Swiss paper claims proof of secret US torture camps
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
12 January 2006
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Swiss paper claims proof of secret US torture camps --AM (Australia) transcript 12 Jan 2006 "TONY EASTLEY: A newspaper in Switzerland has published what it believes is the first concrete proof that the US is operating secret interrogation camps for terrorist suspects in Eastern Europe. The SonntagsBlick newspaper obtained a fax sent by the Egyptian Government to its embassy in London, which apparently reveals that Egypt is aware of Iraqis and Afghans being questioned at a camp in Romania."
EU Parliament to investigate CIA allegations 12 Jan 2006 The European Parliament launched an investigation on Thursday into allegations that the CIA used EU countries for the illegal transport and detention of prisoners.
Ex-CIA Lawyer: No Legal Basis for NSA Spying 11 Jan 2006 Former CIA General Counsel Jeffrey Smith will testify in House hearings that there is no legal basis for pResident Bush's controversial National Security Agency domestic surveillance program, ABC News has learned.
General Asserts Right On Self-Incrimination In Iraq Abuse Cases 12 Jan 2006 Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, a central figure in the U.S. detainee-abuse scandal, this week invoked his right not to incriminate himself in court-martial proceedings against two soldiers accused of using dogs to intimidate captives at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according to lawyers involved in the case.
US Army its own worst enemy: British officer 12 Jan 2006 A senior British Army officer has written a scathing critique of the US Army and its performance in Iraq, accusing it of cultural ignorance, moralistic self-righteousness, unproductive micromanagement and unwarranted optimism. In an article published this week in the army magazine Military Review, Brigadier Nigel Aylwin-Foster, who was deputy commander of a program to train the Iraqi military, said American officers in Iraq displayed such "cultural insensitivity" that it "arguably amounted to institutional racism" and may have spurred the growth of the insurgency.
US army in Iraq institutionally racist, claims British officer 12 Jan 2006 A senior British officer has criticised the US army for its conduct in Iraq, accusing it of institutional racism, moral righteousness, misplaced optimism, and of being ill-suited to engage in counter-insurgency operations.
US military expects surge in Iraqi rebel attacks 12 Jan 2006 US forces in Iraq expect a surge in 'insurgent' attacks as political factions prepare to negotiate the first full-term government [US-dictatorship] since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a US general warned
Iraqi found guilty in Germany of recruiting insurgents 12 Jan 2006 An Iraqi man was on Thursday found guilty in a landmark German trial of helping to smuggle suicide bombers from Europe into his native country. [Bush needs to be found guilty of 'recruiting insurgents' --by illegally invading and occupying Iraq.]
Santorum says liberals, media are undermining war support 12 Jan 2006 Sen. Rick Santorum on Thursday accused the news media and liberals of undermining support for the Iraq war at a time when, he said, Islamic fundamentalist pose a serious threat to national security. "The challenge for liberty today, the challenge for our generation is the spread of Islamic fascism," said Santorum, the No. 3 Senate Republican. [NO, the challenge for liberty today is the spread of *Bush's* fascism.]
Military Tribunals Resume at Guantanamo 11 Jan 2006 A U.S. military commission began a pretrial hearing Wednesday for a Yemeni man who was Usama bin Laden's bodyguard and is charged with conspiracy.
Guantanamo Hearing Opens Amid Legal Issues 12 Jan 2006 A two-and-a-half-hour session yesterday morning raised thorny legal issues in the military commissions proceeding against an accused al Qaeda propagandist held at the U.S. detention facility here.
Guantanamo Detainee Set to Boycott Tribunals 12 Jan 2006 A Yemeni man accused of being Usama bin Laden's former bodyguard told a U.S. military tribunal Wednesday he regarded Americans as enemies and announced he would boycott the hearings, which proceeded anyway.
Former 'Enemy Combatant' Pleads Not Guilty 12 Jan 2006 Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen who was held for more than three years as an ''enemy combatant,'' pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges alleging he was part of a secret network that supported violent Muslim extremists around the world.
Former Pinochet henchman takes over "peacekeeping" operation in Haiti By Kevin Skerrett 11 Jan 2006 "The apparent suicide on 7 January of the Brazilian general leading the UN military force currently occupying Haiti has exposed serious conflict and disarray within the management of the disastrous 'peacekeeping' mission there... On 5 January, the notorious coup supporter and head of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce Reginald Boulos called upon the UN generals to carry out a 'necessary and courageous action' in Cité Soleil, where 'you have to break some eggs to make an omelette'. (Radio Metropole) Boulos, a leader of the elite-led 'Group 184' and financier for the Washington DC 'Haiti Democracy Project' [sic - 'Haiti Assassination Project'] had been working for months to increase pressure on the UN force to crack down on those resisting Haiti’s coup government. Two days after Boulos gave this interview the Brazilian commander of the UN force, General Urano Bacellar, was found dead in his apartment, shot in the head in an apparent suicide."
Labour peers will try to extend terror detention limit to 60 days 12 Jan 2006 Pro-Government peers are planning to rewrite the Terrorism Bill to let police hold suspects without charge for up to 60 days.
Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act as "disruptors" By Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse 11 Jan 2006 "Bush wants to create the new criminal of 'disruptor' who can be jailed for the crime of 'disruptive behavior.' A "little-noticed provision" in the latest version of the Patriot Act will empower Secret Service to charge protesters with a new crime of 'disrupting major events including political conventions and the Olympics.' Secret Service would also be empowered to charge persons with 'breaching security' and to charge for 'entering a restricted area' which is 'where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting.'"
ACLU Opposes Patriot Act Provision --Secret Service's Reach Questioned 13 Dec 2005 The American Civil Liberties Union raised objections yesterday to a little-noticed provision of the latest version of the USA Patriot Act bill, arguing that it would give the Secret Service wider latitude to charge protesters accused of disrupting major events including political conventions and the Olympics.
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide if Police Can Barge in Unannounced 12 Jan 2006 Forget the ongoing privacy debate over U.S. government spying on telephone conversations--soon you may not have the right to tell cops to wait until you open your door. In a case involving a private citizen and Michigan police authorities, a team of civil rights lawyers appeared before the Supreme Court this week to challenge the police practice of storming into homes to look for whatever they want as evidence of a crime.
"It's going to be baby Iraq for Joe Canizaro." Blacks accuse city elite of land grab 13 Jan 2006 Under a controversial proposal, residents of the New Orleans suburbs most heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina will have four months to prove strong support for rebuilding their areas before possibly being forced to sell their properties to the US Government... Much of the ire was heaped on a New Orleans developer, Joseph Canizaro, a key architect of the plan, who was booed at a residents' meeting. "How many people from my backyard are up there?" yelled Harvey Bender, a laid-off worker from mainly black New Orleans East, disrupting the proceedings. "I'm ready to rebuild, and I'm not letting you take mine. I'm going to fight, whatever it takes, to rebuild my property. It's going to be baby Iraq for Joe Canizaro."
Protest to greet Bush at New Orleans visit 11 Jan 2006 Four months after Dictator Bush stood in Jackson Square and vowed to rebuild New Orleans, protesters plan to jam the same square today during his ninth visit to this battered city and demand the government rebuild broken levees stronger than before.
Poll: Bush approval at 38 percent 12 Jan 2006 The poll, conducted Jan. 4-8 by the Pew Research Center for the Public & the Press, found U.S. pResident George W. Bush's job approval rating at 38 percent -- the same as it was in December.
Pelosi wants probe of 'corrupt Congress' 12 Jan 2006 House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Republicans had created "one of the most closed, corrupt congresses in history" and urged the House ethics committee to investigate GOP lawmakers linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Houston TV stations withhold ads attacking DeLay 11 Jan 2006 Several Houston television stations withheld a political ad on Wednesday accusing U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of corruption after a lawyer for the former House majority leader said the ad was false and could lead to legal action. [But they didn't withhold the 'Swiftboat Nazis for Rove' ads against John Kerry, did they?]
DeLay Faces Viable Republican Challenger 12 Jan 2006 U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, who lost his leadership post because of his ties to a disgraced lobbyist and faces felony charges in his home state, now has another worry: an unprecedented four-way primary for the seat he's held comfortably for 22 years.
Alito Leaves Door Open to Reverse Roe v. Wade --Membership In Controversial Group Surfaces As an Issue 12 Jan 2006 The once-sluggish confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. turned confrontational yesterday, as the nominee signaled he might be willing to revisit the ruling that legalized abortion nationwide and Democrats pummeled him over his membership in an alumni group that wanted to restrict enrollment of women and minorities.
Judge Alito, in His Own Words (The New York Times) 12 Jan 2006 "We learned that Judge [Samuel] Alito had once declared that Judge Robert Bork - whose Supreme Court nomination was defeated because of his legal extremism - 'was one of the most outstanding nominees' of the 20th century. We heard Judge Alito refuse to call Roe v. Wade 'settled law,' as Chief Justice John Roberts did at his confirmation hearings. And we learned that Judge Alito subscribes to troubling views about presidential power. Those are just a few of the quiet bombshells that have dropped. In his deadpan bureaucrat's voice, Judge Alito has said some truly disturbing things about his view of the law. In three days of testimony, he has given the American people reasons to be worried - and senators reasons to oppose his nomination."
ACLU Opposes Nomination of Judge Alito (ACLU) Jan 2006 "The American Civil Liberties Union has taken the extraordinary step of formally opposing the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court. Throughout his career, Judge Alito has promoted an expansive view of executive authority and a limited view of the judicial role in curbing abuses of that authority." [ACLU Action: Tell Your Senators to Oppose Alito Nomination to the Supreme Court]
I.R.S. Move Said to Hurt the Poor 11 Jan 2006 Tax refunds sought by 1.6 million poor Americans over the last five years were frozen and their returns labeled fraudulent, although the vast majority appear to have done nothing wrong, the Internal Revenue Service's taxpayer advocate told Congress yesterday.
FBI checking prints in death row cases 10 Jan 2006 The FBI is reviewing the cases of all state and federal prisoners scheduled for execution to determine whether bureau fingerprint examiners made errors that led to death sentences.
Interior Department to Open Alaskan Land to Oil Drilling --Environmentalists Question Statement That Exploration Can Have Minimal Impact on Wildlife 12 Jan 2006 The Interior Department yesterday agreed to open about 400,000 acres on Alaska's North Slope for exploratory oil drilling, an area that previously had been off limits because of concerns about the impact on wildlife.
US opens Alaskan area to oil leases 12 Jan 2006 The U.S. government paved the way on Wednesday for oil drilling in an Alaskan region used by migrating caribou and birds, three weeks after Congress blocked energy development in the nearby Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Warming Tied To Extinction of Frog Species 12 Jan 2006 Rising temperatures are responsible for pushing dozens of frog species over the brink of extinction in the past three decades, according to findings being reported today by a team of Latin American and U.S. scientists.
Europe Increases Its Efforts to Stop Bird Flu 12 Jan 2006 As Turkish officials shifted into high gear to control the outbreaks of avian influenza that have spread across their country, neighboring countries and nations across the European Union enhanced their surveillance efforts so the virus would be detected quickly if it crossed the border. http://www.legitgov.org/flu_oddities.html
Pandemic warning as bird flu spreads 12 Jan 2006 Turkey has reported more human cases of deadly bird flu as the World Health Organization said the threat of a pandemic was growing daily.
WHO confirms 18 human bird flu cases in Turkey 12 Jan 2006 The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday the number of people who have caught the deadly bird flu virus in Turkey has risen to 18 from 15, mostly children.
[11 Jan lead stories:] 500 detainees at Guantánamo four years on 11 Jan 2006 The human rights group Amnesty International marked the "fourth anniversary" of the first detainees arriving at Guantánamo Bay today by publishing more allegations of torture at the US detention centre. Amnesty claimed more than 500 detainees were still being held there and again called for the closure of the prison camp at the US naval base in Cuba.
NSA Whistleblower Alleges Illegal Spying --Former Employee Admits to Being a Source for The New York Times 10 Jan 2006 Russell Tice, a longtime insider at the National Security Agency, is now a whistleblower the agency would like to keep quiet. For 20 years, Tice worked in the shadows as he helped the United States spy on other people's conversations around the world. "I specialized in what's called special access programs," Tice said of his job. "We called them 'black world' programs and operations."
Israelis plan pre-emptive strike on Iran 10 Jan 2006 Israel is updating plans for a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities which could be launched as soon as the end of March, according to military and intelligence sources.
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