presidential selection & terror threataganda

lieberman warns of possible '09 terrorist attack
from politico: Joe Lieberman, appearing on Face the Nation today, made the case for McCain with a blunt reminder. "Our enemies will test the new president early," said Lieberman. "Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration." That is some statement - and one that I doubt Lieberman just hatched over coffee in the Green Room.


if terrorists rock the vote in 2008
from frank rich: Don't fault Charles Black, the John McCain adviser, for publicly stating his honest belief that a domestic terrorist attack would be “a big advantage” for their campaign and that Benazir Bhutto’s assassination had “helped” Mr. McCain win the New Hampshire primary. His real sin is that he didn’t come completely clean on his strategic thinking.

terror watch uses local eyes in colorado

from denver post: Hundreds of police, firefighters, paramedics and even utility workers have been trained and recently dispatched as "Terrorism Liaison Officers" in Colorado and a handful of other states to hunt for "suspicious activity" - and are reporting their findings into secret government databases. It's a tactic intended to feed better data into terrorism early-warning systems and uncover intelligence that could help fight anti-U.S. forces. But the vague nature of the TLOs' mission, and their focus on reporting both legal and illegal activity, has generated objections from privacy advocates and civil libertarians.

collateral 47: ship to nowhere

from collateral news: This week's story fits perfectly with what we've learned about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay: According to UK-based human rights organization 'Reprieve' the U.S. has used navy ships as prisons throughout the world. Apparently abuses on these ships were more severe than in Guantanamo.

weird weather: 'heat burst' blasts nebraska

from ntv: Cozad residents woke this morning to a weather phenomenon as a heat burst rolled through town. Temperatures rose 20 degrees in a matter of minutes while winds reached speeds of 75 miles per hour. Many had no idea what was happening. Mike Steinwart, Cozad Street Department, said it came quickly. "No warning, not even a whistle, I thought it was a tornado. The way people explained. I thought it was a tornado, but they say it was a heat burst."

hersh: US escalating covert ops against iran

from thinkprogress: The New Yorker’s Seymour Hersh reports that late last year, “Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran.” The “Presidential Finding” was designed to destabilize religious leadership and gather “intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program":

But the scale and the scope of the operations in Iran, which involve the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), have now been significantly expanded, according to the current and former officials. Many of these activities are not specified in the new Finding, and some congressional leaders have had serious questions about their nature.

“The Finding was focused on undermining Iran’s nuclear ambitions and trying to undermine the government through regime change,” a person familiar with its contents said, and involved “working with opposition groups and passing money.”

Update: U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, reacting to Hersh's story on CNN's Late Edition, said: "I can tell you flatly that U.S. forces are not operating across the Iraqi border into Iran."

1000s in southwestern china riot over alleged coverup

from washington post: Thousands of people thronged a police station in southwestern China to protest the alleged coverup of a teenage girl's rape and murder, witnesses and officials reported Sunday. The crowd set fire to a government building complex and several police vehicles. The violence, which began Saturday, was brought under control by authorities around 2 a.m. Sunday. There were conflicting reports about the number of injuries and arrests as news of the riot spread over the Internet. Pictures and video from the incident were posted on Chinese online discussion forums and Web sites but quickly became inaccessible, ostensibly as government censors stepped in.

mugabe, sanctions & sham elections

mugabe once again sworn in as president
from press tv: Robert Mugabe is once again sworn in as Zimbabwean president after being declared the landslide winner of the country's much-disputed election. The electoral commission said Mugabe won 85.51 percent of the vote compared to 43.2 percent in elections in March won by Tsvangirai with 47.9 percent - short of the absolute majority needed for a first round victory.

bush seeks new zimbabwe penalties
from cbs/ap: With Zimbabwe's runoff election over, the country politically divided and tens of thousands terrorized, the next question is how to deal with a newly empowered Robert Mugabe... Zimbabwe came under threat of further sanctions on Saturday as President Bush said the U.S. was working on new ways to punish Mugabe and his allies following the widely denounced presidential runoff election.

african union urged to reject sham zimbabwe election
from human rights watch: African states should impose sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his illegitimate government in Zimbabwe after the sham presidential runoff, Human Rights Watch said today. The situation in Zimbabwe, where government violence against opposition supporters continued even after the vote on June 27, 2008, will be on the agenda at the African Union summit in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, on June 30 and July 1.

update: mugabe henchmen backed by barclays bank
from times online: Barclays is flouting European Union sanctions on Zimbabwe by providing two of President Robert Mugabe’s most senior henchmen with bank accounts. Both men are named on an EU blacklist that compels European-based financial institutions to freeze their bank accounts and have no dealings with them.

ron paul warns congress on ‘virtual war resolution’

from youtube: In a speech on the House Floor, Ron Paul gives a stern warning about the push for war with Iran, including the upcoming H.R. 362 which would levy harsh sanctions, boycotts and embargoes. Moreover, a bombing campaign – as many neocons have pushed for – would send energy prices soaring, with some speculations seeing a tripling of the prices.

outside the box #158 & 159

here is the latest episode of "outside the box," hosted by alex ansary.
it was originally broadcast by portland community media on june 19, 2008.

from alex ansary: Alex interviews documentary filmmaker Chris Everard about some of the areas of focus discussed in his films ranging from the Illuminati, secret society symbolism, top secret space exploration, and the spirit world.

outside the box #159

here is the latest episode of "outside the box," hosted by alex ansary.
it was originally broadcast by portland community media on june 26, 2008.

from alex ansary: Alex covers the latest news and reviews how basic levels of fear and apathy assist as assisting global beast system which appears to be right on schedule. How do we reconnect with one another to create real change if we are programmed to fear one another and avoid contact?

and here are the latest episodes of "outside the box"
on we the people radio network...
from june 25, 2008.
stream: m3u & ram or download: hour1 & hour2

from june 21, 2008.
stream: m3u & ram or download: hour1 & hour2

from june 18, 2008.
stream: m3u & ram or download: hour1 & hour2

from june 14, 2008.
stream: m3u & ram or download: hour1 & hour2

from june 11, 2008.
stream: m3u & ram or download: hour1 & hour2

military satellites to spy on domestic disasters

from raw replay: MSNBC’s Alex Witt talked to Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff about a new proposal by the Bush administration to use satellites for domestic surveillance. Isikoff told MSNBC, “The Homeland Security Department is talking about expanding the program to use military satellites really, for domestic purposes. They say the primary driver is natural disasters - like the recent flooding in the midwest - to pinpoint areas that are most hard hit and to help with responses, first responses. But they also leave open the possibility that this could be used for other purposes...”

spying across the pond: nau/eu to trade private data

from new york times: The United States and the European Union are nearing completion of an agreement allowing law enforcement and security agencies to obtain private information — like credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits — about people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The potential agreement, as outlined in an internal report obtained by The New York Times, would represent a diplomatic breakthrough for American counterterrorism officials, who have clashed with the European Union over demands for personal data. Europe generally has more stringent laws restricting how governments and businesses can collect and transfer such information.

texas high court rules exorcism protected by law

from ft. worth star-telegram: A divided Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former Colleyville church Friday, saying church members who were involved in a traumatic exorcism that ultimately injured a young woman are protected by the First Amendment.

In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God staff’s efforts to cast out demons from Laura Schubert presents an ecclesiastical dispute over religious conduct that would unconstitutionally entangle the court in church doctrine.

Schubert described a wild night in 1996 that involved casting out demons from the church and two attempts to exorcise demons from her. The incident left Schubert physically bruised and so emotionally scarred she later tried to commit suicide. She was 17 at the time.

US to pay hatfill $5.8m in anthrax op settlement

from raw replay: NBC's Pete Williams reported that the U.S. Government has agreed to pay Steven Hatfill about $5.8 million in the case of the anthrax attacks that happened soon after 9/11. Hatfill had been declared "a person of interest" in the attacks. Williams said that it is "safe to assume" that Hatfill is no longer considered a person of interest. This video is from MSNBC News Live, broadcast June 27, 2008.

update1: fda issues warning on cipro
from ap: Drug safety officials Tuesday imposed the government's most urgent safety warning on Cipro and similar antibiotics, citing evidence that they may lead to tendon ruptures, a serious injury that can leave patients incapacitated and needing extensive surgery... The two leading drugs covered by the warning are Cipro, made by Bayer, and Levaquin, which is made by Ortho-McNeil. Cipro became a household name during the anthrax attacks of 2001. It is effective against that deadly bacteria, and is among the medications stockpiled by the government in case of a bio-terror attack.

update2: who planned the anthrax attacks?
from justin raimondo: You remember the anthrax attacks – or do you? It often seems, to me at least, that this important catalyst for the invasion of Iraq and our supremely wrong-headed post-9/11 foreign policy has been flushed down the collective memory hole. For all the attention that's been paid to that spooky chapter in the history of the "war on terrorism" in the intervening years, it may as well have never occurred. That's why news of the former prime suspect's ultimate vindication – and his victory in a $5.8 million lawsuit in which he accused the feds of unfairly targeting him as a "person of interest" (as John Ashcroft put it) – seems like a visitation from another time, the ghost of 9/11 past, haunting and mocking us. It sends chills down my spine – because, you see, the real culprits are still out there.

media monarchy episode081

episode081 of media monarchy is a jam-packed 2hrs with the latest on 9/11, building 7, bbc, lc, nyt & nist, gangstaz, borders, liberty dollars & drugwars, kbr chemicals & change we can spy on, music by immortal technique and tons more...

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media monarchy is originally broadcast on the portland radio authority every friday at 10am pacific/1pm eastern and can also be heard on the revere radio network every sunday at 4pm pacific/7pm eastern...

plus, you can always get podcasts of previous episodes thanks to radio4all.net & archive.org

US stock plunge makes worst june since 1930

from cnn/money: U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday with the blue-chip index enduring its worst June so far since 1930, and plunging to its lowest finish since Sept. 11, 2006, after getting slammed hard as crude soared to new highs and Goldman Sachs disparaged U.S. brokers and advised selling General Motors Corp.

"We're going to move in the opposite direction of oil, and General Motors is going to go out of business, at least according to Goldman Sachs," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Jefferies & Co...

"The real problem is even though [the] Fed attempted to be more hawkish, it was not supportive enough of the dollar," Hogan said...

"One thing is for certain, if crude continues to rally, stocks are dead," said Dale Doelling, chief market technician at Trends In Commodities.

"If stocks have another day like this tomorrow, then the fallout next week could include government intervention in the markets," said Doelling.

9/11: wtc7, barry jennings, nist leak & bbc hit piece

bodies in world trade center building 7: barry jennings interview demolishes the official conspiracy theory
from kurt nimmo: It is obvious watching the BBC’s trailer of its "The Conspiracy Files: 9/11 - The Third Tower," set to air on Sunday, 6 July, that "Auntie Beeb" will attempt to make it appear Building 7 at the WTC complex came down as a result of fire (see trailer below). In other words, it appears the BBC will push - and defend - the government explanation hastily cooked up after attention was focused on the mysterious collapse by researchers, a collapse diligently ignored by the 9/11 Commission in its final report, or that is to say its final whitewash.

The BBC interviewed Dylan Avery, writer and director of the documentary "Loose Change," and during the interview the BBC disputed Avery’s claim that there were dead bodies in the lobby of Building 7 as the result of an explosion prior to the collapse of either WTC buildings. In order to make his point, Dylan showed the BBC video footage of one Barry Jennings, the New York City Housing Authority worker who made the claim of dead bodies strewn in the rubble. The Jennings interview included here was to appear in Loose Change, but Mr. Jennings had reservations after receiving threatening phone calls. He was worried about losing his job and requested the interview not be included.


leaked nist docs: 'unusual' event before collapse of wtc7
from paul joseph watson & aaron dykes: Leaked confidential NIST documents concerning the investigation into the collapse of WTC 7, the 47-storey skyscraper that was not hit by a plane but imploded in under seven seconds on 9/11, reveal that an "unusual" event preceded the collapse of the building - a "jet of flames" that shot out of several windows after most of the fire had already died down. The leaked documents precede a BBC hit piece documentary which airs on July 6th and is set to claim that WTC 7 was the first steel-framed building in history to suffer a complete collapse from fire damage alone - a scientific impossibility.

"Just prior to the collapse of the building at 5:20:52 p.m. a jet of flames was pushed from windows in the same area. The event that caused this unusual behavior has not been identified."

why was the cashing out of billions of dollars just before the 9/11 attacks never investigated?
from jim hogue: It's been over six years since 9/11, but U.S. regulatory entities have been slow to follow through with reports about the complex financial transactions that occurred just prior to and following the attacks. Such research could shed light on such questions as who was behind them — and who benefited — and could help lay to rest the rumors that have been festering.

why were '1st responders' de-contaminated at pentagon?
from existentialist cowboy: De-contamination is done when one is exposed to radiation! Why, then, were 911 'first responders' to the Pentagon de-contaminated? That they were is not only compelling evidence that DU [Depleted Uranium] ammunition and armour-piercing technology were present, it is compelling evidence that Bush's 'official conspiracy theory' of 911 is utter bullshit! If DU was used at the Pentagon, then the fire and damage was most certainly not caused by a hijacked 757 airliner.

atf raids blackwater armory, seizes automatic weapons

from usa today: Federal agents raided a Blackwater armory Tuesday and seized 34 automatic rifles that the company purchased and stored on behalf of a local law enforcement agency, the Associated Press reports. Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, tells AP that ATF agents searched the Moyock, N.C., facility. The raid came after reports on a deal in which the company paid for weapons that were registered in the name of the Camden County, N.C., Sheriff's Office.

"The 2005 agreements gives the sheriff's office unlimited access to the weapons, including 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters," the wire service says. "But [Sheriff Tony] Perry said his department has only used the AK-47s in shooting practice at Blackwater and that none of his 19 deputies are qualified to use them." Federal law prohibits private companies or individuals from purchasing automatic weapons.

army looks to save its 'future'

from danger room: With budget tights and tolerance for high-price technology programs growing thin, the Army today is announcing plans to revamp its massive $200 billion modernization effort, called the Future Combat Systems. Like the program itself, the changes are confusing, but appear to consist of plans to accelerate those technologies the Army thinks are most needed in the field and are moving along quickly, like drones, while pushing back those weapons more suited for major military conflict. "Army officials say the revisions could push the program's total price tag even higher, lifting the fortunes of the effort's two main contractors, Boeing Co. and SAIC Inc.," the Wall Street Journal reports... The move is, at least in part, designed to address concerns being raised in Congress about the megalith program, which links together massive amounts of software and hardware. A House committee wants to slice some $200 milllion from the request to fund FCS. That may sound like a lot, but the total request for FCS for fiscal 2009 is about $3.6 billion.

cctv does not reduce crime in the uk

from guardian: Pervasive security cameras don’t substantially reduce crime. There are exceptions, of course, and that’s what gets the press. Most famously, CCTV cameras helped catch James Bulger’s murderers in 1993. And earlier this year, they helped convict Steve Wright of murdering five women in the Ipswich area. But these are the well-publicised exceptions. Overall, CCTV cameras aren’t very effective.

This fact has been demonstrated again and again: by a comprehensive study for the Home Office in 2005, by several studies in the US, and again with new data announced last month by New Scotland Yard. They actually solve very few crimes, and their deterrent effect is minimal.

Conventional wisdom predicts the opposite. But if that were true, then camera-happy London, with something like 500,000, would be the safest city on the planet. It isn’t, of course, because of technological limitations of cameras, organisational limitations of police and the adaptive abilities of criminals.

hatch calls fisa critics 9/11 inside job tinfoil hatters

from kurt nimmo: Don’t like the idea of the government walking with muddy shoes all over the Fourth Amendment and snooping your telephone calls, reading your email, rifling through credit and medical records? Well, obviously, you’re a conspiracy nut. Because the government loves you, it would never disrespect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The NSA, CIA, DHS, FBI, etc., are only looking for Osama, al-Qaeda, and more recently the white boy variant of al-Qaeda, under beds everywhere, plotting your demise because they hate your freedom to shop until you drop.

Doubt it? Check out Sen. Orrin Hatch, neocon from Utah, in the video here, recorded on June 25 while the congress critter professional corporate whore pontificated from the Senate floor.


hatch compares FISA critics to those ‘who wear tin foil hats and think 9/11 was an inside job.’
from thinkprogress: Speaking today on the Senate floor in favor of the Foreign Service Intelligence Act legislation, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) compared critics of the bill - which include Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV), Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), among others — to deluded conspiracy theorists. Hatch mocked the what he called “onerous oversight provisions” included in the bill, and said those who raise the specter of unchecked executive wiretapping power “feed the delusions of those who wear tin foil hats around their house and think that 9/11 was an inside job." Those “onerous” oversight provisions Hatch maligns? A ban on “reverse targeting” of Americans and a new requirement of probable cause for surveillance of Americans abroad.

update: Late this afternoon, the Senate voted 80-15 to invoke cloture on the FISA bill. Ian Welsh at FDL writes that this "was the real vote" and applauds the 15 senators who "voted for the Bill of Rights."

news on the march

9/11
senator mike gravel supports nyc 9/11 ballot initiative*
video: former US senator mike gravel endorses nyc 9/11 ballot initiative*
5th, 6th & 7th alleged hijhacking attempts on 9/11 & 9/13,
what happened to the suspects?*
video: talk show host michael reagan wants to kill 9/11 truthers*
video: david ray griffin & new evidence about 9/11*
1st responders from 9/11 gather for day of remembrance*
9/11 chronicle continues...*
un expert's support of 9/11 conspiracy theorists*
critics demand resignation of un official who wants 9/11 probe*
neocon calls for un '9/11 conspiracy theorist' to resign*
lawmaker takes 9/11 doubts global*
cindy mccain hiding war profits, untaxed accounts & pre-9/11 insider trading?*
govt says fbi agents can't testify about 9/11*
9/11 prediction revealed at lindauer competency hearing in nyc*
montreal 9/11 truth to city hall: if there's an attack we won't believe you*
fan mail from an unindicted 9/11 co-conspirator*
pentagon's 9/11 memorial puzzle*

media
video: immortal technique on al-jazeera*
fake airline ads: pay per pound*
video: why you should never talk to cops*
wonder woman finds corpse on potomac river*
drilling down: radio's popularity declining unevenly*
disc-sniffing dog 'manny' dies, cause under investigation*
portland retailers giving vinyl records another spin*
stone's w film must strike balance*
spielberg to direct lockerbie bombing movie*
wikipedia updater fired for scooping nbc on russert's death**
'my first cavity search'*
video: shattered union*
video: speak & spell the new world order*
video: bill hicks on what is the point to life?*

history/mystery
uss liberty & US/israeli covert cooperation*
1967 attack shows how US goes too easy on israel*
new revelations in 1967 israeli attack on american spy ship*
canada apologises for abuse of aboriginal children*
veterans press for info on 1960s chemical tests*
3rd reich to fortune 500: 5 popular brands the nazis gave us*
bbc whitewash: plots, paranoia & blame*
video: rare 1974 interview with carroll quigley*

geopolitiks
davis resignation: unlikely hero of liberal britain shocks establishment*
ireland set to vote on eu dictatorship*
irish say no to military & neo-liberalism*
80% of british law made by european union*
brown wins crunch vote on 42 days detention*
pakistan fury at deadly US strike*
nuke smuggler peddled missile-ready bomb designs*
gingrich: scotus decision 'could cost us a city'*
law school dean calls conference to plan bush war crimes prosecution*
scotus to rule on whether ashcroft can be sued*
report: US gave green light for taliban prison attack*
paki nuke secret spill psyop*
general accuses white house of war crimes*
state of emergency: the US in the final 6 months of the bush administration*
israel holds drill, prepares to attack iran*
US says exercise by israel seemed directed at iran*
US: israeli military carried out iran practice drill*
ex-state dept. official: 100s of detainees died in US custody, at least 25 murdered*
bush army in brzezinski's afghan trap*
south american union will also have common currency*

drugwar
US nabs record amounts of coke*
border patrol agent charged with drug counts*
pot more potent than ever*
legal drugs kill far more than illegal, florida says*
massive dea raids planned for humboldt*

assassinations
more privileges sought for john hinkley*
new documentary suggests second rfk shooter*
winter patriot: rip rfk*
new york times slags documentary suggesting second rfk shooter*
rfk: a legacy of peace through strength*
jfk assassination documentary analyzes conspiracy theories*
james w douglass & the risk of carrying jfk's vision forward*
audio: kboo interview w/ james w douglass of 'jfk & the unspeakable'*
the 2 sides of vincent bugliosi*

envirohealth
forced vaccinations part of dark eugenics agenda*
small town overthrows corporate giant for control of water*
speculation of nuke causing china earthquake*
nasa provides 'explanation' of china earthquake*
mercury in 'green' light bulbs*
poll: most britons doubt cause of climate change*
phoenix lander confirms ice present on mars*
navy vs dolphins: scotus to hear battle over sonar*
new report on bio-war lab danger*

miltech
air force chief, secretary 'resign'*
gates sacks top air force leadership*
bosses nuked, some air force missileers cheer*
nuclear fallout at the air force*
10 more reasons for the air force purge*
israeli surveillance society inspires face-scanning billboards*
nearly 20% of army in afghanistan is on prozac*
video: b2 stealth bomber crashes*
northrop to develop mind-reading binoculars*
how to: visit a secret nuclear bunker*
gitmo interrogators told to destroy handwritten notes*
in debate over permanent bases in iraq, US seeks authorization for war in iran*
george w bush has gotten away with murder'*
bbc uncovers lost iraq billions*
washington post's enduring bush coverup*
in wake of scotus, bush should just put up or shut up!*
US reservist refuses to go to iraq*
canada beefs up kandahar presence after prison break*
wikileaks gets hold of counterinsurgency manual*

police state usa
dc setting up neighborhood checkpoints, warrantless, door-to-door searches*
dc cops to lock down parts of city, demand id from citizens*
washington post covers police state actions in dc*
dc puts itself under surveillance*
dc 'mass evacuation drill' & dnc terror prep*
army reserve teams with dc police to boost employment*
nypd helicopter views faces from miles a way*
nypd spybird flying high*
nyc police adding stun guns to officers belts*
nypd urged to reconsider on stun guns*
taser suffers a rare loss in court*
first jury zaps taser $6m for wrongful death*
1/3 of people shot by taser need medical help*
police teams drill for crowd control*
marine drills will include hollywood-like effects*
wisconsin national guard & police storm high school in wmd exercise*
fbi & dhs behind martial law exercises in indianapolis*
indy star thinks martial law training is good*
nevada terror drills: governor gibbons & vigilant guard*
los angeles losing money on red light cams*
7,000 sites deemed chemical terror targets*
bush pushes biometrics for national security*
7 people arrested for cheering at graduation
cops, guns & the lost idea of river protection*
antonin scalia & police-state rule*
US school district to begin microchipping students*
school says death hoax was necessary*
a special thank you to george w bush*
inside a nwo control grid tradeshow*
spying on americans: dems ready to gut the constitution*
dems agree to expand domestic spying, grant telecoms amnesty*
both sides await scotus ruling on right to bear arms*
ex-pentagon lawyer says he researched 'real manchurian candidate stuff'*

media monarchy episode080b

episode080b of media monarchy is an exclusive outdoor recording made off the grid, in the woods & with a tribute to george carlin...





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witnesses link kbr chemical to ill US soldiers

from boston globe: US soldiers assigned to guard a crucial part of Iraq’s oil infrastructure became ill after exposure to a highly toxic chemical at the plant, witnesses testified at a Democratic Policy Committee hearing yesterday on Capitol Hill. "These soldiers were bleeding from the nose, spitting blood," said Danny Langford, an equipment technician from Texas brought to work at the Qarmat Ali Water treatment plant in 2003. "They were sick."

"Hundreds of American soldiers at this site were contaminated" while guarding the plant, Langford said, including members of the Indiana National Guard. Langford is one of nine Americans who accuse KBR, the lead contractor on the Qarmat Ali project and one of the largest defense contractors in Iraq, of knowingly exposing them to sodium dichromate, an orange, sandlike chemical that is a potentially lethal carcinogen. Specialists say even short-term exposure to the chemical can cause cancer, depress an individual’s immune system, attack the liver, and cause other ailments.

george carlin mourned as a counterculture hero

(this truly breaks my heart. i've been a huge fan of george for many years, own all of his records & will frequently quote him at length. his work has truly affected my life for the better. i put him up there with morrissey & bill hicks. i will miss him dearly.)

from ap: George Carlin, the frenzied performer whose routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, has died.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. He was 71.

"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.


updates...
comedian george carlin dies at 71*
video: george carlin on 'the american dream'*
comedy legend george carlin dies in los angeles at 71*
george carlin's mugshot*
comedian george carlin dies at 71*
7 words carlin can say in heaven*
how george carlin changed comedy*
a comedian with two faces*
comedian george carlin dead at age 71*
george carlin dies at 71 in los angeles*
george carlin passes away at age 71*
george carlin mourned as counterculture hero*
comedian george carlin dies in los angeles at 71*
revisiting history: the life & times of george carlin*
george carlin meets god: a tribute to the man, the myth & the legend of carlin's message to us

ksm, cia, nyt & the torture of 9/11

inside a 9/11 mastermind’s interrogation
from new york times: In a makeshift prison in the north of Poland, Al Qaeda’s engineer of mass murder faced off against his Central Intelligence Agency interrogator. It was 18 months after the 9/11 attacks, and the invasion of Iraq was giving Muslim extremists new motives for havoc. If anyone knew about the next plot, it was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

The interrogator, Deuce Martinez, a soft-spoken analyst who spoke no Arabic, had turned down a C.I.A. offer to be trained in waterboarding. He chose to leave the infliction of pain and panic to others, the gung-ho paramilitary types whom the more cerebral interrogators called “knuckledraggers.”

after the waterboarding
from intel dump: Today's New York Times fronts an important article by Scott Shane on the CIA's questioning of suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed following his capture in March 2003. The article's most important fact is this: All of this questioning occured after his torture by American intelligence officers and their surrogates.

new york times outs cia operative
from newsbusters: In an astonishing stroke of irony, the New York Times has outed the name of the CIA operative who interrogated 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, over the objections of CIA Director Michael V. Hayden and a lawyer representing the operative.

Agency officials and legal counsel told the Times that publishing the agent's name would "invade his privacy and put him at risk of retaliation from terrorists or harassment from critics of the agency."

In an Editor's Note linked from the story on KSM's interrogation, the Times defended its decision by stating that "other government employees" had been "named publicly in books and published articles" or had chosen to go public themselves, by explaining that its policy "is to withhold the name of a news subject only very rarely," and by arguing the operative's name "was necessary for the credibility and completeness of the article."

natl guard troops to leave border patrol on july 15

from ap: The thousands of National Guardsmen sent to reinforce the U.S.-Mexican border two years ago have almost completely withdrawn, despite pleas from border-state governors once skeptical of using soldiers to catch illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

When the Guard was posted along the southern frontier in 2006 to help the strapped Border Patrol, critics warned that sending soldiers would be an insult to Mexico and that innocents could get shot by troops trained for combat, not law enforcement...

But none of that happened, and now those worries have given way to fears that a bloody drug-cartel war on the Mexican side will spill into the U.S. and overwhelm the Border Patrol...

The Border Patrol said the National Guard force, which reached a peak of 6,000 before diminishing last year, bought it enough time to hire and train more agents. The patrol expressed confidence that it can hold the line on its own.

"We're fine taking over. It's all part of our plan," said Border Patrol spokesman Lloyd Easterling.