Free Internet Press Newsletter - Friday December 22 2006 - (813)

Friday December 22 2006 edition
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Study: Incentives On Oil Barely Help U.S. 2006-12-22 03:38:36 The United States offers some of the most lucrative incentives in the world to companies that drill for oil in publicly owned coastal waters, but a newly released study suggests that the government is getting very little for its money. The study, which the Interior Department refused to release for more than a year, estimates that current inducements could allow drilling companies in the Gulf of Mexico to escape tens of billions of dollars in royalties that they would otherwise pay the government for oil and gas produced in areas that belong to American taxpayers. The study predicts that the inducements would cause only a tiny increase in production even if they were offered without some of the limitations now in place. It also suggests that the cost of that additional oil could be as much as $80 a barrel, far more than the government would have to pay if it simply bought the oil on its own. Read The Full Story Report: TSA Data Screening Program Violated Passengers' Privacy 2006-12-22 03:37:23 Secure Flight, the U.S. government's stalled program to screen domestic air passengers against terrorism watch lists, violated federal law during a crucial test phase, according to a report to be issued today by the Homeland Security Department's privacy office. The agency found that by gathering passenger data from commercial brokers in 2004 without notifying the passengers, the program violated a 1974 Privacy Act requirement that the public be made aware of any changes in a federal program that affects the privacy of U.S. citizens. "As ultimately implemented, the commercial data test conducted in connection with the Secure Flight program testing did not match [the Transportation Security Administration's] public announcements," the report states. The finding marks the first time that the Homeland Security Department has acknowledged that the problem-plagued Secure Flight program has violated the law. It comes at a time when a separate program to screen international passengers is under attack for officials' failure to disclose until recently that they were creating passenger profiles that would be stored for 40 years. Read The Full Story Iraqi Factions Try To Undercut A Plan To Isolate Extremists 2006-12-22 03:36:28 Several Iraqi political groups on Thursday maneuvered to undercut an American-backed initiative that would create a multisectarian bloc intended to isolate extremists like the Shiite cleric and militia leader Moktada al-Sadr. The bloc would consist of Sunni Arab, Shiite Arab and Kurdish parties in an alliance that would be novel in Iraq's  highly sectarian political environment. This week, Iraqi and Western officials said that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a highly influential Shiite cleric, had given a tentative go-ahead to the coalition. On Thursday, Saleem Abdullah, a Sunni Arab lawmaker who is a senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, said his party had set tough new conditions for its participation in the bloc. Read The Full Story U.S. Judge Orders Saudi Princess Deported 2006-12-22 03:35:25 A Saudi Arabian princess accused of breaking U.S. immigration laws by locking up her domestics' passports and forcing them to work for low pay was ordered to be deported, prosecutors said Thursday. Hana F. Al Jader, of Winchester, Virginia, was sentenced to two years of probation, the first six months of which must be served in home confinement, after which she'll be deported to Saudi Arabia, said prosecutors. An after hours call to Samantha Martin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office, was not returned. It was unclear if the six months' home confinement Al Jader received included time she has already served while on bail in home confinement. Read The Full Story 8 Marines Charged In Haditha Civilian Massacre 2006-12-22 03:34:02 Eight Marines were charged Thursday in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha last year. Four Marines were charged with murder in the biggest U.S. criminal case involving civilian deaths to arise from the war in Iraq. The other four charged were officers who were not there but were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths, said the Marine Corps. A squad leader was charged with murdering 12 people and ordering other Marines to murder six people in the hours after a roadside bomb killed one Marine and injured two others. Read The Full Story Major Winter Storm Paralyzes Denver 2006-12-21 15:48:35 A major winter snowstorm closed airports and highways in the front range of the Rocky Mountains and on the High Plains today. Denver was paralyzed under two feet of snow, and there were forecasts of potentially damaging ice storms in Minneapolis and possible flooding in New Orleans. Some 5,000 people were stranded at Denver International Airport overnight after runways were closed Wednesday afternoon because of mounting snow. Authorities there said they expected the snowfall to taper off about noon Mountain time today, and that it would probably take 24 hours after that to plow away enough snow to resume operations. . The Colorado National Guard sent blankets and other supplies to stranded passengers sleeping on the airport floor. The weather conditions also snarled traffic at airports not in the direct path of the storm, with departures for Newark Liberty Airport delayed an average of 52 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Departures headed for O’Hare in Chicago were delayed an average of 3 hours, 16 minutes; flights headed for San Francisco are running an average of 51 minutes behind schedule. Read The Full Story Weather Threatens Florida Shuttle Landing 2006-12-21 15:47:56 On what was scheduled to be their last full day in space, crew members aboard space shuttle Discovery woke up Thursday to the strains of ''The Road Less Traveled.'' ''It's great to hear some good jazz from Houston's own incomparable Joe Sample. He'll help us ease into the last few days of this mission,'' astronaut Joan Higginbotham radioed to Mission Control. Discovery's seven astronauts planned to spend the day testing the shuttle's flight control system, stowing items, deploying a tiny satellite and giving their last media interviews from space. NASA managers in Houston, meanwhile, faced a series of complicated trade-offs about where to land the spacecraft. They may have to decide among three imperfect choices as they try to select a landing site. Read The Full Story Study: Teens Use Medicines To Get High 2006-12-21 15:47:01 Teens increasingly are getting high with legal drugs like painkillers and mood stimulants, and they're turning to cough syrup as well, says a government survey released Thursday. The annual study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, conducted by the University of Michigan, showed mixed results in the nation's longtime campaign against teen drug abuse. It found that while fewer teens overall drank alcohol or used illegal drugs in the last year, a small but growing number were popping prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin and stimulants like Ritalin. As many as one in every 14 high school seniors said they used cold medicine "fairly recently" to get high, the study found. Read The Full Story Big Profits, And Problems, In Effort To Cut Emissions 2006-12-21 03:33:07 Foreign businesses have embraced an obscure United Nations-backed program as a favored approach to limiting global warming, but the early efforts have revealed some hidden problems. Under the program, businesses in wealthier nations of Europe and in Japan help pay to reduce pollution in poorer ones as a way of staying within government limits for emitting climate-changing gases like carbon dioxide, as part of the Kyoto Protocol. Among their targets is a large rusting chemical factory here in southeastern China. Its emissions of just one waste gas contribute as much to global warming each year as the emissions from a million American cars, each driven 12,000 miles. Cleaning up this factory will require an incinerator that costs $5 million - far less than the cost of cleaning up so many cars, or other sources of pollution in Europe and Japan. Read The Full Story In Iraq, Militant Shiite Clerics' Rivalry Intensifies 2006-12-21 03:32:14 In the quest to create a new Iraq, two powerful clerics compete for domination, one from within the government, the other from its shadows. Both wear the black turban signifying their descent from the prophet Muhammad. They have fought each other since the days their fathers vied to lead Iraq's majority Shiites. They hold no official positions, but their parties each control 30 seats in the parliament. And they both lead militias that are widely alleged to run death squads. In the view of the Bush administration, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is a moderate and Moqtada al-Sadr is an extremist. As the U.S. president faces mounting pressure to reshape his Iraq policy, administration officials say they are pursuing a Hakim-led moderate coalition of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurdish parties in order to isolate extremists, in particular Sadr. Read The Full Story New Al-Zawahiri Video Raises Europe's Fear Of Terrorist Attacks 2006-12-21 03:30:28 The threat of a terrorist attack on European soil by Islamic radicals has increased substantially in recent months, reaching its highest levels since the London transit attacks of July 2005, according to European counterterrorism officials. Adding to the anxiety: fresh threats against Britain and France delivered Wednesday by al-Qaeda's deputy leader. In a new videotape, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command to al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, singled out Britain as a historical enemy of Muslims, blaming it for the creation of the state of Israel and the downfall of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. He also said al-Qaeda would continue to plan attacks on the United States and its "Crusader" allies in Europe as long as Western powers remain in Iraq, Afghanista and Lebanon. "The animosity of Britain toward Islam stretches over centuries," Zawahiri said, according to a translation of his remarks by the SITE Institute, a terrorism research organization. "Isn't it the one who used to occupy most Islamic lands?" Read The Full Story Ahmadinejad Facing Revival Of Students' Ire 2006-12-21 03:29:04 As protests broke out last week at a prestigious university here, cutting short a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Babak Zamanian could only watch from afar. He was on crutches, having been clubbed by supporters of the president and had his foot run over by a motorcycle during a less publicized student demonstration a few days earlier. The significance of the confrontation was easy to grasp, even from a distance, said Zamanian, a leader of a student political group. The student movement, which planned the 1979 seizure of the American Embassy from the same university, Amir Kabir, is reawakening from its recent slumber and may even be spearheading a widespread resistance against  Ahmadinejad. This time the catalysts were academic and personal freedom. “It is not that simple to break up a president’s speech,” said Alireza Siassirad, a former student political organizer, explaining that an event of that magnitude takes meticulous planning. “I think what happened at Amir Kabir is a very important and a dangerous sign. Students are definitely becoming active again.” Read The Full Story	Steven Wright Charged With Murder Of 5 Ipswich Sex Workers 2006-12-22 03:37:54 Police Thursday night charged Steven Wright with the murder of five young women who worked as prostitutes in Ipswich's red light district. Wright, 48, will appear Friday morning at Ipswich magistrate's court, charged with the murder of Tania Nicol, 19, Gemma Adams, 24, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24 and Annette Nicholls, 29. Wright, a truck driver, was arrested at his home in the heart of Ipswich's red light district on Tuesday at 5 a.m.  Another man, Tom Stephens, 37, who was arrested on Monday at his home near Felixstowe, was released last night on police bail. Read The Full Story U.N. Poised To Pass Iran Sanctions Despite Retaliation Threat 2006-12-22 03:36:56 The United Nations security council is finally expected to pass a resolution Friday to impose international sanctions on Iran for the first time since the 1979 revolution, a punitive move that will heighten diplomatic tensions and risks a military confrontation in the Gulf. Iran has threatened immediate retaliation, even though the proposed sanctions have been significantly watered down this week. Tehran's options include withdrawal from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.  nuclear watchdog, which would mean Iran would conduct its nuclear program free from international monitoring, and possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the channel for 20% of the world's oil supplies. Western diplomats think that the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his colleagues are bluffing but, just in case, the U.S. announced this week it is reinforcing its fleet in the Gulf. Read The Full Story Court Deals Blow To Campaign Finance Law By Overturning Limits On Political Ads 2006-12-22 03:35:54 A three-judge panel on Thursday overturned a key segment of the campaign finance law that banned issue advertisements paid for by corporate or union money in the critical weeks before federal elections. The case, which was heard by a special federal court panel in Washington, D.C., now heads to the Supreme Court. If upheld, the ruling would unravel one of the tougher restrictions on the use of unregulated donations that interest groups pumped by the millions of dollars into political commercials. The case was brought by Wisconsin Right to Life, which has been fighting the restrictions since 2004, claiming they infringe on its First Amendment guarantee of free speech, among other grounds. Read The Full Story Study: World Death Toll Of Flu Pandemic Would Be 62 Million 2006-12-22 03:34:47 An influenza pandemic of the type that ravaged the globe in 1918 and 1919 would kill about 62 million people today, with 96 percent of the deaths occurring in developing countries. That is the conclusion of a study published Thursday in the Lancet medical journal, which uses mortality records kept by governments during the time of "Spanish flu" to predict the effect of a similarly virulent outbreak in the contemporary world. The analysis, the first of its kind, found a nearly 40-fold difference in death rates between central India, the place with the highest recorded mortality, and Denmark, the country with the lowest. The reason for the huge variation is not known, but it may reflect differences in nutrition and crowding. Read The Full Story Defense Secretary Talks To Iraqis About Increasing U.S. Troops 2006-12-21 15:48:51 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and top Iraqi officials Thursday discussed a possible increase in the number of U.S. troops deployed in the country, holding what Gates described as general talks about the need for a "surge" in the American presence to help tamp down sectarian fighting. In a press conference afterward, Gates said his conversation with the Iraqi prime minister and defense minister included "no numbers. ... We were really talking in broader terms." Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qadir later indicated general acceptance of an idea that has emerged as one of the chief options President Bush is considering as he reevaluates Iraq policy. "I did not say no," when the issue of a troop increase came up, Qadir said after the meeting at Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's residence. "If we need it, we need it." Read The Full Story Commentary: 'You're Attacking The Wrong Nation, Mr. Blair' 2006-12-21 15:48:15 Intellpuke: The following commentary is by Anatole Kaletsky and appears in The Times (of London) edition for Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006. Although Mr. Kalesky's comments are clearly aimed at Britain's prime minister, his focus is on the Middle East and much of what he says has resonance for the U.S. Mr. Kelesky's commentary follows: It has been another awful week for Tony Blair, perhaps even worse than the mid-summer meltdown triggered by his fatally misjudged support for the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. First there was the craven surrender to Saudi Arabia’s demand for the suspension of Britain’s anti-corruption laws if they impinge on the personal finances of Saudi princes. Next came the derisive rejection of Mr. Blair’s latest effort to “kick-start the Middle East peace process” by every leader in the region. This was followed by the devastating report from Britain’s leading foreign policy institute, explaining how the Prime Minister had subordinated national interests to his unrequited love affair with President Bush. Then to cap it all, Britain’s supposed ally, the Iraqi Vice-President, commented that Mr. Blair had been “brainwashed” and “blackmailed” by Mr. Bush. Nobody much cares any longer if Mr. Blair rushes towards political perdition, but will his few remaining months in office sabotage the prospects of future Labour governments for years to come? The Chatham House report about the “disaster” of Mr. Blair’s foreign policy is surprisingly sanguine about the willingness of future prime ministers to change course: “His successor(s) will not make the same mistake. For the foreseeable future, whoever is prime minister, there will no longer be unconditional support for U.S. initiatives in foreign policy.” Read The Full Story Marine Squad Leader Charged In Haditha Killings 2006-12-21 15:47:28 A Marine Corps squad leader was charged Thursday with 13 counts of murder in the killings of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year, his attorney said, and other Marines are expected to be charged. Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of murdering individuals, plus one count of murdering six people by ordering Marines under his charge to "shoot first and ask questions later" when they entered a house, according to charging sheets released by defense attorney Neal Puckett. Puckett said his client is not guilty and acted lawfully. As many as eight Marines in all may be charged in the case. Read The Full Story Media Calm Urged Over Slayings Of British Prostitutes 2006-12-21 15:46:42 Britain's attorney general warned news media Thursday to exercise restraint in their coverage of the killings of five prostitutes in eastern England. Police, meanwhile, were questioning two suspects as deadlines approached for charging the men. Investigators have until Friday evening to charge or release their first suspect, identified in news reports as Tom Stephens, 37. He was arrested Monday at his home in Trimley St. Martin, eight miles southeast of the town of Ipswich, where all the victims worked. Suffolk police also were interrogating a 48-year-old man, identified in news reports as Steve Wright. He was arrested Tuesday in Ipswich, and can be detained until Saturday without charge. Read The Full Story Federal Subsidies Turn Farms Into Big Business, Often To Detriment Of Small Family Farmers 2006-12-21 03:32:47 The cornerstone of the multibillion-dollar system of federal farm subsidies is an iconic image of the struggling family farmer: small, powerless against Mother Nature, tied to the land by blood. Without generous government help, farm-state politicians say, thousands of these hardworking families would fail, threatening the nation's abundant food supply. "In today's fast-paced, interconnected world, there are few industries where sons and daughters can work side-by-side with moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas," Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said last year. "But we still find that today in agriculture. ... It is a celebration of what too many in our country have forgotten, an endangered way of life that we must work each and every day to preserve." This imagery secures billions annually in what one grower called "empathy payments" for farmers, but it is misleading. Read The Full Story Editorial: Rudderless In Iraq 2006-12-21 03:31:24 Intellpuke: The following editorial appears in the New York Times edition for Thursday, December 21, 2006. The editorial begins here: Anyone looking for new thinking on Iraq, or even candor, had to be disappointed by President Bush’s news conference yesterday. Mr. Bush may want to defer unveiling his new strategy, but there will be no obliging pause in Iraq’s unraveling. The latest Pentagon status report confirms a spiraling death toll, ever deeper sectarian divisions and near total lawlessness on the streets of Baghdad, despite repeated American vows to secure the capital. In a further sign of Iraq’s descent, our colleague James Glanz reported this week that Baghdad gets less than seven hours of electricity a day, as insurgents and looters dismantle the power grid. While Mr. Bush contemplates his fast-disappearing options, competing factions in the administration and the military have been less reticent about floating their ideas. Some urge a sharp, temporary increase in American troop strength in Baghdad. Others argue that Iraqi forces should take the lead, whether or not they’re ready. Still others talk about different ways of reconfiguring Iraq’s dysfunctional governing coalition. Read The Full Story U.S. To Declassify Secrets After 25 Years 2006-12-21 03:30:04 It will be a Cinderella moment for the band of researchers who study the hidden history of American government. At midnight on Dec. 31, hundreds of millions of pages of secret documents will be instantly declassified, including many F.B.I. cold war files on investigations of people suspected of being Communist sympathizers. After years of extensions sought by federal agencies behaving like college students facing a term paper, the end of 2006 means the government’s first automatic declassification of records. Secret documents 25 years old or older will lose their classified status without so much as the stroke of a pen, unless agencies have sought exemptions on the ground that the material remains secret. Historians say the deadline, created in the Clinton administration but enforced, to the surprise of some scholars, by the secrecy-prone Bush administration, has had huge effects on public access, despite the large numbers of intelligence documents that have been exempted. Read The Full Story Saudi Arabia To Name Jubeir As Ambassador To U.S. 2006-12-21 03:28:02 Saudi Arabia has informed the State Department that it intends to appoint Adel al-Jubeir as the new ambassador to Washington, D.C., according to U.S. officials. Jubeir, who is one of King Abdullah's closest foreign policy advisers, has long been the public face of the oil-rich kingdom in the West. Jubeir is a well-known figure in Washington who was put out front by the kingdom in an effort to dissociate the Saudi royal family from the Islamic extremism of al-Qaeda after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. He has often had to defend against tough criticism of one of the world's most autocratic governments. On CNN "Late Edition" last year, Jubeir disputed reports that bin Laden is still widely popular in the kingdom. "You can talk to radicals in Europe and they'll tell you that their agenda is very popular with the masses when, in fact, it's not," he said. "If Osama bin Laden or al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia were popular, we would see an increase in recruitment, not a decrease. We would see an increase in their ability to do damage, not a decrease. ... We are winning the war on terrorism. It will take time, though." Read The Full Story
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