Good Morning! - Morning Headlines

[Caro]

Morning headlines brought to you by

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Top Story

Why KSM's Confession Rings False
It's hard to tell what the Pentagon's objective really is in releasing the transcript of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confession. It certainly suggests the Administration is trying to blame KSM for al-Qaeda terrorism, leading us to believe we've caught the master terrorist and that al-Qaeda, and especially the ever-elusive bin Laden, is no longer a threat to the U.S. But there is a major flaw in that marketing strategy. On the face of it, KSM, as he is known inside the government, comes across as boasting, at times mentally unstable. It's also clear he is making things up.

All Hat No Cattle

The World

Iraqi leader thanks U.S. for assistance
WASHINGTON - An Iraqi leader told President Bush on Thursday that the latest security crackdown in his country is working, but cautioned it will take more time. He thanked the American people for supporting Iraq.
And George Bush thanks you for your thanks in helping make him look good. —Caro

4 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Roadside Bombing
A roadside bomb exploded in eastern Baghdad, killing four U.S. soldiers and wounding two others, the U.S. military said. Earlier, a suicide car bomber killed at least eight people in Baghdad, and a bomb attack on a bus full of workers left four dead.

New sanctions said unlikely to hurt Iran
CAIRO, Egypt - New sanctions agreed on by the major powers at the U.N. are unlikely to hurt Iran much, serving more as a signal to Tehran that worse could come, analysts say.

Chinese legislature passes landmark laws
BEIJING - China's legislature passed a milestone property law Friday strengthening protection for private businesses and property and also revised a tax law to cut out preferential rates for foreign companies.

The Nation

Bush prods Congress on supporting troops
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday challenged lawmakers to prove their support for troops in Iraq by agreeing to more war spending without attaching a timeline for withdrawal or any other conditions.
He wants Congress to prove their support for HIM. Support of the troops would involve bringing them home as soon as possible. —Caro

Senate GOP turns back Iraq pullout plan
WASHINGTON - Democrats aggressively challenged President Bush's Iraq policy at both ends of the Capitol on Thursday, gaining House committee approval for a troop withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, but suffering defeat in the Senate on a less sweeping plan to end U.S. participation in the war.
Keep this up, Republicans, and we’re headed to a 60-Democrat Senate. Thanks for your help. —Caro

Internal Affairs
Shortly before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales advised President Bush last year on whether to shut down a Justice Department inquiry regarding the administration's warrantless domestic eavesdropping program, Gonzales learned that his own conduct would likely be a focus of the investigation, according to government records and interviews.

California Moves Up '08 Primary To Feb. 5
California has officially moved its 2008 presidential primary to Feb. 5. It's a bid to increase the state's clout in the nominating process, though it could be joined by as many as 18 other states.

Media

http://www.mediachannel.org/out.php?url=http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/03/15/fcc-looks-to-once-again-help-big-media/">FCC Looks To Once Again Help Big Media
Well, the industry-friendly Republican majority at the FCC is at it again, calling for what amounts to the complete elimination of local media ownership rules.

The Seymour Hersh Mystery
Calling attention to a March 5 New Yorker article by Seymour Hersh that outlines an off-the-books, Iran/Contra-style covert operation (organized in part by Elliott Abrams) against Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, using Sunni extremists of the kind the U.S. is supposedly at war with. As far as I can tell, no one in the mainstream even blinked on the Iran/Contra angle or the possibility that a vast, secret Middle Eastern operation is being run, possibly illegally and based on stolen funds and Saudi money, out of the vice president's office.

Experts: Mohammed arrest slowed al-Qaida
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's capture four years ago didn't shut down al-Qaida or bring the Americans to Osama bin Laden. But if his mega-confession is to be believed, his arrest was a crushing blow to bin Laden's plans for even more deadly attacks in the wake of 9/11. (Emphasis added.)
That qualification is a huge step for the Associated Press. Who gave the AP the idea for this story, though? Who pointed the way to these “experts”, so conveniently saying things so helpful to an administration desperately trying to push the many scandals off the front pages? Time magazine questions KSM’s confession, too. —Caro

The Greatest Danger to Journalism...
"...is Fox News," according to Howard, who reacts indignantly to CEO Roger Ailes' call to "respect and encourage diversity of thought and speech in the newsroom" because "the greatest danger to journalism is a newsroom or a profession where everyone thinks alike": If there were an Irony Police, Ailes would be arrested, tried before an Irony Court, and put behind irony bars for the rest of his venal life.

Technology & Science

Technology cuts down on Web registrations
An emerging technology standard could be the answer to a major headache: It lets consumers use the same user name and password for hundreds of websites that require a sign-in. OpenID's approach has quickly earned it the support of Microsoft, AOL and thousands of users online.

PlayStation 3 to take on incurable diseases
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Sony announced on Thursday that its PlayStation 3 video game consoles will be enhanced to join a supercomputing network researching causes of cancer, Alzheimer's and other incurable diseases.
Why the rush, all of a sudden, to justify video games? —Caro

Blu-ray aims to oust DVDs within three years
HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - The Blu-ray disc association said on Thursday it aimed to replace the DVD storage format within three years.
Great, now will we all have to buy new players and recorders? —Caro

All eyes on Pluto Sunday
Telescopes all over the southwestern United States will turn toward Pluto as it meanders Sunday across the face of a star in the constellation Sagittarius. The observations could help researchers better understand the dwarf planet's atmosphere.

Environment

Winter warmest on record worldwide
WASHINGTON - This winter was the warmest on record worldwide, the government said Thursday in the latest worrisome report focusing on changing climate.

Could crazy technology save the planet?
WASHINGTON - Crazy-sounding ideas for saving the planet are getting a serious look from top scientists, a sign of their fears about global warming and the desire for an insurance policy in case things get worse.

For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.

[texpatriot2004]

1. Thanks for getting the papers nm