The Times of London has mentioned Blair Watch and their "I’ll publish the al-Jazeera memo" campaign

Nearly 200 British bloggers say that they are ready to break the Official Secrets Act and go to jail to publish a memo that allegedly proves that President Bush wanted to bomb al-Jazeera in Qatar.
 
"We’re finding it hard to keep track of those wanting to join us. We appreciate the support and you look like a fine bunch of potential cell mates," the BlairWatch website at the centre of the campaign said.

The bloggers’ strategy could complicate the position of Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney- General, who warned the media not to publish the document. Being seen to send hundreds of ordinary people to prison over the matter could prove politically suicidal for the Government.

There are now over 220 blogs that have said they’ll publish the memo, including this one.

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The FBI has reopened an inquiry into one of the most intriguing aspects of the pre-Iraq war intelligence fiasco: how the Bush administration came to rely on forged documents linking Iraq to nuclear weapons materials as part of its justification for the invasion.

‘Intriguing?’ The US went to war based on lies, thousands are dead and a country is in ruins. ‘Intriguing’ is not the word I would use to describe how this happened.

The FBI’s decision to reopen the investigation reverses the agency’s announcement last month that it had finished a two-year inquiry and concluded that the forgeries were part of a moneymaking scheme — and not an effort to manipulate U.S. foreign policy.

Oh please, this is just more attempted spin from the neocons, aided and abetted by the FBI. The poor little US was tricked, bamboozled it appears, by a sole confidence man looking for money, and that’s why the invasion happened. Uh, huh. I sure believe that, don’t you?

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Who Is Jack Abramoff?

If you haven’t heard of Jack Abramoff already, you will before long. He is the central figure in a burgeoning scandal that is entangling several members of Congress, some Executive Department officials and a number of their wives.

Mr. Abramoff and Rep. Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader, are targets of the Justice Department probe. Prosecutors have warned one lawmaker, Rep. Robert W. Ney, R-Ohio, and his former chief of staff that they are preparing a possible bribery case against them.

Is the end near for Ney?

Mounting evidence of the Republican congressman’s unseemly dealings in the Abramoff corruption scandal bodes ill for the "mayor of Capitol Hill."

Dorgan aided Abramoff client, used skybox

The Democrat helping to lead the Senate investigation into Jack Abramoff‘s Indian lobbying had his own connections to the controversial lobbyist‘s team and clients, including using his sports arena skybox to raise money.

Be still my heart

Three Texas watchdog groups asked a Texas county official Thursday to investigate former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed, who worked with lobbyist Jack Abramoff to press state officials to shut down two Texas tribal casinos.

And on and on it goes. Lots of money and influence-peddling, all quite bi-partisan too, so don’t fool yourselves Democrats, the corruption is everywhere. We have a Congress composed primarily of multi-millionaires, beholden to their own class, who care little for those they profess to represent.

John Kerry is worth over 600 million. Dianne Feinstein’s husband is a billionaire. Do you think either of them, or any senator for that matter, goes shopping at Ralph’s or has any actual contact with people outside their little protective bubble? Of course not. They live inside a cocoon of privilege, power, and money, members of what Marxists call the ruling class. Unfortunately for the rest of us, that ruling class has become divorced from reality and is apparently terminally corrupt.

That’s why the Abramoff’s have such power and influence. Because the rest of them like it that way. I mean, I don’t hear Congress protesting much about this, do you? Their silence (and complicity) speaks volumes.

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 From Don’t Bomb, a blog by al-Jazeera staffers.

This is an old Al Jazeera poster - the picture is of our office in Bagdad, seconds after the bombing that killed Tareq Ayoub.

The caption reads:
"Al Jazeera Channel has never shied away from reporting the truth and has paid the price repeatedly. Through accusations, political attacks, and boycotts by liberal as well as conservative governments and states; and by having a number of our offices closed down. Recently, the ultimate price was paid. Our Baghdad bureau was hit, reporter Tarek Ayoub killed and cameraman Zuhair Falih injured. This is too high a price to pay for telling the truth. But at Al Jazeera, we believe the price of not doing so would be even higher.

The right not to remain silent."

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The new Orange Line here in LA runs close to where we live. It’s a dedicated busway running on what used to be a train track, stopping only at major intersections, and ends at the North Hollywood subway station. From there you can get to Hollywood, downtown, and even LAX. It’s a mere $3 for a day pass, and that includes buses and subways. Plus, amazingly, it’s on the honor system. No turnstiles.

We’ve been using it quite a lot. Compared to other major cities, it’s a tiny subway system. But it’s slowly growing. And it’s real nice to not have to get on the endlessly clogged LA freeways.

The Orange Line crosses major intersections. There are stop lights, and flashing lights saying ‘bus coming’ yet amazingly, in the month or so it’s been open, several motorists have managed to run red lights and run into the quite large Orange Line articulated buses. I mean, how can you NOT see red lights and large buses? Too busy chatting on the cell while drinking a latte, maybe?

Note to the stupified: Police are lurking at Orange Line intersections, ready to pounce on red light runners - and the ticket is over $500.

So to all you clueless LA drivers. Please stop running into Orange Line buses. Thanks so much.

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Three decades after the Vietnam War, Laos, remains littered with millions of unexploded U.S. bombs, which kill at least 200 people a year.

How many civilians will die in Iraq over how many decades for the same reason? Nor does it appear the US is doing anything to clean up their mess in Laos.

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He’s the worst president ever.

(But you already knew that…)

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Private participation in water delivery faces stiff challenge.

Government’s move to handover the management of the country’s water delivery could run into difficulty.

This follows the determination of the civil society groups to resist the implementation of what has come to be known as the private-public participation in water delivery.

Speaking to Joy business report a member of the National Coalition against Water Privatization Dr David Percy said Ghana’s water delivery system will be worse off if private companies are made to manage the water system.

The fight against water privatization is worldwide and growing. On one side, the populace who wants public water available at a reasonable price, controlled locally. On the other, multinational corporations and entities like the World Bank who force water privatization on any country that wants a loan. Take a guess as to which one will put the interests of the public first.

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Protesters from 30 countries unite to fight global warming

Up to a million people will take to the streets of more than 100 cities in 30 countries today to demand greater action on tackling global warming.

The first worldwide demonstration on climate change will coincide with the opening of a key United Nations conference to set out the basis for the reduction of greenhouse gases after the Kyoto treaty expires in 2012.

Climate delegates adopt Kyoto Protocol rule book

Parties to the Kyoto Protocol have adopted a set of decisions that complete the protocol rule book. "The Kyoto Protocol is now fully operational. This is an historic step," said Canadian Environment Minister Stéphane Dion.

Naturally, the US is not a signatory, as the Flat Earth Society are currently the scientists  in residence at the White House.

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