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News
spread of the red
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spread of the red
number 179 01.25.09
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| verbatim archive |
| Clarence Brown Tribute Page |
Since early November, the Justice
Department has announced that
it has agreed to settlements in
more than twenty business-
related cases, many of which have
been pending for years. The
Washington Post recently
reported details of several high-
profile corporate settlements
finalized over the Christmas
holidays. Public interest groups
have charged that the spate of
settlement activity is being driven
by a perception that the outgoing
Bush administration is likely to
offer more favorable deals than
the Obama team led by Attorney
General designee Eric Holder.
Among the influential
corporations agreeing to
settlements since the presidential
election are AT&T, Siemens,
Exxon Mobil, the Aibel Group,
and Spartan Motors. The Justice
Department announced three
separate settlements totaling
more than $15 million on
December 23. Taxpayers Against
Fraud spokesman Patrick Burns
told the Post, “This is
traditionally the time to ram a
settlement through because no
one notices. Putting it out
between Christmas and New
Year’s is brilliant.”
Law professor Ellen S. Podgor,
who blogs on corporate fraud
and white-collar crime, cited the
Siemens settlement with the
outgoing administration by giving
it a "best timing in 2008" award.
The DoJ has continued to
announce new settlements this
month, as a number of senior
government attorneys prepare to
leave their posts. it's all true
Department has announced that
it has agreed to settlements in
more than twenty business-
related cases, many of which have
been pending for years. The
Washington Post recently
reported details of several high-
profile corporate settlements
finalized over the Christmas
holidays. Public interest groups
have charged that the spate of
settlement activity is being driven
by a perception that the outgoing
Bush administration is likely to
offer more favorable deals than
the Obama team led by Attorney
General designee Eric Holder.
Among the influential
corporations agreeing to
settlements since the presidential
election are AT&T, Siemens,
Exxon Mobil, the Aibel Group,
and Spartan Motors. The Justice
Department announced three
separate settlements totaling
more than $15 million on
December 23. Taxpayers Against
Fraud spokesman Patrick Burns
told the Post, “This is
traditionally the time to ram a
settlement through because no
one notices. Putting it out
between Christmas and New
Year’s is brilliant.”
Law professor Ellen S. Podgor,
who blogs on corporate fraud
and white-collar crime, cited the
Siemens settlement with the
outgoing administration by giving
it a "best timing in 2008" award.
The DoJ has continued to
announce new settlements this
month, as a number of senior
government attorneys prepare to
leave their posts. it's all true
The San Diego Police Department has
announced the purchase of a 25-foot
armored mobile observation tower, to
be used in crowd control and emergency
relief situations. The mobile device,
manufactured by Arlington, Virginia-
based Icx Technologies, has been
customized to the Department’s
specifications and will be delivered in
February. The $120,000 tower was
procured with assistance from the
federal Department of Homeland
Security after San Diego police tested a
prototype for several months.
According to a report in the San Diego
Union-Tribune, police have deployed
the test version of the mobile
observation tower over Labor Day
weekend at a local beach, at shopping
malls over the holidays, and at a regular
season NFL game between the Chargers
announced the purchase of a 25-foot
armored mobile observation tower, to
be used in crowd control and emergency
relief situations. The mobile device,
manufactured by Arlington, Virginia-
based Icx Technologies, has been
customized to the Department’s
specifications and will be delivered in
February. The $120,000 tower was
procured with assistance from the
federal Department of Homeland
Security after San Diego police tested a
prototype for several months.
According to a report in the San Diego
Union-Tribune, police have deployed
the test version of the mobile
observation tower over Labor Day
weekend at a local beach, at shopping
malls over the holidays, and at a regular
season NFL game between the Chargers
and the Oakland Raiders. Police Captain
Shelley Zimmerman, who was involved
in testing the device, told the paper, “It
has assisted us in making arrests and has
certainly been a huge deterrent.”
Local and state law enforcement
agencies across the country are taking
advantage of DHS grants to equip
themselves with the latest paramilitary
and surveillance technology, and the ICx
Skywatch observation unit has become a
part of public events in major cities such
as Chicago, Seattle, and New York,
which owns several of the mobile
watchtowers, using them at sporting
events and, recently, New Year’s Eve
celebrations in Times Square. Protesters
at immigration rights rallies have become
familiar with the towers, which feature
cameras, public address systems, bullet
proof glass, and gun turrets. it's all true
Shelley Zimmerman, who was involved
in testing the device, told the paper, “It
has assisted us in making arrests and has
certainly been a huge deterrent.”
Local and state law enforcement
agencies across the country are taking
advantage of DHS grants to equip
themselves with the latest paramilitary
and surveillance technology, and the ICx
Skywatch observation unit has become a
part of public events in major cities such
as Chicago, Seattle, and New York,
which owns several of the mobile
watchtowers, using them at sporting
events and, recently, New Year’s Eve
celebrations in Times Square. Protesters
at immigration rights rallies have become
familiar with the towers, which feature
cameras, public address systems, bullet
proof glass, and gun turrets. it's all true
Militarization of Police Departments a Tall Order
A senior Pentagon official has admitted
that CIA and US military interrogators
tortured a detainee being held at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying that the
abusive treatment of Saudi national
Mohammed al-Qahtani precluded his
prosecution as the alleged “20th
hijacker” in the terror attacks of
September 2001. Susan J. Crawford,
who oversees the military commissions
convened to try detainees being held as
“enemy combatants”, confirmed that the
reason she had declined to refer the case
for prosecution last May was that the
treatment of Qahtani amounted to
torture. The acknowledgement is the
latest in a series of legal setbacks for
controversial US detention and
interrogation policies in the final days of
the Bush administration.
“We tortured Qahtani. His treatment
that CIA and US military interrogators
tortured a detainee being held at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying that the
abusive treatment of Saudi national
Mohammed al-Qahtani precluded his
prosecution as the alleged “20th
hijacker” in the terror attacks of
September 2001. Susan J. Crawford,
who oversees the military commissions
convened to try detainees being held as
“enemy combatants”, confirmed that the
reason she had declined to refer the case
for prosecution last May was that the
treatment of Qahtani amounted to
torture. The acknowledgement is the
latest in a series of legal setbacks for
controversial US detention and
interrogation policies in the final days of
the Bush administration.
“We tortured Qahtani. His treatment
met the legal definition of torture. And
that’s why I did not refer his case,”
Crawford said in an interview with the
Washington Post. She maintained that
the individual techniques used on the
detainee were lawful, but that,
cumulatively, they amounted to torture
under US and international law. Qahtani
was subjected to sleep and sensory
deprivation, temperature extremes,
stress positions, sexual abuse, and
waterboarding. After six years in US
custody, he remains in detention
without charge.
In a separate case last week, federal
judge Richard J. Leon ordered the
release of detainee Mohammed El
Gharani from Guantanamo Bay, ruling
that the evidence presented by the
Justice Department was insufficient to
justify his continued detention. Gharani,
that’s why I did not refer his case,”
Crawford said in an interview with the
Washington Post. She maintained that
the individual techniques used on the
detainee were lawful, but that,
cumulatively, they amounted to torture
under US and international law. Qahtani
was subjected to sleep and sensory
deprivation, temperature extremes,
stress positions, sexual abuse, and
waterboarding. After six years in US
custody, he remains in detention
without charge.
In a separate case last week, federal
judge Richard J. Leon ordered the
release of detainee Mohammed El
Gharani from Guantanamo Bay, ruling
that the evidence presented by the
Justice Department was insufficient to
justify his continued detention. Gharani,
21, was captured by US forces in
Afghanistan in 2001, at age 14. The
government’s case against him
included the allegation that Gharani
was a member of a terrorist sleeper
cell in London in 1998, when the
detainee would have been 11.
In early January, federal judge Emmet
Sullivan angrily accused the Bush
administration of withholding
evidence in the case of another
Guantanamo detainee, 38-year-old
Yemeni doctor Aymen Saeed Batarfi,
after at least 10 documents were
withheld from defense attorneys and
the court. In a hearing, Sullivan said
of prosecutors’ behavior, “I think
it’s unfair, I think it’s disingenuous.
This government, especially, hides
the ball when it suits this
government’s purpose.” it's all true
Afghanistan in 2001, at age 14. The
government’s case against him
included the allegation that Gharani
was a member of a terrorist sleeper
cell in London in 1998, when the
detainee would have been 11.
In early January, federal judge Emmet
Sullivan angrily accused the Bush
administration of withholding
evidence in the case of another
Guantanamo detainee, 38-year-old
Yemeni doctor Aymen Saeed Batarfi,
after at least 10 documents were
withheld from defense attorneys and
the court. In a hearing, Sullivan said
of prosecutors’ behavior, “I think
it’s unfair, I think it’s disingenuous.
This government, especially, hides
the ball when it suits this
government’s purpose.” it's all true
Uncertainty Over Questionable Interrogations, Dubious Detentions
VERBATIM number 34.6
"There have been
disappointments. Abu Ghraib
obviously was a huge
disappointment during the
presidency. Not having weapons
of mass destruction was a
significant disappointment...
disappointments. Abu Ghraib
obviously was a huge
disappointment during the
presidency. Not having weapons
of mass destruction was a
significant disappointment...
I don't know if you want to
call those mistakes or not,
but they were - things didn't
go according to plan.
Washington DC 01.12.09
call those mistakes or not,
but they were - things didn't
go according to plan.
Washington DC 01.12.09
The foreign secretary of the UK,
David Miliband, recently said that he
has long considered that the concept
of a “war on terror” is flawed and
using the term over the past years
has perhaps caused “more harm than
good.”
Miliband called into question the
construct advanced by the Bush
administration as a rational for tactics
such as extraordinary rendition,
warrantless wire-tapping and torture
in a speech in Mumbai India, the site
of a recent terror attack where more
than 170 people were killed.
Miliband said the more western
powers “draw the battle lines as a
simple binary struggle between
moderates and extremists or good
and evil, the more we play into the
hands of those seeking to unify
groups with little in common.”
Miliband defined terrorism as a
“deadly tactic, not an institution or
an ideology.” Democracies, Miliband
told his audience, must respond
to terrorism by “championing”
instead of subordinating the
rule of law." it's all true
David Miliband, recently said that he
has long considered that the concept
of a “war on terror” is flawed and
using the term over the past years
has perhaps caused “more harm than
good.”
Miliband called into question the
construct advanced by the Bush
administration as a rational for tactics
such as extraordinary rendition,
warrantless wire-tapping and torture
in a speech in Mumbai India, the site
of a recent terror attack where more
than 170 people were killed.
Miliband said the more western
powers “draw the battle lines as a
simple binary struggle between
moderates and extremists or good
and evil, the more we play into the
hands of those seeking to unify
groups with little in common.”
Miliband defined terrorism as a
“deadly tactic, not an institution or
an ideology.” Democracies, Miliband
told his audience, must respond
to terrorism by “championing”
instead of subordinating the
rule of law." it's all true
As the Bush years close and the
executive branch tries to project its
vision of what its legacy will become in
various ways, including the release of an
official White House document titled
“The Bush Record”, the president and
vice-president continue to remind
Americans of the administration’s
flamboyant disdain for the public’s
perceptions about the hundreds of
thousands of deaths caused by on-going
military occupations and the reliance on
brutal tactics such as torture.
In an interview conducted by Larry King
on CNN, the president said that when
one has to make “big decisions and
tough calls…you’re going to get
executive branch tries to project its
vision of what its legacy will become in
various ways, including the release of an
official White House document titled
“The Bush Record”, the president and
vice-president continue to remind
Americans of the administration’s
flamboyant disdain for the public’s
perceptions about the hundreds of
thousands of deaths caused by on-going
military occupations and the reliance on
brutal tactics such as torture.
In an interview conducted by Larry King
on CNN, the president said that when
one has to make “big decisions and
tough calls…you’re going to get
criticized.” Responding to a question
regarding his low public approval ratings,
which have hovered between 25 and 30
percent for some time, Bush stated, “I
don’t give a darn.” In his last press
conference, Bush said that he had not
made mistakes, but rather, had
experienced “disappointments.”
Vice-president Dick Cheney, in an
appearance on public television,
expanded on the administration’s
relationship with adverse public opinion
regarding issues ranging from the entry
of the country into the unprovoked
occupation of Iraq to the brutal
treatment of uncharged suspects at the
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,
regarding his low public approval ratings,
which have hovered between 25 and 30
percent for some time, Bush stated, “I
don’t give a darn.” In his last press
conference, Bush said that he had not
made mistakes, but rather, had
experienced “disappointments.”
Vice-president Dick Cheney, in an
appearance on public television,
expanded on the administration’s
relationship with adverse public opinion
regarding issues ranging from the entry
of the country into the unprovoked
occupation of Iraq to the brutal
treatment of uncharged suspects at the
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba and in Iraq. Cheney said that,
given the circumstances, “You
cannot…start worrying about the
polls in terms of whether or not
you’re going to make these tough
decisions.”
Cheney said that he was “absolutely”
comfortable with the Bush
administration’s use of “enhanced
interrogation techniques” on
detainees, and said that he believes
that the several hundred thousand
deaths caused by the US occupation
of Iraq have been “worth it.” Cheney
said he felt that, in the end, “history
will judge this administration in a
fairly favorable light.” it's all true
given the circumstances, “You
cannot…start worrying about the
polls in terms of whether or not
you’re going to make these tough
decisions.”
Cheney said that he was “absolutely”
comfortable with the Bush
administration’s use of “enhanced
interrogation techniques” on
detainees, and said that he believes
that the several hundred thousand
deaths caused by the US occupation
of Iraq have been “worth it.” Cheney
said he felt that, in the end, “history
will judge this administration in a
fairly favorable light.” it's all true
The Pentagon has reported that a
record number of soldiers and veterans
have committed suicide as the US
military is stretched thin with troops
occupying two countries.
Although the final number for 2008 has
not been tallied, the US Army has
reported that through October 2008,
117 of its soldiers have committed
suicide. That figure outpaces last year’s
record number of suicides by army
personnel of 115 suicides. Last year's
figure represented the highest rate of
soldier suicide since the army began to
track this statistic in 1980.
The Department of Veterans affairs
reports that suicide rates among
veterans who served in the Iraqi
occupation and who fought in
Afghanistan doubled between 2004 and
2006. In 2004 52 Iraq/Afghanistan
veterans killed themselves, while in 2006
that number had risen to 110 soldiers.
The number of suicides of veterans of
Iraq/Afghanistan operations is currently
out pacing the rate of suicides in the
civilian population.
The US Marines Corps is also reporting a
spike in suicides in its ranks. The Marine
Corps reported 41 actual or suspected
record number of soldiers and veterans
have committed suicide as the US
military is stretched thin with troops
occupying two countries.
Although the final number for 2008 has
not been tallied, the US Army has
reported that through October 2008,
117 of its soldiers have committed
suicide. That figure outpaces last year’s
record number of suicides by army
personnel of 115 suicides. Last year's
figure represented the highest rate of
soldier suicide since the army began to
track this statistic in 1980.
The Department of Veterans affairs
reports that suicide rates among
veterans who served in the Iraqi
occupation and who fought in
Afghanistan doubled between 2004 and
2006. In 2004 52 Iraq/Afghanistan
veterans killed themselves, while in 2006
that number had risen to 110 soldiers.
The number of suicides of veterans of
Iraq/Afghanistan operations is currently
out pacing the rate of suicides in the
civilian population.
The US Marines Corps is also reporting a
spike in suicides in its ranks. The Marine
Corps reported 41 actual or suspected
suicides in 2008, which is a 20 percent
increase over the 33 reported in 2007.
Almost all of the Marines who
committed suicide in 2008 were 24 years
old or younger.
Army psychologists believe that the
lengthy and repeated tours of duty in
Iraq and Afghanistan that are mandated
by the US military to carry out the
occupation of these countries are a
proximate cause of the rise in suicides
among military personnel. It has not
been uncommon over the term of US
engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan for
soldiers to be ordered to fulfill multiple
consecutive 12 to 15 month tours of
duty with minimal allowance for rest
between deployments. More than 60
percent of the soldiers who killed
themselves in 2008 were deployed or
had been recently deployed in the Iraq
or Afghanistan.
The Army has sought the assistance of
the National Institute of Mental Health
to attempt to make sense of the sharp
increase in the suicides of its troops.
Last October, the Army and the NIMH
submitted a proposal seeking $50 million
to track soldiers in an attempt to
understand what influences lead soldiers
to consider suicide. it's all true
increase over the 33 reported in 2007.
Almost all of the Marines who
committed suicide in 2008 were 24 years
old or younger.
Army psychologists believe that the
lengthy and repeated tours of duty in
Iraq and Afghanistan that are mandated
by the US military to carry out the
occupation of these countries are a
proximate cause of the rise in suicides
among military personnel. It has not
been uncommon over the term of US
engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan for
soldiers to be ordered to fulfill multiple
consecutive 12 to 15 month tours of
duty with minimal allowance for rest
between deployments. More than 60
percent of the soldiers who killed
themselves in 2008 were deployed or
had been recently deployed in the Iraq
or Afghanistan.
The Army has sought the assistance of
the National Institute of Mental Health
to attempt to make sense of the sharp
increase in the suicides of its troops.
Last October, the Army and the NIMH
submitted a proposal seeking $50 million
to track soldiers in an attempt to
understand what influences lead soldiers
to consider suicide. it's all true
| Unemployment rate per year 16 and over |
| 200 |
| 1000 |
| $b |
2
8
%
| National debt increases per year in billions of dollars |
2002 2008
2002 2008
Military Troubled by Rising Casualty Rates
UK Minister Sees Error
of Terror War Talking
of Terror War Talking
Bush, Cheney Unapologetic Over Unpardonable Offenses