British Officials Accept Estimates of 600,000 Iraqi Deaths
As sectarian violence in Iraq continues to flare up despite a massive Bush-ordered military escalation, The Independent is reporting that British government officials have described as 'sound' the methods used to estimate that more than 600,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion.
The study was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and a Baghdad University and published in the respected medical journal The Lancet two years ago.
The study has been publicly rejected by the US and British governments. But recently declassified British government documents show that the chief scientific adviser to Britain's Ministry of Defense described the methods used in the study as 'robust' and 'close to best practice.'
During the war, more than 3,240 US troops have also been killed, and conservative estimates of the numbers of troops wounded both physically and mentally are well over 50,000.
Commenting Tuesday on the refusal of President Bush to accept the electoral mandate for a new direction in Iraq by bringing the war to an end, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NB) characterized the effects of the war as 'significant damage to our military' and 'devastating to our country.'
Congress set the stage for a confrontation with Bush over the war policy by passing two bills that tie a timetable for withdrawal to new funding for the war.
Congressional Democratic leaders warned President Bush Wednesday that he must accept a timetable for withdrawal.
NYPD Spied on Bush Administration Critics
In what may be the most widespread abuse of police power outside of the federal government, New York police agents spied on critics of the Bush administration leading up to the 2004 Republican Party National Convention, reports the New York Times.
According to the daily, undercover officers traveled to various cities in the United States, Canada and Europe to infiltrate activist groups in order to compile information on planned demonstrations in New York during the Convention.
Police and witness documents reveal that the agents spied on the president's detractors in order to identify possible security threats. But the scope of the infiltrations included non-violent peace organizations, artists collectives, and other civic organizations with no known connection to violent groups or activities.
New York City officials announced Wednesday that they intend to block the release of further documents related to the activities of police agents to avoid lawsuits.
The revelations come just as Congress battles the FBI over the latter's role in rampant abuses of US PATRIOT Act provisions, including the use of so-called national security letters under false or improper pretexts to gain access to private information.
The Justice Department Inspector General estimates that there may have been as many as 3,000 such violations of the law by FBI agents, prompting Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to state: 'We're going to be re-examining the broad authorities we granted the FBI in the Patriot Act.'
Leahy's challenge comes just after Congress voted overwhelmingly to repeal portions of the PATRIOT Act that weakened congressional oversight of US Attorney appointments.
Until these recent revelations by the inspector general, Justice Department officials and the White House defied Democratic members of Congress and the media to find a single instance of abuse of the law under their watch.
The actions of the FBI and New York City police appear to confirm the worst fears of civil libertarians who rejected the White House's weakening of Constitutional protections in the name of security.
Activists Urge Congress to Protect Social Security and Medicare
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare this week delivered more than 134,000 letters from its members to Capitol Hill urging Congress to protect Social Security and Medicare.
The letters oppose any legislation, plan or conference report that will in any way harm the benefits, structure or traditional role of Social Security and Medicare.
The letter campaign prompted Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) to say, “With so many issues on our legislative agenda this session, it’s important to remind my colleagues that preserving Social Security and Medicare should remain a congressional priority.'
Members of the group have signed more than 2 million petitions and letters delivered to Congress since the privatization of Medicare began in earnest with the passage of Bush's Medicare Modernization Act in 2003.
Barbara B. Kennelly, the president and CEO of the group, said, 'America can afford Social Security. Strengthening Social Security for the long term is an attainable goal.'
'However,' she added, 'the President and some of his allies in Congress have not abandoned their goal to privatize Social Security and Medicare. Now they have opted for a more subtle approach: using taxpayers’ frustration with mounting deficits as an excuse to radically alter Social Security and Medicare in the name of fiscal discipline.”
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NOW Endorses Sen. Hillary Clinton
In a statement released today, National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy announced that organization's enthusiastic endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for president.
She said: 'At this time in our history, this country needs strong, experienced and principled leadership to restore faith in our government and repair its credibility at home and abroad, and to end the destructive policies that have eroded our civil liberties and increased injustice and inequality in our society.'
She went on to say, 'Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is just such a leader. She has a long history of support for women's empowerment, and her public record is a testimony to her leadership on issues important to women in the U.S. and around the globe. She has eloquently articulated the need for full economic, political and social equality for women in every institution of society, taking action throughout her career [...] to advance the civil and human rights of women and girls.'
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Hate Crimes Bill Introduced in U.S. House
Last week, Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
This bill would give the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias motivated violence by providing it with jurisdiction over violent crimes where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
The bill would allow the Justice Department to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of violent crime motivated by bias.
The bill has been endorsed by notable individuals and over 210 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches, and the Parent’s Network on Disabilities.
In a statement released last week, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said, “Each year, thousands of Americans are violently attacked just because they are Black, female, Christian or gay. These crimes not only harm individuals, but they terrorize entire communities. It’s the responsibility of our government to protect all Americans.'
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force stated, “At long last, Congress is poised to recognize the reality of hate violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It’s a disgrace that bigotry and ignorance have prevented Congress from taking real action to address hate crimes for nearly 20 years.”
According to a poll conducted in February, 73 percent of registered voters say that they support hate crimes legislation.
Right now, the bill has close to 140 co-sponsors. Further congressional action on the bill is expected this spring.
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Bush Administration Responsible for Erosion of Civil Rights, Says Report
A new report catalogs the erosion of civil rights across the country over the past six years and blames the Bush administration for 'willful neglect and calculated design' in dismantling civil rights protections.
Authored by the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights and the Center for American Progress, the report uses data compiled by former Justice Department officials who served under the Bush administration as well as other experts.
According to the report's authors, 'The Bush administration continues to use the courts and the judicial appointment process to narrow civil rights protections and repeal remedies for legal redress while allowing the traditional tools of the executive branch for civil rights enforcement to wither and die. The resulting inequality of opportunity, deteriorating civil liberties, and rising religious and racial discrimination are sad commentaries on the priorities of the current administration.'
The report calls on Congress to take action. Specifically, Congress should review the Bush administration's implementation and enforcement of civil rights laws with oversight hearings, revise civil rights laws to allow civil suits in federal courts, enforce affirmative action policies, use commitment to civil rights as a 'litmus test' for federally appointed judges, prosecutors, and other law enforcement officials, and pass immigration reform which at a minimum provides a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Read the full report at .
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