Editor's Note: Ray McGovern and 15 others took action today in the
halls of Congress. The 16 donned orange jumpsuits similar to those
worn by detainees at Guantánamo Bay. They wore gags over their mouths
decorated with one word - torture. Not another word needed to be said
as they walked the halls of Congress. McGovern, a 27-year veteran of
the CIA, also returned his Intelligence Commendation Award medallion
which was given to him for "especially commendable service." He
delivered the medal to Congressman Pete Hoekstra along with the letter
below. --smg/TO


Full text here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030206A.shtml

http://invisiblechildren.com

invisible children


http://invisiblechildren.com

March 3, 2006
Israeli Found Spy's Data Irresistible
By STEVEN ERLANGER
JERUSALEM, March 2 — The Israeli intelligence handler of Jonathan Pollard, the American convicted of spying for Israel, says in an interview that Mr. Pollard provided such good information that he could not face stopping the operation even though it was aimed at Israel's closest ally, the United States.

The handler, Rafi Eitan, told the newspaper Yediot Aharonot, "I couldn't resist the temptation and order a stop to the operation."

Mr. Eitan spoke about the Pollard case for the first time to Ronen Bergman of the newspaper, which is publishing the comments on Friday.

Mr. Eitan said that Mr. Pollard never exposed American agents in the Soviet Union or elsewhere.

Mr. Eitan also said he believed that the American double agent Aldrich Ames, who was spying for the Soviet Union, tried to blame Mr. Pollard for exposing the American agents to clear himself of suspicion.

"I have no doubt that had Pollard been tried today, in light of what is known about Ames and other agents who were exposed, he would have received a much lighter sentence," Mr. Eitan said.

Mr. Pollard, who worked for the Navy as an intelligence officer, began spying for Israel after he approached an Israeli officer in 1984. Mr. Eitan said that Mr. Pollard provided "information of such high quality and accuracy, so good and so important to the country's security" that "my desire, my appetite to get more and more material overcame me."

In the event of another war with Arab countries, Mr. Eitan said, Mr. Pollard's information would have made a great difference.

He called Mr. Pollard, who came to Israel twice to meet him, a man "with high intelligence, a phenomenal memory and broad education, but also with an extreme and unstable personality that brought him even as a teenager to declare that he 'worked for the Mossad.' "

Mr. Pollard was sentenced to life in prison, and American presidents have refused Israeli requests to commute his sentence.

George the Unready
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Iraqi insurgents, hurricanes and low-income Medicare recipients have three things in common. Each has been at the center of a policy disaster. In each case experts warned about the impending disaster. And in each case — well, let's look at what happened.( Collapse )

This article can be found on the web at
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060313/roy


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bush in India: Just Not Welcome
by ARUNDHATI ROY

[posted online on March 1, 2006]

On his triumphalist tour of India and Pakistan, where he hopes to wave imperiously at people he considers potential subjects, President Bush has an itinerary that's getting curiouser and curiouser.
( Collapse )

News video clips reveal Bush dynasty connections to United Arab Emirates

WNY Media Network has a recent news video clip compilation that reveals the close connections between the Bush family and the United Arab Emirates. No wonder Bush is turning a deaf ear to the concerns expressed by Democrats and Repulicans.

President Bush's family and members of the Bush administration have long-standing business connections with the UAE... Bush defying his very own party leadership and his party in defending the Dubai port deal... The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is a major investor in The Carlyle Group, the private equity investment group where the President's father once served as senior advisor, and is a who's who of former high level government officials... Just last year, Dubai International Capital, a government buyout firm, invested in an 8 billion dollar Carlyle fund. Another family connection, the president's brother, Neil Bush, has reportedly received funding for his education software company from UAE investors. Then there is the cabinet connection: Treasury Secretary John Snow was chairman of railroad company CSX. After he left the company for the White House, CSX sold its international operations to Dubai Ports World for more than a billion dollars.

Link (More about The Carlyle Group here)

Headlines for March 3, 2006
Friday, March 3rd, 2006

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/03/1510231
- Bush Signs Controversial Nuke Deal on India Visit
- Democrats Repeat Calls For Independent Katrina Investigation
- Bush Was Given Intel Discrediting Stated Reasons for Invasion
- 15 Anti-Torture Activists Arrested Outside White House
- Wife of British PM Calls Torture “Terrorism of the State”
- Study: Antartic Ice Sheet Shrinking Significantly
- Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Patriot Act Renewal
- Mississippi Moves Towards Near-Total Abortion Ban
- Kenyan Government Criticized for Media Crackdown
- Chicago Police Oppose Proposal To Honor Fred Hampton
( Collapse )

Baby Bush Go Home: Arundhati Roy on Massive Protests Against Bush's Visit to India
Friday, March 3rd, 2006

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/03/151200
We speak with acclaimed Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy who is in New Delhi, India. Bush arrived in India late Wednesday in his first trip to the country. He was greeted the next day by various branches of the Indian military. But on the streets, Bush was greeted by mass protests across the country. In New Delhi alone, crowd estimates varied from 250,000 to 700,000.( Collapse )

This article can be found on the web at
*http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060320/kiesling*

------------------------------------------------------------------------


An Olympian Scandal

by JOHN BRADY KIESLING

[from the March 20, 2006 issue]

/Athens/

The admirable outcry against warrantless eavesdropping on American
citizens would be more admirable if Americans also understood the costs
of eavesdropping on foreigners. On February 2 three Greek ministers held
a press conference to reveal what the government had kept secret for
nearly a year: that a sophisticated, self-concealing software parasite
had been recording mobile phone conversations of the Greek prime
minister, his wife, the foreign minister, the defense minister and 100
other Vodafone subscribers from before the 2004 Athens Olympics until
March 2005, when the bug was removed.
( Collapse )

Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 23:19:43 +0300
Subject: Whitbeck Article in CounterPunch