Bad Deeds for 5-1-2008

U.S. Has Nelson Mandela on Terrorist List – Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the USA. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation “embarrassing,” and some members of Congress vow to fix it.

Iraq’s Top Reconstruction Project Failing, Audit Says – Iraq’s Nassriya Water Treatment Plant, the country’s largest reconstruction project, is a failure so far because it isn’t delivering sufficient water to enough people, a new audit says. Inspectors in December and again in February found the U.S.-funded plant 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of Baghdad was operating at only 20 percent capacity, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said in a report released today. “Potable water is only reaching a fraction of the Iraqi people for which it was designed and intended,” Inspector General Stuart Bowen said. Two of the intended five cities, Ad Diwayah and Suq Al Shoyokh, weren’t receiving water, he wrote.

Pastor John Hagee wrote, “As a nation, America is under the curse of God, even now” And John McCain said of Hagee, “I’m glad to have his endorsement.”

Break-ins Plague Political Prosecution Targets of US Attorneys – In two states where US attorneys are already under fire for serious allegations of political prosecutions, seven people associated with three federal cases have experienced 10 suspicious incidents including break-ins and arson. These crimes raise serious questions about possible use of deliberate intimidation tactics not only because of who the victims are and the already wide criticism of the prosecutions to begin with, but also because of the suspicious nature of each incident individually as well as the pattern collectively. Typically burglars do not break-into an office or private residence only to rummage through documents, for example, as is the case with most of the burglaries in these two federal cases.

In Alabama, for instance, the home of former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman was burglarized twice during the period of his first indictment. Nothing of value was taken, however, and according to the Siegelman family, the only items of interest to the burglars were the files in Siegelman’s home office. Siegelman’s attorney experienced the same type of break-in at her office.

In neighboring Mississippi, a case brought against a trial lawyer and three judges raises even more disturbing questions. Of the four individuals in the same case, three of the US Attorney’s targets were the victims of crimes during their indictment or trial. This case, like that of Governor Siegelman, has been widely criticized as a politically motivated prosecution by a Bush US Attorney.

U.S. Military Kills Man Believed to be the Head of al-Qaida in Somalia – (Maybe this is not a bad deed, but a stupid one. JLV) The U.S. military killed a man believed to be the head of al-Qaida in Somalia and 10 others in an airstrike overnight, an Islamic insurgent group said Thursday. (Here comes the possibly stupid part.) The attack comes just before U.N.-sponsored peace talks are due to begin in Djibouti on May 10. Analysts say the strike is likely to harden extremists and make it more difficult to appeal to moderate elements in the Islamist movement, which contains many clan members, businessmen and members of the Somali Diaspora. Iise Ali Geedi, an analyst at the Somali University, says the attacks will increase anti-American sentiment. The attack may also weaken the position of the prime minister, who wishes to bring more militant elements into the talks against the wishes of the president.

Al-Qaida Regaining Strength (Heck’ev a job, Neocons!) – Al-Qaida has rebuilt some of its pre-Sept. 11 capabilities from remote hiding places in Pakistan, leading to a major spike in attacks last year in that country and neighboring Afghanistan, the Bush administration said Wednesday. Attacks in Pakistan more than doubled from 375 to 887 between 2006 and 2007, and the number of fatalities jumped by almost 300 percent from 335 to 1,335, the State Department said in its annual terrorism report. In Afghanistan, the number of attacks rose 16 percent, to 1,127 incidents last year, killing 1,966 people, 55 percent more than the 1,257 who died in 2006, it said.

White House Still Spinning “Mission Accomplished” Banner – White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Wednesday, “President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said ‘mission accomplished’ for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission. And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year.” (Maybe this year, the press will just play up what Dana said.)

John McCain Is Good at Being Vague – Yesterday when John McCain unveiled his healthcare proposal, he was asked about those who either can’t afford or can’t qualify for private insurance. McCain proposed that the federal government “work with” states to cover those who would get left behind. What does “work with” mean? No one has any idea.

McCain is a candidate who’s running on a powerful personal story, but whose understanding of policy details is almost Bush-like. Last year, for example, McCain explained his position on Iraqi reconciliation this way: “One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, ‘Stop the bullshit.’” This is what passes for “policy specifics” in John McCain World.

Jonathan Chait added, “McCain takes a strong interest in foreign policy, to be sure, but his main public appeal has been to endless remind voters of his history as a POW. On economics, he’s repeatedly admitted that he knows very little. And on social issues, he doesn’t even know what his own positions are.”

Republicans Block Ledbetter Fair Pay Act – A key bill that will restore the rights of average Americans to sue for pay discrimination was blocked from debate in the Senate. “Today’s cloture vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act is not fair. There is no excuse to let companies get away with purposely lightening paychecks because of a worker’s gender, race or age,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

Regards,

Jim