http://www.omega-news.info/next_up_news_15_dec_2005.htm


- Dossier spécial du 14 décembre 2005 Suspendu.

- La réponse de Next-up au message de Michaël Repacholi (OMS).
http://www.next-up.org/main.php?param=international#14

- Suspended special file (december 14, 2005)
http://www.next-up.org/main.php?param=international#14

The senior Democrat on the Senate committee investigating former lobbyist Jack Abramoff announced this week that he will return $67,000 in donations from Indian tribes represented by the indicted Republican.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405O.shtml

Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw were under pressure last night to refute claims that Britain has been complicit in the alleged use of CIA planes taking suspected terrorists to secret camps for torture.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405N.shtml

The Pentagon is in the early stages of drafting a wartime request for up to $100 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan, lawmakers say, a figure that would push spending related to the wars toward a staggering half-trillion dollars.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405M.shtml

A Texas prosecutor has issued subpoenas for bank records and other information of a defense contractor involved in the bribery case of a California congressman, as part of the investigation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405L.shtml

The United States has tied with Myanmar, the former Burma, for sixth place among countries that are holding the largest number of journalists behind bars, according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405K.shtml

With Congress on the verge of passing the sweeping McCain amendment, the Bush administration has taken its drive to permit torture to new depths.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405J.shtml

Ray McGovern: McCain, himself a victim of torture in Vietnam, is trying to bring the US into compliance with international norms, while the Bush administration is trying desperately to leave the door open for CIA and contract interrogators to act beyond those norms without threat of prosecution. Who will blink, Cheney or McCain?

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405I.shtml

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2001/10/15/14542/384


Informant: Friends

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_12_04.php#007213

Republican congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham recently resigned after pleading guilty to graft and tearfully admitting that he took $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors, prompting an interesting question from Joshua Micah Marshall:

"How did Duke Cunningham manage to get so far entangled in an ethics mess that he had to plead guilty to federal charges of accepting bribes without anyone referring his case to the House ethics committee?

Think about that for a second.

With all that came out about Cunningham over the last six months and not one Democrat even filed a complaint against him, let alone any Republicans?" Melanie Sloan provides the answer:

"Since 1998, there has been an ethics 'truce' in the House of Representatives, under the terms of which no member will file an ethics complaint against another member.

Because outsiders are prohibited from filing complaints with the House ethics committee, this has effectively shut down the ethics process."


SOURCE: Talking Points Memo, December 8, 2005
For more information or to comment on this story, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/4281


Informant: Friends

http://www.infowars.com/articles/Bush/bush_chb_const_paper_profane.htm


Informant: Neo Mulder

A $300 million Pentagon psychological warfare operation includes plans for placing pro-American messages in foreign media outlets without disclosing the US government as the source, one of the military officials in charge of the program says.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405Y.shtml

http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=1704


Informant: beefree

Die EU hat ein großes Forschungsprojekt über die Aussichten und Probleme bei der Herstellung von Mensch-Tier-Chimären gestartet, US-Wissenschaftler demonstrierten, dass menschliche Stammzellen sich in die Gehirne von Mäusen integrieren.

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/21/21569/1.html

14.12.05

Der Sozialverband VdK hat ein Ende des Stellenabbaus der Unternehmen zu Lasten der Sozialversicherungskassen verlangt. Immer mehr Konzerne würden wie Telekom und AEG skrupellos auf Kosten der Beitragszahler und Rentner Tausende Beschäftigte auf die Straße setzen und so ihre Dividenden erhöhen, sagte VdK-Präsident Walter Hirrlinger der Chemnitzer "Freien Presse". Es sei ein Trugschluss zu glauben, dass für Altersteilzeit und Frühverrentung die Unternehmen aufzukommen hätten. Für die Sanierung der Konzerne müsse vor allem die Rentenkasse herhalten, kritisierte Hirrlinger. Die Folge seien höhere Beitragssätze und Kürzungen der Altersbezüge für die Senioren. Hirrlinger forderte die Bundesregierung auf, gesetzlich dafür sorgen, dass die Unternehmen künftig die Entlassungen finanziell alleine zu tragen hätten.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12511

69 Milliarden Euro: Öffentlichkeit erfährt nichts über mögliche Verkäufe von Goldreserven (14.12.05)

Die Goldreserven der Bundesbank sollen nach den Vorstellungen der Union möglicherweise für das Stopfen von Haushaltslöchern verwendet werden. Er denke persönlich um, weil es sonst schwierig werde, die Schulden des Bundes nachhaltig zu senken, sagte der finanzpolitische Sprecher der Unions-Fraktion, Otto Bernhardt, dem "Handelsblatt". Bislang hatte die Union die gegenteilige Position vertreten. Führende Haushaltspolitiker von CDU und CSU hatten 2004 noch davor gewarnt, den Goldschatz der Bundesbank "für den Bundeshaushalt zu verramschen". Die Goldbestände haben derzeit einen Wert von rund 69 Milliarden Euro. Die Ankündigung könnte allerdings auch nur ein Versuchsballon sein. Was am vergangenen Freitag in der Bundesbank besprochen wurde, darf die Öffentlichkeit nicht erfahren.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12514

Lebensmittel-Kontrollen: Greenpeace verklagt Bundesländer auf Herausgabe von Pestiziddaten (14.12.05)

Greenpeace hat heute beim Verwaltungsgericht Mainz Klage gegen das Land Rheinland-Pfalz erhoben. Die Klage richtet sich gleichzeitig an alle anderen 15 Bundesländer, die vom Land Rheinland-Pfalz mit vertreten werden. Die Länder verweigern gegenüber Greenpeace seit Juni Angaben über die staatliche Lebensmittelüberwachung. Greenpeace wollte von den Ländern wissen, bei welchen Lebensmitteln die zulässigen Höchstmengen an Pestiziden überschritten wurden. Zweitens sollten die Behörden offen legen, in welchen Fällen sie rechtlich gegen die Verkäufer vorgegangen sind. Und drittens verlangte Greenpeace Informationen zur Leistungsfähigkeit der staatlichen Untersuchungslabors.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12519

14.12.05

Neben Ex-Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder gerät jetzt auch die Dresdner-Bank in die Kritik wegen des deutsch-russischen Konsortiums Nordeuropäische Gas-Pipeline (NEGP). Matthias Warnig, ein Manager der deutschen zum Versicherungsriesen Allianz gehörenden Großbank, ist designierter Vorstandschef des Unternehmens. Nach einem Bericht der "Berliner Zeitung" hat Warnig über mehrere Jahre hinweg in der Bundesrepublik spioniert. Unter Berufung auf Stasi-Unterlagen meldet die Zeitung, dass Warnig von 1987 bis mindestens April 1989 unter dem Decknamen "Arthur" als so genannter Offizier im besonderen Einsatz (OibE) in Westdeutschland, vermutlich an der Ständigen Vertretung der DDR in Bonn, eingesetzt war.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12510

14.12.05

Das Europaparlament hat am Mittwoch die langfristige vollständige Speicherung sämtlicher Telekommunikations-Verbindungsdaten in der gesamten EU beschlossen. Nach dem Kompromiss zwischen den beiden großen Fraktionen der Sozialdemokraten und der Konservativen müssen diese Informationen künftig mindestens sechs Monate bis zwei Jahre aufbewahrt werden. Zudem ist es den Mitgliedsstaaten gestattet, diese Fristen noch weiter auszudehnen. Damit wird für die Sicherheitsbehörden nachvollziehbar, wer wann von wo aus mit wem telefoniert oder an wen eine e-Mail oder SMS verschickt hat. Ebenso kann der Staat erfahren, wer wann welche Internet-Seite aufgerufen hat und mit welcher IP-Adresse der Nutzer im Netz war. Die Mehrheit der Abgeordneten setzte sich damit über die massive Kritik von Datenschützern, Bürgerrechtlern, Verlegern und Wirtschaft hinweg. Sie hatten die jetzt beschlossene Richtlinie als massiven Eingriff in die Grundrechte, Gefahr für die Pressefreiheit und als verfassun gswidrig kritisiert. Zudem sei die Vorratsdatenspeicherung für das vorgebliche Ziel, den Terrorismus zu bekämpfen, wirkungslos. Der Leiter des Unabhängigen Landeszentrums für Datenschutz Schleswig-Holstein, Thilo Weichert, kommentierte, mit dem Beschluss des EU-Parlaments werde aus "unserer freiheitlichen eine überwachte Informationsgesellschaft". Es sei zu hoffen, dass der Europäische Gerichtshof und das Bundesverfassungsgericht die Richtlinie stoppen. Die Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) kommentierte, ab heute würden alle EU-Bürger "verfolgt und überwacht wie gewöhnliche Kriminelle".

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12517

CIVIL LIBERTIES An Un-PATRIOT-ic Compromise

"Benjamin Franklin once said that a country that would give up their liberties for security deserves neither," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) remarked yesterday. "Well, we can have our security. We can have our liberties." Unfortunately, the Patriot Act deal reached by House and Senate negotiators yesterday does not accomplish that. Specifically, it doesn't do enough to protect the privacy rights of ordinary Americans. Government investigators can still obtain personal data too easily and operate without proper supervision from the courts. The bill is already causing a stir on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan group of six Senators -- Sens. Larry Craig (R-ID), John Sununu (R-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Russ Feingold (D-WI) -- have come out against it, saying they are "gravely disappointed," and Feingold has threatened to block the legislation with a filibuster. To learn more about why Congress should reject the Patriot Act conference report, read this statement from American Progress.

WEAK PROTECTIONS AGAINST NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS: The government began issuing National Security Letters (NSLs) in the 1970s as "narrow exceptions in consumer privacy law, enabling the FBI to review in secret the customer records of suspected foreign agents." The Patriot Act "transformed those letters by permitting clandestine scrutiny of U.S. residents and visitors who are not alleged to be terrorists or spies." NSL recipients are not allowed to tell anyone they have received them. The Washington Post reported last month that the FBI now hands out over 30,000 national security letters per year, "a hundredfold increase over historic norms," which are allowing the government to view "as never before into the telephone calls, correspondence and financial lives of ordinary Americans." Yesterday's compromise does not do enough to protect the civil liberties of the citizens these letters target. The extended NSL authority will not sunset like other controversial sections of the Patriot Act and investigators can still force courts to accept the government's argument that NSL gag orders should not be lifted.

OBTAINING PERSONAL RECORDS STILL TOO EASY: The controversial issue of library record searches intensified earlier this year, after an American Library Association (ALA) report found that "U.S. law enforcement authorities made more than 200 requests for information from libraries since October 2001." The ALA said at the time, "What this says to us is that agents are coming to libraries and they are asking for information at a level that is significant, and the findings are completely contrary to what the Justice Department has been trying to convince the public." The compromise sunsets the Patriot Act's infamous "library provisions" in four years, but will not tighten the standards the government needs to subpoena personal information. The government can still obtain personal data merely by showing "relevance" to a terrorism investigation.


Informant: Scott Munson

http://allafrica.com/stories/200512120636.html


Informant: Scott Munson

A year ago, at a Quaker Meeting House in Lake Worth, Fla., a small group of activists met to plan a protest of military recruiting at local high schools. What they didn't know was that their meeting had come to the attention of the US military. A secret 400-page Defense Department document obtained by NBC News lists the Lake Worth meeting as a "threat," and one of more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the country over a recent 10-month period.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405Z.shtml

14 December 2005 12:17

Council bosses have suspended an application for a telecommunications mast in the grounds of a school after they admitted parents had not been consulted about the scheme.

Broadland District Council received an application from BT, on behalf of Norfolk County Council, to put the 15 metre mast, with 0.3metre microwave dish, at Cantley First School, School Lane, Cantley.

The proposal, which is part of a Government drive to get Broadband installed at every school in the country by 2006, would ensure that pupils are not falling behind in what has become an increasingly technology-dependent educational system.

But the proposal has now been suspended because it emerged that the people living in the area had not been properly consulted about the mast.

Today, despite reassurances that the mast would not pose a health risk to children, campaign group Mast Sanity urged a degree of caution.

Its technical advisor Andy Davidson said: “They use a similar frequency to mobile phone masts and similar digital technology. While we don't know what causes health problems it's unwise to say one kind of mast is better than the other.”

Paul Fisher, the county council's assistant director, resources and efficiency, children's services, said: “It seems that consultation has not happened with local residents as it should, and so we have suspended the installation at Cantley.

“We do want to make sure residents are involved and want to hear their views. The school will now be making sure that this happens. Of course, people can also make their views known in response to any planning application as well.”

The county council is ensuring that 451 of the 453 schools in Norfolk are set up with Broadband by 2006. The other two schools are getting it done independently.

A council spokesman said the most cost effective solution to installing Broadband is by using copper, but in some cases, where the distance to the exchange is too great, fibre has to be used.

“However, in the more remote parts of the county, the cost of fibre becomes prohibitively expensive,” he said.

“In these instances point to point wireless is used. BT responded to Norfolk County Council with the option of using point-to-point wireless technology for schools in more remote parts of the county, which they had successfully implemented to schools in several counties within the eastern region; Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, being just two.

The technology requires a dish, typically 30cm in diameter, to be mounted either on a mast within the school grounds, or on the school building itself.”

As with mobile phone masts, there is some debate over whether they pose a risk to health. A spokesman for BT said: “The equipment used for these kinds of installations are low-power, point-to-point masts and they confirm to all EU directives for emissions.”

A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said the main risk to children was not from masts but from mobile phone handsets.

Omega see under:
http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Wissenschaft+zu+Mobilfunk/
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Cancer+Cluster
http://www.buergerwelle.de/body_science.html

Hayley Smith, head teacher, admitted a mast is the last thing she wants towering over her school.

“The school hasn't asked for this, it's being done by BT,” she said. “We have asked for the planners and everyone else to see if they can find an alternative to putting up a mast. The school doesn't want to upset neighbours and the school doesn't want a mast and if there's any other way of doing it that's what we would like to do.

Mrs Smith said the children at the school would be “disadvantaged” if they did not have access to Broadband from schools in the rest of the area.

“I don't want a mast any more than anyone else, but we want the Broadband,” she said.

Through the Put Masts on Hold campaign the Evening News has campaigned against the installation of mobile phone masts until it is proved they are safe.

Dr Ian Gibson, MP for Norwich North, who has been a long-time supporter of our campaign, said: “If you can do it on a phone line you should do it on a phone line.

“What neighbours think is rather important and if they are worried about it I don't think any reassurance will stop them and it would be better to do it on a phone line - other schools have done it on phone lines.”

Are you fighting plans for a mast in your neighbourhood? Call Alasdair McGregor at the Evening News on (01603) 772443 or email al.mcgregor@archant.co.uk

http://tinyurl.com/9aa6a

Dec 14 2005

By Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo

RADIO waves from a Liverpool phone mast are causing posh cars to break down.

The 70ft pole in Childwall is pumping out waves with a similar frequency to those used in the alarm and immobiliser systems of some expensive vehicles.

A resident in nearby Walgrave Street had to sell his Mercedes because it broke down repeatedly, despite him paying for £1,000 of modifications.

Gareth and Lyn Davies were left stranded in the road after taking their new Lexus to visit a relative.

They had to barricade the vehicle inside a cordon of vans to block the waves before they could restart the engine.

The car breakdowns have heightened fears about safety among residents, despite assurances from mobile phone company Orange that the mast is safe.

Mrs Davis said: "Either way, the beams are too strong coming from the phone mast, or there's a serious fault with my car.

"Do we have to avoid driving down any roads with phone masts on to stop this from happening again?

"I'm worried that the engine could cut out when driving down the motorway, which would be a lot more dangerous."

A mechanic explained that cars with keyless entry and ignition worked on radio waves that sometimes suffered interference from phone masts.

They abandoned the car in Walgrave Street, as the automatic steering lock prevented it being moved, and needed two lorries to block out the beams. Neighbours spoke of their shock about the waves beaming from the mast by the Rocket pub on Queens Drive, at the end of the M62.

Madeline Gregory, 70, said: "Everybody is very worried about the masts in the area.

"Cars only seem to break down in our street and drivers don't have problems anywhere else.

"I try not to open my window if I can help it as I try to keep out the way of these rays."

A spokesman for Lexus said the incidents were rare and the problem would occur only when the vehicle was stationary.

He said: "It can happen if there are transmitters on masts similar to the radio waves that the car works on."

A spokesman for Orange said: "In our experience, it is not our masts causing problems but failings in the car electrics itself.

"Our technology works at a specific frequency band so no other piece of electrical equipment should cross over into our frequency band, and vice versa.

"Our emission levels are hundreds of times within the strict international health and safety guidelines."

Omega read "Base Stations, operating within strict national and international Guidelines, do not present a Health Risk?" under: http://omega.twoday.net/stories/771911/

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=16483902&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=it-s-driving-us-crazy--name_page.html

A MAN who moved his family more than 170 miles to get away from telephone masts now faces having one built near his new home.

David Powell has lived in Hagworthingham for five years after moving from Newbury, Berkshire, which has a high rate of childhood leukaemia - one of the health risks associated by some with mobile phone masts.

The dad of two explained: "We deliberately moved into a conservation area to get away from the masts."

His family now faces living in the shadow of a proposed 22.5 metre mobile phone mast at Mount Pleasant Farm, Hagworthingham.

He is just one member of the newly formed Hagworthingham Action Group (HAG) which opposes the mast, applied for by phone company O2.

Dean Martin lives 200ft (60 metres) away from the site and Alison Thompson lives just 75ft (22 metres) away.

The mast will also overshadow a well-used public footpath. HAG members say more than 70 per cent of the nearby 300 residents are opposed to the mast.

Their main objections are due to the health risks associated with these types of masts, including cancer.

The site is also in an area of outstanding natural beauty which government guidelines on the siting of masts state should be avoided if possible.

Residents feel there are many other masts nearby which could be shared by O2, an option strongly encouraged by the government yet one which residents feel has not been fully explored by O2.

Mr Martin added: "We are not saying we don't want or don't need a mast, we are just saying we don't want it so close to residential properties."

Mr Martin and Mr Powell insist if the mast were to be built they would move away from the area - despite facing a loss of up to 50 per cent on the value of their homes.

Mrs Thompson has been told by an estate agent her house would be un-sellable if the mast was built.

Mum of three Alison Darling, who lives 500 yards from the proposed site, asked how a mast could be built so near children's homes when it is so difficult to get permission for one near a school.

She added: "We live in a disposable society, does this now extend as far as the disposal of our children and their habitat?"

* The News contacted O2 for its comments but these had not been received at the time of going to press.

http://www.horncastlenews.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=825&ArticleID=1284802

A bipartisan group of senators have agreed to fight the Patriot Act—by filibuster if necessary. The law currently goes too far in curtailing our civil liberties and they're fighting back. The Senate will vote as soon as Thursday. This is the time to act.

This is a huge moment. Senators from both parties are standing together to protect privacy and liberty in a time of war—and they're ready to go all the way. It's important to support them and to show those who are still on the fence how important this issue is to you. Will you help us reach 250,000 signatures on our petition by Thursday so we can deliver them in time for the vote?

http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/?id=6528-5860861-l9VbnwjVnkVyUTWStYCHaw&t=2

If this filibuster holds, Congress could vote to temporarily extend the Patriot Act as it stands—allowing time for a new, better version that addresses the big problems in the law. This would be a huge victory for those of us who believe that liberty is non-negotiable.

The tide is turning in Congress. Leaders in Washington are beginning to demand accountability from the Bush administration on everything from Iraq to the use of torture. Now it looks like President Bush's plan to pass a new and more dangerous version of the Patriot Act is also in trouble.1

In 2001, only one senator voted against the Patriot Act. Since then, people from all across the political spectrum have come to realize that the Patriot Act strikes a blow to the fundamental rights, liberties, and privacy of all Americans. Protecting freedom is something that all of us—progressives and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans—can agree on.

That's why a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Larry Craig, John Sununu, Lisa Murkowski and Democrats Russ Feingold, Dick Durbin and Ken Salazar, have been working to fix the Patriot Act. They have vowed to fight the most egregious provisions and filibuster reauthorization if necessary. We need to show them that we have their backs.

The Patriot Act that the president wants them to pass now goes too far and doesn't protect the privacy of innocent Americans. It doesn't address some of the biggest problems in the law. For example:2

* The government can obtain your private records, like medical, library, school, and other records—without showing any connection between your activities and and a suspected foreign terrorist.

* Some 30,000 National Security Letters ("NSLs") are issued each year to obtain private records,3 and the recipients of those NSLs are under a gag order that is almost impossible to overturn. But the Patriot Act does nothing to address these abusive powers.

* The government is allowed to get "sneak and peek" search warrants to search a home or business and doesn't have to tell the owner of the premises for a month. This power can be used in cases that don't have anything to do with terrorism.

Right now, the Patriot Act is just bad law about to get worse—and leaders in the Washington are actually willing to try to block it. We can't let our only chance to fix it slip away without a fight.

Hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition like this will show the Senate how serious Americans are about protecting their constitutional freedoms. Will you sign the petition and show your support for filibustering a Patriot Act that doesn't include privacy protections?

http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/?id=6528-5860861-l9VbnwjVnkVyUTWStYCHaw&t=3

Together, we can make sure we're safe—and our freedom is safe, too.

Thanks for all you do,

–Eli, Nita, Ben, Jennifer and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team Tuesday, December 13th, 2005

Sources:

1. ACLU: Reform the Patriot Act
http://action.aclu.org/reformthepatriotact/

2. ACLU: Summary of Patriot Reauthorization Act Conference Report
http://action.aclu.org/reformthepatriotact/patriotdraft.html

3. "The FBI's Secret Scrutiny," Washington Post, November 6, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1263


Informant: Andrea Ball

Last week we were honored to have Congressman Murtha speak to our DCCC members. His call for an honest debate on Iraq has already garnered more support from our members than any other campaign we've launched this year.

We hope to deliver 50,000 names to the Speaker of the House, and right now we have more than 30,000 -- if you believe this Republican Congress has abdicated its responsibility long enough, please join us:

Tell Congress to Have an Honest Debate on Iraq For the Safety of Our Troops.

http://whatcounts.com/t?ctl=102BD2F:4092A66

Hours after we launched this petition, the Republicans aired another example of their smear political stunts. From the beginning, Republicans have substituted divisive, over-the-line political attacks for substantive policy in Iraq. The campaign to sell America on war was carefully planned and brilliantly executed -- but it was clear that they had literally been too busy with the sales pitch to plan for the peace.

Last week President Bush released what he called a "Strategy for Victory in Iraq." Days later, we found out that it had been written by a pollster. Another few days after that we learned where the real Republican focus was -- they released a web ad so scurrilous that even a Republican Senator said they should take it down.

With a full-scale media blitz, the Republican National Committee released their "White Flag" campaign, attempting to smear Democrats like John Murtha as unpatriotic, undermining our troops and advocating "surrender." This is their substitute for real debate. The DCCC has put together a video to counterpunch their continued personal attacks. Attacking Democrats is not a plan for success in Iraq. I hope you will watch the DCCC video, sign the petition and then tell them to get their attention back on finding a real solution to the problems in Iraq:

Tell Congress to Have an Honest Debate on Iraq For the Safety of Our Troops.

http://whatcounts.com/t?ctl=102BD2F:4092A66

For more than 1,000 days of war, the Republican Congress has counted itself out. There has been no oversight of the White House, and no serious debate on our future in Iraq.

This cannot go on -- the stakes are too high. We will deliver your name, along with tens of thousands of others, to the Speaker of the House before Congress goes home for recess. Please take a moment to watch the new video from the DCCC and to sign on to John Murtha's call for an honest debate:

Tell Congress to Have an Honest Debate on Iraq For the Safety of Our Troops.

http://whatcounts.com/t?ctl=102BD2F:4092A66


Sincerely,

John Lapp Executive Director, DCCC


PS: We must show this Republican Congress how many Americans support John Murtha. Tell Congress to have an honest debate on Iraq for the safety of our troops.

http://whatcounts.com/t?ctl=102BD2F:4092A66

Maintaler Ärzte appellieren: Schluss mit dem weiteren Ausbau des Mobilfunks
http://www.elektrosmognews.de/news/20051113_maintaler_appell.pdf

Prof. Dr. Guido Zimmer: Nicht-thermaler Hitzeschock, Auswirkung von Mikrowellen
http://www.elektrosmognews.de/news/20051113_MaintalerAppell_Vortrag_Zimmer.pdf

Bürgerinitiative MwW e.V.: Erreicht oder reicht uns die Demokratie?
http://www.elektrosmognews.de/news/20051113_Statement_MwW_Februar_2005.pdf

Bürgerinitiative MwW e.V.: Sind Handys gesundheitsgefährdend?
http://www.elektrosmognews.de/news/20051113_Statement_MwW_Maerz_2005.pdf

--------

Ärzte-Appelle gegen Mobilfunk
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1064751/

http://hometown.aol.com/wbflegal/TraficantWhyinJail.html


Informant: Milo

Christian Science Monitor
by Danny Heitman

12/13/05

In the days after hurricane Katrina, as I hustled to restore our Baton Rouge household to normal, my 9-year-old daughter's Christmas wish list grew longer by the hour. With increasing frequency, as I hauled fallen limbs to the curb and packed away the portable generator, my daughter would tug on my sleeve to announce yet another doll or video game that she wanted under the yuletide tree. I recoiled at the timing of her material longings. We were among the fortunate ones, after all - south Louisiana residents who had dodged most of the hurricane's wrath with no real damage to life or limb. We had reminded our kids quite often of our good fortune, and it seemed that my 9-year-old, young though she is, should have been old enough to know that this wasn't the week to wish for more. Why was she focused on filling her toy box in the midst of so much misery, with New Orleans evacuees arriving literally next door?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1213/p09s02-coop.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

The American Prospect
by Matthew Yglesias

12/13/05

Having argued with tedious frequency for the proposition that the United States needs to look for ways to head for the exit doors in Iraq, I'm naturally heartened, in some ways, by a recent uptick in anti-war sentiment among the Democratic Party's leaders. Nevertheless, advocacy of withdrawal within the liberal community has long been bedeviled by a fairly vicious case of what I like to call the 'pundit's fallacy' -- assertions that the key to electoral success is for a party or political leader to adopt the writer's policy preferences. In their December 12 issue, for example, the editors of The Nation argue that 'Democrats must recognize, as [John] Murtha has, that by putting aside politics and doing what is right for the country they will not only establish their party as the alternative that is needed; they will isolate the Administration and create a space where sensible Republicans can join a new bipartisan drive to get this country's troops out of the Iraq quagmire.' The basis for this proposition is the view that 'the public has turned against the war'...

http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=10722


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

AlterNet
by Stephen Pizzo

12/14/05

"For once the Republican attack machine has described the Democratic Party perfectly: retreat and defeat. It's what Democrats are all about now. I'm not talking about the Democrats' position (if they had one) on Bush's fool's errand of a war in Iraq. I'm talking about how Democrats have flatly refused to stand and fight the war here at home, the war for America's own democracy. Democrats remind me of the that group of kids in every grammar school whose members were not smart enough to be dorks nor tough enough to be knuckle-dragging jocks. They are stuck in a social vacuum of sorts. Every now and then one of them gets some backbone and declares he's 'gonna show those jocks.' To which his frustrated friends eagerly egg him on. So he tosses an insult or rock at the school thugs, who of course immediately counter attack. His friends desert him leaving him screaming, 'it was an accident, honest. I didn't mean it.' After which the thugs would beat the c... out of him anyway...

http://www.alternet.org/story/29552/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Rebirth of Reason
by Tibor R. Machan

12/14/05

Sometimes discussions get bogged down completely because the issues are cast improperly, as in the case of whether Iraq and other countries around the globe could become liberal democracies. President Bush and his defenders appear to consider it an offense to the people in such countries when skeptics question whether they are 'ready for democracy.' And there is a point to finding that line of doubt offensive. In principle, as a basic aspect of our lives, human beings can, of course, improve themselves on all levels, including the political. ... Yet, extremely powerful psychological and sociological forces make such reforms very hard to achieve in our lives. That's especially so when it comes to changing massive institutional obstacles that stand in the way to making improvements in various countries across the globe...

http://tinyurl.com/87c7b


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

AntiWar.Com
by Justin Raimondo

12/14/05

The other day, when Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) suggested that it's time for George W. Bush to form a 'war cabinet,' everybody knew what he had in mind. Rumors of Donald Rumsfeld's departure from the Department of Defense were (and are) rife, and it was clear Lieberman was proposing himself as a replacement. Aside from the brazenly self-promotional aspect of this gambit, however, there is the rhetorical conceit of pretending that we're in the position of Britain during the blitz. This is so typical of the neoconservative vocabulary of crisis-mongering that it has evolved into an ideological tic: their response to any criticism, any deviation from their totalist conception of the 'war on terrorism,' is an outraged cry: 'Don't you know there's a war on?' Lieberman resorted to this tack most recently upon returning from his latest visit to Iraq, whereupon he announced: 'In matters of war, we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril.' As if 'we' are responsible for this administration's lack of credibility...

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=8238


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

LewRockwell.Com
by Butler Shaffer

12/14/05

For all the many reasons I hold political systems in utter contempt, this is by far the most dominant: the state is in a constant war with all of life. It always has been and it always will be, and no mouthing by politicians of empty bromides about 'caring' will ever change this fundamental fact. Political systems war against the spontaneous and self-directed nature of all living systems, using violence as a weapon to force life to go in directions it does not choose. The state is the most fundamentally indecent of all human inventions, a fact that most of us prefer to keep from our conscious mind, which we obfuscate with lies and rationalizations; anesthetize with drugs or alcohol; or trivialize with entertainment-as-news. The most contemptible expression of the state's war against life is found in its abuse, maiming, and slaughter of children...

http://www.lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer125.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

MSNBC

12/13/05

A year ago, at a Quaker Meeting House in Lake Worth, Fla., a small group of activists met to plan a protest of military recruiting at local high schools. What they didn't know was that their meeting had come to the attention of the U.S. military. A secret 400-page Defense Department document obtained by NBC News lists the Lake Worth meeting as a 'threat' and one of more than 1,500 'suspicious incidents' across the country over a recent 10-month period...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10454316/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Tampa Tribune

12/13/05

A European investigator said Tuesday he has found mounting indications the United States illegally held detainees in Europe but then hurriedly shipped out the last ones to North Africa a month ago when word leaked out. Dick Marty, a Swiss senator looking into claims the CIA operated secret prisons in Europe, said an ongoing, monthlong investigation unearthed 'clues' that Poland and Romania were implicated - perhaps unwittingly...

http://tinyurl.com/72zom


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Vorratsdatenspeicherung

Bürgerrechtsorganisationen gegen Vorratsdatenspeicherung. Attac, CCC und FoeBuD fordern EU-Parlament auf, die Richtlinie abzulehnen und kündigen Proteste an

FoeBuD e.V.-Pressemitteilung vom 10.12.05
http://www.foebud.org/datenschutz-buergerrechte/vorratsdatenspeicherung/buergerrechtsorganisationen-gegen-vorratsdatenspeicherung

siehe dazu auch: Überwachungsstaatenbund - Offener Brief gegen Vorratsdatenspeicherung: „Ein Überwachungsstaat ist nicht genug. Dank EU soll's ein Überwachungsstaatenbund sein. Mindestens ein halbes, maximal 24 Monate (in Polen gleich 15 Jahre) sollen alle Telekommunikationsdaten aufgehoben werden. Nicht von Verbrechern, sondern Daten aller Menschen. Diese haben nämlich alle etwas zu verbergen: Ihre Privatsphäre…“
http://www.foebud.org/datenschutz-buergerrechte/vorratsdatenspeicherung/uebewachungsstaatenbund

Vorratsdatenspeicherung klar verfassungswidrig! Humanistische Union appelliert an EU-Parlamentarier, Richtlinienentwurf zur Vorratsdatenspeicherung zurückzuweisen.

HU-Pressemitteilung vom 13.12.2005
http://www.humanistische-union.de/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=246&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=994a5a271b8ee470ff6d2543507426f2

Siehe auch die ausführliche Stellungnahme der Humanistischen Union zur Vorratsdatenspeicherung vom 12.12.05 (pdf)
http://files.humanistische-union.de/2005/vorratsdatenspeicherung_12.12.2005.pdf

Analysen zur Vorratspeicherung von TK-Verbindungsdaten stehen noch aus

„Heute entscheidet das EU-Parlament in Straßburg über die Einführung der verdachtsunabhängigen Speicherung von Telekommunikationsverbindungsdaten. Gleichzeitig steht der Nachweis für die Notwendigkeit der Datensammelei noch aus. In Wiesbaden arbeitet das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) derzeit noch an der Zusammenfassung von Umfrageergebnissen unter deutschen Dienststellen: Die Rechtstatsachensammelstelle sollte durch die bundesweite Umfrage den Bedarf für längere Speicherfristen ermitteln…“ heise-online-Meldung vom 14.12.2005

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/67348


Arbeitnehmerdatenschutz

Gewerkschaften fordern Datenschutz am elektronischen Arbeitsplatz

„Mit dem Thema "Onlinerechte im Betrieb" beschäftigte sich eine Fachtagung von DGB und ver.di am 13. Dezember 2005 in Berlin. Das Problem: Immer mehr Arbeitgeber kontrollieren die Leistung ihrer Angestellten über deren E-Mail-, Internet und Intranet-Verkehr. Ohne dass ein Arbeitnehmer davon weiß, kann der Chef nachvollziehen, an wen seine Mitarbeiter mailen, welche Internetseiten sie aufrufen und vieles mehr. Und zwar problemlos, mit der ganz normalen Software, wie Gerrit Wiegand und Jens Mösinger von der Internetfirma mainis GmbH in Offenbach versicherten. "Im Normalfall, so Wiegand, "hat der Arbeitgeber vollen Zugriff auf sämtliche Daten."…“ Meldung beim DGB ohne Datum http://www.dgb.de/homepage_kurztexte/datenschutz.htm

Siehe auch: „Arbeitnehmer brauchen Schutz vor Datensammelwut im Job“ DGB-Pressemitteilung Nr. 173 vom 13.12.2005
http://www.dgb.de/presse/pressemeldungen/pmdb/pressemeldung_single?pmid=2700


Aus: LabourNet, 14. Dezember 2005

When US companies work with the Canadian federal government, their files, including confidential personal information on Canadians, could today be subject to FBI search. The Canadian government is taking steps to prevent this potential assault on Canadians' privacy.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121305H.shtml

President George W. Bush's strategy for transforming Iraq is threatened by the growth of sectarian militias that are undercutting Iraq's nascent national army and fueling ethnic violence, according to analysts and former US officials.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121305C.shtml

HLV INFO 189/AT

14-12-2005

Diese Empfehlung wird Ihnen von
Ute.u.Gerhard.Kampschulte@t-online.de geschickt.

Die Nachricht des Absenders an Sie lautet:

Es wird das Tier gequält für den Reibach der Betreiber. Nach dem Tier kommt der Mensch.


Mit freundlichen Gruss

Gerhard Kampschulte


Der Titel der empfohlenen Seite lautet:

Tierversuche für Handys

Die Adresse der empfohlenen Seite lautet:

http://datenbank-tierversuche.de/m.php4?u=/magazin/content/2005-08-05-tierversuche-handys.php4

Mit der Ausbreitung des Mobilfunks - mehr als 1,6 Milliarden Menschen benutzen weltweit Handys - wächst die Sorge der Öffentlichkeit um dessen Auswirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit. Die möglichen Gefahren dieser neuen Technologie eingehend zu untersuchen, ist naheliegend und wurde bereits in unzähligen Studien in aller Welt umgesetzt. Doch anstatt auf einige der 1,6 Milliarden potentieller »Versuchsobjekte« zurückzugreifen, setzt man hierzulande lieber auf Tierversuche. Das Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz vergab einen Forschungsauftrag an die Internationale Universität Bremen zur Auswirkung von Handystrahlung auf Mäuse (1). Es wurden Tiere verwendet, die durch eine genetische Veränderung im Alter von einem Jahr an einem Lymphom (Lymphknotenkrebs) erkranken. Die eine Hälfte der Mäuse wurde in ihren Käfigen rund 10 Monate lang einer dauernden Handystrahlung (900 MHz) ausgesetzt. Die andere Hälfte diente als Kontrolle und wurde nicht bestrahlt. Alle Tiere, ob bestrahlt oder nicht, litten bald an Krebs, sie verloren an Gewicht, bekamen Atemnot, gesträubtes Fell und hervorstehende Augen. Insgesamt 320 Mäuse mussten für die Erkenntnis leiden und sterben, dass eine dauerhafte Handystrahlung bei Mäusen offensichtlich keine erhöhte Krebsrate hervorruft.

Abgesehen von der ethischen Problematik, drängt sich die Frage auf, wie realitätsnah dieser Versuch ist. Wie viele der 1,6 Milliarden Handynutzer werden wohl fast ihr ganzes Leben lang Tag und Nacht mit einem ans Ohr geschnallten Handy herumlaufen? Und bei wie vielen von ihnen ist durch eine gentechnische Manipulation eine Krebserkrankung vorprogrammiert?

Handynutzer sind keine Mäuse

Ein schwedisches Forscherteam veröffentlichte im Dezember 2004 eine Auswertung von rund 50 Bevölkerungsstudien, die die Wirkung von elektromagnetischen Strahlen unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten untersuchten: Krebsrate, Herz-Kreislauferkrankungen, grauer Star sowie Symptome wie Kopfschmerzen, Schwindel, Übelkeit, Schlafprobleme usw. Die Ergebnisse waren so unterschiedlich, dass eine von Handys ausgehende Gesundheitsgefahr zwar nicht bewiesen, aber auch keine Entwarnung gegeben werden konnte. Die schwedischen Wissenschaftler führen dies auf die kurzen Zeitspannen der Studien zurück sowie nicht zuletzt auf die fehlende Möglichkeit, Intensität und Häufigkeit des Mobiltelefonierens bei den einzelnen Personen genau dokumentieren zu können. Diese Variabilität beim Menschen macht epidemiologische Studien so schwierig, aber die Beurteilung im »Tiermodell« unmöglich. Menschen sind eben keine Mäuse, die tagein tagaus mit gleicher Intensität bestrahlt werden. Auch spielen beim Handynutzer noch andere Faktoren, wie Stress, eine Rolle. Und schließlich können Mäuse nicht Auskunft darüber geben, ob sie unter Kopfschmerzen, Übelkeit oder Nackenschmerzen leiden.

Zellkulturen fühlen keinen Schmerz Neben epidemiologischen Studien eignen sich auch In-vitro- (= im Reagenzglas) Studien zur Abschätzung der Risiken von Mobilfunk-Magnetfeldern. Ein mögliches krebsauslösendes Potential von Hochfrequenzfeldern wurde anhand von Zellkulturen herausgefunden. Zwölf Forschergruppen hatten in einer von 2000 bis 2003 durchgeführten, von der EU geförderten so genannten REFLEX-Studie (3) herausgefunden, dass elektromagnetische Felder das Erbgut (DNA) schädigen können.

Bevölkerungsstudien im Tierversuch nachvollziehen

Die Bremer Experimentatoren sollten nun auch noch herausfinden - wieder durch das Bundesamt für Strahlenforschung und somit mit unseren Steuergeldern finanziert - wie sich niederfrequente Strahlung auswirkt. Für das gehäufte Vorkommen von Leukämie und anderen Krebserkrankungen bei Menschen, die in der Nähe von Hochspannungsleitungen leben, gibt es bereits handfeste Beweise. Die Bremer Experimente sollten denn auch die in zahlreichen Populationsstudien festgestellten Risiken im Tierversuch nur »nachvollziehen« (4). Bei den Mäusen ergab sich jedoch nach 38-wöchiger Dauerbestrahlung mit 50 Hz-Feldern keine erhöhte Krebsrate. Alle 480 Mäuse, bestrahlte und unbestrahlte, litten und starben gleich häufig an dem Krebs, der bei ihnen durch eine gentechnische Veränderung vorprogrammiert war. Die beim Menschen gefundenen Hinweise auf ein erhöhtes Krebsrisiko durch Hochspannungsleitungen konnten im Tierversuch nicht bestätigt werden. Werden die am Menschen gewonnenen Erkenntnisse jetzt verworfen? Sicherlich nicht. Hätte man sich die Tierversuche dann nicht auch gleich schenken können? 480 leidensfähigen Mitgeschöpfen wäre ein qualvoller Tod erspart geblieben.

Weitere Tierversuche geplant

Trotz der offensichtlichen Unsinnigkeit von Tierversuchen - von der Grausamkeit ganz zu schweigen - vergibt das Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz weiterhin tierexperimentell ausgerichtete Forschungsaufträge. Das von ihm koordinierte Deutsche Mobilfunk-Forschungsprogramm umfasst im Zeitraum 2002 - 2006 insgesamt 52 Forschungsvorhaben, einige davon mit Tierversuchen (5). So wird der Einfluss des Mobilfunks auf die Durchlässigkeit der Blut-Hirn-Schranke bei Ratten getestet. Außerdem sind Langzeitversuche mit mehreren Generationen von Ratten sowie die Untersuchung der Auswirkungen auf die Vermehrungsfähigkeit und Entwicklung von Ratten bereits im Gange. Für eine noch ausstehende Studie zur Frage, ob Kinder und Jugendliche auf hochfrequente elektromagnetische Felder empfindlicher reagieren als Erwachsene wird ein »tierexperimenteller Ansatz favorisiert«.

Wenn Sie dem Bundesamt für Strahlenforschung (höflich) Ihre Meinung sagen möchten, schreiben Sie an:

Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz
Postfach 10 01 49
38201 Salzgitter

Internet:
www.bfs.de
Email: emfforschung@bfs.de

Literatur:

(1) BMC Cancer (electronic recource) 2004: 4(1), 77

(2) Environmental Health Perspektives 2004: 112 (17), 1741-1754

(3) REFLEX = Risk Evaluation of Potential Environmental Hazards from Low Energy Electromagnetic Field Exposure Using Sensitive in vitro Methods; http://www.aerzteblatt.de/v4/archiv/artikel.asp?id=34482

(4) Radiation Research 2004: 162, 194-200

(5) http://www.emf-forschungsprogramm.de/home/forschung


Dr. med. vet. Corina Gericke

A federal grand jury on Monday indicted former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth Chairman Richard Scrushy on more charges in a political corruption case.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5475859,00.html


From Information Clearing House

California's execution of Stanley Tookie Williams on Tuesday outraged many in Europe who regard the practice as barbaric, and politicians in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's native Austria called for his name to be removed from a sports stadium in his hometown.

http://tinyurl.com/ccphb


From Information Clearing House

Not satisfied with the level of pollution and carbon dioxide emissions spewed by the world today, blinded by the quest to further our comfortable, gluttonous ways, we continue pushing the increase of carbon, oil and gas consumption ever more.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11296.htm

According to this article from Brazil's OTempo newspaper, mock trials of U.S. President George W. Bush are to be held as a way of educating young people about the 'crimes' and abuse of power by the Bush Administration.

http://www.watchingamerica.com/otempo000002.shtml

A former top adviser to President George W. Bush on Iraq policy said on Monday there are instances when torture may be appropriate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051213/us_nm/iraq_usa_blackwill_dc


From Information Clearing House

VIDEO: ACLU Holds Briefing With Khaled El-Masri, Announcing His Lawsuit Against the CIA for Torture.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11299.htm

Straw finally admits CIA planes landed in Britain.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1665912,00.html


From Information Clearing House

Legal proceedings in certain countries seemed to indicate that individuals had been abducted and transferred to other countries unlawfully by CIA.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/13/content_3917547.htm


From Information Clearing House

We’re killing hundreds of Sunnis all over western Iraq on their behalf.
http://tinyurl.com/cm3v9


From Information Clearing House

This costly intervention has exposed the myth of America as conductor of a grand democratic Middle Eastern orchestra.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1665668,00.html


From Information Clearing House

"This does not mean that we back this so-called political process... Our jihad against the Americans and their followers continues," the group said in the statement.

http://tinyurl.com/9kryk


From Information Clearing House

By Monica Benderman

Our government has told us we must fear the Conscientious Objectors because they have stood against an illegal war of aggression. Our government, threatened by Sgt. Benderman’s moral stand to defend humanity and our constitution, has imprisoned him in the hopes that the slamming of the rusty, mildewed bars will silence his message of truth.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11300.htm

By Charles Sullivan

The experience that most Americans live vicariously through television is an utter fraud. As Thoreau said, “We have become the tools of our tools.” Our lives have become more virtual than real.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11295.htm

Council of Europe probe backs claims of CIA prison flights

By AFX News

The CIA appears to have abducted suspects in Europe and illegally transferred them to other countries, according to the preliminary results of a Council of Europe investigation released today.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11294.htm



When Allies Become Accomplices to Terror

By Christian Bommarius, Senior Editor

Does a State become a rogue State because it uses roguish methods? Or does it use roguish methods because it is a rogue state? - " It makes no difference if a State tortures (or outsources torture) in the name of human rights, in the name of a religion or in the name of a dictator. For it then tortures not as a society based on the rule of law but as its antithesis.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11298.htm



Reduced to double talk in defending torture policy

By HELEN THOMAS

How long will the American people tolerate the shaming of their nation by the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war and the spiriting of detainees to secret prisons outside the United States?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11297.htm

Sign Petition to Stop (Filibuster) The Patriot Act !!!

MoveOn.org Political Action: Stop the Patriot Act
http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/?id=6528-548767-VYuskRzuL0YFm9x2Iiw2tQ&t=1

Two days to stop the Patriot Act

Now is the time to take a stand on the Patriot Act. Senators from both parties have vowed to fight reauthorization by filibuster if necessary until it includes needed reforms. Can you help us reach our goal of 250,000 signatures to show support for filibustering the Patriot Act? Stop the Patriot Act Dear MoveOn member, A bipartisan group of senators have agreed to fight the Patriot Act by filibuster if necessary. The law currently goes too far in curtailing our civil liberties and they're fighting back. The Senate will vote as soon as Thursday. This is the time to act. This is a huge moment. Senators from both parties are standing together to protect privacy and liberty in a time of war—and they're ready to go all the way. It's important to support them and to show those who are still on the fence how important this issue is to you. Will you help us reach 250,000 signatures on our petition by Thursday so we can deliver them in time for the vote?

http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/?id=6528-548767-VYuskRzuL0YFm9x2Iiw2tQ&t=2

If this filibuster holds, Congress could vote to temporarily extend the Patriot Act as it stands allowing time for a new, better version that addresses the big problems in the law. This would be a huge victory for those of us who believe that liberty is non-negotiable. The tide is turning in Congress. Leaders in Washington are beginning to demand accountability from the Bush administration on everything from Iraq to the use of torture. Now it looks like President Bush's plan to pass a new and more dangerous version of the Patriot Act is also in trouble.1 In 2001, only one senator voted against the Patriot Act. Since then, people from all across the political spectrum have come to realize that the Patriot Act strikes a blow to the fundamental rights, liberties, and privacy of all Americans. Protecting freedom is something that all of us progressives and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans can agree on. That's why a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Larry Craig, John Sununu, Lisa Murkowski and Democrats Russ Feingold, Dick Durbin and Ken Salazar, have been working to fix the Patriot Act. They have vowed to fight the most egregious provisions and filibuster reauthorization if necessary. We need to show them that we have their backs. The Patriot Act that the president wants them to pass now goes too far and doesn't protect the privacy of innocent Americans. It doesn't address some of the biggest problems in the law. For example: 2 The government can obtain your private records, like medical, library, school, and other records without showing any connection between your activities and and a suspected foreign terrorist. Some 30,000 National Security Letters ("NSLs") are issued each year to obtain private records, 3 and the recipients of those NSLs are under a gag order that is almost impossible to overturn. But the Patriot Act does nothing to address these abusive powers. The government is allowed to get "sneak and peek" search warrants to search a home or business and doesn't have to tell the owner of the premises for a month. This power can be used in cases that don't have anything to do with terrorism. Right now, the Patriot Act is just bad law about to get worse and leaders in the Washington are actually willing to try to block it. We can't let our only chance to fix it slip away without a fight. Hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition like this will show the Senate how serious Americans are about protecting their constitutional freedoms. Will you sign the petition and show your support for filibustering a Patriot Act that doesn't include privacy protections?
http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/?id=6528-548767-VYuskRzuL0YFm9x2Iiw2tQ&t=3

Together, we can make sure we're safe and our freedom is safe, too. Thanks for all you do.

Eli, Nita, Ben, Jennifer and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team Tuesday, December 13th, 2005 Sources:

1. ACLU: Reform the Patriot Act
http://action.aclu.org/reformthepatriotact/

2. ACLU: Summary of Patriot Reauthorization Act Conference Report
http://action.aclu.org/reformthepatriotact/patriotdraft.html

3. "The FBI's Secret Scrutiny," Washington Post, November 6, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1263


Informant: Scott Munson

http://www.workingforchange.com/printitem.cfm?itemid=20051


Informant: Martin Greenhut

HEADLINES and NEWS LINKS Courtesy of TvNewsLies.org
http://tvnewslies.org/news

TVNL RADIO LIVE! NOON to 2! ET TODAY!
http://tvnewslies.org/html/radio_show.html

Dec.13-2005 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH:
http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#rights

· Iraqi Ministry Denies Captives Were Abused · Reduced to double talk in defending torture policy · CIA abduction claims 'credible' - Allegations that the CIA abducted and illegally transported terror suspects across European borders are credible, an investigator has said.

**United States Is Actively Engaged In War Crimes - Some times it is hard to admit that we have leaders in Washington, DC that have no conscience, no morals, no integrity, no humaneness. What they do in our name, as if they were doing us all a favor, turns to true tragedy and they just keep on as business as usual in our national capital.

WAR : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#war

· Suicide Car Bomber Attacks U.S. Patrol in Baghdad - killing at least 25 people, including several children and an American soldier, news services and the military reported. · A war and its fearsome consequences: How the world has changed post-Iraq · Iraq Sunni politician shot dead

ECONOMY : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news#economy

· Two countries, one booming, one struggling: which one followed the free-trade route? - A look at Vietnam and Mexico exposes the myth of market liberalisation

9/11 News : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#911

· High-Level Officials Warn of Fake Terror - A variety of current and former high-level officials have recently warned that the Bush administration is attempting to instill a dictatorship in America, and will itself carry out a fake terrorist attack in order to obtain one.

DOMESTIC : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#domestic

· Justices To Review DeLay-Led Districting · US ex-gang boss Williams executed . · Maine governor signs trade deal with Cuba, calls for better relations · DIEBOLD CEO WALDEN O'DELL RESIGNS! · Rumor of levee dynamite persists

ENVIRONMENT : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#environment

· Extinction alert for 800 species · EU backs landmark chemicals law · Record Drought Cripples Life Along the Amazon

INTERNATIONAL : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#international

· Trade battle starts in Hong Kong · Car bomb kills anti-Syrian MP Tueni in Beirut

JOURNALISM & MEDIA : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#media

· Was the Golden Globe News Coverage Sufficient? - Did you listen to the vital analysis and points raised by the "journalists" on TV? Did you puke? Did you grow old waiting for some real news?

HEALTH & SCIENCE : http://www.tvnewslies.org/news/#health

· Violent video games alter brain's response to violence


Informant: Scott Munson

This is important to know.

fyi -- of interest .... claire

On December 8, 2005, the Republican Leadership in the House of Representatives presented a new, modified federal budget for 2006 and beyond. The President and the Republican leadership are saying that the costs associated with rebuilding the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina have driven up the national deficit to an unacceptable level. They claim that this new budget was necessary in order to "offset" these rebuilding costs. I voted against this budget proposal, below are my reason for doing so.

Misplaced and Uncompassionate Priorities

The proposed budget would cut funding for vital social services such as health care, child care, education, and veterans benefits. Spending for the war in Iraq and tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, however, will remain intact. It would seem that the Majority has a double standard when it comes to spending the American taxpayers' money. Apparently, it is acceptable to drive up the deficit to unprecedented levels with tax cuts for the rich and for an ill advised war; yet, when Americans need help to recover from a natural disaster, budget "offsets" suddenly become necessary. In a cruel irony, the "offsets" are targeted at precisely the programs that Katrina's victims need most.

Cut are proposed in the following programs:

Medicaid

The budget proposal includes cuts to Medicaid of $13.4 billion over five years (when offset by $1.5 billion in new spending, creates a net cut of $11.9 billion, $3.3 million in Michigan alone). This legislation will also impose new premiums and cost sharing for many poor, mostly elderly, Medicaid beneficiaries, making it more expensive to visit a doctor or go to the hospital. For the first time, this bill allows health care providers to refuse care if a Medicaid recipient cannot afford the new co-payment.

Food Stamps

Two new provisions will cut $844 million from the food stamp budget by taking food stamps away from 300,000 Americans and legal immigrants. Additionally, with these new cuts, over 40 states will opt to coordinate their eligibility rules so that families must now meet a separate income test specific to the Food Stamp Program which would cause an additional estimated 225,000 people to lose food stamps.

Child Care

The budget proposal would double the hourly work requirement under TANF for parents of children under six, from 20 to 40 hours a week, but provide only $500 million in additional funding for child care over the next five years. Consequently, 100,000 children presently eligible will not receive child care assistance over the next five years.

In addition, under the increased work requirements, states' costs for child care will increase by an estimated $4.1 billion over the next five years. As a result, 270,000 children of low-wage working parents who are not on welfare will likely lose their child care assistance.

Child Support

The proposed budget cuts 4.9 billion from child support enforcement programs. Reduced enforcement will decrease child support payments by $8 billion over the next five years and $21.3 billion over the next ten years, depriving many children of necessary assistance.

Foster Care

The proposal will cut $600 million in assistance for abused and neglected children who are in foster care, many of them with grandparents and other relatives. Unless states devote new resources to foster care, services will be cut, and caseloads will increase in a system that is already overburdened and under funded.

Education

The new budget will cut $14.3 billion from federal student aid programs through 2010. At a time when federal student aid is not keeping pace with rising college costs, these budget cuts will make a quality college education even more expensive for students and families. Included in these cuts are nearly $8 billion in new charges to students and families that will raise the cost of their college loans. As a result of these cuts, the typical student borrower, already saddled with $17,500 in debt, will be forced to pay an additional $5,800 for his or her college loans.

Veterans Health Care

In a time when many American soldiers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan seriously wounded and with lifelong debilitating injuries, the Republicans' budget will cut more than $600 million dollars from the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving nearly
100,000 veterans without health care services.

While I am vehemently opposed to balancing the budget on the backs of America's middle and lower class, I acknowledge that the size of the current deficit is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. For that reason I support the Democratic alternative budget. This alternative would balance the budget by 2012, have a smaller deficit than the Republican budget every year, accumulate less debt, and wasted fewer resources on interest payments needed to service the national debt. To read more about the Democratic Budget visit:

http://www.house.gov/budget_democrats/analyses/06fact_sheets_for_budget_debate.pdf


Sincerely,

John Conyers, Jr.
Member of Congress

note from claire: if -- upon reading this, you are driven to call and voice your opinion -- the capital switchboard number is: Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Claire McGee Oregon District 5 Congressional Leader U.S. Department of Peace http://www.dopcampaign.org

Pete Sorenson for Governor

if you work for peace, stop paying for war claire@coalitionofthemajority.org


Informant: smilingmoon14

13. Dezember 2005

Auch Freisprechanlagen riskant - Forscher führten Tests zu Single- und Multi-Tasking durch - Mehr als verdoppelte Reaktionszeit Trennlinie Foto: APA/Schneider

Nur zeitverzögert multi-tasking-fähig: Gleichzeitiges Autofahren und Telefonieren kann die Reaktionszeit mehr als verdoppeln. Link Oregon State University Wien - Autofahren und Telefonieren - auch mit Freisprechanlage - sind laut Experten keine gute Kombination. Wissenschafter der Oregon State University haben nun herausgefunden, dass es das Umschalten im Gehirn zwischen verschiedenen Aufgaben ist, das zu verzögerten Reaktionen führt.

Die Psychologie-Professorin Mei-Ching Lien hat dazu verschiedene Labor-Versuche unternommen, bei denen Probanden mit einzelnen (single-tasking) oder mehrfachen (multi-tasking) Aufgaben gleichzeitig konfrontiert werden. So mussten die Versuchspersonen beim single-tasking beispielsweise immer wieder auf das Erscheinen von rotem Licht reagieren, etwa durch einen Tastendruck quittieren. Obwohl es individuelle Unterschiede gab, lag die typische Reaktionszeit bei etwa 300 Millisekunden.

Reaktionszeit mehr als verdoppelt

Dann fügten die Wissenschafter in den Versuchsaufbau eine zweite, von der ersten sich unterscheidende Aufgabe ein. Die Probanden mussten beispielsweise eine bestimmte Form erkennen und darauf reagieren. Das Wechseln führte zu deutlichen verzögerten Reaktionszeiten, auch wenn die Versuchspersonen darauf vorbereitet waren. "Die Einführung einer zweiten Aufgabe erhöhte die Reaktionszeiten auf etwa 800 Millisekunden", so die Forscherin.

Für Lien sind die Experimente durchaus mit Autofahren und dabei Telefonieren vergleichbar. Auch wenn es viele Menschen glauben, dass beides mehr oder weniger automatisch abläuft, bedarf es doch des ständigen Umschaltens zwischen den komplexen Anforderungen des Verkehrs und etwa der Beantwortung einer Frage des Telefonpartners. Dabei sind die Reaktionszeiten jeweils verlängert. Bei einer Geschwindigkeit von 100 Kilometer pro Stunde macht die Verlängerung der Reaktionszeit von 300 auf 800 Millisekunden einen Weg von 14 Metern aus, eine Strecke, die entscheidend sein kann.

Für die Psychologin ist es auch ein Unterschied, ob ein Autofahrer telefoniert, oder sich mit einem Beifahrer unterhält. Wird es im Verkehr brenzlig, kann sich der Beifahrer danach richten und ruhig sein. Ein Gesprächspartner am Telefon kann das nicht. (APA)

http://derstandard.at/?id=2273532

McKibben laments the tragic intransigence of the US at the Montreal climate talks, calling it "too painful to watch." Yet he lauds the courageous young people who took to the streets to demand action and "let Harlan Exxon Watson know that they knew he was the lamest sort of tool."

http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/121305EC.shtml

An Associated Press analysis of a little-known government research project shows that black Americans are 79 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution is suspected of posing the greatest health danger.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121305T.shtml

http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=42286


Informant: Alan Dicey

Latest from WHO on EHS:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs296/en/print.html

‘Electromagnetic fields and public health; Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity’.

Note the advice on limiting exposure differs from that from Jill Meara at the Health Protection Agency, in saying if the kitchen is too hot, stay there: just think cool.

Echoes from recent WHO advice not to measure EMFs because the worry might make it worse.

Which itself is an interesting observation, since EMFs as a biological stressor are what it's all about. Worry might indeed make EHS worse, by the same route that EMFs cause it.

And see how definitive the Rubin and Wessely paper (American Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine) is becoming in refuting any connection between EMF and EHS.

And so the inexorable march of Ideopathic Environmental Intolerance (IEI), in which the soaring modern dis-eases are apparently none of our own making. While we pollute and destroy our environment, indeed our planet, we are supposed to feel good again, with a pill and a bit of cognitive behavioural therapy.

Andy

--------

WHO, EMF, Electromagnetic Radiation and Mobile Phones
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1194586/

***SOS***Urgent Actions needed***Stop the Patriot Act***Time Sensitive Please do your part and forward this message far and wide, right away...Two days, I think we have...The three actions are posted at the end of this message

Okay guys...Some of "US" don't go along with a lot of what the ACLU or MoveOn.org represents and stands for and I don't even know anything about the The Progressive Patriots, yet

But there's no reason we can't join efforts together when we do agree with the issue, is there?

Everyone falls at different ends of the spectrum of opinions and beliefs on all issues in a wide variety of combinations and we know it's not possible to agree on every issue

But we can still work together whenever possible...We have to...

Every bit of energy does help...especially when added to every other effort

I just called my representatives here in Ohio and was told they both have not released their positions on the patriot act yet...I had a lot to say...I wanted them to know I was a registered voter to help insure the correct decision

Please make those calls and sign these two petitions...Our future and lives depend on it...Don't wait for others to do it...That has never worked

Sincerely,
Marsha


#1 Click here to take action>>>American Civil Liberties Union:

http://tinyurl.com/8zl3r

#2 Sign Petition to Stop The Patriot Act !

MoveOn.org Political Action: Stop the Patriot Act
Address: http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/?id=6528-548767-VYuskRzuL0YFm9x2Iiw2tQ&t=1

#3 Click here: Progressive Patriots http://tinyurl.com/7dk8t

BALTIMORE, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. budget deficit increased 43% in November, to $83.1 billion, the largest November deficit on record. So far this fiscal year, which began October 1, 2005, the government is $130 billion in the hole, after being down $115 billion this time last year. And as one best-selling author warns, this dangerous trend has dire consequences for every American. In the New York Times bestseller Empire of Debt, co-authors Addison Wiggin and Bill Bonner write, "When people cannot pay their debts, they do not pay them. But the debts do not cease to exist." Wiggin warns this is as true with governments as it is with people. "Even Washington can't spend more than it earns forever," he says. "Yet the American people don't seem to realize that they're the ones who will be stuck with the bill." Wiggin points out that the American Debt Clock totals over $26,000 per citizen. "That's a trend that we might call 'unsustainable.' The total US debt crested $8 trillion in October. That's two-thirds of the total US GDP. If we were paying it, that would be 6 out of every 10 dollars earned in the economy going to pay off debt." Unfortunately, Wiggin says, just the opposite is happening. Following Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. House of Representatives passed four tax-cutting bills, which eliminated $94.5 billion in revenue from the federal budget. The total cost of rebuilding in the Gulf will exceed twice the total spending cuts approved last month. "Of course, voters like it when politicians cut taxes," Wiggin says. "But from a financial standpoint, it's pointless if you're increasing spending at the same time." For more from Addison Wiggin, see http://www.dailyreckoning.com . Addison Wiggin is editorial director and publisher of The Daily Reckoning. He is also the co-author, along with Bill Bonner, of the recently released New York Times bestseller, Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis. Brought to you by Agora Financial, and written by the NY Times best- selling authors Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin, The Daily Reckoning is a daily, free e-letter that weaves information about the financial world, investing and everyday life into an educational and entertaining format that has been engaging their readers for over six years.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-13-2005/0004233256&EDATE=
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law


Informant: beefree

http://www.amconmag.com/2005/2005_11_21/article.html


Informant: Lew Rockwell

Laurence Vance on another big-government trick.
http://lewrockwell.com/orig6/fair-tax.html

BREAKING: Due to contractual non-performance and security design issues, Leon County (Florida) supervisor of elections Ion Sancho told Black Box Voting that he will never again use Diebold in an election. He has requested funds to replace the Diebold system from the county. He will issue a formal announcement to this effect shortly.

Finnish security expert Harri Hursti proved that Diebold lied to Secretaries of State across the nation when Diebold claimed votes could not be changed on the memory card.

A test election was run in Leon County today with a total of eight ballots - six ballots voted "no" on a ballot question as to whether Diebold voting machines can be hacked or not. Two ballots, cast by Dr. Herbert Thompson and by Harri Hursti voted "yes" indicating a belief that the Diebold machines could be hacked.

At the beginning of the test election the memory card programmed by Harri Hursti was inserted into an Optical Scan Diebold voting machine. A "zero report" was run indicating zero votes on the memory card. In fact, however, Hursti had pre-loaded the memory card with plus and minus votes.

The eight ballots were run through the optical scan machine. The standard Diebold-supplied "ender card" was run through as is normal procedure ending the election. A results tape was run from the voting machine.

Correct results should have been:

Yes:2 No:6

However, just as Hursti had planned, the results tape read:

Yes:7 No:1

The results were then uploaded from the optical scan voting machine into the GEMS central tabulator. The central tabulator is the "mother ship" that pulls in all votes from voting machines. The results in the central tabulator read:

Yes:7 No:1

This exploit, accomplished without being given any password and with the same level of access given thousands of poll workers across the USA, showed that the votes themselves were changed in a one-step process. This hack would not be detected in any normal canvassing procedure, and it required only a single a credit-card sized memory card.

On Oct. 17, 2005 Diebold Elections Systems Research and Development chief Pat Green specifically told the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) board of elections that votes cannot be changed using only a memory card. Video of Pat Green, Cuyahoga County

According to Public Records responses obtained by Black Box Voting in response to our requests shows that Diebold promulgated this misrepresentation to as many as 800 state and local elections officials.

In other news, according to "Bradblog" a stockholder suit was filed today against Diebold by the law offices of Scott and Scott:

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm


Informant: mojo_j_2000

EXCLUSIVE: SECURITIES FRAUD LITIGATION FILED AGAINST DIEBOLD, INC! Eight Current and Former Executives Named as Co-Defendants, Including former CEO O'Dell and New CEO Swidarski.

Class Action Suit Alleges Fraud, Insider Trading, Manipulation of Stock Prices, Concealment of Known Flaws in Voting Machines and Company Structural Problems.

The BRAD BLOG can now report that a Securities Fraud Class Action suit has been filed against Diebold, Inc. (stock symbol: DBD) naming eight top executive officers in the company as co-defendants. The suit has been filed by plaintiff Janice Konkol, alleging securities fraud against the North Canton, Ohio-based manufacturer of Voting Systems and ATM machines on behalf of investors who owned shares of Diebold stock and lost money due to an alleged fraudulent scheme by the company and its executives to deceive shareholders during the "class period" of October 22, 2003 through September 21, 2005.

The suit was filed today in U.S. Federal District Court in Ohio and alleges the company "artificially inflated" stock prices through misleading public information designed to conceal the true nature of Diebold's financial and legal situation. The defendants are also alleged to have attempted to disguise well-known and ongoing problems with Diebold's Voting Machine equipment and software. Additionally, the suit alleges insider trading by defendants resulting in proceeds of $2.7 million. Remedies are sought under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The suit, filed by the law firm Scott+Scott, LLC on behalf of Konkol and the plaintiff class, names former Diebold CEO and Chairman, Walden O'Dell as a co-defendant along with seven other current and former officers of the once-venerable company.

News of the pending litigation was first reported as imminent in an exclusive report by The BRAD BLOG late last week.

Yesterday, in a surprise announcement, O'Dell unexpectedly resigned from the company. A Diebold press release described O'Dell as leaving the company for "personal reasons". He was immediately replaced by the company's president and chief operating officer, Thomas W. Swidarski, who had directly overseen Diebold's Election Systems subsidiary division for some time. Swidarski is also named as a co-defendant in today's class action suit.

After news was released of weaker-than-expected third-quarter earnings on September 21, Diebold stock prices plummeted 15.5% in unusually heavy trading that resulted in a one day sell-off costing investors more than $40 million dollars. The complaint describes Diebold and the co-defendants as having "failed to disclose adverse facts known" to the company and that they "participated in a fraudulent scheme and course of business that operated as a fraud."

The suit, to be released in full by The BRAD BLOG shortly, alleges Diebold and the eight co-defendants failed to alert investors to adverse facts known to the company, choosing instead to participate in a "fraudulent scheme and course of business" that operated as a fraud or deceit on the company's shareholders.

The suit describes the liabilities of the company and co-defendants as follows...

Each defendant is liable for (a) making false statements, or (b) failing to disclose adverse facts known to him about Diebold. Defendants' fraudulent scheme and course of business that operated as a fraud or deceit on purchasers of Diebold publicly traded securities was a success, as it (a) deceived the investing public regarding Diebold's prospects and business; (b) artificially inflated the prices of Diebold's publicly traded securities; (c) allowed insiders to sell over 51,000 shares of Diebold stock, for proceeds of $2.7 million; and (d) caused plaintiff and other members of the Class to purchase Diebold's publicly traded securities at inflated prices.

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm


Informant: beefree

--------

Is Diebold the next Enron? Is Diebold TOAST? I'd like to think so, but even in the unlikely event Diebold goes under, no doubt their fraudulent voting machines will remain in use around the country because "it would be too expensive to replace them."

Diebold machines - $5000 each. Democracy - priceless.

No mention of this in the mainstream media, yet, that I can find.

Margie


EXCLUSIVE: SECURITIES FRAUD LITIGATION FILED AGAINST DIEBOLD, INC!

Eight Current and Former Executives Named as Co-Defendants, Including former CEO O'Dell and New CEO Swidarski Class Action Suit Alleges Fraud, Insider Trading, Manipulation of Stock Prices, Concealment of Known Flaws in Voting Machines and Company Structural Problems

The BRAD BLOG can now report that a Securities Fraud Class Action suit has been filed against Diebold, Inc. stock symbol: DBD naming eight top executive officers in the...
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm The BRAD BLOG
http://www.bradblog.com/ can now report that a Securities Fraud Class Action suit has been filed against Diebold, Inc. stock symbol: DBD http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=DBD&d=t naming eight top executive officers in the company as co-defendants. The suit has been filed by plaintiff Janice Konkol, alleging securities fraud against the North Canton, Ohio-based manufacturer of Voting Systems and ATM machines on behalf of investors who owned shares of Diebold stock and lost money due to an alleged fraudulent scheme by the company and its executives to deceive shareholders during the "class period" of October 22, 2003 through September 21, 2005.

The suit was filed today in U.S. Federal District Court in Ohio and alleges the company "artificially inflated" stock prices through misleading public information designed to conceal the true nature of Diebold's financial and legal situation. The defendants are also alleged to have attempted to disguise well-known and ongoing problems with Diebold's Voting Machine equipment and software. Additionally, the suit alleges insider trading by defendants resulting in proceeds of $2.7 million. Remedies are sought under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The suit, filed by the law firm Scott+Scott, LLC on behalf of Konkol and the plaintiff class, names former Diebold CEO and Chairman, Walden O'Dell as a co-defendant along with seven other current and former officers of the once-venerable company.

News of the pending litigation was first reported as imminent in an exclusive report by The BRAD BLOG
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002126.htm late last week.

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm Yesterday, in a surprise announcement, O'Dell unexpectedly resigned
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002149.htm from the company. A Diebold press release described O'Dell as leaving the company for "personal reasons". He was immediately replaced by the company's president and chief operating officer, Thomas W. Swidarski, who had directly overseen Diebold's Election Systems subsidiary division for some time. Swidarski is also named as a co-defendant in today's class action suit.

After news was released of weaker-than-expected third-quarter earnings on September 21, Diebold stock prices plummeted 15.5%
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001852.htm in unusually heavy trading that resulted in a one day sell-off costing investors more than $40 million dollars. The complaint describes Diebold and the co-defendants as having "failed to disclose adverse facts known" to the company and that they "participated in a fraudulent scheme and course of business that operated as a fraud."

The suit, to be released in full by The BRAD BLOG
http://www.bradblog.com/ shortly, alleges Diebold and the eight co-defendants failed to alert investors to adverse facts known to the company, choosing instead to participate in a "fraudulent scheme and course of business" that operated as a fraud or deceit on the company's shareholders.

The suit describes the liabilities of the company and co-defendants as follows...

Each defendant is liable for a making false statements, or b failing to disclose adverse facts known to him about Diebold. Defendants' fraudulent scheme and course of business that operated as a fraud or deceit on purchasers of Diebold publicly traded securities was a success, as it a deceived the investing public regarding Diebold's prospects and business; b artificially inflated the prices of Diebold's publicly traded securities; c allowed insiders to sell over 51,000 shares of Diebold stock, for proceeds of $2.7 million; and caused plaintiff and other members of the Class to purchase Diebold's publicly traded securities at inflated prices.

...THE DEFENDANTS...

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm Named as co-defendants in the suit along with former CEO O'Dell and new CEO Swidarski are President of International Operations, Michael J. Hillock; Senior Vice President of Customer Solutions, David Bucci; Interim Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Controller, Kevin J. Krakora; Vice President and Chief Information Officer, John M. Crowther; Senior Vice President and CFO, Gregory T. Geswein; and President and COO, Eric C. Evans. Titles applied to the named co-defendants during the class period. Evans, for example resigned from the company on the same day as the Sep. 21, 2005 announcement. "Each individual defendant," the suit points out, "owed a duty to the Company and its shareholders not to trade on inside information."

The claim cites a number of allegedly misleading news releases pertaining to the fitness and security of election systems as contracted by Diebold in San Diego County in 2003; their settlement for $2.6 million with the state of California in 2004, wherein Diebold is alleged to have concealed "the dimensions and scope of internal problems at the Company" from investors; and an "astonishingly low and incredibly inaccurate" statement about "restructuring charges" in the Sep. 21 announcement.

Once again, quoting from the lawsuit:

During the Class Period, defendants knew and concealed that:

a the Company remained unable to assure the quality and working order of their voting machine products;

b the Company lacked a credible state of internal controls and corporate compliance;

c the 2004 settlement with the State of California served to conceal from investors the dimensions and scope of internal problems at the Company, impacting product quality, strategic planning, forecasting, guidance, internal controls and corporate compliance;

and

d the Company's "prediction" of astonishingly low and incredibly inaccurate restructuring charges for the entire 2005 fiscal year grossly understated the true costs defendants faced to restructure the Company.

The complaint alleges that the company lied to investors about the true costs of its restructuring activities, concealing the fact that Diebold was facing far worse restructuring issues than publicly represented -- indicative of far greater problems than the company was willing to reveal.

For example, the complaint indicates that the problems Diebold faced in California in 2004 were merely the tip of an internal structural iceberg which the company had sought to conceal from investors when they decided to make a settlement in the case. Investors could not know then that the problems revealed by the California litigation in 2004 were a sign of more and deeper internal problems to come. The settlement agreed to by Diebold in that case, the suit alleges, was meant to keep a lid on the larger dimensions of the problems, rather than indicating that the issues at stake had been fully resolved. Press materials released by the company announcing the settlement -- and included in the version of the complaint filed today -- seem to indicate otherwise to investors.

...THE INSIDER...

Additional facets of the company's internal structural problems were revealed in a series of previous BRAD BLOG articles
http://www.bradblog.com/Diebold.htm reporting on an anonymous company insider we dubbed "DIEB-THROAT" who alerted us to the "Cyber Alert Warning"
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/bulletins/SB04-252.html#diebold issued by a branch of the Dept. of Homeland Security in August of 2004. That warning concerned the vulnerability to hackers of Diebold's central vote tabulating software prior to last year's Presidential Election. The election watchdog organization BlackBoxVoting.org http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ , who had first discovered the vulnerability, had also recently arranged for a computer security expert to successfully hack into actual Diebold voting machines used in Leon County, Florida without leaving any trace of the manipulation.

It was just several days after our first report on DIEB-THROAT
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001838.htm that stock prices plunged at the company in September. Diebold attempted to blame their troubles, at the time, on bad weather in the gulf which lead our insider source to aver
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001852.htm : "Using Hurricane Katrina is a poor excuse for bad products - the last time this kind of deception occurred it was called Enron."

Internet news site, The RAW STORY http://www.rawstory.com/ recently ran their own interview with DIEB-THROAT
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Dieboldinsiderallegescompanyplagued1206.html revealing still more structural problems within the company and its voting division. The report explained that the company was "plagued by technical woes," even as a Diebold spokesperson claimed the 144-year old company "has a sterling reputation in the industry."

...THE PLAINTIFF...

Plaintiff Konkol, a just-retired 29-year public school employee from Central Wisconsin first invested in Diebold in 1999. She told The BRAD BLOG http://www.bradblog.com/ that she purchased the stock thinking, "ATM's that'd be the way to go." She originally invested $500 which eventually grew to $1400 before falling. She is also invested in Diebold via mutual funds held by the Wisconsin Education Union in which she is a member. Konkol, a 56-year old grandmother of three, recently returned from two weeks of volunteering on the Gulf Coast with several members of her Lutheran church. "We got a big group together and we went down to the Gulf to help out in Katrina."

"I believe in churches...I believe we should practice what we're preached to about," she told us. "I don't like it when big companies take advantage of us little people," she said. "I can't say that I'm anti-big business...I just want things to be fair."

It appears that Scott+Scott, the attorneys associated with the case, are just beginning to learn about the full scope of the fraud allegedly perpetrated by Diebold on investors. Amended complaints with additional details are expected to be filed in the weeks and months to come. Other law firms are also expected to file similar suits which will eventually be consolidated by the Federal District Court hearing the case. Indeed The BRAD BLOG
http://www.bradblog.com/ has been contacted since filing our original report
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002126.htm on this last week, by other firms who are said to be pursuing similar litigation against Diebold.

...THE REFORMERS...

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm As one of America's largest Voting Machine Companies along with ES&S, they account for the tabulation of more than 80% of America's votes every election Diebold has been the target of Election Reform advocates for their strong partisan support of Republican causes and candidates, a statement made prior to last year's Presidential Election to Republican fundraisers by O'Dell that he was committed to "delivering the state of Ohio" to George W. Bush, along with their reluctance to include verifiable paper ballots with their voting products and to make the source-code for their software open and available for public inspection.

A recent 100+ page GAO report
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001940.htm , shamefully unreported http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001964.htm by the mainstream media, confirmed many of the Election Reform advocates concerns about the security and vulnerability of Voting Equipment made by Diebold and other such companies. In California, a recent mock election test revealed that some 20% of Diebold touch-screen voting machines failed to operate as expected after being previous decertified for similar failures and vulnerabilities. Despite that, California's Republican Sec. of State Bruce McPherson remarkably is considering re-certifying those same machines in the state which Diebold has described as America's "largest voting market."

Diebold was one of seven major American Voting Machine companies named in Velvet Revolution's "Divestiture for Democracy"
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/DV4D/ campaign launched on Presidents' Day last February. The campaign demanded accountability and openness by the Voting Machine Companies in what Velvet Revolution deemed a "patriotic duty" to "ensure free, fair and transparent elections" by the private companies entrusted with running our sacred public democracy. The BRAD BLOG http://www.bradblog.com/ is a co-founder of VelvetRevolution.us http://www.velvetrevolution.us/ .

Konkol's complaint as filed today demands "a trial by jury."

The BRAD BLOG http://www.bradblog.com/ will of course, compile an extensive, accurate and verifiable paper trail in regards to this story as it continues to unfold...

UPDATE Scott+Scott, LLC releases news of the case filing in a press release here...
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051213/netu036.html?.v=32

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm