Thursday, October 30, 2008

SPB News for Thursday.


Former UK PM, Iraq accomplice makes millions on public speaking circuit.

Marine judge orders access to US secret prison camp at Guantánamo --Guantánamo commanders have long refused to say who runs it, or how much it cost to construct. A judge has ordered the Pentagon to give two military attorneys unprecedented access to a secret prison camp here in a ruling that specifically notes that alleged 9/11 conspirator Ramzi bin al Shibh has been mentally ill and may be still. Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, the chief judge for military tribunals, issued the three-page ruling on Sunday. He granted access to two Pentagon lawyers with top-secret clearances to inspect a portion of Camp 7, a secret prison camp facility run by a clandestine unit called Task Force Platinum, which segregates former CIA prisoners from the other 250 war-on-[of]-terror captives here.

Report on Iraq Security Lists 310 Contractors At least 310 private security companies from around the world have received contracts from United States agencies to protect American and Iraqi officials, installations, convoys and other entities in Iraq since 2003, according to the most comprehensive accounting yet of the secretive and weakly regulated role that private firms have played in the conflict. A report by a federal oversight agency detailing the roster of security companies has been circulated among members of Congress and some federal agencies, and was obtained last week by The New York Times.

Europe criticizes U.S. air raid in Syria The European Union has criticized the U.S. military raid targeting suspected terrorists in Syria. France, the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, criticized the U.S. helicopter attack on a Syrian village near the border with Iraq, which, according to Damascus, left at least eight people dead.

Syria protests US attack in UN letter In a letter to the UN, Syria has protested the US chopper attack on a border village on Sunday that killed eight Syrian civilians. The Syrian Cabinet wrote a scolding letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, slamming United States' Sunday attack on a building in a Syrian border village with Iraq.

Iraq VP: US blackmailing Iraq over SOFA The US military has threatened to halt vital services in Iraq if Baghdad refuses to sign a controversial US security pact with Washington. In addition to halting all military actions, US forces would cease activities that support Iraq's economy, educational sector and other areas- 'everything' - Tariq al-Hashemi, Iraq's Vice President told the US newspaper McClatchy. According to al-Hashemi, many Iraqi politicians view the move as 'political blackmail'.

Iraq says U.S. deal would ban strikes on neighbours Amendments sought by Iraq to a security pact with the United States would ban U.S. forces from striking neighbouring countries from Iraqi territory, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Wednesday. U.S. negotiators began on Wednesday to scrutinise the changes demanded by Iraq to the stalled security pact which sets the conditions under which American troops could operate in the country after this year.

Possibility of McCain victory Alarms Middle East A unique Middle East debating forum has conclusively warned America that a victory by John McCain in the US Presidential election would seriously undermine already damaged relations with the Middle East. In the largest voting margin yet recorded in the Doha Debates, now in their fifth year, an audience of more than 350 people voted 87%-13% against a motion suggesting that the Middle East would be better off with McCain as President.

U.S. will pay price for attacks on Islamic world: Larijani Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has warned that the United States will "pay a price" for its attacks on Islamic countries. Larijani made the remarks on Wednesday in response to the U.S. attack on Syria on Sunday. The U.S. has carried out similar actions in Pakistan under the pretext of the war on terror, killing dozens of innocent people, and "this time it was Syria’s turn," he noted.

Officials: 20,000 Afghan troops needed U.S. forces are struggling to deal with an intensified Taliban insurgency and need about 20,000 additional troops in Afghanistan to counter it, officials say.The Pentagon has already approved the deployment of 4,000 additional troops, set to arrive in January, and 10,000 to 12,000 more troops have been formally requested.

Appeals Courts Pushed to Right by Bush Choices The Bush administration has transformed the nation’s federal appeals courts, advancing a conservative legal revolution that began nearly three decades ago under President Ronald Reagan. Republican-appointed judges, most of them conservatives, are projected to make up about 62 percent of the bench next Inauguration Day, up from 50 percent when Mr. Bush took office. They control 10 of the 13 circuits, while judges appointed by Democrats have a dwindling majority on just one circuit.

Postal Service Looks to Cut 40,000 Jobs In First Layoff In History "We lost 2 billion dollars and like any other business we have to stay afloat." And to keep from sinking, the United States Postal Service is considering cutting thousands of jobs nationwide. Lavelle Pepper says the postal service is looking to eliminate 40,000 jobs nationwide.

Breaking! Weekly World News Alien Calls It For McCain! — When the Weekly World News alien came out for Obama in August, New York's Daily Intel reminded us that the interplanetary endorser …
McCain Now Running Robocalls Attacking Obama In Home State Of Arizona! — John McCain and the Republican National Committee are now running robocalls attacking Obama as weak on terrorism — in McCain's home state of Arizona, according to multiple readers from the state.

Campaign trail for Thursday:

Obama-Biden team

10/30 Barack in Sarasota, FL @ 11:15am EST

10/30 Barack in Virginia Beach, VA (LIVE) @ 6pm EST

10/30 Barack in Columbia, MO (LIVE) @ 10:30pm EST

10/30 Michelle in Rocky Mount, NC @ 5:30pm EST

10/30 Joe in Arnold, MO (LIVE) @ 10:30am EST

10/30 Joe in Williamsport, PA @ 3pm EST

10/30 Joe in Allentown, PA (LIVE) @ 6:30pm EST

McCain-Palin team

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Layoffs at the Post Office, oh my, if anyone has been to a Post office in the last year be prepared to wait, after the layoffs, be prepared to camp out.

Tony Blair getting rich on speeking engagements.....the Gerbil should not entertain this one, neither should Cheney.

And yes, that was a bad move (Air Raid on Syria) not helping this country look good.

310 Security contractors? Aren't we supposed to be training the Iraqis?