This Was The Week That Was, #51
April 25 - May 1, 2004
Howard J.Ehrlich

The news of the week was dominated by the war in Iraq. Bush and Cheney testified
before the 9-11 Commission but refused to do so under oath or allow a transcript. The Marines
withdrew their assault on Fallujah and entered into negotiations with tribal leaders. At this
writing, an impasse remains. The Supreme Court heard the case of two American citizens who
have been imprisoned for two years without charges. The Shrub administration argued the
President has the authority to indefinitely jail them because they are “enemy combatants.” This
week saw the revelation of American soldiers subjecting Iraqi prisoners to beatings, torture, and
sexually degrading acts. Amnesty International had received reports of the abuse as far back as
May 2003 but it became public on CBS’s “60 Minutes II.”

The Sinclair Broadcast Group refused to allow Ted Koppel’s Nightline program to be
played on its seven ABC stations. Koppel was going to read the names and show photos of
soldiers killed in Iraq. Sinclair declared on its website “The action appears to be motivated by a
political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.” The day of the
show USA Today and the Washington Post ran the photos.

Know your enemy..... The office of the Treasury Department assigned to investigate the
financial resources of terrorists has five times more agents in Cuba than they have agents
investigating bin Laden. (Associated Press)

Best man for the job..... President Shrub’s nomination of John Negroponte to be US
ambassador to Iraq is apparently being rushed through Senate. Negroponte’s credentials include
service as a political officer in Vietnam (1964-68), Honduras (1981-85) where he managed
illegal aid to the Nicaraguan contras and the Honduran death squad; Mexico (1989-93) where he
helped install NAFTA causing an estimated one million farmers to lose their land. (Council on
Hemisphere Affairs)

Newsweek magazine reported that 25 per cent of American casualties in Iraq were killed
because they were not equipped with vehicles, equipment, or armor needed for protection.
(www.misleader.org)

With a little help from our friends..... This week discounts became available to users of
President Shrub’s promised Medicare drug cards. A predicted 7 million people are expected to
sign up for a card. The only problem is that many Internet pharmacies, American and Canadian,
offer better discounts on 10 out of the 10 leading medications. (Washington Post)

As part of the Republican presidential campaign strategy, Dick Cheney has been talking
against John Kerry as commander-in-chief because he opposed many of the weapons the military
depends on. It turns out that when Cheney was Secretary of Defense under the first President
Bush, he canceled the production of many of the planes and tanks the military now uses, and
which Kerry also opposed. (NY Times)
On the public opinion front..... the NY Times/ CBS Poll found a decreasing public
support for the war. 46 per cent of those polled said that the US should have stayed out of Iraq.
In December only 31 per cent agreed with that.

How Iraqi’s see the US..... The Gallup Poll reported on a nationally representative sample
of Iraqis in 350 locations throughout the country in late March and early April. They conducted
3,444 70-minute in-home, in-person interviews.
One of the major findings: 23 per cent of Iraqis held a favorable image of the US while 36
per cent expressed a very unfavorable attitude. In Baghdad, only 9 per cent held a favorable
image of the US. (gallup.com)


Annals of corporate crime..... At least 10 American companies in Iraq have been forced to
pay more than $300 million in penalties to resolve the charges of price-fixing, fraud, delivery of
faulty replacement parts, and environmental damage. Six of them have paid multiple penalties
but, according to the Associated Press, their profits far exceed the penalties. The Shrub had
repealed federal regulations which made repeat offenders ineligible for new contracts.

The search for the White House staffer who revealed the identity of CIA undercover
agent Valerie Plame continues. Former US diplomat Joseph Wilson, Plame’s husband, told USA
Today the revelation came from Vice President Cheney’s office – most likely from one of his
four administrative aids. Wilson and Plume were targeted presumably because of Wilson’s
charges that the Shrub had distorted intelligence and lied about the threat of nuclear weapons in
Iraq.

United for Peace and Justice has been denied a permit to use the Great Lawn of Central
Park for rallying at the Republican National Convention. The Parks Department said that the
crowd would be too large and cause damage to the lawn.

Nuclear news..... Two international consortia of energy companies have increased
pressure on the Energy Department to approve applications for new nuclear power plants in the
US. Nu-Start applied for a grant this week to study building a plant in an undetermined location.
A second group which includes GE and Bechtel, who are also part of Nu-Start is asking for $400
million to prepare an application to build a plant in Northern Alabama. (NY Times)

No child left..... An investigation into US Child Welfare Programs which are intended to
protect children from abuse and neglect was found to be a failure in all 50 states according to the
Department of Health and Human Services. About 900,000 children were known to be victims
of abuse in 2002. (NY Times)

True of false: Terrorism is on the upswing..... According to the US State Department,
excluding events in Iraq, there were fewer international terrorist attacks in 2003 than in any other
year since 1969. (Associated Press)

While international terrorism declined, domestic government corruption and electoral
abuses seem rampant. A 25- nation study sponsored by the Center for Public Integrity presented
a ranking of nations in which none was seen as “very strong” in being free from corruption and
political abuses. The US was faulted specifically for its ineffective protection for whistle
blowers and for allowing “private gain from public life.” (www.publicintegrity.com)

On the environmental front..... Carbon dioxide, a product of the combustion of fossil fuels
has increased steadily in the Earth’s atmosphere. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported this week that high concentrations of carbon dioxide may be stimulating
abnormally high growth of ragweed and other plants that produce irritating pollens. One
consequence seems to be an increase in the severity of asthmatic conditions, especially in
children. (NY Times)

This week in history..... International Workers Day begins when 180,000 US workers
strike for an 8-hour day (May 1, 1886); Vietnam War ends (1975).