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Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Top Story
Howard Dean: 'We need to get out of Iraq'
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Sunday said unequivocally U.S. forces need to leave Iraq. Dean, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said with Democrats regaining control of the Senate and the House of Representatives in last week's midterm elections, the party plans on working with the administration to end the Iraqi conflict.
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The World
16 killed in bus bombing in east Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A bomb exploded in a minibus in eastern Baghdad on Monday, killing 16 people and wounding 20, police said.
Iraqi leader vows shake up amid carnage
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite prime minister promised Sunday to reshuffle his Cabinet after calling lawmakers disloyal and blaming Sunni Muslims for raging sectarian violence that claimed at least 159 more lives, including 35 men blown apart while waiting to join Iraq's police force.
Hamas accepts peace conference proposal
CAIRO, Egypt - The Hamas-led Palestinian government agreed Sunday to an international peace conference with Israel after the Arab League — angered by Israel's military offensive in Gaza — voted to end a financial blockade on the Palestinians.
Lebanese Government Breaking Apart
The Lebanese Prime Minister rejected the resignation of Hezbollah and Amal Cabinet ministers from his government, hours after the five Shiite Muslim members broke away in protest. The resignations threw the country into political chaos.
Putin in Talks With Iran Over Nukes
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on Saturday with Iran's top nuclear negotiator ? a move signalling a serious Kremlin effort to force Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program.
Insurgent activity spikes in Afghanistan
Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has risen fourfold this year, and militants now launch more than 600 attacks a month, a rising wave of violence that has resulted in 3,700 deaths in 2006, a bleak new report released Sunday found.
Protesters back on streets in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Baton-wielding police in Bangladesh clashed with thousands of demonstrators who threw stones and smashed vehicles Monday during protests demanding electoral reform, witnesses said. Several people were injured.
SKorea Balks at Measures to Sanction North
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea balked Monday at participating in a U.S.-led plan that foresees intercepting North Korean ships suspected of carrying supplies for the regime's nuclear and missile weapons programs. Seoul, worried that stopping and searching ships could lead to armed clashes with the North, also insisted it is already doing enough to prevent weapons proliferation by Pyongyang, which detonated a nuclear weapon on Oct. 9.
Nicaragua's Ortega vows close U.S. ties
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Daniel Ortega returns to Nicaragua's presidency a shadow of the fiery revolutionary who in Cold War times vowed an endless fight against a U.S. government determined to overthrow him.
Babangida: Nigeria's "evil genius" enters 2007 presidential race
LAGOS (AFP) - General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the former military dictator better known as "IBB" who ruled Nigeria with a rod of iron for eight years and who once dubbed himself "the evil genius", is determined to contest the 2007 elections and to win back the presidential seat he occupied from 1985 to 1993.
Islamic militants claim capture of town
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic militants said they captured a town in central Somalia on Sunday after they came under attack from pro-government militiamen backed by troops from Ethiopia and a semiautonomous region in northern Somalia.
The Nation
Bush's advisers adopt new tone on Iraq
WASHINGTON - Responding to a humbling election, White House aides said Sunday that President Bush would welcome new ideas about the unpopular war in Iraq, even from Democrats he had branded as soft on terrorism.
Iraq panel may have few good options
Those familiar with the Iraq Study Group s work predict that the panel s ultimate recommendations on stabilizing the situation in Iraq will not appear novel and that there are few, if any, good options left facing the country.
Bush stands by his man for U.N. envoy
WASHINGTON - President Bush will not relent in his defense of John Bolton, his nominee for U.N. ambassador, despite unwavering opposition from Democrats who view Bolton as too combative for international diplomacy, aides said Sunday.Bush will try to continue to be his obstreperous self, but all Democrats have to do is stand their ground. It will make him look silly. —Caro
Rove steadfast in the face of critics
Washington might think Tuesday's elections were a repudiation of Karl Rove's brand of politics, but Rove does not. However, it turns out that Rove is mortal after all, and not always so good at math.And this makes Rove look silly, too. —Caro
Lame-duck Congress to reconvene
WASHINGTON - Congress returns this week with triumphant Democrats and vanquished Republicans focusing more on the upcoming change in power than on President Bush's wish list for the final few months of GOP rule.
Reid: 'We Have To Really Do Something'
The Democratic majority is prepared to work with President Bush in the next two years, says incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who promises that the next Congress will be more active in its oversight of the government.
Billions Spent, but Iraqi Rebuilding Incomplete
With U.S.-funded reconstruction nearing end, American officials and contractors fear successes may be eclipsed by bad security and poor planning.
Democrats Aim to Save Inquiry on Work in Iraq
Congressional Democrats say they will push to restore the power of an agency in charge of ferreting out waste and corruption.
Democrats: Identify pork sponsors
Democrats aim to open the next Congress in January with a new rule that identifies lawmakers who use legislative "earmarks" to help special interests a change Republicans promised but didn't implement.
DEMOCRATS WILL REVISIT MILITARY HABEAS DEBATE
WASHINGTON - An effort to restore habeas corpus rights for enemy combatants could be the first test of the Democrats' resolve to change course in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who is expected to become chairman, confirmed Thursday that he is drafting a bill to undo portions of a recently passed law that prevent terrorism detainees from going to federal court to challenge the government's right to hold them indefinitely.
Pelosi backs Murtha for majority leader
WASHINGTON - Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to become speaker of the House, stepped into a postelection power struggle among fellow Democrats on Sunday with a letter of support for Rep. Jack Murtha in the race to pick a majority leader.
Feingold decides against 2008 presidential bid
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Russell Feingold, a leading liberal in Congress and an outspoken foe of the Iraq war, announced on Sunday that he would not seek the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
Economy & Business
Stocks rise in quiet but erratic session
NEW YORK - Wall Street closed out an erratic session with a modest advance Friday as investors awaited further signs about the health of the economy. Falling oil prices and a contract win for Boeing Co. offered some support to a lackluster market, and the major indexes all ended with solid gains for the week.
Can Anyone Steer This Economy?
Sometime next year--perhaps around Christmas 2007, if current trends continue--the U.S. will hit a milestone. For the first time in recent memory, the cost of imported goods and services will exceed federal revenues. In other words, Americans will soon pay more to foreigners than they do to their national government.
U.S., Mexico activists fight Wal-Mart
MEXICO CITY - U.S. and local activists formed a common front on Sunday to fight the expansion of Wal-Mart stores in Mexico, saying small stores and the national culture are under threat from what is already the world's biggest retailer.
Media
Billionaires set to fight over L.A Times
LOS ANGELES - Like a train wreck or a car accident, when rich people do battle, everybody stops to watch. Billionaires Ronald Burkle, Eli Broad and David Geffen haven't taken off the gloves but all signs point to them fighting for ownership of their troubled hometown newspaper, the Los Angeles Times. The fortunes of the Times, the nation's fourth-largest daily newspaper, are being watched closely by a newspaper industry beset by sales, staffing cutbacks and circulation drops.
Ex-Chairman of Insurer May Bid for Tribune
Maurice R. Greenberg has become the latest wealthy mogul to express interest in the struggling newspaper industry. Mr. Greenberg, 81, known as Hank, is considering a bid for the Tribune Company, people briefed on his plans said yesterday. Mr. Greenberg, these people said, has been quietly reaching out to investment bankers and lawyers about pursuing an offer. He has also expressed interest in pursuing other newspapers and newspaper companies, these people said…
Science & Technology
Venice Mayor: Flood Barriers a Mistake
ROME (AP) - A government plan to build moveable flood barriers to protect the famous city of canals during high tides is a mistake, the mayor of Venice said Saturday. The government has approved a $5.5 billion project to build hinged barriers in the seabed just off Venice.We had better find ways to protect low-lying coastal areas. Unless we find a way to stop global warming, sea level could rise 20 feet. —Caro
Libraries in the sand reveal Africa's academic past
TIMBUKTU, Mali (Reuters) - Researchers in Timbuktu are fighting to preserve tens of thousands of ancient texts which they say prove Africa had a written history at least as old as the European Renaissance.
Dad orangutan uses brush to name baby
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Zookeepers let a male orangutan pick the name for his offspring by marking one of two possible names with a paintbrush. The father, Tengku, picked Dumadi as the name for the baby orangutan, Fort Wayne Children's Zoo officials said.
New strategies to fight melanoma tested
The body's own immune system can fight the deadly cancer melanoma if scientists can flip the system's "off" switch to "on," two preliminary studies suggest.
Fox urges action on stem cells measure
NEW YORK - Actor Michael J. Fox on Friday urged President Bush and the newly elected Democratic Congress to work together to pass legislation backing stem cell research.
Growth of PDA injuries a concern for companies
Employment lawyers are warning companies they could face liability or workers' compensation claims related to employee injuries from personal digital assistants. Improper use and overuse of PDAs can lead to hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling, a condition known as BlackBerry Thumb.
Sun makes Java tech. open-source project
SAN FRANCISCO - Computer server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. said Monday that it had begun to make its Java technology an open-source software project available for free on the Internet.
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Comments
We Need to Stabilize Iraq, and Then Withdrawl
We all cannot forget the lessons of
Vietnam and the Strategic Hamlet Program
which was internal in nature and only
escalated the conflict to the tune of
500 thousand troops on the ground.
We should invoke the War Powers Act
and re-deploy to the borders of Iraq
to prevent the influx of foreign fighters and Al-Qaeda. This will give the
civilians a sense of confidence and give
Maliki a chance to establish a government and will starve the terrorists in Iraq, which is huge.
I'm with you, Dan.
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Stabilize Iraq?
The whole idea that Iraq is a country is largely a fiction that has been promulgated since the European colonial powers carved up the maps of Africa, the Middle East, India, and the rest of Southeast Asia to suit their economic ambitions. Like most other states in the region, it exists primarily in that virtual vacuum that doesn't take into account cultural and geographic boundaries that were the previously accepted dividing lines. The truth is that there have always been two groups of people contending for a piece of what in now called 'Iraq'; Kurds, and Bedouin Arabs. The Kurds were broken up into five groups and forced to live alongside their historical persecutors and enemies who outnumbered them. The Arab population remaining has been in a blood feud over the right of sucession to the head of the Muslim faith since the assination of Mohammed's grandson (almost)1400 years ago. Effectively what there is, is three countries, not one. Most countries where colonialism set it's bloody foot have the same problem. Iraq also has the fact that Sadaam Hussein exploited these conflicts for his own ends, and the Sunni were the only beneficiaries of his governance. This also is nothing new, and appears to be the nature of politicians (and human beings)everywhere. The only way to achieve any degree of stability is to provide all the factions with something they want (economic benefit, peace, social cohesion) with an overwhelming reason to not take it from each other. Most countries don't go to war with other regularly, because it just too expensive. This is a fact that has been known since at least 2500BCE (read 'Art of War' or "Book of 5 Rings') where the most astute rulers and generals recognized that it would usually cost 35-50% of the population, and take three generations to recover from the social and economic costs. This doesn't apply in a situation where peoples' lives are already so degraded that they literally 'have nothing to lose'. Terrorism is a method of fighting a militarily superior enemy, a tactic born of the idea that you have no other options and nothing to lose. It is the fruit of disenfranchisment, despair, and disillusionment endemic in the third world. We, as a country, have been the cause of a large part of that despair by our exploitation of third world peoples and their resources, and the support of brutal,dictatorial, undemocratic regimes; and in some cases the overthrow of popular, democratically elected goverments whose economic models the corporate entities in the developed world feared. Instead of bringing the best of our knowledge of goverment, ethics, and freedom to the world; we have exported the worst, greed, tyrrany, and intolerance. Maybe if we hadn't been playing Cold War games in Afghanistan, the Taliban wouldn't have found any 'traction'. Maybe if we didn't support the brutal, unpopular, and repressive Saudi monarchy we wouldn't have Al'Quida and the Wahabi infrastructure in Sunni Islam that feeds them. Maybe if our foreign and domestic policies lived up to the spirit of the Constitution, or even more primal laws like the Golden Rule, we could deal from an unassailable moral high ground; and lead rather then force other countries to behave in a better fashion.
Right on, and well said. I
Right on, and well said. I have lived and worked in both Africa and the ME, and you are entirely correct about artifically imposed "borders." Forcing ethnically disparate peoples, who have traditionally been enemies (or wary neighbors) for thousands of years, to live as "one nation" is a proven recipe for internal strife and chaos.
In all of history, there have been only three answers to the "conquered nation" problem: total annihilation, brutal dictatorship, or self-rule by going back to the original boundaries. The latter is often accomplished by insurrection and civil war.
The PNAC and DLC neoconservatives are attempting to re-invent a Third Way "centrist" solution, by imposing Western imperial rule over these Third-World colonial mistakes -- Pax Americana. They have already shown that they are willing to accomplish this "peace" by the use of military force where they can not achieve these goals economically (read bribery).
I would
Just like to say, thank goodness for Howard Dean. I am so pleased with the job he is doing!!! His 50 state plan has already yielded results and he seems to be the only one of our party leaders besides Feingold who will consistently sound off like he's got a pair. As the only elected leader of our whole party it is wonderful to see him standing up for what Democrats and Americans voted for last Tuesday. More of our elected Reps and Senators need to start echoing him soon......
And thanks to the principled Republicans ...
... who told the truth about the Bush administration and prosecuted some of its wrongdoers.
Listen to what Granny Bee has to say about who won.
http://www.democrats.com/node/11002
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com