Daily Archives: May 31, 2004

4 posts

“Nearly a fourth of the homeless are veterans”

[ While the problem of homeless veterans pre-dates the current Administration, there is a particularly cruel distance between Bush’s rhetoric of support for the troops and our vets and the reality. –BL ] From the Ranks to the Street Nearly a fourth of the homeless are veterans. Reasons vary, but many fail to adjust to life’s randomness after the order of military service. May 29, 2004 | Los Angeles Times by Jocelyn Y. Stewart After the homecomings are over and the yellow ribbons packed away, many who once served in America’s armed forces may end up sleeping on sidewalks. This is […]

CIA-linked Iraq Prime Minister to Replace Chalabi as Point-Man?

by Brendan Lalor During the lead-up to war and the more intense phase of post-war searching for the phantom WMDs, Ahmed Chalabi was the point-man for the Administration on Iraq — the man who funneled phoney “intelligence” (from Iran) and led the New York Times‘ “stenographer,” Judith Miller on goose-chases in the desert. To get an idea of just how connected Chalabi is with Administration officials, take a look at the photo gallery. Now that Chalabi has fallen on hard times, it looks like the CIA-linked Iyad Allawi may be the Administration’s new candidate to fill those shoes. Signs are […]

The Paper Trail: Did Cheney Okay a Deal?

May 30, 2004 | TIME Magazine (Jun. 07, 2004 issue) By TIMOTHY J. BURGER AND ADAM ZAGORIN Vice President Dick Cheney was a guest on NBC’s Meet the Press last September when host Tim Russert brought up Halliburton. Citing the company’s role in rebuilding Iraq as well as Cheney’s prior service as Halliburton’s CEO, Russert asked, “Were you involved in any way in the awarding of those contracts?” Cheney’s reply: “Of course not, Tim … And as Vice President, I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the […]

Medicare and Manna from Heaven for Corporations

Bad Medicine excerpted from February 2004 | Harper’s Magazine by Lewis H. Lapham In early December last year … President Bush signed the amendment to the Medicare legislation that delivers 40 million elderly and disabled American citizens into the custody of the good-hands people operating the nation’s insurance and pharmaceutical factories. The new authorization purports to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for every needful American, and the White House staff dressed up the photo op in Washington’s Constitution Hail to look like a scene of joyful thanksgiving–a vast throng of well-wishers, military band music, a bright blue banner emblazoned […]