Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
31 January 2006
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links to articles as summarized below are available here:
http://www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news
Halliburton unit's detention center contract is repeat deal 30 Jan 2006 When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was picking someone to plan and perhaps build detention centers, it turned to a familiar name. The Corps last week awarded a contract worth up to $385 million to KBR, a subsidiary of engineering and defense contractor Halliburton Co. KBR has been paid $5.9 million so far under a similar contract from 2000 through 2005. Halliburton said KBR might also be used to open more detention centers if they were needed for new government programs. [All U.S. detention centers need to be destroyed - before Bush puts us all in them - in order to justify additional concentration camp construction.]
Deal struck to build detention centers 30 Jan 2006 A Houston-based construction firm with ties to the White House has been awarded an open-ended contract to build 'immigration' detention centers that could total $385 million - a move that some critics called questionable. The contract calls for KBR, a subsidiary of the oil engineering and construction giant Halliburton, to build 'temporary' detention facilities... Under the contract awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, KBR could also be assigned to operate one or more temporary detention facility, and develop a plan for responding to a natural [or, Bush-generated] disaster in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel participate in 'relief' efforts.
Bush administration pays Halliburton $199 million in Iraq overcharges 30 Jan 2006 The Bush regime settled a dispute between the Pentagon and Halliburton by agreeing to pay the company nearly all of $208 million in costs in Iraq and Kuwait that were criticized in one of the official military audits of the company, an international accounting agency announced today. The settlement, announced by the International Advisory Monitoring Board (IAMB) -- an independent accounting agency that monitors Iraq's oil finances -- allows Halliburton to keep $199 million of the $208 million in gasoline costs paid by the Pentagon, but disputed in the audit.
U.S. Official Seeks Billions in Iraq 'Rebuilding' Funds 31 Jan 2006 The U.S. official who oversees reconstruction spending in Iraq has called for money beyond $18.4 billion originally earmarked, saying postwar funds will be exhausted by the end of 2006 with many projects likely to be unfinished.
Blair in secret plot with Bush to dupe U.N. 29 Jan 2006 A White House leak revealing astonishing details of how Tony Blair and George Bush lied about the Iraq war is set to cause a worldwide political storm. A new book exposes how the two men connived to dupe the United Nations and blows the lid off Mr Blair's claim that he was a restraining influence on Mr Bush.
Calls grow to 'impeach' Blair as 99th soldier dies in Iraq 31 Jan 2006 The soldier's death intensified pressure at Westminster for an inquiry by a committee of seven Privy Councillors into the Prime Minister's handling of the Iraq war and the use of intelligence reports to boost public support for the invasion. Leaders of a cross-party group calling for Mr Blair to be impeached will meet tonight at Westminster to discuss their tactics.
Straw rules out threat of military action against Iran 29 Jan 2006 Yesterday, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary struck a conciliatory note by insisting that military action against Iran was "genuinely" not on the table, despite a growing groundswell of support [?!?] for that option in America.
Iran crisis 'could drive oil over $90' --Prices climb ahead of critical week as [Bush's] nuclear row escalates. Opec says it won't increase quotas to cover for production shutdown 29 Jan 2006 Analysts warn that crude prices could reach $90 a barrel if the oil-rich state retaliates by blocking supplies.
Army's Rising Promotion Rate Called Ominous 30 Jan 2006 Struggling to retain enough officers to lead its forces, the Army has begun to dramatically increase the number of soldiers it promotes, raising fears within the service that wartime strains are diluting the quality of the officer corps. Last year, the Army promoted 97% of all eligible captains to the rank of major, Pentagon data show.
Judge offers a choice: Join the Army or go to jail 30 Jan 2006 A judge offered a 20-year-old man facing sentencing an unusual choice: Enlist in the Army or go to jail for up to a year.
Anti-terror laws 'could increase chance of attack' 31 Jan 2006 (AU) A legislative committee examining the ACT's proposed anti[pro]-terror laws has heard the new legislation could actually increase the chance of a terror attack.
Lawyers' group questions ACT counter terrorism laws 31 Jan 2006 (AU) A peak lawyers' group will give evidence before a public inquiry this morning, warning the ACT's proposed anti[pro]-terrorism laws breach human rights.
Al Qaeda Detainee's Mysterious Release 30 Jan 2006 For more than a decade, Osama bin Laden had few soldiers more devoted than Abdallah Tabarak... During the battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, when al Qaeda leaders were pinned down by U.S. forces, Tabarak sacrificed himself to engineer their escape. He headed toward the Pakistani border while making calls on Osama bin Laden's satellite phone as bin Laden and the others fled in the other direction. Tabarak was captured and taken to the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was classified as such a high-value prisoner that the Pentagon repeatedly denied requests by the International Committee of the Red Cross to see him. Then, after spending almost three years at the base, he was suddenly released. [Yes, Rove has Bush bin Laden's next assignment ready to be carried out, so that the Patriot Act can be extended and the illegal NSA domestic spying can be 'justified.']
Holy coincidence, Batman! Just in time for Dictator Bush's State of disUnion speech (which will focus on 'national security,' LOL!) Arab TV Gets Another Al Qaeda Video 30 Jan 2006 'Al Qaeda' No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a videotape aired Monday that pResident Bush was a "butcher" and a "failure" because of a deadly U.S. airstrike targeting the bin Laden deputy.
In videotape, Al-Zawahri labels Bush the 'butcher of Washington' [Well-said, even if the tape *is* the CIA's words!!] 30 Jan 2006 Showing that the United States failed to kill him in a recent missile strike, Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a videotape aired Monday that pResident Bush was a "butcher" and a "failure" because of the attack.
Britain and US split over defeating Afghan opium trade 31 Jan 2006 American officials are pressing for aerial crop-spraying. But aid agencies and human rights groups point out that poppy fields are often adjacent to ones growing vegetables and wheat. British officials are against spraying. But a report by the Senlis Council, the think-tank, showed yesterday that the US administration was advertising for aerial spraying jobs in Afghanistan...
Chavez ends forum with warning to U.S. 30 Jan 2006 A gathering of anti-globalization activists ended with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez warning that an American attack on Iran would be "10 times worse than Iraq" and saying, "Down with the U.S. empire!"... "Enough already with the imperialist aggression!" Chavez said, listing countries from Panama to Iraq where the U.S. military has intervened. "Down with the U.S. empire! It must be said, in the entire world: Down with the empire!"
Chavez: Agents Have Infiltrated U.S. Spies 30 Jan 2006 President Hugo Chavez said Monday that Venezuela's intelligence agencies have ''infiltrated'' a group of military officials from the U.S. Embassy who were allegedly involved in espionage... ''The military officers of the U.S. Embassy are involved in espionage and we have them infiltrated,'' Chavez said. [WTG, Chavez!!]
Chavez tells U.S. envoy to stop spying 31 Jan 2006 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned the U.S. ambassador against spying on Monday and said his agents had infiltrated the U.S. embassy, which he has accused of links to espionage... "I recommend to the U.S. embassy that they stop spying, we have you infiltrated, ambassador. Don't move around too much because we are watching you," Chavez said at a business event.
Aide: Reagan Warned Before Beirut Blast 31 Jan 2006 A former defense secretary for Ronald Reagan says he implored the president to put Marines serving in Beirut in a safer position before terrorists attacked them in 1983, killing 241 servicemen.
Exxon Mobil 4th-Qtr Profit Climbs to Record $10.7 Bln 30 Jan 2006 Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's biggest oil company [predatory capitalists], said fourth-quarter profit rose 27 percent on surging energy prices to a record $10.7 billion, capping the most profitable year for any company in U.S. history. Net income climbed to $1.71 a share from $8.42 billion, or $1.44 a share, a year earlier, the Irving, Texas-based company said today in a statement.
Exxon profits surge to new record 30 Jan 2006 Surging oil and gas prices have helped Exxon Mobil to unveil the highest quarterly profits reported by a publicly-traded US company. Fourth-quarter earnings jumped to $10.7bn (£8.8bn) from $8.4bn in the same period last year. The results drove Exxon's annual profit to $36.13bn - 42% up on last year.
Corporate Wealth Share Rises for Top-Income Americans 29 Jan 2006 New government data indicate that the concentration of corporate wealth among the highest-income Americans grew significantly in 2003, as a trend that began in 1991 accelerated in the first year that Dictator Bush and Congress cut taxes on capital.
Bush takes us back to the Great Depression: Savings Rate at Lowest Level Since 1933 30 Jan 2006 Consumer spending rose at a rapid pace in December, far outpacing income growth, a development that helped to push the savings' rate for the year down to the lowest level since the Great Depression.
Dell to hire 5,000 people... in India 30 Jan 2006 Computer maker Dell Inc. said Monday it planned to add 5,000 jobs in India over the next two years, bringing its work force in the country to 15,000.
Senate Clears the Way for Final Vote on Alito Confirmation 30 Jan 2006 The nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. for the Supreme Court cleared an all-important procedural hurdle in the Senate this afternoon as liberal Democrats failed to muster enough support to block a vote on his confirmation.
GOP lawmakers: Bush should disclose Abramoff contacts 29 Jan 2006 Republican lawmakers said Sunday that pResident Bush should publicly disclose White House contacts with Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist who has pleaded guilty to felony charges in an influence-peddling case.
Enron trial opens in new test for US corporate governance 30 Jan 2006 Enron kingpins Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling went on trial accused of fraud and conspiracy over the multi-billion dollar bankruptcy of the energy giant.
'Deliberate' Neglect Laid to Bush In Policy on Katrina's Aftermath 30 Jan 2006 Senator Clinton told a largely friendly audience here Saturday night that the slow pace of government-sponsored reconstruction following Hurricane Katrina was the result of a deliberate decision by the Bush administration and may have been motivated by a desire to discourage Democratic voters from returning to the devastated region.
Primary care near collapse, physicians warn 30 Jan 2006 Primary care, the basic medical care that people get when they visit their doctors for routine physicals and minor problems, could fall apart in the United States without immediate reforms, the American College of Physicians said on Monday.
Deadly bird flu in Iraq 30 Jan 2006 A United Nations official confirmed today that an Iraqi girl who died earlier this month in Kurdistan was a bird flu victim. The official, who refused to be named... said the girl was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain. [I saw *this one* marching down Broadway a mile away... mandatory vaccines and quarantines could commence, against the backdrop of Bush's full-blown police state in Iraq.]
Officials Confirm Bird Flu Death of Iraqi 30 Jan 2006 Iraqi and U.N. health officials said Monday a 15-year-old girl who died this month was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, the first confirmed case of the disease in the Middle East.
Jacksonville explosion exposes 40 to 'low levels' of radiation 30 Jan 2006 About 40 workers were exposed to a small amount of radiation Monday when a container filled with krypton gas exploded at a defense contractor, company and fire officials said.
Radiation Leak In Jacksonville Building Prompts Evacuations 30 Jan 2006 (FL) Fire-Rescue personnel said that an explosion Monday morning in 7500 bock of Baymeadows Way has resulted in the release of radiation inside a building, according to WJXT-TV. The Unison Industries building was evacuated and police have blocked streets in the area. Members of the hazardous material team report picking up radiation with Geiger counters. There is no word on whether anyone was exposed. [Homeland Security will undoubtedly announce that 'no one' was exposed, to protect the nuclear-industrial complex.]
[Previous lead stories:] US plans to 'fight the net' revealed 27 Jan 2006 A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks. The declassified document is called "Information Operations Roadmap". The "roadmap" calls for a far-reaching overhaul of the military's ability to conduct information operations and electronic warfare.
Shell and Exxon to smash transatlantic profit records 29 Jan 2006 Oil companies on both sides of the Atlantic will gush record profits this week, with America’s Exxon Mobil posting the world’s biggest-ever profit, and Shell setting a new record for British companies. Exxon is tomorrow expected to unveil a profit of about $32 billion (£18 billion) for 2005, according to Thomson Financial. It will be the largest single profit in the history of corporate America.
Pentagon Can Now Fund Foreign Militaries 29 Jan 2006 Congress has granted unusual authority for the Pentagon to spend as much as $200 million of its own budget to aid foreign militaries, a break with the traditional practice of channeling foreign military assistance through the State Department.
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