron which did business in the Saudi desert." And Vice President Cheney's tenure as CEO of oil giant Halliburton was among his dealings with "firms connected to the Saudis that paid big dividends."Allen L RolandTHE SAUDI CONNECTIONCenter for American Progress 3/11/04As President Bush today squeezes in a visit to a 9/11 memorial as part of a fundraising trip, his Administration is coming under increasing pressure to explain its close relationship with a "Saudi government that not only provided significant money and aid to the suicide hijackers but also allowed potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to flow to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups." Just yesterday, Newsday reported the family of the FBI's late counterterrorism chief who was killed in the 9/11 attacks "filed lawsuits Wednesday accusing Saudi Arabia of aiding terrorists worldwide." And today, an explosive excerpt from the new book "House of Bush, House of Saud" examines how top White House officials orchestrated the post-9/11 exodus of Osama bin Laden's relatives before U.S. law enforcement officers could ask them for critical details about the Al Qaeda leader and his terror network. .........
why do colleges and universities continue to have ann coulter speak?
she's not entertaining, she's NOT conservative (she is more a fascist if you ask me) she's NOT anywhere near sane.......... she just isn't a good example of anything left or right. she's pitiful and sad and her views are ugly and dangerous. she inspires hate and injustice and lack of compassion. Ann Coulter splits IU's crowd'Ms. Right' draws supporters, protesters by Adam Aasen I ndiana Daily Student Published Friday, February 24, 2006
Conservative author Ann Coulter drew a large crowd to the IU Auditorium Thursday night. More than 2,500 of the auditorium's 3,200 seats were full, but that number dwindled throughout her speech as many students were ejected for disruptions and others simply walked out after certain comments.Coulter, author of such books as "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)" and "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right," gave a speech titled "Liberals Are Wrong About Everything."The speech drew many dissenters and it didn't take long for public outbursts to occur. Within the first two minutes of her speech, one student yelled out to Coulter, "Go back to Germany," to which another student responded with obscenities. The two got involved in a heated altercation and four officers had to remove the students from the event.But the police response to this initial incident didn't mean the rest of the speech would go uninterrupted. More than 10 times, Coulter stopped speaking -- sometimes for more than a few minutes -- to wait for protesters to be removed. She often commented that the ushers weren't doing their jobs properly and that the event was poorly organized."You are paying me to give a speech," she said. "I mean, if you don't want me to keep talking, that's fine, but I think I'll just do the speech. Hopefully, the idiot liberals will be out of here by the second half of the speech."You guys are doing a great job." she said sarcastically later to auditorium ushers. "I guess they did hire Democrats as ushers."............. ...............During her question-and-answer session, Coulter responded to both fans and protesters. One comment that drew strong audience reactions came from a young man who asked her if she didn't like Democrats, wouldn't it just be better to have a dictatorship? Coulter responded with a jab at the way the student talked."You don't want the Republicans in power, does that mean you want a dictatorship, gay boy?" she said....................
Conservative author Ann Coulter drew a large crowd to the IU Auditorium Thursday night. More than 2,500 of the auditorium's 3,200 seats were full, but that number dwindled throughout her speech as many students were ejected for disruptions and others simply walked out after certain comments.Coulter, author of such books as "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)" and "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right," gave a speech titled "Liberals Are Wrong About Everything."The speech drew many dissenters and it didn't take long for public outbursts to occur. Within the first two minutes of her speech, one student yelled out to Coulter, "Go back to Germany," to which another student responded with obscenities. The two got involved in a heated altercation and four officers had to remove the students from the event.But the police response to this initial incident didn't mean the rest of the speech would go uninterrupted. More than 10 times, Coulter stopped speaking -- sometimes for more than a few minutes -- to wait for protesters to be removed. She often commented that the ushers weren't doing their jobs properly and that the event was poorly organized."You are paying me to give a speech," she said. "I mean, if you don't want me to keep talking, that's fine, but I think I'll just do the speech. Hopefully, the idiot liberals will be out of here by the second half of the speech."You guys are doing a great job." she said sarcastically later to auditorium ushers. "I guess they did hire Democrats as ushers."............. ...............During her question-and-answer session, Coulter responded to both fans and protesters. One comment that drew strong audience reactions came from a young man who asked her if she didn't like Democrats, wouldn't it just be better to have a dictatorship? Coulter responded with a jab at the way the student talked."You don't want the Republicans in power, does that mean you want a dictatorship, gay boy?" she said....................
this is SO clever (NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT)
you find out something being done (i.e. collecting data on ordinary united states citizens) is illegal and immoral and you pass laws to prohibit it. THEN some higher powers get around it by disbanding the original data gathering organizations and forming NEW ONES with NEW NAMES,so the OLD laws (in their minds) do not apply. Data mining program continues after lawmakers order it closed
RAW STORY Published: February 24, 2006 A controversial intelligence data mining program, which was closed by lawmakers over privacy concerns two years ago, has continued to receive funding and remained in operation under different code names in different agencies, according to today's National Journal. Excerpts from the Journal's article follow:
#
Research under the Defense Department's Total Information Awareness program -- which developed technologies to predict terrorist attacks by mining government databases and the personal records of people in the United States -- was moved from the Pentagon's research-and-development agency to another group, which builds technologies primarily for the National Security Agency, according to documents obtained by National Journal and to intelligence sources familiar with the move. The names of key projects were changed, apparently to conceal their identities, but their funding remained intact, often under the same contracts.
...
Two of the most important components of the TIA program were moved to the Advanced Research and Development Activity, housed at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., documents and sources confirm. One piece was the Information Awareness Prototype System, the core architecture that tied together numerous information extraction, analysis, and dissemination tools developed under TIA. The prototype system included privacy-protection technologies that may have been discontinued or scaled back following the move to ARDA. .../...............
RAW STORY Published: February 24, 2006 A controversial intelligence data mining program, which was closed by lawmakers over privacy concerns two years ago, has continued to receive funding and remained in operation under different code names in different agencies, according to today's National Journal. Excerpts from the Journal's article follow:
#
Research under the Defense Department's Total Information Awareness program -- which developed technologies to predict terrorist attacks by mining government databases and the personal records of people in the United States -- was moved from the Pentagon's research-and-development agency to another group, which builds technologies primarily for the National Security Agency, according to documents obtained by National Journal and to intelligence sources familiar with the move. The names of key projects were changed, apparently to conceal their identities, but their funding remained intact, often under the same contracts.
...
Two of the most important components of the TIA program were moved to the Advanced Research and Development Activity, housed at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., documents and sources confirm. One piece was the Information Awareness Prototype System, the core architecture that tied together numerous information extraction, analysis, and dissemination tools developed under TIA. The prototype system included privacy-protection technologies that may have been discontinued or scaled back following the move to ARDA. .../...............
Friday, February 24, 2006
i HAD to cross-post this one
(from my connecticut blog the nutmeg grater
from the connecticut post
perhaps she didn't know philippinos aren't really as white as SHE IS, when she rented the hall out to the filipino-american organization in the first place. goodness gracious she SHOULD be MORE CAREFUL! imagine a brown skinned (i'm imagining his skin to be brown because later on in the article she describes him as 'hispanic') man sitting in a car in a parking lot SMOKING A BUTT! the nerve! then the bio-thch has the NERVE to say the incident is being blown out of proportion. lucky thing she's always been a lily
Drug claim sparks international row
DANIEL TEPFER dtepfer@ctpost.com Connecticut Post
The manager of a Norwalk catering hall touched off an international incident when she asked police to arrest the Philippine consul general's chauffeur, who she told police was smoking narcotics in her parking lot. The consul general fired off a letter of protest to the U.S. Department of State, and a national Filipino-American organization Thursday demanded an apology from the manager of Chatham Manor, Lisa Guarente. Norwalk police cleared the chauffeur of any wrongdoing and said he was only smoking a cigarette while waiting for his bosses. "It think it was an act of insensitivity to the Filipino community," said Bridgeport lawyer Sylvester Salcedo, who represents the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Northeast Region. "We are seeking an apology for the consul general, her husband and their driver for these shocking and unfounded accusations." In addition to an apology, Salcedo said the group wants Guarente, whose mother, Ginger Raymond, owns the ritzy Connecticut Avenue catering hall, to donate $500 to the Norwalk Public Library to purchase books and materials on Filipino-Americans and the Philippines. "We don't have to go to World War III over this; we want to do this in a way to convince all of Norwalk to embrace all diversity," Salcedo said. "They are taking this way beyond what it is," Guarente said. She wouldn't specifically address what she was quoted as saying in the police report............
....According to Norwalk police, shortly after 10 p.m. they were dispatched to the catering hall on a complaint from Guarente, who claimed there was a Hispanic man sitting in a black Mercedes smoking narcotics. Police said Guarente told them she had observed several men in tuxedos approach the driver's side of the Mercedes and saw "a transaction" take place. Police said they examined DeLuna, who didn't speak much English, and determined he was only smoking cigarettes. Salcedo said the tuxedoed man Guarente told police was involved in the "transaction" was the consul general's husband who went out to have a smoke with DeLuna...........
from the connecticut post
perhaps she didn't know philippinos aren't really as white as SHE IS, when she rented the hall out to the filipino-american organization in the first place. goodness gracious she SHOULD be MORE CAREFUL! imagine a brown skinned (i'm imagining his skin to be brown because later on in the article she describes him as 'hispanic') man sitting in a car in a parking lot SMOKING A BUTT! the nerve! then the bio-thch has the NERVE to say the incident is being blown out of proportion. lucky thing she's always been a lily
Drug claim sparks international row
DANIEL TEPFER dtepfer@ctpost.com Connecticut Post
The manager of a Norwalk catering hall touched off an international incident when she asked police to arrest the Philippine consul general's chauffeur, who she told police was smoking narcotics in her parking lot. The consul general fired off a letter of protest to the U.S. Department of State, and a national Filipino-American organization Thursday demanded an apology from the manager of Chatham Manor, Lisa Guarente. Norwalk police cleared the chauffeur of any wrongdoing and said he was only smoking a cigarette while waiting for his bosses. "It think it was an act of insensitivity to the Filipino community," said Bridgeport lawyer Sylvester Salcedo, who represents the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Northeast Region. "We are seeking an apology for the consul general, her husband and their driver for these shocking and unfounded accusations." In addition to an apology, Salcedo said the group wants Guarente, whose mother, Ginger Raymond, owns the ritzy Connecticut Avenue catering hall, to donate $500 to the Norwalk Public Library to purchase books and materials on Filipino-Americans and the Philippines. "We don't have to go to World War III over this; we want to do this in a way to convince all of Norwalk to embrace all diversity," Salcedo said. "They are taking this way beyond what it is," Guarente said. She wouldn't specifically address what she was quoted as saying in the police report............
....According to Norwalk police, shortly after 10 p.m. they were dispatched to the catering hall on a complaint from Guarente, who claimed there was a Hispanic man sitting in a black Mercedes smoking narcotics. Police said Guarente told them she had observed several men in tuxedos approach the driver's side of the Mercedes and saw "a transaction" take place. Police said they examined DeLuna, who didn't speak much English, and determined he was only smoking cigarettes. Salcedo said the tuxedoed man Guarente told police was involved in the "transaction" was the consul general's husband who went out to have a smoke with DeLuna...........
my experimental cowl/wimple type thingy
i wanted something to make for a few solstice/christmas gifts this year (hey december is ONLY ten months away) that was easy and quick. although i am a bigger woman than either of the models (i laugh when i say models)i still want the top opening, the part that goes over your head to be a bit tighter (my head is HUGE but baby, not THAT big). i do wear my hair in a bun and i wanted a bit of extra room for that, but i must adjust still. other than that, i think it came out pretty cool if i do say so myself. i used a silk-wool blend yarn for the main part. the colored stripe was some sort of noro yarn that i believe was silk-wool too (but the texture was kind of nubby) and the green was some fuzzy stuff i had laying around. i also added a few crocheted flowers here and there. the models are my dear friends erin (top) and cathy (bottom)and i made them pose while at work (that is the sort of friend i am). oh and it was THEIR idea to be 'artistic' about the poses.
i think i'm in love with the dude who wrote this (from americablog)
Thursday, February 23, 2006
I really need to weigh in on this asshole Gordon England
by John in DC - 2/23/2006 07:42:00 PM
Joe, in a post below, quotes our illustrious Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England:
If the furor over the port deal should go on, Mr. England said, it would give enemies of the United States aid and comfort: "They want us to become distrustful, they want us to become paranoid and isolationist.Now, my mom reads this blog. And I don't like gratuitous profanity because it's the easy way to evoke emotion when you don't have the right words. But Gordon England, you're a total asshole.How fucking dare you invoke Osama and September 11 in order to get us to support an administration policy that is in fact CONTRARY to our national security interests? Just because Bush is in bed with the Middle Eastern oil producers we're supposed to roll over and play dead while you guys just give away that store to your petro-buddies?How fucking dare you preach to us about being distrustful and paranoid?You son of a bitches have raised distrust and fear to a high art. You have repeated violated the legitimate shock and horror Americans felt after September 11, abused our collective grief and pain and psychosis in order to push your own petty, personal political goals, and now that we catch you red handed, you have the balls to invoke September 11 again? Gordon England, how fucking dare you, you un-American piece of shit..............
cd of the day: les paul & friends american made world played
it's simply amazing
01 Introduction 00:14
02 Love Sneakin' Up On You - Sting & Joss Stone 03:25
03 Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo - Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Edgar Winter & Noah Hunt 05:05
04 Somebody Ease My Troublin' Mind - Sam Cooke & Eric Clapton 03:32
05 So Into You - Peter Frampton 04:40
06 How High The Moon - Les Paul & Alsou 02:09
07 Bad Case Of Lovin' You - Billy Gibbons 03:54
08 I Wanna Know You - Neil Schon & Beth Hart 06:21
09 (Ain't That) Good News - Sam Cooke & Jeff Beck 04:04
10 Let Me Roll It - Richie Sambora 04:03
11 Caravan - Les Paul 02:08
12 Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl - Buddy Guy, Keith Richards & Rick Derringer 04:01
13 All I Want Is You - Johnny Rzeznik 04:17
14 69 Freedom Special - Les Paul & Friends 05:44
15 Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller 04:45
16 I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know - Joe Perry, Mick Hucknall & Kenny Olsen 06:49
musician of the day: eric johnson
why? BECAUSE HE KICKS ASS
once again, why does most everyone know who eric clapton is and most everyone DOES NOT KNOW eric johnson?
my favorite being cliffs of dover from ah via musicom
wow a glimmer of hope........
and now i hope those that FORMERLY supported the monarchy will see the light. there is something that STINKS here. WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP. to even THINK about turning control of six of our united states ports over to the uae is the MOST ludicrous idea i have ever heard in my whole life. what the f**k are our women and men fighting for (or against).
White House Begins Retreat on Ports Deal
By Z. BYRON WOLF
Feb. 23, 2006 -- A day that started with Democratic senators on Capitol Hill accusing the White House of ignoring the law in allowing an Arab-owned company to take over operations at U.S. ports without the proper level of review ended with the president's chief political architect subtly throwing up the white flag on a Fox News radio program.........
...................But this afternoon Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser, told the Fox News radio program anchored by Tony Snow that the president is now considering delaying the deal and pointed out that the sale of the company is not yet a done deal in the United Kingdom either.
"There are some hurdles, regulatory hurdles, that this still needs to go through on the British side as well that are going to be concluded next week," Rove said. "There's no requirement that it close immediately after that. But our interest is in making certain the members of Congress have full information about it, and that, we're convinced, will give them a level of comfort with this.".....................
White House Begins Retreat on Ports Deal
By Z. BYRON WOLF
Feb. 23, 2006 -- A day that started with Democratic senators on Capitol Hill accusing the White House of ignoring the law in allowing an Arab-owned company to take over operations at U.S. ports without the proper level of review ended with the president's chief political architect subtly throwing up the white flag on a Fox News radio program.........
...................But this afternoon Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser, told the Fox News radio program anchored by Tony Snow that the president is now considering delaying the deal and pointed out that the sale of the company is not yet a done deal in the United Kingdom either.
"There are some hurdles, regulatory hurdles, that this still needs to go through on the British side as well that are going to be concluded next week," Rove said. "There's no requirement that it close immediately after that. But our interest is in making certain the members of Congress have full information about it, and that, we're convinced, will give them a level of comfort with this.".....................
i wonder if they toasted marshmallows and told ghost stories
at this camp. you know i feel SAFER already! the more i know the cozier i feel about this deal.
Reports tied UAE to bin Laden, Cole bombing
02/23/2006 @ 3:00 pm Filed by RAW STORY
As its ties to the U.S. war on terror are brought into the spotlight, more details about the ties between The United Arab Emirates and U.S. enemies abroad are being unearthed.
The AP recently reported that the Sept. 11 Commission report states U.S. intelligence believed that Osama bin Laden had visited an Afghan desert in 1999 near a hunting camp used by UAE officials.
According to the AP, commission sources claimed that:
"Bin Laden regularly went from his adjacent camp to the larger camp where he visited the Emiratis ... National technical intelligence confirmed the location and description of the larger camp and showed the nearby presence of an official aircraft of the United Arab Emirates."
Reacting to this information, White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke reportedly called the UAE to confront them about the government's reported contact with bin Laden, hoping to monitor the camp to launch a missile strike when bin Laden returned. Less than a week after the call, intelligence officials were "irate" to discover that the camp had been abandoned and dismantled.
But UAE ties to terrorism have received media scrutiny long before the ports contract uproar................
Reports tied UAE to bin Laden, Cole bombing
02/23/2006 @ 3:00 pm Filed by RAW STORY
As its ties to the U.S. war on terror are brought into the spotlight, more details about the ties between The United Arab Emirates and U.S. enemies abroad are being unearthed.
The AP recently reported that the Sept. 11 Commission report states U.S. intelligence believed that Osama bin Laden had visited an Afghan desert in 1999 near a hunting camp used by UAE officials.
According to the AP, commission sources claimed that:
"Bin Laden regularly went from his adjacent camp to the larger camp where he visited the Emiratis ... National technical intelligence confirmed the location and description of the larger camp and showed the nearby presence of an official aircraft of the United Arab Emirates."
Reacting to this information, White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke reportedly called the UAE to confront them about the government's reported contact with bin Laden, hoping to monitor the camp to launch a missile strike when bin Laden returned. Less than a week after the call, intelligence officials were "irate" to discover that the camp had been abandoned and dismantled.
But UAE ties to terrorism have received media scrutiny long before the ports contract uproar................
Thursday, February 23, 2006
bid high, bid fast.........
this was WAY TOO GOOD not to 'appropriate' from all hat no cattle via skippy (whom i will always have a soft spot for)
please stop by
vanx's blog has a good posting on the mosque bombing in iraq
and rory has a damn fine posting on the uae (and slaves) on his blog
and rory has a damn fine posting on the uae (and slaves) on his blog
i was listening to a college radio station the other day
and i heard the word FUCK in a song. i smiled and my heart sang along (the station shall remain nameless just in case...........)
is no one going to step up on this one? c'mon cbs and abc and nbc. grow some stones FIGHT THIS. once again i will say, we ALL have an on and off button on our radios and televisions along with buttons that allow us to change the channel. you offended by something? DON'T LISTEN TO IT, DON'T WATCH IT. it's YOUR responsibility NOT big brothers
By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer Wednesday, February 22, 2006
(02-22) 18:50 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --
Federal regulators will stick by their decision to slap CBS with a $550,000 fine for the Janet Jackson flash at the 2004 Super Bowl.
They also plan new sanctions against Fox, NBC and CBS TV stations or affiliates for violating decency standards, according to people familiar with the matter.
The two sources, who declined to be identified ahead of a public announcement, said one of the decisions involves an appearance by Nicole Richie on the 2003 Billboard Music Awards on Fox. During the broadcast, she uttered the "F" word and the expletive for excrement.
It's believed to be the first time that the Federal Communications Commission will address the use of the second expletive on the public airwaves. The FCC has previously penalized networks for allowing the "F" word to be broadcast.
The sources would not say which broadcasters would face monetary penalties from the commission. Nor would they outline other programs that would be targeted in the decisions.
In the next couple of weeks, the agency is expected to release a batch of indecency rulings and dismissals of complaints — about 40 in all. There will be a mix of fines, about six, as well as a handful of sanctions that will essentially put broadcasters on notice that certain utterances or other actions could bring fines in the future. No dollar figures were given for any of the fines.....
is no one going to step up on this one? c'mon cbs and abc and nbc. grow some stones FIGHT THIS. once again i will say, we ALL have an on and off button on our radios and televisions along with buttons that allow us to change the channel. you offended by something? DON'T LISTEN TO IT, DON'T WATCH IT. it's YOUR responsibility NOT big brothers
By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer Wednesday, February 22, 2006
(02-22) 18:50 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --
Federal regulators will stick by their decision to slap CBS with a $550,000 fine for the Janet Jackson flash at the 2004 Super Bowl.
They also plan new sanctions against Fox, NBC and CBS TV stations or affiliates for violating decency standards, according to people familiar with the matter.
The two sources, who declined to be identified ahead of a public announcement, said one of the decisions involves an appearance by Nicole Richie on the 2003 Billboard Music Awards on Fox. During the broadcast, she uttered the "F" word and the expletive for excrement.
It's believed to be the first time that the Federal Communications Commission will address the use of the second expletive on the public airwaves. The FCC has previously penalized networks for allowing the "F" word to be broadcast.
The sources would not say which broadcasters would face monetary penalties from the commission. Nor would they outline other programs that would be targeted in the decisions.
In the next couple of weeks, the agency is expected to release a batch of indecency rulings and dismissals of complaints — about 40 in all. There will be a mix of fines, about six, as well as a handful of sanctions that will essentially put broadcasters on notice that certain utterances or other actions could bring fines in the future. No dollar figures were given for any of the fines.....
hey kids i have an idea
let's put on a play! (oh wait that's mickey rooney). let's form a brand new super secret 'intelligence' agency just in time for them to approve some deal not even a crack-smokin' junkie would think was sound.
Obscure US intelligence agency assessed ports deal
Thu Feb 23, 2006 02:23 AM ET
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal that allows an Arab-owned company in Dubai to manage six major U.S. ports , Amewas scrutinized for security risks by an obscure intelligence agency that has existed for only four months American officials said on Wednesday.
The Intelligence Community Acquisition Risk Centre {huh????}, or CARC, overseen by the office of intelligence chief John Negroponte, was asked by the government committee that vets foreign investments in the United States to look into the ports deal soon after it came to its attention in early November.
U.S. officials approved the sale of British-based P&O to Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates on January 16, giving the Arab-owned firm a green light to take over port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Miami.
But the deal has since unleashed a political firestorm from both Republicans and Democrats, who see it as a potential risk to national security......
and this from yahoo news really shows you who is running this county:
..........The revelations about the negotiated conditions came as the White House acknowledged President Bush was unaware of the pending sale until the deal had already been approved by his administration..........
OUR PRESIDENT, KING GEORGE UNAWARE? THAT SIMPLY CANNOT BE TRUE. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT. I TELL YA, SOMEONE IS LYING!
Arab Co., White House Had Secret Agreement
By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer Wed Feb 22, 9:05 PM ET
The Bush administration secretly required a company in the United Arab Emirates to cooperate with future U.S. investigations before approving its takeover of operations at six American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. It chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.
As part of the $6.8 billion purchase, state-owned Dubai Ports World agreed to reveal records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at U.S. ports, the documents said. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or operation of ports and equipment.
The administration did not require Dubai Ports to keep copies of business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to court orders. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate U.S. government requests. Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.....
Obscure US intelligence agency assessed ports deal
Thu Feb 23, 2006 02:23 AM ET
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deal that allows an Arab-owned company in Dubai to manage six major U.S. ports , Amewas scrutinized for security risks by an obscure intelligence agency that has existed for only four months American officials said on Wednesday.
The Intelligence Community Acquisition Risk Centre {huh????}, or CARC, overseen by the office of intelligence chief John Negroponte, was asked by the government committee that vets foreign investments in the United States to look into the ports deal soon after it came to its attention in early November.
U.S. officials approved the sale of British-based P&O to Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates on January 16, giving the Arab-owned firm a green light to take over port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Miami.
But the deal has since unleashed a political firestorm from both Republicans and Democrats, who see it as a potential risk to national security......
and this from yahoo news really shows you who is running this county:
..........The revelations about the negotiated conditions came as the White House acknowledged President Bush was unaware of the pending sale until the deal had already been approved by his administration..........
OUR PRESIDENT, KING GEORGE UNAWARE? THAT SIMPLY CANNOT BE TRUE. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT. I TELL YA, SOMEONE IS LYING!
Arab Co., White House Had Secret Agreement
By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer Wed Feb 22, 9:05 PM ET
The Bush administration secretly required a company in the United Arab Emirates to cooperate with future U.S. investigations before approving its takeover of operations at six American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. It chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.
As part of the $6.8 billion purchase, state-owned Dubai Ports World agreed to reveal records on demand about "foreign operational direction" of its business at U.S. ports, the documents said. Those records broadly include details about the design, maintenance or operation of ports and equipment.
The administration did not require Dubai Ports to keep copies of business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to court orders. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate U.S. government requests. Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.....
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
free a slave or two
instead of ALL of them, but bushwhacked STILL rewards ya!
and don't think (slavery) doesn't happen here and now. IT DOES. see my january 1st posting in my connecticut blog, the nutmeg grater
Eradicating slavery in Sudan
By John Eibner February 22, 2006
FOR 20 YEARS, Abuk Ater was a slave in northern Sudan. She was a young, childless, married woman when she was captured and enslaved by a member of an Arab militia backed by Sudan's government. Her master, Mohammed El Nur, raped her, called her ''slave," and forced her to convert to Islam. He renamed her ''Howah."
This month, Abuk, her four children, and 162 other slaves were repatriated to southern Sudan by the government's showcase Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children. Government officials loaded Abuk and the others like cattle into open-topped, seatless trucks for a three-day journey in 100-degree-plus heat. Despite the bleak prospect of having nothing to eat but leaves, Abuk is relieved to be free, living with her own people, in her own land.
Abuk is just one of tens of thousands or more black Sudanese citizens who have been enslaved by the government's armed forces and allied militias since the outbreak of civil war in 1983. Khartoum has consistently used militia raids on black villages as a low-budget
but brutally effective component of its counterinsurgency policy.
President Bush declared the eradication of slavery as one of his goals when he launched his Sudan peace initiative in September 2001. But just as the signing of a peace agreement between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Army in January 2005 has not ended genocidal conflict in Darfur, neither has it resulted in the emancipation of the country's slaves. Slavery -- an internationally recognized crime against humanity -- continues to blight lives and obscure the prospect of a peaceful, stable, and united Sudan.
Black women and children in Darfur continue to be enslaved by government-backed janjaweed militiamen, especially for sexual purposes. In the far south, Khartoum's longtime ally, the Lord's Resistance Army, still perpetrates atrocities against civilians, including enslavement............
.......The government withholds funds needed to free the 8,000 registered slaves. It calculates that the international community will be satisfied with occasional small-scale repatriations, and it appears to be right. Last September, the Bush administration rewarded Khartoum's lethargy by upgrading Sudan's slavery status from Tier III (the level for worst offenders) to Tier II............
and don't think (slavery) doesn't happen here and now. IT DOES. see my january 1st posting in my connecticut blog, the nutmeg grater
Eradicating slavery in Sudan
By John Eibner February 22, 2006
FOR 20 YEARS, Abuk Ater was a slave in northern Sudan. She was a young, childless, married woman when she was captured and enslaved by a member of an Arab militia backed by Sudan's government. Her master, Mohammed El Nur, raped her, called her ''slave," and forced her to convert to Islam. He renamed her ''Howah."
This month, Abuk, her four children, and 162 other slaves were repatriated to southern Sudan by the government's showcase Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children. Government officials loaded Abuk and the others like cattle into open-topped, seatless trucks for a three-day journey in 100-degree-plus heat. Despite the bleak prospect of having nothing to eat but leaves, Abuk is relieved to be free, living with her own people, in her own land.
Abuk is just one of tens of thousands or more black Sudanese citizens who have been enslaved by the government's armed forces and allied militias since the outbreak of civil war in 1983. Khartoum has consistently used militia raids on black villages as a low-budget
but brutally effective component of its counterinsurgency policy.
President Bush declared the eradication of slavery as one of his goals when he launched his Sudan peace initiative in September 2001. But just as the signing of a peace agreement between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Army in January 2005 has not ended genocidal conflict in Darfur, neither has it resulted in the emancipation of the country's slaves. Slavery -- an internationally recognized crime against humanity -- continues to blight lives and obscure the prospect of a peaceful, stable, and united Sudan.
Black women and children in Darfur continue to be enslaved by government-backed janjaweed militiamen, especially for sexual purposes. In the far south, Khartoum's longtime ally, the Lord's Resistance Army, still perpetrates atrocities against civilians, including enslavement............
.......The government withholds funds needed to free the 8,000 registered slaves. It calculates that the international community will be satisfied with occasional small-scale repatriations, and it appears to be right. Last September, the Bush administration rewarded Khartoum's lethargy by upgrading Sudan's slavery status from Tier III (the level for worst offenders) to Tier II............
let it snow let it snow let it snow
i don't even have to foam at the mouth-these stories just get better and better and better. i couldn't have imagined this in my wildest dreams. this WILL be THEIR downfall. NO ONE WILL STAND FOR THIS SHITE (whoops i guess i DID get a lil' bit foamy there)
W aides' biz ties to Arab firm
BY MICHAEL McAULIFFDAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Breaking news update: Bush shrugs off objections to port deal
WASHINGTON - The Dubai firm that won Bush administration backing to run six U.S. ports has at least two ties to the White House.
One is Treasury Secretary John Snow, whose agency heads the federal panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to government-owned Dubai Ports World - giving it control of Manhattan's cruise ship terminal and Newark's container port.
Snow was chairman of the CSX rail firm that sold its own international port operations to DP World for $1.15 billion in 2004, the year after Snow left for President Bush's cabinet.
The other connection is David Sanborn, who runs DP World's European and Latin American operations and was tapped by Bush last month to head the U.S. Maritime Administration.
The ties raised more concerns about the decision to give port control to a company owned by a nation linked to the 9/11 hijackers..................
DP WORLD EXECUTIVE NOMINATED FOR PRESITIGOUS US GOVT POSITION
Dubai, 24 January 2006: - Global ports operator DP World today welcomed news that one of its senior executives, Dave Sanborn, has been nominated by US President George W. Bush to serve as Maritime Administrator a key transportation appointment reporting directly to Norman Mineta the Secretary of Transportation and Cabinet Member.
The White House has issued a statement from Washington DC announcing the nomination. The confirmation process will begin in February.
Mr Sanborn currently holds the position of Director of Operations for Europe and Latin America for the Dubai-based company............
and from the washington post (2002) Al Qaeda's Road Paved With Gold Secret Shipments Traced Through a Lax System In United Arab Emirates
W aides' biz ties to Arab firm
BY MICHAEL McAULIFFDAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Breaking news update: Bush shrugs off objections to port deal
WASHINGTON - The Dubai firm that won Bush administration backing to run six U.S. ports has at least two ties to the White House.
One is Treasury Secretary John Snow, whose agency heads the federal panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to government-owned Dubai Ports World - giving it control of Manhattan's cruise ship terminal and Newark's container port.
Snow was chairman of the CSX rail firm that sold its own international port operations to DP World for $1.15 billion in 2004, the year after Snow left for President Bush's cabinet.
The other connection is David Sanborn, who runs DP World's European and Latin American operations and was tapped by Bush last month to head the U.S. Maritime Administration.
The ties raised more concerns about the decision to give port control to a company owned by a nation linked to the 9/11 hijackers..................
DP WORLD EXECUTIVE NOMINATED FOR PRESITIGOUS US GOVT POSITION
Dubai, 24 January 2006: - Global ports operator DP World today welcomed news that one of its senior executives, Dave Sanborn, has been nominated by US President George W. Bush to serve as Maritime Administrator a key transportation appointment reporting directly to Norman Mineta the Secretary of Transportation and Cabinet Member.
The White House has issued a statement from Washington DC announcing the nomination. The confirmation process will begin in February.
Mr Sanborn currently holds the position of Director of Operations for Europe and Latin America for the Dubai-based company............
and from the washington post (2002) Al Qaeda's Road Paved With Gold Secret Shipments Traced Through a Lax System In United Arab Emirates
FROM OUR FRIEND LILY
AT BOTH consider the boot and lose the noose
Corporation Appreciation Week is Coming
(crossposted at Lose The Noose) Next week, Lose The Noose will be celebrating CORPORATION APPRECIATION WEEK!!!! Consider Participating! (post continued)Thats right, folks. Corporation Appreciation Week. A week where we temporarily turn the lights on in the roach-infested world of Corruptco. A week where we will highlight some of our favorite polluters, kid killers, fine-dodgers, and pension raiders. Don't know nothing 'bout evil doers? Here's a good link: The Fourteen Worst Corporate Evil Doers as reported by Global Exchange. Preview:"On issues like war crimes, torture, toxic dumping and stifling freedom of speech, corporations like Coca Cola, Chevron and Philip Morris are way out ahead of the rest.""Chevron: The petrochemical company Chevron is guilty of some of the worst environmental and human rights abuses in the world. From 1964 to 1992, Texaco (which transferred operations to Chevron after being bought out in 2001) unleashed a toxic "Rainforest Chernobyl" in Ecuador by leaving over 600 unlined oil pits in pristine northern Amazon rainforest and dumping 18 billion gallons of toxic production water into rivers used for bathing water. Local communities have suffered severe health effects, including cancer, skin lesions, birth defects, and spontaneous abortions."So please consider joining us in Corporation Appreciation Week, next week! If you are stuck for a post idea, consider posting on your favorite cuddly corpocratic criminal... if you are feeling rowdy, consider posting on your favorite whistleblower or safety standard violators...E Mail if you want to discuss paticipating: losethenoose@yahoo.com LTN will put a link list up of Participating Blogs, and provide the URL for a participation graphic if desired. And please, keep your feedback and lefty mojo flowing.
Read Full Post Here
Corporation Appreciation Week is Coming
(crossposted at Lose The Noose) Next week, Lose The Noose will be celebrating CORPORATION APPRECIATION WEEK!!!! Consider Participating! (post continued)Thats right, folks. Corporation Appreciation Week. A week where we temporarily turn the lights on in the roach-infested world of Corruptco. A week where we will highlight some of our favorite polluters, kid killers, fine-dodgers, and pension raiders. Don't know nothing 'bout evil doers? Here's a good link: The Fourteen Worst Corporate Evil Doers as reported by Global Exchange. Preview:"On issues like war crimes, torture, toxic dumping and stifling freedom of speech, corporations like Coca Cola, Chevron and Philip Morris are way out ahead of the rest.""Chevron: The petrochemical company Chevron is guilty of some of the worst environmental and human rights abuses in the world. From 1964 to 1992, Texaco (which transferred operations to Chevron after being bought out in 2001) unleashed a toxic "Rainforest Chernobyl" in Ecuador by leaving over 600 unlined oil pits in pristine northern Amazon rainforest and dumping 18 billion gallons of toxic production water into rivers used for bathing water. Local communities have suffered severe health effects, including cancer, skin lesions, birth defects, and spontaneous abortions."So please consider joining us in Corporation Appreciation Week, next week! If you are stuck for a post idea, consider posting on your favorite cuddly corpocratic criminal... if you are feeling rowdy, consider posting on your favorite whistleblower or safety standard violators...E Mail if you want to discuss paticipating: losethenoose@yahoo.com LTN will put a link list up of Participating Blogs, and provide the URL for a participation graphic if desired. And please, keep your feedback and lefty mojo flowing.
Read Full Post Here
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
thank you senator DODD
(and representative SHAYS) for being two of the seven senators/congresspeople to sign a letter to secretary john w snow, department of the treasury
VOICING YOUR CONCERNS OVER TURNING OVER SIX OF OUR UNITED STATES PORTS TO THE UAE
(click on the title for a link to the letter. for some reason, i cannot cut and paste it here)
VOICING YOUR CONCERNS OVER TURNING OVER SIX OF OUR UNITED STATES PORTS TO THE UAE
(click on the title for a link to the letter. for some reason, i cannot cut and paste it here)
being a republican
by larry beinhart in the smirking chimp
The vice president shoots you in the heart and in the face. Then you apologize for all the trouble it's caused him. That's what it means to be a Republican.Despite almost hysterical warnings the president stays asleep at the wheel. He does nothing about terrorism and 9/11 happens. He responds by running away to Nebraska. Three days later he makes a supposedly impromptu speech with a bull horn on the rubble of the World Trade Center. He is universally cheered as a hero. That's what it means to be a Republican. The president puts together false claims to go to war with the wrong country. His party universally supports him. That's what it means to be a Republican.The administration mismanages the war in Iraq so that it creates chaos, a breeding ground for terrorists and political opportunities for Islamic fundamentalists. Along the way, the reasons for going to war are exposed as false. The president runs on national security as his main issue. He is re-elected. That's what it means to be a Republican.The president cheerfully gives away the surplus to the richest people in the country. Then he runs up record debts, just to throw more money their way. He claims it has helped America's economy. People act like they believe him. That's what it means to be a Republican.The administration continues it's magnificent tradition of going to sleep when it is warned of disaster. It does nothing when Katrina is coming. It continues its record of doing nothing when disaster arrives. As New Orleans was lost, just as when the World Trade Center was lost, the president got as far away as possible. But he can't be blamed for what nature did. That's what it means to be a Republican.......
i mean NO offense to any groups of people but i would also add: being a republican (and not speaking out against the lies, tortures, injustice, handing our ports over to a country KNOWN to support terrorists, etc etc etc) means you are blind, deaf and had a pre-frontal lobotomy) {again i mean NO offense to my friends in the deaf community or those that are blind}
The vice president shoots you in the heart and in the face. Then you apologize for all the trouble it's caused him. That's what it means to be a Republican.Despite almost hysterical warnings the president stays asleep at the wheel. He does nothing about terrorism and 9/11 happens. He responds by running away to Nebraska. Three days later he makes a supposedly impromptu speech with a bull horn on the rubble of the World Trade Center. He is universally cheered as a hero. That's what it means to be a Republican. The president puts together false claims to go to war with the wrong country. His party universally supports him. That's what it means to be a Republican.The administration mismanages the war in Iraq so that it creates chaos, a breeding ground for terrorists and political opportunities for Islamic fundamentalists. Along the way, the reasons for going to war are exposed as false. The president runs on national security as his main issue. He is re-elected. That's what it means to be a Republican.The president cheerfully gives away the surplus to the richest people in the country. Then he runs up record debts, just to throw more money their way. He claims it has helped America's economy. People act like they believe him. That's what it means to be a Republican.The administration continues it's magnificent tradition of going to sleep when it is warned of disaster. It does nothing when Katrina is coming. It continues its record of doing nothing when disaster arrives. As New Orleans was lost, just as when the World Trade Center was lost, the president got as far away as possible. But he can't be blamed for what nature did. That's what it means to be a Republican.......
i mean NO offense to any groups of people but i would also add: being a republican (and not speaking out against the lies, tortures, injustice, handing our ports over to a country KNOWN to support terrorists, etc etc etc) means you are blind, deaf and had a pre-frontal lobotomy) {again i mean NO offense to my friends in the deaf community or those that are blind}
talking about the keys to the kingdom
from think progress
turns out in addition to uae running six of OUR ports, THEY WOULD ALSO CONTROL SOME OF OUR MILITARY SHIPMENTS
UAE Would Also Control Shipments of Military Equipment For The U.S. Army
There is bipartisan concern about the Bush administration’s decision to outsource the operation of six of the nation’s largest ports to a company controlled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of that nation’s troubling ties to international terrorism. The sale of P&O to Dubai World Ports would give the state-owned company control of “the ports of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.”
A major part of the story, however, has been mostly overlooked. The company, Dubai Ports World, would also control the movement of military equipment on behalf of the U.S. Army through two other ports. From today’s edition of the British paper Lloyd’s List:
[P&O] has just renewed a contract with the United States Surface Deployment and Distribution Command to provide stevedoring [loading and unloading] of military equipment at the Texan ports of Beaumont and Corpus Christi through 2010.........
i think i'd rather have delores, a street person (i.e. crack ho) i know running the ports. at least then you'd KNOW where you stood. as a matter of fact delores is rather like the uae, when she sees me she says, 'a rose is a rose, YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL TODAY. {waits a beat or two} DO YOU HAVE ANY MONEY?" write your congress people and senators NOW: STOP THEM FROM HANDING OUR PORT SECURITY OVER TO A TERRORIST INFILTRATED GOVERNMENT
turns out in addition to uae running six of OUR ports, THEY WOULD ALSO CONTROL SOME OF OUR MILITARY SHIPMENTS
UAE Would Also Control Shipments of Military Equipment For The U.S. Army
There is bipartisan concern about the Bush administration’s decision to outsource the operation of six of the nation’s largest ports to a company controlled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of that nation’s troubling ties to international terrorism. The sale of P&O to Dubai World Ports would give the state-owned company control of “the ports of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.”
A major part of the story, however, has been mostly overlooked. The company, Dubai Ports World, would also control the movement of military equipment on behalf of the U.S. Army through two other ports. From today’s edition of the British paper Lloyd’s List:
[P&O] has just renewed a contract with the United States Surface Deployment and Distribution Command to provide stevedoring [loading and unloading] of military equipment at the Texan ports of Beaumont and Corpus Christi through 2010.........
i think i'd rather have delores, a street person (i.e. crack ho) i know running the ports. at least then you'd KNOW where you stood. as a matter of fact delores is rather like the uae, when she sees me she says, 'a rose is a rose, YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL TODAY. {waits a beat or two} DO YOU HAVE ANY MONEY?" write your congress people and senators NOW: STOP THEM FROM HANDING OUR PORT SECURITY OVER TO A TERRORIST INFILTRATED GOVERNMENT
i AM the bombardier
U.S. Reclassifies Many Documents in Secret Review
By SCOTT SHANE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 — In a seven-year-old secret program at the National Archives, intelligence agencies have been removing from public access thousands of historical documents that were available for years, including some already published by the State Department and others photocopied years ago by private historians.
The restoration of classified status to more than 55,000 previously declassified pages began in 1999, when the Central Intelligence Agency and five other agencies objected to what they saw as a hasty release of sensitive information after a 1995 declassification order signed by President Bill Clinton. It accelerated after the Bush administration took office and especially after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to archives records.
But because the reclassification program is itself shrouded in secrecy — governed by a still-classified memorandum that prohibits the National Archives even from saying which agencies are involved — it continued virtually without outside notice until December. That was when an intelligence historian, Matthew M. Aid, noticed that dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the archives' open shelves..................
By SCOTT SHANE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 — In a seven-year-old secret program at the National Archives, intelligence agencies have been removing from public access thousands of historical documents that were available for years, including some already published by the State Department and others photocopied years ago by private historians.
The restoration of classified status to more than 55,000 previously declassified pages began in 1999, when the Central Intelligence Agency and five other agencies objected to what they saw as a hasty release of sensitive information after a 1995 declassification order signed by President Bill Clinton. It accelerated after the Bush administration took office and especially after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to archives records.
But because the reclassification program is itself shrouded in secrecy — governed by a still-classified memorandum that prohibits the National Archives even from saying which agencies are involved — it continued virtually without outside notice until December. That was when an intelligence historian, Matthew M. Aid, noticed that dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the archives' open shelves..................
Monday, February 20, 2006
mistaken? isn't that too kind? LYING perhaps would be my choice
Rumsfeld Wrong in Saying Press Propaganda Campaign Ended in Iraq? By E&P Staff Published: February 19, 2006 9:55 AM ET
NEW YORK Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Friday that the controversial Pentagon-back program to plant propaganda in Iraqi newspapers had been completely shut down. This appears at odds with other statements recently, the Los Angeles Times reports, calling Rumsfeld's comments mistaken.Appearing on the Charlie Rose PBS show on Friday, Rumsfeld criticized the military program that paids Iraqi newspapers to plant stories favorable to the American effort there, "and mistakenly said the Pentagon had shut down the program shortly after its existence was revealed," the Times Mark Mazzetti writes. "Rumsfeld said the U.S. military should not be paying Iraqi media to publish articles, whose origin was concealed even from the news outlets. He said he had not been initially aware of the clandestine program, and ordered it shut down after news outlets published details of it. ".......
NEW YORK Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Friday that the controversial Pentagon-back program to plant propaganda in Iraqi newspapers had been completely shut down. This appears at odds with other statements recently, the Los Angeles Times reports, calling Rumsfeld's comments mistaken.Appearing on the Charlie Rose PBS show on Friday, Rumsfeld criticized the military program that paids Iraqi newspapers to plant stories favorable to the American effort there, "and mistakenly said the Pentagon had shut down the program shortly after its existence was revealed," the Times Mark Mazzetti writes. "Rumsfeld said the U.S. military should not be paying Iraqi media to publish articles, whose origin was concealed even from the news outlets. He said he had not been initially aware of the clandestine program, and ordered it shut down after news outlets published details of it. ".......
in continuing with MY theme.......
let's just open all of our doors and windows and yell out a mighty big howdy-do to our new port masters! (i am SO livid about this i cannot even articulate it)
More Objections to Port Takeover by Arab Entity
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 — Conditions set by the federal government for approving an Arab company's takeover of operations at six major American ports are not enough to guard against terrorist infiltration, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday.
"I'm aware of the conditions, and they relate entirely to how the company carries out its procedures, but it doesn't go to who they hire, or how they hire people," said the chairman, Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. Mr. King said senior administration officials had shared details of the sale with him.
"They're better than nothing, but to me they don't address the underlying conditions, which is, how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by Al Qaeda or someone else? How are they going to guard against corruption?" Mr. King said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He spoke in response to remarks that Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, made Sunday on the ABC program "This Week."
Mr. Chertoff defended the security review of Dubai Ports World, the company given permission to take over the port operations, but declined to discuss specifics, saying that information was classified.............
............Critics of the deal have cited the United Arab Emirates' history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ..........
and this from think progress
Some facts about the UAE:
– The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
– The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.
– According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.
– After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.............
More Objections to Port Takeover by Arab Entity
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 — Conditions set by the federal government for approving an Arab company's takeover of operations at six major American ports are not enough to guard against terrorist infiltration, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday.
"I'm aware of the conditions, and they relate entirely to how the company carries out its procedures, but it doesn't go to who they hire, or how they hire people," said the chairman, Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. Mr. King said senior administration officials had shared details of the sale with him.
"They're better than nothing, but to me they don't address the underlying conditions, which is, how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by Al Qaeda or someone else? How are they going to guard against corruption?" Mr. King said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He spoke in response to remarks that Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, made Sunday on the ABC program "This Week."
Mr. Chertoff defended the security review of Dubai Ports World, the company given permission to take over the port operations, but declined to discuss specifics, saying that information was classified.............
............Critics of the deal have cited the United Arab Emirates' history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ..........
and this from think progress
Some facts about the UAE:
– The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
– The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.
– According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.
– After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden’s bank accounts.............
Sunday, February 19, 2006
a bit more on the insanity
at least ONE group is doing something to stop it and the senate will discuss it 'later this month' but discuss is too light a word for me. FORBID IT should be more like it. we are talking about giving control of SIX MAJOR UNITED STATES PORTS to a country which at times, supports TERRORISTS and HAS TERRORISTS as some of their citizens. some of the port city mayors and politicians are OUTRAGED as are some of the families of the victims of 9-11. i as an ordinary CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES am stunned beyond belief.
our king said the following. he obviously does NOT practice what he preaches (so to speak)
..............."We've got to protect ourselves by doing smart things in America," Bush said. "I appreciate working with the mayors on homeland security issues."............
Worries Escalate Over Sale of U.S. Port Operations
By TED BRIDIS, AP
WASHINGTON (Feb. 18) - A company at the Port of Miami has sued to block the takeover of shipping operations there by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. It is the first American courtroom effort to capsize a $6.8 billion sale already embroiled in a national debate over security risks at six major U.S. ports affected by the deal.
The Miami company, a subsidiary of Eller & Company Inc., presently is a business partner with London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which Dubai Ports World purchased last week. In a lawsuit in Florida circuit court, the Miami subsidiary said that under the sale it will become an "involuntary partner" with Dubai's government and it may seek more than $10 million in damages.
The Miami subsidiary, Continental Stevedoring & Terminals Inc., said the sale to Dubai was prohibited under its partnership agreement with the British firm and "may endanger the national security of the United States." It asked a judge to block the takeover and said it does not believe the company, Florida or the U.S. government can ensure Dubai Ports World's compliance with American security rules.
A spokesman for Peninsular and Oriental indicated the company had not yet seen the lawsuit and declined to comment immediately.
The lawsuit represents the earliest skirmish over lucrative contracts among the six major American ports where Peninsular and Oriental runs major commercial operations: New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. The lawsuit was filed moments before the court closed Friday and disclosed late Saturday by people working on the case.
The sale, already approved by the Bush administration, has drawn escalating criticism by lawmakers in Washington who maintain the United Arab Emirates is not consistent in its support of U.S. terrorism-fighting efforts. At least one Senate oversight hearing is planned for later this month............
and i just found this in the boston globe
Clinton bill seeks to stop sale of US ports to Arabs
President Bush supports acquisition
By Nicholas Johnston, Bloomberg News February 18, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey introduced legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from buying US port operations.
The measure is intended to block the $6.8 billion sale of a company that operates six US ports to a firm controlled by the United Arab Emirates.
''Our port security is too important to place in the hands of foreign governments," Clinton said in a statement yesterday.
On Thursday, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers called for hearings on the purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., the UK's largest port operator, by DP World, Dubai's port company. With the acquisition, DP World would gain control over most operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore, and New Orleans.
''Ports are the front lines of the war on terrorism," Menendez said. ''We wouldn't turn the Border Patrol or the Customs Service over to a foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one either."..........
mmmmmm hil is doing something right? stepping up to the plate, holy shite has hell frozen over? (it sure feels like it in connecticut. it got COLD)
our king said the following. he obviously does NOT practice what he preaches (so to speak)
..............."We've got to protect ourselves by doing smart things in America," Bush said. "I appreciate working with the mayors on homeland security issues."............
Worries Escalate Over Sale of U.S. Port Operations
By TED BRIDIS, AP
WASHINGTON (Feb. 18) - A company at the Port of Miami has sued to block the takeover of shipping operations there by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. It is the first American courtroom effort to capsize a $6.8 billion sale already embroiled in a national debate over security risks at six major U.S. ports affected by the deal.
The Miami company, a subsidiary of Eller & Company Inc., presently is a business partner with London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which Dubai Ports World purchased last week. In a lawsuit in Florida circuit court, the Miami subsidiary said that under the sale it will become an "involuntary partner" with Dubai's government and it may seek more than $10 million in damages.
The Miami subsidiary, Continental Stevedoring & Terminals Inc., said the sale to Dubai was prohibited under its partnership agreement with the British firm and "may endanger the national security of the United States." It asked a judge to block the takeover and said it does not believe the company, Florida or the U.S. government can ensure Dubai Ports World's compliance with American security rules.
A spokesman for Peninsular and Oriental indicated the company had not yet seen the lawsuit and declined to comment immediately.
The lawsuit represents the earliest skirmish over lucrative contracts among the six major American ports where Peninsular and Oriental runs major commercial operations: New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. The lawsuit was filed moments before the court closed Friday and disclosed late Saturday by people working on the case.
The sale, already approved by the Bush administration, has drawn escalating criticism by lawmakers in Washington who maintain the United Arab Emirates is not consistent in its support of U.S. terrorism-fighting efforts. At least one Senate oversight hearing is planned for later this month............
and i just found this in the boston globe
Clinton bill seeks to stop sale of US ports to Arabs
President Bush supports acquisition
By Nicholas Johnston, Bloomberg News February 18, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey introduced legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from buying US port operations.
The measure is intended to block the $6.8 billion sale of a company that operates six US ports to a firm controlled by the United Arab Emirates.
''Our port security is too important to place in the hands of foreign governments," Clinton said in a statement yesterday.
On Thursday, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers called for hearings on the purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., the UK's largest port operator, by DP World, Dubai's port company. With the acquisition, DP World would gain control over most operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore, and New Orleans.
''Ports are the front lines of the war on terrorism," Menendez said. ''We wouldn't turn the Border Patrol or the Customs Service over to a foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one either."..........
mmmmmm hil is doing something right? stepping up to the plate, holy shite has hell frozen over? (it sure feels like it in connecticut. it got COLD)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
