OpEdNews - Diary: Robert Parry | IRAN CLOCK IS TICKING

"One well-informed US military source called me in a fury after consulting with Pentagon associates and discovering how far along the war preparations are."

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DIANE'S NEWS CLIPS begins here :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Excerpted from: http://www.truthout.org Robert Parry | IRAN CLOCK IS TICKING http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107C.shtml

Robert Parry writes: "One well-informed US military source called me in a fury after consulting with Pentagon associates and discovering how far along the war preparations are. He said the plans call for extensive aerial attacks on Iran, including use of powerful bunker-busting ordnance." --- Howard Zinn | Impeachment by the People http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107N.shtml "Courage is in short supply in Washington, DC. The realities of the Iraq War cry out for the overthrow of a government that is criminally responsible for death, mutilation, torture, humiliation, chaos. But all we hear in the nation's capital, which is the source of those catastrophes, is a whimper from the Democratic Party, muttering and nattering about 'unity' and 'bipartisanship,' in a situation that calls for bold action to immediately reverse the present course," writes Howard Zinn. --- Cheney's Handwritten Notes Implicate Bush in Plame Affair http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013107Z.shtml Copies of handwritten notes by Vice President Dick Cheney, introduced at trial by defense attorneys for former White House staffer I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, would appear to implicate George W. Bush in the Plame CIA Leak case. --- Official Lies Over Najaf Battle Exposed http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107R.shtml Iraqi government lies over the killing of hundreds of Shias in an attack on Sunday stand exposed by independent investigations carried out by IPS in Iraq. --- Gore Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107A.shtml [snip] ... "A prerequisite for winning the Nobel Peace Prize is making a difference, and Al Gore has made a difference," Conservative member of Parliament Boerge Brende, a former minister of environment and then of trade, told the Associated Press. --- Slow Going on Global Warming Report http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/020107EA.shtml A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if it is issued on time Friday, will warn the world that global warming is here and worsening, using its bluntest language yet. --- Paul Rockwell | A Soldier's Right to Disobey Illegal Orders http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107D.shtml Paul Rockwell writes: "It is a sad day in American jurisprudence when a soldier of conscience is court-martialed not for lying but for telling the truth, not for breaking a covenant with the military but for upholding the rule of law in wartime. --- Bill Quigley | Grandmothers for Peace Get Federal Prison Instead http://snipurl.com/18yyj --- Judge Shelves Gitmo Detainee Cases http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107O.shtml US District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, in Washington, said the Military Commissions Act, signed into law in October, has left him unable to consider whether the detainees can challenge being held at the Navy facility in Cuba. An appeals court in Washington is considering whether civilian jurists can rule on those cases. Until that issue is resolved, Walton said, "it is this court's view that it lacks the authority to take any action in these cases." --- Justice to Release Some Spy Program Details to Senators http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107M.shtml While senators welcomed the Bush administration decision to release secret documents detailing the government's domestic spying program, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, said, "The administration still won't release other crucial documents that explain how the FISA Court's orders comply with the 1978 surveillance law that the court oversees." The deal to release the documents still leaves many lawmakers frustrated. "We are playing hide the ball down at the Justice Department," said Wilson. --- More US Money Wasted in Iraq, Audit Finds http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107P.shtml Dozens of millions of dollars originally slated for the reconstruction and security of Iraq have been squandered on luxury items like an Olympic-sized swimming pool, VIP trailers, and buildings that were never or rarely used. In eight new audits carried out over the past quarter alone, the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, indicated that "corruption continues to plague Iraq" and that "the security environment has continued to deteriorate." --- Journalists Threatened With Loss of Access Over Iraq Images http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107G.shtml The intimate portrayal of a sergeant's death during Army efforts to clear a Baghdad neighborhood has caused friction between the military and the New York Times, while sparking larger questions about war coverage and media-military relations. --- Jean-Marcel Bouguereau | Climate Changes; Hypocrisy Continues http://snipurl.com/16hy7 --- House Panel Probing Bush's Record on Signing Statements http://snipurl.com/190ei --- Senators Unite on Challenge to Bush's Troop Plan http://snipurl.com/18yyh --- John Nichols | Remembering Molly Ivins http://snipurl.com/18yye --- Truthout 2007: Freedom and Democracy Awards http://snipurl.com/19126 --- Iraq War Protesters Step Up Pressure to Bring US Troops Home http://snipurl.com/1912r --- NOW | A Radical Proposal to Help the Homeless http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020107U.shtml What do homeless people most need to reenter the fabric of society? Some say the answer is right there in the question: homes. Hundreds of cities are taking a radical approach to homelessness. Does it work? This time on NOW. --- Coal Plans Prompt Warning http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/020107EC.shtml _________________________________ .ron corvuswire@verizon.net : "IF I KNEW THEN, WHAT I KNOW NOW" by ron corvus Words cannot express my anger at the Congresspersons who voted to give President (sic) Bush authorization to use force at his own discretion against Iraq. This so-called, "War Resolution" was illegal and unconstitutional as sin. Congress can only go to war by a Congressional Declaration of War or verifiable proof of imminent threat of imminent attack, none of which ever occurred. These assenting Congressmen and Hillary love to chime: "If I knew then what I know now." Here's what I say to them: YOU DID KNOW THEN WHAT YOU KNOW NOW! You knew then that you did not have the authority to give President George W. Bush permission to use force against Iraq per Congressional resolution, but you did anyway. You knew then, as you do now, that the ONLY WAY you can vote to give Bush authorization to go to war in Iraq is by a Congressional Declaration of War. Now that Bush's War On Iraq has gone straight to hell, those assenting Congresspersons who gave Bush faux authorization and funds to go to war in Iraq REFUSE to CUT FUNDING to the same war they funded. Think about that for a minute: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, John Kerry, all voted to fund Bush's war in Iraq, BUT REFUSE TO CUT FUNDING TO THEIR WAR! And it IS THEIR war! Just as much as Bushs'! They're just as culpable. If I were in charge, I'd deport every single Congressperson who voted to give Bush faux authorization to go to war against Iraq. Are these guilty Congresspersons admitting they were wrong? Well, John Edwards has - but Hillary Clinton HAS NOT! I would still deport Edwards, even after admitting he was wrong. Why? Because John Edwards was elected to a serious office with serious responsibilities. And he has a serious duty to uphold the law and the people's rights and interest in matters before him and Congress. Edwards violated his duty under law, Constitution and his duty to the people and as a direct and proximate result, Americans died needlessly, as well as God knows how many Iraqis. Instead of resigning from office, which is what a really decent American would do, these 'War Funders' are busy polishing their shiny campaign wheels, so they'll look better when they roll right over their less-wealthy opponents. Hillary smiles wide when she tells her audiences, "If I knew then what I know now." ... Sickening. Barak Obama is not out of the mix either. Barak Hussein Obama released his own plan for Iraq: Obama's solution is TO KEEP FUNDING BUSH'S WAR, but to "redeploy the troops by March of 2008!" 2008? Has he lost his Barak Hussein Obama mind? The audacity of Obama telling Americans he recommends continuing funding the Iraq war, but not to worry as long as they're out of there by March of next year! Imagine if you are one of those American soldiers who gets shot at every 15 minutes. I wonder if they're overcome with glee at the great news from Barak Hussein Obama, that they can keep getting shot at until next year, lovely. Please watch these videos on this matter: ** Stop This War Now! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9TYvv1uoDQ ** Michael Ware http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQuKDMZdvMo ** The Kucinich Plan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS6JyiAt0xg --- Members of the Senate who voted for: Wayne Allard (R-CO); George Allen (R-VA); Max Baucus (D-MT); Max Baucus (D-MT); Evan Bayh (D-IN); Bob Bennett (R-UT); Joe Biden (D-DE); Kit Bond (R-MO); John Breaux (D-LA); Sam Brownback (R-KS); Jim Bunning (R-KY); Conrad Burns (R-MT); Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO); Maria Cantwell (D-WA); Jean Carnahan (D-MO); Tom Carper (D-DE); Max Cleland (D-GA); Hillary Clinton (D-NY); Thad Cochran (R-MS); Susan Collins (R-ME); Larry Craig (R-ID); Mike Crapo (R-ID); Tom Daschle (D-SD); Mike DeWine (R-OH); Christopher Dodd (D-CT); Pete Domenici (R-NM); Byron Dorgan (D-ND); John Edwards (D-NC); John Ensign (R-NV); Mike Enzi (R-WY); Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL); Bill Frist (R-TN); Phil Gramm (R-TX); Chuck Grassley (R-IA); Judd Gregg (R-NH); Chuck Hagel (R-NE); Tom Harkin (D-IA); Orrin Hatch (R-UT); Jesse Helms (R-NC); Fritz Hollings (D-SC); Tim Hutchinson (R-AR); Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX); James Inhofe (R-OK); Tim Johnson(D-SD); John Kerry (D-MA); Herb Kohl (D-WI); Jon Kyl (R-AZ); Mary Landrieu (D-LA); Joe Lieberman (D-CT); Blanche Lincoln (D-AR); Trent Lott (R-MS); Richard Lugar (R-IN); John McCain (R-AZ); Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Zell Miller (D-GA); Frank Murkowski (R-AK); Bill Nelson (D-FL); Ben Nelson (D-NE); Don Nickles (R-OK); Harry Reid (D-NV); Pat Roberts (R-KS); Jay Rockefeller (D-WV); Rick Santorum (R-PA); Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Jeff Sessions (R-AL); Richard Shelby (R-AL); Robert Smith (R-NH); Gordon Smith (R-OR); Olympia Snowe (R-ME); Arlen Specter (R-PA); Ted Stevens (R-AK); Craig Thomas (R-WY); Fred Thompson (R-TN); Strom Thurmond (R-SC); Robert Torricelli (D-NJ); George Voinovich (R-OH); John Warner (R-VA) Members of the Senate who voted against: Daniel Akaka (D-HI); Jeff Bingaman (D-NM); Barbara Boxer (D-CA); Robert Byrd (D-WV); Lincoln Chafee (R-RI); Jon Corzine (D-NJ); Kent Conrad (D-ND); Mark Dayton (D-MN); Dick Durbin (D-IL); Russ Feingold (D-WI); Bob Graham (D-FL); Daniel Inouye (D-HI); Jim Jeffords (I-VT); Ted Kennedy (D-MA); Patrick Leahy (D-Carl Levin (D-MI); Barbara Mikulski (D-MD); Patty Murray (D-WA); Jack Reed (D-RI); Paul Sarbanes (D-MD); Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); Paul Wellstone (D-MN); Ron Wyden (D-OR) _________________________________ http://jablankfort@earthlink.net Buchanan: Hysteria at Herzliya When Congress finally decides on just the right language for its "non-binding resolution" deploring Bush's leadership in this war, it might consider a resolution to keep us out of the next one. For America is on a collision course with an Iran of 70 million, and the folks who stampeded us into Iraq are firing pistols in the air again. At the annual Herzliya Conference, U.S. presidential aspirants, neoconservatives, and Israeli hawks were all invoking the Holocaust and warning of the annihilation of the Jews. .......................snip........................ Richard Perle assured the conference that Bush will attack Iran rather than see it acquire nuclear weapons capabilities. Newt Gingrich also brought his soothing touch to the proceedings: Read here: http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=10429# ----- CP: Bricmont: What is the Decisive "Clash" of Our Time? by Jean Bricmont EXCERPT: "... it is not working. More realistic people, the planners at the Pentagon for example, have tried to replace waves of human cannon fodder by massive "strategic" bombing. This works only rarely -- in Kosovo and Serbia it did succeed, at least in bringing pro-Western clients to power in both places. But it clearly is not working satisfactorily in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine or Lebanon. The only thing that might succeed, in a very special sense of course, would be nuclear weapons, and the fact that those weapons are the West's last military hope is truly frightening." http://www.counterpunch.org/bricmont01312007.html ----- JPost: Shlomo Avineri: What Jewish organizations must do about Iran There is no other country beside Israel and its US lobby, that has been hectoring the Bush administration to confront Iran. Major Jewish organizations, across the board, have been doing this since well before Amadinejad's election and his misquoted, albeit stupid statements, (given the precarious nature of the situation,) about "wiping Israel from the map" and the ill-considered holocaust conference, which clearly played into Israel's strong suit as the recent UN resolution singling out the primacy of Jewish victim-hood, sadly demonstrated. As the situation of Soviet Jews was blown hysterically out of proportion, so have the fears being raised by Jewish organizations, (despite Avineri's myopia,) and their mouthpieces on America's op-ed pages and the TV networks. Even the IPS's Phyllis Bennis, who has strongly denied that the war in Iraq was being waged for Israel, has acknowledged that should there be an attack on Iran, it will be for Israel. Scott Ritter and others have said the same thing. Unfortunately, but predictably, as the anti-war movement has studiously avoided dealing with Israel's and the lobby's role in fomenting the Iraq war, it has done the same with the build-up against Iran. JB >> What Jewish organizations must do about Iran Shlomo Avineri, The Jerusalem Post http://snipurl.com/18z07 ----- Guardian: Time to get serious about Israel by John Hilary http://snipurl.com/18y7t ----- Atzmon: Turning a UK University into a Yeshiva by Gilad Atzmon A few days ago I learned about Bonsoir: http://www.akramawad.com/ It is a web site maintained by a young Palestinian post-graduate student in Leeds. The site is a must see, it is an on-line Palestinian film library archive, a sort of 'Palestinian You Tube'. The person who created the site is Akram Awad, who has gathered in a section called Palorama, an impressive collection of live stream audiovisual materials concerning Palestine, the Middle East and documents that present the ever-growing Zionist crime in sound and movement. I've also learned that he has occasionally collaborated on initiatives with Umkahlil: http://www.umkahlil.blogspot.com, peacepalestine: http://www.umkahlil.blogspot.com and Annie's Letters: http://annies-letters.blogspot.com and is active in a very humble way, not seeming to be one who craves attention, but who cares about what he is doing. [snip] Continued: http://peacepalestinedocuments.blogspot.com/ _________________________________ Submitted by: http://eddiestinson@gmail.com Clinton, Edwards Will Square Off At Aipac Tonight BY Jill Gardiner - Staff Reporter of the Sun -- February 1, 2007 Two of the leading Democratic candidates for president will compete head-to-head tonight for money and support from the same pro-Israel group. ...................snip.................... Tonight's event is the first time any of the 2008 candidates have competed for attention in the same room since they launched their campaigns in earnest. It is also an important illustration of just how much stock all of the presidential candidates, Democrats and Republicans alike, will put in the pro-Israel community, particularly for campaign dollars. ...................snip.................... "New York is the ATM for American politicians. Large amounts of money come from the Jewish community," he said.

"If you're running for president and you want dollars from that group, you need to show that you're interested IN THE ISSUE THAT MATTERS MOST to them." Mrs. Clinton, who has opted out of the public campaign financing system, has tapped into the circuit of influential Jewish donors for years and has strong support in the community. A spokesman for Aipac, Joshua Block, said yesterday that the senator and former first lady has "an extremely consistent and strong record of support on issues that are important to the pro-Israel community." [snip] Full article: http://www.nysun.com/article/47843 _________________________________

[NEWSDISSECTOR] Mediachannel Marks 7th Birthday http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2007/02/01/mediachannel-marks-7th-birthday/ _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://mediamatters.org ABC aired Limbaugh as "observer" on race issues in Biden controversy On the January 31 edition of ABC's World News, during a report on Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s (D-DE) controversial description of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), senior national correspondent Jake Tapper cited radio host Rush Limbaugh as an "[o]bserver" who "questioned what Biden meant, especially by the word 'clean.' " Tapper aired an audio clip of Limbaugh saying, "And see, folks, this is the problem for the libs. Once they get off script, they expose their idiocy. They expose their prejudice." Tapper paired Limbaugh's comments with remarks by civil rights activist and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson. Read more >> VIDEO: http://mediamatters.org/items/200702010004?src=other ----- On MSNBC, Viqueira asserted that political "center" supports Bush Iraq policy On the February 1 edition of MSNBC's The Most, NBC News correspondent Mike Viqueira asserted that Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (CT) is "more towards the center, more aligned with the president on Iraq." Lieberman announced his support for President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq in a January 15 press release, but supporting the president and his plan do not appear to be positions held by the "center," or the average voter, according to recent polling. Read more >> VIDEO: http://snipurl.com/191ei _________________________________ * http://www.dailykos.com * http://www.correntewire.com * http://www.frappr.com _________________________________ *************** All for $39 **************** Tom Locke had a simple idea one day. He had a roll of stamps and, apparently, plenty of time. He wrote to 100 companies, asking for free stuff. His blog, The $39 Experiment, catalogues his experience. He has posted the content of each of his 100 letters. Some are pretty amusing. The response of each company is posted as it arrives. Last time I checked, Locke had received nearly $275 worth of coupons and merchaddise. Not bad for a $39 investment. I can't afford to give something to every person who asks. Still, I'm a little hurt that he didn't send me a letter. There goes his chance for a free hat. :-) TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITE, GO HERE: http://www.the39dollarexperiment.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 Fish Oil Works Better Than Statins at Improving HDL Cholesterol - Omega-3 fats do more to normalize your cholesterol than Lipitor and the other statin drugs, and are safer and less expensive as well. http://snipurl.com/190ct ----- Exploiting Cancer Patients With $10,000-a-Month Drugs - Cancer drug prices have spiraled out of control, leaving many unable to pay for treatment and others wondering if the benefits are worth the price. http://snipurl.com/190cw ----- How to Survive Worst-Case Scenarios - Want to know how to foil an alien abduction or cross a piranha-infested river? Here's how! http://snipurl.com/190cx _________________________________ El Salvador -Atacama Cristián D. 3:44 [Bad video, but nice music D.] http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4028957600802989720 _________________________________ NationalGeographic.com http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/ _________________________________ NASA Astronomy picture of the day http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html _________________________________

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~ Maori Proverb _________________________________ Link to: Diane's News Clips http://www.opednews.com/author/author2300.html?entry=diary