San Francisco Chronicle
State's war on warming
Governor signs measure to cap greenhouse gas emissions -- sweeping changes predicted in industries and life in cities
Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Wednesday setting California on course to reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, a major political victory for the governor and a step that environmental and political leaders predict will have worldwide ramifications.
In a ceremony on San Francisco's Treasure Island with the city's skyline as a backdrop, Schwarzenegger declared the beginning of "a bold new era of environmental protection in California that will change the course of history" as he approved AB32, which calls for the state to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases by 25 percent by 2020.
The new law, the first of its kind in the nation, could lead to a dizzying array of changes in industry and elsewhere that will be seen in cities, on farms and on freeways.
During the next decade, state regulators could require more public transportation, more densely built housing, a major new investment in projects that tap into the wind and sun to generate electricity, millions of new trees and even new ways for farmers to handle animal waste.
Aides to the governor said he also planned to sign legislation later this week that will prohibit the state's electric utilities from buying electricity from high-polluting out-of-state power plants, a key step toward cleaning up the state's power supply.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/28/MNG89LEBTN1.DTL
09/27/06
Mark Fiore is a San Francisco cartoonist and animator whose work also appears in the Washington Post, L.A. Times and other publications
http://www.sfgate.com/comics/fiore/
Police Say Owens Accidentally Overdosed
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
(09-28) 20:57 PDT Irving, Texas (AP) --
Police closed the Terrell Owens case Thursday, calling it nothing more than an "accidental overdose." The 911 call that started it all was released, too, revealing little beyond what was already known: that T.O. swallowed "too many pills."
Even Cowboys coach Bill Parcells conceded that "there must be a reason" his star receiver was released from the hospital 15 hours after arriving groggy and incoherent.
Each piece of evidence that came to light Thursday seemed to square with T.O.'s version of events — that he made a mistake, had a bad reaction and was by no means trying to kill himself.
Owens, meanwhile, was back at practice for the first time since breaking his hand Sept. 17 and might play Sunday in Tennessee. Said fellow receiver Sam Hurd: "I asked him how he felt and he said, `I feel good to go. All good.'"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2006/09/28/sports/s165854D84.DTL
SAN FRANCISCO
Crackdown in Golden Gate Park
Few homeless leave on deadline; city wants to offer help, services
Cecilia M. Vega and Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, September 29, 2006
Jim Robinson knows the highs and lows of living in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park all too well.
During the 13 years he has camped there, Robinson has contracted meningitis and his head has been bashed with a pipe while he slept.
But it's home. The shrubs and bushes offer a quiet place to spend the night, open meadows provide space to relax during the day, and it sure beats what he calls "curb surfing" -- sleeping on sidewalks -- or moving into a homeless shelter where his dog isn't allowed.
"What am I supposed to do? I clean up after myself and others every day," said 50-year-old Robinson, who has lived in the park so long that other homeless people who also live there half-jokingly call him their leader. "I'm not doing anything illegal."
In San Francisco, however, camping in Golden Gate Park amounts to a misdemeanor crime,and last week city officials gave Robinson and the more than 200 other people believed to be living in the park until today to pack up their belongings, or have them confiscated. On Thursday, officials conceded that deadline would not be enforced, but the rule could be soon.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/29/PARK.TMP
Livermore residents warned to watch for pipe bombs
Bay City News
Friday, September 29, 2006
(09-29) 00:07 PDT -- Livermore police said today that they don't know what the intended target was in two incidents in the last five days in which improvised explosive devices were found in public areas.
Capt. Mark Weiss said that in both incidents the devices were found in isolated areas so there weren't any obvious targets.
No one was injured in either case.
Weiss said police don't have any evidence at this time to indicate that the two cases are related but aren't ruling anything out.
Weiss said the first incident occurred at 8:27 a.m. Friday in an industrial area next to an open field not far from the Livermore Municipal Airport.
He said a Livermore public works employee noticed a suspicious object, Livermore police secured the area and the Alameda County bomb squad disabled the device with a water cannon.
Weiss said the device, which appeared to be a pipe bomb, was 12 inches long and 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. It was made of plastic and contained liquid acid and aluminum foil.
The device wouldn't detonate unless it was moved, causing the acid to contact the foil, he said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/baycitynews/archive/2006/09/29/livermore29.DTL
WESTFIELD SAN FRANCISCO CENTRE
Long-awaited grand opening draws huge crowds downtown
Urban mall's gala celebrates arrival of shopping mecca
Victoria Colliver, Marni Leff Kottle and Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
(09-28) 18:48 PDT -- The much-trumpeted Westfield San Francisco Centre opened Thursday with all the subtlety of a brass band.
The official ribbon cutting started as vocal artist Kim Nalley sang the jazz classic "At Last." An aerial dancer harnessed by climbing ropes rappelled 98 feet from a 13-inch hole at the top of the center's historic dome, unfurling a red length of fabric. Cheerleaders chanted "Shop at Bloomies" in front of the complex's Bloomingdale's store.
"This is my first mall opening. If they're all like this, I'm going to come to all mall openings," quipped California first lady Maria Shriver, who joined San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and top executives from the Westfield Group and developer Forest City for the festivities.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/28/BUG78LEJC79.DTL
Saving the condemned: Cass Williams comforts one of 26 rescued horses brought to the St. Clair (Mo.) Saddle Club following a highway accident that killed 16 other horses. Veterinarians and volunteers like Cass treated the surviving horses, whose future remains uncertain. They were being transported to a slaughterhouse when the crash occurred.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/dip?f=/g/archive/2006/09/28/dip.DTL
SALINAS VALLEY
Spinach processor responds to E. coli outbreak
Company proposes new safety measures and medical reimbursements for victims as officials announce state's 2nd case
John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
(09-28) 21:33 PDT -- Natural Selection Foods, the company at the center of an E. coli outbreak traced to tainted spinach that has sickened more than 180 people and killed one, offered Thursday to pay victims' medical costs.
"We know it's the right thing to do for these people affected by this outbreak," said Charles Sweat, the company's chief operating officer.
The company also announced Thursday that it has introduced new safety measures, including regular testing for E. coli on produce arriving at Natural Selection plants. The measures are similar to safety procedures used in the beef industry.
As of Thursday, nine bags of spinach collected from victims in various states have tested positive for E. coli and have been linked to one of Natural Selection's San Benito County processing facilities in San Juan Bautista, said Kevin Reilly, deputy director for prevention services at the California Department of Health Services. All nine bags were marketed under the Dole brand, he said.
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Reilly said there is one new case of E coli sickness in California, bringing the state total to two. He said the case involved a Riverside County resident who became ill but was not hospitalized. The most recent data provided by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday showed 183 people sickened by E. coli in 26 states and Canada, including a death in Wisconsin and 29 cases of kidney failure.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/28/BAG52LEMQJ7.DTL
Pelosi stirs up Democrats for election push
Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Friday, September 29, 2006
(09-29) 04:00 PDT Washington -- Thus saith Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, 40 days before an election in which hungry members of her minority party sense they finally will savor a feast: Remember the biblical significance of the number 40, and don't forget that a tough, relentless campaign lies ahead.
"Forty is a number fraught with meaning in the Bible, whether it is the Jews and the Gaza, Noah and his wife and the ark, or Christ in the desert,'' Pelosi said she reminded the House Democratic caucus.
"I said we must not be tempted to be overconfident, and we must understand that we will have a barrage of negative ads poured upon us, and the Republicans will not be constrained by money, by truth or by sense of decency.
"But we will not be constrained in our optimism for the future, our enthusiasm for moving forward in a new direction and our determination to win,'' added Pelosi, who unlike many of her colleagues refuses to publicly predict what will happen in the upcoming elections. The San Francisco congresswoman probably would become the first female House speaker if Democrats picked up a net 15 seats on Nov. 7.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/29/CONGRESS.TMP
Slain bicyclist called a mother to people in the neighborhood
Jason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Gail Breda would often ride around her West Oakland neighborhood on one of the three bicycles she owned. She had kids bring their bikes to her to get a chain or wheel spokes fixed.
Police found the 52-year-old woman's body sprawled over her bike when they responded to a shooting early Tuesday in a neighborhood reeling from violent crime.
Breda and Shirley Hill, 53, were both fatally wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of people standing near Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 31st Street. Police said they had made no arrests Wednesday and did not have a motive.
"These were nice ladies," said Paulette Santos, 60, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1967 and knew both women. "They were just standing there talking. I just don't understand."
Sidewalk memorials of candles, flowers and stuffed animals were erected Wednesday on the spot where the shooting took place and outside of Breda's 31st Street apartment.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/28/BAG3CLE72T1.DTL
Details of Deadly School Attack Emerge
By CATHERINE TSAI, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
(09-28) 19:32 PDT Bailey, Colo. (AP) --
The gunman who killed a student and committed suicide during a high school standoff methodically selected six girls as hostages — apparently favoring blondes — and sexually assaulted at least some of them, authorities and witnesses said Thursday.
Sheriff Fred Wegener said the assaults went beyond touching or fondling.
"It was pretty horrific," Wegener said, without elaborating.
The killer was identified as 53-year-old Duane Morrison, a petty criminal who had a Denver address but had apparently been living in his battered yellow Jeep when he walked inside the school Wednesday with two handguns and a backpack that he claimed contained a bomb. Investigators did not immediately say what was in the backpack.
Authorities said they knew of no connection between Morrison, his hostages or anyone else at Platte Canyon High School in this mountain town of about 3,500.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/09/28/national/a145331D08.DTL
Southwest sued over alleged sex harassment
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
(09-28) 12:07 PDT OAKLAND -- A federal civil rights agency has sued Southwest Airlines for allegedly allowing a male employee to sexually harass female co-workers at Oakland International Airport, an agency official said today.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the male employee made sexually suggestive comments to co-worker Adriana Martin and other female employees beginning in November 2002.
The man, who was not named, also flaunted nude pictures of women in front of Martin and supervisors, "loudly simulated sex acts" and made "vulgar references to his sexual exploits," according to the suit.
The harassment made the women cry every day, and everyone at Southwest Airlines' Oakland center knew of the man's reputation as a "serial harasser," the suit said.
The man received two written warnings from supervisors about his behavior after the women complained, the suit said. After that he accosted Martin in the parking lot and threatened to run her over, an incident that led to a two-day suspension, according to the federal agency.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/28/BAGEOLEII218.DTL
Governor signs 'lemon' teacher legislation -- 503 more bills to go
Lynda Gledhill and Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Friday, September 29, 2006
(09-29) 04:00 PDT Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Thursday to end the so-called "dance of the lemons" in which unsuccessful teachers move from one low-performing school to another and principals are powerless to stop it.
Separately, the governor rejected for the second year in a row legislation seeking to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.
Those bills were two of more than 100 pieces of legislation that Schwarzenegger acted on Thursday. The governor still has 503 bills that he needs to sign or veto before the Saturday midnight deadline.
SB1655 authored by Sen. Jack Scott, D-Altadena, will give school principals the flexibility to reject a voluntary transfer of a teacher and change hiring deadlines so that promising new teachers can be hired earlier.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/29/BILLS.TMP
BBC News
Russian officers on spying charge
Four Russian officers detained in Georgia have been charged with spying, officials in Tbilisi have said.
The men were expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing shortly, a Georgian interior ministry spokesman said.
Russia is recalling its ambassador to Tbilisi after Wednesday's arrests and is beginning a partial evacuation of its personnel from Georgia.
Georgia's president described Moscow's reaction to the arrests as "hysteria".
In a separate development, Russia's ambassador to the UN has called on the Security Council to censure Tbilisi for "dangerous and unacceptable" actions in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5391250.stm
Georgia urges Russian withdrawal
The Georgian parliament has called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the separatist regions of Abhazia and South Ossetia.
The resolution seeks an international force to replace the Russians.
But is not expected to lead to any immediate practical steps, and the leaders of both breakaway regions want the Russian troops to stay.
The MPs' vote is likely to anger Moscow. Georgia has previously accused Russia of siding with the separatists.
Abhazia and South Ossetia have run their own affairs with Russian support since the wars of the 1990s and have resisted the effort of the central government in Tbilisi to rein them in.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5190856.stm
Georgia charges 13 with coup plot
Thirteen opposition activists in Georgia have been charged with conspiring to overthrow the government.
They are among 29 people arrested across Georgia on Wednesday.
Among them are prominent members of two small pro-Russian opposition parties - the Justice Party and the Conservative Monarchists.
They deny the charges of planning to bring the former head of Georgian state security, Igor Giorgadze, back from Russia to take power.
Mr Giorgadze fled Georgia after being accused of trying to assassinate then President Eduard Shevardnadze in 1995 - a charge he denies.
Lawyers for those arrested deny the coup accusations, saying the arrests amount to political persecution.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5324706.stm
Saddam judge relative 'shot dead'
The brother-in-law of Mohammad Oreibi al-Khalifa, the new chief judge in the genocide trial of Saddam Hussein, has been shot dead, police sources say.
Gunmen opened fire on Kadhem Abdul Hussein's car as he was driving in West Baghdad on Thursday evening, they say.
Reports said his son was with him at the time and may also have died.
All involved in the trials of the former Iraqi leader are regarded to be at high risk. Three defence lawyers have been murdered since last October.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5391674.stm
Attack on Baghdad mosque kills 10
At least 10 people have been killed in the Iraqi capital at a shoot-out near a Sunni mosque, police say.
The incident happened at the al-Mashahada mosque in the Hurriya district, when gunmen opened fire on worshippers attending evening prayers.
Eleven people were wounded in the attack, police said.
The incident came as a US military spokesman in Baghdad, Maj Gen William Caldwell, said that suicide attacks were at the highest level ever.
Gen Caldwell said there had been a spike in violence coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on Monday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5387154.stm
Iraq war fuels terror - US report
The Iraq conflict has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic militants worldwide, declassified parts of a US intelligence report say.
The war has helped recruit "supporters for the global jihadist movement," the National Intelligence Estimate says.
President George W Bush had promised to release parts of the report following earlier leaks to the US media.
He said he disagreed with those who guessed at what was in the report and concluded invading Iraq was an error.
But Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf also weighed in to the dispute, saying in an interview for CNN that he stood by remarks in his new book that he opposed the invasion because he feared it would encourage terrorism.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5382762.stm
Leak highlights a complex relationship
By Mark Urban
Diplomatic editor, BBC Newsnight
How much more difficult could a relationship be?
British troops are being killed in Afghanistan and the Pakistani army could make a difference.
The head of the Pakistani military is also the president, by virtue of a coup. Both Britain and the United States, however, wish to foster democracy rather than having a general in charge.
Add to this conundrum the fact that Pakistan has nuclear weapons, Islamic militancy is surging and anything resembling a collapse of order could trigger regional meltdown, and the picture is complete.
Musharraf's 'fix'
In June, a small delegation from Britain's Defence Academy travelled around Pakistan, meeting academics, military officers and politicians. Their discussions about how the country might emerge from its current time of troubles naturally touched on many sensitive areas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5390742.stm
Generals urge Musharraf rethink
By Barbara Plett
BBC News, Islamabad
Pakistan's beleaguered president General Pervez Musharraf has suffered another blow, this time on the domestic front.
He was already being criticised for his foreign policy - by the Americans for not doing enough to stop Taleban infiltration into Afghanistan across Pakistan's border, and by India for harbouring Islamist militants allegedly involved in the recent Mumbai bombings.
Now a group of retired generals, sitting and former politicians and academics has urged him to end the military's role in politics by separating the two offices of state he holds.
"The office of president of Pakistan is also a political office, and combining the presidency with the office of army chief of staff politicises the latter post as well as the army," said a letter leaked to several local newspapers this week.
'Conciliation'
It was addressed to the president, the prime minister and heads of political parties.
It called for a neutral caretaker government to ensure free and fair parliamentary elections due next year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5218668.stm
Analysis: Pakistan's deal with 'Taleban'
By Barbara Plett
BBC News, Islamabad
The visit to Afghanistan by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf comes on the heels of a deal that could have ramifications for Afghan complaints about cross-border militancy.
On Tuesday the Pakistani government signed a peace agreement with pro-Taleban militants in North Waziristan, a semi-autonomous tribal area next to the Afghan border.
Over the past year the army has been targeting Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives who use the lawless region as a base to launch attacks in Afghanistan.
But their supporters among the local tribes were drawn into the fight, leading to fierce battles that killed hundreds.
The accord is meant to end the violence, and it is viewed here as an implicit admission that the government's military strategy has failed.
Deal brokered
According to the terms of the deal, the tribesmen promised to stop attacking the army and to stop crossing the border to fight in Afghanistan.
The government agreed to halt major ground and air operations, free prisoners, retreat to barracks, compensate for losses and allow tribesmen to carry small arms.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5320692.stm
Nato struggles in Afghanistan
By Jonathan Marcus
BBC diplomatic correspondent
For now there is not going to be a Polish solution to Nato's problems in Afghanistan.
Nato spokesmen are making it clear that Poland's decision to send 1,000 troops to the country early next year - a few months earlier than planned - has nothing to do with the alliance's current military problems in the south of the country.
Nato is still struggling to find up to 2,500 extra troops for southern Afghanistan and it needs them urgently.
If they cannot be found then the success of Nato's mission could be called into question and this in turn could have a considerable impact upon future perceptions of the alliance itself.
Nato leaders accept that Afghanistan represents a fundamental test for the alliance.
The crucial problem for any international institution is relevance. Is it still useful to its members? Can it re-invent itself for a world that is very different from that in which it was founded?
Into the unknown
So far Nato has not done too badly. In the wake of the ending of the Cold War, Nato lost an enemy but it soon found a new role in exporting stability.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5345452.stm
Rebel killing raises stakes in Pakistan
Guest journalist Ahmed Rashid assesses what the killing of a rebel tribal leader in Balochistan province means for the Baloch rebel movement and for the Pakistani government.
In his death and the manner in which it was carried out, Sardar Akbar Bugti is likely to become a martyred hero for Baloch nationalism and nationalists elsewhere in Pakistan - rather than the anti-government renegade and reactionary tribesman Islamabad would like to portray him as.
Bugti, the Sardar or chief of more than 200,000 Bugti tribesmen, was killed along with more than 35 of his followers when the Pakistan Air Force bombed his hideout in the Bambore mountain range in the Marri tribal area.
Pakistani officials say that at least 16 soldiers including four officers were killed after they went in to mop up the remnants of the Baloch guerrilla group. A fierce battle ensued which led to their deaths.
Bugti, a 79-year-old invalid who could not walk due to arthritis, is reported to be buried in the rubble of the cave where he was hiding.
For months, Pakistani politicians including members of the ruling party had been insisting that the military regime agree to hold talks with the Baloch leaders in order to stop what was becoming an ever-widening civil war in the province.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5290966.stm
Japan PM seeks better Asian ties
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made clear his determination to repair relations with his Asian neighbours.
In his first policy speech since taking office, he said he wanted to strengthen ties with China and South Korea.
Mr Abe told the lower house of parliament that he wanted to emphasise patriotism and hard work at home, with a more assertive presence abroad.
But he ruled out diplomatic relations with North Korea until the issue of Japanese abductions had been resolved.
Japan's relations with China and South Korea have deteriorated sharply since Mr Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, took office in 2001.
Both countries were infuriated by his visits to the controversial Yasukuni shrine, which honours war criminals alongside Japan's war dead.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5390960.stm
Japan's new prime minister has sketched out a robust foreign policy in his first major speech to parliament.
Shinzo Abe said he wants to repair relations with China and South Korea. Chris Hogg reports from Tokyo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ifs_news/hi/newsid_5390000/newsid_5391400/nb_wm_5391414.stm
UN 'must drop' Darfur peace force
Top UN officials say the world body must abandon efforts to pressure Sudan to accept UN peacekeepers in Darfur.
UN Sudan envoy Jan Pronk says the existing African Union force should instead be strengthened.
Sudan has always argued that the AU should remain in charge of peacekeeping in Darfur, rather than the UN.
Outgoing deputy secretary general Mark Malloch Brown has meanwhile said the US and UK's use of "megaphone diplomacy" is almost "counterproductive" in Sudan.
The cash-strapped and poorly equipped AU force currently stationed in Darfur was meant to leave at the end of the month but its mission was recently prolonged until the year's end.
The 7,000 AU troops have not been able to stop the conflict, which has worsened in recent months.
The UN Security Council has approved sending a larger, better equipped UN peacekeeping force to protect civilians and guarantee the security of aid workers.
But this was dependent on Sudan's approval, and Khartoum rejected the resolution.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5390974.stm
Traditional drink unites Ugandans
By Barney Afako
A bitter drink known as mato oput by the Acholi people of northern Ugandan may have the ingredients for peace between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
Mato oput is the ritual climax of an Acholi justice process for bringing reconciliation in the wake of a homicide within the community.
This ceremony was placed on the agenda of peace talks held in the southern Sudanese capital, Juba, reflecting the earnest search for alternatives to address the grave crimes which have characterised two decades of war in northern Uganda.
Apart from the killings, abductions, rapes and sexual enslavement of children, the war has inflicted a humanitarian disaster on the region, with more than a million huddled into the squalor and degradation of camps.
Having seen the LRA escape to neighbouring DR Congo and UN troops abort a mission to arrest suspects - including LRA leader Joseph Kony - Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni has said the LRA should instead acknowledge their crimes to victims and subject themselves to traditional justice within Uganda.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5382816.stm
Pakistan rapped over detentions
Pakistan has been accused of detaining hundreds of alleged terror suspects without legal process by human rights organisation Amnesty International.
The group says some were tortured or otherwise ill-treated, others were sold to the US military, and others have vanished without trace.
Some of the missing, says Amnesty, were known al-Qaeda suspects, but others included women and children.
The report comes while the Pakistani leader is visiting the UK.
President Pervez Musharraf had earlier denounced a British Ministry of Defence (MoD) research paper that accused Pakistani security forces of indirectly helping al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taleban.
After two hours of talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, a UK government spokesman said Gen Musharraf had accepted assurances that the document did not represent government policy.
The accusations in Amnesty's report are based in part on testimony from former detainees at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who have since been released without charge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5390824.stm
Kurdish rebel boss in truce plea
Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to implement a ceasefire, a Kurdish news agency says.
Ocalan also urged the PKK to seek a peaceful solution to their conflict with Turkey, Firat news agency says.
Ocalan's statement was released from prison through his lawyers.
The PKK separatists implemented a five-year unilateral ceasefire after Ocalan was arrested in 1999, but resumed armed activities in 2004.
"The PKK should not use weapons unless it is attacked with the aim of annihilation," Ocalan's statement said.
It said it was "very important to build a democratic union between Turks and Kurds. With this process, the way to democratic dialogue will be also opened".
Ocalan is serving a life sentence on the prison island of Imrali after being convicted for treason in 1999.
After his conviction, the PKK dropped its demands for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5389746.stm
Union fears over Airbus job cuts
Major job cuts at Airbus could be up for debate when its parent company EADS holds a board meeting later on Friday, unions at the planemaker have claimed.
With Airbus continuing to be hit by delay problems to its A380 super-jumbo, the CGT union fears the pan-European firm will deepen cost-cutting measures.
Analysts say Airbus, which makes its wings in north Wales, is likely to reduce short term contracts.
UK firm BAE Systems recently agreed to sell its 20% stake in Airbus to EADS.
The 2.75bn euro (£1.87bn; $3.53bn) sale will give Franco-German EADS complete ownership of Airbus.
BAE Systems said it was pulling out of Airbus as it saw the problems at the planemaker getting worse before they get better.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5391310.stm
US imposes sanctions on Thailand
The United States has imposed sanctions against Thailand in response to the military coup which ousted civilian Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The move involves cutting off $24m (£12.8m) in military assistance, according to the US state department.
The US has urged the ruling generals to call elections as soon as possible.
Last week's coup has been widely welcomed in Thailand, but it has been condemned by most Western governments as a step backwards.
State department spokesman Sean McCormack said the aid cut involved military education and training, peacekeeping operations and counter-terrorism.
Funding for humanitarian purposes would however continue, he said.
"The United States continues to urge a rapid return to democratic rule and early elections in Thailand," said Mr McCormack, adding that funds would be reinstated once an elected government was in office.
Thailand's military rulers said on Thursday they had selected a new prime minister who would serve until the promised elections in October 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5390284.stm
Nations vie for giant telescope
By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News
The final design of the SKA has yet to be settled
Australia or South Africa will get to host one of the great scientific projects of the 21st Century.
The countries have been shortlisted to be the home of the 1bn-euro-plus Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a giant next-generation radio telescope.
The SKA's huge fields of antennas will sweep the sky for answers to the major outstanding questions in astronomy.
They will probe the early Universe, test Einstein's theory of gravity and even search for alien intelligent life.
The steering committee tasked with pushing the project forward has now settled on the two prime locations where the exacting technical demands of the telescope could be met.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5388690.stm
Age law 'threat to minimum wage'
By Julian Knight
Personal finance reporter, BBC News
Young people get a lower minimum wage than the over-21s
Laws being introduced on Sunday, which ban age discrimination at work, could endanger the minimum wage system, a business group has warned.
Workers aged over 21 currently receive more than their younger colleagues.
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) said this may be considered discriminatory and be open to legal challenge under the new legislation.
But the government said the different rates were allowed by the law to protect younger workers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5389842.stm
Madonna breaks earnings record
Madonna performed at Wembley during her Confessions tour
Pop star Madonna has been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the highest paid female singer.
The star, famous for constantly re-inventing her image, knocked singer Britney Spears from the top spot she had held since 2001.
It is thought Madonna made an estimated $50m (£26.7m) in 2004.
Billboard magazine recently reported the singer broke another record for having the highest earning tour for a female performer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5391154.stm
Snap decisions
The winning entry in this year's BBC News website photo competition is a startling image of the aurora borealis that any keen photographer would be thrilled to have taken. But how did winner Max Pickering and some of the other finalists get their pictures?
If there's one lesson to be learned from Max Pickering's winning picture, it is that persistence pays off. The picture was taken by Max earlier this year, while on holiday in Lapland - his seventh visit to within the Arctic Circle.
"I go primarily for the photography," says Max, of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. "It's pretty much become an annual holiday because of the aurora, which is at its best around the spring and autumn equinox."
The winning picture was taken on the last night of his week-long visit and owes much to his careful planning.
"In the evening at about 9pm I'd go out to a location and set up the cameras and plant myself there for several hours, just trying to stay warm."
Temperatures at the time were averaging -25C, he says.
With light levels so low, long exposures of 20-30 seconds were required for each shot. But so as not to miss a shot if one camera was in the middle of an exposure, Max took three cameras - all digital SLRs (single lens reflexes) - which snapped in rotation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5390326.stm
China acts on funeral strippers
Chinese villages are being told to end the practice
Five people have been detained in China for running striptease send-offs at funerals, state media say.
The once-common events are held to boost the number of mourners, as large crowds are seen as a mark of honour.
But the arrests, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, could signal the end of the rural tradition.
Local officials have since ordered a halt to "obscene performances" and say funeral plans have to be submitted in advance, Xinhua news agency said.
The arrests, in Donghai county, followed striptease acts at a farmer's funeral, the agency said.
Two hundred people were said to have attended the event, which was held on 16 August.
The Beijing News said the event was later revealed by a Chinese TV station. The leaders of five striptease troupes were held, it said, including two involved in the farmer's funeral.
"Striptease used to be a common practice at funerals in Donghai's rural areas to allure viewers," Xinhua agency said.
"Local villagers believe that the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honoured."
As well as ordering an end to the practice, officials have also said residents can report "funeral misdeeds" on a hotline, earning a reward for information.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5280312.stm
Dutch arrest 12 in flight alert
Despite the alert no extra security measures are in place at Schiphol
Dutch police have arrested 12 passengers after a US flight en route to India had to return to Amsterdam because of a security alert.
The pilot turned back over German airspace after the crew said a number of passengers on the flight to Mumbai (Bombay) were behaving suspiciously.
Two Dutch air force jets escorted the the Northwest Airlines plane back to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
Police are questioning other passengers and crew members.
No further details of the arrests have been given.
Police began questioning several of the 149 passengers on board once the flight had landed.
The airline said flight 42 had turned back after "a couple of passengers displayed behaviour of concern".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5278092.stm?ls
Austrian girl 'found' after years
The young woman says she was held captive for eight years
A girl who disappeared in Austria eight years ago in a case which gripped the nation may have been found, according to officials.
In 1998 Natasha Kampusch, then aged 10, vanished on her way to school, sparking a hunt which extended into Hungary.
Now a young woman who claims she is Ms Kampusch has been found and is undergoing DNA testing to establish her identity, police say.
She apparently said a man had held her captive in a house near Vienna.
Reports from Austria suggest police are confident she is Ms Kampusch, and hundreds of officers have been searching for her alleged 44-year-old abductor.
Natasha Kampusch vanished as she walked to school
Herwig Haidinger, head of the Federal Crime Office (BKA), told Austrian television he hoped to have the results of the DNA analysis on Thursday.
But he said the girl had already been identified by relatives.
Ms Kampusch's disappearance in 1998 shocked Austria and triggered a search that included the dragging of riverbeds.
"She is white-pale, looking as if she had been out of the light of day for a long time, but she articulated well and could read and write," the Austria Press Agency quoted a police investigator as saying.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5280472.stm
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
From Victim To Accused Army Deserter
Harassment Allegations Have Galvanized Activists
By Donna St. George / Washington Post
EUGENE, Ore. -- Suzanne Swift remembers standing in her mother's living room, hours away from her second deployment to Iraq. Her military gear had already been shipped -- along with her Game Boy, her DVDs and books, her favorite pink pillow, her stash of sunflower seeds. She had the car keys in her hand, ready to drive to the base. Suddenly, she turned to her mother.
"I can't do this," she remembers saying. "I can't go."
The Army specialist, now 22, recalls her churning stomach. Her mother's surprise. All at once, she said, she could not bear the idea of another year like her first. She was sexually harassed by one superior, she said, and coerced into a sexual affair with another.
"I didn't want it to happen to me again," she said in an interview.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7897
Peaceful Iraq war protests prompt 71 arrests
By Lisa Goddard / CNN
WASHINGTON -- Two Presbyterian ministers were among 71 people arrested during a series of peaceful protests against the Iraq war Tuesday, said a spokeswoman for a group participating in the protests.
Demonstrators held sit-ins, prayer services and sing-alongs at four locations in the Capitol complex, including the central atrium of the Senate Hart Office Building.
The demonstrations were reminiscent of the Vietnam era, with protesters strumming guitars, singing peace songs, holding flowers and wearing hats made of balloons.
Senate staffers watched the demonstrators from their offices. Protesters said that several workers gave them a thumbs-up or other signs of approval.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7962
This is simply disgraceful.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/_images/splash/wake_up_congress.mov
Schwarzenegger challenger vows fight to bring the Guard back home
Calif. candidate wants state troops home
By Juliet Williams / Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - California's Democratic gubernatorial candidate said Tuesday he'd fight to withdraw California National Guard troops from Iraq if elected, a proposal that has drawn mixed reviews in a state with a deep military tradition.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign already has attacked the idea, noting that while the governor has responsibility for Guard troops deployed within the state, those deployed overseas are under federal control.
Phil Angelides, the state treasurer, in a speech Tuesday pledged to petition the Bush administration to begin withdrawing the state's troops from Iraq immediately, lobby Congress and, if necessary, sue to bring the troops home. He then would mobilize governors "to force a change in national policy."
"When a shameful and phony war compromises the governor's basic ability to meet the needs of our people, when it puts us at greater risk of injury and fatality when a disaster strikes our state, then you'd better believe that it's an issue in the race for governor of the state of California," he told about 200 cheering students.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=210
"The people driving by are waving, thumbs up, giving peace signs."
Four peace activists are arrested
By Steve Liewer / Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO, CA -- A piece of anti-war political theater resulted in the arrest for four colorfully dressed peace activists after their protest blocked traffic in front of Horton Plaza downtown for a half-hour yesterday afternoon.
Cindy Piester, Hal Brody, Gary Stewart and Omar Clay – all members of the San Diego Civil Disobedients – were detained briefly at police headquarters, San Diego police Capt. Chris Ball said.
The four were cited for resisting and delaying police officers and obstructing traffic, Ball said. Brody and Stewart were arrested during a similar demonstration a year ago.
About 300 people attended the side-by-side protests sponsored by the Civil Disobedients and another peace group, the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice. They are part of a national weeklong “declaration of peace” campaign.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7959
The Declaration of Peace
http://www.declarationofpeace.org/
Army Recruiter Admits to Forging Parental Signature
Amanda Butterfield Reporting / 5KSL-TV
From the early days of World War I, through World War II, and into the present time, "Uncle Sam" has always wanted you to join the military. But Uncle Sam never wanted his recruiters to lie or forge signatures. Well, that's what the Army now admits happened to a young Utah recruit.
Eyewitness News broke this story a few weeks ago, and at the time, a lot of people doubted the young man's story.
When you're only 17, you need your parent's signature to get into the army, but for an Ogden teenager, a recruiter forged his Dad's signature.
Dean Price couldn't be more proud of his son, a private first class in the Army.
Dean Price: "Awesome, he's awesome. He's above and beyond."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7964
Top aide to N.H. congressman resigns
By Anne Saunders / Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. - A top aide to U.S. Rep. Charles Bass resigned Tuesday after disclosures that he posed as a supporter of the Republican's opponent in blog messages intended to convince people that the race was not competitive.
Operators of two liberal blogs traced the postings to the House of Representatives' computer server. Bass' office traced the messages to his policy director, Tad Furtado, and issued a statement announcing Furtado's resignation Tuesday.
"Tad Furtado posted to political Web sites from my office without my knowledge or authorization and in violation of my office policy," said Bass, who apologized to the bloggers and said he referred the matter to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
Posting as IndyNH and IndieNH, Furtado professed support for Democrat Paul Hodes but scoffed at a poll showing him tied with Bass and suggested Democrats should invest their time and money elsewhere.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=208
Peaceful Iraq war protests prompt 71 arrests
By Lisa Goddard / CNN
WASHINGTON -- Two Presbyterian ministers were among 71 people arrested during a series of peaceful protests against the Iraq war Tuesday, said a spokeswoman for a group participating in the protests.
Demonstrators held sit-ins, prayer services and sing-alongs at four locations in the Capitol complex, including the central atrium of the Senate Hart Office Building.
The demonstrations were reminiscent of the Vietnam era, with protesters strumming guitars, singing peace songs, holding flowers and wearing hats made of balloons.
Senate staffers watched the demonstrators from their offices. Protesters said that several workers gave them a thumbs-up or other signs of approval.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7962
All fatalities with active DOD links have been confirmed by The Department of Defense.
http://icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx
Torture Victim Had No Terror Link, Canada Told U.S.
By Scott Shane / New York Times
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 — When the United States sent Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured for months, the deportation order stated unequivocally that Mr. Arar, a Canadian software engineer, was a member of Al Qaeda. But a few days earlier, Canadian investigators had told the F.B.I. that they had not been able to link him to the terrorist group.
That is one of the disclosures in the 1,200-page report released last week after a two-year Canadian investigation of Mr. Arar’s case found him to be innocent of any terrorist ties. The report urges the Canadian government to formally protest the American treatment of Mr. Arar, a recommendation Canadian officials are considering.
Mr. Arar, 37, who now lives in British Columbia, has a lawsuit against United States officials and agencies that is on appeal, and he has demanded an explanation for his treatment from the Bush administration.
A close reading of the Arar Commission report offers a rare window on American actions in the case, describing seemingly flimsy evidence behind the American decision in 2002 to send Mr. Arar to a country notorious for torture; a deliberate attempt by American officials to deceive Canada about where Mr. Arar was; and lingering confusion among top American officials about the two countries’ roles in the case.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7958>
CIA paid Pakistan for catching al Qaeda: Musharraf
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The CIA has paid Pakistan millions of dollars for catching al Qaeda fighters during the five years since the September 11 attacks on the United States, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf wrote in a memoir published on Monday.
"We've captured 689 and handed over 369 to the United States. We've earned bounties totaling millions of dollars," wrote Musharraf, who elsewhere in his book titled "In the Line of Fire" described how the U.S. administration persuaded him with threats to join a global 'war on terrorism'.
"Those who habitually accuse us of "not doing enough" in the war on terror should simply ask the CIA how much prize money it has paid to the government of Pakistan," Musharraf added, while ruing a failure to catch Osama bin Laden, who carries a $25 million reward.
Hundreds of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters fled to Pakistan to escape U.S.-backed forces that overran Afghanistan in late 2001. Pakistan had hitherto supported the Taliban militia's rule in Afghanistan, partly out of fear that India, Iran and Russia were supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7956
Iraq is 'cause celebre' for extremists
By Katherine Shrader / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The war in Iraq has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic extremists, breeding deep resentment of the U.S. that probably will get worse before it gets better, federal intelligence analysts conclude in a report at odds with President Bush's contention of a world growing safer.
In the bleak report, declassified and released Tuesday on Bush's orders, the nation's most veteran analysts conclude that despite serious damage to the leadership of al-Qaida, the threat from Islamic extremists has spread both in numbers and in geographic reach.
Bush and his top advisers have said the formerly classified assessment of global terrorism supported their arguments that the world is safer because of the war. But more than three pages of stark judgments warning about the spread of terrorism contrasted with the administration's glass-half-full declarations.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7960
Declassified NIE Shows Cheney and Bush Misled Americans
The National Intelligence Estimate — “the most authoritative document[] that the intelligence community produces” — was delivered to President Bush and Vice President Cheney in April 2006. It was declassified today. Here’s a key excerpt:
The Iraq conflict has become the ’cause celebre’ for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/bush-cheney-nie/
Students, parents unite to stop calls from military recruiters
By Sarah Horner / Deluth News Tribune
When East High School senior Jamie Payne hit her junior year, she started getting mail from colleges and other post-secondary institutions urging her to consider them after graduation. One agency even started calling her at home: the military.
"They were absolutely friendly," Payne said about the recruiters. "But that didn't make it any less annoying."
It was especially irritating when the calls started coming every other month, some from military branches Payne had already told she wasn't interested in joining.
"It's kind of an invasion of privacy," Payne said. "I think we should have the choice if we want to have our contact information released."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7961
Military Free Zone
Students, parents unite to stop calls from military recruiters
By Sarah Horner / Deluth News Tribune
When East High School senior Jamie Payne hit her junior year, she started getting mail from colleges and other post-secondary institutions urging her to consider them after graduation. One agency even started calling her at home: the military.
"They were absolutely friendly," Payne said about the recruiters. "But that didn't make it any less annoying."
It was especially irritating when the calls started coming every other month, some from military branches Payne had already told she wasn't interested in joining.
"It's kind of an invasion of privacy," Payne said. "I think we should have the choice if we want to have our contact information released."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7961
American Blackout
http://www.americanblackout.com/
The Brave New Theater
http://blackout.bravenewtheaters.com/screenings/us
Democracy Now
http://tour.democracynow.org/
Rumsfeld says can't measure if terrorism growing
By Kristin Roberts / Reuters
PORTOROZ, Slovenia - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday there was no way to measure if more Islamic extremists were being created than killed in American-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Asked about a U.S. intelligence report that concluded the Iraq war had spread Islamic radicalism, Rumsfeld said intelligence could be faulty and sometimes "flat wrong."
Rumsfeld, who was speaking to reporters after a NATO meeting in Slovenia, would not comment on the details of the report, a portion of which was declassified by President George W. Bush.
Bush faced criticism from political foes after parts of the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate leaked out, revealing intelligence experts' conclusion that Islamic extremists were "increasing in both number and geographic dispersion" due to the Iraq war.
The White House said the disclosures offered an incomplete assessment, and Rumsfeld deferred to Bush's statements.
Rumsfeld said there still was no clear way to determine if more extremists were being funded and trained than killed in current U.S. operations in Iraq and the war on terror.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7984
'Lift Your Head' ...by Cindy Sheehan
I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life. Gandhi
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, having its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Declaration of Independence
"71 peaceful protestors arrested at Capitol."
"Four peace activists arrested at Sen. Charles Grassley's office in Iowa."
"Students, parents united to stop calls from military recruiters."
"AWOL soldier to surrender at Army base."
"25 arrested in front of U.N."
"One dozen arrested at Sen. Santorum's office."
All of the above are recent headlines which show that North Americans, citizens of the USA, are getting fed up with bowing their heads to the criminals du jour who inhabit our White House.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=737
Poll: Iraqis back attacks on U.S. troops
By Barry Schweid / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - About six in 10 Iraqis say they approve of attacks on U.S.-led forces, and slightly more than that want their government to ask U.S. troops to leave within a year, according to a poll in that country.
The Iraqis also have negative views of Osama bin Laden, according to the early September poll of 1,150.
The poll, done for University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes, found:
_Almost four in five Iraqis say the U.S. military force in Iraq provokes more violence than it prevents.
_About 61 percent approved of the attacks — up from 47 percent in January. A solid majority of Shiite and Sunni Arabs approved of the attacks, according to the poll. The increase came mostly among Shiite Iraqis.
_An overwhelmingly negative opinion of terror chief bin Laden and more than half, 57 percent, disapproving of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
_Three-fourths say they think the United States plans to keep military bases in Iraq permanently.
_A majority of Iraqis, 72 percent, say they think Iraq will be one state five years from now. Shiite Iraqis were most likely to feel that way, though a majority of Sunnis and Kurds also believed that would be the case.
The PIPA poll, which included an oversample of 150 Sunni Iraqis, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=7975
Council OKs impeachment referendum
Times Argus
MONTPELIER, VT — Voters in the city will have a chance in November to voice their opinions on the legality of actions taken by President Bush and Vice President Cheney after the City Council agreed Wednesday to place a referendum on the ballot.
The referendum asks city residents to authorize the city to urge the state's representative in Congress to call for investigations into Bush and Cheney and move for impeachment if any criminal wrongdoing is found.
Resident Craig Hill has been pushing the issue and said Wednesday that he has collected the 310 signatures necessary to place the question on the ballot.
City councilors approved the wording and the placement pending Hill's submission of the completed signature sheets by the close of business today.
The referendum is the latest in a nationwide movement by cities, states and counties to call for impeachment. In March, five southern Vermont towns passed similar resolutions, calling on Rep. Bernie Sanders to push for impeachment.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/the06fix/index.php?id=216
Arlington West Memorial
http://www.addictedtowar.com/arwest.html
Too Many Crosses to Bear: Veterans for Peace needs volunteers to cover the 8-10 AM and 4:30-5:30 PM shifts at Arlington West. E-mail Rod. Thanks.
oldrodbrown@aol.com oldrodbrown@aol.com
YOUR GOVERNMENT, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights.
YOUR GOVERNMENT is openly torturing people, and justifying it.
YOUR GOVERNMENT puts people in jail on the merest suspicion, refusing them lawyers, and either holding them indefinitely or deporting them in the dead of night.
YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule.
YOUR GOVERNMENT suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price.
YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to birth control and abortion.
YOUR GOVERNMENT enforces a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance.
People look at all this and think of Hitler - and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come.
http://www.worldcantwait.org/
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