Human Rights Watch reported that Colombia had the highest murder rate of trade unionists in the world and 4,000 disappearances last year. Nevertheless, Time Magazine reported that kidnappings are down ten-fold in the past four years, and the annual murder rate has dropped from 28,000 to 17,000. —Dorothy Kosich writing in "Nine Colombian geologists kidnapped by leftist FARC"

Another triumph of American foreign policy. Now that Chiquita Banana has withdrawn from Colombia and cut off its contributions to the right-wing AUC ("United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia"), the paramilitaries will need sources of income other than what they receive more or less directly from the U.S. The country is ripe for tourism.

Related posts
But who will handle the coverup? (5/4/05)
Joke of the Day (3/13/07)

Tags: * Colombia murder rate unions right-wing paramilitaries death squads AUC

The Associated Press this week ran a story from Ankara in which its reporter, Selcan Hacaoglu, repeated the same old mantra about there being a "bitter dispute" between Armenia and Turkey over the 1915 slaughter, in which Turkey "vehemently denies that the killings were genocide." When will the Associated Press wake up and cut this cowardly nonsense from its reports? Would the AP insert in all its references to the equally real and horrific murder of six million European Jews that right-wing Holocaust negationists "vehemently deny" that there was a genocide? No, they would not. —Robert Fisk whose book containing a chapter entitled "The First Holocaust" is to be published "quietly" in Turkey

While a number of European nations have outlawed the denial of the Jewish Holocaust, Turkey has effectively made it illegal for its citizens to assert that an Armenian Holocaust occurred. (On an international level it has denied the holocaust with the assistance of Israel, by the way.)

Interesting how that plays out in the press. It makes one think of the obligatory, almost ceremonial reporting of the lies of the Bush administration by the American media.

After today's march on the Pentagon, expect a great deal more "balanced reporting."

Related posts
Insurer pays Armenians—90 years later (1/27/05)
German state cooperates with Turkey to deny Armenian genocide (2/1/05)
A novelist of the Armenian holocaust (4/18/05)

Tags: * media press balanced reporting genocide Holocaust Armenian genocide Armenia Turkey

Data indicate that the offices of the U.S. Attorneys across the nation investigate seven (7) times as many Democratic officials as they investigate Republican officials, a number that exceeds even the racial profiling of African Americans in traffic stops. —Profs. Donald C. Shields and John F. Cragan (emeriti) writing in "The Political Profiling of Elected Democratic Officials: When Rhetorical Vision Participation Runs Amok"

The authors add that "The current Bush Republican Administration appears to be the first to have engaged in political profiling" and recommend—

new federal laws that would create a national registry of the federal investigations of both candidates and elected officials by the U.S. Attorneys' and other Justice Department Offices.

Related posts
The Tennessee Waltz: FBI cleans up Democrats (5/28/05)
The Corrupt Bastards Club (9/1/06)

Tags: * investigations U.S. Attorneys Justice Department DOJ selective prosecution political profiling Republican

... all the cheap fixes have been used. They've raised the maximum age for enlistment from 35 to 42. Should we kick that higher, say 65? Then you would have your choice: Medicare or boot camp? —Joseph L. Galloway writing in "A desperate Army is scraping the bottom"

Related post
How the Army is coping with its recruitment shortage (4/3/06)

Tags: * military army recruitment maximum age enlistment shortage Joseph Galloway

[Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee released several sets of emails from the Justice Department touching upon the firings of seven U.S. Attorneys. I've transcribed them from the PDF to make them more accessible.

The "Plan for Replacing Certain United States Attorneys" lays out a step-by-step procedure for firing these "underperforming" attorneys. Page 2 of the document is especially interesting.]

Abbreviations used in the documents

AG: Attorney General
AGAC: Attorney General's Advisory Committee
DOJ: Department of Justice
EOUSA: Executive Office for United States Attorneys
OAG: Office of the Attorney General
ODAG: Office of the Deputy Attorney General
USAs: U.S. Attorneys
USATXW: U.S. Attorney, Texas
WHCO: White House Counsel
WH OPA: White House Office of Political Affairs

Index

Sampson to Mercer - 12/05/06 10:51 PM

"Plan for Replacing Certain United States Attorneys"

Sampson to Mercer 12/07/06 3:06 PM

Mercer to Sampson - 12/07/06 3:41 PM

Sampson to Michael Battle - 12/13/06 2:25 PM

Sellers - various memos concerning AG call to Sen. Domenici

 

---

[Sampson MEMO - 12/05/06 10:51 PM]

Mercer, William W                             

From:	Sampson, Kyle
Sent:	Tuesday, December 05, 2006 10:51 PM
To:	Mercer, William W
Subject:	Heads up
Attachments:	USA replacement plan.doc

Administration has determined to ask some underperforming USAs to move on (you'll remember I beat back a much broader — like across the board — plan that WHCO was pushing after 2004). Calls will go out on Thursday. Wanted you to know in case you get some calls from the field and so you can help manage the chatter that may result. See the attached for details.

---

[Page 1 - Attachment]

PLAN FOR REPLACING CERTAIN
UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS

STEP 1

Senator calls: On December 7, the following Republican home-state Senators or, where there is no Republican home-state Senator, the home-state "Bush political lead" are contacted:

• AG calls Jon Kyl (re Charlton)
• WHCO calls John Ensign (re Bogden)
• WHCO calls Pete Domenici (re Iglesias)
• WH OPA calls California political lead (re Lam and Ryan)
• WH OPA calls Michigan political lead (re Chiara)
• WH OPA calls Washington political lead (re McKay)

AG/WHCO/WH OPA inform the Senators/Bush political leads as follows:

• The administration has determined to give someone else the opportunity to serve as U.S. Attorney in [relevant district] for the final two years of the Administration.
• [Relevant U.S. Attorney] has been informed of this determination and knows that we intend to have a new Acting or Interim U.S. Attorney in place by January 31, 2007.
• We will look to you, Senator/Bush political lead, to recommend candidates that we should consider for appointment as the new U.S. Attorney. As always, we ask that you recommend at least three candidates for the President's consideration. Importantly, we ask that you make recommendations as soon as possible.

STEP 2

U.S. Attorney calls: On December 7 (very important that Senator calls and U.S. Attorney calls happen simultaneously), Mike Battle contacts the following U.S. Attorneys:

• Paul Charlton (D. Ariz.)
• Carol Lam (S.D. Cal.)
• Kevin Ryan (N.D. Cal.)
• Margaret Chiara (W.D. Mich.)
• Dan Bogden (D. Nev.)
• David Iglesias (D.N.M.)
• John McKay (W.D. Wash.)

---

[Page 2 - Attachment]

Battle informs the U.S. Attorneys as follows:

• What are you plans with regard to continued service as U.S. Attorney?
• The Administration is grateful for your service as U.S. Attorney, but has determined to give someone else the opportunity to serve as U.S. Attorney in your district for the final two years of the Administration.
• We will work with you to make sure that there is a smooth transition, but intend to have a new Acting or Interim U.S. Attorney in place by January 31, 2007.

STEP 3

Prepare to Withstand Political Upheaval: U.S. Attorneys desiring to save their jobs (aided by their allies in the political arena as well as the Justice Department community), likely will make efforts to preserve themselves in office. We should expect these efforts to be strenuous. Direct and indirect appeals of the Administration's determination to seek these resignations likely will be directed at: various White House offices, including the Office of the Counsel to the President and the Office of Political Affairs; Attorney General Gonzales and DOJ Chief of Staff Sampson; Deputy Attorney General McNulty and ODAG staffers Moschella and Elston; Acting Associate AG Bill Mercer; EOUSA Director Mike Battle; and AGAC Chair Johnny Sutton. Recipients of such "appeals" must respond identically:

• What? U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President (there is no right, nor should there be any expectation, that U.S. Attorneys would be entitled to serve beyond their four-year term).
• Who decided? The Administration made the determination to seek the resignations (not any specific person at the White House or the Department of Justice).
• Why me? The Administration is grateful for your service, but wants to give someone else the chance to serve in your district.
• I need more time! The decision is to have a new Acting or Interim U.S. Attorney in place by January 31, 2007 (granting "extensions" will hinder the process of getting a new U.S. Attorney in place and giving that person the opportunity to serve for a full two years).

STEP 4

Evaluation and Selection of "Interim" Candidates: During December 2006-January 2007, the Department of Justice, in consultation with the Office of the Counsel to the President, evaluates and selects candidates for Attorney General-appointment (or candidates who may become Acting U.S. Attorney by operation of law) to serve upon the resignation of above-listed U.S. Attorneys.

---

[Page 3 - Attachment]

STEP 5

Selection, Nomination, and Appointment of New U.S. Attorneys: Beginning as soon as possible in November 2006, Office of the Counsel to the President and Department of Justice carry out (on an expedited basis) the regular U.S. Attorney appointment process: obtain recommendations from Senators/Bush political leads and other sources; evaluate candidates; make recommendations to the President; conduct background investigations; have President make nominations and work to secure confirmations of U.S. Attorney nominees.

[Return to Index]

---

[Sampson Memo of 12/7/06 - 3:06 PM]

Mercer, William W                             

From:	Sampson, Kyle
Sent:	Thursday, December 07, 2006 3:06 PM
To:	Mercer, William W
Subject:	RE: Heads up

All Senators have been notified and are fine/no objections.
All USAs have been notified, except Iglesias and Chiara (Battle has left messages for them).
Who is calling you? Charlton? McKay?

---------Original Message----------
From: Mercer, William W
Sent: thursday, December 07, 2006 1:58 PM
To: Sampson, Kyle
Subject: Re: Heads up

I have what I assume is my first call. Before I respond, do you have a status report?

---------Original Message----------
From: Sampson, Kyle
To: Mercer, William W
Sent: Tue Dec 05 22:50:48 2006
Subject Heads up

Administration has determined to ask some underperforming USAs to move on (you'll remember I beat back a much broader -- like across the board -- plan that WHCO was pushing after 2004). Calls will go out on Thursday. Wanted you to know in case you get some calls from the field and so you can help manage the chatter that may result. See the attached for the details.

<<USA replacement plan.doc>>

[Return to Index]

---

[Mercer to Sampson - 12/07/06 3:41 PM]

Mercer, William W                             

From:	Mercer, William W
Sent:	Thursday, December 07, 2006 3:41 PM
To:	Sampson, Kyle
Subject:	Re: Heads up

Charlton

---------Original Message----------
From: Sampson, Kyle
To: Mercer, William W
Sent: Thu Dec 07 15:05:31 2006
Subject: RE: Heads up

All Senators have been notified and are fine/no objections.
All USAs have been notified, except Iglesias and Chiara (Battle has left messages for them).
Who is calling you? Charlton? McKay?

---------Original Message----------
From: Mercer, William W
Sent: thursday, December 07, 2006 1:58 PM
To: Sampson, Kyle
Subject: Re: Heads up

I have what I assume is my first call. Before I respond, do you have a status report?

---------Original Message----------
From: Sampson, Kyle
To: Mercer, William W
Sent: Tue Dec 05 22:50:48 2006
Subject Heads up

Administration has determined to ask some underperforming USAs to move on (you'll remember I beat back a much broader -- like across the board -- plan that WHCO was pushing after 2004). Calls will go out on Thursday. Wanted you to know in case you get some calls from the field and so you can help manage the chatter that may result. See the attached for the details.

<<USA replacement plan.doc>>

[Return to Index]

---

[Sampson Memo to Michael Battle - 12/13/06 2:25 PM]

From:	Sampson, Kyle
Sent:	Wednesday, December 13, 2006 2:25 PM
To:	Battle, Michael (USAEO)
Cc:	McNulty, Paul J; Elston, Michael (ODAG); Moschella, William; Mercer, William W; Gooding, Monica; Sutton Johnny K. (USATXW)
Subject:	USA replacements

Mike, Bill Kelley called to report that they are weathering two main complaints: In making the calls, Battle (1) wasn't clear whether the USAs in question would be permitted to resign, or instead were being fired; and (2) was too abrupt. Bill seemed nonplussed by the complaints, but nevertheless passed them on to me.

Perhaps a second round of calls from you, Mike, to the relevant USAs is in order? Talkers would be something like:

• I wanted to be sure you understood that DOJ intends not to say anything about your leaving, but instead allow you to announce your resignation and the reasons for it.
• We want to work with you over the next six weeks to ensure a smooth transition; and
• It's in our interest for you to land on your feet and maintain our good relations with the Department — how can I help?

Perhaps this is a bad idea? Thoughts?

Kyle Sampson
Chief of Staff
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
(202) 514-2001 wk.
(202) 305-5289 cell
kyle.sampson@usdoj.gov

[Return to Index]

---

Sellers, Kiahna (OAG)                             

Subject:	Phone Call with Senator Domenici
Start:	Fri 9/23/2005 12:45 PM
End:	Fri 9/23/2005 1:00 PM
Recurrence:	(none)
Meeting Status:	Meeting Organizer

AG will call Senator Domenici
AG's Office
AO: Kyle Sampson DOJ: Will Moschella

---

Sellers, Kiahna (OAG)                             

Subject:	Phone Call to Senator Domenici
Start:	Tue 1/31/2006 5:15 PM
End:	Tue 1/31/2006 5:30 PM
Recurrence:	(none)
Meeting Status:	Meeting Organizer
Required Attendees:	Sampson, Kyle; Moschella, William

AG's Office - We will call 202 224 7093
AO: Kyle Sampson DOJ: Will Moschella
POC: Jennifer Heath

---

Sellers, Kiahna (OAG)                             

Subject:	PREP: Phone Call with Senator Domenici
Start:	Thu 4/6/2006 3:50 PM
End:	Thu 4/6/2006 4:00 PM
Recurrence:	(none)
Meeting Status:	Meeting Organizer
Required Attendees:	Sampson, Kyle; Moschella, William; Gooding, Monica

AG's Office
AO: Kyle Sampson DOJ: Will Moschella, Monica Gooding

---

Sellers, Kiahna (OAG)                             

Subject:	PREP: Phone Call with Senator Domenici
Start:	Thu 4/6/2006 3:50 PM
End:	Thu 4/6/2006 4:00 PM
Recurrence:	(none)
Meeting Status:	Meeting Organizer
Required Attendees:	Sampson, Kyle; Moschella, William; Gooding, Monica

AG's Office
AO: Kyle Sampson DOJ: Will Moschella, Monica Gooding
POC: Jennifer

[Return to Index]

Tags: * emails memos source documents Attorney General Kyle Sampson William Moschella Monica Gooding Senator Domenici Kiahna Sellers William W. Mercer USA replacement plan U.S. Attorney firing dismissal Mike Battle Judiciary Committee Justice Department DOJ

Emmanuelle Cosse reports on a new survey conducted by the French National Agency for the Study of AIDS and Viral Hepatituses ("Agence nationale de recherches sur le sida et les hépatites virales")—

The first results of a large survey into the "Background of sexuality in France" ... has just been made public. It addressed, through interviews with more than 12,000 people, the sexual behaviors and habits of the French. The last survey dated from 1992.

We learn that the age of the first sexual relation is 17.6 years for women and 17.2 for men. Women declare 4.4 partners on average for their lifetime and 11.6 for men.

As for homosexual relations 4% of women and 4.1% of men say they had relations with a person of the same sex. That's a "appreciable increase" for women (compared with 1992), while the proportion for men is stable. In the past 12 months 1% of women and 1.6% of men stated that they had homosexual relations.

The statements vary as a function of age and according to place of residence. Thus, 6% of women and 7.5% of men living in the Parisian metropolitan area say they've engaged in homosexual practices "as opposed to 3.2% and 2.9% for those who live in rural communities." The majority of the French consider that "homosexuality is a sexuality like any other." In addition, only 50.2% of women and 45.2% of men say they've had a test to screen for AIDS at least once in their life.

Survey conducted of 12,364 men and women, aged 18 to 69, interviewed by telephone. [A Simply Appalling translation]

I haven't seen the actual survey, but to average the number of sexual partners in a lifetime for people whose ages vary from 18 to 69 seems rather ludicrous on its face. Have they all finished?

As for the low number of homosexual experiences, the French seem a bit too modest. I believe I may know some singles who've slept with more than 4.1% of the male population.

Metro International noted in a sidebar that modern seniors are in "great form"—

Some noticeable changes have been recorded for people over 50, particularly women: Of those in a relationship for more than 50 years, only 53% acknowledged sexual activity in the past 12 months in the 1970 survey; 77% did so in the survey of 1992 and close to 90% today. [A Simply Appalling translation]

There's still hope.

Tags: * France French survey sex sexual behavior gay homosexual seniors SIDA AIDS demographics statistics

As Bush tours Latin America, it isn't helping the reputations of the heads of state he visits. On Sunday he was in Colombia where President Alvaro Uribe has been facing the indictments and resignations of corrupt members of his party linked to right-wing paramilitaries along with opposition to Bush's free-trade program for Latin America — you know, the sort of thing we may hope to see some day in the U.S.

We have a special relationship with Colombia: the U.S. pays for most of the mayhem there—

The president has indicated he will ask Congress to maintain current aid levels to Colombia at roughly $700 million annually to support the Latin American nation's fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. Colombia receives more U.S. aid than any country outside the Middle East and Afghanistan.
....

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe noted Bush would meet with Colombians involved in various U.S programs "that help them reap the benefits of a democracy as well as demonstrate the compassion of the American people."

Ahead of Bush's visit, the Colombian law-and-order president urged for continued aid, crediting the U.S. assistance with helping to make his violence-tortured nation more peaceful and less corrupt. The U.S. has sent nearly $4 billion in mostly military aid to Colombia since Uribe took office in 2002.

The Colombians are indeed reaping the benefits of U.S.-financed democracy, and we're getting a lot for our money—

Eight close Uribe allies in Colombia's Congress, as well as his hand-picked former domestic intelligence chief, have been jailed for allegedly colluding with right-wing militias in a reign of terror that nearly subverted Colombian democracy.

The scandal prompted Uribe's foreign minister to resign last month when her senator brother and father, a regional power broker, were implicated for alleged participation in the kidnapping of a political rival.

As for the guerrilla movement, it's doing fine, thank you—

Colombia remains the source of more than 90 percent of the world's cocaine despite record aerial fumigation of coca crops. And the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has neither been defeated nor had any members of its leadership captured.

The [right-wing] paramilitaries, which gained control of the entire Caribbean coast during the past decade, demobilized two years ago under a peace pact with Uribe's government. The paramilitaries arose in response to kidnappings and extortion by leftist rebels.

The paramilitaries demobilized because they had actually become the government. No word yet from the AP on what caused the leftist rebellion.

Unless you join the FARC, there's little you can do but laugh. So this joke is being spread about in Colombia's neighbor Ecuador, where Uribe says the rebels hide—

IN HELL

Alvaro Uribe, George Bush and the Queen of England meet in Hell.

Bush tells the Queen that there's a "red" telephone in Hell and that he's going to talk to the Devil to ask for authorization to use it.

He goes right away and asks the Devil for permission to make a call to the U.S. to find out how the country's been doing since he left.

The Devil allows him the call and he talks for 2 minutes. When he hangs up, the Devil tells him that the call was 3 million dollars.

Bush writes him a check and pays it.

When the Queen finds out, she wants to do the same thing and calls England for 5 minutes. The Devil hands her a bill for 10 million pounds and she also pays it.

Alvaro Uribe also wants to call Colombia to see what condition he's left the country in, and he talks for 3 hours.

When he hangs up, the Devil tells him that will be a thousand pesos.

Uribe is stunned because he's seen how much the calls cost the others, so he asks why a call to Colombia is so cheap.

The Devil tells him:

"Look, you bastard... with the reforms you approved, your new policies, your inexperience, the unemployment, the Free-Trade Treaty and the cost of living, you changed Colombia into a real Hell ... and from Hell to Hell the call is local."

[A Simply Appalling translation]

Related post
But who will handle the coverup? (5/4/05)

Tags: * Colombia South America Latin America Uribe Alvaro Uribe free trade free trade treaty Bush humor joke translation paramilitaries guerrillas FARC Ecuador

Concerning a fresh request for more troops in Iraq—

... you could ask that you increase them, actually, for good reasons, as well as, perhaps, not good reasons. —Gen. David Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq, at a press briefing in Baghdad Thursday

Gen. Petraeus says that one of those (presumably good) reasons would be "to reinforce success." Later today I hope to examine what looks to be one of those "not good reasons."

Related posts
The Bush plan for Iraq: What you should expect (1/11/07)
Neocons fear the pain of premature withdrawal (1/29/07)

Tags: * Iraq escalation surge troop increase strategy tactics Petraeus David Petraeus press conference quote

The Baddies

Carefully stepping around the bloody messes
we find in history books, as on the streets,
we utterly disown them. Such excesses,
    furors and manic heats

are way outside the scope of excellent
and decent you and me. Large madnesses,
like wars and massacres especially,
    no one acknowledges.

In fact, it seems unlikely that the worst
villainies are ever performed by people.
Instead, there is this flock of ugly birds
    who specialize in evil.

It's they who swoop about committing
the viler deeds, who lynch, betray and loot,
run slaves, brain babies, roast and disembowel,
    act the inhuman brute.

With reptile blood and wicked eyes they look
the part they play—veterans of crime.
Impersonal, anonymous, the birds
    are baddies, who in time

take on official status, seem so much
like public representatives that we
contrive to think of them as products of
    municipal rookeries;

forgetting in our pious scramble that
these vicious flocks can only be refreshed
by dark things flapping clumsily away
    from private cuckoo nests.

—R.E. Sebenthall,
   Acquainted with a chance of bobcats

Related post
"Serbia is deeply shocked" (6/6/05)

Tags: * poem poetry poem of the day antiwar war humor Sebenthall R.E. Sebenthall