contributions

By J Sean Curtin
After weeks of fierce political infighting within the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan’s Upper House of parliament has decisively rejected the flagship postal privatization bills of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, by 125 to 108 votes.
Even though the LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, hold a majority in the 242-seat upper chamber, many members of the fractious LDP joined the opposition to vote down the crucial bills, which were a vital component (…)

By Zvi Zrahiya
Outgoing Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t wasting time, and plans to gallop forward with his public and political activity on the taxpayer’s dime. After submitting his resignation from the treasury, Netanyahu is checking if the state will finance offices for him in his capacity as a former prime minister. The cost of operating a former premier’s bureau is estimated at NIS 2 million annually.
Former premiers are entitled to employ an office manager, an advisor, a (…)

By Jason Leopold
When news of Pakistan’s clandestine program showed how the country’s top nuclear scientist was secretly selling Iran and North Korea, the so-called “Axis of Evil,” blueprints for building an atomic bomb were uncovered last year, the world’s leaders waited, with baited breath, to see how President Bush would punish Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharaff.
Bush has, after all, spent his entire two terms in office talking tough about countries and dictators that conceal (…)

**To Take Part In The Action Click Here ** NEWS ADVISORY RESPONSE ACTION PLANNED AGAINST "EX-GAY" FILM
In response to an initiative underway aimed against the spirit of National Coming Out Day, members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community and their allies are encouraged to organize nationwide screenings of a new documentary film that shines light on some of the personal stories behind the "ex-gay" debate. Author and activist Wayne Besen, filmmaker Tom Murray, former (…)

WASHINGTON - There is a quiet struggle going on in the nation’s capital, and the stakes are the very soul of the Republican Party and this administration.
Three senior Republican senators wrote a small amendment into the defense appropriations bill this summer that outlaws cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of all detainees in American custody.
No one can call Sens. John Warner, R-Va., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., soft on anything, much less terrorism. (…)

What Michael Moore (and the neocons) don’t know about Saudi Arabia The left and the right have both crudely demonized the desert kingdom. But the ascension of King Abdullah gives the U.S. a chance to solidify relations with this flawed but key ally.
By Juan Cole
Aug. 5, 2005 | The late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, who died on Aug. 1, should have been nicknamed "King Blowback." Along with his ideological soul mate, Ronald Reagan, who shared his long twilight, Fahd played a key, if (…)

TREASONGATE: The Controlling Law, Part 2: THE DEATH PENALTY, 18 USC 794 and the shift from GWOT to GSAVE
In Part 1 of this report, Citizen Spook analyzed 18 USC 793, the United States Code provision which provides the most direct route to convictions for Patrick Fitzgerald in the Treasongate/Valerie Plame affair.
In this follow up, we are going to discuss 18 USC 794 which deals directly with Treason and the death penalty.
Before we move on to 794, please take note of the indictments (…)

Father, Who Lost Son at WTC, Claims Bush Administration Hiding Key Financial Documents Leading To Culprits of 9/11
William Doyle has become one of the main lightening rods of the 9/11 truth movement, saying President Bush and his cronies are the biggest stumbling block in getting at the real truth. Involved as one of the plaintiffs in a trillion dollar 9/11 lawsuit, he wants the American people to know Bush is hiding vital documents that could lead to the truth. August 6, 2005
By Greg (…)

shirt available here CindySheehan’s diary at Daily Kos
Where do I begin?
Today was a highly eventful day. This entry won’t be artful, but utilitarian.
I conservatively got 3 to 5 phone calls a minute. I did about 25 phone interviews and several TV interviews. I did several right-wing radio interviews. I was supposed to do: The Today Show, MSNBC live interview, Connected Coast to Coast (MSNBC) and Hardball (MSNBC). The Today Show just never showed up and the other 3 MSNBC shows (…)

My Testimony for the Downing Street Memo Hearing By Cindy Sheehan
Congressman Conyers and all, it is an honor to be here to testify about the effect that the revelations of the Downing Street Memo has had on me and my family. It is an honor that I wish never had to happen. I believe that not any of us should be gathered here today for this reason: as the result of an invasion/occupation that never should have occured.
My son, Spc Casey Austin Sheehan, was KIA in Sadr City Baghdad on (…)