OpEdNews - Diary: IRAQ LABOR vs ExxonMobil, BP and SHELL

"The new Iraq hydrocarbon law opens the door for international investors, led by BP, Exxon and Shell, to siphon off 75 percent of Iraq oil wealth for 30 years,"

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DIANE'S NEWS CLIPS begins here :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Excerpted from: http://www.truthout.org Kathlyn Stone | IRAQ LABOR vs ExxonMobil, BP and SHELL http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022207LA.shtml

.."The new Iraq hydrocarbon law opens the door for international investors, led by BP, Exxon and Shell, to siphon off 75 percent of Iraq oil wealth for 30 years," writes Kathlyn Stone. "The law is currently under consideration in the Iraq Parliament, with deputy prime minister Salih, chair of the oil committee, carrying the legislation. Iraq's unions, if not its occupied government, are standing firm against the oil law." --- Danny Goldberg: Anti-War Artistry http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121306I.shtml The former Air America CEO and music mogul discusses the significance of the Dixie Chicks' Grammy win; Al Gore's prospects for 2008; and the liberals' responsibility to "blow the wind" of change. --- William Fisher | Fingers in the Wind http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207A.shtml William Fisher writes: "We all know why our public servants are held in such low esteem: earmarks, bribery, corruption, obfuscation, et cetera. But there is another practice just as cynical, just as toxic, and just as widespread. It's called 'pandering.' And it's not only practiced, but widely accepted as 'professional politics' by office-seekers and their campaign staffs, and apparently by voters." --- Iranian Official Offers Glimpse From Within http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207F.shtml CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour recently traveled in Iran, and she recaps a conversation with a top government official. "We are not after conflict. We are not after crisis. We are not after war," said this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "But we don't know whether the same is true in the US or not. If the same is true on the US side, the first step must be to end this vicious cycle that can lead to dangerous action - war." --- John Cory | Promises to Keep http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207J.shtml John Cory writes: "Every Congressional office should be flooded with phone calls and email demanding not only an investigation, but also immediate funding and corrective action on the treatment of our veterans. Viewers should require every media outlet that has dedicated untold hours and resources to the Anna Nicole Smith story to cover the failure of this administration to prioritize the healing and medical support of our troops and the wounded and their families." --- New York Times | Shielding the Powerful http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207D.shtml The editors of the New York Times write: "The Supreme Court's decision yesterday, overturning a nearly $80 million punitive damage award against Philip Morris, is a win for corporate wrongdoers. It stretches the Constitution's guarantee of due process in a way that will make it easier for companies that act reprehensibly to sidestep serious punishments. It also provides unsettling new evidence that the court is more concerned about - and more willing to protect - the powerful than the powerless." --- The New York Times | American Liberty at the Precipice http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207K.shtml "In another low moment for American justice, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that detainees held at the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, do not have the right to be heard in court. The ruling relied on a shameful law that President Bush stampeded through Congress last fall that gives dangerously short shrift to the Constitution. The right of prisoners to challenge their confinement - habeas corpus - is enshrined in the Constitution and is central to American liberty. Congress and the Supreme Court should act quickly and forcefully to undo the grievous damage that last fall's law, and this week's ruling, have done to this basic freedom." writes the New York Times. --- 25 in Congress Criticized Escalation but Voted for It Anyway http://snipurl.com/1az8u --- Sherwood Ross | Hardware King Bush Hits Iran for Peddling Arms http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207M.shtml "Even if he's not lying this time, President Bush's outrage over Iran's Quds Force supplying armor-piercing weapons to Iraq's 'insurgents' rings hollow coming from the world's Number One 'Merchant of Death'," writes Sherwood Ross. --- The People vs. Richard Cheney http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207N.shtml Resolved, that Richard B. Cheney, vice president of the United States, should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that these articles of impeachment be submitted to the American people. --- US Judge Orders Domestic Spying Cases to Proceed http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207C.shtml US officials failed to sideline dozens of domestic spying lawsuits on Tuesday as a federal judge ordered the "War on Terror"-related cases to proceed despite a pending appeal. --- Stephany Kern | Please Don't Make My Grandchildren Pay for the War That Killed Their Father http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207P.shtml "Your brave military is being used and depleted. Your national defense is being squandered. Your countrymen and women are considered expendable, and again it's not a priority to get them what they reasonably need. Your great country is unable to solve this small element of the war situation, even given plenty of money and four grueling years!" writes Stephany Kern. --- Kelpie Wilson | Children of Men http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207B.shtml Kelpie Wilson writes: "'Children of Men' is more than just a fable about fertility and whether or not we deserve its gifts. It is also about fascism, the love that blossoms in the cracks, and the will to power that blots life from our vision, only to have life pop up once again in all its thrusting insistence." --- Steve Fraser | Was 2006 a Turning-Point Election? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207E.shtml Steve Fraser writes: "All media eyes have turned toward the presidential election of 2008. Like the headlights of an onrushing train, it mesmerizes. Every news bulletin about the latest bloodbath in Iraq, each ominous forewarning of a face-off with Iran, the endless dirge of abandonment and despair issuing from New Orleans, the daily register of those cut loose from any semblance of a social safety net, public or private, and each new official confirmation that the Earth is reaching a boiling point compels us to anticipate the 2008 election with fear and trembling, and with the greatest expectations. Something momentous might happen, then. Haven't we already seen the first signs of that in the extraordinary electoral outcome of November 2006?" --- Is Cheney Next? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207R.shtml As a federal jury deliberates the fate of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, several watchers agree that if the jury decides Libby knew he was lying to investigators, it could spur investigators to explore further whether Cheney was involved in conspiring to obstruct justice. --- Christian Makarian | Fear of the Truth http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207G.shtml Confronted with the CIA, European countries flout their own principles. That's what the terrorists want. --- Timothy Garton Ash | Could Global Capitalism Destroy Itself? http://snipurl.com/16hy7 --- NOW | The Moral Dilemma of Requiring a Life-Saving Vaccine http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022207U.shtml A new cancer-fighting vaccine holds life-saving promise for young women, but debate over its use is raising tough questions at the crossroads of medicine and morality. --- As Earth Warms, Lawsuits Mount http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022207EA.shtml The growing scientific consensus on global warming may prompt more than high-level policy decisions. It could also trigger more lawsuits. Perhaps the most far-reaching lawsuit is Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, now pending before the US Supreme Court. --- Southern Ocean Being "Strangled" by Greenhouse Gases http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022207EB.shtml The pristine Southern Ocean, which swirls around the Antarctic and absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is slowly losing a fight against the industrial gases responsible for global warming. --- Great Barrier Reef Polluted by Pesticides http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/022207EC.shtml The Great Barrier Reef, already under threat from global warming, is also being affected by pollutants and pesticides from the land carried into the sea by flooded rivers, satellite images show. --- Health Care May Be 1/5 of What You Spend http://snipurl.com/1b0ti _________________________________ .ron corvuswire@verizon.net : Traitor Joe Lieberman Says War Vote Could Prompt Party Switch To Republican from Democrat -- weasley ba*tard. .ron Lieberman Says War Vote Could Prompt Party Switch ... By: Carrie Budoff EXCERPT: Republicans have long targeted Lieberman to switch a move that would give them control of the Senate. And Time magazine is set to report Friday that there is a "remote" chance Lieberman would join the GOP. http://snipurl.com/1b11k _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://www.rawstory.com California punk rocker a staunch Republican operative Ex-druggie, punk rocker may work for Giuliani campaign

.. Jimmy Camp, a tattooed punk rocker with a history of drug abuse and theft, is one of California's most reliable Republican political operatives, according to a column in Tuesday's Orange County Register. Read more >> http://snipurl.com/1b105 _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://www.alternet.org The Lies They Tell: How to Stop the Fox Propaganda Machine

... By Don Hazen, AlterNet The "Sliming Bowl" is well under way, and Fox's influence is too big -- and too damaging -- to ignore. Can the progressive Internet media and blogosphere bring them down? Read more: http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/48286/ -----

Iraqis Are Running Out of Food By Dahr Jamail, Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News Even the food system in Iraq is plagued by insecurities. Once a large agricultural exporter, Iraq's food supply has fallen apart under the U.S.-led occupation. Read here: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/48227/ -----

...Hillary's Calculations Add Up to War By Robert Scheer, Truthdig Clinton refuses to admit her mistakes about Iraq and proceeds to make the same ones with Iran. Read here: http://www.alternet.org/stories/48333/ -----

Clinton To Anti-War Voters: Bring It On By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate Clinton invites voters to turn elsewhere for an anti-war presidential candidate, and they will oblige. Read more: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/48331/ -----

... You Say Scrotum, I Say Hoo-Ha By Susie Bright, SusieBright.com Squeamish school librarians, screaming at a single word they deemed "offensive," have put the screws to an award-winning children's book. Read more: http://snipurl.com/1b0yl ----- VIDEO: >> Bush pounded by livid Press for not supporting Troops [VIDEO] By Evan Derkacz ... Snow Job: It's not our job man ... http://snipurl.com/1b0yr ----- ACTION: Tell Dems not to let themselves get screwed by Fox News By Joshua Holland It'll only take a minute. >> http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/48323/ ----- Party is over for Episcopal Church By Prema Polit Anglican Communion says go straight or else.>> http://snipurl.com/1b0yz _________________________________

http://www.newsdissector.org _________________________________ http://truth_to_power2006@yahoo.com : OBAMINATION Demercrats item by Erik Rush 2.21.07 Interesting article on Obama, another fake that I cannot stand: Excerpts: [snip] ... 'in the "About" section of the U.S. Senate website for Barack Obama, Democratic senator from Illinois and contender for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, it states that Obama and his family "live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ." '[snip] So...? Full article >> http://howardwasright.com/index.php/site/more/458/ ...and then this on another fake, Edwards, with Obama mentions: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957727.html?categoryid=1&cs=1 ka-boom. ----- Here is the train that we are on: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17145.htm _________________________________ Submitted by: http://eddiestinson@gmail.com What they knew about Walter Reed, and when they knew it Excerpt: "Winkenwerder said he was shocked, shocked that anybody at Walter Reed was being underserved. "This news caught me -- as it did many other people -- completely by surprise," he told the press. They shouldn't have been so surprised. In early 2005, Salon brought to the attention of Walter Reed officials disturbing information based on interviews, medical records and other Army documents which showed that soldiers receiving outpatient treatment for mental wounds were suffering from a shocking pattern of neglect. At that time, Walter Reed officials refused to discuss Salon's findings. Instead, they issued a statement saying it just wasn't so: "We are satisfied that there is a very high level of patient satisfaction with their treatment," the statement read. In early 2006, Salon alerted Army and Walter Reed officials to a very similar set of concerns: Some soldiers with traumatic brain injuries were not being screened, identified or treated. They were falling through the cracks. The Army and the hospital declined to talk with Salon about those issues, [snip] Full article >> http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/02/21/walter_reed/index.html?source=rss ----- 2.21.07 New York Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com - Oily truth emerges in Iraq

...Throughout nearly four years of the daily mayhem and carnage in Iraq, President Bush and his aides in the White House have scoffed at even the slightest suggestion that the U.S. military occupation has anything to do with oil. The President presumably would have us all believe that if Iraq had the world's second-largest supply of bananas instead of petroleum, American troops would still be there. Now comes new evidence of the big prize in Iraq that rarely gets mentioned at White House briefings. [snip] Continued: http://snipurl.com/1aznf _________________________________ Missed? Dept. Helen Thomas Moving Back After 46 Years Down Front

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) http://snipurl.com/1az30 | original source: http://snipurl.com/1az3p _________________________________

Excerpted from: http://mediamatters.org Will media report how Giuliani is milking 9-11, "America's Mayor" image they helped create for massive PR, financial gain? Since 2002, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) has traveled nationwide and around the world to deliver countless speeches on the topics of "leadership" and "crisis management" at business conferences, motivational seminars, fundraisers, and universities. In these addresses -- for which he charges a reported $100,000 apiece -- Giuliani regularly speaks at length about his first-hand experiences during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As Media Matters for America has noted, significant questions surround Giuliani's record on homeland security and public safety, including his performance during, before, and after the 9-11 attacks. Nonetheless, the media have routinely advanced the depiction of Giuliani as a "hero of 9/11" and "America's Mayor," bolstering his image and enhancing his credibility. Now, as he explores a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, will the media properly scrutinize how Giuliani has capitalized on this image -- legitimate or not -- for substantial personal profit? Read more >> http://snipurl.com/1b11s _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://www.axisoflogic.com Letters from France 2.18.07 The Goebels principle By Robert Thompson The late Dr Josef Goebels had a principle which has won itself many followers. It was that if one tells a lie often enough and loud enough the public will, through ignorance and/or laziness, come to believe it. Among its most ardent disciples are the propagandists who work for the Neocons and their Zionist masters. ................snip................... Anyone who claims quite simply that the said "state of Israel" has a right to defend itself is either a liar or self-deceiving, and totally fails to take into account the need to treat ALL PARTIES WITH JUSTICE. However, those who honor justice have to face the sad fact that huge numbers of people, especially in the USA, actually believe that the horrors committed by the Nazis justify the Zionists in expelling the inhabitants of Palestine, although the latter had no part in the Nazi persecution of "Jews" in Europe. [snip] http://snipurl.com/1b0zm _________________________________

... No Safe Place from Solar Storms ... NASA Science News The ESA-NASA Ulysses spacecraft has discovered that there is no place in the inner solar system completely safe from solar radiation storms. http://snipurl.com/1b0tx Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml! _________________________________ http://mothermedia.org | http://www.peacemideast.org | http://www.iran-daily.com _________________________________ >>>> Heard any good movies lately? I know people who get bored at work sometimes. That's unfortunate we spend most of our day at work, so it should be enjoyable. But I suppose everybody has their days. So I have a site that will ease some of your pain on those boring days. At today's Cool Site, you can select from a variety of popular movies and television shows. They range from comedy to drama to science fiction. There's a catch, though: You can only listen to a movie. That's right! There's no video to distract you or tip off your boss. And if your supervisor is really strict about these things, try the stealth mode. It makes the player window look like a spreadsheet. How clever. TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITES, GO HERE: http://power.listentoamovie.com Be sure to listen to me Monday through Friday. Use my map to find me near you http://www.komando.com/listen/index.aspx _________________________________ eHEALTHY NEWS Do You Use Your Cell Phone Safely in the Car? - Driving while using a hands-free cellular phone can make you just as prone to accidents as hand-held phones. http://snipurl.com/1awhx ----- Why Aren't Toolmakers Interested in Protecting Your Hands? - A new table saw stops instantly when it comes in contact with human skin -- but no one seems to be interested in bringing it to market. http://snipurl.com/1awi5 ----- Smarter Babies Take Their Naps - Babies who take naps experience an amazing improvement in their thinking abilities. http://snipurl.com/1awia _________________________________ VIDEO: Before They Were Stars A solid 10-minute showcase of celebrities before they were stars. Includes footage of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston, Kurt Russell, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Cox, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and many others. Hilarious! http://snipurl.com/1a76u _________________________________ NationalGeographic.com http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/ _________________________________ NASA Astronomy picture of the day http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html _________________________________ We never know, believe me, when we have succeeded best. ~ Miguel de Unamuno, Essays and Soliloquies, 1925 _________________________________ Link to: Diane's News Clips http://www.opednews.com/author/author2300.html?entry=diary