The Plug Nickel Times is proud to bring you archived website links to news information that you may not find through your local media. All links are offsite unless otherwise noted- followed links should open in another browser window. Links can become dated or otherwise fail to function, for this reason we quote the actual headline of an article. This may allow you to find an alternate copy of the article through a news index or search engine. Some sites we link to may require a registration process to view an article- this website may be useful to you in those instances. Comments, corrections and submissions are welcome- an email link is at the bottom of the page.
March 1-15, 2004
July 15, 2004
Secret film shows Iraq prisoners sodomised
The War on Learning by Robert Fisk
"Other university staff suspect that there is a campaign to strip Iraq of its academics, to complete the destruction of Iraq's cultural identity which began with the destruction of the Baghdad Koranic library, the national archives and the looting of the archaeological museum when the American army entered Baghdad."
Butler Report
(in .pdf format)
Angry Prime Minister hammers Israel
"The New Zealand Government views the act carried out by the Israeli intelligence agents as not only utterly unacceptable but also a breach of New Zealand sovereignty and international law..."
New Zealand jails Israeli 'spies'
"New Zealand has imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel over the activities of two alleged members of the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad."
Censored at the Insistence of the United States Marine Corps
"On July 14th, three items were removed from the Sunshine Project online clearinghouse of US government "non-lethal" chemical and biological weapons documents. The documents were removed at the insistence of the United States Marine Corps, which claims that the papers presence on this website posed a threat to Department of Defense research programs and employees."
Magistrate Rules Janklow Was On Duty During Accident
"Former U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow was on duty when he caused a fatal accident last summer, so taxpayers should pay any civil damages in a wrongful death lawsuit, according to a court ruling Tuesday."
July 14, 2004 Bastille Day
Quote of the Day
"This absolutely has nothing to do with politics," Ridge said. "We don't do politics in homeland security."
Unprecedented Security for Democratic Convention
Supplemental and Contextual Quotes
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
H. L. Mencken
"There is no need for propaganda to be rich in intellectual content."
Joseph Goebbels, 1926
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."
Joseph Goebbels
"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
Herman Goering
HEADLINES
Arms suppliers scramble into Iraq
U.S. Charges Yemeni Described as Bin Laden Bodyguard
"The government says Hamdan is an "unprivileged belligerent" who, unlike a uniformed soldier in a nation's army, does not have the right to kill another person on the battlefield."
There's a lesson in there somewhere...?!
Thousands Protest Government in Peru Strike
"Thousands of Peruvians, some burning effigies of President Alejandro Toledo, took to the streets nationwide on Wednesday to tell his unpopular government bluntly: Change your policies or go."
Bush Says His Re-Election Will Make America Safer
"I need four more years to complete the work. There's more to do to make America a safer place. There's more work to do to make the world a more peaceful place. We will finish the work of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq," Bush told a forum here.
I wanna' be ELECTED!!
Cheney Insists He Will Run with Bush
Hey- I've got a stopwatch, and a bag of pretzels for the winner... you go, Dick!!
House Approves 'Bioshield' Defense Bill
"This bill marks but the beginning, not the end, of a long road we must travel."
Oh, now I'm REALLY motivated...
Report: U.S. Cancels Air Passenger Screening Upgrade
"Ridge said a new program with a different name might be developed to replace CAPPS II."
Man loses license after telling doctor about drinking
"A state law dating to the 1960s requires doctors to report any physical or mental impairments that could compromise a patient's ability to drive safely..."
Man Exposes Self During Airport Screening
"This person exposed themself in a public area, a clear violation of the law, and we needed to take some action on that, otherwise everybody would be dropping their pants..."
Here he comes, boogie-dy, boogie-dy...
July 13, 2004
Festering resentment in 'Little Falloujas'
"Towns in the 'Sunni Triangle' are home to people embittered by the U.S.-led forces in Iraq"
Iraq: Archives, Libraries Devastated By War, Looting
Iranian opposition group's future in balance
"A leading Iraqi politician reassured Iran this week that some 4,000 members of an Iranian opposition group detained by US forces in Iraq as prisoners of war had been recategorised by the new Iraqi government as refugees."
Israel Rerouting Barrier Closer to Border-Sources
Iran Leader Says U.S., Israel Behind Iraq Kidnaps
US in talks over biggest missile defence site in Europe
Red Cross Fears U.S. Is Hiding Detainees
Shaky sources that riddled Powell's case with errors
Bush and C.I.A. Won't Release Paper on Prewar Intelligence
"The White House and the Central Intelligence Agency have refused to give the Senate Intelligence Committee a one-page summary of prewar intelligence in Iraq prepared for President Bush that contains few of the qualifiers and none of the dissents spelled out in longer intelligence reviews, according to Congressional officials."
Michael Moore, Ugly American
Low-tech war does little for US economy
Machines to print voting receipts
"Nevada counties will be the first in the nation to offer a verification printout of a completed ballot, allowing voters to review their choices before processing them"
July 12, 2004
Saddam loyalists turn Iraqi city into no-go area
"No one is going through what we are going through"
In Iraq, no power for the people
"These days in the Iraqi capital, most people get three hours of electricity followed by three hours of none. But even that's not certain. And with temperatures this week topping 50 degrees every day, the lack of electricity to power air conditioners and fans has begun to rival the lack of security as the greatest concern to Iraqis."
The real Baghdad, and the Green Zone
"Mr. Allawi says he wants the palace for his government. But U.S. officials say they need it until their own embassy is built nearby and the number of U.S. officials is greatly reduced. The best estimate is that those developments won't happen in fewer than five years."
Shiites and the US Army in Karbala and Sadr City
"In the PR battle, the odds were so stacked against the US military that it could never have won in Karbala. The military victory there cost the US enormous good will among Shiites in Iraq and abroad. I don't know when the raw feelings will subside. As for it being orderly now in Karbala, sure. The US called off its hit on Muqtada, and it killed 400 fighters. But it was orderly in Karbala on March 31 before Mr. Bremer stupidly went after Muqtada. So all that was achieved was a status quo ante from a security point of view. And the public relations losses were colossal."
Falluja Brigade to merge with Iraqi armed forces
China to demonstrate air superiority in Taiwan war games
"China will use military drills this month to demonstrate its ability to dominate air space over Taiwan, an essential element in any invasion of the island, state media and analysts said Monday."
Neocons Stir China-Taiwan Conflict
"Taiwan's legislature is considering a proposal to buy $18.2 billion worth of new weapons from the United States to counter what they claim is a military buildup by China. The package, which would include anti-missile systems, eight diesel submarines and 12 P3-C anti-submarine aircraft, would be the largest arms sale to Taiwan in over a decade."
Iran tells UN watchdog to hunt for nuclear weapons elsewhere
"Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Monday accused the UN nuclear watchdog of double standards and told it to pay closer attention to countries that had not signed up to global anti-proliferation safeguards."
Fernandes strip-searched twice during US visit
"Former defence minister George Fernandes was strip-searched twice in Dulles Airport in the US capital area when he was defence minister, once while on an official visit to Washington and another time while en route to Brazil, according to former deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott."
Bush says war made U.S. 'safer'
This explains the 'alert du jour' campaign...
Officials to meet on election plan
"Federal election officials will meet next week with officials of the Department of Homeland Security to discuss whether and how they would delay the November presidential election in the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack"
'Tis but a sham that hangs by such a thin thread...
Bush asserts pre-emptive strikes policy
"While acknowledging that the report "has identified some shortcomings in our intelligence capabilities", he said that would not cause him to reconsider the approach that led the US to invade Iraq."
Senators ask Justice Department to declassify Sept. 11 investigation results
"Senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Department on Friday to declassify three reports concerning the FBI's translation program and information obtained by federal law enforcement agencies prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks."
Leahy-Grassley Seek Release Of IG Reports
Sibel Edmonds, the FBI translation program and the 'Phoenix memo'
(letter from Leahy and Grassley to Ashcroft)
These Dogs Don't Hunt
"Many of these individuals have longstanding political ties with the administration and ties to the very industries and companies that they are supposed to oversee."
Cooked intelligence books
"Put simply, the Bush administration's intelligence analysts cooked the books to give Congress and the public the impression that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons and was developing nuclear arms, that he was plotting to give such weapons to terrorists, and that he was an imminent threat."
Pentagon seeks way around high court on Guantanamo detainees
"The Pentagon on Wednesday responded to the June 28 Supreme Court ruling by ordering the creation of Combatant Review Tribunals to determine whether each of the 594 detainees at Guantanamo is being lawfully held as an "enemy combatant.""
Calif. Whistleblowers Sue Diebold
"The California lawsuit was filed in state court by computer programmer Jim March and activist Bev Harris, who are seeking full reimbursement for Diebold equipment purchased in California. Issues cited by the case include Diebold's use of uncertified hardware and software, and modems that may have allowed election results to be published online before polls closed."
DeLay's Corporate Fundraising Investigated
Reviewers of DeLay's ethics got his money
"Four of the five Republicans investigating an ethics complaint against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay have received campaign contributions from DeLay's political action committee, records show."
Police test hi-tech zapper that could end car chases
Great- in 6 months this will be in the hands of teenagers and evil-doers everywhere!
Japan: Schoolkids to be tagged with RFID chips
July 11, 2004
Pipeline in Iraq struck by bomb
U.S. Mulling How to Delay Nov Vote in Case of Attack
Slow Down and Think, Healthier Pope Tells World
(and turn off that stupid television set!!)
July 10, 2004
Shining a light in a real dark place
Selected annexes from the report prepared by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba on abuses at Abu Ghraib
(links to page with several files in .pdf format)
Spy Chiefs 'Retract Wmd Intelligence'
"Spy chiefs have retracted the intelligence behind Tony Blair's claim that Iraq posed a 'current and serious' threat, it was reported tonight."
Whose Head Will The Butler Serve Up?
"If the former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook is anything to go by then the entire Cabinet and the whole upper echelon of British intelligence should be roasted on a spit by the Butler Inquiry, which is due to report on Wednesday."
Did our spies let us down?
"This week, Lord Butler will deliver his verdict on how the West came to misjudge Saddam's arsenal of deadly weapons. Intelligence agencies are in the firing line. But the government, too, may have cause to fear his findings."
Fury over Pentagon cell that briefed White House on Iraq's 'imaginary' al-Qaeda links
"The cell appears to have been set up by Mr Feith as an adjunct to the Office of Special Plans, a Pentagon intelligence-gathering operation established in the wake of 9/11 with the authority of Paul Wolfowitz."
The Dots Never Existed
"Taken together, the facts in the report show that virtually every major claim President George W. Bush used to justify the invasion of Iraq - from Saddam's growing nuclear program to his close ties with Al Qaeda - was either wrong or exaggerated."
Key Revisions Were Made to CIA Document
"The repeated elimination of qualifying language and dissenting assessments of some of the government's most knowledgeable experts gave the public an inaccurate impression of what the U.S. intelligence community believed about the threat Hussein posed to the United States, the committee said."
Intelligence CYA
"Senate GOP aims to help Bush"
Daschle concerned about 'sobering' terror briefing
"Asked if the timing of the terror concerns might be aimed at stealing political thunder from the announcement of John Edwards as the democratic vice presidential candidate, Daschle replied, "The report is so sobering and so serious that I cannot bring myself to believe anyone in this administration would use this for political purposes.""
And we pay them for these performances...?
5-year prison term given for lying in terrorist probe
"A federal judge on Friday sentenced a New Jersey man to the maximum five years in prison for lying to officials during an investigation of terrorism financing efforts that they said were centered in Brooklyn."
Florida List for Purge of Voters Proves Flawed
"Florida election officials used a flawed method to come up with a listing of people believed to be convicted felons, a list that they are recommending be used to purge voter registration rolls, state officials acknowledged yesterday."
Dean fails to get Nader to quit race
S.C. Atomic Waste Tanks Damaged
Wouldn't it be polite if the pro-nuclear folk would clean up after themselves, it might lend that mode of energy production more credibility...
Developing RFID-Enabled Phones
"A report by ABI Research predicts that within a few years, as many as 50 percent of cell phones will incorporate RFID chips to enable near field communication."
July 9, 2004
Attack Kills 5 U.S. Troops, 2 Iraqi Guardsmen at Base
US insists it controls Samarra despite insurgents' attack
"Witnesses said they saw insurgents and looters overrun the base, which the US had recently turned over to the Iraqi National Guard."
Friday sermons thrash Allawi
"Muslim leaders in Iraq were united at Friday prayers in their rage against the country's new sovereign government, accusing the interim prime minister of colluding with US-led foreign forces."
Officials knew intelligence did not back war
"A March 2002 meeting of government officials in Downing Street decided that available intelligence was not strong enough to support the case for war in Iraq, Lord Butler's inquiry into weapons of mass destruction has found."
U.S. News obtains all classified annexes to the Taguba report on Abu Ghraib
Rights Groups Accuse Pentagon of Subverting Court Ruling on Guantanamo Detainees
Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq
(.pdf file at Senate website)
Excerpts From Two Senators' Views About Prewar Assessments of Iraq
Roberts, Rockefeller and report excerpts
As Rationales for War Erode, Issue of Blame Looms Large
"Yesterday's report by the Senate intelligence committee left in shreds two of the Bush administration's main rationales for the war in Iraq: that Iraq had illicit weapons and that it cooperated with al Qaeda."
Republicans, Democrats split over material left out of report
On the Senate Committee Report on Iraq War Intelligence
"Despite the demands of committee members, the Republican leadership limited the scope of the inquiry. There is no mention of the role of the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans - Vice President Dick Cheney's personal intelligence service - nor is there anything about the role of top officials in paying Ahmed Chalabi millions of dollars to deliver false intelligence."
Admitting Intelligence Flaws, Bush Stands by Need for War
Mr. Bush said, "Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons, I believe we were right to go into Iraq. America is safer today because we did. We removed a declared enemy of America, who had the capability of producing weapons of mass destruction, and could have passed that capability to terrorists bent on acquiring them. In the world after September 11th, that was a risk we could not afford to take."
Despite CIA report, Wolfowitz says Iraq war was justified
"He defended the Bush administration's tailoring of foreign policy toward an ongoing war on terror, describing it as "the most serious war we have ever fought," even as he conceded that it might seem nebulous."
What's this 'we' shit?
Pentagon: We Destroyed Bush's Records
Pentagon Admits Bush's Military Records "Inadvertently Destroyed"
July 8, 2004
Israeli interrogators in Iraq - An exclusive report
Fuelling suspicion: the coalition and Iraq's oil billions
Bogus Agents Said to Be Antiterrorist Vigilantes
"The four men, three of them Americans, illegally held eight Afghans for 12 days in the basement of a house where they had set up a fake export company, the officials said."
Cheney Faces Criminal Indictments
"Other Illegal Actions Raise Warning Flags at White House"
Initial intelligence report avoids focus on White House
"Under a deal struck between Republicans and Democrats, a Senate intelligence committee report that is highly critical of prewar intelligence on Iraq will sidestep the question of how the Bush administration used that information to make the case for war,"
FBI translator's charges kept secret
"At a news conference Thursday, Edmonds accused the Bush administration of misusing its state secrets privilege to cover up incompetence and wrongdoing at the FBI. "To them, our Bill of Rights under the Constitution is nothing more than an inconvenient roadblock to overcome," she said."
Whistle Stop
"Judge Reggie Walton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a sweeping ruling this week upholding the Justice Department's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former FBI contract linguist who alleged misconduct in efforts to translate documents related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."
Proposal floated for North American ID card
"An influential organization representing U.S. and Canadian drivers’ licence bureaus is developing a proposal for a de facto North American identity card: a biometric licence for 300 million people that could be fed through law enforcement databases"
Data Nightmare at Pentagon
"If you ran your business this way, you'd be in jail," said Christopher Hellman, an analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
When numbers don't add up, cover up
"President George W. Bush & Co. are in the clear for its Enron-style accounting of the actual costs of the new Medicare law, which administration officials told Congress would cost $100 biliion less than it actually does."
Move to weaken Patriot Act fails
"A White House threat to veto the Justice Department spending bill if it was changed to weaken the USA Patriot Act was enough to convince House Republicans yesterday to protect the law."
What's good for the goose is good for the gander- learn more about the
Government Information Awareness Program
U.S. senator, sobbing for son, pleas for suicide bill
"Endorsing Smith's $60 million bill, Nickles said, "I have no doubt as a result of us passing this legislation, we'll end up saving a lot of lives, maybe thousands of lives." The bill would help states develop prevention strategies and fund more mental health services on college campuses."
Time to send a copy of this to every one of the congress-critters
FEMA worker ordered home
"Woman, husband wore T-shirts with anti-Bush logo at July Fourth rally"
'ordered home'... after being arrested.
July 7, 2004
In charge, Iraqis crack down hard
"A new emergency security law comes on heels of major criminal sweeps in Baghdad, a curfew in Najaf, and local judges reinstating the death penalty."
Press Conference, Sibel Edmonds, Washington, July 8th, 1pm
We reserved a room at National Press Club for my press conference: 'Peter Lisagor' room, at National Press Club, 13th floor, 529 14th Street, Washington, DC, for this Thursday, July 8, at 1:00PM. I will be accompanied by Mark Zaid, and most likely POGO's attorneys. Please inform all your press contacts.
Emergency Motion of the United States to Quash Deposition of Sibel Edmonds
More information on the Sibel Edmonds lawsuit at Cryptome.com
Scroll down the page for a sampling and link to zipped file of a summation of the court's determination.
Kirk Admits C.I.A. Connection
"Mark Kirk (Republican, 10th District - Illinois) admitted on the floor of Congress that he has been working for the Central Intelligence Agency at the same time he is serving in Congress."
Kirk Pleads Lewinsky Defense In Spy-Agency Charge
"If a Congressman has been secretly working for the C.I.A., the whole country has a right to know about it," said Goodman. "Congress is supposed to be overseeing the C.I.A. Not the other way around."
Senate Narrowly Confirms Controversial Nominee
"Arkansas lawyer J. Leon Holmes narrowly won Senate confirmation to be a federal judge Tuesday, overcoming concerns over his views on abortion and women."
Hatch backs nominee who backs St. Paul
Oregon to test mileage tax as replacement for gas tax
"The Oregon Road User Fee Task Force has spent two years fleshing out the concept, thinking through how such a tax might be calculated and collected."
I'm sure Customer Service will find you somehow...
July 6, 2004
As violence flares, Iraq to enact emergency law
ElBaradei Will Not Pressure Israel on Nuclear Issue
Israeli lawmaker cries foul on outposts
Asserts government expanded settlements
Judge tosses suit by fired FBI translator
"Mindful of the need for virtual unfettered access to the judicial process in a governmental system integrally linked to the rule of law, the court nonetheless concludes that the government has properly invoked the state secrets privilege," Walton ruled.
U.S. Response to Insurgency Called a Failure
"Almost a year after acknowledging they were facing a well-armed guerrilla war in Iraq, the Pentagon and commanders in the Middle East are being criticized by some top Bush administration officials, military officers and defense experts who accuse the military of failing to develop a coherent, winning strategy against the insurgency."
And yesterday the CIA was to blame...
9/11 panel rebuffs Bush on Iraq link
Anti-biotech Artist Indicted for Possessing 'Harmless' Bacteria
FBI confiscates artwork critical of biotechnology
July 5, 2004
Current News from Iraq and the region by Juan Cole at Informed Comment
C.I.A. Held Back Iraqi Arms Data, U.S. Officials Say
"The Central Intelligence Agency was told by relatives of Iraqi scientists before the war that Baghdad's programs to develop unconventional weapons had been abandoned, but the C.I.A. failed to give that information to President Bush..."
Oh... so this has nothing to do with illiteracy...
Chinese Doctor Being 'Brainwashed'
Sources tell foreign reporters in Beijing that Dr. Jiang Yanyong, who has been detained since May, is being forced to undergo what's called 'reeducation.'"
July 4, 2004
Iraq Oil Pipeline Hit, Exports Reeling
So this is what they call the new, 'free' Iraq by Robert Fisk
"We liberated the Iraqis from Saddam, we shall say. We gave them 'democracy' - and look what a mess they made of it."
Heavily armed security contractors to increase presence in Iraq
Syrian, Iranian presidents call for departure of Iraq's "occupiers"
Iraq Gov't Says Nations Aided Insurgents
"Iraq's interim government has evidence that neighboring countries have helped Iraqi insurgents and will publish its findings this week, a senior minister was quoted as saying Sunday."
Ironic, the US crosses an ocean, overthrows a regime, and appoints a new regime that proceeds to complain about the behaviour of the next-door neighbors...
Israel Strikes Gaza Workshops in Day of Violence
Butler targets top officials over WMD fiasco
"One Whitehall source said last night that Butler's overall conclusion will be that the intelligence was wrong, and that there were insufficient systems in place to verify the information."
Spy chiefs to censor hard-hitting Butler report
Bush Says U.S. Freedom Can Change the World
Probably pushing for Patriot II and renewal of the sunset #I provisions!
Like some more rainbow stew with that free bubble-up?
July 3, 2004
No 'News' entries today- there's plenty out there though- but you'll have to cull them yourselves. For the imaginative, just take previous headlines and extrapolate your most common-sense conclusion. There's a good chance you'll be accurate!
There are a few current pieces up on the 'Soapbox' side- two that are exclusive to The Plug Nickel Times!
July 2, 2004
Content updates for this weekend will be abbreviated and arbitrary. Regular visitors probably have a good idea of the news and opinion sources that PNT refers to regularly and we suggest you use those in the interim. Hyperlinks to some of these websites can be found on the 'weblinks' page. We're looking foreward to returning on Monday or Tuesday of this coming week with more regular content and some changes in focus and format!
This has been my "Fourth of July Song" for many years now- reflections on the years that have passed have brought changing views to some of the words and ideas- but the general sentiments remain pretty much the same-
Hawks and Doves by Neil Young
July 1, 2004
'What law, what resolution formed this court?'
"an edited transcript of the translators' words as Saddam Hussein answered questions from judge Ra'id Juhi."
A defiant Saddam rejects charges
Hotels attacked, bus explodes in Baghdad
Undeterred, insurgents stage deadly attacks
US military police raid Iraqi detention centre to stop abuse of prisoners
Iraqi-led security missions begin
"More than 600 Iraqi National Guard troops and police launched a military operation in Mosul Thursday"
Afghanistan to delay elections until October
Poppy glut brings crash in opium prices
"So many farmers grew opium in Afghanistan this spring that the country's opium market is now flooded, causing prices for the illegal drug to drop by an average of 65 percent across the country"
Court delivers second blow to Israeli security barrier
Cheney Details Iraq-Al Qaeda Link
"These ties included senior level contacts going back a decade," he told a crowd of about 600 at the D-Day museum
really... no shit?
Bush Seeks to Mobilize Religious Conservatives
"the Bush-Cheney campaign has issued a guide listing about two-dozen 'duties' and a series of deadlines for organizing support among conservative church congregations."
L.A. Police Probe 2nd Case of Flashlight Beating
Drug-testing plan violates student rights, some say (Phx)
"Testing would be voluntary, and only parents, not law-enforcement officials, would be notified should students test positive for drugs"
