[154830] in Zephyr_Bugs
Documents Claim Intelligence on al-Qaeda Targets Withheld From
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (t r u t h o u t)
Mon Jun 13 18:09:48 2011
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Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:09:42 -0400 (EDT)
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t r u t h o u t | 6.13
EXCLUSIVE: New Documents Claim Intelligence on Bin Laden, al-Qaeda Targets =
Withheld From Congress' 9/11 Probe
http://www.truth-out.org/new-documents-claim-intelligence-bin-laden-al-qaed=
a-targets-withheld-congress-911-probe/1307986777
Truthout's Jeffrey Kaye and Jason Leopold report on new documents they excl=
usively obtained from a top counterterrorism official that, for the first t=
ime, reveals the existence of a secret Defense Department intelligence unit=
charged with tracking Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda prior to 9/11, which kn=
ew that the terrorist group wanted to strike the World Trade Center and the=
Pentagon. But, the documents show, this information was "intentionally" wi=
thheld from Congressional investigators probing the 9/11 attacks.=20
GOP-Style Democrats Moving to Sell Out Poor, Liberals: Lessons From the DC =
Budget Fight
http://www.truth-out.org/gop-style-democrats-moving-sell-out-poor-liberals-=
lessons-dc-budget-fight/1307991449
Art Levine, Truthout: "It's been less than two weeks since a guerilla campa=
ign by local activists managed to restore about 20 percent of $131 million =
in budget cuts targeting Washington, DC's, neediest residents - with little=
help from the mainstream media, which essentially ignored a looming shutdo=
wn of the city's shelter, poor and disabled aid services that could have th=
rown thousands into the street. The city's reluctant Democratic leadership =
only bowed at the last minute to under-the-radar pressure to reverse some o=
f the most obvious, draconian cuts with $27 million in restorations, especi=
ally services to the homeless. Other sources familiar with the lobbying to =
restore homeless funding point out that some leaders in the local downtown =
business community were concerned about the impact on the city's image and =
tourism."
Ninety Percent of Petraeus' "Taliban" Captures Were Civilians
http://www.truth-out.org/ninety-percent-petraeuss-taliban-captures-were-civ=
ilians/1307972220
Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service: "During his intensive initial round of =
media interviews as commander in Afghanistan in August 2010, Gen. David Pet=
raeus released figures to the news media that claimed spectacular success f=
or raids by Special Operations Forces: in a 90-day period from May through =
July, SOF units had captured 1,355 rank and file Taliban, killed another 1,=
031, and killed or captured 365 middle or high-ranking Taliban. But it turn=
s out that more than 80 percent of those called captured Taliban fighters w=
ere released within days of having been picked up, because they were found =
to have been innocent civilians, according to official U.S. military data."
"Merchants of Doubt": A Review
http://www.truth-out.org/merchants-doubt-review/1307993393
"Merchants of Doubt" is the Truthout Progressive Pick of the Week. Christin=
e Shearer, Left Eye On Books: "Merchants of Doubt is a very well-researched=
book about a small group of scientists and scientific advisers to the U.S.=
government who transitioned from their role as Cold War warriors supportin=
g nuclear weapons to ideologically-motivated 'contrarians' battling anythin=
g they saw as a threat to liberty and free enterprise, even if that meant t=
he science on acid rain or the hole in the ozone layer."
News in Brief: Gingrich Restarts Presidential Campaign, and More ...
http://www.truth-out.org/news-brief-gingrich-restarts-presidential-campaign=
-and-more/1307993009
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich re=
started his run for the US presidency on Sunday after senior staff members =
dropped out of his campaign; the US has been making efforts to deploy secre=
t Internet and mobile phone systems overseas that will allow political diss=
idents to communicate with the world without government censorship; Tom Mac=
Master, a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, admi=
tted on Monday that he was the author behind the Gay Girl in Damascus blog,=
writing posts for several months as a Syrian-American woman named Amina Ar=
af; Monday marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Pentagon Papers=
, a secret government study of the Vietnam War that was leaked to the press=
by former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg.
Chris Hedges | No Justice in Kafka's America
http://www.truth-out.org/no-justice-kafkas-america/1307974152
Chris Hedges, Truthdig: "In Franz Kafka's short story 'Before the Law' a ti=
reless supplicant spends his life praying for admittance into the courts of=
justice. He sits outside the law court for days, months and years. He make=
s many attempts to be admitted. He sacrifices everything he owns to sway or=
bribe the stern doorkeeper. He ages, grows feeble and finally childish. He=
is told as he nears death that the entrance was constructed solely for him=
and it will now be closed. Justice has become as unattainable for Muslim a=
ctivists in the United States as it was for Kafka's frustrated petitioner. =
The draconian legal mechanisms that condemn Muslim Americans who speak out =
publicly about the outrages we commit in the Middle East have left many, in=
cluding Syed Fahad Hashmi, wasting away in supermax prisons."=20
FBI Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds
http://www.truth-out.org/fbi-agents-get-leeway-push-privacy-bounds/13079904=
79
Charlie Savage, The New York Times News Service: "The Federal Bureau of Inv=
estigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, a=
llowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or=
use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracte=
d their attention. The F.B.I. soon plans to issue a new edition of its manu=
al, called the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, according to a=
n official who has worked on the draft document and several others who have=
been briefed on its contents. The new rules add to several measures taken =
over the past decade to give agents more latitude as they search for signs =
of criminal or terrorist activity. The F.B.I. recently briefed several priv=
acy advocates about the coming changes. Among them, Michael German, a forme=
r F.B.I. agent who is now a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, =
argued that it was unwise to further ease restrictions on agents' power to =
use potentially intrusive techniques, especially if they lacked a firm reas=
on to suspect someone of wrongdoing."
Obama Weighs Scale of Afghanistan Withdrawal
http://www.truth-out.org/obama-weighs-scale-afghanistan-withdrawal/13079896=
31
Peter Nicholas and Lisa Mascaro, The Bellingham Herald: "The Obama administ=
ration opens an internal debate this week on the size of a troop withdrawal=
from Afghanistan amid growing doubts in Congress about the cost and purpos=
e of the decade-long war and public pressure to bring it to a rapid end. Ob=
ama is expected to announce next month the size and pace of a drawdown he p=
romised in December 2009, when he rolled out a strategy that included addin=
g 30,000 U.S. troops in hopes of breaking the Taliban's momentum. He will r=
each the number in deliberations with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates =
and Gen. David H. Petraeus, who are known to favor a small initial reductio=
n in the 100,000 troops on the ground, and other officials who want to move=
more quickly. Obama has given few hints of which way he is leaning, but th=
e ground may be shifting in favor of a much smaller military footprint."
Syrian Troops Retake Control of Rebellious Town in North
http://www.truth-out.org/syrian-troops-retake-control-rebellious-town-north=
/1307975485
Liam Stack, The New York Times News Service: "Syria's most trusted forces r=
etook control of a rebellious northern Syrian town on Sunday, responding wi=
th tanks and helicopter gunships and crushing an alliance of mutinous soldi=
ers and armed civilians, while prompting thousands of frightened residents =
to flee into Turkey or camp out in open fields on the border. For days, the=
Syrian forces had been closing in on the town, Jisr al-Shoughour, bombardi=
ng the countryside and burning fields until Sunday morning, when they clear=
ed explosive traps laid at the entrance to the town, according to witnesses=
and the government's own official dispatches. By the end of the day, Jisr =
al-Shoughour was largely abandoned, heavily damaged by the bombardment and =
gunfire, the witnesses said."
Auditors Says Missing Money Meant for Iraq May Have Been Stolen
http://www.truth-out.org/auditors-says-missing-money-meant-iraq-may-have-be=
en-stolen/1307988606
Paul Richter, The Los Angeles Times: "After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq i=
n March 2003, the George W. Bush administration flooded the conquered count=
ry with so much cash to pay for reconstruction and other projects in the fi=
rst year that a new unit of measurement was born. Pentagon officials determ=
ined that one giant C-130 Hercules cargo plane could carry $2.4 billion in =
shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills. They sent an initial full planeload of=
cash, followed by 20 other flights to Iraq by May 2004 in a $12-billion ha=
ul that U.S. officials believe to be the biggest international cash airlift=
of all time. This month, the Pentagon and the Iraqi government are finally=
closing the books on the program that handled all those Benjamins. But des=
pite years of audits and investigations, U.S. Defense officials still canno=
t say what happened to $6.6 billion in cash - enough to run the Los Angeles=
Unified School District or the Chicago Public Schools for a year, among ma=
ny other things."
Suppressing the Vote in Wisconsin
http://www.truth-out.org/suppressing-vote/1307042409
Michael Berkowitz, Truthout: "Fred Risser is a veteran Wisconsin state sena=
tor. Actually, he is the longest-serving state legislator in American polit=
ical history. Bald and bearded, quick to laugh, he is the genial grandfathe=
r at the family picnic. But Risser was not feeling genial, lately. May 19 h=
e had been recognized to speak and was making a point on the floor of the W=
isconsin State Senate. Risser was questioning the constitutionality and eth=
ics of the Republican-sponsored voter suppression bill, AB7. However, State=
Senate President Mike Ellis, the new majority leader, cut him off - loudly=
, practically screaming, talking right over him - instead of considering Ri=
sser's important legal questions. In over 50 years of serving in the legisl=
ature, Risser said that he hadn't seen anything like it."
Acting as if Future Generations Matter
http://www.truth-out.org/acting-if-future-generations-matter/1307983141
Carolyn Raffensperger, On The Issues: "I went to work for the Sierra Club i=
n the 1980s. Our major approach to siting radioactive waste facilities or t=
o protect endangered species, or promoting environmental health was to say =
'no.' This meant that environmentalists, including me, were an angry lot. '=
No, you can't build that dam. No, you can't site that garbage dump. No, you=
can't.' We had plenty of evidence that indiscriminate yeses got us into bi=
g trouble. Toxic messes like Love Canal, Chernobyl or Bhopal let us know th=
at our approach to toxic chemicals or hazardous facilities had failed. Sayi=
ng no was the only tool we had since our environmental policies are not des=
igned to further health of either the human community or the Earth. If we a=
gree that the system isn't working to protect the health of the land, air, =
water, fish and mammals; the health of babies, teenagers and elders, what c=
an we do?"
TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES =20
Awhile back, BuzzFlash posted a commentary on how Eric Cantor was, in essen=
ce, promoting rationing that would mean some seniors would die for lack of =
treatment under the Paul Ryan Medicare proposal. (http://blog.buzzflash.com=
/node/12666)
Cantor admitted that treatment would be based on the ability to afford diff=
erent levels of coverage. It was a rather shocking admission - considering =
that Ryan is still implausibly claiming that his Groupon voucher (http://bl=
og.buzzflash.com/node/12767) (coupon) approach to Medicare will not cut bac=
k on access for seniors. Yet, Cantor's rare candor went all but unnoticed b=
y the corporate mainstream press.
The reality is that the Republicans have created the illusion that private =
medical insurance is universally generous and all-encompassing in its cover=
age. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.
Private insurance is as varied as a used car warranty, and most Americans c=
annot afford medical insurance that is all-encompassing. Private insurance,=
except for top executives and the wealthiest, is trending toward higher de=
ductibles, more restricted coverage and more vigorous challenge to claims.
For most people, even with private, for-profit insurance, health care is ra=
tioned right now.
Even for Medicare as we know it, there are restrictions, premiums, deductib=
les, co-pays, supplemental policies etc. An Associated Press article today =
notes that many seniors, under Medicare, cannot afford prohibitively priced=
life-saving drugs. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110613/ap_on_he_me/us_med=
icare_drugs )
In short, there is no medical insurance in the United States that does not =
ration care, and Medicare, in fact, is the fairest, regardless of income. A=
ccording to Paul Krugman (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/opinion/13krugm=
an.html?nl=3Dtodaysheadlines&emc=3Dtha212), it is also the most inexpensive=
policy when it comes to what the gross national cost of insurance might ot=
herwise be for America's seniors.
Cantor and Ryan believe that the wealthy are entitled to more extensive, li=
fe-saving and routine health care, because they have earned it.
But the health of a nation is dependent upon the health of its people, and =
not just its largest income earners.
Mark Karlin
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout
=20
Paul Krugman: Medicare Saves Money
Read the Article at The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/opinion/13krugman.html?nl=3Dtodaysheadlin=
es&emc=3Dtha212
Glenn Greenwald: Qaddafi Impeded US Oil Interests Before the War
Read the Article at Salon
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/06/11/libya/index.ht=
ml
Glued to the Weather Channel While the World Burns
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12766
Is There a Grand Jury Convened to Look Into the CIA and Abu Ghraib Deaths?
Read the Article at TIME
http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/06/13/haunted-by-homicide-federal-gra=
nd-jury-investigates-war-crimes-and-torture-in-death-of-the-ice-man-at-abu-=
ghraib-and-other-alleged-cia-abuses/?xid=3Dthepage_newsletter
The Rich Are Destroying the Economy
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12765
Arizona Republican Medicaid Death Panel Claims Another Victim
Read the Article at Forbes
http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/05/arizona-death-panel-claims-ano=
ther-victim/
Watch for Falling Infrastructure: We Need a National Jobs/Public Works Prog=
ram Now
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12764
-----------
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<table width=3D"85%" cellspacing=3D"3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p></p>
<center><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/di=
a/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DWh2soGCxrBKY7szjhgwwnc7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0=
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rclet.gif" /></font></a></center><br />
<!-- TemplateBeginEditable name=3D"content" --><p>Monda=
y 13 June 2011</p>
<p><font><strong>EXCLUSIVE: New Documents Claim Intelligence on Bin Laden, =
al-Qaeda Targets Withheld From Congress' 9/11 Probe</strong></font><br />
Truthout's Jeffrey Kaye and Jason Leopold report on new documents they excl=
usively obtained from a top counterterrorism official that, for the first t=
ime, reveals the existence of a secret Defense Department intelligence unit=
charged with tracking Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda prior to 9/11, which kn=
ew that the terrorist group wanted to strike the World Trade Center and the=
Pentagon. But, the documents show, this information was "intentionally" wi=
thheld from Congressional investigators probing the 9/11 attacks. <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DMz0YC6=
%2BsQ1SPVVVF%2BeKdiM7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>GOP-Style Democrats Moving to Sell Out Poor, Liberals: Lesson=
s From the DC Budget Fight</strong></font><br />
Art Levine, Truthout: "It's been less than two weeks since a guerilla campa=
ign by local activists managed to restore about 20 percent of $131 million =
in budget cuts targeting Washington, DC's, neediest residents - with little=
help from the mainstream media, which essentially ignored a looming shutdo=
wn of the city's shelter, poor and disabled aid services that could have th=
rown thousands into the street. The city's reluctant Democratic leadership =
only bowed at the last minute to under-the-radar pressure to reverse some o=
f the most obvious, draconian cuts with $27 million in restorations, especi=
ally services to the homeless. Other sources familiar with the lobbying to =
restore homeless funding point out that some leaders in the local downtown =
business community were concerned about the impact on the city's image and =
tourism."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DYgKQ5j=
%2B69PZQvwJWBuMklM7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Ninety Percent of Petraeus' "Taliban" Captures Were Civilians=
</strong></font><br />
Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service: "During his intensive initial round of =
media interviews as commander in Afghanistan in August 2010, Gen. David Pet=
raeus released figures to the news media that claimed spectacular success f=
or raids by Special Operations Forces: in a 90-day period from May through =
July, SOF units had captured 1,355 rank and file Taliban, killed another 1,=
031, and killed or captured 365 middle or high-ranking Taliban. But it turn=
s out that more than 80 percent of those called captured Taliban fighters w=
ere released within days of having been picked up, because they were found =
to have been innocent civilians, according to official U.S. military data."=
<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D16Siyk=
m7yAtdO4FZmPUOVHQRJT0XN1%2BR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>"Merchants of Doubt": A Review</strong></font><br />
"Merchants of Doubt" is the Truthout Progressive Pick of the Week. Christin=
e Shearer, Left Eye On Books: "Merchants of Doubt is a very well-researched=
book about a small group of scientists and scientific advisers to the U.S.=
government who transitioned from their role as Cold War warriors supportin=
g nuclear weapons to ideologically-motivated 'contrarians' battling anythin=
g they saw as a threat to liberty and free enterprise, even if that meant t=
he science on acid rain or the hole in the ozone layer."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DKZ9Cfz=
y05%2FFxVPjCLO9pyM7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>News in Brief: Gingrich Restarts Presidential Campaign, and M=
ore ...</strong></font><br />
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich re=
started his run for the US presidency on Sunday after senior staff members =
dropped out of his campaign; the US has been making efforts to deploy secre=
t Internet and mobile phone systems overseas that will allow political diss=
idents to communicate with the world without government censorship; Tom Mac=
Master, a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, admi=
tted on Monday that he was the author behind the Gay Girl in Damascus blog,=
writing posts for several months as a Syrian-American woman named Amina Ar=
af; Monday marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Pentagon Papers=
, a secret government study of the Vietnam War that was leaked to the press=
by former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg.<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dijp9wk=
0gnGP1zWeuV%2FwiIc7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Chris Hedges | No Justice in Kafka's America</strong></font><=
br />
Chris Hedges, Truthdig: "In Franz Kafka's short story 'Before the Law' a ti=
reless supplicant spends his life praying for admittance into the courts of=
justice. He sits outside the law court for days, months and years. He make=
s many attempts to be admitted. He sacrifices everything he owns to sway or=
bribe the stern doorkeeper. He ages, grows feeble and finally childish. He=
is told as he nears death that the entrance was constructed solely for him=
and it will now be closed. Justice has become as unattainable for Muslim a=
ctivists in the United States as it was for Kafka's frustrated petitioner. =
The draconian legal mechanisms that condemn Muslim Americans who speak out =
publicly about the outrages we commit in the Middle East have left many, in=
cluding Syed Fahad Hashmi, wasting away in supermax prisons." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DmPAsWX=
8Q1JBYr82f2r8OxM7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>FBI Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds</strong></font><=
br />
Charlie Savage, The New York Times News Service: "The Federal Bureau of Inv=
estigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, a=
llowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or=
use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracte=
d their attention. The F.B.I. soon plans to issue a new edition of its manu=
al, called the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, according to a=
n official who has worked on the draft document and several others who have=
been briefed on its contents. The new rules add to several measures taken =
over the past decade to give agents more latitude as they search for signs =
of criminal or terrorist activity. The F.B.I. recently briefed several priv=
acy advocates about the coming changes. Among them, Michael German, a forme=
r F.B.I. agent who is now a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, =
argued that it was unwise to further ease restrictions on agents' power to =
use potentially intrusive techniques, especially if they lacked a firm reas=
on to suspect someone of wrongdoing." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DElhwz%=
2B0C%2FJ33HQDN7H2Wns7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Obama Weighs Scale of Afghanistan Withdrawal</strong></font><=
br />
Peter Nicholas and Lisa Mascaro, The Bellingham Herald: "The Obama administ=
ration opens an internal debate this week on the size of a troop withdrawal=
from Afghanistan amid growing doubts in Congress about the cost and purpos=
e of the decade-long war and public pressure to bring it to a rapid end. Ob=
ama is expected to announce next month the size and pace of a drawdown he p=
romised in December 2009, when he rolled out a strategy that included addin=
g 30,000 U.S. troops in hopes of breaking the Taliban's momentum. He will r=
each the number in deliberations with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates =
and Gen. David H. Petraeus, who are known to favor a small initial reductio=
n in the 100,000 troops on the ground, and other officials who want to move=
more quickly. Obama has given few hints of which way he is leaning, but th=
e ground may be shifting in favor of a much smaller military footprint." <b=
r />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DCr8ytr=
wAH7%2BWHzEcmFdG2M7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Syrian Troops Retake Control of Rebellious Town in North</str=
ong></font><br />
Liam Stack, The New York Times News Service: "Syria's most trusted forces r=
etook control of a rebellious northern Syrian town on Sunday, responding wi=
th tanks and helicopter gunships and crushing an alliance of mutinous soldi=
ers and armed civilians, while prompting thousands of frightened residents =
to flee into Turkey or camp out in open fields on the border. For days, the=
Syrian forces had been closing in on the town, Jisr al-Shoughour, bombardi=
ng the countryside and burning fields until Sunday morning, when they clear=
ed explosive traps laid at the entrance to the town, according to witnesses=
and the government's own official dispatches. By the end of the day, Jisr =
al-Shoughour was largely abandoned, heavily damaged by the bombardment and =
gunfire, the witnesses said." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DynJtVS=
27rvOzX1ChnZU5hc7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Auditors Says Missing Money Meant for Iraq May Have Been Stol=
en</strong></font><br />
Paul Richter, The Los Angeles Times: "After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq i=
n March 2003, the George W. Bush administration flooded the conquered count=
ry with so much cash to pay for reconstruction and other projects in the fi=
rst year that a new unit of measurement was born. Pentagon officials determ=
ined that one giant C-130 Hercules cargo plane could carry $2.4 billion in =
shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills. They sent an initial full planeload of=
cash, followed by 20 other flights to Iraq by May 2004 in a $12-billion ha=
ul that U.S. officials believe to be the biggest international cash airlift=
of all time. This month, the Pentagon and the Iraqi government are finally=
closing the books on the program that handled all those Benjamins. But des=
pite years of audits and investigations, U.S. Defense officials still canno=
t say what happened to $6.6 billion in cash - enough to run the Los Angeles=
Unified School District or the Chicago Public Schools for a year, among ma=
ny other things." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DC4sdDe=
Cx%2FBRGxpIJxE5MQs7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Suppressing the Vote in Wisconsin</strong></font><br />
Michael Berkowitz, Truthout: "Fred Risser is a veteran Wisconsin state sena=
tor. Actually, he is the longest-serving state legislator in American polit=
ical history. Bald and bearded, quick to laugh, he is the genial grandfathe=
r at the family picnic. But Risser was not feeling genial, lately. May 19 h=
e had been recognized to speak and was making a point on the floor of the W=
isconsin State Senate. Risser was questioning the constitutionality and eth=
ics of the Republican-sponsored voter suppression bill, AB7. However, State=
Senate President Mike Ellis, the new majority leader, cut him off - loudly=
, practically screaming, talking right over him - instead of considering Ri=
sser's important legal questions. In over 50 years of serving in the legisl=
ature, Risser said that he hadn't seen anything like it." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DK7Bzs9=
7qchPyDJZ7fehIGs7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Acting as if Future Generations Matter</strong></font><br />
Carolyn Raffensperger, On The Issues: "I went to work for the Sierra Club i=
n the 1980s. Our major approach to siting radioactive waste facilities or t=
o protect endangered species, or promoting environmental health was to say =
'no.' This meant that environmentalists, including me, were an angry lot. '=
No, you can't build that dam. No, you can't site that garbage dump. No, you=
can't.' We had plenty of evidence that indiscriminate yeses got us into bi=
g trouble. Toxic messes like Love Canal, Chernobyl or Bhopal let us know th=
at our approach to toxic chemicals or hazardous facilities had failed. Sayi=
ng no was the only tool we had since our environmental policies are not des=
igned to further health of either the human community or the Earth. If we a=
gree that the system isn't working to protect the health of the land, air, =
water, fish and mammals; the health of babies, teenagers and elders, what c=
an we do?" <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DGBnoui=
%2BVA3Np10UZ5V7uKc7eR7wOAEqN"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> </p>
<p></p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D%2F=
gLf2CkKHI8fmMS5mQcnhc7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000">=
<em>Click here for more Truthout articles</em></font></a></p>
<p></p>
<div align=3D"center">
<table width=3D"100%" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" border=3D"0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign=3D"bottom" align=3D"left">
<div align=3D"left"><strong><em>TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEAD=
LINES</em></strong></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=3D"#336699">
<td height=3D"3" colspan=3D"2"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p><i>
<p>Awhile back, BuzzFlash posted <a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.o=
rg/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DtFQPp1qW3%2FI%2Bwc6sw%2F%2B0Z87eR7wOAEqN" target=
=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000">a commentary</font></a> on how Eric Can=
tor was, in essence, promoting rationing that would mean some seniors would=
die for lack of treatment under the Paul Ryan Medicare proposal.</p>
<p>Cantor admitted that treatment would be based on the ability to afford d=
ifferent levels of coverage. It was a rather shocking admission - consideri=
ng that Ryan is still implausibly claiming that his <a href=3D"http://org2.=
democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DnKaxMQc9TxeXgKT5IGb0N87eR7wOA=
EqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Groupon voucher</font></a> (=
coupon) approach to Medicare will not cut back on access for seniors. Yet, =
Cantor's rare candor went all but unnoticed by the corporate mainstream pre=
ss.</p>
<p>The reality is that the Republicans have created the illusion that priva=
te medical insurance is universally generous and all-encompassing in its co=
verage. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.</p>
<p>Private insurance is as varied as a used car warranty, and most American=
s cannot afford medical insurance that is all-encompassing. Private insuran=
ce, except for top executives and the wealthiest, is trending toward higher=
deductibles, more restricted coverage and more vigorous challenge to claim=
s.</p>
<p>For most people, even with private, for-profit insurance, health care is=
rationed right now.</p>
<p>Even for Medicare as we know it, there are restrictions, premiums, deduc=
tibles, co-pays, supplemental policies etc. An <a href=3D"http://org2.democ=
racyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D%2BV70MSQCRvYoYqKYpEhAzc7eR7wOAEqN=
" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Associated Press article</font>=
</a> today notes that many seniors, under Medicare, cannot afford prohibiti=
vely priced life-saving drugs.</p>
<p>In short, there is no medical insurance in the United States that does n=
ot ration care, and Medicare, in fact, is the fairest, regardless of income=
. <a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dhlvd=
hwFBTiWCJhDi5jYEks7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Acc=
ording to Paul Krugman</font></a>, it is also the most inexpensive policy w=
hen it comes to what the gross national cost of insurance might otherwise b=
e for America's seniors.</p>
<p>Cantor and Ryan believe that the wealthy are entitled to more extensive,=
life-saving and routine health care, because they have earned it.</p>
<p>But the health of a nation is dependent upon the health of its people, a=
nd not just its largest income earners.</p>
<p>Mark Karlin<br />
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout</p>
</i></p>
<p><strong>New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's Excellent Helicopter Adventure =
on the Taxpayer's Dime <br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DwMysVjcxOc9Dx%2FkEBj040s7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a></p>
<p><strong>"Walkerville" Tent City Springs Up in Shadow of Wisconsin's Gran=
d Capitol<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DeYCiFwX1rtuOlL1PVn4hrs7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at Grist</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Glenn Greenwald: Is a Bipartisan Coalition Emerging to Oppose th=
e National Security State?<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DQ%2FGVp59Gk%2BEsyVHRCgzu%2Fs7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D=
"#cc0000">Read the Article at Salon</font></a></p>
<p><strong>The Problem Is That This Tea Party Utopia Already Exists. It's P=
akistan<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DPozw7JUbRbLdyvvyISqpHc7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at Crooks and Liars</font></a></p>
<p><strong>The Minimum Wage Is a Poverty Wage<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3Dvy%2Fz9tPRsKNh0aPuENW5os7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Obama: No Fears of Double-Dip Recession<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DQfUU7CTGPDnqe26Da9fRtM7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at The Associated Press</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Oil Company's Lawsuit Against Greenpeace Backfires<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DttquyoiqABRMlGWQ%2B%2FZ4ZM7eR7wOAEqN" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#=
cc0000">Read the Article at Greenpeace</font></a></p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DSW9=
3ds5knnh92VzOCH17zc7eR7wOAEqN"><b><font color=3D"#cc0000"><em>Click here fo=
r more BuzzFlash headlines</em></font></b></a></p>
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