May 13, 2008 archive

John McCain stands with George W. Bush, and against the troops.  These two politicians, have consistently funded the scandal ridden mercenaries of Blackwater and let the DoD shield KBR rapists from prosecution, and both men have continued to allow US tax dollars to be used to shore up a corrupt Iraqi government:   while “Overlooking Rampant Corruption in the Iraqi Government

These two politicians, one the current Commander in Chief, and the other the GOP’s presumptive nominee to be the next CIC, have again allied to Oppose the new GI Bill. As Bob Herbert, writing in his NYT Column, “Doing the Troops Wrong” says:  

There’s more…

AP reports that charges have been dropped against the alleged “Twentieth Hijacker”, Mohammed al-Qahtani:

The Pentagon has dropped charges against a Saudi at Guantanamo who was alleged to have been the so-called “20th hijacker” in the Sept. 11 attacks, his U.S. military defense lawyer said Monday.

Mohammed al-Qahtani was one of six men charged by the military in February with murder and war crimes for their alleged roles in the 2001 attacks. Authorities say al-Qahtani missed out on taking part in the attacks because he was denied entry to the U.S. by an immigration agent.

But in reviewing the case, the convening authority for military commissions, Susan Crawford, decided to dismiss the charges against al-Qahtani and proceed with the arraignment for the other five, said Army Lt. Col. Bryan Broyles, the Saudi’s military lawyer.

The charges were dropped without prejudice, meaning that they could be reinstated.  al-Qahtani was to face the death penalty, along with five others, in trials before Military Commissions at Guantanamo.

Why were the charges dropped?  Because al-Qahtani had been tortured. Of course, Crawford did not say.  And his lawyer couldn’t comment yet.  

Officials previously said al-Qahtani had been subjected to a harsh interrogation authorized by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. /snip

U.S. authorities have acknowledged that Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding by CIA interrogators and that al-Qahtani was treated harshly at Guantanamo.

Al-Qahtani last fall recanted a confession he said he made after he was tortured and humiliated at Guantanamo.

The alleged torture, which he detailed in a written statement, included being beaten, restrained for long periods in uncomfortable positions, threatened with dogs, exposed to loud music and freezing temperatures and stripped nude in front of female personnel.

The magnitude of this disaster is overwhelming. I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering that is taking place as I type this.

NPR Correspondent Andrea Hsu reporting from Beichuan County, China: http://www.npr.org/blogs/chengdu/

This video was shot as the quake was happening:

Neil and Peggy, ‘Four Strong Winds’

According to this Yahoo!News story, a scientist who discovered a new species of trapdoor spider has named it for Neil Young.

The new species is called ‘Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi’.  

Our Goal Posts Are As Solid As The Mud They Are Set In.

Tuesday’s Headlines: Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause: Charges dropped against ’20th’ hijacker: Burma continues to reject help: Japan’s teenage smokers face wrinkle test: Putin’s hardliners keep places in new cabinet: Socialists hold key to power in Serbia: The gulf that separates the sexes in Saudi Arabia: Hizbullah capture of mountain village seen as threat to Israel: U.S. high court allows apartheid claims against multinationals: South Africa: Markets Take ANC Left Turn in Their Stride: Roots of Haiti’s food crisis run deep  

Death toll rises in China quake

The most powerful earthquake to hit China in 30 years has killed at least 10,000 people in south-western Sichuan province, with thousands more trapped.

Chinese state media said that 10,000 people were thought to remain buried in one town alone near the epicentre of the earthquake in Wenchuan county.

A team of 1,300 troops and medics has now reached Wenchuan, which was largely cut off by the quake.

But rescue efforts are being hampered by heavy rain and badly damaged roads.

Premier Wen Jiabao – a trained geologist – had urged rescuers to clear roads into the worst-hit areas as fast as possible.

‘No Hope’ for Children Buried in Earthquake

DUJIANGYAN, China – The children who were considered fortunate escaped with a broken bone or a severed limb. The others, hundreds of them, were carried out to be buried, and their remaining classmates lay crushed beneath the rubble of the schoolhouse.

“There’s no hope for them,” said Lu Zhiqing, 58, as she watched uniformed rescue workers trudge through mud and rain toward the mound of bricks and concrete that had once been a school. “There’s no way anyone’s still alive in there.”

Little remained of the original structure of the school. No standing beams, no fragments of walls. The rubble lay low against the wet earth. Dozens of people gathered around in the schoolyard, clawing at the debris, kicking it, screaming at it. Soldiers kept others from entering.

Support disaster relief in Myanmar (Burma) Through the UN

I should mention that I don’t believe in miracles, except that I have two to report.

First and foremost, I think both of my pups will be okay. Considering they were at death’s doorstep a mere two weeks ago, and that I had been convinced no less than four times that we were going to lose them, I would consider this a miracle. Not in the religious sense, mind you, though I can understand how some might feel that way. Instead, I consider it physiologically miraculous that they survived kidney failure, liver failure and loss of nearly 30% of body weight (while they were on fluids, I should add). They’re mostly back to normal, though we’re still trying to get them to eat appropriate dog food, as opposed to roasted chicken, kielbasa and bacon. Oh, and carrots. They LOVE carrots.

The second miracle to report involves my passport application. Specifically, I sent it by snail mail on a Thursday (can’t use a courier to send to a PO box). I received my new passport just eight days later. Granted, I did have it sent back by courier and I paid extra to expedite processing. But eight days? Especially when it had to traverse a border in both directions? I’d call that a miracle. I mean, this is the US government (and Canada Post) we’re talking about!

BTW – I’m going to be travelling (for work, alas) over the next few Mondays (and many other Mondays this summer). So, while I hope to have the foresight to set up a Party ahead of time, I will apologize in advance if I miss one!