From The Sacrament Bee:
Candidates' names are tough in Chinese
The Associated Press
Last Updated 7:45 am PDT Tuesday, June 26, 2007
BOSTON -- Mitt Romney's been called many things as he runs for president, but chances are "Sticky Rice" isn't one of them.
That's how his name might be read on some ballots, according to state Secretary William Galvin.
Galvin says the federal Justice Department is pressuring Boston election officials to translate candidates' names into Chinese characters in precincts with prominent Chinese-speaking populations.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.sacbee.com/838/story/242069.html
Wrap..
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Matt Cooper got Plame info straight from Rove....
From Publishers Lunch:
Pearlstine Blames Cooper and Others
Former Time executive Norman Pearlstine reportedly uses his book (publishing today) OFF THE RECORD to clear himself of responsibility in the Valerie Plame/Matt Cooper case, while "naming names, mouthing off about his enemies, and firing back at those who criticized his cooperation with federal prosecutors," Radar reports.
Reporter Matt Cooper "was less than perfectly discreet after he got Karl Rove on the phone on Friday, July 11, 2003, to talk about Plame," Pearlstine says. "More than two dozen Time Inc. employees ... had had access to e-mails in which Matt had named Rove as his source."
His criticism includes their attorney, Floyd Abrams--Cooper "was especially bothered that in meetings Abrams continually confused Libby and Rove."
[Note: Pub Lunch's hotlink doesn't work so I couldn't include it. In any case, Pearlstein's book hits the bookstores today]
Wrap...
Pearlstine Blames Cooper and Others
Former Time executive Norman Pearlstine reportedly uses his book (publishing today) OFF THE RECORD to clear himself of responsibility in the Valerie Plame/Matt Cooper case, while "naming names, mouthing off about his enemies, and firing back at those who criticized his cooperation with federal prosecutors," Radar reports.
Reporter Matt Cooper "was less than perfectly discreet after he got Karl Rove on the phone on Friday, July 11, 2003, to talk about Plame," Pearlstine says. "More than two dozen Time Inc. employees ... had had access to e-mails in which Matt had named Rove as his source."
His criticism includes their attorney, Floyd Abrams--Cooper "was especially bothered that in meetings Abrams continually confused Libby and Rove."
[Note: Pub Lunch's hotlink doesn't work so I couldn't include it. In any case, Pearlstein's book hits the bookstores today]
Wrap...
Monday, June 25, 2007
Roveian in training...Jim Wilkerson...
Here's a suggestion: Get over to Digby's blog: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/ and read her post on Jim Wilkerson...who he is, what he's done, and is doing.
Wrap....
Wrap....
Navy SEALs want men...Talk about a tough way to go...
Note: The SEALs don't have recruiters...they have motivators (see last line). Trust me, those SEAL Instructors could "motive" a rock. There have been classes of close to 100 men...and not one graduate. Just couldn't do it. Good thing for them that all they have to do to quit is to ring the bell (literally) three times, and they're on their way back to wherever they came from...usually, the regular Navy. More, nobody thinks badly of them. Actually, they're given great credit for even trying to make it through the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training course. It's that tough. Psychologists have gone to the base to study them, to try and discover just what type of man is going to be able to make it through BUD/S, all to no avail. As one of the SEAL Instructors told me...after he'd been an instructor for 10 years, "The mind rules the body." With them, it certainly does.
From The Virginian-Pilot:
Navy SEALs looking for new recruits
The Virginian-Pilot © June 25, 2007
NORFOLK
Navy SEALs will conduct seminars for sailors about joining the special-warfare community from 9:30 to
11:30 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the waterfront athletic complex, building
Q-80, at Norfolk Naval Station.
The two-hour sessions will introduce sailors to the career opportunities for SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen.
Navy leadership has made recruiting SEALs its top priority because of heavy wartime deployments and a desire to increase the elite force.
The SEALs also will conduct a physical screening test for applicants Thursday. For more information, call SEAL motivator Mark Courrier at (757) 763-3005.
Wrap....
From The Virginian-Pilot:
Navy SEALs looking for new recruits
The Virginian-Pilot © June 25, 2007
NORFOLK
Navy SEALs will conduct seminars for sailors about joining the special-warfare community from 9:30 to
11:30 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the waterfront athletic complex, building
Q-80, at Norfolk Naval Station.
The two-hour sessions will introduce sailors to the career opportunities for SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen.
Navy leadership has made recruiting SEALs its top priority because of heavy wartime deployments and a desire to increase the elite force.
The SEALs also will conduct a physical screening test for applicants Thursday. For more information, call SEAL motivator Mark Courrier at (757) 763-3005.
Wrap....
Sunday, June 24, 2007
So where are we getting our spies, our intel?
From The New York Times:
Op-Ed Contributor
Don’t Privatize Our Spies
By PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE
Published: June 25, 2007
SHORTLY after 9/11, Senator Bob Graham, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for “a symbiotic relationship between the intelligence community and the private sector.” They say you should be careful what you wish for.
In the intervening years a huge espionage-industrial complex has developed, as government spymasters outsourced everything from designing surveillance technology to managing case officers overseas. Today less than half of the staff at the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington are actual government employees, The Los Angeles Times reports; at the C.I.A. station in Islamabad, Pakistan, contractors sometimes outnumber employees by three to one.
So just how much of the intelligence budget goes to private contracts? Because that budget is highly classified, and many intelligence contracts are allocated without oversight or competitive bidding, it seemed we would never know. Until last month, that is: a procurement executive from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence gave a PowerPoint presentation at a conference in Colorado and let slip a staggering statistic — private contracts now account for 70 percent of the intelligence budget.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/opinion/25keefe.html?pagewanted=all
Wrap....
Op-Ed Contributor
Don’t Privatize Our Spies
By PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE
Published: June 25, 2007
SHORTLY after 9/11, Senator Bob Graham, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for “a symbiotic relationship between the intelligence community and the private sector.” They say you should be careful what you wish for.
In the intervening years a huge espionage-industrial complex has developed, as government spymasters outsourced everything from designing surveillance technology to managing case officers overseas. Today less than half of the staff at the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington are actual government employees, The Los Angeles Times reports; at the C.I.A. station in Islamabad, Pakistan, contractors sometimes outnumber employees by three to one.
So just how much of the intelligence budget goes to private contracts? Because that budget is highly classified, and many intelligence contracts are allocated without oversight or competitive bidding, it seemed we would never know. Until last month, that is: a procurement executive from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence gave a PowerPoint presentation at a conference in Colorado and let slip a staggering statistic — private contracts now account for 70 percent of the intelligence budget.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/opinion/25keefe.html?pagewanted=all
Wrap....
Hah! and Whoopee!!!...Sorry. Can't help it....
From Raw Story:
Firefighters high after pot goes up in smoke
June 22 2007 at 01:21AM
Edinburg - US authorities were trying to find out on Thursday who stored 907kg of marijuana in a warehouse that caught fire.
It took more than 35 firefighters about half an hour to extinguish Wednesday's blaze with 3 785 litres of water and 19 litres of chemical suppressant, Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn Snider said.
Snider said the firefighters were exposed to so much marijuana smoke they would not be able to pass a drug test, despite the air packs they wore to prevent them from inhaling toxic or hazardous fumes.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were called in to investigate the origin of the drugs, and the Hidalgo County fire marshal was investigating whether arson may have been the cause. - Sapa-AP
Wrap....
Firefighters high after pot goes up in smoke
June 22 2007 at 01:21AM
Edinburg - US authorities were trying to find out on Thursday who stored 907kg of marijuana in a warehouse that caught fire.
It took more than 35 firefighters about half an hour to extinguish Wednesday's blaze with 3 785 litres of water and 19 litres of chemical suppressant, Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn Snider said.
Snider said the firefighters were exposed to so much marijuana smoke they would not be able to pass a drug test, despite the air packs they wore to prevent them from inhaling toxic or hazardous fumes.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were called in to investigate the origin of the drugs, and the Hidalgo County fire marshal was investigating whether arson may have been the cause. - Sapa-AP
Wrap....
Smoker's Website:
Ah...here it is:
http://www.smokersclub.com/home.html
We're outnumbered, but that doesn't mean there aren't a bunch of us out there!
Wrap....
http://www.smokersclub.com/home.html
We're outnumbered, but that doesn't mean there aren't a bunch of us out there!
Wrap....
Maureen Dowd has had it with Cheney...
From NY Times via truthout.org :
Go to Original
A Vice President Without Borders, Bordering on Lunacy
By Maureen Dowd
The New York Times
Sunday 24 June 2007
It's hard to imagine how Dick Cheney could get more dastardly, unless J. K. Rowling has him knock off Harry Potter next month.
Harry's cloak of invisibility would be no match for Vice's culture of invisibility.
I've always thought Cheney was way out there - the most Voldemort-like official I've run across. But even in my harshest musings about the vice president, I never imagined that he would declare himself not only above the law, not only above the president, but actually his own dark planet - a separate entity from the White House.
I guess a man who can wait 14 hours before he lets it dribble out that he shot his friend in the face has no limit on what he thinks he can keep secret. Still, it's quite a leap to go from hiding in a secure, undisclosed location in the capital to hiding in a secure, undisclosed location in the Constitution.
Dr. No used to just blow off the public and Congress as he cooked up his shady schemes. Now, in a breathtaking act of arrant arrogance, he's blowing off his own administration.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.truthout.org:80/docs_2006/062407F.shtml
Wrap...
Go to Original
A Vice President Without Borders, Bordering on Lunacy
By Maureen Dowd
The New York Times
Sunday 24 June 2007
It's hard to imagine how Dick Cheney could get more dastardly, unless J. K. Rowling has him knock off Harry Potter next month.
Harry's cloak of invisibility would be no match for Vice's culture of invisibility.
I've always thought Cheney was way out there - the most Voldemort-like official I've run across. But even in my harshest musings about the vice president, I never imagined that he would declare himself not only above the law, not only above the president, but actually his own dark planet - a separate entity from the White House.
I guess a man who can wait 14 hours before he lets it dribble out that he shot his friend in the face has no limit on what he thinks he can keep secret. Still, it's quite a leap to go from hiding in a secure, undisclosed location in the capital to hiding in a secure, undisclosed location in the Constitution.
Dr. No used to just blow off the public and Congress as he cooked up his shady schemes. Now, in a breathtaking act of arrant arrogance, he's blowing off his own administration.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.truthout.org:80/docs_2006/062407F.shtml
Wrap...
Saturday, June 23, 2007
On Mexico/US border...the lone Minuteman....
From the LA Times:
COLUMN ONE
A watcher sees across the divide
By Christopher Goffard, Times Staff WriterJune 23, 2007
Minuteman without a country.
Campo, Calif.
HE senses them out there in the dark, making their moves, trying to outsmart him. He's planted on a hill in the cab of his mud-splattered, jacked-up truck, a greenish 1976 Silverado with roof-mounted motion sensors, holes in the floorboard and a "Don't Tread on Me" sticker in the window. From the cab, he studies the valley below with night-vision goggles, Ruger revolver strapped to his ribs.
"I own the night, brother," says Max Kennedy, a lanky, sunburned man with a scraggly goatee and a voice like a fistful of desert gravel. In his 53 years, he says, he has driven a cab in Miami and ferried fur coats in New York, peddled marijuana and jewelry, played bass in a punk bank and marched with 1960s radicals. He has been a Gingrich Republican and a pagan, a seeker of meaning in the Kaballah and the sayings of Chairman Mao.
In his latest incarnation, he's a Minuteman staking out a small stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in the beautiful, inhospitable mountains of southeast San Diego County. Untethered to job or family, he's one of three or four hard-core members who camp out here full time, trying to catch illegal immigrants as they cross.
But after 14 months living "in exile from the United States," he might be the most ambivalent of border warriors. His relations with other Minutemen are uneasy, his faith in the mission fraying, his sense of the migrants' desperation increasingly keen. Plus, the desert has its privations. He misses women and chicken cutlets and good conversation.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-max23jun23,1,4441386.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=2&cset=true
Wrap...
COLUMN ONE
A watcher sees across the divide
By Christopher Goffard, Times Staff WriterJune 23, 2007
Minuteman without a country.
Campo, Calif.
HE senses them out there in the dark, making their moves, trying to outsmart him. He's planted on a hill in the cab of his mud-splattered, jacked-up truck, a greenish 1976 Silverado with roof-mounted motion sensors, holes in the floorboard and a "Don't Tread on Me" sticker in the window. From the cab, he studies the valley below with night-vision goggles, Ruger revolver strapped to his ribs.
"I own the night, brother," says Max Kennedy, a lanky, sunburned man with a scraggly goatee and a voice like a fistful of desert gravel. In his 53 years, he says, he has driven a cab in Miami and ferried fur coats in New York, peddled marijuana and jewelry, played bass in a punk bank and marched with 1960s radicals. He has been a Gingrich Republican and a pagan, a seeker of meaning in the Kaballah and the sayings of Chairman Mao.
In his latest incarnation, he's a Minuteman staking out a small stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in the beautiful, inhospitable mountains of southeast San Diego County. Untethered to job or family, he's one of three or four hard-core members who camp out here full time, trying to catch illegal immigrants as they cross.
But after 14 months living "in exile from the United States," he might be the most ambivalent of border warriors. His relations with other Minutemen are uneasy, his faith in the mission fraying, his sense of the migrants' desperation increasingly keen. Plus, the desert has its privations. He misses women and chicken cutlets and good conversation.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-max23jun23,1,4441386.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=2&cset=true
Wrap...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The sitting ducks....
[Note: I'm a solid Dem, but, as a long time smoker, I stand with these conservative Repubs on this one. I notice that drinkers aren't getting taxed for this cause, and they're a hell of a lot more dangerous to public health than any smoker ever was. I don't see drinkers forbidden to drink in bars, restaurants, beaches, parks or anywhere else people gather. I mean after all, how would the movers and shakers in DC and elsewhere function without their cocktail parties?]
From truthout.org :
Conservative Republicans Oppose Cigarette Tax to Pay for Children's Healthcare
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/062107HB.shtml
Many senators - including the GOP leader - anticipate bipartisan support for a proposed cigarette-tax hike to help pay for expanding children's health insurance coverage. But a small, yet potentially powerful, group of Republicans is vowing to fight any tax increase on principle.
Wrap...
From truthout.org :
Conservative Republicans Oppose Cigarette Tax to Pay for Children's Healthcare
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/062107HB.shtml
Many senators - including the GOP leader - anticipate bipartisan support for a proposed cigarette-tax hike to help pay for expanding children's health insurance coverage. But a small, yet potentially powerful, group of Republicans is vowing to fight any tax increase on principle.
Wrap...
NY Times Editor is NOT happy with Bush....
From New York Times:
Editorial
Mr. Bush’s Stem Cell Diversion
Published: June 21, 2007
The executive order on stem cells issued by President Bush yesterday seeks to reorient research in new directions that may or may not pay off. But make no mistake, it is no substitute for the bill expanding embryonic stem cell research that Mr. Bush vetoed at the same time because it would involve the destruction of microscopic entities — smaller than the period at the end of this sentence — that the president deems a nascent form of life.
Both the Senate and the House, which passed the embryonic stem cell bill by comfortable but not veto-proof margins, need to summon the strength to override Mr. Bush’s veto, so that important research into possible cures for Parkinson’s, diabetes and other serious ailments can move ahead.
Mr. Bush knows that most Americans support embryonic stem cell research — while his political base does not — so yesterday he sought to at least blunt their dismay by touting new scientific studies focused on deriving potent stem cells from amniotic fluid, placentas and the skin of laboratory mice. Some of the alternative work is indeed promising. But almost all scientists in the field consider embryonic stem cell research the most promising. It is foolish to crimp that research by withholding federal funds to placate a minority of religious and social conservatives, including Mr. Bush, who deem the work unethical.
The president’s executive order directs the secretary of health and human services to support research on alternative sources of “pluripotent” stem cells that are capable of developing into many other kinds of cells needed for therapy. The department already supports a lot of such experiments — on so-called adult stem cells. It has now been ordered to also explore the potential of deriving embryonic stem cells without killing embryos — perhaps from embryos that are deemed dead or from specially created biological entities that are not full embryos.
The feasibility of deriving embryonic stem cells that way will need fuller discussion. Making the order even less persuasive, the White House did not request any additional funding to carry out the work, but will simply use existing budgets at the National Institutes of Health.
The bill vetoed by Mr. Bush would have provided more research opportunities: greatly expanding the number of traditional embryonic stem cell lines that can be used in federally financed research by tapping into the thousands of surplus embryos that would otherwise be discarded at fertility clinics. If Mr. Bush cannot see the sense in such an approach, members of Congress need to tell him that they — and the American people — do.
The Senate, which has the best shot at overriding the veto, will vote first, in hopes that a victory there will inspire the House to follow. Americans will need to keep a close eye on which legislators favor the most promising stem cell research and which try to impede scientific progress.
Wrap....
Editorial
Mr. Bush’s Stem Cell Diversion
Published: June 21, 2007
The executive order on stem cells issued by President Bush yesterday seeks to reorient research in new directions that may or may not pay off. But make no mistake, it is no substitute for the bill expanding embryonic stem cell research that Mr. Bush vetoed at the same time because it would involve the destruction of microscopic entities — smaller than the period at the end of this sentence — that the president deems a nascent form of life.
Both the Senate and the House, which passed the embryonic stem cell bill by comfortable but not veto-proof margins, need to summon the strength to override Mr. Bush’s veto, so that important research into possible cures for Parkinson’s, diabetes and other serious ailments can move ahead.
Mr. Bush knows that most Americans support embryonic stem cell research — while his political base does not — so yesterday he sought to at least blunt their dismay by touting new scientific studies focused on deriving potent stem cells from amniotic fluid, placentas and the skin of laboratory mice. Some of the alternative work is indeed promising. But almost all scientists in the field consider embryonic stem cell research the most promising. It is foolish to crimp that research by withholding federal funds to placate a minority of religious and social conservatives, including Mr. Bush, who deem the work unethical.
The president’s executive order directs the secretary of health and human services to support research on alternative sources of “pluripotent” stem cells that are capable of developing into many other kinds of cells needed for therapy. The department already supports a lot of such experiments — on so-called adult stem cells. It has now been ordered to also explore the potential of deriving embryonic stem cells without killing embryos — perhaps from embryos that are deemed dead or from specially created biological entities that are not full embryos.
The feasibility of deriving embryonic stem cells that way will need fuller discussion. Making the order even less persuasive, the White House did not request any additional funding to carry out the work, but will simply use existing budgets at the National Institutes of Health.
The bill vetoed by Mr. Bush would have provided more research opportunities: greatly expanding the number of traditional embryonic stem cell lines that can be used in federally financed research by tapping into the thousands of surplus embryos that would otherwise be discarded at fertility clinics. If Mr. Bush cannot see the sense in such an approach, members of Congress need to tell him that they — and the American people — do.
The Senate, which has the best shot at overriding the veto, will vote first, in hopes that a victory there will inspire the House to follow. Americans will need to keep a close eye on which legislators favor the most promising stem cell research and which try to impede scientific progress.
Wrap....
Stem cell veto to DOJ to Bush smartassing....
From American Progress:
President Bush will issue the third veto of his presidency today, killing a bill "that would have eased restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research -- work that supporters say holds promise for fighting disease."
"The Justice Department has opted out of at least 10 whistle-blower lawsuits alleging fraud and corruption in government reconstruction and security contracts in Iraq, and has spent years investigating additional fraud cases but has yet to try to recover any money."
"At least 40 percent of State Department diplomats who have served in danger zones suffer some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder," an American Foreign Service Association official told Congress yesterday. "The State Department has provided limited help for diplomats under duress," including dispatching just two psychiatrists to Iraq.
"Six detainees were transferred this week out of the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including one detainee who was returned to Tunisian authorities over the objections of his attorneys amid fears that he will be tortured by a government known for human rights violations."
Canon Electronics, Nike, and Unilever "topped a list rating climate-friendly companies" released yesterday, while Jones Apparel Group, CBS, Burger King, Darden Restaurants, Wendy's International and Amazon.com tied for last. Also, Google announced yesterday that it will be carbon neutral by 2008.
The ACLU "sued the U.S. government on Tuesday seeking to end what it said was a policy of drugging some immigrants facing deportation proceedings." The suit alleges that two immigrants were forcibly injected with "powerful psychotropic drugs" in violation of the law.
And finally: At yesterday's annual congressional picnic, "President Bush and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were arm in arm," "Karl Rove worked the crowd," and "White House Press Secretary Tony Snow played the flute." "I thank Tony Snow and his bunch of mediocre musicians...uh, great musicians," said Bush, who enjoyed "the chance to zing his press secretary."
Wrap...
President Bush will issue the third veto of his presidency today, killing a bill "that would have eased restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research -- work that supporters say holds promise for fighting disease."
"The Justice Department has opted out of at least 10 whistle-blower lawsuits alleging fraud and corruption in government reconstruction and security contracts in Iraq, and has spent years investigating additional fraud cases but has yet to try to recover any money."
"At least 40 percent of State Department diplomats who have served in danger zones suffer some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder," an American Foreign Service Association official told Congress yesterday. "The State Department has provided limited help for diplomats under duress," including dispatching just two psychiatrists to Iraq.
"Six detainees were transferred this week out of the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including one detainee who was returned to Tunisian authorities over the objections of his attorneys amid fears that he will be tortured by a government known for human rights violations."
Canon Electronics, Nike, and Unilever "topped a list rating climate-friendly companies" released yesterday, while Jones Apparel Group, CBS, Burger King, Darden Restaurants, Wendy's International and Amazon.com tied for last. Also, Google announced yesterday that it will be carbon neutral by 2008.
The ACLU "sued the U.S. government on Tuesday seeking to end what it said was a policy of drugging some immigrants facing deportation proceedings." The suit alleges that two immigrants were forcibly injected with "powerful psychotropic drugs" in violation of the law.
And finally: At yesterday's annual congressional picnic, "President Bush and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were arm in arm," "Karl Rove worked the crowd," and "White House Press Secretary Tony Snow played the flute." "I thank Tony Snow and his bunch of mediocre musicians...uh, great musicians," said Bush, who enjoyed "the chance to zing his press secretary."
Wrap...
Cheney..I don't want to & you can't make me....
From Secrecy News:
CHENEY SOUGHT TO ABOLISH SECRECY OVERSIGHT OFFICE
The Office of Vice President Dick Cheney proposed to abolish the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), the executive branch organization that oversees the national security classification system, after its Director insisted that the Vice President comply with reporting requirements that apply to all executive branch entities.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee(oversight.house.gov) who revealed the move today, said in a letter to the Vice President that it "could be construed as retaliation" againstISOO.
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2007_cr/waxman062107.pdf
The proposed change in ISOO's status was ultimately rejected by an interagency review group which is considering revisions to the executive order on classification policy. The dispute between ISOO and the Office of the Vice President was prompted by a complaint filed with ISOO by the Federation of American Scientists in May 2006 (Secrecy News, 05/31/06).
The FAS complaint noted that the OVP had ceased to comply with its obligation to submit an annual report on classification and declassification activity, and asked the ISOO Director to enforce the requirement.
When the OVP continued to resist compliance, ISOO Director J. William Leonard formally asked the Attorney General in January 2007 to intervene and to render an interpretation of the executive that would resolve the dispute in one direction or another. A truncated copy of the ISOO letter to the Attorney General, with two attachments missing, was released by Rep. Waxman today. A complete copy of the January 9, 2007 letter is available here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/isoo-ag.pdf
The Attorney General has not responded to the ISOO letter.
Wrap...
CHENEY SOUGHT TO ABOLISH SECRECY OVERSIGHT OFFICE
The Office of Vice President Dick Cheney proposed to abolish the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), the executive branch organization that oversees the national security classification system, after its Director insisted that the Vice President comply with reporting requirements that apply to all executive branch entities.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee(oversight.house.gov) who revealed the move today, said in a letter to the Vice President that it "could be construed as retaliation" againstISOO.
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2007_cr/waxman062107.pdf
The proposed change in ISOO's status was ultimately rejected by an interagency review group which is considering revisions to the executive order on classification policy. The dispute between ISOO and the Office of the Vice President was prompted by a complaint filed with ISOO by the Federation of American Scientists in May 2006 (Secrecy News, 05/31/06).
The FAS complaint noted that the OVP had ceased to comply with its obligation to submit an annual report on classification and declassification activity, and asked the ISOO Director to enforce the requirement.
When the OVP continued to resist compliance, ISOO Director J. William Leonard formally asked the Attorney General in January 2007 to intervene and to render an interpretation of the executive that would resolve the dispute in one direction or another. A truncated copy of the ISOO letter to the Attorney General, with two attachments missing, was released by Rep. Waxman today. A complete copy of the January 9, 2007 letter is available here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/isoo-ag.pdf
The Attorney General has not responded to the ISOO letter.
Wrap...
Damned fools! Even I knew fences are futile...
From NBC.com :
Agents: Drug-Smuggling Ramp Found At Border
Officials Say Hundreds Of Pounds Of Pot Seized
POSTED: 7:40 pm PDT June 20, 2007
UPDATED: 8:00 am PDT June 21, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- Customs and border patrol agents announced the seizure of hundreds of pounds of pot Wednesday after discovering a drive-through ramp they say was being used to smuggle drugs across the border.
Images: Agents Find Drug-Smuggling Ramp At Border Video
Officials said agents from the San Diego sector's El Cajon Station confiscated a truck hauling 916 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle's cab and bed, as well as two ramps, two miles east of Campo.
The bust took place at 7:30 a.m. when officials said an agent spotted a suspicious 2006 Nissan Frontera driving westbound on state Route 94.
The agent followed the truck and the driver began driving erratically, making an abrupt U-turn and heading westbound on the 94, officials said.
The Nissan left the paved road and began driving southbound on a dirt road towards Mexico, according to officials.
When the agent arrived at the border, 20 people had crossed into the U.S. and put up welded metal ramps over the top of the border fence, customs officials said. Two people in the truck left the car and ran into Mexico, along with the 20 others that had gathered there, according to agents.
Officials said one person in the group pointed a handgun at the agent, but did not fire.
Other agents arrived at the scene and secured the site.
Upon inspecting the truck, agents said they found 60 packages of pot valued at $735,000, according to customs officials. The ramps were also seized.
The drugs were turned over to Operation Alliance for further investigation.
Copyright 2007 by NBCSandiego.com. All rights reserved.
Wrap...
Agents: Drug-Smuggling Ramp Found At Border
Officials Say Hundreds Of Pounds Of Pot Seized
POSTED: 7:40 pm PDT June 20, 2007
UPDATED: 8:00 am PDT June 21, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- Customs and border patrol agents announced the seizure of hundreds of pounds of pot Wednesday after discovering a drive-through ramp they say was being used to smuggle drugs across the border.
Images: Agents Find Drug-Smuggling Ramp At Border Video
Officials said agents from the San Diego sector's El Cajon Station confiscated a truck hauling 916 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle's cab and bed, as well as two ramps, two miles east of Campo.
The bust took place at 7:30 a.m. when officials said an agent spotted a suspicious 2006 Nissan Frontera driving westbound on state Route 94.
The agent followed the truck and the driver began driving erratically, making an abrupt U-turn and heading westbound on the 94, officials said.
The Nissan left the paved road and began driving southbound on a dirt road towards Mexico, according to officials.
When the agent arrived at the border, 20 people had crossed into the U.S. and put up welded metal ramps over the top of the border fence, customs officials said. Two people in the truck left the car and ran into Mexico, along with the 20 others that had gathered there, according to agents.
Officials said one person in the group pointed a handgun at the agent, but did not fire.
Other agents arrived at the scene and secured the site.
Upon inspecting the truck, agents said they found 60 packages of pot valued at $735,000, according to customs officials. The ramps were also seized.
The drugs were turned over to Operation Alliance for further investigation.
Copyright 2007 by NBCSandiego.com. All rights reserved.
Wrap...
Different Films and Books coming....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Peter Brett's THE PAINTED MAN and MIND DEMON, set on a world where people have ceded the night to demon-kind -- unless the Deliverer returns with ancient secrets to vanquish the demons, to Liz Scheier at Del Rey, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky Literary Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Author of the NYT and USA Today bestselling THE BODYGUARDS series, Cindy Gerard's new BLACK OPS series, about a private contracting firm specializing in jobs even the military and the CIA won't touch, to Maggie Crawford at Pocket, in a three-book deal, by Maria Carvainis at Maria Carvainis Agency (World).
ENERAL/OTHER:
Author of forthcoming ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL MANNER OF THINGS SHALL BE WELL Tod Wodicka's THE HOUSEHOLD SPIRIT, sleep paralysis, the paranormal and the impossibility of returning home, again to Dan Frank and Lexy Bloom at Pantheon, by Zoe Pagnamenta at PFD New York, on behalf of Kevin Conroy Scott at AP Watt. UK rights to Dan Franklin at Jonathan Cape, by Kevin Conroy Scott.Translation: lshaughnessy@apwatt.co.uk
CHILDREN'S-MIDDLE GRADE:
A Brief History of Time author and Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge Stephen Hawking and daughter novelist Lucy Hawking's GEORGE'S SECRET KEY TO THE UNIVERSE, with illustrator Garry Parsons, in which George befriends new neighbors and their super-computer, and he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe, to Simon & Schuster Children's, by Tif Loehnis and Eric Simonoff at the Janklow & Nesbit.
FILM:
Sara Zarr's THE STORY OF A GIRL, about a teenage girl trying to live down her "school slut" reputation and repair her relationship with her family because, at the age of thirteen, her father caught her in the back seat of a Buick with a high school senior boy, optioned to Mixed Breed Films, with Kyra Sedgwick and Emily Lansbury producing, by Eddie Gamara at The Gotham Group, on behalf of Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Adrian Desmond and James Moore's DARWIN'S SACRED CAUSE, showing that the driving antagonism behind Darwin's theory of evolution was a hatred of slavery, to Amanda Cook at Houghton Mifflin, by Sarah Hunt Cooke at Penguin UK (US).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Former JP Morgan Chase equity analyst Anne Marie Fink's LESSONS FROM THE CEO'S BOSS: What Wall Street Knows that Top Managers Don't, capturing the (often counterintuitive) management wisdom of Wall Street's finest minds, in a pre-empt, to John Mahaney at Crown Business, by Scott Hoffman atFolio Literary Management.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Benson Bobrick's MINARET AND TOWER: THE SWEEP OF ISLAM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE WEST, a narrative history of Islam from its origins to its cultural and military heyday, to Bob Bender at Simon & Schuster, by Russell Galen at Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency (world).
SCIENCE:
SETI's senior scientist Dr. Seth Shostak's CONFESSIONS OF AN ALIEN HUNTER and THE IMMORTALS, to Lisa Thomas of National Geographic, by Carol Susan Roth at Carol Susan Roth Literary & Creative (World English). carol@authorsbest.com
Foreign rights: chandler@crawford-agency.com
Wrap....
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Peter Brett's THE PAINTED MAN and MIND DEMON, set on a world where people have ceded the night to demon-kind -- unless the Deliverer returns with ancient secrets to vanquish the demons, to Liz Scheier at Del Rey, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky Literary Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Author of the NYT and USA Today bestselling THE BODYGUARDS series, Cindy Gerard's new BLACK OPS series, about a private contracting firm specializing in jobs even the military and the CIA won't touch, to Maggie Crawford at Pocket, in a three-book deal, by Maria Carvainis at Maria Carvainis Agency (World).
ENERAL/OTHER:
Author of forthcoming ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL SHALL BE WELL; AND ALL MANNER OF THINGS SHALL BE WELL Tod Wodicka's THE HOUSEHOLD SPIRIT, sleep paralysis, the paranormal and the impossibility of returning home, again to Dan Frank and Lexy Bloom at Pantheon, by Zoe Pagnamenta at PFD New York, on behalf of Kevin Conroy Scott at AP Watt. UK rights to Dan Franklin at Jonathan Cape, by Kevin Conroy Scott.Translation: lshaughnessy@apwatt.co.uk
CHILDREN'S-MIDDLE GRADE:
A Brief History of Time author and Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge Stephen Hawking and daughter novelist Lucy Hawking's GEORGE'S SECRET KEY TO THE UNIVERSE, with illustrator Garry Parsons, in which George befriends new neighbors and their super-computer, and he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe, to Simon & Schuster Children's, by Tif Loehnis and Eric Simonoff at the Janklow & Nesbit.
FILM:
Sara Zarr's THE STORY OF A GIRL, about a teenage girl trying to live down her "school slut" reputation and repair her relationship with her family because, at the age of thirteen, her father caught her in the back seat of a Buick with a high school senior boy, optioned to Mixed Breed Films, with Kyra Sedgwick and Emily Lansbury producing, by Eddie Gamara at The Gotham Group, on behalf of Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Adrian Desmond and James Moore's DARWIN'S SACRED CAUSE, showing that the driving antagonism behind Darwin's theory of evolution was a hatred of slavery, to Amanda Cook at Houghton Mifflin, by Sarah Hunt Cooke at Penguin UK (US).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Former JP Morgan Chase equity analyst Anne Marie Fink's LESSONS FROM THE CEO'S BOSS: What Wall Street Knows that Top Managers Don't, capturing the (often counterintuitive) management wisdom of Wall Street's finest minds, in a pre-empt, to John Mahaney at Crown Business, by Scott Hoffman atFolio Literary Management.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Benson Bobrick's MINARET AND TOWER: THE SWEEP OF ISLAM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE WEST, a narrative history of Islam from its origins to its cultural and military heyday, to Bob Bender at Simon & Schuster, by Russell Galen at Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency (world).
SCIENCE:
SETI's senior scientist Dr. Seth Shostak's CONFESSIONS OF AN ALIEN HUNTER and THE IMMORTALS, to Lisa Thomas of National Geographic, by Carol Susan Roth at Carol Susan Roth Literary & Creative (World English). carol@authorsbest.com
Foreign rights: chandler@crawford-agency.com
Wrap....
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
BushCo & GOP making $$$$ from vultures....
From Greg Palast:
Randi Rhodes and Greg Palast Hunt Giuliani's Favorite Vulture
by Greg Palast
June 20, 2006
"Can't he make a living in a more reputable, less disgusting way, say, in child pornography?"Randi Rhodes is asking you, Mr. Singer. And we're still waiting for the answer.
[To hear the Palast/Rhodes report, click here.]
Paul Singer is a vulture. And a billionaire. And, with his underlings at Elliott Associates, the number one sugar-daddy donor to the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani, dropping $168,400 so far and, according to secret campaign documents, committed to raise $10 million for Rudolf the Great, Emperor of 9/11.
So who is this bird of prey Singer who holds Rudy in his beak?
Unlike feathered predators, Singer preys on the living. Singer figured out a way to siphon off funds intended for debt relief to some of the poorest countries in the world. Nice guy.
And by the way, I didn't come up with the moniker "vulture." Just about everyone, from the new Prime Minister of Britain to the World Bank, calls Singer and his ilk "vultures." Here's how a vulture operation works. The vulture fund buys up the debt of poor nations cheaply when it is about to be written off and then sues for the full value of the debt plus interest -- sometimes more than ten times what they paid for it. Singer, for example, paid just $10 million for Congo Brazzaville's debt and is now suing for over $400 million.
Singer knew he'd turn a 1000%-plus profit on his $10 million investment with George Bush's help.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Help support the Palast Team's investigations, including their research on 'Vultures' by making a tax deductible donation to the Palast Investigative Fund today. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bush convinced the US Congress to forgive the money Congo owes the US taxpayer, but once the US taxpayer forgives Congo's debt, the vulture, Singer, swoops in with lawyers to claim, "Congo now has the money to pay ME." But wait a minute - the debt money given up by US taxpayers wasn't supposed to go to Rudy's predator Singer. In fact, the US Constitution provides power to the President to stop vultures from suing a foreign country in a US court if the President states such a private lawsuit interferes with America's foreign policy. Singer, by suing Congo for the taxpayer money meant for debt relief and medicine, is interfering with US foreign policy. Yet Bush has done nothing.
While the President has made big speeches about debt relief for Africa and has even had his picture taken with a Bono, he won't get in the way of Singer's talons. One wonders if the President is influenced by Mr. Singer's strong support for debt relief, that is, debt relief for the Republican Party. The world's top vulture has become top donor to the GOP in New York.
Singer's not alone. He's joined in tearing at the flesh of the Congo's poor by a Washington operator named Michael Francis Sheehan. Sheehan is also known as "Goldfinger."
Besides joining Singer in attacking Congo, Goldfinger has also taken a piece of the debt relief earmarked for AIDS medicine for Zambia. Goldfinger paid $4 million for the right to collect on Zambia's debt - and just won $22 million from Zambia in a UK court, half that nation's debt relief. Goldfinger was able to seize that money because, he boasts in an email, he secretly paid $2 million to the "favorite charity" of Zambia's president. (That former President, Frederick Chiluba, is now under arrest for taking bribes ... but Goldfinger can still collect his pound of flesh.)
Want to hear more about Rudy's and George's favorite financial predators? About Chiluba's taste in shoes (he spent one million dollars in a single shop)? About Goldfinger and the man who hold the mortgage on President Giuliani? Go here and listen up: Greg Palast with Randi Rhodes - hunting the Vultures.
************************************
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. Palast and his team are investigating the 'Vultures' for BBC Television Newsnight.
Wrap...
Randi Rhodes and Greg Palast Hunt Giuliani's Favorite Vulture
by Greg Palast
June 20, 2006
"Can't he make a living in a more reputable, less disgusting way, say, in child pornography?"Randi Rhodes is asking you, Mr. Singer. And we're still waiting for the answer.
[To hear the Palast/Rhodes report, click here.]
Paul Singer is a vulture. And a billionaire. And, with his underlings at Elliott Associates, the number one sugar-daddy donor to the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani, dropping $168,400 so far and, according to secret campaign documents, committed to raise $10 million for Rudolf the Great, Emperor of 9/11.
So who is this bird of prey Singer who holds Rudy in his beak?
Unlike feathered predators, Singer preys on the living. Singer figured out a way to siphon off funds intended for debt relief to some of the poorest countries in the world. Nice guy.
And by the way, I didn't come up with the moniker "vulture." Just about everyone, from the new Prime Minister of Britain to the World Bank, calls Singer and his ilk "vultures." Here's how a vulture operation works. The vulture fund buys up the debt of poor nations cheaply when it is about to be written off and then sues for the full value of the debt plus interest -- sometimes more than ten times what they paid for it. Singer, for example, paid just $10 million for Congo Brazzaville's debt and is now suing for over $400 million.
Singer knew he'd turn a 1000%-plus profit on his $10 million investment with George Bush's help.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Help support the Palast Team's investigations, including their research on 'Vultures' by making a tax deductible donation to the Palast Investigative Fund today. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bush convinced the US Congress to forgive the money Congo owes the US taxpayer, but once the US taxpayer forgives Congo's debt, the vulture, Singer, swoops in with lawyers to claim, "Congo now has the money to pay ME." But wait a minute - the debt money given up by US taxpayers wasn't supposed to go to Rudy's predator Singer. In fact, the US Constitution provides power to the President to stop vultures from suing a foreign country in a US court if the President states such a private lawsuit interferes with America's foreign policy. Singer, by suing Congo for the taxpayer money meant for debt relief and medicine, is interfering with US foreign policy. Yet Bush has done nothing.
While the President has made big speeches about debt relief for Africa and has even had his picture taken with a Bono, he won't get in the way of Singer's talons. One wonders if the President is influenced by Mr. Singer's strong support for debt relief, that is, debt relief for the Republican Party. The world's top vulture has become top donor to the GOP in New York.
Singer's not alone. He's joined in tearing at the flesh of the Congo's poor by a Washington operator named Michael Francis Sheehan. Sheehan is also known as "Goldfinger."
Besides joining Singer in attacking Congo, Goldfinger has also taken a piece of the debt relief earmarked for AIDS medicine for Zambia. Goldfinger paid $4 million for the right to collect on Zambia's debt - and just won $22 million from Zambia in a UK court, half that nation's debt relief. Goldfinger was able to seize that money because, he boasts in an email, he secretly paid $2 million to the "favorite charity" of Zambia's president. (That former President, Frederick Chiluba, is now under arrest for taking bribes ... but Goldfinger can still collect his pound of flesh.)
Want to hear more about Rudy's and George's favorite financial predators? About Chiluba's taste in shoes (he spent one million dollars in a single shop)? About Goldfinger and the man who hold the mortgage on President Giuliani? Go here and listen up: Greg Palast with Randi Rhodes - hunting the Vultures.
************************************
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. Palast and his team are investigating the 'Vultures' for BBC Television Newsnight.
Wrap...
Secret collaboration...CIA, Isreal, Palastinian Authority...
From Information Clearing House:
The CIA - Fatah: Spies, Quislings and the Palestinian Authority
By Mike Whitney
When Hamas gunmen stormed the Fatah security compounds in Gaza last week they found huge supplies of American-made weaponry including 7,400 M-16 assault rifles, dozens of mounted machine guns, rocket launchers, 7 armored military jeeps, 800,000 rounds of bullets and 18 US-made armored personnel carriers. They also discovered something far more valuable--- CIA files which purportedly contain "information about the collaboration between Fatah and the Israeli and American security organizations.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17906.htm
**************************************************************
The Mask of Imperial Power is Dying
By Jim Kirwan
The charade is over in Palestine. The farce that tried to pass itself off as a pathway to peace has clearly ended. The 'West' led by Israel and the US has finally begun to show the world the duplicity of their joint criminality as that has most recently been underscored in "Gaza vs. The West Bank.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17905.htm
Wrap...
The CIA - Fatah: Spies, Quislings and the Palestinian Authority
By Mike Whitney
When Hamas gunmen stormed the Fatah security compounds in Gaza last week they found huge supplies of American-made weaponry including 7,400 M-16 assault rifles, dozens of mounted machine guns, rocket launchers, 7 armored military jeeps, 800,000 rounds of bullets and 18 US-made armored personnel carriers. They also discovered something far more valuable--- CIA files which purportedly contain "information about the collaboration between Fatah and the Israeli and American security organizations.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17906.htm
**************************************************************
The Mask of Imperial Power is Dying
By Jim Kirwan
The charade is over in Palestine. The farce that tried to pass itself off as a pathway to peace has clearly ended. The 'West' led by Israel and the US has finally begun to show the world the duplicity of their joint criminality as that has most recently been underscored in "Gaza vs. The West Bank.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17905.htm
Wrap...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Hamas, Fatah, Egypt....and Israel....
From Stratfor:
The Geopolitics of the Palestinians
By George Friedman
Last week, an important thing happened in the Middle East. Hamas, a radical Islamist political group, forcibly seized control of Gaza from rival Fatah, an essentially secular Palestinian group. The West Bank, meanwhile, remains more or less under the control of Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian National Authority in that region. Therefore, for the first time, the two distinct Palestinian territories -- the Gaza Strip and the West Bank -- no longer are under a single Palestinian authority.
Hamas has been increasing its influence among the Palestinians for years, and it got a major boost by winning the most recent election. It now has claimed exclusive control over Gaza, its historical stronghold and power base. It is not clear whether Hamas will try to take control of the West Bank as well, or whether it would succeed if it did make such a play. The West Bank is a different region with a very different dynamic. What is certain, for the moment at least, is that these regions are divided under two factions, and therefore have the potential to become two different Palestinian states. In a way, this makes more sense than the previous arrangement.
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are physically separated from one another by Israel. Travel from one part of the Palestinian territories to the other relies on Israel's willingness to permit it -- which is not always forthcoming. As a result, the Palestinian territories are divided into two areas that have limited contact.
The war between the Philistines and the Hebrews is described in the books of Samuel. The Philistines controlled the coastal lowlands of the Levant, the east coast of the Mediterranean. They had advanced technologies, such as the ability to smelt bronze, and they conducted international trade up and down the Levant and within the eastern Mediterranean. The Hebrews, unable to engage the Philistines in direct combat, retreated into the hills to the east of the coast, in Judea, the area now called the West Bank.
The Philistines were part of a geographical entity that ran from Gaza north to Turkey. The Hebrews were part of the interior that connected north to Syria, south into the Arabian deserts and east across the Jordan. The Philistines were unable to pursue the Hebrews in the interior, and the Hebrews -- until David -- were unable to dislodge the Philistines from the coast. Two distinct entities existed.
Today, Gaza is tied to the coastal system, which Israel and Lebanon now occupy. Gaza is the link between the Levantine coast and Egypt. The West Bank is not a coastal entity but a region whose ties are to the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Syria. The point is that Gaza and the West Bank are very distinct geographical entities that see the world in very different ways.
Gaza, its links to the north cut by the Israelis, historically has been oriented toward the Egyptians, who occupied the region until 1967. The Egyptians influenced the region by creating the Palestine Liberation Organization, while Egypt's dissident Muslim Brotherhood helped influence the creation of Hamas in 1987.
The West Bank, part of Jordan until 1967, is larger and more complex in its social organization, and it really represented the center of gravity of Palestinian nationalism under Fatah. Gaza and the West Bank were always separate entities, and the recent action by Hamas has driven home that point.
Hamas' victory in Gaza means much more to the Palestinians and Egyptians than it does to the Israelis -- at least in the shorter term. The fear in Israel now is that Gaza, under Hamas, will become more aggressive in carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel. Hamas certainly has an ideology that argues for this, and it is altogether possible that the group will become more antagonistic. However, it appears to us that Hamas already was capable of carrying out as many attacks as it wished before taking complete control. Moreover, by increasing attacks now, Hamas -- which always has been able to deny responsibility for these incidents -- would lose the element of deniability. Having taken control of Gaza, regardless of whether it carries out attacks, it would have failed to prevent them. Hamas' leadership is more vulnerable now than ever before.
Let's consider the strategic position of the Palestinians. Their primary weapon against Israel remains what it always has been: random attacks against civilian targets designed to destabilize Israel. The problem with this strategy is obvious. Using terrorism against Americans in Iraq is potentially effective as a strategy. If the Americans cannot stand the level of casualties being imposed, they have the option of leaving Iraq. Although leaving might pose serious problems to U.S. regional and global interests, it would not affect the continued existence of the United States. Therefore, the insurgents potentially could find a threshold that would force the United States to fold.
The Israelis cannot leave Israel. Assume for the moment that the Palestinians could impose 1,000 civilian casualties a year. There are about 5 million Jews in Israel. That would be about 0.02 percent casualties. The Israelis are not going to leave Israel at that casualty rate, or at a rate a thousand times greater. Unlike the Americans, for whom Iraq is a subsidiary interest, Israel is Israel's central interest. Israel is not going to capitulate to the Palestinians over terrorism attacks.
The Israelis could be convinced to make political concessions in shaping a Palestinian state. For example, they might concede more land or more autonomy in order to stop the attacks. That might have been attractive to Fatah, but Hamas explicitly rejects the existence of Israel and therefore gives the Israelis no reason to make concessions. That means that while attacks might be psychologically satisfying to Hamas, they would be substantially less effective than the attacks that were carried out while Fatah was driving the negotiations.
Bargaining with Hamas gets Israel nothing.
One of the uses of terrorism is to trigger an Israeli response, which in turn can be used to drive a wedge between Israel and the West. Fatah has been historically skillful at using the cycle of violence to its political advantage.
Hamas, however, is handicapped in two ways: First, its position on Israel is perceived as much less reasonable than Fatah's. Second, Hamas is increasingly being viewed as a jihadist movement, and, as such, its strength threatens European and U.S. interests. Although Israel does not want terrorist attacks, such attacks do not represent a threat to the survival of the state. To be cold-blooded, they are an irritant, not a strategic threat.
The only thing that could threaten the survival of Israel, apart from a nuclear barrage, would be a shift in position of neighboring states. Right now, Israel has peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan, and an adequately working relationship with Syria. With Egypt and Jordan out of the game, Syria does not represent a threat. Israel is strategically secure.The single most important neighbor Israel has is Egypt. When energized, it is the center of gravity of the Arab world.
Under former President Gamal Abdul Nasser, Egypt drove Arab hostility to Israel. Once Anwar Sadat reversed Nasser's strategy on Israel, the Jewish state was basically secure. Other Arab nations could not threaten it unless Egypt was part of the equation. And for nearly 30 years, Egypt has not been part of the equation.
But if Egypt were to reverse its position, Israel would, over time, find itself much less comfortable. Though Saudi Arabia has recently overshadowed Egypt's role in the Arab world, the Egyptians can always opt back into a strong leadership position and use their strength to threaten Israel. This becomes especially important as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's health fails and questions are raised about whether his successors will be able to maintain control of the country while the Muslim Brotherhood spearheads a campaign to demand political reform.
As we have said, Gaza is part of the Mediterranean coastal system. Egypt controlled Gaza until 1967 and retained influence there afterward, but not in the West Bank. Hamas also was influenced by Egypt, but not by Mubarak's government. Hamas was an outgrowth of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which the Mubarak regime has done a fairly good job of containing, primarily through force. But there also is a significant paradox in Hamas' relations with Egypt. The Mubarak regime, particularly through its intelligence chief (and prospective Mubarak successor) Omar Suleiman, has good working relations with Hamas, despite being tough on the Muslim Brotherhood.This is the threat to Israel.
Hamas has ties to Egypt and resonates with Egyptians, as well as with Saudis. Its members are religious Sunnis. If the creation of an Islamist Palestinian state in Gaza succeeds, the most important blowback might be in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood -- which is currently lying very low -- could be rekindled. Mubarak is growing old, and he hopes to be succeeded by his son. The credibility of the regime is limited, to say the least.
Hamas is unlikely to take over the West Bank -- and, even if it did, it still would make no strategic difference. Increased terrorist attacks against Israel's population would achieve less than the attacks that occurred while Fatah was negotiating. They could happen, but they would lead nowhere. Hamas' long-term strategy -- indeed, the only hope of the Palestinians who not prepared to accept a compromise with Israel -- is for Egypt to change its tune toward Israel, which could very well involve energizing Islamist forces in Egypt and bringing about the fall of the Mubarak regime. That is the key to any solution for Hamas.
Although many are focusing on the rise of Iran's influence in Gaza, putting aside the rhetoric, Iran is a minor player in the Israeli-Palestinian equation. Even Syria, despite hosting Hamas' exiled leadership, carries little weight when it comes to posing a strategic threat to Israel. But Egypt carries enormous weight. If an Islamist rising occurred in Egypt and a regime was installed that could energize the Egyptian public against Israel, then that would reflect a strategic threat to the survival of the Israeli state. It would not be an immediate threat -- it would take a generation to turn Egypt into a military power -- but it would ultimately represent a threat.
Only a disciplined and hostile Egypt could serve as the cornerstone of an anti-Israel coalition. Hamas, by asserting itself in Gaza -- especially if it can resist the Israeli army -- could strike the chord in Egypt that Fatah has been unable to strike for almost 30 years. That is the importance of the creation of a separate Gaza entity; it complicates Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and probably makes them impossible. And this in and of itself works in Israel's favor, since it has no need to even entertain negotiations with the Palestinians as long as the Palestinians continue dividing themselves.
If Hamas were to make significant inroads in the West Bank, it would make things more difficult for Israel, as well as for Jordan. But with or without the West Bank, Hamas has the potential -- not the certainty, just the potential -- to reach west along the Mediterranean coast and influence events in Egypt. And that is the key for Hamas.
There are probably a dozen reasons why Hamas made the move it did, most of them trivial and limited to local problems. But the strategic consequence of an independent, Islamist Gaza is that it can act both as a symbol and as a catalyst for change in Egypt, something that was difficult as long as Hamas was entangled with the West Bank. This probably was not planned, but it is certainly the most important consequence -- intended or not -- of the Gaza affair.
Two things must be monitored: first, whether there is reconciliation between Gaza and the West Bank and, if so, on what sort of terms; second, what the Egyptian Islamists led by the Muslim Brotherhood do now that Hamas, their own creation, has taken control of Gaza, a region once controlled by the Egyptians. Egypt is the place to watch.
Contact Us
Analysis Comments: analysis@stratfor.com
Wrap...
The Geopolitics of the Palestinians
By George Friedman
Last week, an important thing happened in the Middle East. Hamas, a radical Islamist political group, forcibly seized control of Gaza from rival Fatah, an essentially secular Palestinian group. The West Bank, meanwhile, remains more or less under the control of Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian National Authority in that region. Therefore, for the first time, the two distinct Palestinian territories -- the Gaza Strip and the West Bank -- no longer are under a single Palestinian authority.
Hamas has been increasing its influence among the Palestinians for years, and it got a major boost by winning the most recent election. It now has claimed exclusive control over Gaza, its historical stronghold and power base. It is not clear whether Hamas will try to take control of the West Bank as well, or whether it would succeed if it did make such a play. The West Bank is a different region with a very different dynamic. What is certain, for the moment at least, is that these regions are divided under two factions, and therefore have the potential to become two different Palestinian states. In a way, this makes more sense than the previous arrangement.
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are physically separated from one another by Israel. Travel from one part of the Palestinian territories to the other relies on Israel's willingness to permit it -- which is not always forthcoming. As a result, the Palestinian territories are divided into two areas that have limited contact.
The war between the Philistines and the Hebrews is described in the books of Samuel. The Philistines controlled the coastal lowlands of the Levant, the east coast of the Mediterranean. They had advanced technologies, such as the ability to smelt bronze, and they conducted international trade up and down the Levant and within the eastern Mediterranean. The Hebrews, unable to engage the Philistines in direct combat, retreated into the hills to the east of the coast, in Judea, the area now called the West Bank.
The Philistines were part of a geographical entity that ran from Gaza north to Turkey. The Hebrews were part of the interior that connected north to Syria, south into the Arabian deserts and east across the Jordan. The Philistines were unable to pursue the Hebrews in the interior, and the Hebrews -- until David -- were unable to dislodge the Philistines from the coast. Two distinct entities existed.
Today, Gaza is tied to the coastal system, which Israel and Lebanon now occupy. Gaza is the link between the Levantine coast and Egypt. The West Bank is not a coastal entity but a region whose ties are to the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Syria. The point is that Gaza and the West Bank are very distinct geographical entities that see the world in very different ways.
Gaza, its links to the north cut by the Israelis, historically has been oriented toward the Egyptians, who occupied the region until 1967. The Egyptians influenced the region by creating the Palestine Liberation Organization, while Egypt's dissident Muslim Brotherhood helped influence the creation of Hamas in 1987.
The West Bank, part of Jordan until 1967, is larger and more complex in its social organization, and it really represented the center of gravity of Palestinian nationalism under Fatah. Gaza and the West Bank were always separate entities, and the recent action by Hamas has driven home that point.
Hamas' victory in Gaza means much more to the Palestinians and Egyptians than it does to the Israelis -- at least in the shorter term. The fear in Israel now is that Gaza, under Hamas, will become more aggressive in carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel. Hamas certainly has an ideology that argues for this, and it is altogether possible that the group will become more antagonistic. However, it appears to us that Hamas already was capable of carrying out as many attacks as it wished before taking complete control. Moreover, by increasing attacks now, Hamas -- which always has been able to deny responsibility for these incidents -- would lose the element of deniability. Having taken control of Gaza, regardless of whether it carries out attacks, it would have failed to prevent them. Hamas' leadership is more vulnerable now than ever before.
Let's consider the strategic position of the Palestinians. Their primary weapon against Israel remains what it always has been: random attacks against civilian targets designed to destabilize Israel. The problem with this strategy is obvious. Using terrorism against Americans in Iraq is potentially effective as a strategy. If the Americans cannot stand the level of casualties being imposed, they have the option of leaving Iraq. Although leaving might pose serious problems to U.S. regional and global interests, it would not affect the continued existence of the United States. Therefore, the insurgents potentially could find a threshold that would force the United States to fold.
The Israelis cannot leave Israel. Assume for the moment that the Palestinians could impose 1,000 civilian casualties a year. There are about 5 million Jews in Israel. That would be about 0.02 percent casualties. The Israelis are not going to leave Israel at that casualty rate, or at a rate a thousand times greater. Unlike the Americans, for whom Iraq is a subsidiary interest, Israel is Israel's central interest. Israel is not going to capitulate to the Palestinians over terrorism attacks.
The Israelis could be convinced to make political concessions in shaping a Palestinian state. For example, they might concede more land or more autonomy in order to stop the attacks. That might have been attractive to Fatah, but Hamas explicitly rejects the existence of Israel and therefore gives the Israelis no reason to make concessions. That means that while attacks might be psychologically satisfying to Hamas, they would be substantially less effective than the attacks that were carried out while Fatah was driving the negotiations.
Bargaining with Hamas gets Israel nothing.
One of the uses of terrorism is to trigger an Israeli response, which in turn can be used to drive a wedge between Israel and the West. Fatah has been historically skillful at using the cycle of violence to its political advantage.
Hamas, however, is handicapped in two ways: First, its position on Israel is perceived as much less reasonable than Fatah's. Second, Hamas is increasingly being viewed as a jihadist movement, and, as such, its strength threatens European and U.S. interests. Although Israel does not want terrorist attacks, such attacks do not represent a threat to the survival of the state. To be cold-blooded, they are an irritant, not a strategic threat.
The only thing that could threaten the survival of Israel, apart from a nuclear barrage, would be a shift in position of neighboring states. Right now, Israel has peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan, and an adequately working relationship with Syria. With Egypt and Jordan out of the game, Syria does not represent a threat. Israel is strategically secure.The single most important neighbor Israel has is Egypt. When energized, it is the center of gravity of the Arab world.
Under former President Gamal Abdul Nasser, Egypt drove Arab hostility to Israel. Once Anwar Sadat reversed Nasser's strategy on Israel, the Jewish state was basically secure. Other Arab nations could not threaten it unless Egypt was part of the equation. And for nearly 30 years, Egypt has not been part of the equation.
But if Egypt were to reverse its position, Israel would, over time, find itself much less comfortable. Though Saudi Arabia has recently overshadowed Egypt's role in the Arab world, the Egyptians can always opt back into a strong leadership position and use their strength to threaten Israel. This becomes especially important as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's health fails and questions are raised about whether his successors will be able to maintain control of the country while the Muslim Brotherhood spearheads a campaign to demand political reform.
As we have said, Gaza is part of the Mediterranean coastal system. Egypt controlled Gaza until 1967 and retained influence there afterward, but not in the West Bank. Hamas also was influenced by Egypt, but not by Mubarak's government. Hamas was an outgrowth of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which the Mubarak regime has done a fairly good job of containing, primarily through force. But there also is a significant paradox in Hamas' relations with Egypt. The Mubarak regime, particularly through its intelligence chief (and prospective Mubarak successor) Omar Suleiman, has good working relations with Hamas, despite being tough on the Muslim Brotherhood.This is the threat to Israel.
Hamas has ties to Egypt and resonates with Egyptians, as well as with Saudis. Its members are religious Sunnis. If the creation of an Islamist Palestinian state in Gaza succeeds, the most important blowback might be in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood -- which is currently lying very low -- could be rekindled. Mubarak is growing old, and he hopes to be succeeded by his son. The credibility of the regime is limited, to say the least.
Hamas is unlikely to take over the West Bank -- and, even if it did, it still would make no strategic difference. Increased terrorist attacks against Israel's population would achieve less than the attacks that occurred while Fatah was negotiating. They could happen, but they would lead nowhere. Hamas' long-term strategy -- indeed, the only hope of the Palestinians who not prepared to accept a compromise with Israel -- is for Egypt to change its tune toward Israel, which could very well involve energizing Islamist forces in Egypt and bringing about the fall of the Mubarak regime. That is the key to any solution for Hamas.
Although many are focusing on the rise of Iran's influence in Gaza, putting aside the rhetoric, Iran is a minor player in the Israeli-Palestinian equation. Even Syria, despite hosting Hamas' exiled leadership, carries little weight when it comes to posing a strategic threat to Israel. But Egypt carries enormous weight. If an Islamist rising occurred in Egypt and a regime was installed that could energize the Egyptian public against Israel, then that would reflect a strategic threat to the survival of the Israeli state. It would not be an immediate threat -- it would take a generation to turn Egypt into a military power -- but it would ultimately represent a threat.
Only a disciplined and hostile Egypt could serve as the cornerstone of an anti-Israel coalition. Hamas, by asserting itself in Gaza -- especially if it can resist the Israeli army -- could strike the chord in Egypt that Fatah has been unable to strike for almost 30 years. That is the importance of the creation of a separate Gaza entity; it complicates Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and probably makes them impossible. And this in and of itself works in Israel's favor, since it has no need to even entertain negotiations with the Palestinians as long as the Palestinians continue dividing themselves.
If Hamas were to make significant inroads in the West Bank, it would make things more difficult for Israel, as well as for Jordan. But with or without the West Bank, Hamas has the potential -- not the certainty, just the potential -- to reach west along the Mediterranean coast and influence events in Egypt. And that is the key for Hamas.
There are probably a dozen reasons why Hamas made the move it did, most of them trivial and limited to local problems. But the strategic consequence of an independent, Islamist Gaza is that it can act both as a symbol and as a catalyst for change in Egypt, something that was difficult as long as Hamas was entangled with the West Bank. This probably was not planned, but it is certainly the most important consequence -- intended or not -- of the Gaza affair.
Two things must be monitored: first, whether there is reconciliation between Gaza and the West Bank and, if so, on what sort of terms; second, what the Egyptian Islamists led by the Muslim Brotherhood do now that Hamas, their own creation, has taken control of Gaza, a region once controlled by the Egyptians. Egypt is the place to watch.
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Senator Barbara Boxer...Standing tall as always!
Email from Senator Barbara Boxer:
Thank you for writing to me about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and General Peter Pace's discriminatory comments toward homosexuals. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
I strongly disagree with General Pace's comments. Despicable comments like those used by General Pace to characterize gays and lesbians have no place in our society. I strongly believe in equal rights for all Americans, including the right to serve in the armed forces. To date, thousands of homosexual men and women have served in the United States military. Their service should be honored, welcomed, and respected.
A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Martin Meehan that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow people to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation. I support this bill and hope to see this discriminatory policy overturned in the 110 th Congress.
Again, thank you for writing to m e about this important matter.
Please know that I will continue to work for full equality for all Americans both in military and civilian life.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov
Wrap...
Thank you for writing to me about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and General Peter Pace's discriminatory comments toward homosexuals. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
I strongly disagree with General Pace's comments. Despicable comments like those used by General Pace to characterize gays and lesbians have no place in our society. I strongly believe in equal rights for all Americans, including the right to serve in the armed forces. To date, thousands of homosexual men and women have served in the United States military. Their service should be honored, welcomed, and respected.
A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Martin Meehan that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow people to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation. I support this bill and hope to see this discriminatory policy overturned in the 110 th Congress.
Again, thank you for writing to m e about this important matter.
Please know that I will continue to work for full equality for all Americans both in military and civilian life.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov
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