A-Changin' Times (ACT)
Born in the aftermath of 9/11, ACT has become as political as the times.
Now a blog for alternative news, views and rants offered with a twist, a song and a smile. Fair and balanced.

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize [sic] with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
 — Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan Copyright 1963
(1991 Special Rider)

"A-Changin' Times: taking the best from the past to make the most of the present and to create a better future."

"What marching through the streets was to the Sixties, walking through the halls of Congress is now."

 — Marianne Williamson

You're visiting a website that incorporates a blogging feature, not "just" a blog.

Blog entries follow, most recent entries at the top

Saturday, August 16, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/16/2003 05:03:00 PM

Language: A Key Mechanism of Control
Newt Gingrich's 1996 GOPAC

As you know, one of the key points in the GOPAC tapes is that "language matters." In the video "We are a Majority," Language is listed as a key mechanism of control used by a majority party, along with Agenda, Rules, Attitude and Learning. As the tapes have been used in training sessions across the country and mailed to candidates we have heard a plaintive plea: "I wish I could speak like Newt."

That takes years of practice. But, we believe that you could have a significant impact on your campaign and the way you communicate if we help a little. That is why we have created this list of words and phrases.

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	:: DUG853		8/16/2003 03:03:00 PM

WDD: Weapons of Deliberate Disinformation

The events of the past few days reveal just how much the media and the state work hand in glove in projecting a view of the world that maintains the fiction of the 'terrorist threat' and what the objectives of the West really are.

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	:: DUG853		8/16/2003 01:41:00 PM

Exposed: The Carlyle Group
Shocking documentary uncovers the subversion of Americas democracy.

I defy you to watch this 48 minute documentary and not be outraged about the depth of corruption and deceit within the highest ranks of our government and the first family.

Note: The first one minute forty seven seconds of this program is broadcast in Dutch.

The remainder is in English.

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Friday, August 15, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/15/2003 07:55:00 PM

US Says It Doesn't Know How Many Detainees Are at
Guantanamo (or Who They Are)

The following article from the Reuters newswire appeared
in exactly one US media outlet, the New York Post.


A search at Google News shows that across the world, only four other media outlets -- none of them major -- ran the story: Hi Pakistan, the New Nation (Bangladesh), the New Zealand Herald, and Khilifah.com.

Because of the pitiful amount of coverage this revelation received, we're reprinting it in its entirety.

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	:: DUG853		8/15/2003 01:55:00 PM

$20,000 bonus to official who agreed on nuke claim
Energy Dept. honcho ordered dissenters at Iraq pre-briefing
to 'shut up, sit down'
By Paul Sperry, © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com


WASHINGTON – A former Energy Department intelligence chief who agreed with the White House claim that Iraq had reconstituted its defunct nuclear-arms program was awarded a total of $20,500 in bonuses during the build-up to the war, WorldNetDaily has learned.

Thomas Rider, as acting director of Energy's intelligence office, overruled senior intelligence officers on his staff in voting for the position at a National Foreign Intelligence Board meeting at CIA headquarters last September.

His officers argued at a pre-briefing at Energy headquarters that there was no hard evidence to support the alarming Iraq nuclear charge, and asked to join State Department's dissenting opinion, Energy officials say.

Rider ordered them to "shut up and sit down," according to sources familiar with the meeting.

As a result, State was the intelligence community's lone dissenter in the key National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, something the Bush administration is quick to remind critics of its prewar intelligence.

So far no banned weapons have been found in Iraq to confirm its charges.

The secret 90-page report, prepared Oct. 1, was rushed to sway members of Congress ahead of a key vote on granting the White House war-making authority. It also formed the underlying evidence for the White House's decision to go to war.

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	:: DUG853		8/15/2003 12:39:00 PM

Myth and Denial in the War on Terrorism

By WILLIAM BLUM

It dies hard. It dies very hard. The notion that terrorist acts against the United States can be explained by envy and irrational hatred, and not by what the United States does in and to the world -- i.e., US foreign policy -- is alive and well.

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	:: DUG853		8/15/2003 10:41:00 AM

Untold Story:
U.S. Newspapers Ignore Iraqi Civilian Deaths


This kind of reporting not only gives American readers and viewers an incomplete story, but also furthers the mistrust of American media that is becoming more and more pervasive worldwide.

SOURCE

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	:: DUG853		8/15/2003 09:32:00 AM

Governing Council criticises coalition's
treatment of Iraqis, warns of hatred


The president of Iraq's 25-man interim Governing Council demanded Monday the US-led coalition forces treat Iraqis better, amid allegations of civilians being struck down by American troops during aggressive raids.

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	:: DUG853		8/15/2003 08:31:00 AM

The cancellation of democracy:

In several states, U.S. citizens are being deprived of their opportunity to vote in a 2004 presidential primary.

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Thursday, August 14, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/14/2003 08:55:00 PM

Embedded, now media gagged
 
Baghdad - The United States military, in what appeared to be a significant shift in its relations with the news media, announced on Thursday that reporters, photographers and television crews would be forbidden from accompanying the military on some operations.

Major Josslyn Aberle, spokesperson for the 4th Infantry Division at Tikrit, 200 kilometres north of Baghdad, said the order restricting media access had been issued by the Coalition Joint Task Force in the capital.

The spokesperson for the task force in the capital, Major William Thurmond, said there was a new order restricting coverage in certain circumstances but that Aberle had misinterpreted it.

"The order they received should not be seen as a blanket denial of coverage," Thurmond said. "For security purposes you will not be allowed to accompany us on certain missions."
[Only on missions where "they" PLAN to violate international law and humanitarian conventions -DUG]

Thurmond said he did not know what prompted the order, but he confirmed it had been sent to coalition commanders throughout Iraq. [Immunity from the ICC isn't enough in SOME cases -DUG]

The US military will still allow journalists to be embedded, but what they see would likely be limited to routine patrols and even that will be left to commanders' discretion, Aberle said.

[Translation: Whenever THEY feel like it. -DUG]

The directive was issued on Thursday without explanation, Aberle said.

[Explanations? Who needs explanations? Bush says, "God told ME to smite," etc. -DUG]

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	:: DUG853		8/14/2003 05:17:00 PM

US "Non Lethal" Chemical (and Biochemical) Weapons Research
A Collection of Documents Detailing a Dangerous Program

Documents are listed in reverse chronological order.

References to Sunshine Project publications are provided.

Unless otherwise noted, all documents are in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

Additional documents of note will be posted as they become available.

These documents were obtained by Sunshine Project in requests to the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, the Judge Advocate General of the US Navy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the National Academies of Science.

Several are from public US government websites.

The Sunshine Project has requested almost 100 related documents that have not been released by those institutions.

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	:: DUG853		8/14/2003 04:39:00 PM

Dead Journalist's Family Denounces U.S. Iraq Report


MADRID (Reuters) - The family of a Spanish television cameraman killed by a U.S. tank shell in Baghdad four months ago dismissed as "a series of lies" Wednesday a U.S. report that cleared its soldiers of blame.

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	:: DUG853		8/14/2003 12:27:00 AM

Sound off to Gillette

Contact information to write, telephone, or email Gillette to let them know you don't like being spied on through their products. U.S. and UK contact information   provided.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/13/2003 12:44:00 PM

U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY AND DEPLETED URANIUM:

Testimony, Public hearing for the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Afghanistan.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/12/2003 03:29:00 PM

Back from Iraq, activist finds price of protest is $10,000 fine

Ryan Clancy went to Iraq to protest the war, leaving Iraq before bombing by the U.S. began.

Clancy recently got a call from federal officials, he learned that authorities have fined him $10,000, and if he doesn't pay, he could spend up to 12 years in prison.

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	:: DUG853		8/12/2003 02:38:00 PM

ABA Panel Wants Tribunal Rules Changed

The Bush administration should change the rules for any future military tribunals so terrorism suspects can get the best help possible from independent civilian defense lawyers, a panel of the American Bar Association says.

The ABA, the nation's largest lawyers' organization, could decide Tuesday to recommend that the Pentagon drop restrictions on outside lawyers that many defense attorneys said would make it unethical for them to participate alongside military defense lawyers in a tribunal trial.

Alfred P. Carlton Jr., who leaves his post as ABA president on Tuesday, said he, for one, could not sign a list of promises the Pentagon says it will require of any lawyer who wants to participate.

One point of contention is the government's ability to listen to conversations between suspects and their lawyers.

The ABA also may object to a requirement that tribunal lawyers get government permission before talking about the case outside the courtroom, and other rules.

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	:: DUG853		8/12/2003 01:03:00 PM

Impeachment Is Not Enough
From the Streets of Little Beirut
by Glen Yeadon


"By now its clear to everyone, that Bush lied to congress about weapons of mass destruction.

He lied to the American people.

He had aides lie to the Untied Nations.

He lied about the connection between Iraq and bin Laden.

He lied about Nigeria.

He lied about chemical and biological weapons.

He lied about the underlying reasons to wage war.

He lied blaming others for his lies.

He lied about his staff; they are all a bunch of convicted felons and retreads from his daddy's administration.

He lied and good men died because he lied."

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Monday, August 11, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/11/2003 07:45:00 PM

HUD Announces Homeless Tracking System

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced
guidelines for "Homeless Management Information Systems" (HMIS).

HMIS is a standard system for tracking homeless persons and the services rendered to them.

Entities that provide services would collect their names, Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, race, gender, health status (including HIV, pregnancy, and domestic violence), veteran status, and income information.

Although the plan does not call for a national, centralized database, the information collected could easily facilitate the creation of such a database in the future.

Furthermore, law enforcement, Secret Service, and National Security access to the database would be nearly unlimited.

The guidelines are open to public comment until September 22, 2003.


Introduction and Background

Poor people have less of everything--less autonomy, less social mobility, and less privacy.

State interests in fraud prevention and the structure of privacy law itself have worked to the disadvantage of the poor.

This page gives an overview of these forces and their effects on electronic privacy.

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	:: DUG853		8/11/2003 05:41:00 PM

GAO ISSUES STINGING REPORT ON PRIVACY ACT COMPLIANCE

Says federal government cannot assure citizens
that privacy rights are protected

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - Personal data may not be adequately protected from collection, use and disclosure, according to a stinging report released today by the General Accounting Office.

In a survey of 25 federal agencies, and through a GAO forum for federal privacy officers, the GAO found a significant lack of compliance with the federal Privacy Act of 1974.


OMB GETS ANGRY

The report includes a blistering retort from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency responsible for enforcing the Privacy Act.

In its 10-page letter, it writes that the report's statements "border on the reckless and irresponsible."

A blunt and detailed rebuttal by the GAO is included in the report, along with a conclusion that "the government cannot adequately assure the public that all legislated individual privacy rights are being protected."

Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) agrees: "Federal agencies are not following the law and, as a result, the personal data of citizens may be improperly collected and poorly protected," asserts Twila Brase, president of CCHC.

"This report should give Congress a good reason to reconsider building yet another database of citizen information," says Brase, referring to the proposed National Patient Safety Database now under consideration in Congress.

"One system of records holds data on 290 million people.

If that system happens to be one of the system that's out of compliance, the privacy rights of every citizen have already been violated, perhaps many times," Brase adds.

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	:: DUG853		8/11/2003 03:43:00 PM

Deleted Material from the Website for Guantanamo Bay

The US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been consistently in the headlines since shortly after 9/11.

That's where the government has been holding people who might somehow, possibly--according to someone--be connected to al Qaeda or the Taliban.

The "detainees" are not allowed legal counsel, family visits, or any form of contact with the outside world.

They have not been charged with a crime and, if they ever are, they'll be tried--and possibly executed--by special military tribunals.

In the past year or so, the official Navy Website for the base at Guantanamo Bay (known as Gitmo) has removed some material.

We recovered portions of it.

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Sunday, August 10, 2003

	:: DUG853		8/10/2003 11:26:00 PM

Powell's battle cry fails test of time
By Charles J. Hanley, Associated Press


Six months after his case swung opinion toward attacking Iraq, his intelligence file looks thin.

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	:: DUG853		8/10/2003 08:16:00 PM

Kids, lies, and President Bush
by Katrina Vanden Heuvel
The Nation

[Today's MUST READ! -v]


So, with all due credit to the Sexuality Information and Education Council, here are ''Tips for Talking about President Bush with Your Children'':

Think about your values as they relate to this situation.

What are your family's values about telling the truth?

What would you do if your child lied to you and when you scolded him or her, he or she replied: ''I am not a fact-checker.''

Or added, ''Isn't it time to move on?''

Ask your children to tell you what words mean to them.

Explain that words have consequences and lies can come in two, six or 16 words.
Clarify facts.

Give short, age-appropriate answers.

Explain that shifting strategies at damage control only lead to more unanswered questions.

Make clear that even if facts are malleable for President Bush, they're not malleable in your home.

Explain that even though the White House strategy may be to say whatever is necessary, even if they have to admit
later that what they said the first time wasn't exactly true, you don't do it that way yourself.

Use these talks with your child to encourage good decision-making.

Let them know that if they grow up to become president and lead a nation into war, the right thing to do is take responsibility for their words and acts.

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	:: DUG853		8/10/2003 04:51:00 PM

'Bring us home': GIs flood US with war-weary emails

An unprecedented internet campaign waged on the frontline and in the US
is exposing the real risks for troops in Iraq. Paul Harris and Jonathan Franklin
(The Observer) report on rising fears that the conflict is now a desert Vietnam.
Sunday August 10, 2003


Susan Schuman is angry. Her GI son is serving in the Iraqi town of Samarra, at the heart of the 'Sunni triangle', where American troops are killed with grim regularity.

Breaking the traditional silence of military families during time of war, Schuman knows what she wants -- and who she blames for the danger to her son, Justin.

'I want them to bring our troops home. I am appalled at Bush's policies.

He has got us into a terrible mess,' she said.

Schuman may just be the tip of an iceberg.

She lives in Shelburne Falls, a small town in Massachusetts, and says all her neighbours support her view.

'I don't know anyone around here who disagrees with me,' she said.

Schuman's views are part of a growing unease back home at the rising casualty rate in Iraq, a concern coupled with deep anger at President George W. Bush's plans to cut army benefits for many soldiers.

Criticism is also coming directly from soldiers risking their lives under the guns of Saddam Hussein's fighters, and they are using a weapon not available to troops in previous wars: the internet.

Through emails and chatrooms a picture is emerging of day-to-day gripes, coupled with ferocious criticism of the way the war has been handled.

They paint a vivid picture of US army life that is a world away from the sanitised official version.

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