GS(3) Intelligence Briefing (3-24-06)

NOTE: GS(3) Intelligence Briefing is posted on a bi-weekly basis. As circumstances dictate, we may post special editions. The Briefing is organized into five sections: Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Americas, Global and Cyberspace. Each issue provides insight on terrorism, cyber crime, climate change, health emergencies, natural disasters and other threats, as well as recommendations on what actions your organizations should take to mitigate risks. “Words of Power" commentary is also posted on a bi-weekly basis. This commentary explores a range of issues in the interdependent realms of security, sustainability and spirit. For more information, go to GS(3) Intelligence and  Words of Power, go to http://www.wordsofpower.net/

Here are eleven important stories from the world press. Each highlights some aspect of our focus on security, sustainability and spirit. In “Europe, Middle East & Africa,” I have included two news items. One on the urgent need for a more revolutionary energy security policy in the EU: The Green Paper addresses too much how we are going to secure the current energy framework through energy diplomacy and talks too little about cutting to the root of the problem. (EU Observer, 3-20-06). The other is on the role of women in bringing environmental security to Africa: The Green Belt Movement's main activity involves women's groups planting trees - more than 30 million across Kenya - to conserve the environment and empower them toward a better life...."Women have not been given adequate opportunity to hold leadership positions and to demonstrate that they can do differently and they can do better than what men are doing," [Wangari Maathai] said…. (Knight-Ridder, 3-20-06) In “Asia Pacific,” I have included two news items. One story highlights new geopolitical formations taking shape around energy security issues in the region: Asian Vision...an array of scholars and executives from Iran, China, Pakistan, India, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, Georgia, Venezuela and Germany. And their overall message is unmistakable: the interdependence of Asia and "Persian Gulf geo-ecopolitics", as an Iranian analyst put it, is now total; the nuclear row should be solved diplomatically in the next few months; and Asian integration has everything to gain from Pipelineistan linking the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, South Asia and China… (Asia Times, 3-17-06) The other story provides painful insights into the deteriorating security situation in the Philippines. In “Americas,” I have included two op-ed pieces. One examines the dangerously debilitating impact of the trade deficit on US economic security. In the other, Noam Chomsky provides more insight into the shifting of geopolitical alliances and the growing isolation of the US in a world emboldened by the failed policies and flawed thinking of the Bush-Cheney regime: Regional integration in Asia and Latin America is a crucial and increasingly important issue that, from Washington's perspective, betokens a defiant world gone out of control. Energy, of course, remains a defining factor - the object of contention - everywhere.... (Guardian,3-15-06) In "Global," four stories, one on Bird Flu, three on Global Warming. On bird flu, Dr. William Green writes: It's in the interest of the United States and our colleague rich nations to think more long-term and more proactively - to try to stem the tide of worldwide poverty and its attendant malnutrition, overcrowding, lack of hygiene and lack of public health and medical infrastructure that breed infectious disease threats. We underfund the fight against root causes of diseases that inevitably end up on our doorstep. On Global Warming, Greenpeace urges action on World Heritage sites: "The United States has a history of trying to stifle the climate change debate in any and all fora and that's exactly what it is trying to do here," said Laetitia de Marez, Greenpeace France Climate & Energy Campaigner....Greenpeace is petitioning the World Heritage Committee, along with other organizations, to list both the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in the United States and Canada as they are in danger due to the damage caused by climate change. "There is no doubt that these sites and many others are being damaged by climate change to the extent that they may eventually lose the characteristics that made them Heritage sites in the first place," said De Marez.(Greenpeace, 3-17-06) In “Cyberspace,” I have included a news item that provides new information on a significant ATM-related cyber crime caper in the USA, first reported in late 2005: "While this isn't the first theft of debit cards, this is the first time thieves have snatched thousands of PIN codes, Gartner Research Director Avivah Litan said.  "This is the worst hack to date," Litan said. "All the other hacks were trying to get to this hack. All the previous hacks were leading up to finding a way into your bank account. For the criminal, this is the pot of gold." (CNET, 3-14-06)

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EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

The EU should use the current uncertainty about future energy policy to shift course and take advantage of the energy supplies that are right on its doorstep. "We are at a point in time where we have the opportunity to shape our energy future," the head of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), Christian Kjær, said in an interview with the EUobserver. Europe is not rich on conventional fossil fuels," he said adding that the EU would get the energy independence it is seeking if the bloc spent more time developing renewable energies already existent in Europe, such as wind, water, solar power and biomass. According to estimates, the total energy consumption in the EU is expected to increase by 25 percent over a 30 year period. "If we make a committed effort for [renewables] we wouldn't need to engage with the rest of the world in a 'war' for the remaining conventional energy sources," Mr Kjær He warned that if the EU does not change its policies, future energy supplies will not only be expensive but also extremely damaging to the environment. "We will be handing over an enormous bill to our children."
Mr Kjær was dismissive of the commission’s energy paper published on 8 March, which listed a number of options for achieving "sustainable, competitive and secure" energy supplies in the 25-member bloc…."The Green Paper addresses too much how we are going to secure the current energy framework through energy diplomacy and talks too little about cutting to the root of the problem." He explained that the real problem is that the EU will, as demand rises, be importing an ever growing share of energy at unpredictable prices and will do that in competition with the rest of the world "at unbelievable environmental costs."Helena Spongenberg, EU energy policy lacks vision, says new wind-energy boss, EU Observer, 3-20-06


For Wangari Maathai, a life of curiosity and activism began by stirring up mysterious tiny orbs in a stream near her childhood home in Kenya.  The orbs fascinated her. One day they were gone. Instead, she saw wriggling forms that she later knew to be tadpoles. Later still, she knew those future frogs needed clean water. They had it in abundance in the early 1950s.  But by the time Maathai returned home from college, the clean water was gone. Maathai knew she had to do something.  That was one of the seeds for her creation of the Green Belt Movement in 1977….The Green Belt Movement's main activity involves women's groups planting trees - more than 30 million across Kenya - to conserve the environment and empower them toward a better life. The movement later expanded to improving human rights and women's rights….Women in Africa are gaining appointments to government posts in several African nations, but Maathai said she is not encouraged by the trend.  "Women have not been given adequate opportunity to hold leadership positions and to demonstrate that they can do differently and they can do better than what men are doing," she said….Besides urging her audience Thursday night to reduce, reuse and recycle, Maathai said three other rules accompanied her success: "Be determined, be patient, be persistent."
Allan Brettman, Kenyan Sees Natural Link of Environment, Women's Rights, Knight Ridder, 3-20-06

ASIA PACIFIC

The heart of Pipelineistan itself has been transposed to Tehran for the International Conference on Energy and Security: Asian Vision, organized by the Institute of International Energy Studies and the Institute for Political and International Studies. There could not be a better place to meet and discuss oil-and-gas geopolitics with an array of scholars and executives from Iran, China, Pakistan, India, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, Georgia, Venezuela and Germany.
And their overall message is unmistakable: the interdependence of Asia and "Persian Gulf geo-ecopolitics", as an Iranian analyst put it, is now total; the nuclear row should be solved diplomatically in the next few months; and Asian integration has everything to gain from Pipelineistan linking the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, South Asia and China….The heart of Iran's gas strategy lies in the gigantic South Pars field, responsible in itself for 50% of Iran's and 8% of the world's natural-gas reserves. South Pars is strategically located between Bushehr to the west (where Russia is helping Iran to build its first civilian nuclear power station) and the Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas to the east….South Pars' enormous strategic importance is that its production will be exported to Asian countries - after the construction of a pipeline to the Pakistani border and then to India, pumping 150 million cubic meters of gas a day….
Pepe Escobar, IN THE HEART OF PIPELINEISTAN, Asia Times, 3-17-06

Since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo joined the US global "War on Terrorism", the Philippines has become the site of an on-going undeclared war against peasant and union activists, progressive political dissidents and lawmakers, human rights lawyers and activists, women leaders and a wide range of print and broadcast journalists. Because of the links between the Army, the regime and the death squads, political assassinations take place in an atmosphere of absolute impunity. The vast majority of the attacks occur in the countryside and provincial towns. The reign of terror in the Philippines is of similar scope and depth as in Colombia....In the face of the disintegration of the economy and society, and the regime's use of force to sustain its hold on power, plus its gross incompetence in the face of several ecological disasters, popular resistance has spread from the countryside to the cities....Former Presidents, business executives and clergy are calling for Macapagal Arroyo's resignation and a 'smooth transition' within the elite, while the popular mass movements and their besieged political representatives are demanding justice for the victims of state terror, an end to US military presence, a repeal of the value added taxes, an increase in the minimum wage, land reform, a moratorium of debt payments, re-nationalization of key economic sectors and consequential peace negotiations between the state and the NPA and Muslim separatists. That Macapagal Arroyo will eventually be forced to resign is, according to officials, a likely outcome. The question is when and by whom?
James Petras and Robin Eastman-Abaya, Philippines: The Killing Fields of Asia, www.counterpunch.org, 3-17-06

AMERICAS

The US Commerce Department recently released figures reporting that the United States' current-account deficit for 2005 was US$804.9 billion, up from $668.1 billion in 2004. The current account is the broadest measure of the US trade balance. In addition to trade in goods and services, it includes income received from US investments abroad, less payments to foreigners on their investments in the United States. In the fourth quarter, the current-account deficit was $224.9 billion, up from $185.4 billion in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the current-account deficit exceeded 7% of gross domestic product (GDP). The current-account deficit could easily top $1 trillion a year by the second half of 2006....High and rising trade deficits tax economic growth. Specifically, each dollar spent on imports that is not matched by a dollar of exports reduces domestic demand and employment, and shifts workers into activities where productivity is lower. Productivity is at least 50% higher in industries that export and compete with imports, and reducing the trade deficit and moving workers into these industries would increase GDP. Were the trade deficit cut in half, GDP would increase by nearly $300 billion, or about $2,000 for every working American....Longer-term, persistent US trade deficits are a substantial drag on growth. US import-competing and export industries spend three times the national average on industrial research and development (R&D), and encourage more investments in skills and education than other sectors of the economy. By shifting employment away from trade-competing industries, the trade deficit reduces US investments in new methods and products, and skilled labor. Cutting the trade deficit in half would boost US GDP growth by 25% a year. These effects of lost growth are cumulative. Thanks to the record trade deficits under President George W Bush, the US economy is about $1 trillion smaller. This comes to nearly $7,000 per worker. Had the Bush administration and the Congress acted responsibly to reduce the trade deficit, American workers would be much better off, tax revenues would be much larger, and the federal deficit would be about half its current size. Were the trade deficit cut in half, $2,000 would be recouped, but $5,000 per worker in lost growth is in essence lost forever. And the damage grows larger each month, as the Bush administration and the Congress dally and ignore the corrosive consequences of the trade deficit.
Peter Morici, The spiraling costs of Uncle Sam's deficits, Asia Times, 3-17-06


The prospect that Europe and Asia might move towards greater independence has troubled US planners since the second world war....Every day Latin America, too, is becoming more independent. Now Asia and the Americas are strengthening their ties while the reigning superpower, the odd man out, consumes itself in misadventures in the Middle East. Regional integration in Asia and Latin America is a crucial and increasingly important issue that, from Washington's perspective, betokens a defiant world gone out of control. Energy, of course, remains a defining factor - the object of contention - everywhere....Already much of Iran's oil goes to China, and China is providing Iran with weapons that both states presumably regard as deterrent to US designs. India also has options. India may choose to be a US client, or it may prefer to join the more independent Asian bloc that is taking shape, with ever more ties to Middle East oil producers. Siddharth Varadarjan, the deputy editor of the Hindu, observes that "if the 21st century is to be an 'Asian century,' Asia's passivity in the energy sector has to end." The key is India-China cooperation. In January, an agreement signed in Beijing "cleared the way for India and China to collaborate not only in technology but also in hydrocarbon exploration and production, a partnership that could eventually alter fundamental equations in the world's oil and natural gas sector," Varadarjan points out. An additional step, already being contemplated, is an Asian oil market trading in euros. The impact on the international financial system and the balance of global power could be significant....Meanwhile, in Latin America left-center governments prevail from Venezuela to Argentina. The indigenous populations have become much more active and influential, particularly in Bolivia and Ecuador, where they either want oil and gas to be domestically controlled or, in some cases, oppose production altogether. Many indigenous people apparently do not see any reason why their lives, societies and cultures should be disrupted or destroyed so that New Yorkers can sit in their SUVs in traffic gridlock. Venezuela, the leading oil exporter in the hemisphere, has forged probably the closest relations with China of any Latin American country, and is planning to sell increasing amounts of oil to China as part of its effort to reduce dependence on the openly hostile US government....Steps toward Southern Cone [the southern states of South America] integration advanced further in December with the election in Bolivia of Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous president. Morales moved quickly to reach a series of energy accords with Venezuela. The Financial Times reported that these "are expected to underpin forthcoming radical reforms to Bolivia's economy and energy sector" with its huge gas reserves, second only to Venezuela's in South America....Growing popular movements, primarily in the south but with increasing participation in the rich industrial countries, are serving as the bases for many of these developments towards more independence and concern for the needs of the great majority of the population.
Noam Chomsky, Latin America and Asia Are at Last Breaking Free of Washington's Grip, The US-dominated world order is being challenged by a new spirit of independence in the global south, Guardian/UK, 3-15-06

GLOBAL

Avian flu is gradually circling the globe, carried by migratory birds. It has caused the death of thousands of domestic fowl and the culling of millions more, and will almost certainly reach the United States in the relatively near future. As of this writing, there were 175 confirmed human infections and 95 deaths, mainly in China and Southeast Asia....The response of the world public health community and of U.S. agencies - notably the Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health - has been to emphasize early detection, isolation of flocks, culling of potentially infected domestic fowl, stepped-up production of vaccines and antivirals, and more extensive communication and education. All are laudable and necessary steps, but they are a reaction targeting the latest specific threat and are of particular use to richer nations that can afford to develop, produce and distribute vaccines and medications. What about infectious diseases of the future that are breeding continuously around the world?...What are the lessons to be learned? New infectious threats will continue to emerge, or old ones will become resistant to previous methods of prevention or treatment. Most of the diseases seem to come from countries with overcrowding, poor sanitation, poor nutrition and inadequate access to medical care. The globalization of commerce and travel means such threats will continue to reach our shores. Some, such as HIV, will kill or injure in epidemic or pandemic form, despite our best efforts, and become part of our ongoing struggle with disease. It's in the interest of the United States and our colleague rich nations to think more long-term and more proactively - to try to stem the tide of worldwide poverty and its attendant malnutrition, overcrowding, lack of hygiene and lack of public health and medical infrastructure that breed infectious disease threats. We underfund the fight against root causes of diseases that inevitably end up on our doorstep. But, as the world's leading economic engine, the United States has a responsibility to act globally, if not for the welfare and benefit of our impoverished brethren (a noble, lofty goal), at least for our own ultimate self-interest and protection.Dr. William H. Greene, A focus on bird flu misses the big issue, Poverty abroad is breeding new infectious diseases that eventually reach U.S. shores, Newsday, 3-19-06

Rising ocean surface temperatures are the primary factor fueling a 35-year trend of stronger, more intense hurricanes, scientists report in a new study. The finding backs up the results of two controversial papers published last year that linked increasing hurricane intensity to rising sea-surface temperatures, said Judith Curry, an atmospheric scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. "Global warming is sending sea-surface temperatures up, so we're looking at an increase in hurricane intensity globally," Curry said. She added that in the North Atlantic Ocean basin—where hurricanes that affect the U.S. form—the number of hurricanes may also increase. "Other ocean basins don't show an increase in [the] number [of hurricanes], but the North Atlantic does," she said.
John Roach, Warming Oceans Are Fueling Stronger Hurricanes, Study Finds, National Geographic News, 3-16-06

Sea ice in the Arctic has failed to re-form for the second consecutive winter, raising fears that global warming may have tipped the polar regions in to irreversible climate change far sooner than predicted. Satellite measurements of the area of the Arctic covered by sea ice show that for every month this winter, the ice failed to return even to its long-term average rate of decline. It is the second consecutive winter that the sea ice has not managed to re-form enough to compensate for the unprecedented melting seen during the past few summers. Scientists are now convinced that Arctic sea ice is showing signs of both a winter and a summer decline that could indicate a major acceleration in its long-term rate of disappearance. The greatest fear is that an environmental "positive feedback" has kicked in, where global warming melts ice which in itself causes the seas to warm still further as more sunlight is absorbed by a dark ocean rather than being reflected by white ice. Mark Serreze, a sea ice specialist at the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado, said: "In September 2005, the Arctic sea ice cover was at its lowest extent since satellite monitoring began in 1979, and probably the lowest in the past 100 years. While we can't be certain, it looks like 2006 will be more of the same," Dr Serreze said. "Unless conditions turn colder, we may be headed for another year of big sea ice losses, rivalling or perhaps even exceeding what we saw in September 2005. We are of course monitoring the situation closely ... Coupled with recent findings from Nasa that the Greenland ice sheet may be near a tipping point, it's pretty clear that the Arctic is starting to respond to global warming," he added.Steve Connor, Climate change 'irreversible' as Arctic sea ice fails to re-form, Independent/UK, 3-14-06

"Ignore the Bush Administration's apparent reckless intent to ravage the planet," says Greenpeace today as experts attend an urgently convened meeting on World Heritage and climate change. Greenpeace called on the experts to ignore a challenge from the Administration and continue with its deliberations and subsequent recommendations on protecting listed sites from the dangers posed by climate change...."The United States has a history of trying to stifle the climate change debate in any and all fora and that's exactly what it is trying to do here," said Laetitia de Marez, Greenpeace France Climate & Energy Campaigner. "It also once again deploys the defunct argument that there is not enough evidence to prove that climate change is caused by humans, therefore there is no proof that humans can do anything about it under the World Heritage Convention." Greenpeace is petitioning the World Heritage Committee, along with other organizations, to list both the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in the United States and Canada as they are in danger due to the damage caused by climate change. "There is no doubt that these sites and many others are being damaged by climate change to the extent that they may eventually lose the characteristics that made them Heritage sites in the first place," said De Marez. "In the Glacier National Park, for instance, only 27 glaciers remain out of 150 and those are rapidly melting"....Petitioners are particularly concerned about the impacts of climate change on five UNESCO World Heritage sites. These are* The Everest National Park (Sagarmatha National Park)* Coral reefs in Belize* Glaciers in Peru* The Great Barrier Reef in Australia * Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in the United States and Canada
World Heritage Sites Threatened by Bush's Ignorance on Climate Change, Greenpeace, 3-17-06
 

CYBERSPACE

Law enforcement officials in New Jersey have arrested 14 people in connection with a crime spree that has forced banks across the nation to replace hundreds of thousands of debit cards.  The suspects, all U.S. citizens, are accused of using stolen credit and debit card information to produce counterfeit cards that were used to make fraudulent purchases and withdrawals from card-holder accounts….Some of the stolen credit card information came from the office-supply chain OfficeMax and other businesses…. While this isn't the first theft of debit cards, this is the first time thieves have snatched thousands of PIN codes, Gartner Research Director Avivah Litan said.  "This is the worst hack to date," Litan said. "All the other hacks were trying to get to this hack. All the previous hacks were leading up to finding a way into your bank account. For the criminal, this is the pot of gold."  Turning credit cards into cash is time consuming and costly for crooks, Litan said. With stolen credit-card data, thieves are forced to first buy goods and then fence the merchandise in order to generate cash. "With this kind of debit-card fraud, they can go straight to the cash," Litan said....the group has ties to criminal gangs residing overseas. Victims in the United States have reported discovering unauthorized charges or withdrawals in such places as Great Britain, Pakistan, Romania and Spain…."This was a sophisticated network," he said. "These guys have been around. It looks like they figured this was a safer way to generate cash, safer than dealing drugs or other crimes."
 Greg Sandoval, Prosecutor: Debit card crime ring busted, CNET, 3-14-06

Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and http://www.wordsofpower.net. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to http://www.wordsofpower.net/

Words of Power #14: It's Not The Unipolar Moment, It's The Bipolar Moment

NOTE: Words of Power is published on a bi-weekly basis, and alternates with the GS(3) Intelligence Briefing, also posted on a bi-weekly basis. As circumstances dictate, we may post special editions. "Words of Power" commentary will explore a range of issues in the interdependent realms of security, sustainability and spirit. The GS(3) Intel Briefing is organized into five sections: Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Americas, Global and Cyberspace. Each issue will provide insight on terrorism, cyber crime, climate change, health emergencies, natural disasters, and other threats, as well as recommendations on what actions your organizations should take to mitigate risks. For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.net


Two documents released today reveal that the FBI investigated gatherings of the Thomas Merton Center for Peace & Justice just because the organization opposed the war in Iraq. Although previously disclosed documents show that the FBI is retaining files on anti-war groups, these documents are the first to show conclusively that the rationale for FBI targeting is the group's opposition to the war.
“It makes no sense that the FBI would be spying on peace activists handing out flyers,” said Jim Kleissler, Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center for Peace & Justice. “Our members were simply offering leaflets to passersby, legally and peacefully, and now they’re being investigated by a counter–terrorism unit. Something is seriously wrong in how our government determines who and what constitutes terrorism when peace activists find themselves targeted.”
“From the FBI to the Pentagon to the National Security Agency this administration has embarked on an unprecedented campaign to spy on innocent Americans,” said Ann Beeson, Associate Legal Director of the national ACLU. “Investigating law-abiding groups and their members simply because of their political views is not only irresponsible, it has a chilling effect on the vibrant tradition of dissent in this country.”
ACLU Releases First Concrete Evidence of FBI Spying Based Solely on Groups’ Anti-War Views, ACLU, 3-14-06

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor have been the targets of death threats from the "irrational fringe" of society, people apparently spurred by Republican criticism of the high court. Ginsburg revealed in a speech in South Africa last month that she and O'Connor were threatened a year ago by someone who called on the Internet for the immediate "patriotic" killing of the justices.
Security concerns among judges have been growing.
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter joked earlier this year that Justice John Paul Stevens should be poisoned...
According to Ginsburg, someone in a Web site chat room wrote: "Okay commandoes, here is your first patriotic assignment ... an easy one. Supreme Court Justices Ginsburg and O'Connor have publicly stated that they use (foreign) laws and rulings to decide how to rule on American cases. This is a huge threat to our Republic and Constitutional freedom. ... If you are what you say you are, and NOT armchair patriots, then those two justices will not live another week."
Gina Holland, Supreme Court Justice Reveals Death Threats, Associated Press, 3-15-06

Citing a Bible verse, "Where there is no vision, the people perish," Gore cited issues in which he believes the Bush administration has left the country far removed from the Founding Fathers' ideals.... Just like there were warning signs before Sept. 11, there were warning signs last year that the levees were in danger in New Orleans, Gore said....There have been warnings for many years about rising temperatures being caused by global warming, Gore said....Gore mentioned the nation's official policy against torturing prisoners, dating to the American Revolution, when Gen. George Washington refused to allow captured British soldiers to be abused. "Every president since, all the way through until now, has honored that principle," he said. "I truly believe that American democracy faces a time of challenge and trials that are more serious than we have ever faced," Gore said. He pointed to the current White House, backed by a Republican Congress, which allows the government to eavesdrop on anyone's home, "sneak and peek," without a warrant. "It sounds so strange, doesn't it, so contrary to the Constitution?"
Stephanie Murphy, Gore: Country straying from principles, Palm Beach Daily News, 3-13-06


This is not the “unipolar moment” that the Bush-Cheney regime sycophants would have you think it is, but it may be our bipolar moment. As I have written in previous postings, a convergence of factors, including global warming, over-population, a dwindling water supply, the cultivation of religious extremism, the end of peak oil, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, has plunged the human race into a planetary crisis that threatens its security and sustainability, both near-term and long-term; and yet, in Washington, D.C., at the center of power, the ruling party is lost in a fantasy world of its own manufacture, and the opposition party is cowering in a corner, with its hands to its eyes, attempting to wish it all away.
Meanwhile, somewhere between 9/11 and the swearing in of Bush-Cheney for their second term, much of the populace sank into depression. Over the past few years, I have seen so many fellow citizens, sitting in the airports, staring into blank space, ignoring the Fox and CNN “news broadcasts” that drone on from the TV monitors overhead. I have seen so many of them, hunkered down in their SUVs, hurtling along beside me on pot-holed highways, going nowhere. It is chilling to look into their vacant stares. What I see reflected back from that dim mirror is a nation of lambs that is going to be hit again, unless it wakes up to the lion half of its nature, i.e., its strength and nobility, and fights back in a real way.
There are, of course, notable exceptions to this mass break with reality.

Mega-Mogadishu
Lieutenant General William E. Odom, U.S. Army (Ret.), who served as Ronald Reagan’s NSA Director, and former Sen. Gary Hart (D-CO), who pioneered the Homeland Security concept, have continued to speak out on about the Mega-Mogadishu rapidly developing in Iraq:

The Vietnam War had three phases. The War in Iraq has already completed an analogous first phase, is approaching the end of the second phase, and shows signs of entering the third….Phase Three in Vietnam was marked by “Vietnamization” and “make-believe diplomacy” in Paris, policies still ignoring the strategic realities at the war’s beginning….Phase Three in Iraq is only beginning.…Will Phase Three in Iraq end with helicopters flying out of the “green zone” in Baghdad? It all sounds so familiar. The difference lies in the consequences. Vietnam did not have the devastating effects on U.S. power that Iraq is already having….Only by getting out of Iraq can the United States possibly gain sufficient international support to design a new strategy for limiting the burgeoning growth of anti-Western forces it has unleashed in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
Lieutenant General William E. Odom, U.S. Army (Ret.), Iraq through the prism of Vietnam, www.niemanwatchdog.org, 3-8-06

“It is strange to contemplate the possibility that the greatest army in world history could be slaughtered in a Middle East conflagration. But prudent commanders have no choice but to plan for this danger. In greatest danger are the units in the Sunni central region cities. They are in real jeopardy if tens of thousands of angry Sunni and Shi'ite citizens, supported by their sectarian militias, surround and then overrun those units before they can be withdrawn….The character of warfare and violence is being transformed. The warfare of the future is not World War II, or even Korea or Vietnam. It is Mogadishu and Fallujah -- low-intensity conflict among tribes, clans, and gangs. We are not prepared for that kind of warfare.
The United States is in danger of finding combat forces trapped in a civil war that they cannot prevent, control, or win. America's army is in danger, and that danger is possibly just around the corner.”
Gary Hart, US Army in jeopardy in Iraq, Boston Globe, 3-11-06

In the aftermath of the debacle in Mogadishu, Les Aspin, Clinton’s Secretary of Defense, resigned. And yet, Donald Rumsfeld, the chief architect of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, still sits behind a desk at the Pentagon. How is such an outrage politically possible?

Profiles in Courage and Cowardice
The answer is that all three branches of the US federal government, under the control of the ruling party, and the US mainstream news media, under the control of its corporate overlords, have been swept up in this bipolar moment.
Indeed, as Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor have said in recent days, the US Constitution itself is at risk:

The President authorized an illegal program to spy on American citizens on American soil, and then misled Congress and the public about the existence and legality of that program. It is up to this body to reaffirm the rule of law by condemning the President’s actions. All of us in this body took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and bear true allegiance to the same. Fulfilling that oath requires us to speak clearly and forcefully when the President violates the law….At moments in our history like this, we are reminded why the founders balanced the powers of the different branches of government so carefully in the Constitution. At the very heart of our system of government lies the recognition that some leaders will do wrong, and that others in the government will then bear the responsibility to do right. This President has done wrong. This body can do right by condemning his conduct and showing the people of this nation that his actions will not be allowed to stand unchallenged….
As we move forward, Congress will need to consider a range of possible actions, including investigations, independent commissions, legislation, or even impeachment. But, at a minimum, Congress should censure a president who has so plainly broken the law….
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Introducing a Resolution to Censure President George W. Bush, www.commondreams.org, 3-13-06

“In an unusually forceful and forthright speech, O’Connor said that attacks on the judiciary by some Republican leaders pose a direct threat to our constitutional freedoms. O’Connor began by conceding that courts do have the power to make presidents or the Congress or governors, as she put it ‘really, really angry.’ But, she continued, if we don’t make them mad some of the time we probably aren’t doing our jobs as judges….The nation’s founders wrote repeatedly, she said, that without an independent judiciary to protect individual rights from the other branches of government those rights and privileges would amount to nothing. But, said O’Connor, as the founding fathers knew statutes and constitutions don’t protect judicial independence, people do.  And then she took aim at former House GOP leader Tom DeLay. She didn’t name him, but she quoted his attacks on the courts at a meeting of the conservative Christian group Justice Sunday last year when DeLay took out after the courts for rulings on abortions, prayer and the Terri Schiavo case….It doesn’t help, she said, when a high-profile senator suggests there may be a connection between violence against judges and decisions that the senator disagrees with. She didn’t name him, but it was Texas senator John Cornyn who made that statement, after a Georgia judge was murdered in the courtroom and the family of a federal judge in Illinois murdered in the judge’s home…. O’Connor said we must be ever-vigilant against those who would strong-arm the judiciary into adopting their preferred policies. It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, she said, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings.
Nina Tottenberg, National Public Radio, quoted in Retired Supreme Court Justice hits attacks on courts and warns of dictatorship, www.rawstory.com, 3-10-06

Sadly, like Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and the thirty or so Democrats in the House of Representatives who have called for impeachment, Sen. Feingold stands almost alone in the Senate. It is a disgrace that only two of his colleagues, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), have joined with him.
While Sen. Feingold’s bold demand for censure offers an unqualified profile in courage, Justice O’Connor’s remarks could be perceived as a profile in cowardice, or perhaps simply a profile in convenience.
Remember, it was O’Connor who provided the swing vote in Bush vs. Gore, over-ruling the Florida State Supreme Court’s order for a state-wide recount. That recount would have shown Gore to have won Florida’s electoral vote, as an independent study commissioned by major US mainstream news media organizations proved. Yes, she put Bush-Cheney in power, and her retirement from the highest court in the land opened the door for the lifetime appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, both of whom endorse the Bush-Cheney vision of an all-powerful executive on issues of national security and civil liberties.
Will the USA survive this bipolar moment? Only if a sufficient number of citizens choose courage over convenience, and reality over fantasy.



Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and www.wordsofpower.net. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc.
You can reach Richard Power via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net.
For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.net.

GS(3) Intelligence Briefing 3-7-06

NOTE: GS(3) Intelligence Briefing is posted on a bi-weekly basis. As circumstances dictate, we may post special editions. The Briefing is organized into five sections: Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Americas, Global and Cyberspace. Each issue provides insight on terrorism, cyber crime, climate change, health emergencies, natural disasters and other threats, as well as recommendations on what actions your organizations should take to mitigate risks. “Words of Power" commentary is also posted on a bi-weekly basis. This commentary explores a range of issues in the interdependent realms of security, sustainability and spirit. For more information, go to GS(3) Intelligence and  Words of Power, go to http://www.wordsofpower.net/

GS(3) Intelligence Briefing 3-7-06

In “Europe, Middle East & Africa,” I have included four news items. Two stories that illustrate how right-wing hate-mongering exacerbates the terrorist threat in Europe. One story that highlights how the Bush-Cheney regime’s reckless departure from long-established, bipartisan U.S. policies has poisoned the US’s security relationship with the EU. One story that provides further evidence that we have already arrived at the end of peak oil production. In “Asia Pacific,” I have included two news items. One story on how the South Korean government is pulling away from its close security relationship with the USA. One story on the political chaos and deteriorating security situation in the Philippines. A year ago, I experienced both of these important regional developments first-hand, and nothing has slowed the momentum in either circumstance. The Bush-Cheney regime intentionally scuttled the Clinton-led opportunity for peaceful progress, now South Korea is eager to pursue its own course in regard to Pyongyang. The Philippines, despite the beauty and energy of its people, will continue to be volatile for the foreseeable future. In “Americas,” I have posted some commentary by William Rivers Pitt on the latest revelations about the Bush-Cheney regime's utter failure to protect the civilian population from “Hurricane Katrina.” Evidence of criminal neglect? Another article of impeachment? In “Cyberspace,” you will find two news items that provide more disturbing evidence about what could be the world’s greatest unacknowledged, uninvestigated cyber crime: the theft of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. presidential elections.
Remember, words-of-power.blogspot.com is also a searchable database. It is meant to accelerate, intensify and enrich your online research.

Europe, Middle East & Africa

Italy’s centre-left opposition accused the ex-minister, Roberto Calderoli of the Northern League party, of jeopardising the nation’s security by making continually provocative remarks about Islam and Muslim leaders. Mr Calderoli was forced to resign last month after coming under fire for wearing a T-shirt that displayed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Riots erupted in Libya over his conduct and 14 people were killed. In a recording posted on the internet last weekend, Mr Zawahiri denounced Mr Calderoli and urged Muslims to launch attacks similar to those in New York in 2001, London last year, and – most pertinent to Italy’s case – Madrid just days before Spain’s March 2004 general election.
Tony Barber, Sacked Italian minister defiant despite terrorism fears, Financial Times, 3-6-06

The paper Jyllands-Posten that published profane cartoons of Prophet Mohammed turns out to be a Hitler fan. The Danish daily, praising German dictator Adolph Hitler and Italian dictator Franco Mussolini’s fascist administration in the 1930’s, had been referred to by the Danes as “Jyllands-Pesten”, ‘the plague’, for this reason. A Jyllands-Posten headline, “Germans must be found right to get rid of the Jews” in 1938, supported the Hitler administration’s looting of Jewish workplaces, destroying graveyards and detaining 26,000 people…According to research conducted by a Zaman reporter, Jyllands-Posten first published in 1871 is termed a “conservative rightist” newspaper. Despite its slogan, “Politically independent newspaper,” the daily stood out publications supporting first Mussolini, and then later, Hitler. Jyllands-Posten announced the German election results on 5 March 1933, running the headline “Hitler’s victory,” also supported Hitler’s annulment of the constitution…On 1 May 1933, Jyllands-Posten welcomed the imprisonment of labor union leaders and the confiscation of their properties in Germany with the expressions “The problem has now been solved. Jews have been excluded, the labor unions have been forced to join the Nazis, the communists and socialism has been eradicated.” The newspaper found the Nazis “using their own methods” to solve “the Jewish problem” as “acceptable.”
Hasan Cucuk, Jyllands-Posten Turns out to be Hitler Fan, www.zaman.com, 3-6-06

In light of his investigation into the possible illegal activities of the CIA in Europe, on Wednesday March 1st, Secretary General for the Council of Europe Terry Davis denounced the absence of any controls on activities of foreign secret service agents in Europe, and deplored the absence of European law covering such matters. "Most of Europe seems to be excellent hunting grounds for foreign secret services," deemed Terry Davis….The same situation holds for European air space, which the CIA has used to convey prisoners in transit….Finally, he raised the problem of the diplomatic immunity behind which foreign secret services frequently shelter. "Immunity cannot mean impunity," says the Secretary General….He particularly targets four member countries - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Macedonia, and Poland - whose lack of cooperation with his inquiry he criticizes....
Europe a 'Hunting Ground' for Foreign Secret Services, Le Monde with AFP, 3-1-06

Veteran Kuwaiti lawmaker Ahmad al-Saadun demanded Sunday that the government reveal the truth about the emirate's oil reserves which were reported to be only half of the official figure. "No clarifications have been issued by the Energy Ministry, the Kuwait Petroleum Corp. or its affiliated companies to discount doubts about the credibility of official figures," Saadun said in a question to Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmad Fahd al-Sabah. "This raises justified and legitimate concerns that these reserves could be depleted in a very short duration on the basis of current production figures," Saadun, a three-time former speaker, said. The controversy began after the authoritative industry newsletter Petroleum Intelligence Weekly (PIW) revealed in January that Kuwait's oil reserves are far below the officially stated amount of 99 billion barrels. The PIW report claimed that Kuwait's remaining proven and non proven oil reserves total about 48 billion barrels, based on internal Kuwait records seen by the newsletter. It also added that fully proven Kuwaiti reserves amount to 24.2 billion barrels only.
KUWAITI MP DEMANDS TRUTH ABOUT EMIRATE’S OIL RESERVES, Agence France Presse (AFP), 3-6-06

Asia Pacific

South Korea and the US have drifted so far apart on North Korea policy there is now speculation the longtime partners are getting close to divorce.  Kurt Campbell, former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific, reportedly likened the two to a king and queen who live separately but pretend to be happy before their subjects. The allies do not want to announce their divorce because it would have enormous consequences, he said….Fueling that speculation has been the recent friction between Seoul and Washington over how to deal with US allegations North Korea is counterfeiting US dollars. While Washington has stepped up financial pressure on Pyongyang in an effort to defend the US currency, Seoul appears to have opposed such a move.  The US Treasury Department charged in September that Banco Delta Asia in Macau is one of the foreign financial institutions being used by North Korea to launder illegal money, including counterfeit currencies….So far, US pressure appears successful. South Korean banks have followed their Japanese counterparts in carrying out the US tactic - by last month the Korea Exchange Bank, Shinhan Bank and National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives had stopped all transactions with Banco Delta Asia.  However, unlike its banks, the South Korean government has been reluctant to support the US financial pressure on the North.  South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-suk last month said his country still needs to make a strategic judgment based on relations between North and South Korea over how much will it support the US measure against Pyongyang.  The government of President Roh Moo-hyun is known to have urged the US administration of President George W Bush to stop putting financial pressure on the Kim Jong-il regime.…Speculation that the alliance is in trouble is also precipitated by Seoul's three-year objection to Washington's policy aimed at enabling US Forces Korea (USFK) to be moved about freely beyond the Korean Peninsula….In South Korea, the progressive camp continues to seek a security policy much more independent of the United States regardless of concern over the weakening partnership, while the conservative camp strives to resurrect the struggling alliance.  The former maintains the current North Korean nuclear crisis originates from the US military goading the North. But the latter contends the South Korea-US alliance has prevented North Korea from provoking a war over the past five decades.  Arguably, the most important question for South Korea is whether it can succeed in peacefully solving the social and political conflict.
Lee Kyo-kwan, Seoul and Washington closer to divorce, Asia Times, 3-7-06

Presidential Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio said on Sunday that investigations against supposed destabilizers and coup plotters linked by the Department of Justice to the failed attempt to oust President Arroyo on February 24 are not intended to pin down former President Corazon Aquino.…Last week the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice filed rebellion charges against Party-list Representatives Liza Masa, Crispin Beltran, Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño, Joel Birador, former Sen. Gregorio Honasan and 46 others. Gonzales also branded as “purely malicious and imaginative” claims by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon that the administration had planned a “pro-government bombing scheme.” Biazon, the Senate Defense Committee chairman and a former Armed Forces chief of staff, has claimed that the administration had designed a bombing plot to justify Proclamation 1017 and delay the lifting of the state of national emergency. Biazon alleged that a group of five soldiers were ordered by their commanders to carry C4 explosives to Manila last Friday, the same day President Arroyo lifted emergency rule and recalled Proclamation 1017. When the soldiers tasked to bring the explosives learned there were orders to shoot them on sight, they went into hiding, Biazon said. The plot was designed to make it appear that the soldiers were in league with renegade troops out to destabilize the government, he said…Gonzales said that although there is no immediate danger to the government at this time, it security forces are not keeping their guard down. In his weekly column, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that if the President did not acted swiftly, the country would have been in the “clutches of a civilian-rightist-leftist junta which would soon be fighting among themselves for supremacy.
Sam Mediavilla, ‘Cory is not a target,’ Malacañang denies it’s after former president, Manila Times, 3-6-06


Americas

The video is gut-wrenching. There they sit, a whole room full of hurricane experts and disaster managers, shouting down a telephone line at George W. Bush, warning him a full day ahead of time that Hurricane Katrina is a catastrophe waiting to happen. There stands Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center, emphatically explaining that Katrina is far larger and more dangerous than Hurricane Andrew, that the levees in New Orleans are in grave danger of being overtopped, and that the loss of life could be extreme. There sits the much-maligned FEMA Director Michael Brown, joining in the chorus of warnings to Mr. Bush and giving every appearance of a man actually doing his job. "This is, to put it mildly, the big one," says Brown. "Everyone within FEMA is now virtually on call." Brown goes on to deliver an eerily accurate prediction of the horrors to come within the Louisiana Superdome. "I don't know what the heck we're going to do for that, and I also am concerned about that roof," says Brown. "Not to be kind of gross here, but I'm concerned about (medical and mortuary disaster team) assets and their ability to respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe." And there, of course, is Mr. Bush, sitting in a dim conference room while on vacation in Texas, listening to all the pleas for immediate action on the telephone. With an emphatic hand gesture, Bush promises any and all help necessary. "I want to assure the folks at the state level that we are fully prepared to not only help you during the storm," says Bush, "but we will move in whatever resources and assets we have at our disposal after the storm." After the delivery of this promise, however, Bush goes mute. No questions, no comments, no concerns. As if to foreshadow what the people of New Orleans received from their leader, Mr. Bush finishes the conference by delivering a whole lot of nothing….It is gut-wrenching, more than anything else, because of this: four days later, when questioned about his flaccid response to the catastrophe in Louisiana, Bush stated, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Right. No one anticipated the breach of the levees except the Director of the National Hurricane Center, the Director of FEMA, and a half-dozen other experts who implored Mr. Bush to take this storm seriously a full day before the hammer dropped. No one could have anticipated it? That has a familiar ring to it. No one could have anticipated the failure of the levees. No one could have anticipated the strength of the insurgency in Iraq. No one could have anticipated that people would use airplanes as weapons against buildings….No one could have anticipated that the United States of America would ever be governed by a man so callow, so unconnected, so uncaring, so detached, that tens of thousands of people would die during his time in office because he just didn't give a damn.
William Rivers Pitt, 'No One Could Have Anticipated ...', www.truthout.org, 3-2-06


Global

THE Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will warn the world's politicians that the Earth's temperature could rise far higher in response to greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought. A secret draft version of the next report by the United Nation's influential panel of climate experts, to be given to governments in April, will say a reliable upper limit can no longer be put on how quickly the world will warm, according to the British newspaper The Guardian….Dr Barrie Pittock, a retired CSIRO researcher and the author of Climate Change, Turning up the Heat, said models of climate change always involved a range of uncertainty, but the possibility of a large increase in temperature had to be taken very seriously. "If you're taking a risk-management approach and want to avoid what is disastrous you have got to go to the upper end of the range and avoid that," he said. Professor Ian Lowe, an environmental scientist and president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said he hoped the report would convince the Australian Government of the seriousness of the issue because it was still listening to the "10 or 12 sceptics of the world".
Deborah Smith, Global warming may be even hotter, Sydney Morning Herald, 3-1-06

Yesterday, Britain's Defence Secretary, John Reid, pointed to the factor hastening the violent collision between a rising world population and a shrinking world water resource: global warming. In a grim first intervention in the climate-change debate, the Defence Secretary issued a bleak forecast that violence and political conflict would become more likely in the next 20 to 30 years as climate change turned land into desert, melted ice fields and poisoned water supplies….Mr Reid used a speech at Chatham House last night to deliver a stark assessment of the potential impact of rising temperatures on the political and human make-up of the world. He listed climate change alongside the major threats facing the world in future decades, including international terrorism, demographic changes and global energy demand. Mr Reid signalled Britain's armed forces would have to be prepared to tackle conflicts over dwindling resources. Military planners have already started considering the potential impact of global warming for Britain's armed forces over the next 20 to 30 years. They accept some climate change is inevitable, and warn Britain must be prepared for humanitarian disaster relief, peacekeeping and warfare to deal with the dramatic social and political consequences of climate change…
The facts
On our watery planet, 97.5 per cent of water is salt water, unfit for human use.
Most of the fresh water is locked in the ice caps.
The recommended basic water requirement per person per day is 50 litres. But people can get by with about 30 litres: 5 litres for food and drink and another 25 for hygiene.
Some countries use less than 10 litres per person per day. Gambia uses 4.5, Mali 8, Somalia 8.9, and Mozambique 9.3.
By contrast the average US citizen uses 500 litres per day, and the British average is 200.
In the West, it takes about eight litres to brush our teeth, 10 to 35 litres to flush a lavatory, and 100 to 200 litres to take a shower.
The litres of water needed to produce a kilo of:
Potatoes 1,000
Maize 1,400
Wheat 1,450
Chicken 4,600
Beef 42,500
Ben Russell, and Nigel Morris, Armed Forces Are Put on Standby to Tackle Threat of Wars over Water, The Independent UK, 2-28-06

[UK Defence Minister] John Reid warns climate change may spark conflict between nations - and says British armed forces must be ready to tackle the violence.
    Israel, Jordan and Palestine
    Five percent of the world's population survives on 1 percent of its water in the Middle East and this contributed to the 1967 Arab -Israeli war. It could fuel further military crises as global warming continues. Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan rely on the River Jordan but Israel controls it and has cut supplies during times of scarcity. Palestinian consumption is severely restricted by Israel.
    Turkey and Syria
    Turkish plans to build dams on the Euphrates River brought the country to the brink of war with Syria in 1998. Damascus accused Ankara of deliberately meddling with their water supply as the country lies downstream of Turkey, who accused Syria of sheltering key Kurdish separatist leaders. Water shortages driven by global warming will pile on the pressure in this volatile region.
    China and India
    The Brahmaputra River has caused tension between India and China and could be a flashpoint for two of the worlds biggest armies. In 2000, India accused China of not sharing information of the river's status in the run up to landslides in Tibet which caused floods in northeastern India and Bangladesh. Chinese proposals to divert the river have concerned Delhi.
    Angola and Namibia
    Tensions have flared between Botswana, Namibia and Angola around the vast Okavango basin. And droughts have seen Namibia revive plans for a 250-mile water pipeline to supply the capital. Draining the delta would be lethal for locals and tourism. Without the annual flood from the north, the swamps will shrink and water will bleed way into the Kalahari Desert
    Ethiopia and Egypt
    Population growth in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia is threatening conflict along the world's longest river, The Nice, Ethiopia is pressing for a greater share of the Blue Nile's water but that would leave downstream Egypt as a loser. Egypt is worried the White Nile running through Uganda and Sudan, could be depleted as well before it reaches the parched Sinai desert.
    Bangladesh and India
    Floods in the Ganges caused by melting glaciers in the Himalayas are wreaking havoc in Bangladesh leading to a rise in illegal migration to India. This has prompted India to build an immense border fence in attempt to block newcomers. Some 6,000 people illegally cross the bored to India every day.
Climate Change May Spark Conflict Between Nations, The Independent/UK, 2-28-06 


Cyberspace

A long-standing public records request for the release of Election 2004 database files created by Diebold's voting system had been long delayed after several odd twists and turns, including the revelation of a contract with the state claiming the information to be a "company secret."

But while it finally appeared as though the state had agreed to release the information (after reserving the right to "manipulate the data" in consultation with Diebold before releasing it), the state's top Security Official has now -- at the last minute -- stepped in to deny the request. The grounds for the denial: the release of the information poses a "security risk" to the state of Alaska....The state Democratic party has been attempting since December of last year to review the Diebold GEMS tabulator data files from the 2004 election in order to audit some of the strange results discovered in the state, including a reported voter turnout of more than 200% in some areas. 

"At this point," Democratic Party spokesperson Kay Brown told the Anchorage Daily News in January, "it's impossible to say whether the correct candidates were declared the winner in all Alaska races from 2004."....Some of the questionable results from the 2004 Election were outlined in a letter to the state's Division of Elections from the Alaska Democratic Party chairman, Jake Metcalfe. Amongst the anomolies detailed in Metcalfe's letter: "district-by-district vote totals add up to 292,267 votes for President Bush, but his official total was only 190,889."....So just to recap: First the voters of Alaska were not allowed to see their own voting data from the 2004 Election because it was the proprietary "company secret" property of Diebold. Then they would be allowed to see it as long as the state and Diebold could "manipulate the data" before releasing it. And now finally it's determined that allowing the voters to see how they actually voted in the 2004 Election would be a "security risk" to the state of Alaska. No word yet on whether the Alaska Democratic Party will take the matter to court to seek resolution. The American War on Democracy continues...
Alaska Now Refuses to Release 2004 Election Data Citing Security Concerns!, www.bradblog.com, 2-24-06

An examination of Palm Beach County's electronic voting machine records from the 2004 election found possible tampering and tens of thousands of malfunctions and errors, a watchdog group said….Bev Harris, founder of BlackBoxVoting.org, said the findings call into question the outcome of the presidential race….Voting problems would have had to have been widespread across the state to make a difference. President Bush won Florida — and its 27 electoral votes — by 381,000 votes in 2004. Overall, he defeated John Kerry by 286 to 252 electoral votes, with 270 needed for victory. BlackBoxVoting.org, which describes itself as a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizens group, said it found 70,000 instances in Palm Beach County of cards getting stuck in the paperless ATM-like machines and that the computers logged about 100,000 errors, including memory failures. Also, the hard drives crashed on some of the machines made by Oakland, Calif.-based Sequoia Voting Systems, some machines apparently had to be rebooted over and over, and 1,475 re-calibrations were performed on Election Day on more than 4,300 units, Harris said. Re-calibrations are done when a machine is malfunctioning, she said…Palm Beach County and other parts of the country switched to electronic equipment after the turbulent 2000 presidential election, when the county's butterfly ballot confused some voters and led them to cast their votes for third-party candidate Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore. The Supreme Court halted a recount after 36 days and handed a 537-vote victory to Bush.
BRIAN SKOLOFF, Watchdog Group Questions 2004 Fla. Vote, Associated Press, 2-23-06

Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and http://www.wordsofpower.net. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to http://www.wordsofpower.net/