Letterman was heroic last night in his face-to-face dissing of Bill O’Reilly.
O’Reilly tries to trash Cindy Sheehan of all people on Letterman’s show and Dave just won’t have it.
I have a feeling that about 60% of what you say is crap.
Oops! American civilians in Iraq killed in “accident”
Bahrain News Agency reports:
American Forces in Iraq reported the death of four American civilian contractors in a road accident today near Lion Air Base in West Anbar Province.
US Cable News Network (CNN) reported, according to an American Forces’ statement, that the four American contractors died when their bus collided with a 7-ton lorry, adding that 17 other civilians were injured in the collision, nine of them were in a critical condition and were taken to receive emergency medical care. The statement added that a member of the Marines was slightly injured in the accident.
Will this story change or simply fade away as the death count grows higher?
Bloggers Publish UK torture memos
Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray today published two documents at his website despite a ban imposed by British officials. Murray, whose book regarding these documents has been blocked for months by the UK Foreign Office, recently likened Uzbekistan to North Korea in this Guardian article.
These documents are damning indeed and as the mainstream media will not publish their contents, the blogosphere has come together today to expose these harrowing details of British (and American) endorsed torturous interrogation tactics.
Blairwatch has extensive coverage and images of these documents as well as the government’s side of the story here.
Murray had long been encouraged to resign after repeatedly questioning British interrogation practices, and was suspended indefinitely in October, 2004.
Murray made the following statement prefacing the documents on his web site:
In March 2003 I was summoned back to London from Tashkent specifically for a meeting at which I was told to stop protesting. I was told specifically that it was perfectly legal for us to obtain and to use intelligence from the Uzbek torture chambers.
After this meeting Sir Michael Wood, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s legal adviser, wrote to confirm this position. This minute from Michael Wood is perhaps the most important document that has become public about extraordinary rendition. It is irrefutable evidence of the government’s use of torture material, and that I was attempting to stop it. It is no wonder that the government is trying to suppress this.
I have made the text of these letters available here.
Several web sites are taking the lead on this including: Daily Kos, CathiefromCanada, IntoxiNation, AgitProp, The Talent Show, and Perfect.
Top 10 Myths about Iraq in 2005
If you somehow happened upon this blog, but have yet to read Juan Cole’s “Top 10 Myths about Iraq piece in 2005,” piece published today, here is the link. Professor Cole’s Informed Comment blog is an essential component of my RSS Newsfeed (opml file).
The myths:
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1. The guerrilla war is being waged only in four provinces.
2. Iraqi Sunnis voting in the December 15 election is a sign that they are being drawn into the political process and might give up the armed insurgency.
3. The guerrillas are winning the war against US forces.
4. Iraqis are grateful for the US presence and want US forces there to help them build their country.
5. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, born in Iran in 1930, is close to the Iranian regime in Tehran.
6. There is a silent majority of middle class, secular-minded Iraqis who reject religious fundamentalism.
7. The new Iraqi constitution is a victory for Western, liberal values in the Middle East.
8. Iraq is already in a civil war, so it does not matter if the US simply withdraws precipitately, since the situation is as bad as it can get.
9. The US can buy off the Iraqis now supporting guerrilla action against US troops.
10. The Bush administration wanted free elections in Iraq.