By Jeffrey Chester and Don Hazen, AlterNet
May 1, 2003

The Bush Administration will soon hand the nation's biggest media conglomerates a new give-away that will concentrate media ownership in fewer hands. On June 2, the Federal Communications Commission, run by Michael Powell (son of Colin), plans to end long-standing federal checks and balances on corporate media power.

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15796

STRAW UNDER FIRE FOR IGNORING ISRAELI ATTACKS ON UK NATIONALS
Chris McGreal, Guardian, 5/7/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,950504,00.html

Sent by Tim Stinson

Sent by Fred van Leeuwen

Bush was like Hitler, says weapons man --Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector, has compared the invasion of Iraq to Hitler's invasion of Poland. Both invasions were based on what he said was an artificial argument of self defence. Dictator George W Bush had used the September 11 attacks as Hitler used the 1933 burning of the Reichstag to repress domestic dissidents.

America's weapons evidence flawed, say spies --As the hunt continues for Iraq’s alleged stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons — the main justification cited by Dictator Bush for the war — carefully placed leaks revealed deep misgivings inside the CIA over intelligence used by the White House to make its case against Saddam Hussein.

Legality of war no longer an issue: PM --Prime Minister Poodle II John Howard has said questions of the international legitimacy of the invasion of Iraq should be dropped now that the conflict phase of the war has ended. [I don't think so... just as the Nuremberg war crimes trials took place following World War II, international terrorists Bush, Blair, Howard, et al., need to be tried for war crimes. --Lori Price]

Lawmaker Decries Halliburton's Iraq Deal --Halliburton Co.'s emergency, no-bid contract to work on Iraq's oil wells must be fully disclosed, a Democratic lawmaker says, pointing to the Army's admission that the company has a far more lucrative role than originally believed.

Halliburton Contract Goes Beyond Fires --An emergency contract the Bush dictatorship gave to Halliburton Co. to extinguish Iraqi oil fires also gave the firm a more lucrative role in getting the country's oil system up and running, documents showed Tuesday.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman questions Lt. Gen. Robert Flowers about Halliburton --"The contract with Halliburton and the planned successor contract raise significant questions about the Administration's intentions regarding Iraqi oil." (.pdf)

Consulting and Policy Overlap --Advisor Perle has given seminars on ways to profit from possible conflicts discussed by defense board he sits on. Last February, the Defense Policy Board, a group of outside advisors to the Pentagon, received a classified presentation from the super-secret Defense Intelligence Agency on the crises in North Korea and Iraq. Three weeks later, the then-chairman of the board, Richard N. Perle, offered a briefing of his own at an investment seminar on ways to profit from possible conflicts with both countries.

Report: Pentagon adviser in Iraq flap --L.A. Times: Perle gave advice on making profit from conflicts --Pentagon adviser Richard Perle briefed an investment seminar on ways to profit from conflicts in Iraq and North Korea just weeks after he received a top-secret government briefing on the crises in the two countries, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.

US crony capitalists go to war --The failure to find Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction is putting the US grab for Iraqi oil into sharp focus --by Jeffrey Sachs "Whatever other goals lay behind the Iraq war, the Bush administration seems keen to line the pockets of its cronies and to capture increased control over Middle East oil and pipeline routes. Only a few pesky obstacles -- the UN and the Iraqi people -- stand in their way."

Bush Appoints State Department Official to Administer Iraq (DoD) Dictator Bush announced today he has appointed a State Department counterterrorism expert to administer Iraq. [Bush should know about being appointed: that is how he stole the presidency, by an appointment made by the Whore Court. --Lori Price]

Looters at key Iraqi nuke site terrify residents --Looters rifling through one of Iraq's main nuclear sites at Al-Tuwaitha and carting off whatever they can carry are making local residents terrified of the danger.

Outbreak of Cholera Is Feared in Iraq --Two hospitals in southern Iraq have reported 17 confirmed cases of cholera in Basra, and the World Health Organization said Wednesday it fears far more have gone unreported.

Press play for the voice of Saddam Hussein --An audiotape has been handed to the Herald in Baghdad, with this tantalising claim: it is the voice of Saddam Hussein only two days ago. A tired-sounding voice calls on Iraq's people to stand together in a new underground war against the occupying forces.

Judge Awards $104 Million to 9-11 Victims --A federal judge Wednesday awarded nearly $104 million in damages to the families of two victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, finding the plaintiffs had provided some evidence that Iraq provided support to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. [?!?] The judge noted that the experts provided few actual facts that Iraq provided support to the terrorists.

TOP TEN List --Top Ten President [sic] Bush Excuses For Not Finding Weapons of Mass Destruction (humor from David Letterman)

Explanation for Bush's Carrier Landing Altered --Dictator Bush chose to make a jet landing on an aircraft carrier last week even after he was told he could easily reach the ship by helicopter, the White House said yesterday, changing the explanation it gave for Bush's "Top Gun" style event. Citing Fleischer's revised explanation, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) wrote to the General Accounting Office to ask for a "full accounting" of the cost of the trip.

Top [Bottom] Gun Bush chose TV-friendly jet landing over simple helicopter ride --For his dramatic jet landing on an aircraft carrier last week, George Bush wore a flight suit and a helmet and had to take underwater survival training in the White House swimming pool [LOL!]. But as it turns out, the United States Dictator chose to make the jet landing even after he was told he could easily reach the ship by helicopter, the White House said, changing its explanation for Mr Bush's Top Gun-style event.

Bush Wanted to Land on Carrier Via Plane --It turns out that Dictator Bush was intent on landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln by jet plane even though the aircraft carrier was well within helicopter range.

Robert Byrd Blasts Bush's Aircraft Carrier Use --Questioning the motives of a "desk-bound president [sic] who assumes the garb of a warrior," Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd on Tuesday reproached Dictator Bush for flying onto an aircraft carrier last week to declare an end of major fighting in Iraq. "I am loath to think of an aircraft carrier being used as an advertising backdrop for a presidential [sic] political slogan, and yet that is what I saw," Byrd said on the Senate floor.

Senate Remarks: Making the Military a Stage Prop for Politics --by U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd "President [sic] Bush's address to the American people announcing combat victory in Iraq deserved to be marked with solemnity, not extravagance; with gratitude to God, not self-congratulatory gestures. American blood has been shed on foreign soil in defense of the President[sic]'s policies. This is not some made-for-TV backdrop for a campaign commercial."

Rep. Henry A. Waxman questions the Idiot Usurper on his propaganda stunt --"I am writing to ask that you obtain information about the President[sic]'s visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln last week. The Administration has provided conflicting accounts of the reasons for the President[sic]'s dramatic visit to the aircraft carrier by jet." (.pdf)

Hollywood rallies to help orphaned Iraqi boy --Hollywood today launched a drive to bring an Iraqi boy who lost both his arms and his family in a missile strike and became the symbol of civilian suffering in the US-led war, to the United States for medical treatment.

U.S. Says Iran Failing to Clear Up Nuclear Concerns --Iran has done little to cooperate with U.N. inspectors examining its nuclear program, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday, reinforcing Washington's view that Tehran is violating a key treaty and should face more international pressure.

Potential ingredients for dirty bombs being stolen in Florida --Common radioactive devices found at construction sites and in the beds of pick-up trucks all across the Bay area are disappearing, and there is concern they could be falling into the wrong hands. [Instead of worrying about Iran, we should be worrying about the Bush-Rove whackjobs, trolling for another incident of domestic terrorism to blame on the next foreign power that Wolfowitz wants to subjugate. --Lori Price]

Nukes should be confined with five superpowers: US --Even though India and Pakistan have proven capabilities of manufacturing nuclear weapons, the United States holds the view that only the five powers -- US, Britain, France, Russia and China -- should possess them.

N. Korea blockade would pose risks for Japan --More than two weeks after talks among North Korea, the United States and China broke down, Washington declared, "All options are on the table." One of those options might be a selective naval blockade of North Korea as the next step, some U.S. officials hint, if the nation continues its alleged nuclear weapons program.

U.S. Approves Force in Detaining Possible SARS Carriers --The Bush dictatorship has authorized immigration and customs agents at the nation's international airports to use force to detain arriving passengers who appear to have symptoms of the disease, senior regime officials said.

Cop takes 'midnight photos' of teacher's classroom (VT) John Mott is the Barre Town police officer who admits he spent part of an early morning break last month photographing student projects in the classroom of a controversial history teacher. Among the student projects that Mott said he photographed were a poster of Dictator Bush with duct tape over his mouth [LOL!] and a large papier-mâché combat boot with the American flag stuffed inside stepping on a doll.

Md. workers must report any legal action, including arrests, divorce cases --New rules, contained in an executive order signed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. last week and released Monday, require workers to inform their department heads of matters as personal as divorces or custody battles or as sensitive as seeking protective orders from abusive spouses. "It's opening up a Pandora's box that's never been opened before," said Zachary J. Ramsey, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 92. Current policy and statute generally applies to criminal convictions, Ramsey said, not arrests. [Holy police state, Batman!]

ACLU files lawsuit challenging "no-fly" list --The American Civil Liberties Union and the co-publishers of an antiwar newspaper have challenged the Bush dictatorship’s compiling of a secret "no-fly" list of persons who allegedly are a threat to airline safety because of terrorist links.

Intimidation punditry - a disservice --There is limited range of objective reporting in mass media (Indian Country Today) "There is a growing concern about intimidation in media these days. The most rapid species extinction seems to be of the courageous journalist, willing to report the unpopular and to ask tough questions."

GOP lawmakers pushing plan to redraw voting districts --In a move that could rewrite the nation's redistricting rules, Republicans in the Colorado legislature pushed through a plan yesterday that would redraw the congressional district map to their advantage.

Daschle-bashing reaches a new low in South Dakota --by Josh Marshall "If you’ve ever needed a textbook example of the psychological theory of projection, it’s those GOP operatives and their dingbat jihad against Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle... two Republican operatives are organizing something called the Daschle Accountability Project, a yearlong, $800,000 anti-Daschle ad-campaign featuring a folksy duo modeled off those old Bartles & James TV commercials."

Report: Daniels among 32 subpoenaed in securities probe --White House budget director Mitch Daniels has been subpoenaed in a lawsuit accusing him and other former IPALCO Enterprises directors of dumping millions of dollars in stock before the utility company was sold.

EU set for WTO go-ahead on huge US trade sanctions --The European Union on Wednesday will get the final go-ahead to hit the United States with a record $4.04 billion worth of trade sanctions in a long-running row over tax breaks for major exporting firms, diplomats said.

Fed Fears a Spiral of Falling Prices --Deflation Risk May Prompt Rate Cuts --Federal Reserve policymakers officially acknowledged yesterday that weak growth poses a danger to the U.S. economy, not just in terms of lost jobs but also because it could cause prices to fall so much that the economy would stall completely.

House Considers Measure to Cut Billions in Pension Obligations --A bill pending in the House of Representatives would allow businesses with union workers to reduce their company pension obligations by billions of dollars, because statistics show that most blue-collar workers do not live as long as other Americans.

Record number of US children in extreme poverty --The number of black children living in extreme poverty climbed to nearly 1 million in 2001, according to the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), a Washington, DC-based child advocacy group.

A Respected Face, but Is It News or an Ad? --Aaron Brown of CNN, Walter Cronkite and other broadcast journalists have been hired to appear in videos resembling newscasts that are actually paid for by drug makers and other health care companies, blurring the line between journalism and advertising.

Chinese city quarantines 10,000 --Authorities in the Chinese city of Nanjing on Tuesday resorted to extreme measures to protect the city of 6.4m people against Sars pneumonia. Nearly 10,000 people have been quarantined, jail terms have been threatened for those who conceal their symptoms and the city is virtually sealed off to travellers from Sars-infected parts of China.

Sars death rate higher than thought --The first detailed study of the spread of the Sars virus in Hong Kong has discovered that the death rate among sufferers was much higher than previously estimated.

[May 6 lead stories:] White House refuses to release Sept. 11 info --The Bush dictatorship and the nation's intelligence agencies are blocking the release of sensitive information about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, delaying publication of a 900-page congressional report on how the terrorist assault happened. Petition to Senate to Investigate Oddities of 9/11 surpasses 19,600 signatures -- please add yours!

Bechtel tied to bin Ladens --Osama bin Laden family members invested $10M in an equity fund run by former Bechtel unit. The Bush dictatorship launched a war on terror because of the alleged acts of Osama bin Laden. Ironically, one of the companies the regime has picked to rebuild Iraq after the latest phase of that war has ties to bin Laden's family, according to a published report. [Lest we forget, the Idiot Usurper awarded billions to the DynCorp child molesters. *See Scandal-hit US firm wins key contracts A US military contractor accused of human rights violations has won a multi-million-dollar contract to police post-Saddam Iraq, The Observer can reveal. DynCorp, which has donated more than £100,000 to the Republican Party, began recruiting for a private police force in Iraq last week on behalf of the US State Department. While the US has promised help in bringing law and order to Iraq, the involvement of DynCorp has caused concern as it has been involved in a series of recent high-profile scandals involving personnel in sensitive missions overseas. DynCorp personnel contracted to the United Nations police service in Bosnia were implicated in buying and selling prostitutes, including a girl as young as 12. Several DynCorp employees were also accused of videotaping the rape of one of the women.]

Bechtel's roots in Mideast --Lucrative projects date back to WWIII --In the mid-1980s, Bechtel pursued construction of a pipeline linking Iraq's Kirkuk oil fields to the Jordanian port of Aqaba on the Red Sea. According to documents recently obtained by the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., Saddam Hussein discussed the project during a 1983 meeting with current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who at the time was serving as an envoy for President Ronald Reagan.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman questions Donald Rumsfeld about Halliburton --"I am writing about Halliburton's ties to countries that sponsor terrorism." (.pdf)