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August 2004Latest NewsPosted: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 ¤ Suicide Bomber Kills 10 at Moscow Subway ¤ How the Pentagon Has Failed US Troops ¤ The GOP Doesn't Reflect America ¤ The al-Qaeda striptease ¤ AMS condemns execution of Nepalese captives ¤ The Life and Crimes of George W. Bush ¤ Playing the War Card ¤ Florida Fixed Again? ¤ 'Bogged down' ¤ IMF Chief Received with Protests ¤ US airstrike kills eight in northeast Afghanistan ¤ Taking Stock After a Pre-emptive War ¤ 16 dead in twin suicide attacks on Be'er Sheva buses ¤ Democrats pounce on Bush for declaring 'war on terror' unwinnable ¤ President admits war on terror cannot be won ¤ President takes a time out on his road trip to admit war on terror can't be won ¤ Success in Afghanistan, Iraq to be beginning of end for extremists ¤ Nest of Spies ¤ Convention jeers for a laughing Moore ¤ Africans have good reason to be suspicious of British involvement in their affairs ¤ Africa takes tough stand on coups ¤ U.S. and Russia still top list of weapons dealers ¤ The Historic Roots of Oligarchic Racism ¤ American Lawyer Finds New Evidence of Recent Torture in Iraq ¤ First Night of RNC a Battle of Sound Bites ¤ The angry editor ¤ Big government is being reinvented by the US right ¤ 12 Nepalese executed in Iraq: website ¤ Chaba Heads Out to Sea, at Least 7 Dead in Japan ¤ Thousands attend funeral of tribesmen killed in Army operation ¤ Heads They Win – Tails You Lose ¤ Another failure ¤ Iran: Isolation or Engagement? ¤ Corpses betray the truth of Darfur as deadline passes ¤ Downed Planes Were Not Hijacked ¤ The Ripples of War, With a Dozen Dead ¤ Iraq success 'catastrophic': Bush ¤ Suicide Bombings on Two Israeli Buses Kill 12 ¤ Twin Bus Blasts in Southern Israel Kill 12 Latest News Posted: Monday, August 30, 2004 ¤ Iraqi Desertion Rate Exceeds 80% ¤ Bush’s $417 billion bill beats Cold War average spending ¤ Oil attacks hurt Iraq 'badly' ¤ Venezuelan slams the U.S. on asylum ¤ Close, but Bush will win ¤ Iraq test for Russia ¤ 25 things we now know three years after 9/11 ¤ Iraqi civilians killed in mortar attack ¤ Dozens killed, wounded in Sadr City clashes ¤ Between Venezuela and Nothingland ¤ Hundreds of Thousands March Against Bush, War ¤ Hear the Wounded U.S. Lion Roar ¤ USA Basketball in Black and White! ¤ A Long History: Israeli Espionage Against the US ¤ RNC Protest 8.29.04 NYC ¤ Oops, We'll Do It Again? ¤ 'That Real Old Stuff' ¤ Neocon vs. neocon ¤ Huge protest against Bush on eve of party meeting ¤ Chechens vote in 'farcical' election ¤ Reports Shine Hot Lights On Military Mistakes ¤ The prison built on fear ¤ The neo-cons give Iran the Iraq treatment ¤ Civilian airplanes shut down by air-defense missiles ¤ Why has Shabalkin been quiet? ¤ On Another Round Of Illegitimate Elections In Chechnya ¤ An attack on the U.S. economy ¤ The Truth About War ¤ Documents Helped Sow Abuse, Army Report Finds ¤ 16 killed in held Kashmir ¤ South African arms dealer faces death over failed coup ¤ 25 killed in two Afghan blasts ¤ Israeli historian documents 24 cases of mass murder by zionists ¤ The Cradle of Devastation Flashback ¤ The Path To War Flashback ¤ Iraq: The Trail of Disinformation ¤ Israel to US: Now for Iran ¤ False Terrorist Warnings: Like Rumors of The Second Coming ¤ Photos From NYC Protest ¤ France begins hostage release talks Chávez’ victory with 5,800,629 votes or 59.25% Posted: Sunday, August 29, 2004 Between Venezuela and Nothingland Strange dictator this Hugo Chávez. Masochistic and suicidal: he created a Constitution that permits the people to throw him out, and he risked this occurring in a recall referendum. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela's Election Authority Announces Final Recall Referendum Results Yesterday, in an address to the nation, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced the final results for the August 15th recall referendum. Having counted the approximately 1.4 million manual votes, and conducted an audit initially commissioned by the Venezuelan opposition—in which it later declined to participate in—the CNE declared Chávez’ victory with 5,800,629 votes or 59.25% against his recall, to 3,989,008 votes or 40.74% in favour of the recall. In the final count, 9,789,637 Venezuelans turned out to vote despite waiting times of up to 12 hours in many cases, at an abstention rate of 70%. Abstention rates in Venezuela throughout the 1990s hovered around 40% or higher. In the months leading up to the referendum between 2 and 3 million new voters were registered (people who had never received citizenship identification, and naturalized foreigners). The combination resulted in a historic level of participation. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Latest News Posted: Sunday, August 29, 2004 ¤ Anti-Bush Protesters March in New York ¤ Demonstrators walk past Madison Square Garden ¤ Massive anti-Bush rally in New York ¤ NYC marchers condemn Bush ¤ Fresh scrutiny on a rogue Pentagon operation. ¤ Uncle Sam Hides More And More From Americans ¤ IRAQ: Gripped by an uprising the US can't defeat ¤ Why Americans Will Believe Almost Anything ¤ Chavez blasts critics over vote ¤ Car bomb kills 7 at U.S. security firm in Kabul ¤ 'No more years!' chant Bush foes ¤ 17 killed in Kabul blasts, including 2 Americans ¤ Explosion Kills 7 at U.S. Firm in Kabul ¤ Ex-head of BBC says Tony Blair lied ¤ U.S. loses favor with British ¤ White Supremacist Love Connection ¤ 'Deserter's delight' ¤ Many dead in huge Afghan explosion ¤ Money to burn / The government tallies the misspending in Iraq ¤ The Unseen Cost of War: American Minds ¤ Internment Chic ¤ Rebel Cleric May Have Emerged the Winner ¤ Mayhem fears as protesters target Bush ¤ When the price is right ¤ How Blair double-crossed me, by Greg Dyke ¤ Bush Hails His Actions on Intelligence ¤ 'Black widows' link to air crashes ¤ Olympic gold hero accuses Bush ¤ Faltering Bush plays terror card ¤ Britain dragged into coup plot as rumours swirl over London meeting ¤ Australians to vote in Oct. 9 cliff-hanger ¤ How new Africa made fools of the white mischief-makers ¤ Mother of dead soldier takes on Tony Blair ¤ Why this election may be decided by the Supreme Court again Flashback ¤ Scott Ritter on Israel's nuclear policy ¤ Neo-Cons, Israel and the Bush Administration ¤ Nepalese hostages shown saying US “lies” brought them to Iraq ¤ CIA ‘poisoned’ Iraq prison: Army ¤ Shia clerics deny opposing resistance ¤ Tense Chechnya votes ¤ Death in Iraq Leaves a Mother to Grieve, and to Rage ¤ Bodies out of sight, out of mind ¤ Howard tells Bush: I don't care if you won't see me ¤ Still Unreported: The Pay-Off In Bush Air Guard Fix ¤ The Clash Thesis: A Failing Ideology? ¤ Delegates, Protesters Descend on New York ¤ Dyke: Blair's world of 'lies and bullying' ¤ Eight little-known statistics ¤ Venezuela envoy to leave Panama ¤ Dyke: Blair tried to gag BBC war reports How new Africa made fools of the white mischief-makers Posted: Sunday, August 29, 2004 The days when white mercenaries could walk into small African countries and take them over appear to be gone. The coup plot against Equatorial Guinea, with its cast of old Etonians, adventurers and shady money men, failed because of its leaders' incompetence - and because of a new spirit of co-operation among Africans By Raymond Whitaker and Paul Lashmar "Things have changed in Africa over the past few years," said a friend of Simon Mann, the old Etonian now awaiting sentence in Zimbabwe for attempting to buy arms illegally. "The days are gone when you could recruit a bunch of moustaches, load up some ammunition and take over a country - especially if you are a white man." Mr Mann says the weapons were for a mine security operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Zimbabweans and others say they were for a coup in the oil-rich state of Equatorial Guinea. But the truth of his friend's words are evident as the 51-year-old former SAS officer sits in Chikurubi prison near Harare, facing a heavy sentence at his next hearing on 10 September. Full Article : independent.co.uk Kissinger backed dirty war against left in Argentina Posted: Saturday, August 28, 2004 Henry Kissinger gave Argentina's military junta the green light to suppress political opposition at the start of the "dirty war" in 1976, telling the country's foreign minister: "If there are things that have to be done, you should do them quickly," according to newly-declassified documents published yesterday. Kissinger knew of Argentine dictators' repression: US documents Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, shown here in February 2004, did not try to stop Argentine military dictators from violating human rights in 1976, according to newly declassified US documents. State department documents show the former secretary of state urged Argentina to crush the opposition just months after it seized power and before the US Congress convened to consider sanctions. "We won't cause you unnecessary difficulties. If you can finish before Congress gets back, the better," Mr Kissinger told Admiral Cesar Augusto Guzzetti, the foreign minister, according to the State Department's transcript. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Latest News Posted: Saturday, August 28, 2004 ¤ Allawi and the US have been Weakened ¤ An Israeli Spy in the Pentagon? Why Would They Bother? ¤ Media Declares War on Anti-War Protests ¤ FBI probes DOD office ¤ Bush's lies cause untold pain ¤ New Wave of Violence Kills 5 in Baghdad ¤ Several killed in al-Sadr City clashes ¤ Baquba attack kills six Iraqi policemen ¤ Hicks tells of '10 hours of hell' ¤ Avoid anti-US talk, Chavez told ¤ Reflections of a Torture Survivor ¤ 'Keep them standing,' Marine says he was told ¤ Israel's W.Bank barrier like apartheid ¤ New super strain of coca plant stuns anti-drug officials ¤ Six hurt in anti-US protests in held Kashmir ¤ A Reverse Cold War ¤ From Vietnam to Iraq: Pretext and precedent ¤ Swift Intelligent Smokescreen ¤ A Waste of Blood ¤ FBI looks at Pentagon worker in Israel spy probe ¤ Israeli agents jailed in NZ over spy case ¤ Pentagon aide 'spied for Israel' ¤ An uneasy peace reigns. Now Iraqis count the cost ¤ Two killed in Baghdad attacks ¤ 'Don't forget in Najaf they're slaughtering innocents ¤ Civilians killed as US bombs Falluja ¤ Mining the Matrix ¤ Two Turkish hostages shot dead in Iraq ¤ Powell echoes Bush on Iraq errors ¤ Israeli soldiers held for Palestinian killing ¤ Row breaks out on Kissinger's 'advice' to military junta ¤ Kissinger backed dirty war against left in Argentina ¤ Suicide bombs and rebel attacks as disillusioned Chechnya votes ¤ 'US aims to paralyse Islam, seize oil' ¤ From Inside Skeptic To Public Dissident ¤ 'King George II' faces the rebels ¤ 25 charred bodies found from Sadr court ¤ Dirty tricks ¤ The FBI investigation ¤ Cuba cuts relations with Panama ¤ Venezuela withdraws ambassador from Panama ¤ Powell Cancels Athens Visit Amid Protests ¤ Frontier Justice ¤ Are military truckers expendable in the war in Iraq? ¤ Cynical Presidential Candidates Latest News Posted: Friday, August 27, 2004 ¤ 'Coup bid ringleader' Briton found guilty ¤ Russia Blames Terrorism for Downed Plane ¤ The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib ¤ Palestinian Political Prisoners ¤ African Union Force Seen as Main Hope for Darfur ¤ East Timor, Australia fight for riches beneath the sea ¤ Twelve U.S. Soldiers Wounded In Multiple Baghdad Hand-grenade Attacks ¤ Pardoned Trio Returns to U.S. ¤ The Pen and the Sword in Venezuela ¤ Beyond Hero-Worship ¤ Stop Talking About Vietnam and Start Talking About Iraq ¤ Sexed-up Reports, Pressure on the UN ... Here We Go Again ¤ Sexed-up Reports, Pressure on the UN ... Here We Go Again ¤ Americans Need to Connect the Dots ¤ Hey Big Media, Connect the Dots ¤ What Venezuela's Opposition Does Not Understand ¤ 'The real issue: Bush is incompetent' ¤ Cry havoc ¤ Bodies of Turkish captives found in Iraq ¤ 'Why did you bring us? This is a slaughter' ¤ Thatcher family had bags packed ready to flee to US ¤ It's time to bring Najaf back home ¤ America's problem ¤ Charges Unlikely for Dad of Dead Marine ¤ The planet goes haywire ¤ MI6 involved in Balkan spy plot, says Croatian paper ¤ Sadr orders fighters to lay down arms ¤ Bush Admits Iraq 'Miscalculations' - NY Times ¤ CIA Spurned Prison Rules, Report Says ¤ Chaotic prison always on the brink ¤ Anger at Kremlin refusal to blame air crashes on terror ¤ Faulty black boxes deepen mystery ¤ Alliances and the American election ¤ High crimes and misdemeanours ¤ Military Ignores Justice Again ¤ Media protest after journalists seized ¤ Public Remains Poorly Informed On Reasons for War ¤ Iraq is now more dangerous to the US than when they went to war ¤ Bush Campaign Refused to Pull Olympic Ad ¤ The abuse of power ¤ Applying the Geneva Convention ¤ Thatcher: the net tightens ¤ UN condemns Israel's use of Palestine school as detention center ¤ U.S. Denies Role in Cuban Exiles' Pardon ¤ Liberal MP has no apology for calling U.S. missile defence supporters idiots ¤ Poverty in the U.S. climbs for third year ¤ Bush Tries to Hide Poverty Numbers ¤ Zionist Neocon Timeline For War Flashback ¤ Land of the What? ¤ Japan's UN ambitions legally unfounded ¤ The future of the USA? ¤ 2004 Iraq deaths now exceed 2003 deaths ¤ Thai troops start pull-out from Iraq ¤ Physical attacks on journalists worldwide have increased ¤ Made in Iraq: the new antiwar veteran ¤ Guantanamo abuses amount to war crimes ¤ Kerry’s ‘unwavering’ Commitment To Israel ¤ US intelligence tortures and abuses Iraqi children ¤ Israel seeks to deport UK journalist ¤ Group kills Italian journalist in Iraq ¤ Najaf standoff ends ¤ 74 dead, 300 wounded. Sistani Arrives in Najaf ¤ Out with American self-censorship ¤ US troops abused my son: Terry Hicks ¤ ‘Albright ashamed of Bush’s Iraq policy’ ¤ Discover U.S. finger prints in Darfur! Latest News Posted: Thursday, August 26, 2004 ¤ Africa puts hope in Darfur talks ¤ Blindsided in Haiti ¤ Mosque attack as top cleric returns ¤ Bush is No Sun Tzu ¤ Augusto Pinochet: The Al Capone of the Southern Cone ¤ CIA Spurned Prison Rules, Report Says ¤ Ecuador OKs Brazil Oil Drilling ¤ New Spotlight on Pinochet ¤ Neocons have Iran in their Sights ¤ The Big Lie Lives On ¤ A Failed Presidency ¤ Putin's hands on the oil pumps ¤ US Launches Biggest Offensive On Fallujah Yet ¤ Iraq war cost in New Yorkers' faces ¤ Gandhi proposes new Palestinian resistance ¤ Israeli assassination attempt fails ¤ 27 killed in Kufa mosque attack ¤ Twin Kufa attack kills many marchers ¤ Mark Thatcher faces court showdown over coup plot ¤ Thatcher and a very African coup ¤ Oil rich, dirt poor ¤ Soldiers arrested after Iraqi beaten and drowned ¤ Darfur's War of Definitions ¤ Man Sets Van, Himself on Fire after hearing son is killed in Iraq ¤ Clock in New York's Times Square Counts War Cost ¤ Rumsfeld’s Panel Says ‘Don’t Punish Rumsfeld’ for Abu Ghraib ¤ Alliances and the American election ¤ Saboteurs Attack About 20 Iraq Pipelines ¤ Auditor Criticizes Iraq Contract Oversight ¤ Corruption gives impunity to Afghanistan's drug lords Navigating Chávez's Venezuela Posted: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias is a force for change in Latin America; he could be a friend of the USA There are good reasons why the United States should pay attention to what happens in Venezuela and why its referendum Sunday, enabling President Hugo Chavez to remain in office, was important. The first is oil. Full Article : vheadline.com Navigating Chávez's Venezuela To understand the enigma that is Venezuela under Hugo Chávez, you have to start up high-way up in the hills, in slum neighborhoods like El Paraiso. The view from this poor Caracas barrio helps explain the rise of the ebullient former paratrooper-a small stretch of shiny skyscrapers surrounded by a sea of shacks and shantytown developments, providing a geographic reflection of the Venezuela's brutal economic inequality. At the very top of the hill stands a monument to the work of President Chávez-a government-run market that sells subsidized food to the poor. Down the road, government contractors are installing a pipeline to bring potable water to communities that frequently go for two weeks without having water delivered to their houses. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com US seeks 'coalition' to force Zimbabwe regime change Posted: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 By Basildon Peta, Southern Africa Correspondent The United States has called for the building of a "coalition of the willing" to push for regime change to end the crisis in Zimbabwe. The new American ambassador to South Africa, Jendayi Frazer, said quiet diplomacy pursued by South Africa and other African countries in its dealings with the Zimbabwe president needed a review because there was no evidence it was working. She said her country would be willing to be part of a coalition if invited. The US could not act on its own, "put the boot on the ground" and give President Robert Mugabe 48 hours to go as requested by beleaguered Zimbaweans but the US would be willing to work in a coalition with other countries to return Zimbabwe to democracy. Full Article : independent.co.uk Was overthrowing Mugabe the deal Bush and Blair made? Blair helps bush with his bogus war in Iraq, in exchange for U.S. support to overthrow the leader in Zimbabwe who is definitely no friend of Blair? Latest News Posted: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 ¤ Chavez's New Brand of Populism ¤ U.S. Strikes Insurgent Positions in Iraq ¤ Two Killed, Five Wounded In Iraq Demonstration ¤ Olympics Chiefs Want Bush Campaign to Back Off ¤ Why is Florida's voting system so corrupt? ¤ Why Bush is not so welcome in small-town America ¤ Navigating Chávez's Venezuela ¤ Venezuela Defeats the Coupmakers ¤ US seeks 'coalition' to force Zimbabwe regime change ¤ Mugabe voted history's third-greatest African ¤ Najaf bombed, al-Sistani calls for march ¤ Smell Of Burnt Flesh, Blood Smeared On Streets Of Najaf's Old City ¤ Can I Have 9.8 Seconds of Your Time? ¤ Defining and Redefining Torture ¤ Double air disaster in Russia ¤ The protesters are coming... ¤ Rumsfeld implicated in Abu Ghraib abuse by damning report ¤ A Pretext for War ¤ A dumb book defends a discredited policy ¤ The Strange Case of the Vanishing Terrorists ¤ High Prices as Policy ¤ Adolf Hitler, Jesse Owens and the Olympics Myth of 1936 Flashback ¤ The Invasion of Iraq was perhaps the most cowardly War ever ¤ Blame the terrorist behind that tree! ¤ Hooked on winning ¤ A degree in bullying and self-interest? No thanks ¤ Falluja under sustained US attack ¤ US warplanes pound Najaf ¤ US 'gave al-Qaeda a training ground' ¤ A Push for More Power at Iraqi Plant ¤ Blair drops troops plan as line softens on Darfur ¤ Elevated terror alert expected to continue ¤ America marks A first in Iraq ¤ U.S. disinformation no match for Al-Jazeera's honest reporting U.S. Black History Revisited Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 Every February I invariably hear the same thing: "Why is Black History taught in school?" My response is usually, "Isn't it obvious? The rest of history is about white people – specifically white men." The real reason to teach 'Black History' is the same for teaching any type of history: Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Florida, New Mexico, et al, are dangerously close to repeating history. And it is not recent history (the 2000 Presidential Election) to which I am necessarily referring. No, the history that I refer to is that which America all too often wishes it could forget but all too willingly reminds itself of on a regular basis. America has a racist history, ladies and gentlemen. That is an irrefutable fact. Full Article : counterbias.com Latest News Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 ¤ U.S. Black History Revisited ¤ Islamic world’s hatred of occupiers of Iraq on the rise ¤ Rumsfeld, senior Pentagon officials share blame for prisoner abuse scandal ¤ Rumsfeld faulted for 'sadistic' Iraq torture ¤ U.S. Warplanes Bomb Fallujah ¤ President Chavez Calls for National Dialogue in Venezuela ¤ Three successive attacks rattle Japanese troops in southern Iraq ¤ WALLOWING IN THE MEDIA MUDFEST ¤ The Olympics in Greece, everyone is welcome, except Bush ¤ The Bush family tradition of war profiteering ¤ Bush's games hijack leaves a very sour taste ¤ Afghanistan Down The Memory Hole ¤ Afghan President Karzai Rejects Call to Resign ¤ Black and Indian Power ¤ With Chávez?: Reading the International Private Media ¤ Denying Atrocities: From Vietnam to Fallujah ¤ What is so Radical about Iraq's Rebel Cleric? ¤ The downloading of the president '04 ¤ Brazil Probes Homeless Killings ¤ Idris in clear on Bali, and laughing ¤ Guantánamo hearings begin ¤ Russian Military: 12 Killed in Chechnya ¤ U.S. Denies Claim It Damaged Najaf Shrine ¤ The beginning of history ¤ Iraqi ministers escape assassination bombs ¤ For the grief-stricken of Iraq, burying the dead is a dangerous business ¤ What Went Wrong in Iraq ¤ An answer in Somerset ¤ The 9-11 Commission Charade ¤ CNN: 'Hijacker' Visa Found in Flight 93 Wreckage Flashback ¤ Hijacking suspect's family claims mistaken identity ¤ 54 invaders, collaborators killed in Mujahideen attack ¤ Russian justice ¤ Coalition of the Coerced ¤ Najaf: Cost outweighs gain for US ¤ The Thief of Baghdad ¤ Thank Government for the Mess We’re in ¤ Iraqi ministers escape attacks ¤ Mortars Hit Central Najaf After U.S. Attacks ¤ Abu Ghraib picture begins to fill in ¤ This just in: the factors behind newspapers' rush to contrition My 'revolution' will not hurt you, Chavez tells foes Posted: Monday, August 23, 2004 My 'revolution' will not hurt you, Chavez tells foes Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told his opponents on Sunday they should not fear his left-wing "revolution" after his referendum win and pledged to respect private wealth and fight corruption. Chavez said he would no longer deal with the opposition Democratic Coordinator coalition, which promoted the referendum challenge and now refuses to accept his win. "We cannot talk with people who don't recognize this result or the constitution ... if they want to start a rebellion in the mountains, then let them," said Chavez. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn Latest News Posted: Monday, August 23, 2004 ¤ Guantanamo's Torture Regime is a Shameful Disgrace ¤ Anti-Terrorism Tip: Quit Spying on Nonviolent Activists ¤ How the Mighty Post has Fallen ¤ Soccer: We're No Symbol of Freedom, Iraq Coach Says ¤ Anger as Bush bids to exploit Olympic games ¤ North Korea rules out new talks with US, says Bush worse than Hitler ¤ Bush a tyrant, declares Pyongyang ¤ Pinochet funds cache expands ¤ Why Israel is not a democracy ¤ Oil's slippery slope ¤ The Unraveling of Afghanistan ¤ Brave New World of Iraqi Sovereignty ¤ Libya warns against foreign intervention in Darfur crisis ¤ US aerial assault on Najaf, Sadr City ¤ Iraqi cleric slams media war coverage ¤ US rockets damage Najaf shrine wall ¤ China's view of US 'lily pad' strategy ¤ My 'revolution' will not hurt you, Chavez tells foes ¤ 14 accused of Africa's biggest mercenary plot ¤ US deal 'wrecks Middle East peace' ¤ Anger as Bush bids to exploit Olympic games ¤ Audit finds no fraud in Chávez win ¤ Wounded by friendly fire ¤ Air pollution 'masking global warming' ¤ Marine Goes on Trial in Death of Iraqi ¤ Israel announces hundreds more West Bank houses ¤ Tanks close in on sacred shrine as US launches fresh assault on Najaf ¤ Senior Muslim figures back Iraqi insurgents ¤ Iran heightens stakes in battle to control Najaf ¤ Child soldiers square up to US tanks ¤ Afghanistan probe implicated Abu Ghraib interrogators ¤ Hippocratic oath a casualty of war ¤ When the Marines make policy, Iraq burns ¤ Blair refuses accept US award ¤ A Bush "Ask the President," Stump "show" ¤ Breaking News: Watch the Crash as it Unfolds ¤ The Persistence of Bigotry ¤ Beware a rush to judgment on Iran ¤ As American deaths near the 1000 mark, the horror is covered up ¤ US gunships pound militia in Najaf; 40 killed in Kufa ¤ US fire damages wall of Najaf shrine ¤ More US soldiers face Abu Ghraib tribunal ¤ Unrest hits Bangladesh ¤ Israeli troops kill Palestinian What's behind the crisis in Darfur? Posted: Sunday, August 22, 2004 The province of Darfur in western Sudan is the newest global hot spot. All of a sudden our corporate media are full of reports by U.S. and UK-based human rights organizations alleging mass murder, rape and ethnic cleansing. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) have recently toured the region. The have called, in effect, for a "humanitarian intervention." U.S. and British imperialism, their hands still stained by Iraqi blood, are threatening to send in military troops. The situation on the ground is certainly bad. Human rights groups suggest that, over the past year, thousands of people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced in the region. But wait a minute. How can we tell if the U.S. government and the mass media are telling us the truth about Sudan, when they lied to us about Iraq? Perhaps Washington and big business have another, less obvious agenda in Sudan. The remoteness of Darfur, the small number of journalists inside the province, and the traditional Western demonization of the Sudan and Arabs generally — all these factors color mainstream news reports about the situation and should give us pause. A better understanding of the crisis in Darfur requires an objective overview of the situation in the country and the region. It also requires looking at Washing-ton’s imperial ambitions in the world today. Full Article : pww.org Check out AfricaSpeaks.com Sudan's Crisis page at: www.africaspeaks.com/articles/2004/sudan.html Ancient pest crunches through Africa's food Posted: Sunday, August 22, 2004 A plague of Biblical proportions threatens to decimate the fragile agricultural communities of west Africa. The culprit is a six-legged munching machine called Schistocerca gregaria, otherwise known as the desert locust. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome has warned repeatedly that not enough is being done to contain the immense swarms of locusts that are eating their way through vast swathes of food crops stretching from Mauritania in the west to as far as Chad in the east. Swarms up to 40km long and containing billions of insects have been sighted in southern Mauritania, northern Senegal, Mali and Niger. The FAO said there is a high risk of them spreading to Bukina Faso and the troubled Darfur region of western Sudan. The FAO said that the situation is getting worse by the day as a series of prolonged rains have helped the locusts to breed quickly and go through four generations in quick succession. Full Article : iol.co.za Latest News Posted: Sunday, August 22, 2004 ¤ What’s behind the crisis in Darfur? ¤ The strange twists of U.S. refugee policy ¤ Conspiracy, or Stupidity? ¤ Empire of the 21st century ¤ Violence erupts in Bangladesh as government denies involvement in blasts ¤ Car bomb explodes in north Iraq ¤ Bus explosion in Jerusalem "mechanical problem" ¤ Again: Israel-& US-Admin Involved In Sudan Conflict? ¤ Zionist sources: 10,000 army deserters last year ¤ IRAQI DESERTION RATE EXCEEDS 80% ¤ Parade of Nations, Parade of Ignorance ¤ 'Trying to gauge the 'Fox Factor'' ¤ Audit of Referendum Vote Shows no Discrepancies ¤ Carter Center Report on the Venezuelan Recall Referendum ¤ Five US soldiers die in 24 hours ¤ Talks stall as fighting rages in Najaf ¤ Oil Cost, Anxiety Are Both Rising ¤ Besieged Al-Sadr keeps grip on shrine ¤ U.S. Forces Kill Three Afghan Civilians ¤ Bomb attack kills 12 at Bangladesh rally ¤ Bush is 'exploiting 9/11 for re-election' ¤ Bombed from the air, surrounded on the ground Flashback ¤ The Zionists and Torture in Iraq ¤ An exposé of dishonest media coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict ¤ Who attacked America? ¤ A nation of prisoners ¤ Non-aligned states want sanctions on Israel ¤ Two bombs explode in Spain ¤ Two French Reporters Missing In Iraq ¤ 10 Killed by Bombs at Bangladesh Rally ¤ US warplanes pound Najaf ¤ Dhaka blasts toll rises ¤ Rights group slams Guantanamo trials ¤ Najaf erupts as US death toll tops 600 ¤ A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Venezuelan audit confirms victory Posted: Saturday, August 21, 2004 Venezuela's electoral authorities say an audit of the vote on President Hugo Chavez's rule found no proof of fraud. "The results of the audit were very positive... allowing us to turn the page," said National Electoral Council director Jorge Rodriguez. Mr Chavez won 59% of the vote in the 15 August poll, sparking claims of vote-rigging from the opposition, who refused to take part in the review. It is the third time that international observers have endorsed the result. The audit was carried out by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council and international observers from the Carter Center and the Organization of American States (OAS). Full Article : bbc.co.uk Latest News Posted: Saturday, August 21, 2004 ¤ Moral Cowardice, as Practiced by Experts ¤ A Democracy of Killings and Bombings ¤ A Taste of Reality from Baghdad ¤ 9/11, Fear and the Selling of American Empire Flashback ¤ U.S. economy, oil contracts & war ¤ Polish soldier killed, six hurt in Iraq car bomb attack ¤ Scores killed in Bangladesh blast ¤ Killing goes on despite claims that siege is over ¤ Nervous in Najaf ¤ 77 Iraqis Reported Killed in Najaf Fighting ¤ 2 Marines killed in action; 1 GI dies in ambush near Baghdad ¤ The Warlords of America ¤ 'Staggering Amount' of Cash Missing in Iraq ¤ Maoists tighten grip on Kathmandu ¤ Confusion reigning in Najaf ¤ Vote of no-confidence for national meet ¤ Idema: Trigger-happy and troublesome ¤ Halliburton Contracts Balloon ¤ Halliburton: Designer of the real Manchurian candidate? ¤ Weapons of Minimum Destruction ¤ US news media admits promoting lies about Iraq's WMD ¤ Sinking in Their Own Sea of Lies ¤ Iraqi Olympians denounce 'criminal' Bush ¤ Darfuris made pawns in Western power play for oil? pt II ¤ Aggression may not work ¤ Drugged under occupation ¤ All eyes on Iraq as oil price nears $50 ¤ Chavez Urges Foes to Accept Defeat, Scoffs at Fraud ¤ Iraqi civilians killed in latest attacks ¤ Most in US still believe Iraq had WMDs ¤ Al-Sadr men remain in Imam Ali mosque ¤ Aljazeera ban: Iraq silences the messenger Latest News Posted: Friday, August 20, 2004 ¤ The Return of Racial Profiling ¤ Docu calls WMDs a big neo-con job ¤ Maxine Gentle's letter to Tony Blair ¤ Voting While Black ¤ Iran: The babble and the bomb ¤ Venezuela audit 'confirms' result ¤ Opposition rejects audit of Chávez recall vote ¤ Testimonial from the Ground in Venezuela ¤ America's Disease is Greed ¤ US unleashes new anti-Taliban weapon: charm ¤ Najaf faces final assault ¤ Residents lament Sadr City's 'pointless battle' ¤ Balancing the risks in holy Najaf ¤ Abu Ghraib doctors knew of torture, says Lancet report ¤ Rebels Explode Two Bombs in Katmandu ¤ Colombia's oil pipeline is paid for in blood and dollars ¤ How the Media Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Rumsfeld ¤ U.S. Poll Firm in Hot Water in Venezuela ¤ The Chávez Victory: A Blow to the Bush Administration ¤ Chavez Victory: Defeat for Bush Policy ¤ Despite superior firepower, U.S. loses ground to al-Sadr's militia ¤ The Washington Post still doesn’t get it. ¤ Rebels' threat sends oil prices surging ¤ Five killed as US bombs Falluja ¤ US audit: Iraq scammed of $8.8 billion ¤ Iraqi oil company torched in Basra ¤ Explosions near Najaf's Imam Ali mosque Final Notes from Caracas Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2004 President Jimmy Carter: Venezuela Election Trip Report, Aug 13-18, 2004 By Jimmy Carter, 19 Aug 2004 In the Minds of the Rich, the Venezuela Poor Aren't Even Members of Society...Guess Who's Laughing Now By Diane Barahona Then there is the wonder of the red brick shantytowns clinging precariously to the hillsides in and around Caracas. They say that Chavez gave the people the bricks to solidify these improvised homes, which sprang up as people from around the country gave up on the impoverishment of rural life and migrated to the big city looking for work. Chavez granted land titles to these people, who make up a large part of the 6 million inhabitants of Caracas -- nearly 25% of the population of the country. He also gave them paved roads, free running water, telephone lines, and electricity at about $1.00 a month. I know because I went to one of these neighborhoods and asked them. The elites are terrified of these folks, and extremely put out that the shanty dwellers would not only be taken into account by the government, but that they represent a permanent army encamped around the city, ready to march down from the hills at any time and defend their revolution. I truly believe that this is the primal source of the violent, irrational hatred that the opposition has for Chavez -- his widespread support among the poor who, in the minds of the rich, are not even members of society and should not be playing any role except that of the silent worker or servant. You can't avoid hearing the phrase "participatory protagonistic democracy" which is replacing "representative democracy." Something the ruling class really fears, because it loosens the grip on power held by the economic elites. Full Article : counterpunch.org Latest News Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2004 ¤ I Lived to Tell the Tale ¤ Mohamed Atta loved pork chops, and 49 other things you may not know ¤ Al Qaeda Does Not Exist and Never Has ¤ What. A. Mess ¤ New York Crude Smashes Past 48 Dollars For First Time ¤ Heavy Fighting Rages in Baghdad Slum ¤ Mortar attack in Najaf kills 7, wounds 21 ¤ U.S. General Violated Rules with 'Satan' Speeches ¤ Pakistan serves the US heads, not tales ¤ The five-ring circus ¤ Probe clears US officers of wrongdoing ¤ US Baghdad embassy shelled ¤ Explosions near Najaf's Imam Ali mosque ¤ The Oily Parachute ¤ Final Notes from Caracas ¤ Fervant Believers in Their Own Fantasies ¤ Iraqi football players warn Bush ¤ Sharon loses crucial party vote ¤ Iraqi government threatens to storm Najaf shrine ¤ Chaos and farce as Iraq chooses first assembly ¤ US forces kill two in Iraq jail riot ¤ Iran Disquieted by Nearby U.S. Presence ¤ False claims about boat people could sink Australian leader ¤ Anti-terror police arrest 19-year-old man ¤ BBC runs into trouble with documentary on black men ¤ New Iraqi legislature voted by default ¤ GOP Congressman: War Was a Mistake ¤ What do we call the enemy? ¤ Doctor May Get Life for Violating Iraq Sanctions ¤ Bush's dubious terror alerts ¤ To Vote or Not To Vote, and For Whom? ¤ Bereuter: War in Iraq not justified ¤ Darfuris made pawns in Western power play for oil? ¤ Greek sprinters beat expulsion by walking out on the games VIVA CHAVEZ! VIVA VENEZUELA! Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2004 The Challenge of Hugo Chavez By Jack Random The referendum soundly denying a recall of President Hugo Chavez was not only a victory for the common people of Venezuela, it was the empowerment of the powerless all over the world. It was a demonstration of the power of democracy and an astonishing defeat for corporate imperialism, for the new world aristocracy, for avarice without borders, and for the self-anointed directors of a global economy. It was the stone that fell the beast. For Hugo Chavez, the road ahead will not be easy. The corporate masters have unlimited resources and the prize of Venezuelan oil is too great to be discarded but, after costly failures at military and political coups, they are compelled to change tact. What they failed to achieve by insurrection, they will attempt to achieve by corrupting the Chavez government. The president and his most trusted officials will be tempted by visions of treasure and bounty yet they will stay the cause. Now is the time for celebration. Though the war is by no means over, democracy has won a great battle. People all over the world rejoice and nations take note: There is another way. We will watch with great interest the future of Venezuela and its regional allies. We wonder how long a nation's people can be denied while its resources are siphoned away by corporate thieves. We wonder how far governments will sink into debt before they find the courage to stand with Chavez and Bolivar in defiance. For now we applaud and we pray that the vision of Simon Bolivar finds its way. Viva Chavez! Viva Venezuela! Jazz. Jack Random is the author of The War Chronicles (Jazzman Chronicles, Crow Dog Press) and Ghost Dance Insurrection (Dry Bones Press). His commentaries have been published by CounterPunch, Albion Monitor, FirstPeoplesCentury, Trinicenter, Global Research, Matrix Masters, IndyMedia and Dissident Voice. The War Chronicles is available at City Lights SF and Amazon.com. Contact via: www.jackrandom.com. Marcus Garvey and the age of terror Posted: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Marcus Garvey, Jamaica's first National Hero, made an observation in the early 20th century as relevant today as it was then, about the terror that accompanied the colonial process. Garvey wrote in poetic form: "They (the colonialists), have stolen, murdered, on their way here, Leaving desolation and waste everywhere; Now they boastingly tell what they have done, Seeing not the bloody crown they have won." The "they" that Marcus Garvey spoke of were the "great men" of colonial exploits regaled by venal historians, but such was Garvey's insight that it may well apply to the modern-day crusaders and their bloody adversaries on the world stage as well as our own home-grown terrorists, engulfed in an orgy of murderous mayhem. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com Latest News Posted: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 ¤ How to steal Sudanese oil while pretending to be a "humanitarian" ¤ De facto dictatorship USA ¤ Venezuela's Referendum Should Be a Wake-Up Call for the U.S. ¤ Enough Imperial Crusades ¤ An Electoral Dien Bien Phu for Bush ¤ Israel and the American Elections ¤ US hopes to establish "friendly militias" for the world's "ungoverned areas" ¤ Aristide Foe's Murder Acquittal Decried as Sham ¤ Twisting the law on interrogating detainees ¤ Pakistan turns on itself ¤ Venezuela, America's anti-universe ¤ Venezuela Opposition Refuses Recall Audit ¤ U.S. welcomes 'an important end' to crisis ¥ Sure ¤ Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu U.S. Interview ¤ Americans running private 'war on terror' allege cover-up ¤ US to move military bases closer to Russian borders ¤ Battling the truth Cartoon ¤ US suspends Halliburton decision ¤ The American-Israeli settlements dance cannot continue ¤ Living with the danger of politicized terrorism ¤ Calling the shots in Najaf ¤ US Accounts for Global Surge in Military Spending ¤ Sudan puts pressure on charity after lynching of worker ¤ IDF assassination bid in Gaza kills 5 ¤ U.S. doesn't condemn Israel for new settlement tenders ¤ Enough of the winking ¤ An occupier’s nightmare ¤ Firm quits Iraq for staff's release ¤ Several killed in Gaza missile strike ¤ US soldier sues Rumsfeld on Iraq policy ¤ Iraqi vote postponed amid protests ¤ More deaths as delegation quits Najaf ¤ British soldier killed in Basra ¤ US army to prune Halliburton bills ¤ Sharon orders 1,000 homes in West Bank ¤ Venezuela to Hold Partial Audit of Recall ¤ Upset at Haiti acquittal Opposition Refuses Results Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Venezuela, America's anti-universe Hugo Chavez, a war veteran, wears civilian clothes while his US counterpart, George W Bush, who evaded a war he supported, cannot appear often enough in a military uniform. Chavez raised taxes to pay down Venezuela's debt, while Bush regards taxing billionaires as something close to unconstitutional. Quantum physicists have a name for what we see here: parallel universes. - Ian Williams Full Article : atimes.com Venezuela Opposition Refuses Recall Audit Venezuela Opposition Leaders Refuse to Participate in Audit of Failed Referendum to Oust Chavez Full Article : abcnews.go.com Chavez Wins Big and the Opposition Refuses to Recognize the Obvious If one were to believe the opposition, the Chavez government just committed the largest fraud in history, with the help of the Carter Center and the OAS. The only "evidence" the opposition has are exit polls, whose accuracy has not been established. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com An irrational bunch of dishonest, whisky-drinking sifrinos and aprovechadores Viva Venezuela! The Coordinadora Democratica (CD) said that it will not accept the referendum results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE). The CD is a group of mostly-US-financed, active (and sometimes radical) anti-Chavez organizations … all with only one thing in common: They hate Chavez and they want to "get rid of him." Wow! What a surprise! They do not accept the results! Full Article : trinicenter.com Latest News Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 ¤ Oiling welfare's wheels ¤ Midnight Trial Acquits Ex-Haitian Paramilitary Leader ¤ Iraqi officers threaten reporters ¤ Al-Sadr rebuffs Iraqi truce delegates ¤ Dafuris Made Pawns in Western Power Play for Oil? ¤ The Meaning of Venezuela ¤ Proxy Soldiers in Bush's War ¤ NBC Said To Have Mounted Media Ploy To 'Prove' Security Lapses ¤ CIA-backed opposition suffers defeat in Venezuelan referendum ¤ Mistake jeopardizes FBI sting ¤ Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian boy ¤ Iraqi-Americans demand elections in Iraq ¤ Votes for Chávez Amid Cries of Foul Play ¤ Brain Dead, Made of Money, No Future at All ¤ U.S. logic hard to follow ¤ Geopolitics in Iraq an old game ¤ Iraqi vote postponed amid protests ¤ Several dead in Baghdad blast ¤ Chavez Wins Big, Opposition Refuses to Recognize the Obvious ¤ Death and destruction across the divide ¤ The Slave Mentality ¤ Bush’s Venezuelagate ¤ INTERVENTIONISM LEADS TO WAR ¤ Crying Wolf in the War Against Terror ¤ 57-year-old veteran called for duty ¤ President Chavez celebrates crushing referendum victory ¤ City of defiance ¤ Howard lied to voters, says aide ¤ International Observers Ratify Chávez's Triumph in Referendum ¤ Fresh fighting in Najaf ahead of peace talks ¤ Iraqi 'human shields' flock to Najaf ¤ Najaf fighting claims three US soldiers ¤ The killing of Muslims in the name of "freedom and democracy". Why He Crushed the Oligarchs Posted: Monday, August 16, 2004 The Importance of Hugo Chávez By Tariq Ali The turn-out in Venezuela last Sunday was huge. 94.9 percent of the electorate voted in the recall referendum. Venezuela, under its new Constitution, permitted the right of the citizens to recall a President before s/he had completed their term of office. No Western democracy enshrines this right in a written or unwritten constitution. Chavez' victory will have repercussions beyond the borders of Venezuela. It is a triumph of the poor against the rich and it is a lesson that Lula in Brazil and Kirchner in Argentina should study closely. It was Fidel Castro, not Carter, whose advice to go ahead with the referendum was crucial. Chavez put his trust in the people by empowering them and they responded generously. The opposition will only discredit itself further by challenging the results. Full Article : trinicenter.com Venezuela's Chavez Triumphant Posted: Monday, August 16, 2004 History Making Democracy in Latin America By: Sharmini Peries, www.venezuelanalysis.com President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, first elected in 1998 made democratic history today in a triumphant defeat of the recall referendum on his Presidency. The very Constitution that he championed in 1999, that re-elected him in 2000, allows for a mid-term recall referendum for the President’s term in office. After six years in office, in this recall referendum held on Sunday, August 15th, Chavez lead with a 58% majority. Voters clearly exercised their constitutional right to confirm the President in a historic referenda process, never practiced in the history of this hemisphere. Under the watchful eyes of over six hundred international observers and media scattered throughout the country, a majority of Venezuelan’s prevented their president from being ousted by a coalition opposition led by Accion Democratica (AD) and the Christian Democrats (COPEI), both parties representing the moderate and ultra right. Renowned international election observer delegations from the Carter Center, Organization of American States (OAS), and European Parliamentarians hailed the referendum process as free and fair. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Thousands Gather Outside Venezuelan Presidential Palace for Chavez Victory Speech Outside the presidential palace, thousands listened to President Hugo Chavez’ victory speech shortly after the country’s only electoral authority (CNE) announced the preliminary results of the presidential referendum which show that a majority of Venezuelans voted to keep Chavez as President of Venezuela. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Crude Oil Declines After Chavez Wins Recall Vote Posted: Monday, August 16, 2004 Crude Oil Declines From Record After Chavez Wins Recall Vote Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures fell from records after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a referendum that might have removed him from office. The motion to recall Chavez was rejected by 58 percent of voters, based on 94.5 percent of the ballots counted, the National Electoral Council said. Oil had risen earlier to records on concern that supply might be disrupted in Venezuela, the fourth-largest exporter to the U.S., because of violence surrounding the vote. "He's won the referendum, the oil market is moving lower, which is a move that should be expected on this news," said Paul Goodhew, a broker at GNI/Man Financial in London. Full Article : bloomberg.com Venezuela and Chavez's Victory Posted: Monday, August 16, 2004 Why Venezuela has Voted Again for Their 'Negro e Indio' President by Greg Palast Jimmy Carter corroborates President Hugo Chavez Frias as clear winner in RR Former US president Jimmy Carter has corroborated preliminary figures issued just after 4:00 a.m. this morning which show President Hugo Chavez Frias as the clear winner in Sundays' recall referendum on his rule. Carter told a news conference "our findings coincide with the partial returns announced today by the National Elections Council." On the same platform, Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Cesar Gaviria said that "observers have not found any element of fraud in the process." According to those results, 58.2% of voters voted NO to a question on whether President Hugo Chavez Frias (50) should end his mandate ... 42% voted SI (Yes). "Until elements of fraud emerge we are not going put the results in doubt," said Gaviria. "If the opposition has a serious concern, we are willing to work with them ... but not to put the results in doubt." Full Article : vheadline.com Venezuela's Chavez Triumphant History Making Democracy in Latin America By: Sharmini Peries, www.venezuelanalysis.com President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, first elected in 1998 made democratic history today in a triumphant defeat of the recall referendum on his Presidency. The very Constitution that he championed in 1999, that re-elected him in 2000, allows for a mid-term recall referendum for the President’s term in office. After six years in office, in this recall referendum held on Sunday, August 15th, Chavez lead with a 58% majority. Voters clearly exercised their constitutional right to confirm the President in a historic referenda process, never practiced in the history of this hemisphere. Under the watchful eyes of over six hundred international observers and media scattered throughout the country, a majority of Venezuelan’s prevented their president from being ousted by a coalition opposition led by Accion Democratica (AD) and the Christian Democrats (COPEI), both parties representing the moderate and ultra right. Renowned international election observer delegations from the Carter Center, Organization of American States (OAS), and European Parliamentarians hailed the referendum process as free and fair. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Thousands Gather Outside Venezuelan Presidential Palace for Chavez Victory Speech Outside the presidential palace, thousands listened to President Hugo Chavez’ victory speech shortly after the country’s only electoral authority (CNE) announced the preliminary results of the presidential referendum which show that a majority of Venezuelans voted to keep Chavez as President of Venezuela. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Crude Oil Declines From Record After Chavez Wins Recall Vote Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures fell from records after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a referendum that might have removed him from office. The motion to recall Chavez was rejected by 58 percent of voters, based on 94.5 percent of the ballots counted, the National Electoral Council said. Oil had risen earlier to records on concern that supply might be disrupted in Venezuela, the fourth-largest exporter to the U.S., because of violence surrounding the vote. "He's won the referendum, the oil market is moving lower, which is a move that should be expected on this news," said Paul Goodhew, a broker at GNI/Man Financial in London. Full Article : bloomberg.com Chavez Frias wins with 4,991,483 votes (58.2%) President Hugo Chavez has claimed a "victory for the Venezuelan people" after the release of results indicating he won a referendum on his rule. Officials from the National Electoral Council said that, with 94% of ballots counted, Mr Chavez had 58% of the vote. Full Article : bbc.co.uk ¤ Venezuela's Chavez Wins Recall Vote ¤ Chavez wins referendum ¤ Chávez claims victory in Venezuela vote ¤ US nervous about Chavez ¤ UK's Independent Newspaper Falsifies Venezuela Election Results ¤ Venezuela's Opposition Resorts to Phony Exit Polls ¤ Venezuelan Election Officials Say Recall Failed ¤ Crude Oil Declines From Record After Chavez Wins Recall Vote ¤ Oil prices ease on Chavez news ¤ Venezuela's Barrio Voting Centers Overloaded with Voters ¤ Massive turnout as Venezuela goes to polls ¤ Marathon vote ends in Venezuela ¤ Recall Results Delayed by Unprecedented High Voter Turnout ¤ Venezuela Election Officials Denounce Fake Information Latest News Posted: Monday, August 16, 2004  Photo credited to AFP Look out! On 15 August I am going to hit [a home run] so hard that it will land in the gardens of the White House - Hugo Chavez, speaking during Alo Presidente, 1 August 2004 ¤ Chavez celebrates victory ¤ Crushes Opposition in Referendum ¤ Why He Crushed the Oligarchs ¤ Why Venezuela has Voted Again for Their 'Negro e Indio' President ¤ Support for Chavez Unwavering in Slums of Venezuelan Capital ¤ Chavez Survives Recall, Observers Dismiss Fraud ¤ Venezuelans Vote to Keep Chavez in Office ¤ Venezuela's Chavez Wins Recall Vote ¤ Chavez wins referendum ¤ Chávez claims victory in Venezuela vote ¤ US nervous about Chavez ¤ UK's Independent Newspaper Falsifies Venezuela Election Results ¤ Venezuela’s Opposition Resorts to Phony Exit Polls ¤ Venezuelan Election Officials Say Recall Failed ¤ Crude Oil Declines From Record After Chavez Wins Recall Vote ¤ Oil prices ease on Chavez news ¤ Venezuela's Barrio Voting Centers Overloaded with Voters ¤ Massive turnout as Venezuela goes to polls ¤ Marathon vote ends in Venezuela ¤ Venezuela Recall Results Delayed by Unprecedented High Voter Turnout ¤ Venezuela Election Officials Denounce Fake Information ¤ Saving Afghanistan from the killing fields ¤ 1.3 billion reasons to worry about oil ¤ 'The vile smell of voter suppression' ¤ Israel's pipe dream: getting oil from Iraq ¤ Police fire at reporters as US tanks roll up to shrine ¤ Family of Iraq Abuse Whistleblower Threatened ¤ Gaza: Thousands back hunger strike ¤ The Ultimate Stupidity: The Attack on Najaf ¤ Is Our Media Covering its Errors or Covering Them Up? ¤ The Perils of Consumption ¤ Bush plan to bring home troops slammed ¤ Najaf: The Silence of a Siege ¤ The Guantanamo Mock Trials ¤ Iran Through an Iraqi Mirror ¤ Violence mars run-up to Afghan election ¤ Blasts shake Iraq conference ¤ Forgive Us, Says Germany ¤ 'This is not the end of the road. It is the first step' ¤ Iraqi Conference on Election Plan Sinks Into Chaos ¤ Battle for Iraq's future ¤ Fables of the Reconstruction ¤ If You Want War, Get Used to Blood ¤ Four militants killed in Yemen attack ¤ Kipling's Back ¤ Mainstream Media Complicit in March to War ¤ War Party Myths About Lincoln, Terrorism, and Saddam ¤ End the lies: Howard must go! ¤ Palestinians: 2 Killed in Gaza Air Strike by Israel ¤ Occupation troops killed in Najaf fighting ¤ US forces surround Iraq's AMS office ¤ US journalist captured in Iraq Latest News Posted: Sunday, August 15, 2004 ¤ Globalization And Racialization ¤ Venezuela Voters Turn Out in Huge Numbers ¤ Florida Raises Hurricane Death Toll to 16 ¤ Death toll rises in Baghdad attack ¤ Olympics Hit by Crisis Over Iran-Israel Contest ¤ Iranian Snubs Olympic Gold.. 'For Palestine' ¤ Tread softly in Sudan ¤ U.S./Iraq Evicts Reporters From Najaf ¤ US media says mea culpa over Iraq coverage ¤ Angry protests across Mideast ¤ WAR FOR ISRAEL ¤ Five killed in US 'defensive' action ¤ 100 desert Iraq conference ¤ Seven Government Soldiers Shot Dead In Southern Afghanistan ¤ Ukrainian Soldier Killed by Iraq Land Mine ¤ Israeli missiles fired into Gaza ¤ U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq ¤ Venezuela set for Chavez vote ¤ Chavez: Despot or champion of the poor? ¤ Venezuelans Vote Early in Referendum on Chavez Rule ¤ Greeks expel drugs scandal pair ¤ Who cares? ¤ 'After three wars we have all had enough' ¤ Venezuela Holds Referendum on President ¤ Explosions rock Najaf as talks break down ¤ Shia backlash wrecks US strategy ¤ Iraq Prime Minister Denies Iran Intervention ¤ Israeli Armed Forces Chief Trying To Trick World On Golan: Syria ¤ Rumsfeld escapes blame in 'whitewash' Abu Ghraib report ¤ The Preemptive Invasion of Iraq Was Staged in the Service of Israel ¤ Fidel Castro's speech ¤ Get ready to vote again, suckers! ¤ U.S. Halts Free Flow Of Information From Iraq: Experts ¤ Musharraf vows to crush terrorism ¤ Bomb at India Independence Parade Kills 15 ¤ Chavez Promises to Accept Official Results ¤ Venezuela 2004 is not Nicaragua 1990 ¤ London and Washington Facilitated Saddam WMD Program: Cook ¤ Mortars create chaos at Iraqi conference ¤ The elusive truth about oil reserve figures No! Posted: Saturday, August 14, 2004 Uh! Ah! Chávez No Se Va! Democracy and Venezuela By Katherine Lahey With so many missions, Bolivarian circles, and grassroots community and governmental organizations on the ground carried out by the people, it is hard to imagine how anyone could get away with calling Venezuela communist, and further, people believing it. But alas, this is the power of the fascist media who control the ideas that circulate among the people and within our societies. This is particularly true in the United States, my home country. Before I came to Venezuela, I had of course read in the mainstream media of Hugo Chavez's dictatorial tendencies, and of course had seen the ways in which the people of Venezuela were painted as agents of populace uprisings, rebellion, and instability. And, of course, I had sought and found information in the alternative press that exposed a more accurate setting of the threads of Venezuelan society; one of hope, redistribution of wealth, and 'participatory democracy', which at the time remained a vague idea in my head. Full Article : counterpunch.org Uh! Ah! Chavez is here to stay! By: Alvaro F. Fernandez, www.venezuelanalysis.com "Uh! Ah! Chavez no se va!" was everywhere last week when I visited Caracas. What I saw was a sea of red with a big white NO wherever you turned. A NO that signifies the vote against undoing Hugo Chavez' populist revolution during a referendum election that will take place this Sunday, August 15. Chavez, Venezuela's democratically elected leader, is often criticized by many—inside and outside the country—for not being, acting and speaking as the president of a large and resource-rich country should, they say. I wanted to see for myself what the Venezuelan commotion—pro and con—was all about. Believe it or not, the six little words at the beginning seem to define the latest brouhaha. Although it doesn't rhyme as in Spanish, the English translation is: Uh! Ah! Chavez is not leaving. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com The NYTs & Chavez: More than the Usual Bias Ooops, Chavez Does It Again! By Justin Podur Hugo Chavez might actually win yet another election, the recall vote scheduled for this Sunday, against the rich and the elite of Venezuela (and the United States, it seems.) So, what does the New York Times refer to this rare example of a politican who wins electorally with votes from the poor majority and who doesn't let a small group of already rich elites plunder the nation's economic wealth? "Free-Spending Chávez Could Swing Vote His Way." What a headline. Full Article : counterpunch.org Latest News Posted: Saturday, August 14, 2004 ¤ Subvert Democracy in the Name of Democracy ¤ If Chavez Wins, What Will They Try Next? ¤ The NYTs & Chavez: More than the Usual Bias ¤ Iran Fighting Proxy War Against U.S. Through Iraqi Shiites, Hizballah ¤ Iraq Halts Oil Exports from Main Pipeline ¤ Intellectual foundations of war are crumbling ¤ Bush’s Boogeyman: Scaring America for Political Gain ¤ A Time of Butterflies and Bombers ¤ Burundi says Hutus kill 159 ¤ Najaf braces for siege as talks collapse ¤ Tribal fighting kills 21 in Afghanistan ¤ Uh! Ah! Chávez No Se Va! ¤ Memory and Media Circus as Campaigning Ends... ¤ Florentino, the Devil, and the opposition ¤ Hurricane Kills at Least 15 in Florida ¤ Kerry hit by 'race card' ads ¤ The War on the Poor ¤ Echoes of Mexico City, 1968 ¤ The waiting is over, but the Olympic spirit is already broken ¤ 2m told to flee as hurricane hits Florida at 145mph ¤ Charley Causes 'Significant Loss of Life' ¤ Explosion at BP refinery pushes oil to new record ¤ Demonstrators Support Militants in Najaf ¤ Venezuela at fever pitch before crucial vote on President ¤ Iraqi oil exports decrease by half as a result of threats ¤ Is there any hope of avoiding catastrophe in Iraq? ¤ The Handwriting of John F. Kerry ¤ Indonesian Dismissals in East Timor ¤ US blinkered over Iran ties ¤ Homeland security's heavy hand ¤ Two U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq -Military ¤ Bush to announce US troop pullouts from Europe, Asia on Monday ¤ US trade deficit hits $56bn record as exports tumble ¤ Spain complains over warning shots at Gaza checkpoint ¤ Najaf officials quit in protest ¤ Georgia bloodshed on the rise ¤ Many killed in US bombing of Samarra ¤ Scores killed in Burundi rebel raid on camp ¤ Rallies slam US military assault on Najaf ¤ Uh! Ah! Chavez is here to stay! Uh! Ah! Chavez is here to stay! Posted: Saturday, August 14, 2004 By: Alvaro F. Fernandez, www.venezuelanalysis.com "Uh! Ah! Chavez no se va!" was everywhere last week when I visited Caracas. What I saw was a sea of red with a big white NO wherever you turned. A NO that signifies the vote against undoing Hugo Chavez' populist revolution during a referendum election that will take place this Sunday, August 15. Chavez, Venezuela's democratically elected leader, is often criticized by many—inside and outside the country—for not being, acting and speaking as the president of a large and resource-rich country should, they say. I wanted to see for myself what the Venezuelan commotion—pro and con—was all about. Believe it or not, the six little words at the beginning seem to define the latest brouhaha. Although it doesn't rhyme as in Spanish, the English translation is: Uh! Ah! Chavez is not leaving. And if my five day stay in Venezuela is any indication, then count on the strong possibility that the Revolution will not soon be overturned. In fact, it seems to be consolidating and growing stronger as many of the Chavez-instituted grassroots projects are starting to flower and garner tangible results. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Antidote Posted: Friday, August 13, 2004 An antidote for apathy Venezuela's president has achieved a level of grassroots participation our politicians can only dream of Increasing numbers of people, especially the young, seem disconnected from an electoral process which, they feel, does not represent them. This is part of a general cynicism about every aspect of public life. Venezuela has many problems, but this is not one of them. Its big trouble - but also its great possibility - is that it has oil; it is the fifth largest exporter. The US depends on it and thus wants control over it. But the Venezuelan government needs the oil revenue, which US multinationals (among others) siphoned off for decades, for its efforts to abolish poverty. Hugo Chávez was elected to do just that in 1998, despite almost all of the media campaigning against him. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Southern Media Follow the Lead of the North with Regard to Venezuela The objective of The Nation's coverage of the Venezuelan Referendum is to exploit their broad audience's fear by insisting on the danger of violence represented by the Bolivarian government. Win or lose. At almost a week before the presidential recall referendum, the principal media outlets of Mercosur have begun to adapt and adjust, to the campaign of the Venezuelan opposition. O Globo and Folha, of Brazil, The Mercury, of Santiago de Chile, The Observer, of Montevideo and ABC Colo, of Asuncion, Paraguay, all fall in line behind CNN. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Latest News Posted: Friday, August 13, 2004 ¤ 'A global perspective on defeating Bush' ¤ 'Unnatural acts' ¤ 'Bush's own goal' ¤ Oil Prices Hit Yet Another Record High ¤ US blinkered over Iran ties ¤ US poised for killer blow against Muqtada ¤ Pulling the Plug on Al-Jazeera...Again ¤ How Could the US Ever Be Considered a "Terrorist" State? ¤ The Referendum on Chávez is Only a Preview of Bigger Battles to Come ¤ Chavez ties with Castro trouble US ¤ Scores dead as typhoon pounds eastern China ¤ Bush Ignited This Insurgency, Not al-Sadr ¤ Pledges to Post Recall Results Before Polls Close ¤ An antidote for apathy ¤ Not All Reservists Going Willingly To Iraq, Afghanistan ¤ Inside the shrine, wounded return from bloody battle ¤ Bomb death takes British toll to 64 ¤ Florida Warns 1 Million to Flee Hurricane ¤ Lawyers unite to condemn US prison camp ¤ Grade orders investigation into BBC's finances ¤ Sudan riches go on show ¤ US Winning Najaf Battle, Losing Iraq War ¤ Official: No evidence attack is imminent ¤ Iraq's U.S appointed Prime Minister suppresses media ¤ Iraq Reconstruction: How Not To Do It ¤ Foxes in the henhouse ¤ Follies of the High and Mighty ¤ American Bar Association Calls for Independent Torture Probe ¤ 9/11 Commission’s Report Promises Unending War ¤ US bombing of Iraqi city of Kut kills 84, wounds 176: hospital ¤ U.S. dismises Sudan oil, gold claim ¤ Iraq's sovereignty called into question ¤ Bin Laden Speaks Out NB: Some strong language. ¤ Iraq Militants Claim They Seized 3 Arabs ¤ Israel starts demolition of Gaza refugee camp ¤ Sharon Furious Over Call to Close More Settlements ¤ Zionist Jews Own Wash Post and Wanted Iraq War for Israel ¤ Washington Post confesses it hid contrary reports on Iraq war ¤ Threats of Israeli gay lover made New Jersey Governor quit ¤ Typhoon in Eastern China Kills 63 ¤ Libya hosts 'informal' Darfur talks Toro! The Challenge Of Hugo Chavez Posted: Thursday, August 12, 2004 By Jack Random Hugo Chavez, the embattled leader of the Bolivarian movement and president of Venezuela, faces a referendum on his presidency this Sunday. In the balance lies the immediate and foreseeable future of democracy in Latin America. Given the revelation that the Bush administration has contracted ChoicePoint of Atlanta to gather dossiers on the citizens of Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Argentina and Venezuela, it is clear that when the president speaks of fighting for democracy it has less to do with the ideology of our founders than with the manipulation of democratic institutions as practiced in Florida 2000 (see Greg Palast, Venezuela Floridated, August 10, 2004). In April 2002, the administration failed in a thinly disguised coup directed at Chavez. In March of this year, they directed their efforts against Jean Bertrand Aristide of Haiti in a successful coup. Aristide accused the administration of forcibly removing him from office and deporting him to the Central African Republic. Secretary of State Colin Powell dismissed Aristide's account as absurd though he did not feel compelled to document that absurdity. Even in the American version, this was an intelligence operation. If Aristide's accusations were false, the record would have proven so. When all but the Congressional Black Caucus (the only mainstream political body to challenge the Florida disenfranchisement) fell silent, Hugo Chavez stepped forward. He not only accused the CIA of a coup in Haiti and an attempted coup in his own country, he issued a warning of retaliation. The threat was not as idle as one is tempted to believe. Venezuela owns ten percent of all American oil imports. With the price of oil at a record high, the Saudis have already boosted production in support of their allies in the White House. It is doubtful they can do much more. If Venezuela were to cut supply and demand fair compensation (they currently get a 16% royalty), even the anticipated capture of Osama bin Laden might not be enough to win reelection. Now that the beast of global dominance has thundered over poor little Haiti (even as it digs deeper in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates), Hugo Chavez takes his stand in the ring, taunting his monstrous nemesis: Toro! Bring it on! At the time of Aristide's deposition, Chavez was only days away from securing a Caribbean community alliance to defend the Aristide government. On the heels of failure in Afghanistan and Venezuela, in the wake of the disaster in Iraq, it is clear the administration is emboldened when it should be restrained. They will stand democracy on its head in pursuit of its stated objectives: military dominance and control of vital resources. Chavez has not only been defiant in the very face of danger, he has been phenomenally resilient. In political terms, he has risen from the dead. He has rallied the support of his people, the working poor and the disenfranchised. He has led the resistance to globalization, which is nothing more than a corporate license to exploit second and third world nations. Given the events in Haiti, the people of Venezuela and throughout the region are no longer fooled by American rhetoric. They recognize the heavy hand of central intelligence. In some ways, the opposition has made Chavez stronger than ever. If he can stand up against American-sponsored insurrection and corporate invasion, it emboldens others to stand with him. Despite the "victory" over poor and defenseless Haiti, the administration is losing the war in Latin America. We are over-extended and over-exposed. When the self-appointed hemispheric protector is more feared than any perceived enemy, the people will not rally to America's cause. Mindful of our tortured history throughout the region, they are answering the call to rally against it. Everywhere where democracy exists (Brazil, Canada, Spain, Britain, Mexico), the people have delivered the same message: No to the war, no to an American empire, no to globalization, and no to corporate rule. On Sunday, the people of Venezuela will stand up to be counted. They will not be bruised and bullied into silence. They will not be barred from the polling place. They have stood with Chavez this far and they will stand with him again. The only thing that can deny them is corruption and fraud sponsored by the enemies of democracy. I do not believe they will stand for that either. Viva Chavez! Jazz. Check out the Venezuela section at Trinicenter: hwww.trinicenter.com/world/venez.shtml Jack Random is the author of the Jazzman Chronicles, Volumes I and II (Crow Dog Press) and Ghost Dance Insurrection (Dry Bones Press). His commentaries have been published by CounterPunch, Albion Monitor, FirstPeoplesCentury, Trinicenter, Global Research, and Dissident Voice. The War Chronicles is available at City Lights SF and Amazon.com. Contact via: www.jackrandom.com Toro! Posted: Thursday, August 12, 2004 Toro! The Challenge Of Hugo Chavez Hugo Chavez, the embattled leader of the Bolivarian movement and president of Venezuela, faces a referendum on his presidency this Sunday. In the balance lies the immediate and foreseeable future of democracy in Latin America. Given the revelation that the Bush administration has contracted ChoicePoint of Atlanta to gather dossiers on the citizens of Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Argentina and Venezuela, it is clear that when the president speaks of fighting for democracy it has less to do with the ideology of our founders than with the manipulation of democratic institutions as practiced in Florida 2000 (see Greg Palast, Venezuela Floridated, August 10, 2004). Full Article : africaspeaks.com Big Test for Embattled Populist "Chavez has the votes," William Camacaro from Queens predicted yesterday as he boarded a plane at Kennedy Airport for his homeland of Venezuela. The war in Iraq may get all the press attention these days but for Camacaro and thousands of New York Latinos, this week's big story is Sunday's recall referendum in Venezuela, where voters will decide the fate of President Hugo Chavez. Not since Fidel Castro in the 1960s has Latin America produced a more controversial figure than Chavez. A charismatic former army paratrooper who won landslide elections in both 1998 and 2000, Chavez has moved ahead with a populist program to improve conditions for the 80% of Venezuelans who live in poverty. Full Article : commondreams.org All of Latin America is Watching What's a Stake in Venezuela Supporters of democracy should be watching Venezuela this weekend. Has respect for the rule of law and constitutional government truly taken root in Latin America or will traditional ruling elites and their backers in Washington bring us more of the same old "respect for the electoral process, but only if you vote the way we want" you to vote? Full Article : counterpunch.org Latest News Posted: Thursday, August 12, 2004 ¤ Toro! The Challenge Of Hugo Chavez ¤ Sudan Accuses West of Seeking Its Oil and Gold ¤ Action or sanctions ¤ Sudan Strives to Keep Darfur Pledges ¤ Stocks Decline on Surge in Oil Prices ¤ All of Latin America is Watching ¤ The Handover Fiction ¤ Israeli troops 'detain' BBC crew ¤ US forces reoccupy heart of Najaf ¤ Condemnation of Najaf assault ¤ Najaf official resigns as fighting continues ¤ Big Test for Embattled Populist ¤ CARICOM's Action on Haiti:Honor for a Few, Shame for Most ¤ Iran Summons Iraqi Envoy, Denounces Najaf Raids ¤ Evolution of the al-Qaeda brand name ¤ Bush gambles as Najaf burns ¤ Iraqi Officials Say Won't Arrest Chalabi ¤ Slaughter as US forces attack Najaf ¤ Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Kills Soldier ¤ Washington Post admits pre-Iraq 'flaws' ¤ Bush’s verbal gaffes are no longer a laughing matter. ¤ India anti-terror law to be axed ¤ Muzzling begins in Iraq ¤ War? What war? ¤ Saddam, Chalabi, and Allawi Epitomize U.S. Foreign Policy ¤ Today Iraq, tomorrow Iran ¤ An American Hiroshima ¤ US Set to 'Grin and Bear' Chavez Victory ¤ They saw no evil, heard no evil, and certainly will not speak of it ¤ Two Kinds of Competition ¤ How Far Will Bush Go? ¤ Mehdi Uprising Widens Amid Rumors of US War Crimes ¤ Train crash in Turkey kills six; 100 injured ¤ ‘Opium trade hampering democracy in Afghanistan’ ¤ Two U.S. Marines Killed in Helicopter Crash in Iraq ¤ Israeli helicopters fire into camp ¤ US and France Begin a Great Game in Africa ¤ Al-Qaeda cell 'smaller than thought' ¤ Bush: ‘I know what I’m doing’ ¤ Goss Was Once Latin America Operative ¤ US bombing of Kut kills civilians ¤ Israeli helicopters, tanks raid Rafah ¤ Civilians killed in ongoing Iraq fighting ¤ Najaf official resigns as fighting continues ¤ US and Iraqi forces launch Najaf assault ¤ Fierce battles herald full-scale assault on Najaf ¤ More British Muslims intercepted on way to join Mehdi army in Najaf ¤ The island idyll and the US occupation ¤ GIs in Iraq are asking: Why are we here? ¤ How Portland Paper Got Iraq Abuse Story (and Shocking Photos) ¤ Sadr's men wait for martyrdom ¤ Bombing That Killed 2 Palestinians Argued ¤ Washington Post Says Iraq Coverage Flawed ¤ 60-mile ant colony hits Melbourne ¤ Evidence gained by torture allowed by British judges ¤ Tourists tell of mountain crash nightmare US Support for Anti-Democratic Forces in Venezuela Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 US Support for Anti-Democratic Forces in Venezuela Recall Imagine the scandal if a foreign government had for years funneled millions of dollars to political groups in the United States in an attempt to affect the outcome of a U.S. election. Even worse, what if some of the groups that received money had been involved in a failed coup attempt against a democratically elected U.S. president? Would the U.S. public not have a right to be outraged at the attempt to manipulate our political process? Of course we would -- which is why the people of Venezuela have a right to be outraged at the U.S. government's ongoing attempts to meddle in the electoral process in Venezuela. Full Article : africaspeaks.com Will The Gang That Fixed Florida Fix the Vote in Caracas this Sunday? by Greg Palast Hugo Chavez drives George Bush crazy. Maybe it's jealousy: Unlike Mr. Bush, Chavez, in Venezuela, won his Presidency by a majority of the vote. Or maybe it's the oil: Venezuela sits atop a reserve rivaling Iraq's. And Hugo thinks the US and British oil companies that pump the crude ought to pay more than a 16% royalty to his nation for the stuff. Hey, sixteen percent isn't even acceptable as a tip at a New York diner. Full Article : africaspeaks.com Florida Fix in Caracas? Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 Will The Gang That Fixed Florida Fix the Vote in Caracas this Sunday? by Greg Palast Hugo Chavez drives George Bush crazy. Maybe it's jealousy: Unlike Mr. Bush, Chavez, in Venezuela, won his Presidency by a majority of the vote. Or maybe it's the oil: Venezuela sits atop a reserve rivaling Iraq's. And Hugo thinks the US and British oil companies that pump the crude ought to pay more than a 16% royalty to his nation for the stuff. Hey, sixteen percent isn't even acceptable as a tip at a New York diner. Full Article : africaspeaks.com US Support for Anti-Democratic Forces in Venezuela Recall Imagine the scandal if a foreign government had for years funneled millions of dollars to political groups in the United States in an attempt to affect the outcome of a U.S. election. Even worse, what if some of the groups that received money had been involved in a failed coup attempt against a democratically elected U.S. president? Would the U.S. public not have a right to be outraged at the attempt to manipulate our political process? Of course we would -- which is why the people of Venezuela have a right to be outraged at the U.S. government's ongoing attempts to meddle in the electoral process in Venezuela. Full Article : africaspeaks.com The Washington Post's Jackson Diehl Strikes Out on Venezuela Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 By Council on Hemispheric Affairs Isn't it fitting that Jackson Diehl uses a baseball metaphor in his August 2 "A Missile from the South," which savages Venezuela's President Chavez with surprising immoderacy. The author's appraisal of that country's political situation grossly "strikes out" due to its surfeit of flaws. But, in true Chavista style, Diehl's extended "rant" exemplifies the misdirected assessment that permeates some, but by no means all, media accounts, which often have heightened tension rather than enhanced comprehension of Venezuela's political complexities. By referring to Chavez' predicted referendum victory as an "incoming missile," Diehl's own inflammatory rhetoric can only worsen the explosive atmosphere existing in a country already split in half. If heeded, it is likely to cause grave damage to Washington's alarmingly strained standing throughout Latin America. Diehl's attempt to label Chavez as an ultra-leftwing populist leader distorts the Venezuelan president's commitment to reforming the country's long neglected institutions while reversing the chronic disregard for its impoverished majority. This poverty was not produced by Chavez, but has profoundly motivated him to address the nation's protracted social conflicts. Economic set-backs, exemplified by last year's opposition-orchestrated general strike, cost the country several billion dollars. But this expense is now being offset by unanticipated revenue from Venezuela's daily production of 2.9 million barrels in oil output. Nor, was it Chavez who pauperized the middle class; a series of work stoppages called by the opposition, including the infamous January 2003 strike, markedly worsened its members financial standing. Due to the country's recent oil windfall, Caracas now has been able to earmark funds to implement an estimated $1.7 billion in welfare programs targeted at the poor. Such social-spending priorities, however, will almost certainly be overturned after the August 15 referendum, if the pro-business opposition gains power. In a brazen attempt to resurrect the unpopular neoliberal policies that dominated the pre-Chavez era, the president's critics plan to "flexibilize" the current Hydrocarbons Law and auction off state-owned electric companies to the highest bidder. Although such moves will go down well in Washington, they will not in the barrios of Caracas. Diehl's failure to spell out the anti-Chavez bloc's continued controversial relationship with Washington further undermines his argument, leaving it one-sided and flawed. Chavez' foes have repeatedly petitioned the Bush Administration for both funding and guidance in their numerous attempts to thwart Venezuela's democratically-elected president. While Chavez' recent hounding of Súmate could be called an abhorrent attack on civil liberties, Diehl also should have told us that it would be patently illegal for the Venezuelan government to fund anti-Bush political groups, like Súmate, to operate here in the U.S., as Washington has financed Caracas-based anti-Chavez entities. What would the White House do if Chavez funded U.S. organizations trying to unseat the Bush administration? During the build-up to the 2002 opposition-led failed coup, Washington spent at least $4 million in semi-covert funds to assist anti-Chavez activists to overthrow the Venezuelan leader. A principal conduit for such U.S. funds has been the rightist National Endowment for Democracy, a Reagan-era backdoor financing operation which has repeatedly tinkered with democratic processes throughout the developing world, most noticeably in Haiti and Nicaragua. This partisan organization, for example, provided a $300,000 grant to the Center for Dissemination of Economic Information, an opposition-run institute headed by staunchly anti-Chavez advocate Rocio Guijarro. Diehl's failure to be even-handed in assessing blame is matched by his inability to adequately comprehend the sinuosities of Venezuela's national life and Chavez' populist strategy. By branding the Venezuelan president a friend of "dictators, demagogues, and terrorists," Diehl unashamedly spends words while misinterpreting Chavez' international agenda by linking him with rogue regimes, rather than with those seeking their own autonomous path. Moreover, Chavez eludes Diehl's caricature of the Venezuelan leader as a ranking human-rights violator, autocrat, and strong man. Instead, he's a loud-mouthed maverick who has good cause to despise the U.S. Both domestically and internationally, he is more bark than bite. Could many of Washington's closest allies, such as Pakistan, China and Malaysia, be considered as democratic as Chavez' Venezuela? Contrary to Diehl's misguided remarks, Chavez' much publicized meeting with Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with ideology, but was part of an extensive OPEC-related tour, which also included discussions with staunch U.S. ally Saudi Arabia. In fact, the Venezuelan leader had only the most superficial ties to the Iraqi dictator, no different than those President Bush has had with a dozen tainted leftist and rightist regimes. Furthermore, if, as Diehl infers, face-to-face discussions with Iraq's former dictator automatically render a visitor a supporter of terror, should the same language be thrown at Vice-President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld? Both dealt with the now deposed Iraqi leader during the 1980s, when Saddam was a worse tyrant than he was when attacked by the U.S. last year. The accusatory remarks concerning Venezuela's subsidized sale of oil to Cuba also illustrate a clear misrepresentation of fact. As the co-founding member of the long-standing San Jose Pact, Venezuela, before Chavez gained power, along with its Mexican counterpart, provided Caribbean and Central American countries with subsidized petroleum. At present, this aid totals 160,000 barrels a day of oil, sold at a reduced financing charge to foster regional economic development. Cuba is but one of ten nations that benefit from this joint Mexican-Venezuelan facility, receiving only 53,000 barrels of the overall supply. By insinuating that Washington's inaction towards Chavez is "unprecedented" within Latin America, Diehl all but mocks Bush for not launching a sharper response to Chavez. Does this mean that force shouldn't be ruled out if the nettlesome leader retains power after winning the August 15 referendum? Such thinking would harken back to Washington's appalling policies from the 1920s until the 1990s. During this period, leftist democratically-elected governments critical of Washington's Cold War crusade were routinely undone, while brutally oppressive dictators, like those of Nicaragua, Argentina and Guatemala, were feted. Shame on such a senior Washington Post figure for dousing Chavez with such flammable fuel - which, if ignited, could further seriously undermine the U.S.' professed intention to consolidate democracy throughout the hemisphere and destroy what little standing this country has today throughout the region. To view Jackson Diehl's article, please use the link below: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33130-2004Aug1.html This op-ed was co-authored by Larry Birns, Director of The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), and Mark Scott, a COHA Research Associate The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, founded in 1975, is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and information organization. It has been described on the Senate floor as being "one of the nation's most respected bodies of scholars and policy makers." For more information, please see our web page at www.coha.org; or contact our Washington offices by phone (202) 216-9261, fax (202) 223-6035, or email coha@coha.org. Latest News Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 ¤ Hands Off Najaf ¤ US Support for Anti-Democratic Forces in Venezuela Recall ¤ Venezuela Gets the Florida Treatment ¤ The Corruption is Thick in Iraq ¤ The Failed Occupation ¤ Spinning the War's Absurdities ¤ Iraq 'ended nuclear aims in 1991' ¤ UK Troops Raid Amara, Kill 20 Iraqis ¤ Six Iraqis killed in market blast ¤ Wheel of war ¤ A War for Israel ¤ Israel To U.N.: Drop Dead! ¤ Proof U.S. Stood Down During the Attacks of 9/11!!!! ¤ Milestone of 1,000th U.S. Death In Iraq Looms For Bush ¤ Two “sting” operations raise disturbing questions about US terror alert ¤ 'American media: I'll give you a good sound bite' ¤ Spinning the war's absurdities ¤ Canadians watch in shock as America considers re-electing Bush ¤ Al-Sadr: Fight the US even if I'm killed ¤ Iraqis protest as US plans assault on Najaf ¤ Two killed in airstrike on Fallujah ¤ Car Bomb Near Jerusalem Kills Two, Wounds 16 ¤ Iran's Khamenei slams U.S. over Najaf ¤ Halliburton in more Iraq trouble? ¤ U.S. Military Wounded Numbers More Than 6,000 ¤ Oil soars as Iraq tension mounts ¤ Cracking open Pakistan's jihadi core ¤ Bush v. Kerry?: Not Even a Dime's Worth of Difference ¤ US warns Iraqis to get out of central Najaf ¤ US bombs Najaf as civilians urged to leave ¤ Power to the People: the Photocopier ¤ Bush's CIA Pick: 'Business as Usual' ¤ A standard of justice ¤ Two die in Turkey bomb blasts ¤ Who will pay the price? ¤ Terror of anticipation ¤ Looking for collaboration in media ¤ Miracles And Wonders ¤ Iraq's 'Hell' Still Lures Workers ¤ Venezuela: Polls Point to Likely Chávez Victory ¤ In the shadow of the election, Iraq haunts Howard ¤ Two Jordanians taken captive in Iraq ¤ Violence puts recovery in jeopardy, minister says ¤ The failed occupation ¤ A fear of free speech Charismatic Chavez Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 Here is an article with some facts. Unfortunately Gwynne Dyer does not want to see change, or he is totally clueless about how change works. Our Title: Charismatic Chavez may be curse of Venezuela's elite Charismatic Chavez may be curse of Venezuela By Gwynne Dyer, The Straits Times IT IS President Hugo Chavez's own fault that he faces a referendum on his rule this Sunday, because he wrote the clause about a recall vote into the Venezuelan Constitution himself. The opinion polls differ wildly, but here's a prediction: Mr Chavez will be in power for a long time - and as time passes, he will become as great a curse for Venezuela as former president Juan Peron was for Argentina. Mr Chavez is a much nicer man than General Peron. He has all of Gen Peron's skills in the art of populist rabble-rousing, but he is a sincere social democrat, whereas Gen Peron was a cynical fascist. Full Article : straitstimes.asia1.com.sg Chavez Supporters Gather for Largest Pro-Chavez Rally Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2004  Credits: Venpres & venezuelanalysis.com Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez filled Caracas' largest public venue yesterday, packing the Avenida Bolívar for well over a mile and overflowing onto side streets all over the downtown. Clad in red—the colour that has come to represent chavismo in Venezuela—supporters bore t-shirts, hats, berets, placards, puppets, and inventive home-made signs all uniformly declaring "No!" to the recall on Chávez' mandate scheduled for next Sunday, August 15th. Since his election in 1998 Venezuela's opposition has tried ousting Chavez with a failed coup, a series of economically devastating general strikes and lockouts, and violent street protests and paramilitary activity. It is only since those efforts proved unsuccessful in defeating Chávez that the opposition has put its weight behind a constitutional effort in the form of the recall referendum. Opposition rhetoric rarely points out that it was Chávez' new constitution, drafted and ratified by the National Assembly in 1999 that allows for a Presidential recall—an option not open to the citizens of most other countries. "If Chávez goes or if he stays, the people will stay because now we have power," declared a jubilant Dimas Salazar who had traveled to Caracas from the state of Monagas on Venezuela's Atlantic coast to attend the march. "Chávez is using the history of this country to change it, and a country's history is its primary strength," continued Salazar. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Strength and Weakness of the Bolivarian Revolution Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 By Omar Gómez Caracas, August 5th, 2004 Translated by Jutta Schmitt Strengths and Weaknesses of the Revolution (concerning the role of the telecommunications company, CANTV) The revolution that we are experiencing in Venezuela differs in an absolute manner from the processes that have developed in other countries. In Nicaragua, for instance, the Sandinista Forces, when coming to power, could not count on the enormous resources of an industry like PDVSA, that were able to finance the development of social welfare, and which had the potential to constitute a weapon against North American interventionism. In Chile, Salvador Allende could not count on loyal Armed Forces that would allow him to counter the coup d'état. In Cuba, Fidel Castro had to battle against more than 40 years of economic blockade and attempts of invasion, what resulted in the revolution not having been able to advance at the pace and capacity it could have, if given a chance. There are innumberable examples that show the differences and advantages of the Revolution in Venezuela with regard to other revolutionary processes. To be in the possession of one of the world's most important oil industries, to have the Armed Forces at one's side and, above all, to have the most widespread and categorical backing of the people, like has been proven by all polls concerning the upcoming referendum, all this indicates that our Revolution has an important solidity. But still, the Revolution has a limping leg. In our present, competitive world, globalized and technologized to a high degree, energy and communication are the most important strategical elements of any nation, for the control of which violent wars are being waged like that in Iraq, or referendae being held like that in Bolivia, concerning its natural gas resources. Who controls energy and communications, controls the world. This is what the United States of America know all too well, and they do not even bother to hide these goals as their imperial policy unfolds. In Venezuela and as evident in the course of the April 2002 coup d'état, as well as during the sabotage of the petroleum industry in December 2002/January 2003, the objective of the insurgents was to eliminate and privatize PDVSA on a national level, and to liquidate OPEC on the international level. This goal remained present during both assaults, in the coup d'état and during the sabotage, and it still remains present in the opposition's "Consensus Plan for the Country" or "Consensus Plan for Bush", as renamed by our president. However, the Revolution has actually managed to see that the energy sector stays firmly in the hands of the Venezuelan people to their own benefit, day after day. If this, unfortunately, does not apply to the electricity sector, at least it holds true in the realm of oil and gas production. Now, when we pointed out the limping leg of the Revolution, we refer to the other aspect that makes today's world go round, which is the aspect of communications, controlled here by people sympathetic to the interests of the United States. The neoliberal package as introduced in Venezuela under the second government of Carlos Andrés Pérez, had included, amongst other measures, the privatization of almost all State-run enterprises. Particularly, in the year 1991, the Venezuelan Investment Fund, via international bid, sold 40% of the nation's telecommunications company CANTV to VenWorld Consortium, shareholder of former GTE, today Verizon Communications Inc. Later, under Rafael Caldera's government and trhough a public bid, a 34,8% of the shares that were still in possession of the State, were being sold. Today, these shares are dispersed among diverse shareholders around the world. It is important to point out, that when CANTV was sold, the opening up of the telecommunications sector had not yet been legalized, as would only be the case in the year 2000; that means, that CANTV constituted a monopoly, which was logical given that it had been a State owned company, and when being privatized, it kept enjoying the advantages of its market monopoly for various years. Today, it is precisely communication that is the weak point of the Revolution. The private mass communication media constitute an undeniable majority in charge of twisting - for now in vain - the will of the people. These mass communication media have committed and keep committing their daily offences with impunity and under the passive eyes of a judicial power, that does not exercise the role it should, above all in times of revolution. Also, the Law of Social Responsibility of Radio and TV is still waiting to be approved. So, with the majority of the mass media being in the hands of the opposition, and if we add to this the fact, that the main telecommunications enterprise in the country also is clearly compromised with the interests of the United States, this constitutes categorical proof that the communications sector is the limping leg of the Revolution. In the face of this situation it is imperative to analyse the proposal to re-nationalize CANTV. After a meeting with CANTV's CEO Gustavo Roosen, on July 28th this year, the very Vice President of the Republic, José Vicente Rangel, declared, that he had never been in favour of privatizing CANTV because he considers it as detrimental to the interests of the Venezuelan State as the privatization of the country's oil industry, PDVSA, for being a matter of high, national security interest. Thus, the re-nationalization of CANTV and the approbation and implementation of the Law for Social Responsibility of Television and Radio, are necessary strategies to fortify the Revolution. CIA plot to overthrow Chavez Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 CIA executives gathered in Santiago de Chile revealed in contingency plot to overthrow Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias Venezuela state-owned news agency VENPRES is quoting an El Mundo de Madrid (Spain) report that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is set to put a contingency plan in motion in the (likely) event that President Hugo Chavez Frias wins next weekend's Recall Referendum. The Madrid newspaper says that the White House strategy is to avoid a regional expansion of the President Hugo Chavez Frias 'Bolivarian Revolution' which is seen by Washington D.C. as a direct step into the kind of socialism espoused by many European nations and envisaged in the United States if John Kerry wrests control of the White House from the Bush 2 administration this coming fall. El Mundo says the CIA plan appears to concede a Chavez Frias victory next weekend "for good or bad" and that Langley spooks are already working on a strategy to "neutralize" Chavez Frias by fair means or foul. Full Article : vheadline.com Latest News Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 ¤ Chavez Supporters Gather in Capital for Largest Pro-Chavez Rally ¤ CIA contingency plot to overthrow Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Frias ¤ Strength and Weakness of the Bolivarian Revolution ¤ A Need to Believe That We're Not Being Manipulated ¤ Kerry's big Idea? There isn't One ¤ Shooting Mosquitoes on the Titanic ¤ Bringing Back Saddam (Almost) ¤ Stewart gets Serious, Why Won't Reporters? ¤ One More Chalabi Black Eye ¤ Attitudes of Ignorance ¤ Hiroshima Cover-up ¤ Human rights groups condemn Iraq’s death penalty decision ¤ Thai troops begin withdrawal from Iraq ¤ US: Not Involved in Allawi's Decision to Close Al Jazeera in Iraq ¥ Sure ¤ US Withholds Criticism of Iraq's Al-Jazeera Closing ¤ US struggles to defend Iraqi closure of Al-Jazeera office in Baghdad ¤ War of the Frontmen in the New Iraq ¤ Iran uranium ‘traced to Pak’ ¤ Surprise, surprise - Bushites caught napping ¤ Malacca Strait: Target for terror ¤ Timeline For War ¤ Iraqi Muslims Did Not Blow Up Christian Churches ¤ Epidemics infection soaring in Iraq ¤ Helicopters pound Najaf cemetery ¤ Nuclear Tests Vindicate Iran So Far ¤ Bush names new CIA director ¤ British soldier killed in Basra ¤ Six die as Iraqi official escapes blast ¤ Poles denounce US visa procedures ¤ Baghdad shuts down Chalabi office ¤ Occupation HQ attacked in central Baghdad ¤ Observers could monitor US elections ¤ The Tyrannous Whims of Government ¤ Fabricating Terror in Albany ¤ Violence spreads in Iraq ¤ Tigris Tales ¤ Freedom for the press ¤ Two dead in Istanbul bombing ¤ Diplomacy sidelined as US targets Iran ¤ Bush takes hard line against Iran ¤ Car bombing, attacks kill 17 in Iraq ¤ US’ penchant for obfuscating ¤ Sudan says UN's Darfur toll inflated ¤ Blasts in Istanbul hotels kill two ¤ Opposition Loses Momentum ¤ Authorities on Alert for “Madrid Effect” in Recall Referendum ¤ The Venezuela Venture ¥ Typical Anti-Chavez reporting that comes through the U.S Media ¤ Iraq sabotage fear deepens oil crisis ¤ Iraq on a knife-edge ¤ Blair faces vote of no-confidence over war ¤ Goodbye, kind world ¤ Kerry stands by 'yes' vote on Iraq war ¤ Not Scared Yet? Try Connecting These Dots ¤ No troops for Iraq at present: Musharraf ¤ Surprise! ¤ U.S. pressures Japan to quit Iran oil Venezuela Authorities on Alert Posted: Monday, August 9, 2004 Venezuela President Dominate Polls for Recall Referendum A week before the Aug 15 recall referendum on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, new polls continue showing the embattled leader as the winner of the long awaited recall. Chavez's advantage ranges between 8 and 31 percent, depending on the poll. Ultimas Noticias, Venezuela's highest circulation newspaper, reported yesterday that pro-opposition pollsters Consultores 21 gave the "no" recall option 55% support, and 45% to the opposition's "yes". According to the paper, U.S. opinion research firm Evans McDonough Company and Venezuelan firm Varianzas Opinion, gave Chavez a 51% of support and 43% to the opposition. Polling firm Impediosa puts the "no" option at 53%, and the anti-Chavez "yes" at 39%, according to Ultimas Noticias. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela Authorities on Alert for "Madrid Effect" in Recall Referendum Venezuelan authorities are on high alert due to possible violent actions by radical sectors of the opposition as the Aug 15 recall referendum on President Chavez approaches. Interior Minister Lucas Rincon alerted about possible terrorist acts that sectors of the opposition could be preparing to trigger a "Madrid effect" that could alter the outcome of the referendum. Almost all polls show Chavez winning the recall with an advantage ranging between 8 and 31 percent, depending on the poll. Rincon said that the government has been implementing security measures for months in order to guarantee a peaceful and uneventful recall vote. The Minister said he will address the media on Monday to reveal the authorities' latest findings having to do with the confiscation of an important amount of weapons and ammunition. An arms cache valued at US$53 million was discovered in Brazil last month, which seems to have been destined for radical Venezuelan opposition groups seeking to sabotage the recall referendum. Tens of kilograms of C4 explosives and detonators have been stolen from military bases. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Latest News Posted: Monday, August 9, 2004 ¤ SUDAN: Oil profits behind West's tears for Darfur Flashback ¤ Sudan's Darfur crisis and US/European concern ¤ Africa Speaks Sudan Watch ¤ Oil price soars to new record high of 41.65 dollars in London ¤ Rice Says World Is Determined to Prevent a Nuclear-Armed Iran ¥ Translation: America is determined to invade Iran ¤ Media coverage 'Afghanizes' Iraq ¤ Iraqis Denounce US-made 'Bloodbath' In Najaf ¤ Bomb: Seven policemen killed ¤ 9 people killed, several injured in two Karachi explosions ¤ We should send Bush to be Iraq’s president ¤ The Iraq Reconstruction Fiasco ¤ EU: no genocide in Darfur ¤ Bloodletting over oil wealth has Nigeria's petroleum industry reeling ¤ Ex-US Honey, Chalabi, Faces Fresh Fraud Charges ¤ Huge Caracas Rally Boosts Chavez Referendum Hopes ¤ United States waives off $ 495 Mln debt to Pakistan ¤ Terror Alert ¤ The color-coded fear factor ¤ The Writing on the Latrine Walls ¤ 'The corporate invasion of Iraq' ¤ 'Osama disappears into the media memory hole' ¤ Iraqi police chief seized as curfew imposed ¤ Ordered to Just Walk Away ¤ Tens of thousands march for Chavez ¤ Tinicenter Venezuela Watch ¤ The world economy sinks or swims in the black stuff ¤ Locusts threaten 1m with famine ¤ Where jaw-jaw is best ¤ Allawi attempts to restore rule of law ¤ Saddam trial chief faces Iraqi murder charge ¤ Truth the first casualty in Iraq war ¤ Howard denies lying about Iraq ¤ Car Bomb Blast Kills Seven People in Iraq ¤ Nine die in Karachi blasts ¤ Iraqi militants hold Iranian diplomat ¤ Israel approves hundreds new homes in West Bank ¤ Allawi acting like Saddam: Sadr aide ¤ Six die as top Iraqi official escapes blast ¤ Accident at Japanese N-plant kills four ¤ Arab League backs Sudan to resolve Darfur ¤ Iran: US lacks grounds to send N-case to UN ¤ Media watchdog criticises Iraq's Al Jazeera ban ¤ Dirty politics ¤ Bush trusts, but doesn't want to verify ¤ And So It Goes ¤ Did Richard Nixon prolong war in Vietnam to win re-election? Latest News Posted: Sunday, August 8, 2004 ¤ Please, not another war over oil ¤ 11 Wounded in Six Explosions in Baghdad ¤ Oregon Guard unit told to return prisoners to Iraqi abusers ¤ 'Inappropriate' art removed from DIA ¤ Two U.S. soldiers killed in Afghan blast ¤ Iraq reimposes death penalty ¤ The lies that led to war ¤ Terror.. Bush's Green Card To Re-Election: Report ¤ Bush campaign is crying wolf ¤ Electoral fraud claim returns to haunt America’s sunshine state ¤ Sudan crisis has been going on for decades ¤ Prozac 'found in drinking water' ¤ PM will seek to evacuate outposts before U.S. vote ¤ Abuse claims rock Iraqi regime ¤ Biographer claims tape shows Nixon prolonged war ¤ U.S. Prods Japan To Quit Iran Oil For Libya ¤ Lives altered by photo of coffins ¤ Sudan Accuses Israel Of Fueling Darfur Crisis ¤ 'Mixed Signals' On Darfur Crisis ¤ Defying US, Israel To Expand Settlements ¤ Iranian diplomat taken captive in Iraq ¤ Iran-Iraq ties strain further ¤ How a hoaxer faked and filmed his own execution Flashback ¤ The Terrible and Strange Death of Nick Berg Flashback ¤ 50 Fishy Circumstances, Contradictory Claims Flashback ¤ Death of Nick Berg: Bush-Cheney-Pentagon PsyOps? Flashback ¤ Who Organised the Beheading of Nick Berg – and Why ? Flashback ¤ Nullifying Torturegate? The Case Nick Berg Flashback ¤ Bloggers doubt Berg execution video ¤ Tangled web ensnares PM ¤ Australia accused of lying about Iraq ¤ Al-Sadr group rejects Allawi plea ¤ Roadside Bomb Kills Two U.S. Soldiers ¤ The sanction factor ¤ 9/11 report and knowledgeable ignorance ¤ Palestinian teen shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza ¤ 12 killed in Kashmir violence ¤ Aljazeera vows to cover Iraq despite closure ¤ Aljazeera rejects US accusations ¤ Al-Jazeera incurs the wrath of Iraq’s new rulers ¥ America ¤ Al-Jazeera 'no more biased than other TV channels' ¤ U.S. Screwed Pooch By Outing Its Own al Qaeda Mole ¤ Groupthink Viewed as Culprit in Move to War Why Hugo Chávez is heading for a stunning victory Posted: Saturday, August 7, 2004 by Richard Gott in Caracas Saturday August 7, 2004 To the dismay of opposition groups in Venezuela, and to the surprise of international observers gathering in Caracas, President Hugo Chávez is about to secure a stunning victory on August 15, in a referendum designed to lead to his overthrow. First elected in 1998 as a barely known colonel, armed with little more than revolutionary rhetoric and a moderate social-democratic programme, Chávez has become the leader of the emerging opposition in Latin America to the neo-liberal hegemony of the United States. Closely allied to Fidel Castro, he rivals the Cuban leader in his fierce denunciations of George Bush, a strategy that goes down well with the great majority of the population of Latin America, where only the elites welcome the economic and political recipes devised in Washington. While Chávez has retained his popularity after nearly six years as president, support for overtly pro-US leaders in Latin America, such as Vicente Fox in Mexico and Alejandro Toledo in Peru, has dwindled to nothing. Even the fence-sitting President Lula in Brazil is struggling in the polls. The news that Chávez will win this month's referendum will be bleakly received in Washington. Full Article : africaspeaks.com Loathed by the rich Posted: Saturday, August 7, 2004 Why Hugo Chávez is heading for a stunning victory To the dismay of opposition groups in Venezuela, and to the surprise of international observers gathering in Caracas, President Hugo Chávez is about to secure a stunning victory on August 15, in a referendum designed to lead to his overthrow. First elected in 1998 as a barely known colonel, armed with little more than revolutionary rhetoric and a moderate social-democratic programme, Chávez has become the leader of the emerging opposition in Latin America to the neo-liberal hegemony of the United States. Closely allied to Fidel Castro, he rivals the Cuban leader in his fierce denunciations of George Bush, a strategy that goes down well with the great majority of the population of Latin America, where only the elites welcome the economic and political recipes devised in Washington. While Chávez has retained his popularity after nearly six years as president, support for overtly pro-US leaders in Latin America, such as Vicente Fox in Mexico and Alejandro Toledo in Peru, has dwindled to nothing. Even the fence-sitting President Lula in Brazil is struggling in the polls. The news that Chávez will win this month's referendum will be bleakly received in Washington. Full Article : africaspeaks.com Latest News Posted: Saturday, August 7, 2004 ¤ Hostage murder video a hoax ¥ See how easy it is to fake a beheading video... ¤ Iraqi Government Shuts Al-Jazeera Station ¥ Remember this is a U.S. appointed Iraqi Government ¤ Bush Warns Americans They Are 'Still Not Safe' Flashback ¤ Bush: America safer because Saddam's in jail Flashback ¤ America is safer today Flashback ¤ America is safer Flashback ¤ Bush Insists America Is Safer ¤ 'Super Freak' Musician Rick James Dead at 56 ¤ The Anatomy of "Terror Experts" ¤ Sudan Says to Accept African Forces, No Peacekeepers ¤ Propaganda Scores a TKO ¤ Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar, Mr. Bush ¤ The Saga of an Anguished Afghan ¤ Fighting for Justice & Democracy in Haiti ¤ Warmed Over Orientalism & Racist Projection ¤ Fix Numbers; Reinvent Venezuela ¤ Army nurse, home from Iraq, doesn't want to go back ¤ US troops kill 300 in Najaf raid ¤ US tally of 300 dead in Najaf denied by Al-Sadr spokesman ¤ Najaf toll 300; fighters say most civilians ¤ You show yours, I'll hide mine ¤ Targeting Civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki ¤ Iraq on the Verge of Implosion ¤ Fear can be a politician's best friend ¤ Diplomacy is forgotten in the mania for intervention ¤ Wave of the Future? ¤ Guantánamo Inmate Complains of Threats and Long Isolation ¤ U.S. Drug Czar Backs Colombia Drug Fight ¤ Rumsfeld declares Iraq fight 'worth it' despite casualties ¤ Six tribesmen killed in Shakai clash ¤ Pakistan rejects US media reports on terror camps ¤ US can’t equivocate on Iran much longer ¤ Three US soldiers killed in Iraq ¤ Karachi time bomb kills two ¤ US soldier in Iraqi abuse 'commended for good job' ¤ Deepening anti-U.S. rage casts doubt on Iraq leaders' ability to restore order ¤ Manila says unconcerned if out of US coalition ¤ Bush defends terror-threat alert in talk to minority journalists ¤ Are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq's future? ¤ Sadr comes out of the graveyard ¤ Sexing it up ¤ Loathed by the rich ¤ Republicans pick racist ¤ Pakistan: U.S. blew undercover operation Latest News Posted: Friday, August 6, 2004 ¤ Sadr militia surrender in Najaf: Iraqi police ¤ Fierce clashes rage throughout Iraq ¤ Arbitrary Imprisonment: a Symbol of Tyranny ¤ Dysfunctional Marines ¤ In the Shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ¤ Saddam Sans Mustache ¤ From Attica to Abu Ghraib -- and a Prison Near You ¤ Not Just the Absence of War ¤ History Teaches that War Policy is Bankrupt ¤ Another Horrid Legacy of War ¤ Won't Get Fooled Again? ¤ Dow hits lowest point of the year: 9,815 ¤ US planes pound Najaf ¤ All About Eve ¤ In Remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ¤ Officials 'Split' Over U.N. Sanction Threat ¤ Before the bomb: A young girl's diary ¤ The Writing on the Wall. India Checkmates America 2017 ¤ US soldier recalls Abu Ghraib 'hell' ¤ All Orange, All the Time ¤ Modern Ballot Box Stuffing: Can We Trust Team Bush? ¤ The Twelve Security Failures of Bush II ¤ Hawai'i soldier convicted in killing of Iraqi civilian ¤ Israeli nationals linked with art scam ¤ Shia rising fear after Najaf battle ¤ Hiroshima Mayor Criticizes U.S. Nukes ¤ Musharraf profits under US pressure ¤ Violence and killings delay Basra vote ¤ Bush's campaign trail gaffe ¤ In Iowa Fight, Kerry Waves Corn, Bush Eats It Raw ¤ President Bush eats an ear of raw sweet corn ¤ US planes strike Najaf amid fierce fighting ¤ CACI Gets $15 Million Iraq Contract Extension ¤ Taliban denies U.S. military claims of up to 50 killed ¤ Afghanistan's child soldiers try to overcome horrors of war ¤ Europe Takes New Alerts With Grain of Salt ¤ Sovereign Iraq: before and after ¤ Crusades in disguise ¤ 26 dead; US chopper shot down in Iraq ¤ 13 troops killed in Karak ’copter crash ¤ The boom that only oils the wheels of corruption ¤ Whitewashing Hiroshima ¤ These Are Their Ends ¤ Hackarmy sinks to new low with kidnap hoax ¤ EU deal in 'Made in Israel' row ¤ Mr Bush’s un-American activities ¤ Corruption in the Corps? ¤ Don't whitewash Abu Ghraib ¤ Challenging Kerry on his Iraq vote ¤ Pentagon Learns About the Sixth Amendment ¤ Think before you bomb ¤ A plot, or not? Why Heathrow bomb plan was a media dream ¤ Oil price hits 21-year high ¤ Tongue-twisted Bush is bent on self-harm ¤ Uprooted trees, razed houses... Israel leaves its calling card in Gaza ¤ Iraq set to use martial law in terror fight ¤ Supporters Question Arrests at N.Y. Mosque Latest News Posted: Thursday, August 5, 2004 ¤ Still Haunted by Images of War ¤ When Peace is Off Message ¤ Obama's Drama and Our Dreams ¤ With War Losing Support, Rumsfeld Stages a Retreat ¤ Springsteen Gets Political with Attack on Bush ¤ Questioned at Gunpoint, Shackled, Forced to Pose Naked ¤ Fierce clashes rage throughout Iraq ¤ Paper: US GI sentenced for killing Iraqi ¤ US Helicopter Downed in Iraq ¤ Crude oil soars on Yukos decision ¤ Sudan plays down likelihood of foreign military intervention in Darfur ¤ Winning hearts, minds and firefights in Uruzgan ¤ Fear behind the wheel in Iraq ¤ Remember the moral of the story ¤ We Are Not 'A Nation In Danger' ¤ Bush misspeaks, says his administration seeking 'new ways to harm our country' ¥ Sometimes the truth sneeks out... ¤ TERROR THREAT 'SEXED UP' Flashback ¤ Bush & Sharon: The Oil Connection ¤ Egypt newspaper: Holocaust a lie ¤ Cleric’s militia battles coalition, leaving 16 dead ¤ African Union to boost Sudan force ¤ Iraq Suicide Bomber Kills Five Policemen ¤ US abuse could be war crime ¤ Oil threat to world economy ¤ 'His previous history invites suspicion' ¤ Protesters tell West to keep troops out of Darfur ¤ Military Intelligence Ordered Captives Hidden, Court Told ¤ 20 Months and 585 Pages Wasted ¤ US backs Allawi on executions ¤ AMERICA'S LAST WAR ¤ US troops destroy Iraq's ancient past ¤ Terror alert left America uncertain ¤ Deficit rule No. 1: If you're in a hole, stop digging ¤ 22 killed in Iraq violence ¤ A gift fit for a President ¤ Chalabi linked with investigator's assassination ¤ Guerrillas in Iraq kill 4 Americans, lifting total to 919 ¤ Car Bomb South of Baghdad Kills 5 ¤ Kashmir attack leaves nine policemen dead ¤ Many killed in Yemeni fighting ¤ Iraq Explosion Kills 6 in Mahawil; U.S. Helicopter Shot Down ¤ Abuse Horror At Camp X-Ray Latest News Posted: Wednesday, August 4, 2004 ¤ What's his name with the turban? ¤ Fabricating Terror ¤ Fierce clashes in Mosul leave many dead ¤ Old Data, New Credibility Issues ¤ Stressed Israeli soldiers to be treated with cannabis ¤ A Clockwork Orange Alert? ¤ Israeli vehicles cut power lines in Jebalya camp ¤ Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza ¤ Children killed by Israeli fire ¤ Why Did Ridge Act Sunday? ¤ Going It Alone ¤ The Case Against George W. Bush ¤ Oil prices rise to new record high levels ¤ Officials don't see attack as imminent ¤ Iraq-to-Israel oil pipeline could spur economic rebirth ¤ Musharraf steps back from the US ¤ The Hunt for Bin Laden ¤ Two Traditions: WMD and Disinformation ¤ U.S. Troops Arrest Iraqi Police Colonel In Ramadi ¤ Ridge on defensive after terror alert ¤ Three Davenport banks robbed during Bush and Kerry events ¤ Bush cries wolf once too often ¤ Terror alert left America uncertain ¤ 'Fahrenheit's' pirated Cuban TV airing OK ¤ British detainees tell their stories of Guantánamo Bay ¤ Britain is complicit in this horror ¤ Jordanian hostages freed in Iraq ¤ Spain lashes out as Gibraltar celebrates anniversary ¤ How four-year-old information was transformed into clear and present danger ¤ US officials defend terror alert ¤ Terror threat real, security chief says ¤ Informer in pay of Israel unbowed by brother's bloody fate ¤ TV crew 'kidnapped and beaten' ¤ Karpinski claims conspiracy kept her in dark over prison abuses ¤ Let's Play 'Sovereignty'! ¤ They Knew... ¤ Fixing What Bush Has Broken ¤ They Knew... ¤ There will be no terror, but retribution will surely come… ¤ They're Offended by the Offensive ¤ Five Months After Aristide, Mayhem Rules the Streets ¤ Time To Define Terror ¤ Distortions Surrounded Press Response to Hiroshima Attack ¤ MPs Blamed for Abu Ghraib Abuse ¤ $1.9 Billion of Iraq's Money Goes to U.S. Contractors ¤ BRITISH MPs DEMAND INFO ON ARMS TO ISRAEL ¤ Aid workers struggle against mud, hunger and disease in Bangladesh ¤ Afghan troops kill 70 militants near Pak border ¤ Six Iraqi guards, four US soldiers killed ¤ Time to say no ¤ Pakistan produces the goods, again ¤ Enemies of convenience ¤ Careful what you Bush for ¤ Israel launches missile attacks on Gaza ¤ Israeli troops gun down Palestinians ¤ Three dead, many injured in Rafah ¤ Muslim chaplain to quit US army Latest News Posted: Tuesday, August 3, 2004 ¤ Study details wars' civilian casualties ¤ Key Iraqi oil pipeline is bombed ¤ Darfur security force to double ¤ Bomb kills Baghdad police colonel ¤ Irishman Shot Dead in His Office in Saudi Arabia ¤ Record oil prices vs record production ¤ Judge charges owner in Paraguayan supermarket ¤ New documents implicate U.S. forces in rape and sodomy of Iraqi prisoners ¤ 'Another alert, and more insecurity' ¤ Why I Am Scared of George Bush ¤ 'What color is the wolf today?' ¤ One of the Biggest Heists in History ¤ Al-Qaida Terror Intelligence Is Four Years Old ¤ Increased Terrorism Alert Based on Political Needs, Uses Outdated Info ¤ Pure evil(OIL) in Sudan ¤ Sudan's Darfur crisis and US/European concern ¤ 'How Code Orange wrecked my career as a photographer' ¤ Crying Wolf Orange Alert ¤ The Oligarchs ¤ Fast Track to What? ¤ Recall the Alien and Sedition Acts ¤ One of the Biggest Heists in History ¤ 6 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq ¤ Iraqi car bomb kills three ¤ Roadside bomb in Iraqi capital kills two local police officials ¤ Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Baghdad Bomb Attack ¤ US Marine killed in western Iraq ¤ Three dead, many injured in Rafah onslaught ¤ Sudan army's anger over UN 'war' ¤ 36 Ways the US Is Losing the War on Terror ¤ The Secret That the Government Kept for 30 Years ¤ The mask of altruism disguising a colonial war ¤ American valour? All hogwash, say Indian truckers ¤ Who owns CNN? or MSNBC? ABC? ¤ Assassination: the message ¤ Markets Are Largely Unfazed, With Stocks Rising Modestly ¤ Turkish Hostage Shot to Death in Iraq ¤ Israel plans to expand West Bank settlement ¤ Three jailed Palestinians killed ¤ Bush Rallies Behind Colombian President, Despite Drug Allegations ¤ Reports That Led to Terror Alert Were Years Old, Officials Say ¤ 51 terrorists be hanged: interior ministry ¤ Scholar to go on trial in Iraq relic smuggling ¤ I was right on Iraq, says Bush ¤ A nation in danger. Or a president in peril? ¤ Turkish truck firms quit Iraq ¤ A threat to democracy The Mask of Altruism Disguising a Colonial War in Sudan Posted: Monday, August 2, 2004 Oil will be the Driving Factor for Military Intervention in Sudan If proof were needed that Tony Blair is off the hook over Iraq, it came not during the Commons debate on the Butler report on July 21, but rather at his monthly press conference the following morning. Asked about the crisis in Sudan, Mr Blair replied: "I believe we have a moral responsibility to deal with this and to deal with it by any means that we can." This last phrase means that troops might be sent - as General Sir Mike Jackson, the chief of the general staff, immediately confirmed - and yet the reaction from the usual anti-war campaigners was silence. Mr Blair has invoked moral necessity for every one of the five wars he has fought in this, surely one of the most bellicose premierships in history. The bombing campaign against Iraq in December 1998, the 74-day bombardment of Yugoslavia in 1999, the intervention in Sierra Leone in the spring of 2000, the attack on Afghanistan in October 2001, and the Iraq war last March were all justified with the bright certainties which shone from the prime minister's eyes. Blair even defended Bill Clinton's attack on the al-Shifa pharmaceuticals factory in Sudan in August 1998, on the entirely bogus grounds that it was really manufacturing anthrax instead of aspirin. Full Article : commondreams.org Latest News Posted: Monday, August 2, 2004 ¤ Saddam Wasn't a Satisfying Scapegoat, So Now it's Off to Iran ¤ Oil will be the Driving Factor for Military Intervention in Sudan ¤ Crude-Oil Futures Flirt With $44 a Barrel ¤ The Mask of Altruism Disguising a Colonial War ¤ Statement from FAA Contradicts 9/11 Report Findings ¤ US: Prison Labor Is Cheap, Tough for Private Companies to Beat ¤ Hatred at One End, Rejection at the Other... ¤ Bush Like Custer... Flashback ¤ Here you have the bogus dossier on Saddam’s uranium ¤ Iraqi Muslims Did Not Blow Up Christian Churches ¤ Top 21 Pieces of Evidence that Show Iraq is only the First Step ¤ Terrorists Maybe Using New Zealand Passports ¤ The Unbearable Costs of Empire ¤ Turkish Hostage Shot to Death in Iraq ¤ Inventing the Enemy ¤ Drugs Used to Torture Prisoners at Gitmo ¤ Is Pakistan being sucked into Iraq's quicksand? ¤ Washington’s Paramilitary Game in Colombia ¤ Bolivia: Mandate or Muddle on Oil & Gas Resources? ¤ Saluting a Myth ¤ The 9/11 Commission & Civil Liberties ¤ All Bush Has to Sell, Is Fear Itself ¤ U.S. Warns of Threat to Financial Icons ¤ Seized computer 'reveals terror plans against Britain' ¤ New York ready for possible terrorist attack ¤ U.S. Warns of Threat to Financial Icons ¤ US Tightens Security In Washington, NY Amid Fresh Threat ¤ Generation Gap ¤ 300 dead after Paraguay supermarket blaze ¤ 'Americans will not love him' ¤ A populist monster on a pedestal ¤ Blair caught in middle over China arms ban ¤ The medical timebomb: 'too many women doctors' ¤ French send in 200 troops to stabilise Chad border ¤ S&P 500 drops to 18-month low ¤ Israel's Secret War Against America ¤ 9/11 and Anthrax: Framing Arabs ¤ Mandelson rented flat from oil tycoon in coup claim ¤ Sharon Has N-Arms Stock With US Backing ¤ Misperceptions galore ¤ Debate over terrorism and counter-terrorism ¤ Secret Proposals: Fighting Terror by Attacking ... South America? ¤ Scarlett asked for 'lies' in WMD report ¤ The situation in Iraq right is worse than what the news media are portraying ¤ Trampling Aliens in the Name of Anti-Terrorism ¤ The War Is a Fraud ¤ Israel's merchants of influence ¤ Israeli troops gun down Palestinians ¤ Five Army men among six killed in Khuzdar ambush ¤ Group gives Italy 15 days to quit Iraq ¤ US forces arrest leading Iraqi editor ¤ Beware calls for a military response to Sudan ¤ Can’t Bush and Blair See Iraq Is About to Explode? Officers arrested Posted: Sunday, August 1, 2004 Venezuela army officers arrested A Venezuelan court has ordered the arrest of 59 military officers on charges of conspiracy, civil rebellion and instigating insurrection. The men took part in a protest against President Hugo Chavez in October 2002 by taking over a square in Caracas and urging civil disobedience. Some of those charged by judge Rita Hernandez also backed a failed coup against Mr Chavez in April 2002. Full Article : bbc.co.uk Latest News Posted: Sunday, August 1, 2004 ¤ Venezuela army officers arrested ¤ 80 Feared Dead in Paraguay Market Fire ¤ A woman's place is to wait and listen, says the Vatican ¤ 15 killed in Iraqi church blasts ¤ Revealed: coalition forces imprison Iraqi children ¤ Is it appropriate for democrats to be concerned about empire? ¤ The 800lb gorilla in American foreign policy ¤ The Politics of Iraq ¤ 'Strong and wrong' ¤ Iraq churches targeted ¤ 'A-rabs on planes, oh my! What happened on Flight ¤ Rwanda to probe French role in 1994 genocide ¤ Recycled Misinformation: Venezuela’s Media as Pentagon Source ¤ The Impact on Black Families and Communities ¤ Haiti After the Press Went Home ¤ NYC Police Issue Warning of Terror Threat ¤ Fake Terror - The Road To War And Dictatorship ¤ US forces hunt down al-Qa'eda in Sudan ¥ Hunting al Qaeda, the euphemism for any opposition to U.S. tactics, gives the pretext for planting troops in Sudan ahead of the African Union’s efforts to place African troops there. ¤ British soldiers on standby to avert humanitarian disaster in Darfur ¥ Another pretext to place more troops in Sudan. ¤ Sudan's Darfur crisis and US/European concern ¤ Fair price for a life? Army pays Iraqi family £390 after shooting girl dead ¤ 'Hanan's killing has become a symbol of a flawed occupation' Flashback ¤ Revealed: coalition forces imprison Iraqi children ¤ Misleaders now leading the attack ¤ Kweisi Mfume on President Bush's Refusal to Address the NAACP ¤ Several dead in latest Falluja attack ¤ Making Wheels of Justice Turn in a Chaotic Iraq ¤ Three killed in US bid to enter Falluja ¤ Air controllers to leave Iraq ¤ Over 5000 Indians in US troops' custody in Iraq ¤ Scarlett 'Asked Experts to Harden Weapons Hunt Report' ¤ Officers vetoed inquiries into 23 deaths Flashback ¤ PA uncovers Israelis posing as Al-Qaeda Flashback ¤ The Fake bin Laden Video Tape ¤ Car Bomb Kills 5; Clashes West of Baghdad ¤ Britain's war on drugs is naive, says US Flashback ¤ Since U.S. War, Afghans Back in Opium Biz Flashback ¤ The Spoils of War: Afghanistan's Multibillion Dollar Heroin Trade Flashback ¤ What ever happened to the war on drugs? ¤ USA Inc pays cash for access ¤ Blasts kill seven in Mosul, Baghdad ¤ Israel attacks Gaza homes, farmlands ¤ Several dead in latest Falluja attack |
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