Wednesday, March 5, 2003

Black Hat vs White Hat QUOTE OF THE DAY "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - - Voltaire RHINO HERE: Ben Cohen's "True Majority" internet activist group has been busy the last few weeks. http://www.truemajority.com Opposed Trent Lott as Majority Leader 48,000 faxes Sent  /  December 20, 2002 Lott Steps Down Opposed the Total Information Awareness Network 55,000 faxes Sent  /  February 11, 2003 Congress Dismantled the Program Supported Filibuster against nomination of Extreme Right Winger Miguel Estrada to DC Court of Appeals 67,000 Faxes Sent  /  On February 12, 2003 Filibuster was mounted and is ongoing. So now the ice cream king has teamed with the "Win Without War Coalition" to push a Blue Ribbon Campaign. I know many people will think it a cheesy Hollywood type action but what they're hoping for is that huge numbers of Americans against the Oil Wars will wear ribbons, Blue for the United Nations. Ben writes, "If even a fraction of all those who oppose this unilateral war wear a blue ribbon on their lapels, shirts, or dresses and tie it to their cars (and anything else), we will create a force that can no longer be ignored. You can get the ribbon to make your own in any craft or fabric store, or to learn more and purchase one or a bunch of these cheap, check out our store at: http://store.yahoo.com/truemajority/blueribbon.html" Fearless White Hatted Granny, Helen Thomas, Deserves A Pulizer A few weeks ago veteran news correspondent, Helen Thomas, had the Republican National Committee after her for saying that shrub was "the worst president in all of American history". The RNC sent its activists an e-mail quoting Thomas, giving her e-mail address, phone & fax numbers & encouraging them to "call her out." Think the little old lady was intimidated? NOT! Speaking at the 50th anniversary dinner of the Louisville Society of Professional Journalists, she said that President Bush "has failed to give a reason to attack Iraq. It would legitimize Pearl Harbor to kill thousands of Iraqi civilians just to get Saddam Hussein." She added that she has seen many things in her decades of covering the White House, but "I never saw a country fall under the spell of 19th Century imperialism,  and most of those seeking the killing fields, seeking the war, have never been on the battlefield. It is important that we speak out now, before it is too late to save lives." About her fellow journalists, Thomas added, "Journalists who should be questioning Bush's plan are capitulating to his strategy and tactics and helping create a sense that war is inevitable. They're rolling over and playing dead, as are politicians.  It's not our role to be cheerleaders," she said, "Follow the truth wherever it leads us and let the chips fall where they may." Helen vs. Ari Yes Helen Thomas is a force to be reckoned with. Take the January 6 discourse with White House press secretary Ari Fleischer (reprinted here from the White House transcript): Helen Thomas: At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the President deplored the taking of innocent lives. Does that apply to all innocent lives in the world? And I have a follow-up. Mr. Fleischer: I refer specifically to a horrible terrorist attack on Tel Aviv that killed scores and wounded hundreds. And the President, as he said in his statement yesterday, deplores in the strongest terms the taking of those lives and the wounding of those people, innocents in Israel. HT: My follow-up is, why does he want to drop bombs on innocent Iraqis? MF: Helen, the question is how to protect Americans, and our allies and friends... HT: They're not attacking you. MF: ... from a country... HT: Have they laid the glove on you or on the United States, the Iraqis, in 11 years? MF: Actually, the President has made it very clear that he has not dispute with the people of Iraq. That's why the American policy remains a policy of regime change. There is no question the people of Iraq ... HT: That's a decision for them to make, isn't it? It's their country. MF: Helen, if you think that the people of Iraq are in a position to dictate who their dictator is, I don't think that has been what history has shown. HT: I think many countries don't have, people don't have the decision, including us. Then There's The Black Hatted Culprit Did you know that Don Rumsfield is actually considered by many to be one of America's most sexy men? Rhino guesses that's cause so many Americans equate sex with violence.  The following 3 articles give just some glimpses toward just how black Rummie's hat is. Who Armed Saddam? Stephen Green writes in a Counterpunch article: "It was Rumsfeld himself who, as President Reagan's Middle East Envoy, had traveled to the Region to meet with Saddam Hussein in December 1983 to normalize, particularly, security relations. At the time of the visit, Iraq had already been removed from the State Department's list of terrorist countries in 1982; and in the previous month, November, President Reagan had approved National Security Decision Directive 114, on expansion of U.S.-Iraq relations generally. But it was Donald Rumsfeld's trip to Baghdad which opened of the floodgates during 1985-90 for lucrative U.S. weapons exports--some $1.5 billion worth-- including chemical/biological and nuclear weapons equipment and technology, along with critical components for missile delivery systems for all of the above...There were few if any reservations evident in the range of weapons which President Ronald Reagan, and his successor George W. H. Bush were willing to sell Saddam Hussein..." http://www.counterpunch.org/green02242003.html When Hussein Was Our Ally Scott Shane writes in a Sun Journal Article: "Newly released documents reveal U.S. talk of regime change in the early 1980s - except then it was language condemning Iran for attempting to overthrow the government in Baghdad. In an interview Tuesday with the Arab-language television network Al-Jazeera, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld laid out again the case for war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Among other crimes, he said, Iraq "used chemical weapons on its neighbor Iran." The defense secretary has reason to remember that crime. It was taking place in December 1983, when Rumsfeld met with Hussein as a special envoy of President Ronald Reagan. But his mission then was to improve U.S.- Iraqi relations, assure Hussein that Iran was their common enemy and promote an oil pipeline project.  According to records of the meeting, Rumsfeld made no complaint to the Iraqi dictator about his use of weapons of mass destruction..." http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.journal27feb27,0,2548121.column Rumsfeld was also on ABB board during nuclear deal with North Korea swissinfo,  2/21/03,  By Jacob Greber Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defense, was on the board of technology giant ABB when it won a deal to supply North Korea with two nuclear power plants. Weapons experts say waste material from the two reactors could be used for so-called "dirty bombs". http://truthout.org/docs_02/022303B.htm THE BOTTOM LINE today is just one more tale suggesting to the world that the U.S. no longer represents the White Hatted right doers that shrub seems to be trying to hypnotize us all into thinking. The NSA is apparently slick enough to be eavesdropping on friendly nations at their U.N. offices, but apparently not slick enough to keep from getting caught with their pants down. 8:31:43 AM    comment

Our Credibility Undermined: Alleged NSA Memo Details U.S. Eavesdropping at U.N. The Baltimore Sun, 3/4/03, By Scott Shane and Ariel Sabar In a rare leak that could prove embarrassing to the U.S. government, a British newspaper has printed a seemingly authentic National Security Agency memo ordering stepped-up eavesdropping against countries on the U.N. Security Council whose votes are crucial in the U.S. effort to build support for war against Iraq. Intelligence experts say the memo, dated Jan. 31, marked "Top Secret" and printed Sunday in The Observer, appears genuine. While no surprise to those familiar with the global eavesdropping the NSA conducts from Fort Meade, the memo may complicate U.S. diplomacy by underscoring that the intelligence agency routinely monitors phone calls, faxes and e-mail not only of hostile countries but of allies and neutral nations. READ THE ENTIRE LETTER AT http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=10444&mode=nested&order=0 "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 8:04:46 AM    comment

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