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CORRUPTION UPDATES 95 July 24, 2007 The CORRUPTION UPDATES posts corruption news stories from California, the Nation and the World, and gives you the straight story. |
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1) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Pakistani justice's reinstatement is blow to Musharraf
Saturday, July 21, 2007
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/21/MNGI3R4EHR1.DTL
(07-21) 04:00 PDT Islamabad, Pakistan -- Pakistan's high court delivered a stinging rebuke to President Pervez Musharraf on Friday, reinstating the country's chief justice four months after Musharraf tried to oust him and jeopardizing the president's plan to hold on to power.
The decision was hailed as a landmark victory by advocates for returning Pakistan to civilian-led, democratic rule, who said it amounts to an unprecedented act of defiance in a country where the judiciary has long bowed to military might.
Since his suspension in March, the judge, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, has been touring the country speaking about the dangers of despotism. He will now lead the court at a time when it is likely to hear challenges to Musharraf's plans for extending his tenure, which have been assailed as anti-democratic.
Musharraf's term ends later this year. This week, he said he intends to be elected to a new, five-year term by a parliament that is packed with supporters and about to expire. Musharraf, who came to power in a coup, also indicated he plans to stay on as army chief and keep his uniform, a garment that carries huge significance in Pakistan because it represents support from the country's most influential institution -- its military.
Musharraf's opponents have charged that both proposals are constitutionally dubious and say the ruling Friday shows that the judiciary is willing to torpedo his plans.
Originally written on June 8, 2007, for Corruption Update 70_7
Musharraf Desperation Deepens: Shallow Accusations and Falling Support Spelling End of Musharraf
Musharraf is failing. His party's murder of 45 protesters in Karachi did not dissuade further public protest, nor did it satisfy Musharraf, judging by his complaints about lack of party support. Sometimes murder is not sufficient to maintain dictatorial power.
At this point, Musharraf barely has time and maneuvering room to exit gracefully. His options for keeping power are limited.
He can back off, reappoint Chaudry, and focus on guiding his fatally wounded dictatorship towards stealing the next presidential election, set for this year.
This is unlikely, as resistance to his Dictatorship is growing in all quarters.
Musharraf's most likely path, if he can keep the Army behind him, will be to put the Army in the Streets, adding the tool of direct State Violence to his use of mass political arrests, and closing the media.
In any case, neither side has backed off, and a showdown is coming.
If Musharraf stands his ground, blood will soon be running through the streets of Pakistani cities. If Musharraf flees, the Army may not be able to impose another general, and may be forced to step back, and cut a deal with the opposition groups to hold a real election.
America is responsible for heavily arming and funding Musharraf, and directly supporting his military dictatorship. We have raised no objections to his dictatorship, despite our oft repeated goal of "democratization," nor have we spoken against his latest arbitrary uses of violence and political power.
If blood runs in the streets of Karachi and Islamabad, we must bear a great deal of responsibility.
For commentary on how this will affect the Afghan War, see:
All Pakistani News Links
Latest at the Bottom of the list
Analysis
Al-Ahram 18-24 Jan 07, “Pakistan's old new year"
bbc, 3-12-2007, “American backed Dictator Attempting to Crush Pakistan's Judiciary"
Cnn, 3-27-07, "American Dictator Removes Chief Justice in Pakistan"
bbc, 3-25-07, "Musharraf 'seeks Karachi peace'"
bbc, 26 May 2007, "Pakistan's ex-top judge has addressed thousands..."
Corruption Updates 62, 10th article on the page, Clinton:Pakistani businessman, donor to Dems, returns to U.S. to face charges
Corruption Updates 63, 9th article on the page, "Pakistan: 4 Arrested in Killing of Judge’s Aide"
Corruption Updates 67, 4th article on the page, "Musharraf Issues Decree Cracking Down on News Media"
Pakistan Holds 2 in Pearl Killing: False, These Men Kidnapped 4 years Ago, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 6-6-07
Corruption Updates 69, 2nd article on the page, "Pakistan Arrests 300 Workers From Opposition"
Corruption Updates 88, 9th article on the page, Musharraf’s Plane Fired Upon as Mosque Standoff Continues
Corruption Updates 88, 10th article on the page, "As Pakistan’s Chief Looks Ahead, Army Holds the Cards"
Corruption Updates 92, 8th article on the page, U.S.: Pakistan Will Fight Militants: American Dictator Save Pakistan from itself
Corruption Updates 92, 9th article on the page, Islamabad Bombing Kills at Least 12: Pakistani Blood Bath Beginning with full US Support
Corruption Updates 95, 1st article on the page, Pakistani justice's reinstatement is blow to Musharraf
Corruption Updates 95, 2nd article on the page, Parties to Challenge Pakistan Election Plan
Corruption Updates 96, 4th article on the page, New Violence at Reopened Pakistan Mosque: American Dictator Provokes Widespread
Even Musharraf’s Allies Question His Re-election Goal: Will US broker a Musharraf-Bhutto alignment between Army and Secular Corruption? NY Times, August 17, 2007
Prime Minister Plays Down Pakistani Rivals’ Talks: Dictator Tries to Split Power between Corrupt Elites, NYT, August 20, 2007
Supreme Court rules that ex-PM Sharif can return to Pakistan from exile: Musharraf Dictatorship Unraveling, Associated Press, August 23, 2007
Close Aides to Musharraf Meet With His Opposition: NY Times Softens Musharraf's Military Dictatorship, NY Times, August 27, 2007
Will US broker a Musharraf-Bhutto alignment between Army and Secular Corruption?
Musharraf strikes deal with Bhutto: Bhutto sells out to American Dictatorship, Financial Times, August 29, 2007
Bhutto Vows early return to Pakistan, US brokers deal between Dictator and Corruption? BBC NEWS, September 1, 2007
Taleban 'getting Chinese weapons:' China growing stronger on US Trade, BBC NEWS, September 3, 2007
Saudis 'ask Sharif not to return, BBC NEWS: September 5, 2007
Order for Sharif brother arrest, BBC NEWS, September 7, 2007
Sharif arrives in Pakistan, CNN, 9-10-07
Lawyers Appeal Sharif Exile, Associated Press, September 11, 2007
Pakistan bomb kills elite troops, BBC NEWS, September 13, 2007
Bhutto's return to Pakistan set for Oct. 18, Los Angeles Times,September 14, 2007
Paki Security chief gets jail warning for kidnapping , BBC NEWS: 8-20-07
Pakistan frees 'al-Qaeda suspect', BBC NEWS, August 20, 2007
Fear and fearlessness in Pakistan, Al-Ahram Weekly, 4 - 10 October 2007
Pakistani justices throw Musharraf a curve, LAT, October 5, 2007
Pakistan detains opposition leaders: American Dictator Arrests Opposition, Aljazeera, SEPTEMBER 23, 2007
VIEW: Running from Musharraf, Daily Times, Pakistan, 9-29-07
Our Paki Dictator reveals his true source of power: Martial Law, Washington Post, November 4, 2007
Our Paki Dictator Releases Militants, Arrests Democratic Opposition to fight "Terror," Dawn, Pakistan, 11-5-07
Pakistan: 1000's Flee Military Assualt, Reuters, Sun Oct 28, 2007
Paki Supreme Court Chief Held Govt in Contempt for Many illegal acts, BBC NEWS, 2007/10/30
US continues to back Paki dictator after arrest of supreme court, closing media, and arresting moderate opponents, Christian Science Monitor, Nov 6, 2007
Musharraf imprisoned supreme court, killed media, and arrested opponents with Bush Approval, Dawn, 11-3-07
Musharraf's illegal Martial Law Supreme Court approves his dictatorship, Dawn, November 23, 2007
Pakistan Govt releasing kidnap-torture victims captured in bush terror war, NYT, December 19, 2007
U.S. Officials See Waste in Billions Sent to Pakistan, NYT, 12-24-07
Report: U.S. military aid to Pakistan not well controlled, "...Americans have been taken for a ride," www.chinaview.cn, 12-24-07
Negraponte the criminal: Answers.com
Poindexter the criminal: Hereinreality.com
Past criminals in present administration: Fair.org
Death of Bhutto, Articles of 12-28-07:
BUTCHERED: - Bullets and blast fell Bhutto in army hub, The Telegraph, India, 12-29-07
Nation outraged at Benazir's assassination, The Nation, Pakistan, 12-28-07
The million-dollar question: Who is going to succeed Benazir Bhutto? Daily Times, Pakistan, Saturday, December 29, 2007
News Analysis: Who killed Benazir Bhutto? Daily Times, 12-29-07
Bhutto was targeted by all militant groups in Pakistan, Kuwait Times, December 29, 2007
Fisk: Pakistan blames Musharraf, The Independent, UK, 29 December 2007
Bhutto death explanation 'pack of lies,' New.au.com, December 29, 2007
More Articles on Bhutto Death
Frontier Post Article, Pakistan
Dawn, Pakistan: offline??????
The Telegraph, India
BBC, Special Report: The Death of Bhutto
NYT, Salvaging U.S. Diplomacy Amid Division
Did Benazir Bhutto Kill her brother? CNN, 9-21-05
Swiss close probe of Bhutto corruption, continue probe of husband, ap, 12-28-07
Video of Bhutto's last Moments, Explosion, guardian, 12-28-07
Pakistan blames Musharraf, independent, uk, 12-29-07
Aftermath
Husband to Lead Bhutto Party, Dawn, 12-30-07
Husband to Lead Bhutto Party, bbc, 12-30-07
Billery Supports Musharraf Dictatorship, Dawn, 12-31-07
Daughter of the West, london review of books, 12-13-07
'Real' Bhutto heir denounces family business, times, karachi, 1-12-08
Bhutto tribe patriarch disputes party leadership succession, McClatchy, January 01, 2008
US considers Pakistani adventure, nyt 1-6-08
Musharraf: US incursion will be regarded as invasion, billery sucks, DailyTimes, pk, 1-12-08
Wazri forces capture paki fort, daily times, 1-17-08
Paki troops flee in fear, aljazerra, 1-17-08
Bhutto party rejects Musharraf deal, daily times, 1-17-08
Sharif party rejects Musharraf, dawn, 1-17-08
south asian food shortages, bbc, 9 January 2008
Rand: US fully informed of Musharraf crimes, the nation, 1-18-08
Musharraf: ‘US incursion will be regarded as invasion,' daily times, 1-12-08
Can Pakistan's new military chief reign in the army? Does he want to? aljazeera, JANUARY 19, 2008
Musharraf the dictator begging for support in europe, cnn, January 21, 2008
Retired paki officers call for musharraf to step out of politics, lat, January 24, 2008
US planning action in paki mountain regions, lat, January 23, 2008
Musharraf rejects CIA bid to hunt Taliban, telegraph, 1-28-08
thoughts on pakistan, daily star, 1-28-08
finally: bush sees his paki-afghan failures, learns nothing, lat, 1-28-08
US backed dictatorship unraveling
bhutto book accuses musharraf from the grave, the nation, 2-14-08
zadari loots the grave: demands party loyalty for bhutto blood, the nation, 2-14-08
pakistan poll: bhutto death, fair elections, & musharraf out, chaudry in, the nation, 2-14-08
Sharif: musharraf bows to woman (rice), the nation, 2-14-08
musharraf soundly defeated, ap, 2-19-08
Media Blackout Update: Pakistan and Alabama? nty, February 25, 2008
Many Pakistanis 'still missing,' BBC, 2-25-08 (bush prisons full in pakistan)
scorecard on paki politics from dubai, khaleej times , 2-18-08
pakistanis' only question: how rigged are the elections? mirror, 2-18-08
Zardari, Nawaz agree to form coalition, dawn, 2-22-08
Sharif and Zardari join forces in bid to oust Musharraf from power in Pakistan, Daily Mail, 9th March 2008
Musharraf's secret prisons full, bbc, 2-25-08
Lawyers Demand Release of Judges in Pakistan, NYT, 3-9-08
APDM to convene APC to pursue missing persons case, Daily Times, Staff Report, 3-9-08
NATO adviser for talks with Taliban, Daily Times, 3-9-08
ashdown warns of afghan failure, ft, 3-12-08
taliban woos karzai's warlords, reuters, 3-11-08
muslims want their own democracy, not our dictators, bbc, 2-27-08
Taliban leader offers truce, dawn, 3-15-08
new Pakistan PM vows to free judges, bbc, 3-24-08
essay: Democracy threatens US influence in Pakistan, committee, 3-24-08
New Paki govt partner ANP opens talks with taliban, dawn, 3-30-08
New ANP governor demands us stop firing missiles into pakistan, mcclatchy, 4-1-08
Failure of paki dictator draws US delegation to maintain US domination of paki military-politics, dawn, 3-28-08
US delegation to pakistan seen as intrusive effort to support failing dictatorship of musharraf, nyt, 3-26-08
legendary taliban leader reemerges to unify pashtun spring offensive, asia times, 4-4-08
who is this legendary leader? cursor, 1-18-08
Rice shortage grips Asia, several nations scramble to cope with regional crisis, manila times, 4-6-08
Global rice shortage intensifies, mainla times, 4-6-08
WHO sees impending global food crisis, who, 4-7-08
Asian Food Crisis, five articles, 4-6-08
UN see global food crisis, impending famine, lat, 4-1-08
also see: War, Afghan, Pakistan Border
Baitullah orders militants to stop attacks in Fata, NWFP, Dawn, 4-24-08
Peace deal with militants must be enforced: US, daily times, 4-24-08
US predicts increase in Afghan violence, ap, 4-24-08
Terms of the Paki taliban: peace with Paki govt, but continued war against Americans Invasion of Afghanistan, mcclatchy, 4-1-08
Anger in Pakistan at poll delays, bbc, 5-5-08
Pakistan Defies U.S. on Halting Afghanistan Raids, nyt, 5-16-08
US Senate: Bush lied us to War, nyt, 6-6-08
Paki Lawyers march to end delay in reinstating judges, prosecuting musharraf, bbc, 6-10-08
essay: Dictator Musharaaf Fired Chief Justice, Shot Protesters in the Streets, Arresting Political Opponents, Closed Media:US Says, Does, Nothing but Supply Arms and Cash to Musharraf.
Another Act of War against Pakistan
The Nation, (PK) Army protests deadly US-led coalition air strike, 6-11-08
Pakistan army: U.S.-led coalition airstrike killed 11 troops, usa today, 6-11-08
Daily Times, (PK) Is there a deal with the taliban? 6-11-08
Pakistan draws a bead on Baitullah, asia times, 7-26-08
Musharraf Quits
Pakistan's ruling coalition plans to impeach Musharraf, mcclatchy, 8-7-08
Pervez Musharraf's mixed legacy, bbc, 8-18-08
...
Taleban winning war, says Zardari, bbc, 8-24-08
U.N. Envoy’s Ties to Pakistani Are Questioned, nyt, 8-25-08
‘President should not have power to dismiss assemblies,’ daily times, 8-25-08
Nawaz pulls out of coalition, dawn, 8-26-08
...
Ground assault by US-led forces: Women, children among 20 killed in Waziristan, dawn, 9-4-08
‘Bad intelligence caused death of innocent people,’ dawn, 9-4-08
Liars at the New York Times
American Forces Attack Militants on Pakistani Soil, nyt, 9-3-08
Pakistan's likely new leader may align with U.S., produce disputes at home, mcclatchy, 9-4-08
NBC: Bush OK'd secret raids inside Pakistan, nbc, 9-11-08
'Another US strike' hits Pakistan, bbc, 9-12-08
Pakistan says it will defend against US attacks, dawn, 9-11-08
US 'must target Pakistan havens,' bbc, 9-11-08
Suicide bomber kills 34 in Pakistan, c4, UK, 12-28-08
The Indian Perspective: The Times of India "Bombard Pakistan," times of india, 12-29-08
As many as 20,000 troops reportedly being pulled away from fighting militants near Afghanistan, wn, 12-29-08
AP Pakistan army: We must 'avoid conflict' with India, ap, 12-29-08
INDIA : Seeking China's Support in Dealing With Pakistan, ips, 12-30-08
...
reference: China and India agree closer ties, bbc, 1-14-08
background: US National welfare Secondary to Corporate Profits in China Trade, alex, 12-07
No escalation of tensions on the part of India: Pranab, ie, 12-30-08
South Asia descends into terror's vortex, at, 12-2508
ECONOMY: 'Financial Meltdown Decolonising Asian Minds,' ips, 12-31-08
Karzai and Singh discuss security, bbc, 1-12-09
Pak not involved in 26/11 attack: UK, statesman, 1-13-09
NATO High Commander Issues Illegitimate Order to Kill, spiegel, 1-28-09
Obama broadens US targets in Pakistan: report, dawn, 2-21-09
Zadari Takes up for US where Musharraf left off
US Stooge Zadari pulls a "Musharraf," tries to hold total power without check
Pakistan police beat anti-govt protesters, abc, 3-12-09
Govt on arrest spree to avert LM F.P. Report, frontier post, 3-12-09
Aitzaz Ahsan: “We won’t stop," dawn, 3-12-09
‘More long marches in the offing if this one stopped,’ daily times, 3-13-09
Zadari to Kill Sharif?
Gilani orders foolproof security for Nawaz Sharif, daily times, 3-13-09
Chaos in Pak; Sharif defies arrest, heads for Capital, times of india, 3-16-09
Govt to file petition against Sharif disqualification, dawn, 3-16-09
...Scroll up for earlier news on our Pakistani Dictatorship
essays and analysis of the American Dictatorship/political "control" of Pakistan
Democracy of Fools: The Bush Vision for the Middle-East, committee, 8-7-07
essay: US policy of attacking "terror" with terror and dictators fails, committee, 6-7-07
essay: American foreign policy: The Headless, and Heartless, Horseman, committee, 6-07
essay: Democracy of Fools: The Bush Vision for the Middle-East, committee, 8-7-07
essay: Will US broker a Musharraf-Bhutto alignment between Army and Secular Corruption? Alex, August 25, 2007
essay: Times, and American Corporate MediaSoftens Musharraf's Military Dictatorship, Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 29, 2007
essay: Democracy threatens US influence in Pakistan, committee, 3-24-08
essay: The middle east yesterday, today, and tomorrow, committee, 4-17-08
Musharraf Fears his own people more than US or Taliban: rise of a New Global Balance of Power
US Supports Tyrants and illegal Nuclear Programs in Pakistan and India, alex, june '07
...
This will not end well, alex, 6-08
Bhutto Death: Links
also see: War, Afghan, Pakistan Border
Search the Corruption Database under
Pakistan
Supporting Dictators
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Parties to Challenge Pakistan Election Plan
By SALMAN MASOOD
NYT, July 23, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 22 — Fresh fighting erupted between the military and militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas on Sunday, as opposition political parties announced plans to file legal challenges to Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s apparent plans to be re-elected as president while continuing to hold the office of military chief.
General Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, suffered a potentially grievous setback Friday, when the nation’s highest court overturned his suspension of the Supreme Court chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
After a March 9 presidential order to resign, Mr. Chaudhry challenged his suspension in court. His ouster prompted an outpouring of demonstrations in favor of democracy and judicial independence.
The Supreme Court is expected to consider the two main legal thorns that General Musharraf would be likely to encounter if he seeks re-election later this year: whether he can continue as both army chief and president and whether he can be elected by the current Parliament.
Leaders of a coalition of opposition parties said they would meet Monday to discuss the timing of the constitutional challenges. They renewed their call for General Musharraf to resign.
“After the Supreme Court verdict, it is his democratic, moral and ethical duty to resign,” Ahsan Iqbal, the information secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League, said in an interview on Sunday evening.
He said the leader of the party, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, also planned to appeal to the Supreme Court for his return to the country. Mr. Sharif was overthrown and exiled by General Musharraf.
Meanwhile, in the tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan, the government’s efforts to resuscitate a peace deal with Islamist insurgents bore no fruit, as clashes with the military in North Waziristan left 19 dead, The Associated Press reported.
Violence in the tribal areas has spiked in the aftermath of a military raid on a radical pro-Taliban mosque here in the capital. The Taliban announced last weekend that it had pulled out of a 10-month-old peace deal. A spate of suicide bombings and guerrilla attacks followed.
All told, in less than three weeks, when the siege on the Red Mosque compound began, nearly 300 people have been killed.
The United States has stepped up its criticism of the Pakistan government’s truce strategy with the Taliban, saying it has failed to quell infiltration into neighboring Afghanistan and enabled Al Qaeda to strengthen its haven in the tribal areas. American officials have in recent days suggested that military strikes on known terrorist hide-outs could be under consideration. That has been met with strident criticism from Islamabad.
American Backing for Dictators bad for US, Very Bad for them
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 24, 2007
(The following was written on March 3, 2007 for CU 38_10.)
Bush's haste in dealing with Afghanistan drew him into a convenient alliance with Pakistan's military dictator, Musharraf. This was an ignorant alliance, morally and practically speaking.
From a moral perspective, Pakistan is a nation of contradictions. Pakistan's emergence out of colonialism has devolved, again, into a military dictatorship supported by the United States. It is morally unacceptable for our country to support dictators.
From a Practical perspective, the alliance with Musharraf is a sign of Bush's ignorance in conducting the Afghan war. Rather than putting the forces on the ground required to take and hold Afghanistan, a just war, Bush's attention was focused on the upcoming unjust, illegal invasion of Iraq. Bush guaranteed chaos and failure in Afghanistan by relying on corrupt war lords and a dictator as the tools for the Afghan conquest.
Backing Musharraf is risky. Musharraf bridges the unstable divide between Pakistan's colonial past, and its religious present. Musharraf bridges the divide between traditional tribal authority, and centralized, modern state power. Musharraf sits, carefully balanced, atop a cauldron of conflict and contradiction that is Pakistan. Our alliance could create sufficient resistance to topple him into the cauldron.
Forging yet another American military alliance with yet another military dictator is not the path to long-term regional stability.
Musharraf will do our bidding as far as it suits his interests, and no further. Using tools like Musharraf to fight America's wars is not the way to victory.
Our alliance with Musharraf will only bring further regional instability, more American deaths, and cost us any chance of leaving Afghanistan as victors.
Also See:
See link list following article #1, above.
Search the Corruption Database under
Pakistan
Speak your Mind here! Send your Comments about the Topic Above for Posting!
Please limit comments to 400 words, unless you write really well! Remember to include the Corruption Updates page number, and the article number on the page. Example: (82_1.)
3) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Judge dismisses lawsuit by ex-CIA officer in leak case
Friday, July 20, 2007
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/20/MNGKSR3NG51.DTL
(07-20) 04:00 PDT Washington -- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Thursday by former CIA operative Valerie Wilson and her husband seeking damages against Vice President Dick Cheney, former Cheney aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby and two others she accused of conspiring to disclose her identity.
Wilson and her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson, had alleged that Cheney, Libby, White House political adviser Karl Rove and former State Department official Richard Armitage had violated their constitutional rights in the events that led to the former CIA officer, who was also known as Valerie Plame, being identified in news reports in the summer of 2003.
U.S. District Judge John Bates rejected the lawsuit in a 41-page ruling.
Without offering an opinion on the merits of the case, Bates said it was barred by other statutes that Congress had enacted to cover instances of alleged harm to CIA operatives and other federal employees.
"The court finds that, under controlling Supreme Court precedent, special factors -- particularly the remedial scheme established by Congress in the Privacy Act -- counsel against the recognition of an implied damages remedy for plaintiffs' constitutional claims," the judge ruled.
Lawyers for the Wilsons said they would appeal the decision.
Bates also wrote that he was concerned about "creating a private right of action for the disclosure of covert identity," and that such lawsuits could "inevitably require judicial intrusion into matters of national security."
Lawyers for Cheney and the other defendants had argued in court filings that the lawsuit would be "inimical" to the ability of the executive branch to protect national security information.
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
National Security and Secrecy claims used to cover Administration's Crimes
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 24, 2007
As in every instance of criminal, unconstitutional and dishonorable behavior by this sick administration, they have once again claimed the magic cloak of "National Security" to make their crimes disappear, without any review of their criminal actions themselves. This time it worked.
This is the same claim the Administration is using to defend illegal searches, kidnapping, torture, and secret detentions, among their many crimes.
Apparently it is in our "national interest" to allow a renegade President, and his wildly criminal crew, to hide behind a thin veil of "national security" while they shred every law and Constitutional protection individuals have in this country.
Yet it is not just the people and courts who are asleep at the wheel. Congress has been fed this line of Bullshit repeatedly since the run up to the wars.
Don't expect Congress to upset Bush's tyranny: Congress is funded and supported by the same group of wealthy and powerful corporations who dominate election funding in our "democracy." And, the Dem Candidates want these same powers available to them when they capture the Presidency.
Soon, Americans will be forced to realize that they lost the war against tyranny when they lost their democracy.
I place the exact moment corporations captured both parties at the first election of Clinton. Immediately upon taking office Clinton finished NAFTA, gutted social services, and corporatized everything he could lay his hands on. Good work, ASSHOLE TRAITOR. Now we have Billery to deal with.
Today we have another Corporate Clinton leading the Corporate Democrat Candidates down the old Lemming trail, lying about Iraq, and failing to defend our rights, or our country against,...against the very corporations that are funding her campaign.
Americans will soon be forced to realize that our greatest enemies are not foreign, but domestic.
Bush Takes Law into his own hands, Frees Traitor Libby
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 5th, 2007
The investigation into outing Valerie Plame ended when Bush and Rove were interviewed by Fitzgerald, the prosecutor.
The investigation ended right there, during the interview. Bush told Fitzgerald that he had secretly declassified Plame, without the knowledge of Plame, or the CIA.
That is also the moment the investigation into outing Plame turned into a perjury investigation against Libby. What this means is that Libby was lying to protect the true source of the disinformation campaign against Wilson: The President of the United States.
As the President himself exposed Plame's identity, his comments, and those of his inner circle, take on added significance.
On September 29, 2003, White House Press Secretary Mc Clellam told the press that Karl Rove "...wasn't involved,... The president knows he wasn't involved" On the same day Rove denied any knowledge concerning the exposure of Plame's CIA connection.
On February 11th, 2004, Bush told the American people that,
"If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. . .If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of. I welcome the investigation. I am absolutely confident the Justice Department will do a good job. I want to know the truth. . . . Leaks of classified information are bad things."(From Answers.Com.)
On July 18, 2005, Bush followed up with the ultimate lie, saying,
"I would like this to end as quickly as possible so we know the facts. And if someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration."
Bush's words were well selected. He was well aware that no crime could have been committed after he secretly declassified Plame's covert identity. Bush made criminal prosecution impossible: no one could have committed a crime. Criminal liability for outing Plame disappeared when Bush signed the secret declassification order.
Although technically correct, Bush fails to understand that his lies and political manipulations of the office of the president and its various agencies has risen above mere statue law, and constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors against the people, the Congress, and against the office of the presidency itself.
Bush lied to everybody except the prosecutor, and that saved all their asses. Libby was busted lying to prevent the prosecutor from discovering that the leak came from the president himself.
The press has failed to pursue the real story, that the President betrayed the identity of an American CIA agent to cover his previous lies about Iraq's WMD programs.
Understand that the press aided and abetted the original lies about Iraq's WMD program. So it's disappointing, but not surprising that the corporate press are failing to explain the President's profound lies that led us to war in Iraq.
The President and his men are working in partnership with the Corporate press to maintain an elaborate campaign to create and disseminate lies to hide their lies and crimes that paved the way to war in Iraq.
But the Truth is Out There. Fitzgerald is sitting on his knowledge that the President betrayed a CIA agent. I can't wait for the book.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 34, 12th article on the page, "ROVE TRAITOR TO AMERICA: ROVE SNITCHED OFF SECRET AGENT FOR POLITICAL GAIN AT PRESIDENT'S BEHEST"
Corruption Updates 34, 13th article on the page, "Plame Reporting: CORPORATE PRESS A TOOL OF CORPORATIONS-SPECIAL INTERESTS"
Corruption Updates 46, 10th article on the page, "How Bogus Letter Became a Case for War"
Search the Corruption Database under
Plame (11 Abstracts)
Rove (56 Abstracts)
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Please limit comments to 400 words, unless you write really well! Remember to include the Corruption Updates page number, and the article number on the page. Example: (82_1.)
4) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Gonzales testifies in firings row
US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been told to consider appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the sacking of eight federal prosecutors.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2007/07/24 17:49:25 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6914196.stm
Senior Republican Senator Arlen Specter told Mr Gonzales such a move might be necessary to ensure congressional oversight of the Bush administration.
Mr Gonzales is testifying to a Senate judiciary panel. He denies wrongdoing.
Resignation resisted
Speaking at Tuesday's hearing, Mr Specter said the Bush administration's actions could have the effect of limiting congressional supervision.
"The constitutional authority and responsibility for congressional oversight is gone," he told Mr Gonzales, according to the Associated Press news agency.
"If that is to happen, the president can run the government as he chooses, answer no questions."
Mr Specter said that in that case, the attorney general had the authority to appoint a special prosecutor to ensure oversight.
Wiretapping row
Mr Gonzales also faced questions on Tuesday relating to the Bush administration's wiretapping programme.
He denied an account that in 2004 he pressured then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to reauthorise Mr Bush's controversial domestic spying programme while he was ill in hospital.
Earlier this year, Mr Ashcroft's deputy James Comey told the committee he had been angered by the appearance of Mr Gonzales and White House chief of staff Andy Card at Mr Ashcroft's bedside.
"I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man who did not have the powers of the attorney general," Mr Comey testified in May.
Speaking about the meeting for the first time, Mr Gonzales said he and Mr Card had been asked by congressional leaders to ensure that the surveillance programme did not expire.
They had gone to inform Mr Ashcroft, he said, but they did not press him when it became apparent he was not competent at that time to reauthorise the programme.
Spector Recognizes that Oversight is Broken and the President is Out of Control
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 24, 2007
The BBC article above is ms-titled. Headlines should highlight the most important element of the story, which in this case is the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee noting that Congressional Oversight has failed.
The complete failure of Congressional Oversight was highlighted by the Bush Administration's statement that Gonzales would not do his job, and enforce Congressional subpoenas. The abstracted article about this may be read at CU 94_1.
This is complimented by Congress' complete corruption by, and fawning dependence at the feet of, our Corporate Special Interests.
Spector's observations are anecdotal; both Congress and the Executive Branches are incapable of doing the people's business, let alone maintaining democratic institutions limited by our Constitution. These institutions have been ineffective for decades.
These failures will ultimately bring reform, as our corporate dominated government is allowing the corporations to shit in the wells we drink from, pollute the airs we breath from. and ravage our electrical, educational, and medical "systems."
After they have looted or polluted everything, we will get pissed off and throw these whores out of our government. Those who came to this country to feed off their greed should be worried.
Those who have been moving to America to serve our criminal corporations, and reap the benefits of greed and corruption, are going to be really surprised at what is going to happen when the money dries up.
Key testimony reported in the above article that is coming back to haunt Gonzales is the lies he told Congress about the assault on Ashcroft while he was hospitalized. The following list of links tells the story;
Corruption Updates 70, 5th article on the page, Democrats May Subpoena N.S.A. Documents (Comey testified to Congress about the hospital assault, Congress wanted legal justifications for program, and his side of the episode from Gonzales)
Corruption Updates 95, 5th article on the page, Gonzales testifies in firings row: And Lied to Congress about the hospital assault
Corruption Updates 104, 1st article on the page, Notes Detail Pressure on Ashcroft Over Spying: Gonzales Caught Lying, yet Again
Corruption Updates 88, 6th article on the page, Bush Authorized Domestic Spying: Bush is a Criminal, and an Enemy of our Constitution
Corruption Updates 88, 7th article on the page, Spying on the Home Front
Corruption Updates 104, 1st article on page, Notes Detail Pressure on Ashcroft Over Spying
These links mostly follow the US Attorney Scandal:
Corruption Updates 25, 8th article on page, “FBI CHIEF DEFYS CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT REFUSAL TO DISCLOSE ILLEGAL PROGRAM...”
Corruption Updates 34, 2nd article on page, “SCARY NEO-CON POLITICAL OPERATIVE REPLACES US ATTORNEY IN ARKANSAS”
Corruption Update 34, Jan., 31, 2006, 7th article on page, "ALBERTO FIGHTS FOR UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRESIDENTIAL POWERS"
Corruption Updates 35, 11th article on page, “DOMENICI FINALLY ADMITS TO UNETHICAL, IF NOT CRIMINAL, CONTACT WITH FEDERAL PROSECUTOR”
Corruption Updates 38, 1st article on page, “Fired U.S. attorney's testimony raises broader concerns”
Corruption Updates 38, 5th article on page, “LA TIMES OFFERS BUSH POLITICAL COVER FOR FIRING PROSECUTOR OF DUKE CUNNINGHAM”
Corruption Updates 39, 3rd article on page, “Rove's role in firings is focus”
Corruption Updates 39, 4th article on page, “Fed Attny Firing Report:TRIBUNE CO HAS MADE LATIMES A TOOL”
Corruption Updates 39, 5th article on page, “GOP official urged Rove to fire prosecutor”
Corruption Updates 39, 6th article on page, “House panel expands inquiry into prosecutor firings”
Corruption Updates 39, 7th article on page, “Gonzales is urged to quit 'for the nation'
Corruption Updates 42 , 2nd article on page, “Tobacco prosecutor says administration interfered"
Corruption Updates 42 , 5th article on page, “U.S. suggests cutting Abramoff sentence"
Corruption Update 43 2nd article on the page, "GONALES CAUGHT IN OPEN LIES TO CONGRESS"
Corruption Updates 46, 8th article on the page, "Prosecutor Posts Go To Bush Insiders:Bush packing US Attorney posts with biased insiders"
Corruption Updates 47, 2nd article on the page, "Gonzales has US Attorneys in Babylonian Captivity"
Links
Search the Corruption Database under
US Attorney
Gonzales
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5) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
U.S. dropped Enron-like fraud probe
Prosecutor who built case against Virginia insurer was replaced.
By Marisa Taylor - Mcclatchy Washington Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDTMonday, July 23, 2007
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/286713.html
Two years into a fraud investigation, veteran federal prosecutor David Maguire told colleagues he'd uncovered one of the biggest cases of his career.
Maguire described crimes "far worse" than those of Arthur Andersen, the accounting giant that collapsed in the wake of the Enron scandal. Among those in his sights: executives from a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment empire overseen by billionaire Warren Buffett.
In May 2006, he felt strongly enough about his case that he prepared a draft indictment accusing executives from a Virginia insurer, Reciprocal of America, of concocting a series of secret deals to hide its losses from regulators. Although he didn't name anyone from Berkshire Hathaway's subsidiary, he described the company as a participant in the scheme.
But Maguire never brought those charges.
Months after preparing the draft, he was removed as the lead prosecutor on the case and reassigned.
His replacement, a prosecutor who hadn't been involved in the case until then, soon announced that the Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, General Reinsurance, would not be indicted. By April of this year, the entire investigation, which the Justice Department once hailed as one of the largest insurance-fraud cases in Virginia history, had fizzled.
Tom Gober, a certified fraud examiner who worked on the case, thought investigators had gathered plenty of evidence.
Gober, a government-contracted investigator, concluded that the Justice Department had buckled under pressure from defense lawyers. Shortly before Maguire was removed, his supervisors were urging him to drop the case against General Reinsurance, Gober said.
Gober's suspicions were fanned by allegations of politicization in the Justice Department after nine U.S. attorneys were fired. He took his complaints to the Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates Justice Department misconduct. That investigation is under way.
"It just stinks," he said. "You don't come in out of nowhere and in no time kill three years of sophisticated effort."
Internal documents obtained by McClatchy Newspapers show that Justice Department lawyers in Washington had become locked in an intense debate with Maguire over the case until he was removed from it.
A company under siege
Regulators and FBI agents sifted through thousands of e-mails and memos. The trail led straight to Reciprocal President Kenneth Patterson and his executive vice president, Carolyn Hudgins.
Investigators found evidence that the pair had manipulated the company's accounting records to conceal losses and urged the pair to admit their guilt.
In February 2005, Patterson and Hudgins pleaded guilty to felony fraud charges. They agreed to cooperate with investigators. But agents soon became frustrated with the pair because they didn't appear to be divulging much detail.
A federal judge sentenced Patterson to 12 years in prison and Hudgins to five years. Both declined requests for interviews.
That spring, Justice Department lawyers in Washington began to voice skepticism about proceeding against General Reinsurance. They pointed out that some of the evidence, which dated to the late 1990s, might be too old. They also warned that an indictment could hurt a major corporation unnecessarily.
"The bottom line has always been what do we want to do with Gen Re," Joshua Hochberg, the Justice Department's then chief of the fraud section, wrote to Maguire. "Indicting the company would have enormous collateral consequences."
Maguire pushed back, arguing that his team had plenty of evidence showing a pattern of fraud over more than 15 years.
"Gen Re has been a public menace for a long time," he wrote colleagues. "Their 'I'm not my brother's keeper' attitude has enabled them to make millions by 'aiding and abetting' bad guys."
At the very least, Maguire argued, the department should impose a fine of up to $600 million. "If they balk, they should know that we are more than ready to indict Gen Re," he wrote.
FBI agents urged Maguire in May 2005 to proceed at least with an indictment against John William Crews, Reciprocal's general counsel, who'd co-founded the company in 1977, according to internal documents.
Maguire and the agents believed that Crews had participated in many of the meetings with General Reinsurance and had received memos and e-mails about the firms' relationship.
Crews and his law firm also had collected more than $63 million in legal fees from Reciprocal of America and its subsidiaries, documents show.
Within months, Maguire was removed from the Reciprocal of America case.
His replacement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gill, quickly set a new tone. In his first meeting with the team last fall, he called General Reinsurance's lawyers to tell them that no case would be brought against their clients in regard to Reciprocal.
Gill decided this spring not to indict Crews, either.
Department of Injustice Protects Corporate Criminals
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 31, 2007
The "Justice" Department, like the rest of our corporate controlled government, serves the needs of greed and wealth, not the rule of law under a Constitutional Democracy.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 34, 2nd article on page, “SCARY NEO-CON POLITICAL OPERATIVE REPLACES US ATTORNEY IN ARKANSAS”
Corruption Updates 35, 12th article on page, “DOMENICI FINALLY ADMITS TO UNETHICAL, IF NOT CRIMINAL, CONTACT WITH FEDERAL PROSECUTOR”
Corruption Updates 37, 5th article on page, “Fired U.S. attorneys testify before Congress” ( Fed Attorneys Silent on Pressure/Threats Until Fired)
Corruption Updates 37, 6th article on page, “Republicans could face new ethics probes”
Corruption Updates 37, 7th article on page, “Keating case prompted intervention rules”
Corruption Updates 38, 1st article on page, “Fired U.S. attorney's testimony raises broader concerns”
Corruption Updates 38, 5th article on page, “LA TIMES OFFERS BUSH POLITICAL COVER FOR FIRING PROSECUTOR OF DUKE CUNNINGHAM”
Corruption Updates 39, 3rd article on page, “Rove's role in firings is focus
Corruption Updates 42 , 2nd article on page, “Tobacco prosecutor says administration interfered"
Corruption Updates 42 , 5th article on page, “U.S. suggests cutting Abramoff sentence"
Corruption Updates 62, 9th article on the page, "US Attorney Minnesota case fits the pattern in flap over firing of U.S. attorneys"
Corruption Updates 64, 10th article on the page,"Ex-Governor Says Affidavit Shows Politics in Bribe Case"
Congressional Inquiry Urged in Prosecution of Ex-Governor, NYT, July 17, 2007
U.S. dropped Enron-like fraud probe, mcclatchy, july 27, 2007
Mukasey refuses to act on house contempt citations, ap, 3-1-08
White House aides must appear before Congress, judge rules, mcclatchy, 7-31-08
Mukasey: U.S. Justice Department officials will not be prosecuted in hiring scandal, iht, 8-12-08
Links
Gonzales various crimes/corruptions
us attorney links
Search the Corruption Database under
US Attorney (64 Abstracts)
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6) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Congressional Inquiry Urged in Prosecution of Ex-Governor
By ERIC LIPTON
NYT, July 17, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/washington/17attorneys.html?_r=1
WASHINGTON, July 16 — Forty-four former state attorneys general, mostly Democrats but also some Republicans, have signed a petition asking Congress to investigate whether politics played a role in the criminal case against former Gov. Don E. Siegelman of Alabama.
Mr. Siegelman, a Democrat who was governor from 1999 to 2003, is in federal prison while appealing his conviction and seven-year sentence on charges of accepting bribes from an Alabama hospital executive. He has long contended that his prosecution was politically motivated.
In their petition, sent to the chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, the former attorneys general said, “There is reason to believe that the case brought against Governor Siegelman may have had sufficient irregularities as to call into question the basic fairness that is the linchpin of our system of justice.”
Mr. Siegelman was convicted last year of taking $500,000 while governor from Richard M. Scrushy, then chief executive of the HealthSouth Corporation, in exchange for appointing Mr. Scrushy to a seat on a state hospital licensing board. The money was used to retire a debt that had been incurred by Mr. Siegelman’s campaign for a state lottery.
Mr. Siegelman, they say, was simply made a target for criminal charges by Republicans who were looking for a way to force him out of politics.
That claim was bolstered recently by the sworn statement of a Republican lawyer who had worked for the campaign of Bob Riley, Mr. Siegelman’s Republican opponent in his failed run for re-election in 2002. The lawyer said Alabama Republicans talked during a conference call that year about using the Bush administration’s Justice Department to “take care of” Mr. Siegelman.
A spokeswoman for the House Judiciary Committee said the panel had not yet had time to review the petition. The Senate committee has not yet seen it, a spokeswoman there told The Associated Press.
Repubs Prosecute Dems for Same Bribes
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 31, 2007
This political prosecution could backfire in the Repugnants faces. It is clear to all honest observers, and there are very few around, that the Democraps and Repugnants both play EXACTLY the same game of bribery and payoff to obtain and maintain their hold on political office and power.
By the terms of the Siegilman prosecution, all politicians are bribed, and both the Dems and Repugs are vulnerable to prosecution for bribery. Excellent.
Instead of letting Siegilman's corruption off the hook, I recommend charging every sitting Congressman and Senator with Bribery. Hell, they're all guilty as sin itself.
Let's do it like this: Prosecute every politician who has delivered anything of value to anyone who contributed to their campaigns.
Let's track every earmark, every deregulation, every tax break and subsidy given for the period covered by the statue of limitation, match it with the bribes that provoked the payoff, and give out some Gitmo justice to our Congress.
Since our domestic enemies are a clear and present danger to our democracy, I declare a "state of emergency," and demand every politician in Congress be immediately arrested.
How about this: No Bail. Very limited access to lawyers. "Rigorous" interrogations. Severely limited access to lawyers, and no access to the evidence against them. NO Habius Corpus. No "speedy trial," and the presumption of guilt.
How about we feed these criminals the same shit sandwich they are stuffing down our throats?
Siegilman? Let his corrupt ass rot in prison. Let's give him a whole lot of company.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 35, 11th article on page, “DOMENICI FINALLY ADMITS TO UNETHICAL, IF NOT CRIMINAL, CONTACT WITH FEDERAL PROSECUTOR"
Corruption Updates 39, 5th article on page, “GOP official urged Rove to fire prosecutor”
Corruption Updates 64, 10th article on the page,"Ex-Governor Says Affidavit Shows Politics in Bribe Case"
Corruption Updates 54, 3rd article on the page, "The End of Legal Bribery"
Corruption Updates 42 , 2nd article on page, “Tobacco prosecutor says administration interfered"
Corruption Updates 46, 8th article on the page, "Prosecutor Posts Go To Bush Insiders:Bush packing US Attorney posts with biased insiders"
Corruption Updates 47, 2nd article on the page, "Gonzales has US Attorneys in Babylonian Captivity"
links
Search the Corruption Database under
Bribery (227 Abstracts)
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Please limit comments to 400 words, unless you write really well! Remember to include the Corruption Updates page number, and the article number on the page. Example: (82_1.)
7) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Perata pushes $5 billion water bond
Senate Democratic plan would let local agencies decide on projects such as dams
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, July 17, 2007
http://www.sacbee.com/111/v-print/story/276469.html
While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to a parched Central Valley reservoir, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata pitched his own $5 billion water bond on Monday that could pay for new dams and a system that transfers water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The Senate Democratic plan does not specify funds for dams, a major GOP priority, but would provide $2 billion in competitive grants that local water agencies could spend on new dams or alternatives such as groundwater storage.
The bond includes $1 billion for a new water management system that protects the Delta, which has sustained environmental damage and legal problems that make it unreliable as a water source for 25 million residents.
The management system could be a canal that moves water around the Delta, an idea that has been controversial since voters rejected a similar "peripheral canal" in 1982.
Schwarzenegger has expressed his support for a canal in recent weeks.
The Republican governor appeared Monday at San Luis Reservoir in Gustine to pressure the Legislature into placing a water bond on next year's ballot. His initial plan, which stalled in the Senate in April, focused heavily on two new dams near Colusa and Fresno.
Perata Advances Great Water Grab to fuel further Massive Expansion of Southern California
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 24, 2007
California has grown beyond Sense, Responsibility, and most importantly, well beyond our natural resources.
Every December, I snowshoe to two points of the Sierra Crest, one about 20 miles South of Lake Tahoe, and the other is located in the Sonora Pass area. I have been doing Spring, Winter, and Fall trips into the Sierras for the last 10 years.
Every year the snow pack has diminished, while the tempeature rises with each new year. This December 9 to 15 feet of snow was "missing," depending on location. The temp was so high that snow was sloppy on the ground, and all snowfall melted on the dude during the day, then froze hard each night.
Although I can take the discomfort of warm winters, nature and its denizens don't have it so well. Now summer extends into fall, and Winter never really comes. The foreign residents of California do not seem to be aware that the weather has radically changed during the last 30 years, nor that the changes are the result of our irresponsible growth and consumption.
During our extended "fall," the bears, birds, and small critters are starving. You see, the late onset of Winter leaves the animals without sufficient food to enjoy life. They are starving because all the food sources have dried out, and the rains fail to come to give them the last bit of nourishment before winter slumber sets in.
Then Winter never comes, confusing everything from trees to bugs to birds and bears. The bees are about gone, so they are not suffering so much anymore.
The next time you read about a "crazy" animal attacking a jogger, think "revenge of Nature."
My point here is that no matter how much infrastructure we build, if nature does not fill it with water, it will be worthless.
Perata knows that rainfall and water supplies are diminishing rapidly, as his Corporate Sponsors Cry for More Water to feed our rapid expansion of foreign cheap laborers/consumers.
Perata's solution is to Steal as much of Northern California's water as possible, to maintain the massive and rapid growth of Southern California, where the BULK of Political Money Sits.
My Solution? Make Perata depend on his own voters, and their sensibilities, rather that the BIG MONEY DEVELOPERS, and their demands for CONSTANT GROWTH and their irresponsible demands for more of other people's water.
Without compliantly bribed politicians like Perata, Los Angeles would never have been able to steal the Owens Valley's water, and grow to the monster it has become.
We must stop our politicians, like the well-bribed Perata, from gutting our water supplies to support more irresponsible growth.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 2, 1st article on the page, "Perata Retracts Corrupt Act:...tries to regain credibility after serving his Political Masters"
Corruption Updates 2, 2nd article on the page, "Perata Takes a HALF-Mil to Sell Out:..half-mil to kill bills..."
Corruption Updates 2, 3rd article on the page, "Dems Claims BUILDERS CLOUT Arnie's Fault: Dems cite Arnie as cause of Perata's Corruption"
Corruption Updates 81, 2nd article on the page, "Perata: Living Large"
Corruption Updates 89, 6th article on the page, "Term-limit supporters seek probe of Perata"
Search the Corruption Database under
Perata (20 Abstracts)
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Hungary heatwave kills hundreds
Up to 500 people have died in the past week from a heatwave in Hungary, a top health official has said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6914490.stm
Anna Paldy, deputy director of the National Institute of Environmental Health, told the BBC that the figure included 230 deaths in central Hungary.
The deaths - from 15 to 22 July - were caused by heatstroke, cardiovascular problems and other illnesses aggravated by the heat, she said.
Some 30 people have also died in the heatwave in neighbouring Romania.
Ms Paldy told the BBC News website that the death rate from heat in Hungary was the highest in recent years.
The daily mean temperature in the past week had reached 30C, she said.
In the southern city of Kiskunhalas, the temperature reached a record high of 41.9C.
The data came from hospitals and doctors in Budapest and the county of Pest, which the researchers then extrapolated for the whole country. Most of the deaths were among elderly people.
South-Eastern Europe is reeling from the hot weather, which has been blamed for widespread forest fires and has also caused economic hardship.
In Serbia, the agriculture ministry says 30% of the country's annual harvest has been destroyed because of the heat, with the wheat, soya and vegetable crops worst hit.
Parts of northern Europe have meanwhile seen vast floods and heavy rainfall - sparking fears that climate change may be to blame for the extreme weather.
Unusually high temperatures of more than 40C (104F) have been recorded in several parts of southern and eastern Europe.
On Monday, temperatures of 45C (113F) were recorded in Bulgaria - the hottest since records began, officials said.
Hundreds of forest fires have been reported in Greece, where two pilots died on Monday after a water-bombing aircraft they were flying over a forest fire crashed.
Another such aircraft flying over a forest fire in Italy crashed on Monday, killing three people.
In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, thousands of firefighters, soldiers and local people battled throughout Monday night to stop a forest fire from reaching the country's second-largest city, Bitola.
We Let Death in the Front Door
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 31, 2007
Weather records are falling around the world. Extreme drought, flooding, and aberrant weather have destabilized water supplies, food production, and living conditions around the world.
Expect heavily reduced crop yields, if not outright crop failures, around the world at the end of this summer.
Our Corporate Politicians are continuing on, trying to protect and maintain our our flawed, corruption based program of endless growth and consumption. The destruction of our country's-and the world's-climate and environment assures global warming will bring death and destruction to societies that contributed nothing to the destruction, as well as those that did.
The only solution to our idiocy is to change our approach to life, jettison our flawed values, and change how we pursue our goals. As the article above points out, this is not even close to happening.
We can expect our corporate fools to talk, and do nothing to address the impending climate crisis, nor the practices that brought us to this point.
This is more than a policy problem. What we are experiencing is Nature's condemnation, its rejection of our core values and practices around which we organize American political and economic activity.
If Bush is "talking to God," as he so foolishly claims, he would have heard these truths from the mind of nature.
Just who is talking when Bush claims to hear the voice of god? The human and natural forces of destruction he has unleashed indicate that Bush's "communications" come from a far different source than "God."
All Water Links
go to water essays and resources
go to California Water Crisis
sf chron, March 5, 2007, "AMERICAN GREED-CONSUMPTION FUELS MANUFACTURING (POLLUTION) IN CHINA"
nyt, March 12, 2007, "Top Scientists Warn of Water Shortages and Disease Linked to Global Warming"
LAT, April 6, 2007, "Earth Faces a Grim Future: UN Report"
NY Times, May 1, 2007, "Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster, a Study Finds:Climate Change has already happened"
WP, June 1, 2007, "BEES: Honey, I'm Gone"
BBC June 4, 07, "China puts economy before climate"
bbc,2 November 2006, "Only 50 years left' for sea fish"
lat, June 14, 2007, "Study finds huge decreases in bird populations"
bbc. 19 June 2007, "China building more power plants to supply American Consumption"
nytJune 28, 2007, "Study Sees Climate Change Impact on Alaska"
NYT, July 18, 2007, "Record Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ Is Predicted"
wp, July 15, 2007, "Climate Change Debate Hinges On Economics"
ap, July 24, 2007, "Romania: Heat Wave Kills 18"
bbc, 23 July 2007, "Humans 'affect global rainfall'"
NY Times, August 8, 2007; Warming Threatens Farms in India, U.N. Official Says: Global Warming puts Billions at Risk
AP, August 7, 2007; South Asia Flood Victims Hit by Disease: Global Weather Crisis Deepens for Billions in South Asia
Associated Press, August 27, 2007; Fires Rage On Across Vast Swaths of Greece: America will Continue to Grow until the World Burns and Floods
BBC, August 13, 2007; Arctic sea ice set to hit new low: Climatic Feedback Loops move Faster than Science: Lack of Wisdom-Balance Proving Fatal for Many
Fresno Bee, August 19, 2007; Tiny Delta fish at center of huge water war: California has Developed Beyond our Natural Resources: Stop all Growth Now!
NY Times, September 13, 2007; Climate Change Brings Grim Forecast
NYT, September 21, 2007; Cases of Cholera Reach Baghdad
NOAA, Oct 9, 2007; NOAA Reports U.S. Likely to Have Above-Average Winter Temperatures: "It's Always been like this" fails as an Argument
The Water/Weather list continues...
BBC NEWS, 9-16-07; Disease alert in flood-hit Africa
BBC NEWS, September 21, 2007; Ice withdrawal 'shatters record'
CA: Dry winter underlines water need, Bee, Nov, 28, 2007
Equatorial heat dominating weather patterns, N & S poles losing roles as weather engines, BBC, Dec 4, 2007
Essay: Global Warming? The Seasons already changed
Senate Dems forming worthless Co2 Bill, McClatchy, Dec 3, 2007
Essay: Boxer's liar's Game: Maintain growth and Pollution while looking "Green"
Radical Artic heating accelerating, Sea Ice dissappearing, Associated Press, December 12, 2007
oceans warming, sea ice melting, National geographic, December 14, 2007
Population increase driving state into toilet, bee, December 30, 2007
Atlanta gets a short break: rain, NYT, December 31, 2007
Freak tropical storm, tornadoes, hit mid west, nyt, January 9, 2008
Water shortage limiting growth, lat, 1-14-07
Ocean dead zones expanding, ScienceNOW Daily News, 25 January 2008
Global warming Kills over 50: Floods, ice Storms, now tornadoes torment mid west, ap. February 6, 2008
Ocean map: Oceans trashed
Shark populations near extinction
Warming risks Antarctic sea life
Growing into a national water and energy disaster, McClatchy, 3-12-08
Growing into a water disaster in the west, lat, 2-1-08
Massive city populations draining california's water, bee, 3-3-08
Nigeria turning into desert, irin, 3-28-08
Carbon Dioxide, Methane Rise Sharply in 2007, NOAA, 4-23-08
2007 was Tenth Warmest for U.S., Fifth Warmest Worldwide, NOAA, 1-15-08
featured news: You have had your rights, health, wealth, and natural resources ripped off.
california's population swells to 38 million, bay area 7.3 million, sf chron, 5-2-08
california faces water crisis, endless irresponsible growth brings on ecological crisis, sf chron, 5-2-08
'Big Dry' hits Australian farmers, bbc, 5-2-08
Nature in death spiral
Western Drought Now Beats Dust Bowl, Associated Press, 5-21-08
The Big Picture: Western Drought Intensifies (2002-2004), rangebiome.org
background: water/climate links. Food/famine links. All environment links. article: Permanent drought essay: The seasons have shifted. essay: the environment is going to cook our ignorant asses.
Environmental destruction continues: Fear the justice of nature
Vast cracks appear in Arctic ice, bbc, 5-23-08
background: Himalayan glaciers disappearing, Sea Ice disappearing, fish dissappearing. Ocean links.
Filth of LA fouling oceans, lat 5-22-08
background: links: all environment. links: oceans.
Filth of LA, irresponsible growth, killing californians, lat, 5-2008: just keep growing, obese morons.
Science has finally pulled its head out of its ass, and looked outside
New Climate Report Foresees Big Changes, nyt, 5-28-08 (note: big changes have already happened)
background
essay: Our water, our fish, and our rights are gone, committee, 4-08
article: Hansen: Past the tipping point, ng, 12-14-07
notes: The Seasons Have Changed, Crop yields ARE DECLINING RADICALLY, committee, may 2, 2008
links: We Killed the Oceans. Food Crisis. Water Crisis. All Environment links.
Environment News Pages: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Nature in death spiral
Western Drought Now Beats Dust Bowl, Associated Press, 5-21-08
The Big Picture: Western Drought Intensifies (2002-2004), rangebiome.org
background: water/climate links. Food/famine links. All environment links. article: Permanent drought essay: The seasons have shifted. essay: the environment is going to cook our ignorant asses.
Report: EPA head reversed stand on greenhouse gas, ap, May 19, 2008
massive long term costs of nuke power emerging
Nuclear clean-up costs 'to soar,' bbc, 5-27-08
background: Three Articles in the Database.
US Plan to cut emissions by 2050 will not avert disaster, reuters, 5-30-08
Is Water Becoming ‘the New Oil’? csm, 5-30-07
Spain's drought: a glimpse of our future? independent, 5-24-08
Spurred on by poorly planned development, swaths of southeast Spain are turning into desert, nyt, 6-3-08
Bird species plummet as habitat dwindles, sf chron, 7-11-08
related
Extinction risk 'underestimated,' bbc, 7-3-08
Study: Future snowmelt in West twice as early as expected; threatens ecosystems and water reserves, purdue university, 7-15-08
Global warming kills four
Four Central Valley deaths blamed on heat wave, sacbee, 7-15-08
DON'T BUY THE LIE:
Peripheral canal urged to save the delta, sfchron, 7-18-08
Taking the water before it hits the Delta parches the Delta more!
feeding Irresponsible Growth:
Delta diversion threat to salmon, judge rules, sfchron, 7-19-08
CA State: Water levels will be lowest in 30 years, ap, 7-21-08
Mass Extinctions And 'Rise Of Slime' Predicted For Oceans, science daily, 8-13-08
Continued Breakup Of Two Of Greenland's Largest Glaciers Shown In Satellite Images, ScienceDaily, 8-22-08
Global Warming: Warmer Seas Linked To Strengthening Hurricanes, According to New Research, enn, 9-4-08
Shrinking Arctic Ocean sea ice signals climate change, csm, 9-4-08
Global Warming Greatest In Past Decade: Hottest Temps in 1300 years, terradaily, 9-4-08
International Union for Conservation of Nature Reports:
1 of 4 mammal species threatened with extinction, 2 of 4 mammal species in serious trouble
the reportIUCN Red List reveals world’s mammals in crisis, IUCN press release, 10-6-08
'Huge year for natural disasters,' bbc, 12-29-08
Rise in extreme weather events fuelling demand for UN disaster management expertise, un, 12-23-08
Sea level rise of 1 meter within 100 years, climate dynamics, 1-8-09
Floods to become commonplace by 2080, newcastle University, uk, 1-8-09
CA Water Crisis Deepens
Too many people for our water supply
Water crisis has parallels with financial meltdown, coco times, 1-11-09
Satellites confirm half-century of West Antarctic warming, nasa, 1-22-09
Dramatic expansion of dead zones in the oceans, eureakanews, 1-25-09
California, Western US Trees Dying Rapidly
Tree deaths have doubled across the western US, usgs, 1-22-09
New study links western tree mortality to warming temperatures, water stress, u colorado , 1-22-09
Tree death rate in Pacific Northwest doubled in 17 years, u wash, 1-22-09
Warmer climate causing huge increase in tree mortality across the West, ore state, 1-22-09
Research ties tree mortality trends to climate warming, nau, 1-22-09
from research article: "Widespread Increase of Tree Mortality Rates in the Western United States," "The article concludes that tree death rates have more than doubled in recent decades in otherwise undisturbed old forests—largely a consequence of regional warming."
(earlier: Global warming killing sierra trees, usgs, 8/8/2007)
...
Smallest fall run of chinook salmon reported, sf chron, 2-19-09
last year
Salmon arriving in record low numbers, sf chron, 1-30-08
The drought is over the top: Water watchers cast a wary eye, sac bee, 2-2-09
sea level rise much larger than predicted
More of North America may face flooding from Antarctic ice sheet melt: study, 2-5-09
source abstracts
Geophysicists predict amplification of sea-level rise in North America following collapse of West Antarctic Ice Sheet, u toronto, 2-5-09
Sea level rise could be worse than anticipated, oregon, 2-5-09
antartic ocean warming
Global warming threatens Antarctic sea life, FIT, 2-4-09
no more fresh water
Majority of world population face water shortages unless action taken, warns Migiro, un, 2-5-09
...
China Drought May Last Into March, Grain Center Says, bloomberg, 2-9-09
Penguins marching into trouble, wcs, 2-12-09
Changing ocean conditions turning penguins into long-distance commuters, uw, 2-12-09
New findings on climate change and fisheries, U EA, 2-12-09
US Atlantic cod population to drop by half by 2050, ubc, 2-12-09
Mass media often failing in its coverage of global warming, says climate researcher, stanfurd, 2-13-09
Oceanic seesaw links Northern and Southern hemisphere during abrupt climate change, cardiff, 2-25-09
...
Las Vegas Running Out of Water Means Dimming Los Angeles Lights, bloomberg, 2-26-09
go up to all Water Crisis Links
go down to water essays and resources
Following articles are centered on california's water crisis
california ignores water crisis
2007
go up to all Water Crisis Links
go down to water essays and resources
Fed Judge severly restricts use of Delta Water, Grist, 9-4-07
Fed Judge widens scope of Delta Water Restrictions, Media News, 10-2-07
Delta Deal? Task force forms to confront Water Crisis, Bee, Sept 4, 2007
Arnie calls Special Legislative Session: Water and Health Crisis Looms: Idiots do Nothing, Bee, September 12, 2007
Arnie's Plans to steal N. Cal water to continue irresponsible growth in LA, Bee, September 19, 2007
Arnie and Perata prepare competing water plan initiatives, Bee, October 9, 2007
Legislative Advocate's anaylsis of competing Water Plans, American Nurses Association, Oct 12, 2007
The Water Crisis is here, SF Chronicle, August 27, 2007
Weak Attempt to Control, but not Limit, California's Massive Growth Rate, SF Chronicle, August 27, 2007
CA: Dry winter underlines water need, Bee, Nov, 28, 2007
Essay: Boxer's liar's Game: Maintain growth and Pollution while looking "Green"
Population increase driving state into toilet, bee, December 30, 2007
Water shortage limiting growth, lat, 1-14-07
CA 2008
Growing into a water disaster in the west, lat, 2-1-08
Massive city populations draining california's water, bee, 3-3-08
california's population swells to 38 million, bay area 7.3 million, sf chron, 5-2-08
california faces water crisis, endless irresponsible growth brings on ecological crisis, sf chron, 5-2-08
Western Drought Now Beats Dust Bowl, Associated Press, 5-21-08
The Big Picture: Western Drought Intensifies (2002-2004), rangebiome.org
background: water/climate links. Food/famine links. All environment links. article: Permanent drought essay: The seasons have shifted. essay: the environment is going to cook our ignorant asses.
Filth of LA fouling oceans, lat 5-22-08
links: oceans.
Filth of LA, irresponsible growth, killing californians, lat, 5-2008: just keep growing, obese morons.
california's population swells to 38 million, bay area 7.3 million, sf chron, 5-2-08
california faces water crisis, endless irresponsible growth brings on ecological crisis, sf chron, 5-2-08
Western Drought Now Beats Dust Bowl, Associated Press, 5-21-08
Is Water Becoming ‘the New Oil’? csm, 5-30-07
Projected California warming promises cycle of more heat waves, energy use for next century, eurekalert, 7-10-08
Study: Future snowmelt in West twice as early as expected; threatens ecosystems and water reserves, purdue university, 7-15-08
CA State: Water levels will be lowest in 30 years, ap, 7-21-08
Global warming kills four
Four Central Valley deaths blamed on heat wave, sacbee, 7-15-08
DON'T BUY THE LIE:
Peripheral canal urged to save the delta, sfchron, 7-18-08
Taking the water before it hits the Delta parches the Delta more!
feeding Irresponsible Growth:
Delta diversion threat to salmon, judge rules, sfchron, 7-19-08
CA State: Water levels will be lowest in 30 years, ap, 7-21-08
2009
Water crisis has parallels with financial meltdown, coco times, 1-11-09
California, Western US Trees Dying Rapidly
Tree deaths have doubled across the western US, usgs, 1-22-09
New study links western tree mortality to warming temperatures, water stress, u colorado , 1-22-09
Warmer climate causing huge increase in tree mortality across the West, ore state, 1-22-09
Smallest fall run of chinook salmon reported, sf chron, 2-19-09
last year
Salmon arriving in record low numbers, sf chron, 1-30-08
Population: The elephant in the room, bbc, 2-2-09
Montana State University tracks warming trend in northwestern North America, msu, 2-12-09
Mass media often failing in its coverage of global warming, says climate researcher, stanfurd, 2-13-09
Study analyzes 2006 California heat wave's substantial effect on morbidity, columbia, 2-25-09
go up to all Water Crisis Links
go up to California Water Crisis links
go down to water essays and resources
Environmental Information: Charts and Maps
International research institute for climate and societyglobal probability forecast for precipitation, Chartmay, june, and july, issued april 2008, see the map
breathing earth: Real-Time CO2 and population figures, see the map
National Rainfall Map, NOAA, march 2008
National Drought Map, NOAA
Palmer's z-index nationa wetness map, NOAA, 2007-2008 (works best with firefox)
US Drought Monitor, map and discussion, NOAA, april, 2008
Lake Mead water levels, current and historical
national
NCDC Climate Monitoring Reports and Products
California
Cal Dept of Water Resources: Drought Page
Cal Dept of Water Resources: Reservoir Levels
water essays
Impending Water Crisis: We Don't have a Water Crisis, or an Energy Crisis, We Have Too Many People, alex wierbinski, june 7, 2006
Water Crisis: California has Developed Beyond our Natural Resources: Stop all Growth Now! Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 29, 2007
End of the Road for Ocean Life in Sight: 50 more years of Human Destruction if Fishing is only human Assault on Oceans, alex wierbinski, 11-2-06
CLIMATE ALREADY CHANGED, NO ONE NOTICED, alex wierbinski, march, 07
Climate Change has already happened: Glad the Scientists Took their Heads out of their Asses, opened the Window, and Looked outside, alex wierbinski, may, '07
Feel Good Environmental Protections Worthless in face of Massive Demographic Growth in California, alex wierbinski, june 26, 07
Perata Advances Great Water Grab to fuel further Massive Expansion of Southern California, Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 24, 2007
We Let Death in the Front Door, Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 31, 2007
"It's Always been like this" fails as an Argument, alex wierbinski, aug 27, 07
California has Developed Beyond ALL of our Natural and Social Resources: Stop all Growth Now! Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 29, 2007
Corporate Dems, Crimigrants, and Hippies: growing us to environmental disaster while feeding the beast of irresponsible corporate growth/consumption, alex wierbinski, nov, 07
Boxer's Liar's game: Preserve growth, maintain pollution, while looking "Green," Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., December 5, 2007
Freak Tornadoes: Global warming Kills at least 50, Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., February 6, 2008
Our water, our fish, and our rights are gone What else will you sacrifice to serve your greed and ego? Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., April, 2008
Impending Famine Open your Mind, and see the burning planet only you can prevent global crisping, Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., April 6, 2008
Be very worried, alex wierbinski, may, '08
Population: The Environmental Meltdown: murder 1 against nature, alex wierbinski, august 15, 08
Search the Corruption Database under
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Environment
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9) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Romania: Heat Wave Kills 18
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 24, 2007
World Briefing | Europe
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/world/europe/24briefs-romania.html?pagewanted=print
A heat wave that has hit Romania in the past week has killed at least 18 people and caused hundreds to collapse in the street, authorities said. Temperatures are expected to hover above 100 in the south and east for the next two days, and reach 108 in some areas. Most of the deaths were caused by dehydration, Heath Minister Eugen Nicolaescu said.
Read um' and Weep: We Dealt Ourselves a Dosey of A Hand
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July , 2007
Also See:
See Link List following previous Abstract
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Environment
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Please limit comments or essay to 400 words, unless you write really well! Remember to include the Corruption Updates page number, and the article number that you are referring to. Example: (82_1.)
10) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Humans 'affect global rainfall'
Human-induced climate change has affected global rainfall patterns over the 20th Century, a study suggests.
Monday, 23 July 2007, 19:49 GMT 20:49 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/6912527.stm
Researchers said changes to the climate had led to an increase in annual average rainfall in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
But while Canada, Russia and northern Europe had become wetter, India and parts of Africa had become drier, the team of scientists added.
The findings will be published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday.
Climate models have, for a number of years, suggested that human activity has led to changes to the distribution of rain and snow across the globe.
However, the computer models have been unable to pinpoint the extent of our influence, partly because drying in some regions have cancelled out moistening in others.
Making the link
The scientists from Canada, Japan, the UK and US used the patterns of the changes in different latitude bands instead of the global average.
"While our study shows a human influence on rainfall at the global scale, the role of human influence in the UK flooding remains uncertain"
Dr Nathan Gillett,
Research co-author
They compared monthly precipitation observations from 1925-1999 to those generated by complex computer models to see if they could identify if human activity was affecting rainfall patterns.
"We show that anthropogenic forcing has had a detectable influence on observed changes in average precipitation within latitudinal bands," the researchers wrote in the paper.
"These changes cannot be explained by internal climate variability or natural forcing."
The team estimated that human activity, such as burning fossil fuels, was likely to have led to a 62mm increase in the annual precipitation trend over the past century over land areas located 40-70 degrees north, which includes Canada, northern Europe and Russia.
They also suggested the increase of greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols in the atmosphere had contributed a 82mm increase in the southern tropics and subtropics (0-30 degrees south), and a 98mm decrease in precipitation in the northern tropics (0-30 degrees north).
They added that natural factors, such as volcanic eruptions, had contributed to shifts in the global rainfall patterns but to a much lesser extent.
One of the paper's co-authors, Nathan Gillett of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, UK, said the team's findings helped clear up any uncertainty.
"This study shows that there has been a significant human effect on global rainfall patterns, with human influence causing a decrease in rainfall in some regions, and an increase in rainfall in others."
"Climate models generally predict that the UK will become wetter in winter and drier in summer," he explained.
"In the UK we have seen a trend towards more extreme rainfall in the winter but no clear trend in summer extreme rainfall."
Stay Tuned, this shit sucks, and the poison must be sucked out of the wound....
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July , 2007
Also See:
See link list following abstract #8 Above
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Environment
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Contact Us: Committeefordemocracy.org
The Empire at Work
1] Pakistani justice's reinstatement is blow to Musharraf
essay: Musharraf Desperation Deepens: Shallow Accusations and Falling Support Spelling End of Musharraf
2] Parties to Challenge Pakistan Election Plan
essay: American Backing for Dictators bad for US, Very Bad for them
3] Judge dismisses lawsuit by ex-CIA officer in leak case
essay: National Security and Secrecy claims used to cover Administration's Crimes, Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., July 24, 2007
essay: Bush Takes Law into his own hands, Frees Traitor Libby
4] Gonzales testifies (otherwise known as lying) in firings row
essay: Spector Recognizes that Oversight is Broken and the President is Out of Control
5] Did Bush protect Buffet from criminal charges? U.S. dropped Enron-like fraud probe
6] Siegelman of Alabama: Congressional Inquiry Urged in Prosecution of Ex-Governor
essay: Repubs Prosecute Dems for Same Bribes
7] ca criminals: Perata pushes $5 billion water bond
essay: Perata Advances Great Water Grab to fuel further Massive Expansion of Southern California
8] Hungary heatwave kills hundreds
essay: We Let Death in the Front Door
9] Romania: Heat Wave Kills 18
10] Humans 'affect global rainfall'
