Regarding the cuts to operational capacity of the Coast Guard and the inadequacy of Customs, James Ridgeway writes:

This is a dream setup for any arms or dope dealer, and that’s exactly what the United Arab Emirates is all about.The ties between its top officials and royal family with the Taliban and Al Qaeda go back at least a decade.

The UAE is not only the center of financial dealings in the Persian Gulf, it is switching central for dope and arms dealing. The dope comes out of Afghanistan into the UAE where tax monies are collected and used to buy arms, which were sent back in for the Taliban. Some of this money is thought to have helped finance the 9-11 attacks. A money trail is set forth in the government’s filings in the Moussaoui case.

Long at the center of this operation is the mysterious Russian arms dealer, Victor Bout…. His planes are registered to various companies all operating out of the United Arab Emirates.

In fact, the United Arab Emirates have been viewed as hub for trade going and coming to Afghanistan, with drugs coming from Afghanistan on their way to the West, and weapons from Bout, going back. While transportation was via Bout’s different air cargo interests, it also involved the Afghan state airlines, called Ariana Airlines. The airline was controlled by Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda agents masquerading as Ariana employees flew out of Afghanistan, through Sharjah, one of the emirates, and on to points west.

Bout, naturally enough for someone beyond the reach of any arm of justice, has been a wildly successful contractor to United States forces in Iraq. Last month, Douglas Farah wrote of Bout’s Pentagon connections:

Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russell Feingold first raised the issue of Bout’s coalition military contracts on May 18, 2004, in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Feingold asked then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage about reports of U.S. military links to Bout’s companies. It took Wolfowitz eight months to respond.

In a January 31, 2005, letter to Feingold, Wolfowitz acknowledged that “both the U.S. Army and the Coalition Provisional Authority (in Iraq) did conduct business with companies that, in turn, subcontracted work to second tier suppliers who leased aircraft owned by companies associated with Mr. Bout…. Although we are aware of a few companies that are connected to Mr. Bout, most notably Air Bas and Jetline, we suspect Mr. Bout has other companies or enterprises unknown to the Government.”

In fact, as the Los Angeles Times first reported in 2004, Bout aircraft were in constant motion into Iraq after the invasion. A single Bout company, Irbis, flew more than 140 flights into Iraq for the U.S. military and its contractors by the end of 2004.

Over a period of eight years, the United States government has repeatedly asked the UAE to shut down Bout’s businesse “as required by UN charter,” but Dubai only ventures that it will “study” the issue. Of course: not only are the UAE’s rulers Bout’s business partners, but they can see the US winking at them even as it makes the “demand.”

So there we have it, and a familiar narrative it is, too. Many observers have already concluded that the UAE deal wasn’t about security – after all, the enemy is already within – but about money. It should be clear now what kind of money (the kind that’s unaccounted for – the best kind), and why Bush made this, of all causes, the first for which he vowed to use a veto in its defense.

This seems a through the looking glass moment for many who stuck by the rhetoric of the administration until now. If this were a legitimate government and these were normal times, its officials would be back on their heels if they were still on their feet. But instead, they’re even emboldened to piss away their base with a move that makes no political sense. But then, we’re way past politics here.
rigorousintuition.blogspot.com

Village Voice: Dubai’s Port of No Return

TONY BLAIR was accused last night by the Archbishop of York of helping the US to run “Idi Amin-style” tactics in the war on terror.

Mr Blair was challenged by Dr John Sentamu after refusing to condemn Guantanamo Bay beyond calling the prison camp run by the US in Cuba an “anomaly”.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Taleban guerrillas killed four Afghan soldiers in an ambush in the restive southern province of Helmand where British troops have begun setting up bases as part of an expanded NATO deployment.
khaleejtimes.com

WASHINGTON – Iran has replaced Iraq as the country Americans consider to be their greatest enemy, according to a Gallup Poll. Canada and Great Britain were ranked as America’s best friends.

The percentage of Americans with a positive view of France and Germany has moved up sharply since 2003, the poll said, when the two allies challenged President Bush’s Iraq policy.

Thirty-one percent of Americans gave the nod to Iran as the worst enemy in polling of 1,002 adults between Feb. 6-9.

This represented an increase from 14 percent last year, and appeared to reflect growing American concern over the potential for the Islamic republic to acquire nuclear weapons.

Twenty-two percent listed Iraq as the worst enemy, the same total as a year ago.
sanluisobispo.com

George Bush Accuses Iran of Financing Terror Groups
Washington. US President George Bush accused Iran of financing terror groups, AFP reported. According to Bush, Iran is “the main sponsor of terrorism”. He warned that the USA would not allow Tehran to produce nuclear weapons.

“The Iranian authorities, which finance terrorist activities, can’t have the most dangerous weapons”, the US President stated.

HAARETZ–Iranian advisor: We’ll strike Dimona in response to U.S. attack
If the United States launches an attack on Iran, the Islamic republic will retaliate with a military strike on Israel’s main nuclear facility.

Dr. Abasi, an advisor to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said Tehran would respond to an American attack with strikes on the Dimona nuclear reactor and other strategic Israeli sites such as the port city of Haifa and the Zakhariya area.

Haifa is also home to a large concentration of chemical factories and oil refineries.

Thursday 23 February

PALESTINIAN FIGHTERS TRACKED DOWN, TRAPPED AND KILLED

FIVE PALESTINIANS KILLED AS ISRAELI MILITARY OPERATION CONTINUES

ISRAELI FORCES SHOOT MEDICAL WORKERS

The Israeli military operation “Northern Glory” continued on Thursday when Balata was reinvaded at 1:30am.

Five local Palestinians were killed and many more injured during the day.

19 year old Ibrahim Saadi was shot dead while throwing a stone at the Israeli armored jeeps in the Odakhiya neighbourhood. Israeli newspaper ‘Ha’aretz’ reported that Ibrahim was throwing a firebomb – this is not true.

20 year old Naim Abu Sharif was shot dead by a sniper while standing on the roof of his house.
balatacamp.net

“The children seem to be the most openly enthused. They are getting a chance at a future the likes of which would never have been possible under the oppressive regime…”
April 22, 2003, Marine Corps News, Story by Staff Sgt. Bryan P. Reed
marchforjustice.com

…”Next to the SEX PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain,” the statement read. “Your museum. Urine in wine. Were (sic) not coming. Were (sic) not your monkey and so what?”

The statement slammed Hall of Fame voters as “music industry people,” and excoriated the high price of attending the exclusive event — $25,000 for a table, “or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery.”

It concluded, “Your (sic) not paying attention. Outside the shit-stem is a real SEX PISTOL.”
hollywoodreporter

God Save the Queen!

By Christian Science Monitor
02/24/06 “CSM” — — NEW YORK As the economy has steadily grown over the past four years, so too has the number of Americans going hungry.

America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest charitable food distribution network, is now providing help to more than 25 million people, an 8 percent increase over 2001, the last time the organization did a major survey of its more than 200 food banks in all 50 states.

That increase in the number of people who are hungry or “food insecure” – Washington bureaucratese for “not sure where their next meal will come from” – is reflected in data collected by the US Department of Agriculture as well. In 2005, it found more than 38 million Americans lived in “hungry or food insecure” households, an increase of 5 million since 2000.

“Even though individuals may have a job, they still are having a hard time making ends meet,” says Maura Daly, a spokeswoman for Second Harvest, which is based in Chicago. “We find many people have to make choices between food and other basic necessities like paying for utilities and heat.”
informationclearinghouse.info

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) – Haitian president-elect Rene Preval said on Wednesday that exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, his former mentor, was entitled under Haiti’s constitution to return to the Caribbean country.

But Preval, who has been told directly by Washington that it opposes the deposed president’s return, said the decision should be made by Aristide himself.

The future of Aristide, a hero to the poor ousted by an armed revolt two years ago who now says he wants to go home as soon as he can, is a critical issue for Preval as he attempts to stabilize his violent nation.

Washington, which backed the departure of the firebrand former Roman Catholic priest from Haiti in February 2004, repeated its opposition to his return on Wednesday.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters in Washington: “It is probably not a good idea, it does not serve a useful purpose.”
news.yahoo.com

The United States of America is seriously considering the establishment of a military base in Ghana for the sole purpose of protecting its access to West African oil reports the Insight newspaper

Marine General James L. Jones, Head of the US European Command, who made the disclosure said the Pentagon was seeking to acquire access to two kinds of bases in Senegal, Ghana, Mali and Kenya and other African Countries.

The new US strategy based on the conclusions of May 2001 report of the President’s National Energy Policy Development group chaired by Vice President Richard Cheney and known as the Cheney report.

The report simply says that African Countries provided 14 per cent of total US oil imports but by 2015, West Africa alone will supply25 per cent of America’s imported oil.

An article published in review of African Political Economy (No98: 573-584) says “ of particular significance is the fact that many West African streams are lighter, higher valued crude oils that are tailored made for the US East Coast market and are able to offer an alternative to Middle eastern supplies.”

“ In its efforts to promote greater diversity in oil supplies, the Bush Administration is focusing its attention on six African countries, Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Chad and Equatorial Guinea.”
ghanaweb.com