Day: November 23, 2005

Murrow: ‘We Are Not Descended from Fearful Men’

Jon Ponder

“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep into our own history and our doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes which were for the moment unpopular.

“This is no time for men who oppose Senator [Joe] McCarthy’s methods to keep silent. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.”

— Edward R. Murrow, 1954

Offshoring CIA Torture: European Probe Expands

Trish

Europe is vigorously investigating which of its members helped the CIA get away with disappearing and torturing suspected terrorists over the four years since 9/11. The probe began after a Nov. 2 story in the Washington Post exposed suspicious flights.

Whether it was European complicity in the U.S. effort to “offshore” its torture, or the CIA simply using our allies behind their backs, the activity was widespread. AP:

Human Rights Watch identified possible sites for secret detention centers, based on flight logs of CIA aircraft from 2001 to 2004

Austria’s air force was investigating allegations that a CIA transport plane containing suspected terrorist captives flew through the neutral country’s airspace in 2003, and Denmark said it would ask U.S. authorities for details about the alleged transport of detainees on planes said to be used by the CIA over Danish territory…

Bulgaria was the latest country to deny reports of involvement, saying the CIA’s planes never landed at the Sarafovo airport near the Black Sea…

Human Rights Watch said it had evidence indicating the CIA transported suspected terrorists captured in Afghanistan to Poland and Romania. The New York-based group identified the Kogalniceanu military airfield in Romania and Poland’s Szczytno-Szymany airport as possible sites for secret detention centers, saying it based its conclusions on flight logs of CIA aircraft from 2001 to 2004…

On Tuesday, Swiss senator Dick Marty, who leads the Council of Europe probe, said he was investigating 31 suspect planes that landed in Europe in recent years…

Other airports that might have been used by CIA aircraft in some capacity include Palma de Mallorca in Spain, Larnaca in Cyprus and Shannon in Ireland, as well as the U.S. air base at Ramstein, Germany, Marty said in a report.

Swedish authorities, meanwhile, have confirmed at least one plane with alleged CIA links landed in Sweden three times since 2002. Denmark says 14 flights with suspected CIA ties entered its airspace since 2001; Norway has confirmed three such flights; and Icelandic media have reported 67 landings.

There have been other unconfirmed reports in Macedonia and Malta.

Cheney to Headline DeLay Fundraiser

Jon Ponder

High priced sleasefest: Vice President Dick Cheney will be the star attraction at a fundraiser for indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The vice president’s appearance on the stage with his corrupt political ally is intended to show that DeLay is not be shunned by his party but what it really reveals is how comfortable senior officials of the government with sleazy operators like DeLay:

A campaign fundraiser for embattled Rep. Tom DeLay postponed by Hurricane Rita in September is being rescheduled for Dec. 5 with Vice President Dick Cheney as the headliner.

“It points out that the party is behind (DeLay) and the (Bush) administration is supportive and wants to keep Congressman DeLay in office,” Eric Thode, Republican chairman in DeLay’s home county of Fort Bend, told the Houston Chronicle in a story published Tuesday.

The most expensive tickets for the event — $4,200 — includes a spot at a VIP reception and a photograph with the vice president.

“Congressman Tom DeLay has been an exceptional leader on Capitol Hill and Vice President Cheney looks forward to helping his re-election effort,” said Lee Anne McBride, a Cheney spokeswoman in Washington.

DeLay was indicted earlier this year on campaign finance-related charges in Travis County, an action that forced him to step down at least temporarily as House majority leader

British Government Censors Documents That Show Bush Efforts to Bomb al-Jazeera

Jon Ponder

Another scandal quashed : Guardian:

The [British] attorney general last night threatened newspapers with the Official Secrets Act if they revealed the contents of a document allegedly relating to a dispute between Tony Blair and George Bush over the conduct of military operations in Iraq.

It is believed to be the first time the Blair government has threatened newspapers in this way. Though it has obtained court injunctions against newspapers, the government has never prosecuted editors for publishing the contents of leaked documents, including highly sensitive ones about the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, last night referred editors to newspaper reports yesterday that described the contents of a memo purporting to be at the centre of charges against two men under the secrets act.

[…]

Reagan Advisor Lyn Nofziger Criticizes Current ‘Corrupt’ Republicans

Jon Ponder

Off the reservation: Lyn Nofziger has been a fixture in Republican Party politics since the 1960’s. He worked on Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California, and briefly in the Reagan White House. He also ran campaigns for Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes.

But now Nofziger is speaking out – in the ultra-rightwing Washington Times (www.washtimes.com) – on the current state of affairs in the GOP, and what he has to say is not pretty:

On the current leadership of the Republican Party:

“They’ve been in power too long … Any time you put any political party in power for too long, it becomes corrupt. It loses its focus. It forgets why it came there.”

On the “conservative” label:

“‘Conservative’ is a word that doesn’t mean anything. It can mean what you want it to mean … To me, conservative means believing in a minimum amount of government and a maximum amount of freedom — and keeping government out of people’s lives and business — and leaving people alone … I recognize you have to have national defense and have to finance the government. But government does not have to be the be-all and end-all.”

On Ronald Reagan:

“Our problem is we are trying to make a saint out of a man who certainly wasn’t perfect. But he was a unique president. He believed in three things: God, the American people and himself. And that’s kind of unique.”

On Bush family consigliere James Baker:

“You [could] split [the Reagan] senior staff into two parties: the Reagan people and the Baker people … [Baker is] a guy who’s arrogant, who thought he knew better than the president … I don’t think he’s an honorable man. And you can quote me.”

On Pat Buchanan:

“A friend of mine. But I don’t think Pat is as libertarian as I am. I don’t think he wants more government; he just wants different government. … He’s a protectionist.”

On the neo-conservative efforts to spread democracy by force:

“I’m not a great believer in spreading democracy, because I don’t think you can spread democracy. People have to want it themselves.”

While Bush Says ‘Stay the Course,’ Pentagon Plans Withdrawal from Iraq

Jon Ponder

Cut and run: While President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been lashing out at critics who dare to suggest that the time has come to cut our losses and get out of Iraq, the Pentagon has been planning the U.S. withdrawal:

The Pentagon tentatively plans to reduce the number of U.S. forces there early next year by as many as three combat brigades, from 18 now, but to keep at least one brigade “on call” in Kuwait in case more troops are needed quickly, several senior military officers said.

Pentagon authorities also have set a series of “decision points” during 2006 to consider further force cuts that, under a “moderately optimistic” scenario, would drop the total number of troops from more than 150,000 now to fewer than 100,000, including 10 combat brigades, by the end of the year, the officers said.