~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/09/1062902057694.html

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has urged the foreign ministers of all five permanent members of the UN Security Council to meet in Geneva this weekend to try to find a way to stabilise Iraq.

...He said the methods the UN adopted in East Timor... might provide a model for Iraq.

...Mr Bush is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 23.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

even the nouveaux-reactionaries at salon.com are saying it!

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2003/09/04/un/

Let me make sure I've got this right. After being insulted, belittled and called irrelevant by the swaggering machos in the Bush administration, the United Nations is now supposed to step forward to supply cannon fodder for America's disastrous Iraq occupation -- while the U.S. continues to run the show? …The bitter truth is that everything the administration told us about Iraq has turned out to be false. [About the writer: Gary Kamiya is Salon's executive editor.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ah, jeez

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A42363-2003Sep8

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Monday opposition to the U.S. President was encouraging Washington's enemies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

yuh-huh, plus, jeez, lissen to this

http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/09/09/schools.democracy.ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's schools are telling an unbalanced story of their own country, offering students plenty about America's failings but not enough about its values and freedoms, says a report drawing support across the ideological spectrum. Without a change of approach, schools will continue to turn out large numbers of students who are disengaged in society and unappreciative of democracy, the report contends.

...The report calls for a stronger history and social studies curriculum, starting in elementary school and continuing through all years of schooling. It also suggests a bigger push for morality in education lessons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

military 'intelligence'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39720-2003Sep7.html

The U.S. Army is upgrading basic training for officers and enlisted personnel to emphasize... the "warrior ethos."

...They'll tell you, 'I'm a mechanic,' not 'I'm a soldier,' and we've got to change that," Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes, the TRADOC commanding general, said last week in an interview with reporters. "We took a look at the future soldier, and we came up short in the warrior ethos piece."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.suntimes.com/output/education/cst-nws-south09.html

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. -- Disgusted by what they see as the extinction of the all-male Southern military college, some graduates want to build one of their own, based on the way The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute used to be. That is, they say, before those schools started admitting women, before they stopped saying mealtime prayers, and before the winds of political correctness swept aside many of the reminders of the Confederacy.

''Southern traditions that have been tarnished and almost lost will live again,'' backers of the planned Southern Military Institute say on their Web site. ''The concept of an officer and a Southern gentleman will be the standard, not the exception.''

~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/07/1062901944275.html

George Bush's job approval rating dropped in two polls released on Saturday... Forty-five per cent gave Mr Bush positive marks for job performance in the new survey, down from 52 per cent in August... There was a split on whether the war was worth the toll in US lives and other costs, with 49 per cent saying yes and 43 per cent saying no.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1036959,00.html

Seven in 10 Americans continue to believe that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had a role in the 11 September 2001 attacks, even though the Bush administration and congressional investigators say they have no evidence of this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/usatoday/20030908/ts_usatoday/11816872&e=4

The monthly bill for the U.S. military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan now rivals Pentagon spending during the Vietnam War, Defense Department figures show.

...The Pentagon is spending nearly $5 billion per month in Iraq and Afghanistan... Those expenses do not include money being spent on rebuilding Iraq's electric grid, water supply and other infrastructure... In Vietnam... adjusted for inflation... [the cost was] $5.15 billion per month.

...National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Sunday on CNN's Late Edition program... that the "cost of freedom and cost of peace cannot be measured."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

how 'bout those kurds

http://www.zaman.com/default.php?kn=4019

The US has agreed to allow a Turkish Commander for a possible Turkish troop deployment to Iraq. In addition, Turkey will be able to determine the region in which its soldiers are to operate in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

going around and coming around

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/07/nirq07.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/09/07/ixhome.html

British commanders in Iraq are to adopt Ulster-style security measures in an effort to limit attacks on troops... A senior officer said: "We are now facing a counter-insurgency operation in Iraq very similar to what we experienced in Ulster... We need to be able to dominate the country with patrols so that we don't give the enemy the opportunity to carry out attacks against us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

neato

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=103354&command=displayContent&sourceNode=103331&contentPK=6937675

A father who wrote to Tony Blair asking for justification for the war in Iraq after his son was killed while on service... has finally received a reply which he says is patronising, condescending, and does not justify the war or his son's death... In his reply, which is dated August 27, Mr Blair argues that he did not enter into war lightly, and that he was confident that Saddam Hussein was maintaining covert weapons of mass destruction. But for Mr Kelly, that reason is not strong enough to justify the war and the death of his son.

...Mr Blair's letter continues to describe how the British Military are working hard to rebuild the country - giving the restoration of power supplies as an example. Mr Kelly said: "My son did not die so that power supplies could be restored. And he says the Iraqis are now better off. How can the people of Iraq be better off? Thousands have been killed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and now a word from paul wolfowitz

http://www.opinionjournal.com/forms/printThis.html?id=110003956

“Anyone who thinks that the battle in Iraq is a distraction from the war on terror should tell it to the Marines of the 1st Marine Division who comprised the eastern flank of the force that fought its way to Baghdad last April… There was no question in their minds that the battle they wage--the battle to secure the peace in Iraq--is now the central battle in the war on terrorism… I saw the troops in Iraq, and Gen. Keane is absolutely right. I can tell you that they, above all, understand the war they are fighting. They understand the stakes involved. And they will not be deterred from their mission by desperate acts of a dying regime.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

snapshot

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1037081,00.html

Farah Fadhil was only 18 when she was killed. An American soldier threw a grenade through the window of her apartment. Her death, early last Monday, was slow and agonising. Her legs had been shredded, her hands burnt and punctured by splinters of metal, suggesting that the bright high-school student had covered her face to shield it from the explosion.

She had been walking to the window to try to calm an escalating situation; to use her smattering of English to plead with the soldiers who were spraying her apartment building with bullets.

But then a grenade was thrown and Farah died. So did Marwan Hassan who, according to neighbours, was caught in the crossfire as he went looking for his brother when the shooting began.

What is perhaps most shocking about their deaths is that the coalition troops who killed them did not even bother to record details of the raid with the coalition military press office... What happened in Mahmudiya last week should not be forgotten... while the media are encouraged to count each US death, the Iraqi civilians who have died at American hands since the fall of Saddam's regime have been as uncounted as their names have been unacknowledged.

...Nada Doumani, spokeswoman for the International Committee for the Red Cross... confirmed what she has said before - that despite repeated requests from the Red Cross, it can neither get information nor figures on civilian deaths during raids. What happened at Mahmudiya would be disturbing enough if it was unique, but it is not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and now a word ABOUT paul wolfowitz

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/06/politics/06RESI.html?ex=1063902997&ei=1&en=b76718117b70ffd1

A senior House Democrat called today for the resignation of the top two officials at the Defense Department.. In a letter to President Bush, Representative David R. Obey, the ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, said the Pentagon should be relieved of its role in determining foreign policy in Iraq, in part because of errors made by Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Wolfowitz.

... "It is impossible to review the record of the past year and not conclude that they have made repeated and serious miscalculations," said Mr. Obey, who has represented northern Wisconsin for 34 years. The unilateral conduct of the war and the planning for postwar occupation cannot be seen as "anything other than a disaster," he wrote.

The White House did not respond to the letter, but Stuart Roy, a spokesman for Representative Tom DeLay, the House Republican leader, dismissed Mr. Obey's call.

"Here the president is, freeing Iraqi citizens and giving them a first taste of democracy, and you have Democrats like Obey who come up with bizarre requests like this," Mr. Roy said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

paul wolfowitz: it’s what’s for dinner

http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=-1&urlID=7410617&fb=Y&partnerID=2006

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said Thursday the Bush administration has been pushing for months for a new U.N. resolution to internationalize the force in Iraq, but it took the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad to change the "atmosphere in New York."

…Seeking a new U.N. resolution, he said, "didn't sort of emerge out of nowhere a few days ago. It's been on our agenda ever since the fall of Baghdad," Wolfowitz said. He described last month's deadly bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad as a "breakthrough…" "The bombing of the U.N. headquarters, I think, changed the atmosphere in New York and it looks like we can move forward in that area," he said."Things change. You exploit opportunities, you deal with surprises."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

richard perle, the other white meat

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,918812,00.html

by Richard Perle - Friday March 21, 2003 – “Saddam Hussein's reign of terror is about to end. He will go quickly, but not alone… What will die is the fantasy of the UN as the foundation of a new world order… As free Iraqis document the quarter-century nightmare of Saddam's rule, let us not forget who held that the moral authority of the international community was enshrined in a plea for more time for inspectors, and who marched against "regime change.”

“…The chronic failure of the security council to enforce its own resolutions is unmistakable: it is simply not up to the task. We are left with coalitions of the willing. Far from disparaging them as a threat to a new world order, we should recognise that they are, by default, the best hope for that order, and the true alternative to the anarchy of the abject failure of the UN.” [Richard Perle is chairman of the defence policy board, an advisory panel to the Pentagon.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i know i've mentioned this so many times, but...

http://cryptome.org/rad.htm

[Scottish] Sunday Herald - 15 September 2002 - A SECRET blueprint for US global domination reveals that President Bush and his cabinet were planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' even before he took power in January 2001.

The blueprint, uncovered by the Sunday Herald, for the creation of a 'global Pax Americana' was drawn up for Dick Cheney (now vice-president), Donald Rumsfeld (defence secretary), Paul Wolfowitz (Rumsfeld's deputy), George W Bush's younger brother Jeb and Lewis Libby (Cheney's chief of staff). The document, entitled Rebuilding America's Defences: Strategies, Forces And Resources For A New Century, was written in September 2000 by the neo-conservative think-tank Project for the New American Century (PNAC).

...The PNAC document supports a 'blueprint for maintaining global US pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests'.

This 'American grand strategy' must be advanced for 'as far into the future as possible', the report says. It also calls for the US to 'fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theatre wars' as a 'core mission'.

The report describes American armed forces abroad as 'the cavalry on the new American frontier'. The PNAC blueprint supports an earlier document written by Wolfowitz and Libby that said the US must 'discourage advanced industrial nations from challenging our leadership or even aspiring to a larger regional or global role'.

[read the original doc at http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf but note that it's a 90-page pdf file --mrs.h]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the sound of silence

http://www.unknownnews.net/030909a-pm.html

This weekend, covert terrorists cells launched a major offensive against the institutions of the United States. Institutions suffering near fatal blows were CBS, ABC, NBC, The New York Times, Washington Post, and San Francisco Chronicle, to name just a few… The Guardian article, titled “The war on terrorism is bogus,” is a scathing attack on President George W Bush and his administration. Its author, Michael Meacher, who was Environment Minister in Great Britain for six years, blamed the Iraq war on a US desire for Domination of the Gulf and the world.

… Major news sources in the Middle East, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh as well as all major news sources in Great Britain have either carried the story or made reference to its content… The question we are left with is: Did 1,457 daily newspaper editors and 2,000 TV news directors [in the US] all reach the same decision independently, not to run this story…?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

more adventures in freedom of expression

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/106284064888450.xml

CARLISLE [pennsylvia?] - A freedom of speech battle is brewing over a decision by Carlisle Barracks [the home of the Army War College] leaders to block access to an Internet site that purports to uncover military corruption. The move to bar Army post workers from logging onto militarycorruption.com was taken to "preserve morale, good order and discipline," barracks spokeswoman Lt. Col. Merideth Bucher said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one for our side

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/04/business/media/04FCC.html?ei=5062&en=5d2e98506c05f041&ex=1063252800&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=

Sept. 3 — A federal appeals court issued a surprise order today blocking the Federal Communications Commission from imposing new rules that would make it easier for the nation's largest media conglomerates to add new markets and areas of business.

The decision came a day before the new rules, considered among the most significant efforts at deregulation adopted during the Bush administration, were scheduled to take effect.

…Officials at the commission said they were surprised by the order.

…The rules would have made it easier for the nation's largest television networks to buy enough stations to reach up to 45 percent of the nation's viewers. Two networks, Fox, a unit of the News Corporation, and CBS, a unit of Viacom, are already above the old 35 percent limit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from earlier this week...

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0309/07/lkl.00.html

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight the president [is] addressing the nation... With us for immediate reaction to the speech, in Baghdad, Nic Robertson, CNN senior international correspondent; in London, Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent; back in Baghdad, "Newsweek" contributing editor Colin Soloway; in New York, Judith Miller, "New York Times" correspondent specializing in the Middle East and weapons of mass destruction; and in London, Matt McAllester, "Newsday" correspondent.

...COLIN SOLOWAY, NEWSWEEK: ...The speech was largely aimed at the American people, really, to again try and get support for the continuing effort here. I'm not sure there's a whole lot necessarily for Iraqis here or anyone else in the international community, frankly... What I found interesting about it was almost complete absence of any discussion of weapons of mass destruction, which was, as you recall, essentially the casus belli for this war. The administration now has switched to new rhetoric of saying, well, we've got -- this is actually all part of the war on terror, as we were saying all along.

But, you know... there wasn't actually a terrorism problem in Iraq before the Americans got here.

...KING: Judith Miller, what surprised you?

JUDITH MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES: I think once again the lack of emphasis on weapons of mass destruction.

...KING: Christiane Amanpour, you're reaction, in London, to this speech tonight.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, you know, the last time the president appeared, on the aircraft carrier, he declared combat operations over... This time he said that it is not the case.

...And then, of course, again, the president referring to the great tradition of what happened in post-World War II Germany and Japan. You remember, he promised Afghanistan, for instance, two years ago, the very same words, and there has not been that reality to match the rhetoric.

Now he's talking about $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan. From what we hear, only $1 billion of that will go to Afghanistan... Well, there's a lot of resentment going on in Iraq and in Afghanistan right now.

...KING: Nic Robertson, in Baghdad, if the purpose was to bring things up to date and to increase support from the American people, do you think it worked?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: It certainly may do that... [But] the only thing in there that the Iraqi people can take any comfort in is the fact that more money may be spent on them in the near future. They have perhaps had some of their worst fears realized in this speech as well, and that is... [that]terrorists are being drawn to Iraq.

…KING: Matt McAllester, in London... What's your read on this speech.

MATT MCALLESTER, NEWSDAY: I think its timing is interesting, from the Iraqi perspective. This is five months after the war... People will say, "Where's the electricity? Where is the security?"

...KING: Colin Soloway, in Baghdad, Secretary Powell said today that the United States didn't realize how rotten things were in Iraq. Do you agree with that?

SOLOWAY: …The biggest problem here was in fact that there was infrastructure. There were ministries and the government was functioning here… and because the United States failed to provide security in this town and around the country, these buildings, these institutions were systematically looted and burned… So when the Americans actually got around to saying, OK, well, let's get these ministries up and running, there was nothing left. There were no desks. There were no computers. In many cases, there weren't even pencils and paper for people to work with... I mean, the Oil Ministry was secured, but the Education Ministry, Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, none of this was secured. So I think we're paying the price, actually for the incompetence of the administration's planning.

...KING: Nic Robertson, in your opinion, is it going to get worse before it gets better?

ROBERTSON: It certainly seems to be set to be so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.counterpunch.org/cassel09062003.html

It has been a while since the hapless prisoners of the United States, those being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as "enemy combatants," have been in the news... Previous efforts to get some legal relief for these men--to require that they be charged and tried or freed, to provide them with attorneys, to provide them with meaningful contact with families--were stopped at the courthouse door. A federal judge said, in one of the more idiotic catch-22 lines of logic, that they were not on American soil, so they could have no access to American courts.

...On Tuesday, the Center for Constitutional Rights asked the Supreme Court to review the controversial decision by the DC Circuit denying counsel to alleged terrorists... The Court has already rejected one petition to review the case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3401070

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's construction of a West Bank security barrier is deepening the crippling economic impact of its tough travel restrictions on Palestinians, Amnesty International said Monday.

In a new report, "Israel and the Occupied Territories: Surviving under Siege," the London-based human rights group said some 60 percent of Palestinians live below the poverty line of $2 per day and unemployment is close to 50 percent.

…Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty delegate who headed research for the report, told Reuters [that]… Israeli restrictions on the movement of Palestinian people and goods in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have reached an "unprecedented level"… Amnesty, accusing Israel of collective punishment, said in the report: "Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians cannot be made to pay for the crimes of a handful of individuals." The report held Israel directly responsible for "the high levels of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition and other health problems" afflicting Palestinians.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

what’s on?

http://www.sho.com/movies/movies_product.cfm?titleid=119354

DC 9/11: Time Of Crisis

SHOWTIME ADVISORIES: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Themes. 2 h 7 m.

Timothy Bottoms stars as President George W. Bush in this docudrama that traces the nine days after the terrorist attacks on America of September 11, 2001, a week and a half that challenged the government to devise a strategy for pursuing the perpetrators while tending to the wounds of a shattered nation. David Fonteno, Penny Johnson Jerald, Mary Gordon Murray, Lawrence Pressman, Scott Alan Smith and George Takei costar in this riveting original from writer Lionel Chetwynd ("Varian's War") and producer Robert Halmi Sr. ("The Lion in Winter").

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/opinion/07DOWD.html?pagewanted=print&position=

On one channel tonight, we can watch the iconic side of the Bush presidency. In the risibly revisionist Showtime movie "DC 9/11: Time of Crisis," George W. Bush is Vin Diesel-tough as he battles terrorists. "If some tinhorn terrorist wants me, tell him to come get me," the fictional president fictionally snaps on Air Force One after the 9/ll attacks. "I'll just be waiting for the bastard."

On network channels at the same time… we can watch the ironic side of the Bush presidency… He will address the nation to try to underscore the imaginary line that links the budget-busting pit of Iraq to the heartbreaking pit of 9/11.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

second helping of crow, yum yum

http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/flight.htmI

I owe Michael Moore an apology. In a January 2002 interview with Al D'Amato and Alan Colmes of the FOX Network, Michael Moore said: “Why did this country allow the bin Laden family, two days after — two days after September 11 — to fly around America and pick up all the bin Laden relatives, about 24 of them, and take them to Europe? Not a single one of them was interrogated by the FBI. “

That set me off on a tirade, and it shouldn't have. Part of Mr. Moore's statement has since been proved to be correct — during the ban on air travel, some Saudis (including members of the bin Laden family) were transported by air to assembly points in the U.S. in preparation for their leaving the country. In an earlier version of this article, I ranted and raved about his avowing bin Laden flights had taken place while no one was allowed to fly. Yet some did, at least within the U.S.

I shouldn't have yelled at him. He was right about that.

Actually, I shouldn't have yelled at him even if he'd been dead wrong about everything. There's no good excuse for my having gotten vitriolic about Michael Moore as I attempted to address the substance of what he said. I regret having done that because it's just flat-out the wrong thing to do under any circumstance. [see article for details about the flights –mrs.h]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

haw

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/08/national/08CND-CALI.html?ei=5062&en=82c50081

Maria Shriver, a member of a famously Democratic family, pulled into a Wal-Mart parking lot here this afternoon in her first solo campaign appearance, registering voters on behalf of her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who wants to be governor of California.

But Ms. Shriver's foray turned into utter chaos. She was shouted down by a score of organized union members protesting the recall election and Wal-Mart's labor policies. Less than 10 minutes into a scheduled 45-minute appearance, she was hustled into a black sport utility vehicle and driven away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=3415254

Americans fret more over soaring health costs than terrorism and consumers have more cause for anger as premiums rise at the steepest rate in a decade, a report on Tuesday said.

Health-care premiums rose 13.9 percent this year, driven by steep prescription drug costs, pricey new medical technology and insurers' profit gains, a study by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found.

That is the sharpest spike since 1990 and there is no let- up in sight, according to analysts.

... The poll results were based on a telephone survey of 1,800 companies, taken from January to May.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

speaking of health care

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/sep2003/wia-s09.shtml

Citing the US military Central Command as its source, the Washington Post reported on September 2 that “more than 6,000 service members” had been medically evacuated from Iraq since the launch of the war. At the time, the number of combat wounded stood at 1,124. A further 301 personnel had been injured in non-combat incidents such as vehicle accidents. The figure of “more than 6,000” supplied to the Post therefore implies that over 4,500 US troops have required evacuation from Iraq for medical reasons other than combat or non-combat injuries.

... At no point in the last six months have the American people been told that for every soldier who has been killed in Iraq, at least another 15 have fallen so ill that they had to be flown back to the United States. The Post described the unexplained evacuations simply as the “thousands who became physically or mentally ill”.

... The website of “Bring Them Home Now”—an organisation of military families demanding the immediate withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East—bluntly warns soldiers that the only guaranteed way to limit the medical consequences from exposure to DU [depeleted uranium, used in american and british weaponry] is to “get out of Iraq or Afghanistan”..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-iraq-us-military,0,4607549.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

The Army is telling National Guard and Reserve troops in Iraq they will be there a full 12 months, apparently surprising some who had believed the clock started ticking on one-year tours once they reached mobilization stations in the United States. Counting time they spent getting ready before they went and to demobilize after their tours, many reservists now in Iraq probably will find themselves on active duty and away from their civilian jobs for well over a year, officials said Tuesday.

... Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff... said extra hardships are to be expected during times of war.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

calling david nelson, report to main desk

http://www.unknownnews.net/030910gogreyhound.html

Washington Post Sept. 9, 2003

In the most aggressive — and, some say, invasive — step yet to protect air travelers, the federal government and the airlines will phase in a computer system next year to measure the risk posed by every passenger on every flight in the United States. The new Transportation Security Administration system seeks to probe deeper into each passenger's identity than is currently possible, comparing personal information against criminal records and intelligence information. Passengers will be assigned a color code — green, yellow or red — based in part on their city of departure, destination, traveling companions and date of ticket purchase. Most people will be coded green and sail through... An estimated 1 to 2 percent will be labeled "red" and will be prohibited from boarding. These passengers also will face police questioning and may be arrested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~