Subject:
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Newsbits from yesterday
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 5 Oct 2003 14:05:21 GMT
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Viewed:
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194 times
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Study: Misperceptions About Iraq War Contributed to Support For It
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1003-08.htm
The three common mistaken impressions are that:
* U.S. forces found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
* There’s clear evidence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein worked closely with
the Sept. 11 terrorists.
* People in foreign countries generally either backed
the U.S.-led war or were evenly split between supporting and opposing it.
Overall, 60 percent of Americans held at least one of those views in polls
reported between January and September by the Program on International Policy
Attitudes, based at the University of Maryland in College Park, and the polling
firm, Knowledge Networks based in Menlo Park, Calif.
“While we cannot assert that these misperceptions created the support for going
to war with Iraq, it does appear likely that support for the war would be
substantially lower if fewer members of the public had these misperceptions,”
said Steven Kull, who directs Maryland’s program.
Edit: gee, I wonder how so many people came to have such basic
misunderstandings of fact coincerning the war against Iraq. John Neal, I think
you help is required to help explain this mystery
U.S. Taxpayers Now Shouldering High Costs of Unilateral Inspections Alone
http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/1003-14.htm
“The huge disparity between financial funds and numbers of officials from the UN
in Iraq and the ISG is incredible,” said Don Kraus, Executive Director of
Campaign for UN Reform. “It is surprising that the UN inspectors managed to
perform such an excellent job despite the lack of resources, and under
international pressure they continuously faced while carrying out their work.
“In comparison to conditions encountered by the UN inspectors under the Hussein
regime, the ISG now has open access to the country and yet it is still going to
take a year for Kay to finalize the report. I hope the Bush administration has
finally realized its folly in pressuring the UN inspectors earlier this year to
produce results after only three months of being in Iraq. Rather than spending
another $600 million on this project, the U.S. should promote the reengagement
of UN weapons inspectors as part of the new Security Council resolution being
negotiated in New York.”
Arnold Unplugged - It’s Hasta la Vista to $9 Billion if the Governator is
Selected by Greg Palast
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1004-05.htm
It’s not what Arnold Schwarzenegger did to the girls a decade back that should
raise an eyebrow. According to a series of memoranda our office obtained today,
it’s his dalliance with the boys in a hotel room just two years ago that’s the
real scandal.
The wannabe governor has yet to deny that on May 17, 2001, at the Peninsula
Hotel in Los Angeles, he had consensual political intercourse with Enron
chieftain Kenneth Lay. Also frolicking with Arnold and Ken was convicted stock
swindler Mike Milken.
Now, thirty-four pages of internal Enron memoranda have just come through this
reporter’s fax machine tell all about the tryst between Maria’s husband and the
corporate con men. It turns out that Schwarzenegger knowingly joined the
hush-hush encounter as part of a campaign to sabotage a Davis-Bustamante plan to
make Enron and other power pirates then ravaging California pay back the $9
billion in illicit profits they carried off.
Here’s the story Arnold doesn’t want you to hear. The biggest single threat to
Ken Lay and the electricity lords is a private lawsuit filed last year under
California’s unique Civil Code provision 17200, the “Unfair Business Practices
Act.” This litigation, heading to trial now in Los Angeles, would make the
power companies return the $9 billion they filched from California electricity
and gas customers.
It takes real cojones to bring such a suit. Who’s the plaintiff taking on the
bad guys? Cruz Bustamante, Lieutenant Governor and reluctant leading candidate
against Schwarzenegger.
Now follow the action. One month after Cruz brings suit, Enron’s Lay calls an
emergency secret meeting in L.A. of his political buck-buddies, including
Arnold. Their plan, to undercut Davis (according to Enron memos) and “solve”
the energy crisis -- that is, make the Bustamante legal threat go away.
How can that be done? Follow the trail with me...
Edit: That’s right, you can commit a relatively minor crime and go away for
years while you serve out your term in prison. If you were smarter you’d steal
billions from the millions and get a slap on the wrist, or maybe not even that!
To me, the appalling mishandling of corporate crime and corruption is the crux
of Republican hypocrisy. Don’t get caught up in stupid arguments about the
non-essentials, it’s interesting and fun but also beside the point, follow the
money trail. The money always leads you to the truth.
-- Hop-Frog
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