I love it when the good guys fight back.
From Yahoo (so go rate it up!):
"The administration's response has been that our report is absurd, that our allegations have no basis, and our answer is very simple: if that is so, open up these detention centers, allow us and others to visit them," Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Zubaida Khan told a news conference.
"Transparency is the best antidote to misinformation and incorrect facts," said Khan, who is here to meet with Japanese officials.
They gave just the right response. If you've nothing to hide, then show us.
Other items of interest (to me, anyway):
Baltimore Sun Also Calls Out Bush
While I have read the Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial that calls Bush a liar for lying us into Iraq, I hadn't seen this editorial from the Baltimore Sun. They hit all the high points - the lying, the shortage of troops, lack of body armor, poor planning, Jessica Lynch, Pat Tillman, flag-waving unreality, hiding of caskets and the need for the citizenry to hold this administration to account.
They died for America and Americans. That they were ill-served and exploited by the government that sent them into action has nothing to do with their sacrifice.
Except this - a government that was either smarter or more honest would not have squandered so many lives. The war in Iraq could have been avoided. Or, once launched, enough troops could have been deployed to ensure a successful occupation. Body armor and Humvee armor could have been provided. Familiarity with Arabic and with Arab customs could have become a top priority. American officials could have handled the crucial early weeks after the fall of Baghdad with finesse and good sense, rather than doing everything possible to earn the hostility and contempt of so many Iraqis.
More Election Fraud Accusations
And, to join in the fray of the fraud stories once again making an appearance around here, comes this story from Tucson, AZ. (Disclaimer: I know nothing about the source, Tucson Weekly, and cannot vouch for its credibility. The story only gets any weight with me because of the backing of the 33 year vet of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., although he could have been a custodian there for all I know.)
Among numerous categories of problems, several stand out. Thirty-nine questionable "provisional" ballots were apparently improperly placed into the optical-scan vote-counting machine instead of being sent to the Pima County Recorder's Office for verification. In addition, while the poll workers certified there were 59 provisional ballots cast, only 53 people actually signed as having done so.
The list of problems grows longer. Some voters' names appear twice on the official roster of those who showed up on Election Day, indicating they were given two ballots. Precinct records also indicate that several people were provided a second ballot because they spoiled the first one, but Brakey says he has contacted a handful of these people--and they deny it happened. Based on that, he believes poll workers cast at least some of these second votes.
Nineteen people also didn't sign in at the precinct, but according to the polling place paper trail, a few of them did cast ballots there. Others from this same list aren't shown as voting by the recorder's office, but claim they did. One person in this latter category, when contacted by phone by the Weekly, was positive she did vote in November.
For those who did not sign in on Election Day but had a ballot given out in their name, it's possible someone else may have gotten it. An example is a Libertarian voter who didn't sign in, and is not shown as voting by the Pima County Recorder. Her name, however, appears on the roster, prepared by poll workers, of those who actually received ballots--but she is mistakenly listed as a Republican.
Real News?
From the Toronto Star, a local gentleman is attempting to create a news network that is not corporately owned and doesn't accept advertising. He'd like us to help.
Backed by a who's who of progressive and liberal supporters -- including Harper's editor Lewis Lapham, writer Naomi Klein (No Logo) and Canada's former ambassador to the UN Stephen Lewis -- Jay's next move is to find half a million contributors with $50 each, plus a desire for "independent news and real debate" untainted by any corporate or government spin.
"We think that, as long as you're dependent on commercials, or if you're corporately owned and you have to be concerned about shareholders and the broader corporate interest, or if you have to take money from a government that appoints your president and your chair and can cut your budget at any time, you can't really have independent journalism," he insists.
--snip--
Jay maintains that there's a demand for independent television news coverage, free of spin, sensationalism and Michael Jackson trials. He learned that from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
"Stewart is popular because he says the emperor has no clothes," says Jay. "He says audacious things that you don't normally hear on TV. Well, we're going to have a whole network that's willing to say audacious things, that doesn't have to worry about how the advertisers will respond.