Key U.S. Iraq strategy in danger of collapse --US paying $300 a month to former insurgents, many of them part of al-Qaeda A key pillar of the U.S. 'strategy' to pacify Iraq is in danger of collapsing because the Iraqi government is failing to absorb tens of thousands of former Sunni Muslim 'insurgents' who'd joined U.S.-allied militia groups into the country's security forces. Under the program, the United States pays each militia [known as the Sons of Iraq or Awakening councils] member a stipend of about $300 a month and promised that they'd get jobs with the Iraqi government. But the Iraqi government has brought only a relative handful of the more than 100,000 militia members into the security forces. Now officials are making it clear that they don't intend to include most of the rest. "We cannot stand them, and we detained many of them recently," said one senior Iraqi commander in Baghdad, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the issue. "Many of them were part of al Qaida despite the fact that many of them are helping us to fight al Qaida."
Pentagon can't find $2.3 trillion, wasting trillions on 'national defense' --'America's Outrageous War Economy!' By Paul B. Farrell We've lost our moral compass: The contrast between today's leaders and the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 shocks our conscience. Today war greed trumps morals. During the Revolutionary War our leaders risked their lives and fortunes; many lost both. Today it's the opposite: Too often our leaders' main goal is not public service but a ticket to building a personal fortune in the new "America's Outrageous War Economy," often by simply becoming a high-priced lobbyist.
No lawyers permitted inside 'Gitmo on the Platte' --A look inside Denver's temporary DNC jail. Denver's Arrestee Processing Site, or APS, is built to replicate what you'd normally see at the city jail... Denver County Undersheriff Bill Lovingier invited the cameras inside on Wednesday to counter activists' claims that the city was trying to hide a secret jail. No lawyers are permitted inside the APS. The city says the arrestees can meet with their attorneys when they go to court. However, the ACLU says that's illegal. The civil rights group also wants assurances that once people post bond, they won't be held for several more hours.
US accused of war crimes over torture methods --In his new book, lawyer Philippe Sands argues that the responsible officials, and the lawyers who advised them, should be charged with war crimes. The use of torture by the US Government in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001 has come under increasing criticism. In 1863 at the height of the US civil war, president Abraham Lincoln set the principles for interrogation of prisoners with a famous instruction "military necessity does not admit of cruelty". It took the September 11 attacks to change those principles and Vice-President [sic] Dick Cheney said the US would now have to work through the dark side.
U.S. Is Tracking Citizens At Border Checkpoints --Data From Checkpoints to Be Kept for 15 Years The federal government has been using its system of border checkpoints to greatly expand a database on travelers entering the country by collecting information on all U.S. citizens crossing by land, compiling data that will be stored for 15 years and may be used in criminal and intelligence investigations. Officials say the Border Crossing Information system, disclosed last month by the Department of Homeland Security in a Federal Register notice, is part of a broader effort to guard against terrorist threats
U.S. Trainers Say Georgian Troops Weren't Ready U.S. military trainers -- the only American boots on the ground -- say the Georgian soldiers they knew who were sent to battle the Russians had fighting spirit but were not ready for war. The Georgians were "beginning to walk, but by no means were they running," said U.S. Army Captain Jeff Barta, who helped train a Georgian brigade for peacekeeping service in Iraq. "If that was a U.S. brigade, it would not have gone into combat."
Merrill, Wachovia in Danger of Failing: Strategist Merrill Lynch, Wachovia and other financial companies are at risk of failure as the cost of raising capital soars at a time when the banks need to pay settlements over auction rate securities, David Kotok, chairman & chief investment officer from Cumberland Advisors, told CNBC Monday.
Credit squeeze hits college students, families --With tuition bills rising, lenders cutting back, education financing is tight Paying for a college education -- with a price tag now north of $50,000 a year at some top-priced private schools -- has never been easy. But this year, on top of the... hit to college savings accounts from the turmoil in the financial markets, parents and students have another obstacle to overcome. The ongoing credit crunch has prompted dozens of private lenders to stop making student loans.
Court: Bush Administration Rule on Air Pollution Is Illegal A federal appeals court yesterday struck down a Bush administration rule that prevented states and local governments from imposing stricter monitoring of pollution generated by power plants, factories and oil refineries than required by the federal government. In a 2 to 1 decision, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the Environmental Protection Agency rule violated a provision of the Clean Air Act, which requires adequate monitoring of emissions to ensure compliance with pollution limits.
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