Issue 120 Table of Contents

Issue 120
Table of Contents

	Bush Things to Come	by Tom Engelhardt There's a sense that this may be a make-it or break-it election. But here's the strange thing: No one has speculated about what those next four years might actually be like, should the Bush administration be returned to office. Here's a quick leap into a future in which George Bush has won a second term
	Nuclear Power Industry On A Comeback	by J.R. Pegg 25 years after the nation's worst nuclear power plant accident, industry experts told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that nuclear power could be on the verge of a comeback
	9/11 And The Betrayal Of The Nation	by Nathan Callahan Ray McGovern is a measured man with a steady voice. For 27 years -- from JFK to George H.W. Bush -- he worked as a CIA analyst, chairing National Intelligence Estimates and preparing the president's Daily Brief. "One would have thought that the raison d'etre for the Central Intelligence Agency was to prevent another Pearl Harbor," McGovern says. "One would have thought that the person most responsible for this would have been cashiered on Sept. 12. Not so. So the question is: Why not so?"
	Brazil's Poor Sell Kidneys To Organ Trafficking Ring	by Mario Osava At least 30 Brazilians have sold their kidneys to an international human organ trafficking ring for transplants performed in South Africa, with Israelis providing most of the funding, says a legislative commission in Brazil
	U.S. Twists Arms For Countries To Drop Boycott Of American Beef	by J.R. Pegg About 57 nations have stopped importing U.S. beef in the wake of the December 2003 discovery of mad cow disease in a Washington state dairy cow
	Reporters May Deserve Hazard Pay For Covering Venezuela	by Yensi Rivero Reporters in this South American country are licking their latest wounds, sustained during the protests held in late February and early March to demand a recall referendum for President Hugo Chavez
	Kucinich Should Stay In The Race	by Randolph T. Holhut Kucinich isn't dropping out. He wants to stay in to make sure that liberal voters have a choice in what's left of the primary season
	Single Women Could Be The New NASCAR Dads	by Martha Burk With 16 million unmarried women now unregistered and 22 million unmarried women who are registered but didn't vote in the last election, this could be a formidable bloc
	A Potential Positive Role For Nader	by John Buell I will not be voting for Nader in 2004. This year is very different from 2000. In office, Bush has been the social conservative most of us expected and feared. But in the aftermath of Sept. 11 another side of his conservatism has gained traction: an extremely repressive agenda with respect to civil liberties and a willingness to use every procedural trick at his disposal to impose his views
	Bush Officials Try To Paint Administration as Green	In two speeches during the past six days, officials have tried to put a positive spin on the policies of President George W. Bush to counteract international criticism that the United States has failed to address global warming
	Bush Campaign Rushes To Exploit 9/11 In First Ads	by Steve Young The newest presidential campaign commercials employing images of the charred wreckage of the twin towers with a flag flying amid the debris. We seeÊfirefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble as sirens are heard alongside pictures of dead bodies at the World Trade Center's 9/11 tragic aftermath.ÊThe talk show hosts should be exposing the Democratic spin machine -- if the political commercials using pictures of the World Trade Center devastation were John Kerry ads
	A Massive Protest Vote, But Not For Nader	by Robert Gelfand Voters in the recent primaries seem to be plenty mad and the attitude that seems to be coalescing is one of taking first things first, where the highest priority is to defeat Bush
	Violent Protests In Wake Of Taiwan's Close Vote	by Antoaneta Bezlova Uncertainty and division looms in the days and weeks ahead in Taiwan, after mass demonstrations, fuelled by folktale-like speculations about the rigging of Saturday's presidential elections, turned into violent riots
	Assassination Try On Taiwan President Shows Tensions In Critical Election	by Pueng Vongs The incumbent Chen is widely regarded as a defiant proponent of the island's independence. He also proposed a controversial referendum to boost the island's defense against China, which has hundreds of missiles pointed at the island. Chen's major opponent favors eventual unification with China
	Iraq War Was To Protect Israel, Says 9/11 Panel Chief	by Emad Mekay Iraq under Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat to the United States but it did to Israel, which is why Washington invaded the Arab country, according to a speech made by a member of a top-level White House intelligence group
	U.S. Scrambles To Set Up World's Biggest Embassy In Baghdad	by Jeffrey Donovan The United States is setting up a new embassy in Baghdad to assume U.S. responsibilities in Iraq after sovereignty is returned to Iraqis on June 30. It will be the world's biggest U.S. embassy, with some 4,000 staff members. But the sheer size of the project is proving an organizational challenge -- and raising questions about America's future intentions in Iraq
	Opium Growing Surges To Record Levels In Afghanistan	by Nikola Krastev The INCB is also concerned that Turkmenistan has failed to take part in several regional and sub-regional drug-control activities and that the country was not actively participating in those cooperation arrangements that it had formally joined. The active cooperation of Turkmenistan, a country that shares a 700-kilometer border with Afghanistan, is seen as essential for the success of global efforts to prevent smuggling of illicit drugs
	Interview With Michael Massing: Times, Post Aided WMD Deception	by Mark Baker Massing says not all American news organizations fell into the trap of uncritically supporting the administration. He cites Knight Ridder -- a chain of 31 newspapers across the U.S. -- as almost unique among national news organizations in taking a hard look at the administration's case for war
	Top Money Laundering Havens Named	by Julio Godoy The Financial Action Task Force has a membership of 31 countries and does not include its own members in its list of money-laundering havens, even though questions arise frequently about bank accounts held in Switzerland, Luxembourg and tax havens under British jurisdiction
	Hunger Could Be 'Unimaginable' Global Problem By 2054	by Roger Segelken / Cornell If today's global statistics of more than 3 billion malnourished people are worrisome, try projecting 50 years into the future, when Earth's population could exceed 12 billion and there could be even less water and land, per capita, to grow food
	Pentagon Rolls Out Microwave Weapons For Crowd Control	by William M. Arkin A powerful microwave weapon that painfully heats up human skin but doesn't kill is ready for deployment to protect soldiers and installations against intruders and mobs
	U.S. Not Winning Arab Hearts & Minds With Propaganda TV	by Nancy Snow While you might think that eyeballs would be glued to the U.S.-declared truthful alternative, so far no one is fully embracing the "free one" version, despite financing of $62 million in congressional funding for the first year alone
	China Constitution Now Respects Property, Human Rights -- Maybe	by Mark Baker Recent changes to China's constitution now recognize private property as being "inviolable" and say the state has an obligation to "respect and preserve" human rights. These are strong words for the world's biggest communist state. But it's unclear yet whether the amendments are simply words on paper or something more.
	Plan To Bury Greenhouse Gas Stirs Uproar	by Bob Burton To the dismay of environmentalists, the Australian government has succeeded in enlisting a large U.S. environmental group to support a controversial research program to bury greenhouse gases underground as a solution to climate change
	Neo-Cons Compare Spanish Vote To Munich Deal With Hitler	by Jim Lobe For neo-conservatives and other right-wing U.S. hawks, Madrid has suddenly become Munich in 1938 and Spain's Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
	Neo-Con Pentagon Office Kept CIA In The Dark	by Jim Lobe Just a month ago, Tenet boasted that he and only he was the sole purveyor of intelligence information to the president. But on Tuesday he admitted to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was unaware that officials based in the Pentagon's policy office had given intelligence briefings directly to the White House
	Neo-Cons Play Up Threat Of Middle East Oil Cutback	by Emad Mekay Neo-conservative politicians and analysts continue to insist the biggest threat to U.S. energy supplies is Washington's need for Middle East oil
	Mel Gibson "Passion" Gives Neo-Cons Fits	by Jim Lobe Neo-cons have often ignored or excused the anti-Semitism of their right-wing allies, including leaders of the Christian Right like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, whose staunch support for Israel (based on a particular interpretation of the Bible) generally trumped their anti-Semitic theology and prejudices
	More Young Afghan Women Committing Suicide	by Golnaz Esfandiari The Afghan government is expressing concern over the growing number of women in Herat Province who have killed themselves through self-immolation. Forced marriages and a continued lack of access to education is contributing to the growing despair among Herat's women.
	About Seven Children Killed Daily In Colombia Civil War	by Thalif Deen Rights groups want UN Security Council to include the Colombian conflict on its agenda as guerrilla groups, paramilitaries, government forces and national police all perpetrate violence and abuses against civilians, including children and adolescents
	Voice-Stress Lie Detectors Don't Work, Experts Say	by Gerry Everding / Washington University Despite its booming popularity, a number of federally sponsored studies have found little or no scientific evidence to support the notion that existing voice-stress technologies are capable of consistently detecting lies
	40,000 Pakistani Children Toil In Carpet Industry	by Zofeen Ebrahim While it was easy to persuade parents to send very young children to school, it took some cajoling to persuade them to send children aged between 10 and 14 years -- prime ages for child carpet weavers
	Aristide Tells Of Last Moments In Haiti	by Jean-Bertrand Aristide Aristide aims his words at Haitians, urging them to 'stand in solidarity and stop the spread of death.' He delivers a detailed account of what he calls his 'kidnapping' from a palace surrounded by heavily armed 'white men'
	Bush To Try His Hand At Haiti Nation-Building	by Jim Lobe Even the constitution of an interim government could prove very difficult, according to analysts here, who said they were very concerned about the intentions of the armed rebels, whose three-week-old uprising accomplished what the unarmed opposition had been unable to do in three years
	Why They Had To Crush Aristide	by Peter Hallward Aristide was forced from office by a combination of people who have little in common except their opposition to these progressive policies and their refusal of democracy as a way of settling political differences
	Bush Policy Undermined Aristide, Then Invited Coup	by Jeffrey Sachs The Bush Administration Appears to have Succeeded in its Long-Time Goal of Toppling Aristide Through Years of Blocking International Aid to his Impoverished Nation
	Media Ignored Big Questions About Haiti Coup	by Peter Phillips Mainstream media had every reason to question the State Department's version of the coup in Haiti, but choose instead to report a highly doubtful cover story
	Did Aristide Fall, Or Was He Pushed?	by Marty Logan Ê The international community will likely make no meaningful contribution to the island country, even now that Philippe - a former policeman and army cadet who fled the country after a failed coup attempt against Aristide in 2001 - and other known human rights violators claim to have assumed power
	Caribbean Nations Question Aristide Ouster	by Peter Richards In an editorial Monday, the 'Jamaica Observer' newspaper regarded the removal of Aristide as an act sanctioned by the United States, Canada and France. 'For despite the fig leaf of constitutionality with which these western powers, and supposed bastions of democracy, have sought to shroud the act, what happened in Haiti yesterday was nothing short of a coup d'etat. Haiti has been raped'
	Is Kerry Really A Pawn Of "Special Interests?"	by Sam Parry The GOP has already began the portrayal of Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts as a captive of Washington "special interests." This theme has been gaining momentum even though Kerry ranks as a leader in the Senate in supporting environmental causes and is best known for his investigations into foreign policy scandals, such as drug trafficking by CIA-backed Nicaraguan "contra" rebels, not for pushing through corporate-favored legislation. So what gives? Is this a fair charge against the Democratic front-runner or is it another case of the news media crafting a misleading theme?
	Madrid Counts Its Dead	by Tito Drago Three rush-hour rail blasts in Madrid Thursday left 200 dead and at least 1,430 wounded, brutally cutting short the campaign for Sunday's general elections in Spain
	Spanish Voters Oust Pro-Bush, Conservative Party After Terror Attack	by Tito Drago and Alicia Fraerman Sunday's elections drew the largest turnout -- 10.5 million people -- of any polls held since the restoration of democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. In particular, it seemed to mobilize people who were previously indifferent, or did not plan to vote.
	12 Million Attend Spain Anti-Terror Rallies	by Alicia Fraerman Over 2 million people defied the cold and the heavy rain in the Spanish capital March 12, and millions of others came out in the streets all around the country to protest the terrorist attacks on commuter trains in Madrid that left 199 dead and 1,463 injured
	Terror Attack #1 Issue On Minds Of Spanish Voters	by Tito Drago If it is confirmed that the attacks were staged by ETA, the governing Popular Party will benefit, but if it becomes clear that Islamic extremists were responsible, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party will be favored
	A Grieving Spain Mobilizes Europe	by Stefania Bianchi and Sanjay Suri The bomb attack in Madrid Thursday highlights weaknesses in the European Union's troubled foreign policy, but it has also bred determination to strengthen it
	Bush Admin Just Full Of Budget Surprises	by Molly Ivins Unfortunately, the cost of Iraq is not even included in the budget: It's going to be a supplemental surprise request after the election. Does any of this strike you as grown-up behavior?
	The Outrage Of Haiti	by Molly Ivins Anyone see any reason to think Haiti will be better off without Jean-Bertrand Aristide? Just another little gift from the Bush foreign policy team, straight out of the whacko-right playbook
	The Attack Machine Kicks In To Gear	by Molly Ivins The problem is that George W. Bush has truly bad manners. At the recent Summit of the Americas summit in Mexico, he could not have possibly been more visibly bored. The bullying that led up to the Iraq War -- particularly ugly in the case of Turkey, which will come back to haunt us -- made him unpopular all over the world
	Richard Clarke's Bottom Line	by Molly Ivins Clarke's bottom line, so succinctly stated in response to former Navy Secretary John Lehman, is that the reason he is so critical of President George W. Bush is because he believes the war on Iraq has greatly undermined the war against terrorism.
	Here A Spin, Everywhere A Spin	by Molly Ivins The people who spend their time keeping track of George W. Bush's fibs, exaggerations, distortions, misleading remarks and flat-out lies are working at a frenzied pace these days
	Bush Meltdowns On All Fronts	by Molly Ivins Bush chose Anthony Raimondo, CEO of a manufacturing company in Nebraska, to be the jobs czar, which would have worked out better if Raimondo hadn't just outsourced those 165 jobs to China
	Texas Schools A Sinking Ship	by Molly Ivins Texas is the National Laboratory for Bad Government, and think what a splendid opportunity we now have to completely ruin our public schools by doing absolutely nothing
	Bush Screwed The Firefighters He Now Exploits	by Molly Ivins Bush screwed the firefighters in a famous case of his favorite bait-and-switch tactic, and now he has the chutzpah to exploit them anyway. Furthermore, the New York City firefighters who worked Ground Zero were specifically screwed
	New Wave Of Nationalism Sweeps Serbia	by Vesna Peric Zimonjic "We will liberate ourselves from Europe," Serbian Orthodox Church bishop Atanasije Jevtic told a historians and clerics society. "It brought us only bombs and occupation," he said, referring to the two world wars and the U.S.-led bombing of Serbia that cost hundreds of civilian lives in 1999
	Huge Protests In Thailand To Protest Privatization Of Energy Industry	by Marwaan Macan-Markar A move to privatize Thailand's state-run power utility has, within the space of a week, prompted the country's labor movement to mobilize tens of thousands of protestors into street demonstrations, unprecedented during Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra three years in power
	China's Hunger For Electricity Eats Into Environment	by Antoaneta Bezlova China's voracious appetite for electricity is driving its officials to encroach on the last free-flowing water sources as far as remote Tibet
	Haiti's Elite Class Had "Obsession" For Ousting Aristide	by Marty Logan Among the Haitian elite the hatred for Aristide was absolutely incredible; it was an obsession. And it's still an obsession. It's the way he talked -- he had that very calm, cold way of putting it: 'We've waited very long, we the poor; it's our time to take over'
	Jamaica Welcomes Aristide, New Haiti Government Protests	by Dionne Jackson Miller Jamaica agreed to host Aristide on a return from a brief stay in the Central African Republic, the country to which he was flown after his controversial departure from Haiti on Feb. 29
	Aristide Supporters Use Cell Phones To Tell Of Death Squads	by Dennis Bernstein and Lyn Duff It is through cell phone accounts on the spot that reporters outside of Haiti first heard of helicopters with searchlights being used by members of the former military to hunt down those hiding in Haiti's north
	Brits Want Their Share Of Iraq Reconstruction Pie	by Sanjay Suri Ê U.S. giants Halliburton and Bechtel have hogged the biggest of the contracts within Iraq but now the British are reminding decision-makers in the United States that they are their prime coalition partner.
	The Lesson Of Madrid: Al Qaeda Seeking New Allies	by Jalal Ghazi Missed by most media in the furor over the Spanish attacks was a statement by an Arab-Afghan commander warning Russians on the eve of that country's elections that if they elect someone who pursues attacks on Chechnya, then the Russians, in effect, are declaring war on the Chechens and would be targets for attacks
	Kosovo Violence Tied To Biased Journalism	by Jeremy Bransten Recent deadly interethnic clashes in Kosovo have raised many questions about why the violence spread so quickly and easily across the province. One spark seems to have come from the way local media reported on a particular incident in the divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica. Should the media follow special guidelines when reporting from an ethnically charged region, and do they bear a special responsibility for maintaining stability?
	Bush Reportedly Has Deal With Pakistan To Allow U.S. Troops	by Praful Bidwai U.S. troops on Pakistani soil -- especially Special Forces, like the elite commando unit Task Force 121 that is reportedly being shifted from Iraq -- will breed enormous resentment and discontent in Pakistan
	Huge Anti-War Protests In Spain, Italy	Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators protested in Spain, and if the demonstrations were not even bigger, that could be due partly to demonstrations fatigue, and also because Spain had a chance to express itself through elections, and make it matter
	Israeli Rocket Kills Hamas Founder And Spiritual Leader	by Breffni O'Rourke Israel's assassination March 22 of the spiritual leader of the Hamas militant Islamic organization, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, has sent shockwaves through the international community. Yassin was influential and admired in the entire Islamic world, and Palestinians have already vowed revenge for his death.
	Bush Won't Condemn Israeli Assassination	by Marty Logan "The administration of this Republican Party is obsessed with the idea that it can finally make powerful inroads in the Jewish vote, which up until now has been consistently over the years between 70 and 80 percent for the Democrats. They think they really have a shot at changing that"
	U.S. Blocks UN Rebuke Of Israel Assassination	by Thalif Deen A statement by the 15-member UN Security Council condemning the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was thwarted by the United States because it insisted on changing the text to include a denunciation of Hamas for its terrorist activities
	Israel Assassination Deepens Split Between Bush, Europe	by Julio Godoy While the U.S. government simply noted that it had not been previously informed by the Israeli government of its plan to kill Yassin, and that it was 'deeply troubled' by the assassination, the European Union (EU) was more forthright in condemning the act, and called it 'contrary to international law'
	Israelis Expect Assassination To Open New Chapter In Conflict	by Ferry Biedermann It is hard to fathom what motivated the Israelis at this point to go after Yassin. The prospect of a Gaza withdrawal, the pattern of recent attacks, a possible message to Arafat to watch out -- none of these seem convincing
	Palestinian Journalists Face Attack From All Sides	by Ferry Biedermann Damaged premises, journalists getting beaten up, and other forms of harassment have become almost a badge of honor among Palestinian news media trying to maintain their independence
	Israel's Arab Citizens Vent Growing Anger	by Ferry Biedermann Arab Israelis now make up some 20 percent of Israel's six million-plus population. In a country that defines itself as Jewish and that has always been in conflict with the surrounding Arab countries and with the Palestinians, the position of this minority has always been uncomfortable
	Jobless Recovery Shapes Forseeable Future	by Marty Logan Three million jobs have been lost in U.S. manufacturing alone in the past three years, but earlier this month officials in the Bush administration predicted the jobless recovery would turn the corner, offsetting the controversial outsourcing of posts overseas, particularly computer-related jobs to India
	Now That Libya Is Disarmed, Countries Vie To Sell It New Weapons	by Thalif Deen Libya's leader Qaddafi, who has agreed to abandon plans to develop WMD, might soon be compensated by the West with other forms of lethal equipment, including fighter planes, fast patrol boats, missiles and battle tanks
	Widespread Planting Of Smuggled GMO Seed In Serbia	by Vesna Peric Zimonjic "The seeds were smuggled into Serbia from Hungary and Romania," says Mirjana Nikolic from the team of experts who discovered the GM crops. "For the uneducated farmers, the promise of healthy and resistant crop was enough. For us it was an uncontrolled experiment"
	Taiwan Splits Vote For Unification With China	by George Koo Chen Shui Bian barely won the controversial election in Taiwan, and is now facing a country beset with problems, among them a shrinking economy and an angry China. All the while, demands for a recount continue
	Group Documents Abuses By U.S. Troops In Afghanistan	by Frank Csongos An independent U.S. human rights organization says U.S. forces in Afghanistan have arbitrarily detained civilians, mistreated prisoners, and employed excessive force in making arrests
	Hundreds Of Soviet-Era Missiles Missing	by Valentinas Mite Ukraine says it is looking for hundreds of Soviet-built missiles. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating after the country's minister of defense told the media that the missiles are unaccounted for in the country's military arsenal
	Latin Gang Grows To 300,000 Members	by Diego Cevallos The Mara Salvatrucha and other gangs involved in theft and small-scale drug and arms trafficking often target undocumented Central American migrants trying to make their way through Mexico
	Giant Corps Move To Control Asian Rice Supply	by Ranjit Devraj Control over rice, Asia's staple food, is steadily passing into the hands of transnational corporations
	Aznar Government Asked Media To Mislead Public	A group representing reporters and editors at Spain's state-run news agency, EFE, says the agency knew about evidence pointing to involvement by Islamic terrorists in the Mar. 11 train bombings in Madrid that very morning, but kept it under wraps due to pressure from the government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar
	Blowing a Whistle on Bush's 9/11 Failures	by Robert Scheer That report, based on all available intelligence evidence and cleared by both the CIA and the FBI, showed no Iraq connection to 9/11. However, Clarke said, 'We sent it up to the president and it got bounced by the national security advisor or deputy. It got bounced and sent back, saying, 'Wrong answer. . . . Do it again.'
	Dear W: Your Father Knew Best	by Robert Scheer The Spanish people, like most of the world, knew all along that the Bush policy of preemptive war against Iraq, which had nothing to do with the terrorist attack of 9/11, was all wrong, but their craven leaders were browbeaten by Bush to ignore their own constituents
	The Real Outrage On Super Bowl Sunday	by Walter M. Brasch On the day that Justin Timberlake ripped open Janet Jackson's blouse during the half-time of the Super Bowl to a national firestorm of protest, American Soldiers 523 and 524 died in Iraq. Along with the two American soldiers, 14 were wounded. Also that day, two suicide bombers killed more than 100 Kurds and wounded more than 200
	Bush's Sordid 9/11 Scam	by Robert Scheer Uncovering the truth about 9/11 has never been Bush's intention. Instead, the president has used that tragedy for his own political ambitions
	Mel Gibson's Blood Libel	by Robert Scheer Ultimately, this is just an exploitation flick that serves up the body of Christ as an object of continuous sick torture while ignoring his life and thoughts
	Colombia Women Standing Up To Paramilitaries	by Constanza Vieira Women activists in Colombia's oil capital, Barrancabermeja, provide a lesson in bravery, defying pressure and threats from the right-wing paramilitaries
	New Spanish Government To Shift Foreign Policy Away From U.S.	by Tito Drago Spain's foreign policy will no longer be dependent on Washington, but will focus on a united Europe, and on improving relations with Latin America and the Arab world, say the party's leaders
	State Dept. Slammed For Whitewashing Human Rights Report	by Jim Lobe Releasing its annual Country Reports on human rights practices around the world, the State Department claimed Afghanistan and Iraq as successes in an otherwise bleak human rights picture
	UN Says Drug-Resistant TB Threatens World	by Don Hill The UN health agency has sounded this alarm before. But in presentations today in Geneva and elsewhere, it raised the volume, saying it has completed an international survey that discloses a heightened and growing danger
	Why Do Few Women Run For Office?	by Kristen Cole Women have as much success being elected as men but they are not as likely to consider running for office. A groundbreaking study to be published in the American Journal of Political Science found two major factors at work: Women are not as likely as men to view themselves as qualified to hold office, and they are not as likely to receive encouragement from party leaders to become candidates
	Spanish Vote Underscores Deep Rift Between Bush And World	by Jim Lobe The growing gap between the United States and its European allies over the Iraq war -- most recently highlighted by last weekend's Spanish elections -- belies deeper strains that date to the end of the Cold War
	A Year Later, Still No Probe In Death Of Rachel Corrie	by Emad Mekay Angered by the 2003 death of Rachel Corrie, a U.S peace activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli Army bulldozer, peace campaigners here are urging U.S. legislators to investigate the death of the 23-year-old woman
	Where Is The Investigation Of My Daughter's Death?	by Cindy Corrie My daughter was run over by an Israeli bulldozer manned by two soldiers. The Israeli government exonerated the soldiers, closed the case, and refuses to release to the U.S. government the complete report on the military police investigation into Rachel's killing.
	Spread Of GMO Seed May Be Impossible To Stop	by Stephen Leahy In the first investigation of its kind, seeds were randomly selected from a variety of suppliers of non-GE varieties and sent to independent labs for analysis in February. Most seed batches were contaminated, including all six of the canola varieties
	Forget Kyoto, Prepare To Deal With Climate Crisis, Experts Say	by Marcela Valente Instead of preparing for yet another meeting concentrated on bringing the Kyoto Protocol into effect, Argentina proposes discussing the creation of funds and mechanisms for adapting to the increasingly accelerated phenomenon of global warming
	Putin Accused Of "Crushing Democracy" In Russia	by Mark Waller Russian authorities pay lip service to civil society but are wholly unconcerned about human rights, according to the oldest Russian human rights organization
	Violence In Uzbekistan Not The Mark Of Al-Qaeda	by William O. Beeman Recent violence in Uzbekistan is likely the result of home-grown frustration with one of the world's most oppressive regimes. But by pointing the finger at Al Qaeda, President Islam Karimov, who let U.S. forces use an Uzbek air base during the war in Afghanistan, gets a free pass on his human rights abuses from the Bush administration
	13 Months Late, Bush Dribbles Out AIDS Funding	by Jim Lobe Bush's new, five-year, $15 billion strategy for fighting the global HIV/AIDS pandemic provoked dismay among health activists here February 23, just hours after the 103-page document was released and the first disbursements of just $350 million were announced
	UN Outraged That Brits Bugged Kofi Annan During Run-Up To Iraq War	by Thalif Deen Last year, there were reports of a ''surge'' of eavesdropping on ambassadors and diplomats representing several other member states in the Security Council, including Angola, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Guinea and Pakistan
	Bush Moves To Seize More Iraq Assets	by Emad Mekay Watchdog groups say the United States has no right to dispense with the funds as it pleases -- much of them going to U.S. companies who have been awarded reconstruction contracts -- and that the money should be held until a legitimate, elected Iraqi government is in place
	Did The U.S. Just Plant WMD "Evidence" In Iraq?	by Ira Chernus Truth dies, just as people die, every day in Iraq. Sometimes the people are killed by Americans paid with our tax dollars. But we rarely hear about it, thanks to other Americans, the ones who kill truth: the journalists
	The Kosovo Flashpoint Explodes Again	by Vesna Peric Zimonjic 28 people were killed in violence last week in the biggest wave of violence since the United Nations and NATO took charge of Kosovo five years ago
	Don't Write Condi's Epitaph Yet	by Earl Ofari Hutchinson Condi isn't likely to be the sacrificial lamb for alleged Bush administration's 9/11 failures, at least not yet. The sole reason that Rice became an issue in the tit for tat between Clarke and Bush over who's to blame for 9/11 is because Clarke singled her out by name for blame
	Kurd Protests In Syria, Iran Raising Concerns	by Valentinas Mite Recent Kurdish riots in Syria and demonstrations in Iran are raising concerns that Kurdish minorities could follow the lead of Iraqi Kurds in pursuing greater independence and recognition. Turkey, Syria, and Iran have substantial Kurdish minorities, and their governments are keeping a wary eye on developments in Iraq. However, analysts say the three countries present very different cases
	Propaganda, Boycott Led To Iran Election Victory For Islamists	by Ramin Mostaghim Conservative candidates have claimed some two-thirds of the national assembly's 295 seats. Reformists and independent candidates shared the remaining seats, a major setback for reformists
	One-Third Of Afghanistan's Army Has Deserted	by Thalif Deen The U.S.-backed government in Kabul is facing large-scale desertions by western-trained local security forces as it tries to establish a safe environment in the run-up to scheduled June elections
	Taliban Suspected Of Burning Down Schools In Pakistan	by Zofeen Ebrahim Arsonists have struck nine schools in the remote hills of northern Pakistan, sparking official concern that Taliban or other Islamist groups could be targeting the area
	Thailand Cracks Down On Islamic Schools	by Marwaan Macan-Markar After blaming the usual suspects -- bandits and criminal elements -- the government then trotted out accusations linking three Thai Muslim separatist groups with the violence and, subsequently, added on Muslim militants from neighboring countries to this list of possible suspects
	NY Times Slammed For Phony Stories On Iraq's WMD	by Jim Lobe The Times had not published a single editors' note or correction to any of its pre-war coverage, including stories that were based on assertions, often supplied by unidentified U.S. officials or INC officials, that now appear to have been either grossly exaggerated or fabricated
	Putin Wins Second Term, Near-Absolute Power	by Jeremy Bransten With pro-Putin deputies controlling two-thirds of the seats in parliament, a loyal cabinet vowing to do his bidding, and state-controlled media at his beck and call, Russia's president has amassed more power than any leader since Soviet times. What will he do with it?
	Study Finds Patients Often Skip Medication To Save Money	by Nicole Fawcett / University of Michigan Nearly one in five older adults with diabetes in the survey reported cutting back on prescription medication in the prior year because of costs, and 15 percent used less of their medication at least once per month because of the cost
	Iran's Ancient Fire-Worship Revived In Defiance Of Islamic Hardliners	by Ramin Mostaghim Opposition political groups, some of which broadcast from radio and television stations in Europe and North America, also have sought to exploit the fire celebration as an opportunity to voice dissent
	A Year Later, More Turmoil Ahead For Iraq	by Peyman Pejman Although the U.S.-led invasion force has selected two dozen men and women and called them the governing council, even members of the council admit that they have earned little respect from most of their 25 million people
	Caribbean Nations Refuse To Recognize Haiti's New Government	by Peter Richards Leaders decided at their two-day summit to not formally recognize the interim government in Haiti. Their unease over the Feb. 29 departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was behind the unanimous decision
	Was Aristide Despot Or Humanist?	by Lyn Duff How to reconcile Titid the humanist with what the media calls a despot of Haiti?
	Is List Of Saddam's "Oil Bribes" More Forged Evidence?	by Roman Kupchinsky In January, Iraq's Al Mada newspaper published a blockbuster story: Saddam had bribed nearly 300 companies, political parties, and leaders between 1999 and 2002 with vouchers for millions of barrels of oil. Also named on the list were a number of terrorist organizations -- allegations that, if true, would support claims of President Bush that the Iraqi regime supported terrorism. But there is a growing body of evidence that the list may be a forgery, like the phony documents that claimed to show Iraq was trying to buy Niger uranium
	Crack Down On Haiti Rebels, Human Rights Groups Demand	by Jim Lobe With uncertainty still clouding the political situation in Haiti, two major human rights groups Wednesday called for U.S. and other foreign troops to immediately stop violence by rebel forces and arrest alleged human rights violators among them
	Bird Flu Raises Concern On Global Alert System	by Marwaan Macan-Markar WHO's reports lack credibility because they are based on data fed by state agencies, which is a factor that the global health body has had to contend with as bird flu reared its head in some Asian countries, like China, Thailand and Vietnam
	Campaigning For Bush As Another Station Of The Cross	by Roberto Lovato Now, in the Great Awakening of the multimedia age, Gibson's 'Passion' merges with mainstream and Christian media to align God's people with the only candidate the faithful can pray and vote for: George W. Bush
	Assuming the Right to Intervene	by Norman Solomon Media acceptance of the current U.S. military intervention in Haiti was predictable
	The Media Politics of 9/11	by Norman Solomon In the aftermath of the Iraq invasion, as the extent of prewar lies forced the Bush administration into a defensive crouch, reliance on images and rhetoric about Sept. 11 was more important than ever. For the Bush team, frequent invocation of 9/11 seemed dependable as a fortified version of patriotism -- the last, and most promising, refuge of scoundrels
	Spinning The Story, One Year Later	by Norman Solomon One of the American mass media taboos was to seriously suggest the possibility that the lot of them -- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and, yes, Powell -- were, in their pursuit of war on Iraq, significantly deranged
	The Pentagon's Lethal Disregard Of Journalists	by Norman Solomon Commanders of occupying troops often see journalists as impediments to effective military activities. In the case of U.S. forces in Iraq, it's no secret that the Pentagon has adopted some of the Israeli military's occupation techniques, notorious for targeting journalists in the occupied territories
	Caribbean Nation Call For Haiti Coup Probe	by Peter Richards "We have taken a collective decision that we are not prepared to deliberate in any of our meetings with thugs, with anarchists and with persons who have a reputation which is contrary to the tenets of civil societies to which we subscribe"
	Haiti Coup Seen As Bush Policy Blunder	by Jim Lobe While not explicitly endorsing Aristide's version that he was essentially kidnapped by the U.S. government, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Senate Democrats are now charging that Washington was at the very least complicit in an effective coup d'etat
	Was Demand For France Reparations A Factor In Haiti Coup?	by Dionne Jackson Miller Some analysts believe that France's refusal to support the deployment of an international peacekeeping force to Haiti until after the president's departure was linked to Aristide's unpopular -- in Paris -- demand for reparations
	Aristide Takes Fight To French Court	by Julio Godoy An international team of lawyers has filed a petition in a Paris court alleging that officials from the French and U.S. governments kidnapped him and led a coup
	U.S. And France Trying To Block UN Probe Of Haiti Coup	by Thalif Deen The UN says it is willing to investigate the ouster of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, provided the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) makes a formal request -- a move that U.S. and French officials are actively discouraging
	New Haitian Army Reportedly On Killing Spree	by Jean Charles Moise A mayor from northern Haiti currently in hiding says that the Haitian army is back in force, shooting people and burning homes. How could this happen, he asks -- and where are they getting the all the heavy weaponry?
	Haiti Disorder Reigns As U.S. Marines Begin Shooting	by Jane Regan U.S. and other foreign troops are not here to police the streets, but increasingly that task is falling on their shoulders in a country where many hundreds if not thousands of Haitians -- rebel soldiers from the disbanded army, ex-police officers, gang members and criminals -- have guns
	Haiti Has Long History Of American Meddling In Politics	by Jane Regan For the fourth time in the past 100 years, U.S. boots are marching on Haitian soil
	Most Of Latin America Won't Call Aristide Overthrow A Coup	by Gustavo Gonzalez With the sole exception of Venezuela, Latin American governments consider there was no coup d'etat in Haiti last weekend, and therefore it is not a case for invoking the OAS
	Kerry In Vietnam	by Alexander Cockburn Day after day, night after night, the Swift boats plied the waters, harassing and often killing villagers, fishermen and farmers. In this program, aimed at intimidating the peasants into submission, Kerry was notoriously zealous
	Gay Marriage Not A Step Forward	by Alexander Cockburn Exultation about the gay marriages cemented in San Francisco, counties in Oregon and New Mexico and some cities in New York is entirely misplaced. Why rejoice when the state extends its grip? Assimilation is not liberation
	Understanding The World With Paul Sweezy	by Alexander Cockburn Read Sweezy's books, and you can understand why we have U.S. Marines presiding over the continuing enslavement of Haiti, why we have John Kerry proclaiming his doctrine of progressive interventionism, why we have Alan Greenspan calling for renewed onslaught on Social Security
	The Uproar Over Nader	by Alexander Cockburn You can understand why the two major parties don't want any outsider spoiling the fun. They arranged things that way, as Nader understands and explains better than anyone
	India's Profitable Business Of Waste	by Varupi Jain Widespread poverty in India has made many people willing to work to extract value from trash in ways that aren't the norm in developed countries
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