LEFT is RIGHT (blogging against The Bush-war) |
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The "Bush Doctrine" According to PBS
"As the U.S. stands at the brink of war with Iraq, many are now warning about the potential consequences: the danger of getting bogged down in Baghdad, the prospect of longtime allies leaving America's side, the possibility of chaos in the Middle East, the threat of renewed terrorism. But the Bush administration insiders who helped define the "Bush Doctrine," and who have argued most forcefully for war, are determined to set a course that will remake America's role in the world. Having served three Republican presidents over the course of two decades, this group of close advisers -- among them Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and perhaps most importantly, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz -- believe that the removal of Saddam Hussein is the necessary first act of a new era."This is the introduction to a PBS Frontline program, "The War Behind Closed Doors". You can view the entire program HERE. The program reviews the Bush Administration's new geopolitical strategy based on the US's status as sole superpower, a strategy started during the Reagan Administration, namely preemption rather than containment. It kinda shoots the war-for-oil theory all to hell while making one yearn for those distant Clinton years.
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February 27, 2003
Taft = Byrd
RONALD RADOSH makes the case that what Bush is doing today compares to Roosevelt in 1941. He does this by comparing the speech given by Ohio Republican Sen. Robert A. Taft in May 1940 to Sen. Robert Byrd's recent remarks to the U.S. Senate. At that time (1940) the anti-war establishment in congress wanted to maintain an isolationist stance bacause "the executive branch was moving America towards dictatorship, violating the norms of democratic policy -- flouting international law and taking unnecessary measures that would actually harm national security". What this essay fails to distinguish is the difference between Hitler's domination of Europe and well-oiled military of that point in time, and Hussein's hodge-podge military and kept-in-check excursions outside his borders. Another point this essay fails to address is the fact that one of the "reasons" for invading Iraq is to free the oppressed population. Well, there are probably three or four dozen other countries today where the population lives under a terrorist regime yet not under threat of U.S invasion to free the oppressed. I guess we're back to the "It's the Oil, Stupid" reason?
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No Commercials on CNN on March 25th
Paul Rogers estimates that the invasion will begin around March 25th:
Most of the equipment is already there, and at least 1,000 troops a day are now being flown into the region. Even so, the key additional component is the highly mobile 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell in Tennessee, regarded as essential for a rapid war that will see the near-simultaneous use of a massive air bombardment and rapid ground force invasions from both the south and north of Iraq.
The 101st Airborne will not be in place for another four weeks. In the past few days, huge quantities of the division's equipment have been loaded onboard two Military Sealift Command ships, the USNS Dahl and the USNS Bob Hope at Blount Island near Jacksonville in Florida (as reported in The Tennessean newspaper). The supplies include nearly 300 helicopters and 3,800 trucks, together with spare parts, food, and medical supplies.
Both ships were due to sail earlier this week, and they will take up to twenty-one days to make the transit to the Gulf. Once there, the process will begin of unloading equipment, matching it to the troops who will have been flown in and preparing the forces for highly mobile deep strike attacks into Iraq. This is likely to be completed by about 15 March, by which time most of the other U.S. forces, including further aircraft carrier battle groups, will have been assembled.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the latter part of March is considered by the military to be an appropriate time for an invasion, as the cloudy winter weather will have largely been replaced by clear days. Another preference is for moonless nights, enabling more effective use of night-vision equipment where the U.S. forces have a huge advantage. With a full moon due on 18 March, this would make 25 March the most likely starting date of the war--quite a lot later than most analysts have been predicting.
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Toni Smith
A REAL American hero.
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Pack 'em Up, We're Done
If Bush was a man, actually, if he was a smart man, he would have already done THIS.
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February 26, 2003
Skippy the Caring Kangaroo
Thanks very much to Skippy for the plug of this site. We're discovered!
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Governors' Plea for Help
HERE is Bush's response to the cry for financial help from the Governors of these United States.
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March 5 - National Moratorium to Stop the War on Iraq
The Next Phase of Conscience and Resistance To Stop the War before it Starts:
No School, No Work, No Business as Usual
Whoever you are.
Wherever you are.
What’s that line you haven’t crossed yet to show your determination to stop this war? The line may be different for everyone. But whatever it is, prepare to cross it on March 5, in large and small acts of courage, singly and together to stop the war on Iraq:
· You could close your business.
· Professors could cancel classes.
· Students could plan citywide high school walkouts and other campus actions, joining with student strikes being organized across the country.
· City councils and county boards that have passed resolutions against the war could mark the day with town hall meetings, teach-ins or other ways.
· Unions that have passed anti-war resolutions could call job actions.
· You could stand for peace at the nearest post office or government building.
· You could begin a campaign of bold letters to legislators, the president and his secretaries.
· You could establish “no war zones” with signs and banners at strategic intersections (as they are doing in Atlanta).
· You could hang banners from major overpasses (as they are doing in Chicago).
· You could bring your protest to a military facility, with acts of civil disobedience “supporting” the soldiers by attempting to stop the U.S. military machine from sending them off to war.
· Houses of worship could call for special services that day; could call their congregations to protest at military recruiting offices or elsewhere; could open their doors to conscientious objectors.
· You could engage in nonviolent direct action at appropriate locations.
· You could begin a dialogue on how to bring about a peaceful and just world.
· Afternoon or evening convergences could bring together everyone who’s acted earlier in the day to voice opposition in the streets and at community gatherings.
No School, No Work, No Business as Usual
Whoever you are.
Wherever you are.
What’s that line you haven’t crossed yet to show your determination to stop this war? The line may be different for everyone. But whatever it is, prepare to cross it on March 5, in large and small acts of courage, singly and together to stop the war on Iraq:
· You could close your business.
· Professors could cancel classes.
· Students could plan citywide high school walkouts and other campus actions, joining with student strikes being organized across the country.
· City councils and county boards that have passed resolutions against the war could mark the day with town hall meetings, teach-ins or other ways.
· Unions that have passed anti-war resolutions could call job actions.
· You could stand for peace at the nearest post office or government building.
· You could begin a campaign of bold letters to legislators, the president and his secretaries.
· You could establish “no war zones” with signs and banners at strategic intersections (as they are doing in Atlanta).
· You could hang banners from major overpasses (as they are doing in Chicago).
· You could bring your protest to a military facility, with acts of civil disobedience “supporting” the soldiers by attempting to stop the U.S. military machine from sending them off to war.
· Houses of worship could call for special services that day; could call their congregations to protest at military recruiting offices or elsewhere; could open their doors to conscientious objectors.
· You could engage in nonviolent direct action at appropriate locations.
· You could begin a dialogue on how to bring about a peaceful and just world.
· Afternoon or evening convergences could bring together everyone who’s acted earlier in the day to voice opposition in the streets and at community gatherings.
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Compassionate President
Exactly what has your non-elected President done for us lately? Let's see:
---Iraq, which was more than willing to leave us alone, under the threat of invasion by Bush is planning a chemical or biological attack on American cities through the use of remote-controlled "drone" planes equipped with GPS tracking maps, according to U.S. intelligence.
---Virtually nothing has been done to improve our national security other than announcing the security color of the week and creating worthless panic buying of duct tape.
---Bush continues to ram his plans down the throats of the U.N. and the American public despite growing criticism.
---The economy is so skittish about the probability of war, it is falling back into a recession as exemplified HERE.
---Bush has even lost the support of MEXICO.
---Turkey is getting more $$ from Bush than is New York City.
Oh well. Thanks, Ralph.
---Iraq, which was more than willing to leave us alone, under the threat of invasion by Bush is planning a chemical or biological attack on American cities through the use of remote-controlled "drone" planes equipped with GPS tracking maps, according to U.S. intelligence.
---Virtually nothing has been done to improve our national security other than announcing the security color of the week and creating worthless panic buying of duct tape.
---Bush continues to ram his plans down the throats of the U.N. and the American public despite growing criticism.
---The economy is so skittish about the probability of war, it is falling back into a recession as exemplified HERE.
---Bush has even lost the support of MEXICO.
---Turkey is getting more $$ from Bush than is New York City.
Oh well. Thanks, Ralph.
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February 25, 2003
Quote of the Day
"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."— Charter of the United Nations, Chapter 1, Article 2, Point 4.
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Newsflash!
The missing link between Iraq and al Qaeda has been found!
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February 24, 2003
Plus, It Will Leave a Sticky Adhesive Residue on Your Wall
Your risk of dying in a car accident while driving to buy duct tape likely exceeds your risk of dying because you lacked duct tape.
Millions of people who needlessly ran out and bought duct tape are now left with stuff they'll never use. Unless, of course, they follow some of the examples at the sites HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Millions of people who needlessly ran out and bought duct tape are now left with stuff they'll never use. Unless, of course, they follow some of the examples at the sites HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
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Sour Grapes Republicans
The Republicans are at it again, this time in California. Since they lost the election for governor, they are trying to overturn the election with a recall of Gray Davis:
"The State of California is in a condition of fiscal misery that both exemplifies and dwarfs that of most other states. The Golden State was uniquely hit, both in terms of economic impact and lost taxes, by the tech meltdown of the last two years. State obligations incurred during the 2001 West Coast energy crisis continue to burden the budget. And California shares the universal problems of rising health care and education costs, uncompensated homeland security expenditures, and sinking sales and income tax revenues. The fiscal situation is so bad that Gov. Gray Davis could be forgiven if he wished he had not run for a second term last year. But now his conservative opponents are unforgivably plotting to re-run that election through a "recall" petition."
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February 23, 2003
The Case For/Against Tactical Nuclear Weapons
MORE on the stupid, STUPID idea by Bush of using limited nuclear weapons against Sadaam.
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The Water Cooler "I Told You So"
The last thing I would want to say when all is said and done is "I told you so." I wonder if a lot of peace supporters, thinking (probably correctly) that the invasion is inevitable, secretly hope that the invasion gets out of control, resulting in a lot of innocent victims both in the Middle East and here (via terrorist retaliation). Then they would somehow get the attention, admiration and support of their water cooler political adversaries. How sick.
Here's a thought: Bush wakes up tomorrow morning, sets aside his blankie, and says, "You know what, Laura, maybe this is wrong. I'm going to recall the troops and send Thank You cards to the inspectors ."
Here's a thought: Bush wakes up tomorrow morning, sets aside his blankie, and says, "You know what, Laura, maybe this is wrong. I'm going to recall the troops and send Thank You cards to the inspectors ."
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U.S. Increases Bombing in Iraq
As the invasion approaches the U.S. and Britain have greatly escalated bombing runs inside Iraq:
The raids are being carried out by aircraft patrolling the "no-fly" zones in northern and southern Iraq, established by the victors after the first Gulf war. They claim the patrols are being carried out in the name of the UN – especially ironic, given the passionate debate over the need for a second Security Council to authorize war on Iraq. Some have always disputed whether the "no-fly" zones have UN authority, but now the US and Britain have widened the "rules of engagement" to the point where warplanes are effectively preparing the way for an imminent invasion.
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City Resolutions
Friday Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution opposing war in Iraq, the largest city in the U.S. to do so. HERE is a list of those cities, by state, that have passed or are considering such resolutions. Bush, are you listening? (No, he's not.)
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Protest Photos
Pictures convey meaning more strongly than words. HERE is a wonderful collection of photos, of the anti-war protests around the world 2/15/03, gathered by someone at a rave info site. There's just something gut-wrenchingly uplifting when one sees such universal commonality in belief.
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February 22, 2003
Alleged Terrorist Met With Bush Adviser
Al-Arian Part of Muslim Outreach
By Mike Allen and Richard Leiby
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, February 22, 2003; Page A10
Excerpt from Saturday's Washington Post
Alleged Terrorist Met With Bush Adviser
Al-Arian Part of Muslim Outreach
By Mike Allen and Richard Leiby
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, February 22, 2003; Page A10
"A former university professor indicted this week as a terrorist leader attended a 2001 group meeting in the White House complex with President Bush's senior adviser, Karl Rove, administration officials said yesterday. Sami Al-Arian, a former computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida, had been under investigation by the FBI for at least six years at the time of the June 2001 briefing for a Muslim organization. Numerous news accounts also had said federal agents suspected Al-Arian of links to terrorism. Al-Arian was indicted Thursday on charges that he conspired to aid suicide bombings in Israel and the Palestinian territories and has served for years as a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. Seven others in the United States and abroad were also indicted on a variety of charges. Al-Arian, 45, a Kuwaiti native, was suspended by the University of South Florida after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when his appearance on a television show drew attention to previous speeches in which he condemned Israel and the United States. Al-Arian and his family also were photographed with Bush during a March 2000 campaign stop near Al-Arian's suburban Tampa home. And Bush sent a letter of apology to the suspect's wife after the Secret Service ejected their son -- who was then a congressional intern -- from the White House complex during a separate June 2001 meeting of Muslims interested in the president's faith-based initiative. Al-Arian's appearance at the White House came six days earlier, also as part of the administration's outreach to Muslims, officials said. Al-Arian was one of 160 members of the American Muslim Council who were briefed on Bush's faith-based agenda and other issues by Rove and others in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House, on June 22, 2001. The visitors were in Washington for the group's annual convention, and the group organized a delegation that accepted an invitation to visit the White House."
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February 21, 2003
THIS IS ALL RALPH NADER'S FAULT
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Don't Give Up
Desperation is starting to set in, as pre-emptive invasion looks more and more inevitable. Everything that can be said about why we should treat war as a last resort, letting the inspectors continue, and considering other alternatives, has been said in every way possible in every type of media. At this point we can only continue repeating what's been said, chanted, reported, argued, essayed, signed, posted and e-mailed. But we must not let the distaste of redundancy soften the urgency of the message. There are more ears to reach, more minds to convince. We must wear down the forces of aggression with incessantly growing attention and criticism; we must not let the aggressor castigate us so that our wills fall into submission.
Sadaam is evil and must go. Everyone agrees. Let's dispose of this ruthlessly evil leader (Sadaam, not Bush) in a civilized manner, using proven methods. Lend an ear to those who speak up.
Don't give up.
Sadaam is evil and must go. Everyone agrees. Let's dispose of this ruthlessly evil leader (Sadaam, not Bush) in a civilized manner, using proven methods. Lend an ear to those who speak up.
Don't give up.
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Bush: "What's the Marshall Plan?"
PAUL KRUGMAN shows why he's convinced that Bush will ignore rebuilding Iraq after the war. Why? Well look at what he's done for post-9-11 New York City (nothing) and post-invasion Afghanistan (nothing). Maybe this is the reason Turkey is so keen on making sure they get their money upfront before allowing the U.S. to use their soil as a Gulf War II staging arena.
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February 20, 2003
Don't Be Afraid... Be Ready
This site will entertain you, make you feel reassured, or increase your psychosis.
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Vaporized Brain Cells Via E-Bombs
The U.S. military is marketing a high-powered microwave (HPM) e-bomb that might be used in Iraq. It emits high-powered microwaves that knock out all electronic equipment within its range. A side effect:
So what of the effects? Time's Mark Thompson warns of the dangers of using HPMs near hospitals or anyone wearing pacemakers. Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute says "there is human testing going on now for some HPMs. There is also a body of medical and environmental testing data, some based on the allegations of illnesses produced by high voltage power lines." But in an article last summer in Jane's Defence Weekly, Koch and co-author Nick Cook asked a scientist familiar with the effects of high-power microwaves what would happen if someone were hit by a megawatt HPM weapon: "All the fluid in their body cells would instantly vaporise into steam. It would happen so fast, you wouldn't even be aware of it," the scientist says. "If, on the other hand, you were caught in the sidelobe of the beam, or even by a weak reflection of the main beam off a metal surface--which could easily happen in a city--you would probably suffer terrible burns as well as permanent brain damage."
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February 19, 2003
Being Fair
I fully understand and accept that, if I want the freedom to publish any opinion I want onto the web through a medium like this, then someone else should have the freedom to publish something like THIS.
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Cannot Be Displayed
Before paging back after reaching this page thinking you reached an error message, read it VERY CAREFULLY.
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Hail to the Great Uniter
Bush has done a superb job at home eradicating opposition to his policies. But, you ask, what about foreign policy? Well, lately he's been just stellar at uniting the world. Kudos to Dubya. And Tony Blair isn't far behind.
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"ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh" --- Shaquille O'Neal
A great post on ASIAN RACISM.
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Missing Details
Ted Rall talks about the lack of a need for the government to censor the media - the media censors itself. An excerpt:
"A new, subtle form of self-censorship has recently become commonplace. A news story is covered in full, minus a crucial fact that changes the entire tenor of the piece. That missing bit of information is invariably something that would make someone important look bad. The American media has, for example, devoted extensive coverage to political unrest in Venezuela, where mobs loyal to President Hugo Chávez have clashed with striking employees of the state oil company. The crisis sparked an attempted coup d'état in April 2002. To busy Americans, this looks like a simple story of a right-wing Latin American dictator crushing poor workers. That's because three key facts are regularly omitted from the story. First, the oil company strike was called by its wealthy managers, not its workers. Second, Chávez was democratically-elected. Third, the coup plotters were backed by the Bush Administration. "We were sending informal, subtle signals that we don't like this guy," said a U.S. Defense Department official quoted in The Guardian, an English paper that has become an important post-9/11 resource for Americans in search of objective reporting. The bully, it turns out, is us--not Chávez, who is standing up for his nation's poor."
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February 18, 2003
Bush Openly Admits Risks
Even the Bush Administration is starting to admit the potential risks of Gulf War II. (Note: you'll need to do a one-time registration to access the NYTimes online site - it's worth it.) Some excerpts: "According to his aides, President Bush has to prepare the country for what one senior official calls 'the very real possibility that this will not look like Afghanistan,' a military victory that came with greater speed than any had predicted, and with fewer casualties." "If Mr. Bush decides to begin military action without explicit United Nations approval, other nations may well withhold support for what promises to be the far more complex operation of stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq while preventing religious and political score-settling and seeking out well-hidden weapons stores before others find them, not to speak of continuing the war on terror." "'There is a lot to keep us awake at night,' one senior administration official said."
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Hummer Hell
The first time you saw a Hummer you probably muttered "Whaaaaa?" Well, they're starting to pop up everywhere and maybe that's a good thing. They are the ultimate SUV. And they are repugnant enough to convince many potential SUV buyers that maybe something is wrong here. On a happier note, here's a case where SUV's actually were of some value. Now, back to reality.
On a somewhat related note, when shopping for a new car, did you ever wonder What Would Jesus Drive? Clue: Not a Hummer.
On a somewhat related note, when shopping for a new car, did you ever wonder What Would Jesus Drive? Clue: Not a Hummer.
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Our Military Leader
What are Bush's qualifications for the title "Commander in Chief"? Maybe his military background? See timetables of his military service HERE and HERE. To get you started, let me point out that Bush Scored 25%, the lowest possible passing grade on the pilot aptitude portion of the Air Force officer and pilot qualification tests. If you have an aversion to tables, HERE is an article on the same.
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A Deficit of Facts
If you are interested in a good analysis of how Bush's own economists contradict the statements Bush et al. have been making regarding the effect of his budget on the budget deficit and interest rates, then check out this article. Essentially, Bush claims that his budget of last year and the one proposed for this year will eventually lead to budget surpluses and continued low interest rates. Nearly every economist, including Bush's, claim otherwise.
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February 15, 2003
Pulse
Well these are certainly interesting times (understatement intended). Orange alert. "Connections" between Iraq and al Qaeda. Duct tape and plastic sheeting. Inevitable biological and chemical attack in U.S. Fox News Channel and MSNBC place a "High Alert" logo permanently on their screens. The Pentagon deploys Avenger surface-to-air missile launchers around Washington, D.C. Bush et al. saying that North Korea can now nuke the western US.
Bush denigrates NATO. Bush/Powell denigrate the United Nations. Bush denigrates North Korea, Russia, France, Germany, France, Belgium... U.S. Special Operations Forces already active inside the Iraq border.
Bush denigrates the poor and middle classes with proposed tax cuts for the rich. Bush proposes gutting Medicare. Bush pushes for massive, permanent deficits. Bush gutting the laboriously and recently (Clinton Administration) established environmental controls for industry and forestry. Patriot Act and Total Information Awareness infiltrating your most private records and communications.
Tens of millions of people demonstrating all over the world today.
Bad decisions and scare tactics, courtesy of your Bush Administration. Not yours you say? Did you vote in the 2000 election? Are you doing anything, anything at all now to voice your concern? Or are you just watching CNN and getting perversely frightened and disillusioned?
If you aren't yet aroused by this then ask someone to check you for a pulse.
Bush denigrates NATO. Bush/Powell denigrate the United Nations. Bush denigrates North Korea, Russia, France, Germany, France, Belgium... U.S. Special Operations Forces already active inside the Iraq border.
Bush denigrates the poor and middle classes with proposed tax cuts for the rich. Bush proposes gutting Medicare. Bush pushes for massive, permanent deficits. Bush gutting the laboriously and recently (Clinton Administration) established environmental controls for industry and forestry. Patriot Act and Total Information Awareness infiltrating your most private records and communications.
Tens of millions of people demonstrating all over the world today.
Bad decisions and scare tactics, courtesy of your Bush Administration. Not yours you say? Did you vote in the 2000 election? Are you doing anything, anything at all now to voice your concern? Or are you just watching CNN and getting perversely frightened and disillusioned?
If you aren't yet aroused by this then ask someone to check you for a pulse.
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February 15 - A Day of Worldwide Protest
It's been said countless times by millions in the past year, but as long as Bush keeps ignoring us all, we'll keep yelling louder. March for peace!
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Afghanistan Who?
After bombing Afghanistan to smitherines and promising to rebuild the country and give the interim government humanitarian and financial aid, Bush's budget proposal sent to Congress has exactly zero dollars requested for Afghanistan. Congress has stepped in to add $300M, a paultry sum, but it's a start.
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February 14, 2003
An Alternative
Here is a smart, doable and non-lethal alternative to an invasion of Iraq.
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Money+ Politics = Fewer Democrats In Office
As long as THIS continues, the Democrats have as much chance of winning elections as Americans have of Bush learning the meaning of "morals". An excerpt:
"New campaign finance laws, plus control of the White House and Congress, have given President Bush and his party an unprecedented edge in all-important "hard money." Strategists in both parties and independent experts believe Bush is likely to raise three to five times more than his Democratic opponent in this type of contribution, which can be used for any purpose in a campaign. Republican campaign committees are positioned to raise at least twice as much as their Democratic counterparts, enabling them to help GOP candidates up and down the ballot by expanding the party's successful grass-roots organizing efforts and coordinated advertising campaigns."
"In the 2002 election cycle, GOP campaign committees outraised Democrats in hard money by $332 million to $163 million. Looking to 2004 and beyond, Republicans have a much larger pool of reliable donors and a more effective operation for finding new contributors. The likely Republican money edge may add further leverage at a time when the political terrain is already favorable. Analysts in both parties believe the GOP is well-situated to expand its majorities in both the House and Senate next year. Democratic strategists rating the most vulnerable Senate seats in 2004 list a dozen that are held by Democrats, and five in Republican hands."
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February 13, 2003
The OTHER Reason For Going to Iraq
George Bisharat gives the other reason for attacking Iraq:
Many Americans suspect that the war our government is preparing to launch against Iraq is about oil. That is both correct and incorrect. True, Iraq possesses huge oil and gas reserves. Yes, the United States and England, the two countries most adamant for war, are home to the world's four largest energy conglomerates. Yet oil is a constant. In a sense, everything in U.S. Middle East policy for the last 50 years or more has been about oil. For that very reason, however, oil cannot explain a shift in policy toward war. Some new variable has entered the equation. No, the real reason we are going to war is the messianic vision of a small but influential group of strongly pro-Israeli hawks within the Bush administration. Their goal is unilateral global domination through absolute military superiority. U.S. global hegemony will "promote democracy" and "spread prosperity" through free enterprise and trade."
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A Turning Point in History
Here are some excerpts from a Senate Floor Speech, Wednesday, February 12, 2003 by US Senator Robert Byrd":
"We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war. And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world."
"Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher."
"In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders. In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come."
"One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution. But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word. Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate. We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings."
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Right Next to the TV Listings
So you think the media is giving you a well-balanced dose of the news. Does this sound important?
"Faced with a U.S. invasion of Iraq, President Saddam Hussein would likely launch missile and terrorist attacks against Israel and U.S. facilities abroad, preemptive strikes against the Kurds in the north, and a 'scorched-earth strategy' in Iraq 'significant enough to stop a military advance...' the Defense Department's top intelligence official said yesterday. Vice Adm. Lowell E. Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate intelligence committee that he expects Hussein would destroy Iraq's food and water supplies, and its transportation, energy and other infrastructure, creating a humanitarian disaster that would occupy the attention of U.S. troops trying to reach Baghdad and Iraqi military units."The Defense Department’s top intelligence official?. This sounds like a very important analysis about which the American public should be informed. Where can you find it? It's buried on page 18 of Wednesday's Washington Post.
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Quote of the Day
Indeed, today's quote is:
"How can one conceive of a two-party system in a country that has over 200 varieties of cheese?" ---Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970)
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Wheel Well Tiles E-mail
One current theory at NASA points to the left wheel well heat tiles receiving damage at takeoff (from getting smacked by debris). Here is an e-mail conversation between two engineers, two days before the catastrophe, discussing the consequences of such damage. (Note: download is in PDF format).
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February 12, 2003
Forget Clinton... Here's a GOOD Reason for Impeachment
Here is a draft of Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Attorney General John David Ashcroft. It was drawn up by Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General. In his supporting notes Clark says:
"Impeachment is the means by which We The People of the United States and our elected representatives in Congress can prevent further crimes by the President and the human catastrophe they threaten and force accountability for crimes committed. Congressional proceedings for impeachment can bring about open, fearless consideration of the most dangerous acts and threats ever committed by an American President. If courageously pursued, they can save our Constitution, the United Nations, the rule of law, the lives of countless people and leave open the possibility of peace on earth. Each of us must take a stand on impeachment now, or bear the burden of having failed to speak in this hour of maximum peril. - - Ramsey Clark January 15, 2003"
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Powell: "Yes. Wait... No. Yes and No. No. Yes."
Powell has done a hypocritical about-face on the issue of Osama bin Laden and his connections with Iraq. In October, 2001, he said:
"And we cannot let Usama bin Laden pretend that he is doing it in the name of helping the Iraqi people or the Palestinian people. He doesn't care one whit about them. He has never given a dollar toward them. He has never spoken out for them. He has used them as a cover for his evil, criminal, murderous, terrorist acts. And he has to be seen in that light."This is an obvious conclusion that bin Laden had no connection to Iraq. Then, yesterday, Powell said exactly the opposite:
"This morning, it was brought home to me once again when I read the transcript of what bin Laden, or who we believe to be bin Laden, will be saying on Al-Jazeera during the course of the day -- and you'll be seeing this as the day unfolds -- where once again he speaks to the people of Iraq and talks about their struggle and how he is in partnership with Iraq. This nexus between terrorists and states that are developing weapons of mass destruction can no longer be looked away from and ignored. As the President has said, 9/11 changed things. And so we have a regime led by Saddam Hussein who has not accounted for all the weapons of mass destruction they've had in the past, who continues to pursue them, and we have non-state terrorist actors such as al-Qaida, led by Usama bin Laden, that would do anything to get their hands on this kind of material. And as I tried to demonstrate before the United Nations last week, there are linkages. They are not as firm as some would like to see in order to conclude that it is actually happening, but they are firm enough to give us every indication and sufficient evidence that if allowed to continue, if this regime was allowed to continue to develop weapons of mass destruction, it is just a matter of time before coincident interests between the Iraqi regime and organizations such as al-Qaida will raise the likelihood that these kinds of weapons could fall into their hand. And it is that nexus, especially in the post-9/11 environment, that persuades us even more that this is the time to deal with this regime once and for all."So, which is it, General?
"All Truths are Half-Truths." ---Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
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Bye Bye Shuttle Program
The promises of the space shuttle program were never met. Except for the rescue of the Hubble telescope in 1993, the shuttle program has been a flop, if not a disaster. Hendrik Hertzberg in the New Yorker gives thoughtful insight into the program since its inception in the 1970's. We need a President with the foresight and vision to launch a new space exploration program that may or may not be cost benefitial, but that uses current (not 20th century) technology and encompasses real goals. The way things are going today, that won't happen in our lifetimes.
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Wake Up
Last fall Bush, through economic and political coersion, effectively decommissioned the U.N.'s effectiveness such that it is no longer in control of Iraq's fate. This week Bush is doing the same with NATO, the most effective multi-lateral world organization that supports the interests of world-wide democracy. What's next, the Sisters of Mercy? Wake up, America, before it's too late.
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North Korea
Two years ago the outgoing Clinton Administration gave the incoming Bush Administration all the information and advice it needed in order to keep North Korea in check, with respect to its desires to develop nuclear capacity. Since that time Bush has pursued a totally impotent policy such that today N. Korea is now building nuclear weapons. Josh Marshall recounts the follies of Bush and the precarious state into which we have fallen.
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February 11, 2003
Shortage of Body Bags?
HERE is some sobering news for parents of servicemen/women currently stationed in, or in the process of getting shipped to, the Persian Gulf. Apparently our military is expecting quite a few American casualties in Gulf War II.
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Powell's Smoking Gun
Here are More Embarrassing Revelations regarding the truth behind the "evidence" supplied by Colin Powell in his speech to the U.N. The last paragraph summarizes it very nicely:
"Depressing as it is to acknowledge, it now seems clear we are witnessing the tantrum of a woefully untutored and inexperienced president whose willfulness rises in direct proportion to his inability to comprehend a world too complex for his grasp."
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The College Loan Scandal
How bad is the growing debt from college student loans?
"College tuition is free or nominal in most industrialized, and many Third World, countries. The United States' insistence that students assume huge debts to pay for their college education is unusual enough that the Chinese government included it in its 2001 report of American human rights violations."This is from an article by Ted Rall. Some additional excerpts:
"The pre-bankrupting of America's best and brightest, the young men and women who attend private colleges and public universities, is one of our nation's enduring, quiet scandals." "Citibank's Student Loan Marketing Association, which holds outstanding student loans totaling $21 billion, recently announced that it turned a profit of $176 million last year, a 30 percent increase over 2001." "Eliminating the debt racket wouldn't be difficult. Calling off the invasion of Iraq, for instance, would save an estimated $200 billion---that's six years of fiscally emancipated youth right there. Eliminating last year's $1.5 trillion tax cut--money that would have gone to rich people who won't miss it--would pay off everyone's student loans for the next 50 years."
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5-second Hang-ups
It's THESE kinds of typical, unlawful, evil doings that give Republicans a bad name. HERE is some commentary on this developing story.
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Compromised Policy = Bad News for Us
When a country goes to war, one question that already should have been answered is "why?" But many people in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are genuinely perplexed about why the Bush administration is so determined, even at the cost of war, to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. John B. Judis explains the Bush Administration's ever-changing policy toward Iraq.
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"I wouldn't follow George Bush into the park to play ball..."
Bush proudly claims Australia as a member of his "coalition of the willing". As expressed in this The AGE article by author Phil Cleary, that's not a universal feeling in this nation.
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Bush vs. NATO: Another Chapter in the Upcoming Book "What Did You Do in the Pre-Emptive War, Daddy?"
The Bush Administration is attempting to undercut the legitimacy of NATO by not respecting the decisions of three members: Belgium, France and Germany. As Fred Kaplan explains Article 4 of the NATO Charter:
Article 4, which is the article in question, states that the members of NATO "will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened." The key words here are "will consult."
This morning, in response to the three countries' refusal to send arms, Turkey invoked this article and called an emergency meeting of the alliance. Initially, according to one U.S. official, Belgium, France, and Germany all tried to block even this meeting—though, toward the end of the day, they relented. Had the three persisted in opposing this meeting, then, yes, they would have been in violation of the letter and spirit of the NATO Charter. (Note that Article 4 says the members must consult whenever there's a threat merely "in the opinion of any of them." It could be a threat in the opinion of a psychotic; it doesn't have to be backed up.)
However, there is nothing in the charter that says the alliance—or every member of the alliance—must agree to send arms as a prudent measure in preparation for a preventive war. Article 5, another key provision, states, "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them … will assist the Party or Parties so attacked …" (italics added).
The Germans, French, and Belgians note—correctly—that this armed attack has not yet occurred. At least under the terms of the NATO Charter, there is currently no attack that obliges them to come to the assistance of Turkey.
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February 10, 2003
Quick War Will Result in Massive Child Death Toll
General Wesley Clark, US Army, Retired, the former supreme allied commander in Europe, gives a realistic prognosis of Gulf War II: a quick military action followed by expanded Fundamentalist retribution against the United States. And this is the most optimistic scenario.
"Our Common Responsibility: The Impact of a New War on Iraq Children", a report prepared by 10 experts of the International Study Team (IST) and released Jan. 30, 2003, predicts a "massive child death toll in Iraq. The IST's report on the humanitarian situation in Iraq following the 1991 war was considered the most comprehensive of such reports. Its backers include War Child Canada, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and its Canadian affiliate Physicians for Global Survival (PGS), Oxfam Canada, World Vision Canada, and the United Church, as well as 15 other non-governmental organizations."
Here is a report (PDF format) released by the IPPNW . "A US-led attack on Iraq could kill between 48,000 and 260,000 civilians and combatants in just the first three months of conflict, according to a study by medical and public health experts. Post-war health effects could take an additional 200,000 lives. The report, Collateral Damage: The Health and Environmental Costs of War on Iraq, was issued by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, and produced by Medact, the organization's United Kingdom affiliate. It is being released today by IPPNW member groups in more than a dozen nations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in the US."
"Our Common Responsibility: The Impact of a New War on Iraq Children", a report prepared by 10 experts of the International Study Team (IST) and released Jan. 30, 2003, predicts a "massive child death toll in Iraq. The IST's report on the humanitarian situation in Iraq following the 1991 war was considered the most comprehensive of such reports. Its backers include War Child Canada, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and its Canadian affiliate Physicians for Global Survival (PGS), Oxfam Canada, World Vision Canada, and the United Church, as well as 15 other non-governmental organizations."
Here is a report (PDF format) released by the IPPNW . "A US-led attack on Iraq could kill between 48,000 and 260,000 civilians and combatants in just the first three months of conflict, according to a study by medical and public health experts. Post-war health effects could take an additional 200,000 lives. The report, Collateral Damage: The Health and Environmental Costs of War on Iraq, was issued by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, and produced by Medact, the organization's United Kingdom affiliate. It is being released today by IPPNW member groups in more than a dozen nations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in the US."
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February 8, 2003
The Fear Factor
Noam Chomsky, in an essay on the developing worldwide anti-war movement, describes how Bush is creating completely irrational fear in Americans to gain support in his quest to crush Iraq.
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UPDATE: "Massacre"
HERE is an update to my earlier post regarding "Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death". Although there is now more doubt about the validity of the report, there are still overwhelming reasons justifying an investigation.
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Powell Completely Flops
Colin Powell, in his U.N. speech earlier this week, referred to several pieces of evidence of Iraq's threat to its neighbors and the U.S., but none of the evidence presented to the U.N was shown to be serious enough to warrant an invasion by Bush. In fact, most of the evidence was outdated or just plain wrong.
One especially embarrassing consequence of Powell's speech was the section where he "praised the UK document as "a fine paper... which describes in exquisite detail Iraqi deception activities". "The British government's latest report on Iraq's non-compliance with weapons inspections, which claims to draw on 'intelligence material', has been revealed as a wholesale plagiarism of three old and publicly-available articles, one of them by a graduate student in California," according to an assessment by Cambridge analyst Glen Rangwala that circulated yesterday. HERE is a complete analysis of the supposedly fine British document.
My son Will responds to all this with his own plagarized comment: "All work and no plagarism makes for a dull read." (Taken from F*E*G, by Robin Hirsch.)
"Indeed, chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has rejected many of Powell's claims. For example, the respected Swedish diplomat has insisted that there is no evidence of mobile biological weapons laboratories, of Iraq trying to foil inspectors by moving equipment before his teams arrived, or that his organization has been infiltrated by Iraqi spies. The weakest part of Powell's presentation was his effort to link the decidedly secular Iraqi regime with the fundamentalist al Qaeda, whose leader Osama bin Laden has referred to Saddam as "an apostate, an infidel, and a traitor to Islam." Reports cited by Powell attempting to link Saddam to affiliated groups like Ansar al Islam have come almost exclusively from anti-Saddam Iraqis in exile hoping that establishing such a link could encourage U.S. military action to oust the dictator; as a result, they are not generally considered credible. In reality, Ansar al Islam's stated goal is to overthrow the secular Baathist regime in Baghdad and replace it with an Islamist state. The efforts to tie alleged al Qaeda figure Abu Musab Al Zarqawi to the Iraqi regime have also been based largely on unattributed sources. That he received medical treatment in Baghdad is no more proof of direct involvement by the Iraqi regime in his activities than the presence of scores of al Qaeda leaders in allied countries like Saudi Arabia is proof of state collusion either. Ansar al Islam fighters and their al Qaeda supporters have been seen only in autonomous Kurdish areas beyond Iraqi government control. Indeed, Powell's claim that there had been "decades" of contact between Saddam and al Qaeda was particularly odd, given that the terrorist network is less than ten years old. Furthermore, none of the September 11 hijackers were Iraqi, none of al Qaeda's leaders are Iraqi, and none of the money trail has been traced to Iraq. (The same cannot be said of Saudi Arabia, but the kingdom is considered an important U.S. ally.)"
One especially embarrassing consequence of Powell's speech was the section where he "praised the UK document as "a fine paper... which describes in exquisite detail Iraqi deception activities". "The British government's latest report on Iraq's non-compliance with weapons inspections, which claims to draw on 'intelligence material', has been revealed as a wholesale plagiarism of three old and publicly-available articles, one of them by a graduate student in California," according to an assessment by Cambridge analyst Glen Rangwala that circulated yesterday. HERE is a complete analysis of the supposedly fine British document.
My son Will responds to all this with his own plagarized comment: "All work and no plagarism makes for a dull read." (Taken from F*E*G, by Robin Hirsch.)
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February 7, 2003
Too much Columbia?
Did the media go overboard when it reported (and is still front-paging) the Columbia disaster? Of course. What does this say about us as a people? Robert Kuttner has some answers for you.
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IRAQ. AL-QAEDA. BOTH HAVE A "Q". COINCIDENCE?
In his SPEECH to the U.N. this week (overview here) Colin Powell said that there are direct ties between Iraq and al-Qaeda. This flies in the face of what U.S. intelligence has insisted all along, namely that there probably are no such links. Finally, THIS ARTICLE summarizes the first two days of Gulf War II (you'll need to do a one-time registration to access the NYTimes online site - it's worth it.)
Here's today's quote:
Here's today's quote:
“A tyrant...is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.”–Plato
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Orange You Glad It's Friday?
Today's color-of-the day: ORANGE.
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Was Columbia Zapped by Purple Lightning?
The latest theory to surface (to explain the space shuttle Columbia's disintegration) involves a photographic image taken by an amateur astronomer in San Francisco, which appears to show a purplish bolt of lightning striking Columbia during reentry. This event (if it actually occurred) took place more than 40 miles above the earth's surface in the atmospheric region known as the ionosphere.
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February 6, 2003