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QUOTES for today
expect Americans to invade and occupy Iraq. Moreover, profits will flow to
friends of George Bush  not some wild-eyed, gun-waving crackpot like
Saddam. Obviously, once oil production peaks in a couple of years, the
public will throw their total support behind an invasion of Iraq." -- Jay
Hanson in 1997
of their own laws can be held by the conqueror in three different ways. The
first is to ruin them; the second, for the conqueror to go and reside there
in person; and the third is to allow them to continue to live under their
own laws, subject to a regular tribute, and to create in them a government
of a few, who will keep the country friendly to the conqueror." -- Niccolo
Machiavelli, in The Prince
harder than a fear of sudden death.Â? -- Adolf Hitler
=========================
A day that will decide the fate of the world
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 02 November 2004
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=578458
For once, the cliché wheeled out by desperate politicians trying to
terrify their lazier supporters into voting is no lie. This is indeed the
most important American election of modern times. Indeed, it is arguably
the most important single election of modern times.
>From the fate of the Middle East, to the global scourge of terror and the
threat of nuclear proliferation, to the economic and financial future of
the world's greatest debtor nation  on all these issues, the next
occupant of the Oval Office must make decisions that will shape history. If
that were not enough, the country, which chooses today between John Kerry
and George Bush, is as divided as at any time in its history.
The differences that the candidates embody are not merely of policy but of
values and culture. The division marks a line between two Americas. On the
one hand stands the "Metro America" of the coasts and the great cities,
internationally attuned and socially more liberal, worried about the
decline in America's reputation in the world. Then there is what has been
called "Retro America," socially conservative, happy to live in a
continental nation sufficient unto itself, populated by "good guys" chosen
by God. No prizes for guessing which America supports which candidate.
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European Press Voices Anxiety, Dread Over 'Mother of All Elections' in US
Published on November 2, 2004 by Agence France Presse
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1102-24.htm
PARIS - Europe's newspapers voiced anxiety and dread as they mulled the
future of America, Europe and the world according to who wins the
cliffhanger US presidential vote, dubbed the "mother of all elections."
"The world holds its breath," says Italy's La Repubblica, as American
voters were set to head to the polls to choose between incumbent George W.
Bush and his Democratic challenger John Kerry. Austria's popular Krone
daily warned "the mother of all elections" was set to throw "our world
either into a calmer future or into new military adventures." "Good luck,
America," says Berlin's left-wing Tageszeitung above an image of a slot
machine. "American voters today decide their future and that of the entire
world."
Papers across the continent voiced fears of a repeat of the vote-counting
debacle of the equally close 2000 presidential race whose result was
delayed for five weeks until the Supreme Court finally awarded victory to
Bush. Many papers lamented that the election was restricted to US voters.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mail scheme earns stamp of disapproval
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/politics/stories/11/01
bookman.html
By Jay Bookman Cox News Service
Monday, November 01, 2004
What I was trying to say was this: Make sure you vote, if you haven't
already. Because there are places in this world where powerful forces will
do everything they can to try to stop you.
Places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Ohio.
Recently, tens of thousands of new voters in Ohio were sent registered
letters from the state Republican Party. If the targeted voters weren't
home to sign a receipt when the mail carrier came Â? if they were working,
or at school, or serving in Iraq, for example Â? they were left a note,
telling them they would have to go down to their local post office during
the work day to sign for and receive the campaign literature.
If you live in a swing state such as Ohio, you're deluged with campaign ads
and pieces of campaign mail. So it's not surprising that 35,427 Ohio voters
declined the chance to go down to the post office to sign for yet another
pamphlet. They had better things to do, and they had no way of knowing that
their refusal would become trumped-up evidence that almost cost them the
right to vote.
You see, the registered mail was Step One of a sophisticated scam. Armed
with a list of those who didn't pick up their registered letters, the state
Republican Party initiated Step Two by filing legal challenges against
their right to vote, claiming those voters either didn't exist or didn't
live at those addresses. The idea was to force all 35,000 to either appear
at Board of Elections hearings to prove their right to vote, or be stricken
from the rolls.
Fortunately, the whole thing collapsed at Step Three, when the challenge
hearings were held. In Summit County, where more than 950 challenges were
filed, the process was abandoned after the first four cases. The voters
who showed up were outraged at having to take time off from work to defend
their right to vote, as they should be. And when the Republicans were asked
to produce their proof that the voters were ineligible, all they had was
the failure to sign for a registered letter.
To their credit, even Republican members of the election boards were
appalled by what their party had done. In Summit County, in the Akron area,
Republican Joseph Hutchinson made the motion to have all challenges thrown
out because, as he said, "There was no evidence." His motion was seconded
by board member Alex Arshinkoff, the head of the county Republican Party,
who called the process "a train wreck" plotted by the state GOP.
Later, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to all challenge hearings
in Ohio, a ruling that the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Friday.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wary Colorado prepares for no confidence vote
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1341109,00.html
Monday November 1, 2004
A rash of problems over election rules has left Coloradans unsure whether
their votes tomorrow will count, writes Sarah Left
In less than 24 hours, the polls will open in Colorado and voters will
begin queuing up to cast their ballots. It should be a relatively simple
process, but this year a series of new rules, late lawsuits and partisan
fracturing have thrown the process of casting a ballot into doubt.
There have been lawsuits to challenge new election rules. There have been
charges of partisan voter intimidation, and counter charges that those
charges amounted to a politically-motivated smear campaign. Some county
clerks are still struggling to consolidate double-listed voters on their
rolls. Election judges have received confused advice about the voting
rights of convicted felons.
The aura of uncertainty has left Coloradans unsure if they will be turned
away from the polls, or if their votes will count. Much of the uncertainty
surrounds the dizzying number of ways of qualifying for a provisional
ballot, a sort of emergency ballot that allows voters to cast a vote at the
polls, then have their eligibility checked after the election. About 27,000
people cast provisional ballots in the 2002 election, and figures from
early voting in this election suggest about 2,400 such ballots have been
cast.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AP Will Be Sole Source of Vote Count
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=696&e=1&u
=/ap/20041101/ap_on_el_pr/ap_vote_count
Mon Nov 1, 2:22 PM ET
NEW YORK - News organizations will be relying on The Associated Press for a
quick and accurate count of votes cast in Tuesday's elections, from top of
the ticket races like president, Senate and governor, down through state
legislature.
The AP will use a network of nearly 5,000 stringers, who will be stationed
at county election centers in every state. They will phone in results to
one of several vote entry centers, where clerks will enter the numbers into
AP's computerized tabulation system. Those returns, from about 6,000 races
in all, will then be delivered to newspapers, Web sites and broadcasters,
including the television networks, in a variety of formats.
In recent elections, AP was one of two organizations collecting the vote
nationwide. The other was Voter News Service, a consortium of AP and five
television networks which also conducted exit polls. VNS was disbanded
after it ran into problems in 2000 and 2002, and the networks turned to AP
for vote counting, while hiring two veteran pollsters to conduct the exit
polls.
AP's system has been enhanced this year with numerous safeguards to ensure
a smooth and accurate operation. "We've added more redundancy and quality
control to an already well-established vote tallying operation," said John
Reid, AP's senior vice president for Services & Technology. "For instance,
AP's systems contain voting patterns from past elections, and if a number
is outside of those parameters it's double-checked for accuracy." Because
a large number of voters are expected to cast absentee or provisional
ballots, election officials may not finish tabulating their votes until
several days after Nov. 2. AP will keep its system up and running as long
as significant new totals are being reported.
AP, the world's oldest and largest newsgathering organization, has been
counting the vote since its founding in 1848, when Zachary Taylor of the
Whig Party defeated Democrat Lewis Cass. AP provides content to more than
15,000 news outlets with a daily reach of 1 billion people around the
world. Its multimedia services are distributed by satellite and the
Internet to more than 120 nations.
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G.O.P. Can Challenge Voters at Ohio Polls, Court Rules
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/02/politics/campaign/02cnd-ohio.html
In a day of see-sawing court rulings, a federal appeals court ruled early
today that the Republican Party could place thousands of people inside
polling places to challenge the eligibility of voters, a blow to Democrats
who had argued that those challengers would intimidate minority voters. The
ruling, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in
Cincinnati, reversed two lower courts that had blocked the challenges just
the day before. It also came as squadrons of lawyers from both parties in
Ohio and other swing states, like Pennsylvania and Florida and New Mexico,
were preparing for Election Day skirmishes that will include using arcane
laws that allow challenges at the polls... Judge Rogers was appointed by
President Bush. Judge Ryan was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Judge
Cole [who dissented] was appointed by President Bill Clinton."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Republicans Lose 11th-Hour Suit to Disenfranchise Voters in Broward County;
Fear 2 Million Early Florida Voters Are Mostly Democrats
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/10073037.htm?template=contentModules/
printstory.jsp&1c
With less than 12 hours before the polls open, Republicans laid the
groundwork for a possible legal challenge to the presidential election with
an eleventh-hour lawsuit questioning the accuracy of the voting rolls in
Broward County, the most heavily Democratic county in Florida. In an
emergency court hearing that ended at 8:30 tonight, Broward County Circuit
Judge David Krathen ruled that the suit was groundless and he didn't want
to micromanage the election'... Lawyers for the Kerry-Edwards campaign
countered that Republicans could have pointed out potential problems with
the voter rolls earlier in the elections calendar, and that Bush attorneys
are resorting to last-minute legal maneuvering because they fear that the 2
million people who voted early in Florida are largely Democratic voters.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ballot Measures in 34 States  14 of which are Presidential Battleground
- are Likely to Impact the Election
163 Measures Qualify for Statewide Ballots in 2004 General Election
http://www.ballot.org/pressroom/2004preelectionreport.html
New Comprehensive Election Preview Report Now Available
Washington, D.C. - A total of 163 measures have qualified for statewide
ballots this year, finds a new report released today by the Ballot
Initiative Strategy Center. The most contentious, potential vote driving
measures are on the ballot in the swing states of Florida, Michigan,
Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, and Arkansas.
Â?In what is one of the most contentious Presidential races in recent
history, ballot initiatives are playing their part in attracting voters to
the polls,Â? said Kristina Wilfore, Executive Director of the Ballot
Initiative Strategy Center. Â?Activists from both sides of the political
spectrum are leveraging the power of the initiative to appeal to voters on
many levels, whether through their checkbooks or their stance on social and
economic justice issues. In either case, ballot measures are likely to have
a significant impact on turnout in the November election.Â?
Of the 163 measures that have qualified for the ballot 57 were put forward
by citizen-petitioned signature drives (known as initiatives or popular
referenda) and 106 were referred by state legislatures (known as
referenda). Same-sex marriage, minimum wage increases, medical malpractice
and consumer rights, the environment, gambling, and health care are among
some of the most popular issues this year. California leads the pack as the
state with the most ballot measures - 16 respectively (9 are from the
people), Rhode Island comes in a close second with 14 legislative referrals
(all bonds) followed by Oklahoma with nine referenda. Five states hold the
honor of tying for fourth, with eight measures on the ballot in Alabama,
Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, and Oregon.
Measures with the greatest political impact include:
Â? Raising the minimum wage in Florida and Nevada
Â? Medical malpractice and insurance industry regulations in Florida,
Nevada, Oregon
Â? Prohibition of same sex marriage in Arkansas, Michigan, Oregon and Ohio
Â? Election reform (electoral college in Colorado and anti-nepotism for
Senate seats in Alaska) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Iraq Oil Pipelines Hit by Biggest Attacks Yet
November 2, 2004 by Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=IPJROZFUYCYL2CRBAE0CF
EY?type=topNews&storyID=6692989
Saboteurs have mounted the biggest attacks yet on Iraq 's oil
infrastructure, blowing up three pipelines in the north and hitting exports
via Turkey, oil officials said Tuesday. The attacks, which were hours
apart, sharply reduced crude oil supplies to Iraq's biggest refinery at
Baiji. The government is already struggling to build up stocks of refined
oil products ahead of winter.
Sabotage against oil facilities in north and central Iraq has intensified
in the past few weeks as U.S. forces attacked Sunni Muslim cities where
insurgents have support. Imports of refined products have been also
disrupted. The first pipeline attack Monday night destroyed a section of
the Iraq-Turkey export pipeline in the Riyadh area, 65 km southwest of the
oil producing center of Kirkuk, officials at the state North Oil Company
said. It was followed by two further attacks, including one in the Qoshqaya
region northwest of the city on a pipeline connected to the Bai Hassam
oilfield and feeding the main export pipeline, officials said.
Reuters Television footage showed huge blazes with no fire crews to be
seen. "We cut off all flows for now. The Qoshqaya fire is covering around
one square kilometer. The export pipeline fire is also big," one official
said.
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Presidential campaigns, voters upset about misleading calls
http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm1049_20041101.htm
Monday, November 1, 2004
Some voters on Monday complained of getting misleading automated phone
calls over the weekend telling them either that their polling place had
changed or that a vote for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry was
a vote to legalize gay marriage.
The messages - known as robo calls - were placed in heavily Democratic
cities of Detroit, Flint and Pontiac and the Democratic-leaning city of
Grand Rapids. Â?When you vote this Tuesday, remember to legalize gay
marriage by supporting John Kerry,Â? the call said. Â?ItÂ?s what we all
want. ItÂ?s a basic Democratic principle.Â?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Federal Court Overturns Ohio Ban on Reporters in Polling Places
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content
_id=1000697509
By Joe Strupp November 02, 2004 updated 3:45 PM EDT
NEW YORK A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a directive from the
Ohio secretary of state that had barred reporters and photographers from
polling places, finding the restriction unconstitutional. The ruling "says
that the court cannot support the proposed restricton of the First
Amendment guarantee," attorney Karen Lefton, who represented the Akron
Beacon Journal in the appeal. "I think it was important to establish media
access to voting places."
The 2-1 decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals came down at about
3 p.m., Lefton said, adding that the appeal had been filed early Tuesday
morning. Prior to the reversal, some newspaper editors had urged staffers
to ignore the order and seek access to voting sites until they were ordered
out.
"We are going to proceed on the assumption we will get in and will until we
get thrown out," Doug Clifton, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland,
said this morning, estimating that up to 50 of his newsroom staffers would
be visiting polling places Tuesday in the hotly contested state. "They were
getting in this morning [Tuesday], but not everywhere."
In addition, at least one paper -- The Columbus Dispatch -- had registered
newsroom employees as election challengers so they could gain access to
polling places. "We filed to be challengers because election officials said
they would strictly enforce laws regulating who can be in polling places --
voters, poll workers and challengers only," Dispatch Editor Ben Marrison
wrote in a column. "Dispatch staffers are registered as challengers for
every precinct in Franklin and Delaware counties." Marrison could not be
reached for comment Tuesday morning.
The Dispatch opted for the challenger approach after Secretary of State
Kenneth Blackwell issued his directive to local election officials on Oct.
20, reminding them that state law prohibits anyone from entering polling
places unless they are voting, monitoring the area as a challenger, or
working as a voting official or witness.
The Akron Beacon Journal filed suit against Blackwell's directive, a
challenge denied by U.S. District Judge Paul Matia on Monday. But the
Beacon Journal's appeal, filed at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, proved successful just
hours later.
Two other directives by Blackwell to bar exit pollers and registered
challengers from polling places were blocked in separate court rulings
within the last two days. Those court orders allowed challengers to be in
the polling places and exit pollers to be within the 100-foot perimeter set
by Blackwell but not inside the polling places themselves.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Bin Laden: Goal is to bankrupt U.S.
Al-Jazeera releases full transcript of al Qaeda leader's tape
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/index.html
The Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera released a full transcript Monday of
the most recent videotape from Osama bin Laden in which the head of al
Qaeda said his group's goal is to force America into bankruptcy. Al-Jazeera
aired portions of the videotape Friday but released the full transcript of
the entire tape on its Web site Monday.
"We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of
bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah," bin Laden
said in the transcript. He said the mujahedeen fighters did the same thing
to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, "using guerrilla warfare
and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers." "We, alongside
the mujahedeen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was
forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden said.
He also said al Qaeda has found it "easy for us to provoke and bait this
administration." "All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the
furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda,
in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human,
economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note
other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said.
Al-Jazeera executives said they decided to post the entire speech because
rumors were circulating that the network omitted parts that "had direct
threats toward specific states, which was totally untrue." "We chose the
most newsworthy parts of the address and aired them. The rest was used in
lower thirds in graphics format," said one official. U.S. intelligence
officials Monday confirmed that the transcript made public Monday by
Al-Jazeera was a complete one.
As part of the "bleed-until-bankruptcy plan," bin Laden cited a British
estimate that it cost al Qaeda about $500,000 to carry out the attacks of
September 11, 2001, an amount that he said paled in comparison with the
costs incurred by the United States. "Every dollar of al Qaeda defeated a
million dollars, by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge
number of jobs," he said. "As for the economic deficit, it has reached
record astronomical numbers estimated to total more than a trillion
dollars.
The total U.S. national debt is more than $7 trillion. The U.S. federal
deficit was $413 billion in 2004, according to the Treasury Department.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Withdrawal is the only honorable way out
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?eo20041101db.htm
WASHINGTON -- Iraq has become the central issue in America's presidential
campaign, but neither candidate has a solution for a conflict that has cost
more than 1,100 American lives. Unfortunately, the killing will continue
until the United States and its allies withdraw their forces, leaving Iraq
to the Iraqis.
America's dead "have made the ultimate sacrifice defending freedom," said
White House spokesman Scott McClellan. They have made the ultimate
sacrifice, but, sadly, we know that the war was a mistake.
Rather than admit error when its claims that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
possessed weapons of mass destruction proved false, the administration
seamlessly switched rationales. The war, officials said, actually was about
spreading democracy.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
COSTS OF THE IRAQ WAR (COMPLETE)
http://prorev.com/iraqcosts.htm
[Prepared by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus]
KEY FINDINGS
1. U.S. Military Casualties Have Been Highest During the "Transition": U.S.
military casualties (wounded and killed) stand at a monthly average of 747
since the so-called "transition" to Iraqi rule on June 28, 2004. This
contrasts with a monthly average of 482 U.S. military casualties during the
invasion (March 20-May 1, 2003) and a monthly average of 415 during the
occupation (May 2, 2003- June 28, 2004).
2. Non-Iraqi Contractor Deaths Have Also Been Highest During the
"Transition": There has also been a huge increase in the average monthly
deaths of U.S. and other non-Iraqi contractors since the "transition." On
average, 17.5 contractors have died each month since the June 28
"transition," versus 7.6 contractor deaths per month during the previous 14
months of occupation.
3. Estimated Strength of Iraqi Resistance Skyrockets: Because the U.S.
military occupation remains in place, the "transition" has failed to win
Iraqi support or diminish Iraqi resistance to the occupation. According to
Pentagon estimates, the number of Iraqi resistance fighters has quadrupled
between November of 2003 and early September 2004, from 5,000 to 20,000.
The Deputy Commander of Coalition forces in Iraq, British Major General
Andrew Graham, indicated to Time magazine in early September that he thinks
the 20,000 estimate is too low; he estimates Iraqi resistance strength at
40,000-50,000. This rise is even starker when juxtaposed to Brookings
Institution estimates that an additional 24,000 Iraqi resistance fighters
have been detained or killed between May 2003 and August 2004.
4. U.S.- led Coalition Shrinks Further After "Transition": The number of
countries identified as members of the Coalition backing the U.S.-led war
started with 30 on March 18, 2003, then grew in the early months of the
war. Since then, eight countries have withdrawn their troops and Costa Rica
has demanded to be taken off the coalition list. At the war's start,
coalition countries represented 19.1 percent of the world's population;
today, the remaining countries with foces in Iraq represent only 13.6
percent of the world's population.
HUMAN COSTS TO THE U.S. AND ALLIES
U.S. Military Deaths: Between the start of war on March 19, 2003 and
September 22, 2004, 1,175 coalition forces were killed, including 1,040
U.S. military. Of the total, 925 were killed after President Bush declared
the end of combat operations on May 1, 2003. Over 7,413 U.S. troops have
been wounded since the war began, 6,953 (94 percent) since May 1, 2003.
Contractor Deaths: As of September 22, 2004, there has been an estimated
154 civilian contractors, missionaries, and civilian worker deaths since
May 1, 2004. Of these, 52 have been identified as Americans.
Journalist Deaths: Forty-four international media workers have been killed
in Iraq as of September 22, 2004, including 33 since President Bush
declared the end of combat operations. Eight of the dead worked for U.S.
companies.
SECURITY COSTS
Terrorist Recruitment and Action: According to the London-based
International Institute for Strategic Studies, al Qaeda's membership is now
at 18,000, with 1,000 active in Iraq. The State Department's 2003 "Patterns
of Global Terrorism," documented 625 deaths and 3,646 injuries due to
terrorist attacks in 2003. The report acknowledged that "significant
incidents," increased from 60 percent of total attacks in 2002 to 84
percent in 2003.
Low U.S. Credibility: Polls reveal that the war has damaged the U.S.
government's standing and credibility in the world. Surveys in eight
European and Arab countries demonstrated broad public agreement that the
war has hurt, rather than helped, the war on terrorism. At home, 52 percent
of Americans polled by the Annenberg Election Survey disapprove of Bush's
handling of Iraq.
Military Mistakes: A number of former military officials have criticized
the war, including retired Marine General Anthony Zinni, who has charged
that by manufacturing a false rationale for war, abandoning traditional
allies, propping up and trusting Iraqi exiles, and failing to plan for
post-war Iraq, the Bush Administration made the United States less secure.
Low Troop Morale and Lack of Equipment: A March 2004 army survey found 52
percent of soldiers reporting low morale, and three-fourths reporting they
were poorly led by their officers. Lack of equipment has been an ongoing
problem. The Army did not fully equip soldiers with bullet-proof vests
until June 2004, forcing many families to purchase them out of their own
pockets.
Loss of First Responders: National Guard troops make up almost one-third of
the U.S. Army troops now in Iraq. Their deployment puts a particularly
heavy burden on their home communities because many are "first responders,"
including police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. For
example, 44 percent of the country's police forces have lost officers to
Iraq. In some states, the absence of so many Guard troops has raised
concerns about the ability to handle natural disasters.
Use of Private Contractors: An estimated 20,000 private contractors are
carrying out work in Iraq traditionally done by the military, despite the
fact that they often lack sufficient training and are not accountable to
the same guidelines and reviews as military personnel.
ECONOMIC COSTS
The Bill So Far: Congress has approved of $151.1 billion for Iraq.
Congressional leaders anticipate an additional supplemental appropriation
of $60 billion after the election.
Long-term Impact on U.S. Economy: Economist Doug Henwood has estimated that
the war bill will add up to an average of at least $3,415 for every U.S.
household.
Oil Prices: U.S. crude oil prices spiked at $48 per barrel on August 19,
2004, the highest level since 1983, a development that most analysts
attribute at least in part to the deteriorating situation in Iraq.
Economic Impact on Military Families: Since the beginning of the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, 364,000 reserve troops and National Guard soldiers
have been called for military service, serving tours of duty that often
last 20 months. Studies show that between 30 and 40 percent of reservists
and National Guard members earn a lower salary when they leave civilian
employment for military deployment. Army Emergency Relief has reported that
requests from military families for food stamps and subsidized meals
increased "several hundred percent" between 2002 and 2003.
SOCIAL COSTS
U.S. Budget and Social Programs: The Bush administration's combination of
massive spending on the war and tax cuts for the wealthy means less money
for social spending. The $151.1 billion expenditure for the war through
this year could have paid for: close to 23 million housing vouchers; health
care for over 27 million uninsured Americans; salaries for nearly 3 million
elementary school teachers; 678,200 new fire engines; over 20 million Head
Start slots for children; or health care coverage for 82 million children.
A leaked memo from the White House to domestic agencies outlines major cuts
following the election, including funding for education, Head Start, home
ownership, job training, medical research and homeland security.
Social Costs to the Military: In order to meet troop requirements in Iraq,
the Army has extended the tours of duty for soldiers. These extensions have
been particularly difficult for reservists, many of whom never expected to
face such long separations from their jobs and families. According to
military policy, reservists are not supposed to be on assignment for more
than 12 months every 5-6 years. To date, the average tour of duty for all
soldiers in Iraq has been 320 days. A recent Army survey revealed that more
than half of soldiers said they would not re-enlist.
Costs to Veteran Health Care: About 64 percent of the more than 7,000 U.S.
soldiers injured in Iraq received wounds that prevented them from returning
to duty. One trend has been an increase in amputees, the result of improved
body armor that protects vital organs but not extremities. As in previous
wars, many soldiers are likely to have received ailments that will not be
detected for years to come. The Veterans Administration healthcare system
is not prepared for the swelling number of claims. In May, the House of
Representatives approved funding for FY 2005 that is $2.6 billion less than
needed, according to veterans' groups.
Mental Health Costs: The New England Journal of Medicine reported in July
2004 that 1 in 6 soldiers returning from war in Iraq showed signs of
post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, or severe anxiety. Only
23 to 40 percent of respondents in the study who showed signs of a mental
disorder had sought mental health care.
COSTS TO IRAQ
HUMAN COSTS
Iraqi Deaths and Injuries: As of September 22, 2004, between 12,800 and
14,843 Iraqi civilians have been killed as a result of the U.S. invasion
and ensuing occupation, while an estimated 40,000 Iraqis have been injured.
During "major combat" operations, between 4,895 and 6,370 Iraqi soldiers
and insurgents were killed.
Effects of Depleted Uranium: The health impacts of the use of depleted
uranium weaponry in Iraq are yet to be known. The Pentagon estimates that
U.S. and British forces used 1,100 to 2,200 tons of weaponry made from the
toxic and radioactive metal during the March 2003 bombing campaign. Many
scientists blame the far smaller amount of DU weapons used in the Persian
Gulf War for illnesses among U.S. soldiers, as well as a sevenfold increase
in child birth defects in Basra in southern Iraq.
Rise in Crime: Murder, rape, and kidnapping have skyrocketed since March
2003, forcing Iraqi children to stay home from school and women to stay off
the streets at night. Violent deaths rose from an average of 14 per month
in 2002 to 357 per month in 2003.
Psychological Impact: Living under occupation without the most basic
security has devastated the Iraqi population. A poll conducted by the Iraq
Center for Research and Strategic Studies in June 2004 found that 80
percent of Iraqis believe that coalition forces should leave either
immediately or directly after the election.
ECONOMIC COSTS
Unemployment: Iraqi joblessness doubled from 30 percent before the war to
60 percent in the summer of 2003. While the Bush administration now claims
that unemployment has dropped, the U.S. is only employing 120,000 Iraqis,
of a workforce of 7 million, in reconstruction projects.
Corporate War Profiteering: Most of Iraq's reconstruction has been
contracted out to U.S. companies, rather than experienced Iraqi firms. Top
contractor Halliburton is being investigated for charging $160 million for
meals that were never served to troops and $61 million in cost overruns on
fuel deliveries. Halliburton employees also took $6 million in kickbacks
from subcontractors, while other employees have reported extensive waste,
including the abandonment of $85,000 trucks because they had flat tires.
Iraq's Oil Economy: Anti-occupation violence has prevented Iraq from
capitalizing on its oil assets. There have been an estimated 118 attacks on
Iraq's oil infrastructure since June 2003. By September 2004, oil
production still had not reached pre-war levels and major attacks caused
oil exports to plummet to a ten- month low in August 2004.
SOCIAL COSTS
Health Infrastructure: After more than a decade of crippling sanctions,
Iraq's health facilities were further damaged during the war and
post-invasion looting. Iraq's hospitals continue to suffer from lack of
supplies and an overwhelming number of patients.
Education: UNICEF estimates that more than 200 schools were destroyed in
the conflict and thousands more were looted in the chaos following the fall
of Saddam Hussein.
Environment: The U.S-led attack damaged water and sewage systems and the
country's fragile desert ecosystem. It also resulted in oil well fires that
spewed smoke across the country and left unexploded ordnance that continues
to endanger the Iraqi people and environment. Mines and unexploded ordnance
cause an estimated 20 casualties per month.
HUMAN RIGHTS COSTS
Even with Saddam Hussein overthrown, Iraqis continue to face human rights
violations from occupying forces. In addition to the widely publicized
humiliation and torture of prisoners, abuse has been widespread throughout
the post-9-11 military operations, with over 300 allegations of abuse in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo. As of mid-August 2004, only 155
investigations into the existing 300 allegations had been completed.
SOVEREIGNTY COSTS
Despite the proclaimed "transfer of sovereignty" to Iraq, the country
continues to be occupied by U.S. and coalition troops and has severely
limited political and economic independence. The interim government does
not have the authority to reverse the nearly 100 orders by former CPA head
Paul Bremer that, among other things, allow for the privatization of Iraq's
state-owned enterprises and prohibit preferences for domestic firms in
reconstruction.
COSTS TO THE WORLD
HUMAN COSTS
While Americans make up the vast majority of military and contractor
personnel in Iraq, other U.S.-allied "coalition" troops have suffered 135
war casualties in Iraq. In addition, the focus on Iraq has diverted
international resources and attention away from humanitarian crises such as
in Sudan.
DISABLING INTERNATIONAL LAW
The unilateral U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq violated the United
Nations Charter, setting a dangerous precedent for other countries to seize
any opportunity to respond militarily to claimed threats, whether real or
contrived, that must be "pre-empted." The U.S. military has also violated
the Geneva Convention, making it more likely that in the future, other
nations will ignore these protections in their treatment of civilian
populations and detainees.
UNDERMINING THE UNITED NATIONS
At every turn, the Bush Administration has attacked the legitimacy and
credibility of the UN, undermining the institution's capacity to act in the
future as the centerpiece of global disarmament and conflict resolution.
The efforts of the Bush administration to gain UN acceptance of an Iraqi
government that was not elected but rather installed by occupying forces
undermines the entire notion of national sovereignty as the basis for the
UN Charter. It was on this basis that Secretary General Annan referred
specifically to the vantage point of the UN Charter in his September 2004
finding that the war was illegal.
ENFORCING COALITIONS
Faced with opposition in the UN Security Council, the U.S. government
attempted to create the illusion of multilateral support for the war by
pressuring other governments to join a so-called "Coalition of the
Willing." This not only circumvented UN authority, but also undermined
democracy in many coalition countries, where public opposition to the war
was as high as 90 percent. As of the middle of September, only 29 members
of the "Coalition of the Willing" had forces in Iraq, in addition to the
United States. These countries, combined with United States, make up less
than 14 percent of the world's population.
COSTS TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
The $151.1 billion spent by the U.S. government on the war could have cut
world hunger in half and covered HIV/AIDS medicine, childhood immunization
and clean water and sanitation needs of the developing world for more than
two years. As a factor in the oil price hike, the war has created concerns
of a return to the "stagflation" of the 1970s. Already, the world's major
airlines are expecting an increase in costs of $1 billion or more per
month.
UNDERMINING GLOBAL SECURITY AND DISARMAMENT
The U.S.-led war and occupation have galvanized international terrorist
organizations, placing people not only in Iraq but around the world at
greater risk of attack. The State Department's annual report on
international terrorism reported that in 2003 there was the highest level
of terror-related incidents deemed "significant" than at any time since the
U.S. began issuing these figures.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS
U.S.-fired depleted uranium weapons have contributed to pollution of Iraq's
land and water, with inevitable spillover effects in other countries. The
heavily polluted Tigris River, for example, flows through Iraq, Iran and
Kuwait.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The Justice Department memo assuring the White House that torture was legal
stands in stark violation of the International Convention Against Torture
(of which the United States is a signatory). This, combined with the widely
publicized mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military and
intelligence officials, gave new license for torture and mistreatment by
governments around the world.
=========================
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Sing this at the polls NOV 2 SING THE VOTE
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in song is the first step to a fascism free planet
"THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND, THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME"
IMAGINE: WE are children of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; WE ALL have a right to be here
START SINGING THE PLANET'S ANTHEM AT ALL EVENTS TO SHOW HOW "WE" HAVE ALREADY VOTED.
This would get some air time if we did it at GOP campaign events even in congress this Summer and fall and beyond after all it is the anthem of the Age of Aquarius no. We suggested that "THIS LAND" be the Global Village Planetary anthem at Woodies celebration in San Francisco at the Geary Theater in 1967. It was seconded by three ambassadors and has become the second third fourth etc. anthems to many countries.
FOLKSAY(people say) ............ has become Our defacto Global Village Planetary anthem and in essence we voted for citizen empowerment as we sung it. Now let's get it officially on record by singing it everywhere as direct democracy.
Ra Energy Fdn.
Raleigh Myers
http://raenergy.igc.org/raenergy.html
Worksheet bio
http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html
Newsgroups beginning in the eighties click on date and web
http://groups.google.com/groups?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Ra+Energy+Fdn%2E%22
Call to Action blog
http://www.google.com/search?q=Global+Vote+raenergy&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=02Eigc%2Eorg%2Faction%2Ehtml
posted by Raleigh myers @ 11/04/2004
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