((( Anybody But Bush Update: Iraqi prisoner
prefers Saddam's torture )))

May 03, 2004


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http://www.anybodybutbush.info/archives/000224.html



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by ttagaris
Mon May 3rd, 2004 at 02:37:09 EST

I really wish this headline came from The Onion,
or maybe Mad Magazine,
but it doesn't; the article comes from the
Associated Press.

When I read quotes like this, I begin to worry:

"Al-Shweiri said that while jailed by Saddam's
regime, he was
electrocuted, beaten and hung from the ceiling
with his hands tied
behind his back.

"But that's better than the humiliation of being
stripped naked," he
said. 'Shoot me here,' he added, pointing between
his eyes, 'but don't
do this to us."

read
the associated press article


Diaries :: ttagaris's diary ::

Now, I was in the United States Marine Corps, and
I really don't want
to pass judgement on anyone committing these acts
against Iraqis,
whoever they may be.

In my eyes, the vast majority of people that I
served with were great
people, some of the best I have ever met in my
life, and I am proud to
have served with each and every one of them.

What gives me pause, and makes me sad above all
else, is the
transformation many of our men and women must
have gone through since
arriving in Iraq. The people I served, I could
not fathom
participating in acts such as these.

While I have never served in combat, I know we
have all heard from
friends, relatives, or accounts on television and
through conversations
on-line about how you come back a changed person.
The experience of war
and death up-close is so powerful, that it
demands a mental
transformation as a defense mechanism.

I can't help but shake the feeling that these
troops that tortured
Iraqis are not just a few bad apples, but these
are just a small
handful of the good apples that have have gone
rotten after exposure to
the horrors of war.

I can't speak for the friends that I served with,
maybe they wish to
stay in Iraq. The last I heard they were digging
graves every day from
the time they woke up, until they were done for
the day. I can't
imagine that job doing any help for the fragile
mind of a young man
10's of thousands of miles away from home,
watching death up-close
every day. I would like them to come home.

Tim

Save The Date! August 29, 2004, The World Says No to the Bush Agenda MASS WORLDWIDE PROTEST DURING THE 2004 REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN NEW YORK CITY From: United for Peace and Justice

hello. how are you? here are some Ted Rall editorials.

PIN THE TALE ON THE DONKEY
Desperate, Bush Blames Democrats for Iraq

WHERE WAS THE AIR FORCE?
The Real Question on 9-11

CUT AND RUN NOW
Only Lunatics Keep Fighting an Unwinnable War

BILL CLINTON CAUSED 9/11

PRESIDENT KERRY

keep it peaceful.

IF WAR IS WORLDWIDE, SO MUST BE DIALOGUE

This week on www.openDemocracy.net, our electronic roundtable about
terrorism, democracy and war after Madrid continues with contributions
from Mai Ghoussoub, Kirsty Hughes and John Lloyd.

John Hulsman in Washington seeks transatlantic unity against al-Qaida;
Sari Nusseibeh in Jerusalem measures Palestine’s future after Sheikh
Yassin; Sabine Freizer in Tbilisi uncovers the Uzbek market bombings and
Paul Rogers in Yorkshire places Iraqi fury in the context of a pattern of
violence across south Asia.

Plus: Antje Vollmer, vice-president of Germany’s Bundestag, resists the
conscription of Immanuel Kant into the “coalition of the willing”.

--------------

THE WEEK'S TOP FIVE

PALESTINE’S PROSPECTS AFTER GAZA: AN INTERVIEW WITH SARI NUSSEIBEH
Israel’s killing of Hamas’s leader convulsed the region. But the leading
Palestinian scholar SARI NUSSEIBEH, talking to LINDA BENEDIKT, takes a
longer-term view
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/benedikt_010404.jsp

IMMANUEL KANT AND IRAQ: A REPLY TO ROGER SCRUTON
The German Green politician ANTJE VOLLMER disagrees with the English
philosopher ROGER SCRUTON: the philosopher of reason and law would have
opposed the war
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/vollmer_010404.jsp

MIDNIGHT IN TASHKENT
The reclusive Central Asian state of Uzbekistan is reeling from a surge
of anti-state violence. A lesson for the autocratic Tashkent regime and
its international sponsors alike, says SABINE FREIZER
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/freizer_010404.jsp

HIJAB HYSTERIA: FRANCE AND ITS MUSLIMS
France has banned the Islamic headscarf in schools. Undemocratic and
illiberal, argues SVEND WHITE – but Muslims too must examine their hijab
obsession
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/white_010404.jsp

ATOCHA: A VIEW FROM WASHINGTON
After the Madrid terrorist bombings, America and Europe need to unify
against a common enemy, says JOHN C. HULSMAN of the Heritage Foundation
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/hulsman_010404.jsp

--------------

THE MOMENT TO SUPPORT
Since the Madrid bombings, we have brought you a serious, wide-ranging,
international discussion of the implications for Europe and the “war on
terror”. The space for debate and constructive dialogue created by
openDemocracy has rarely seemed so vital. With this in mind subscriptions
stay independent and free to members who can't afford to pay. Just
£25/$40/€40 will make sure that we stay accessible to everyone. Click
here to pay online or call Theo Edwards at +44 (0) 207 608 2000
http://www.openDemocracy.net/SUPPORT5.html

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?
Does openDemocracy leave you feeling inspired, serene, angry, alarmed?
Get it out. Email me, Sarah Lindon at: readerseditor_at_opendemocracy_dot_net

50--------------

COLUMNS

EDITOR’S NOTE: VOICING AMERICA
In this crucial election year, openDemocracy seeks an engagement with
America that opens minds and crosses frontiers, says ANTHONY BARNETT
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/barnett_010404.jsp

GLOBAL SECURITY: A WEEK OF VENGEANCE
In Iraq, ferocious violence; in Uzbekistan, market bombs; in southern
Thailand, turmoil; in Pakistan, humiliation; in London, fear. PAUL ROGERS
tracks a spreading arc of conflict
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/rogers_010404.jsp

OUR ELECTION YEAR: THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
TODD GITLIN, in the Greek home of democracy, is struck by how the evasive
wordplay even of “international” media exculpates the Bushites
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/gitlin_010404.jsp

WHAT DO WE HAVE FAITH IN? MODERATE DREAMS AND INSPIRATION
After utopia, pragmatism; after millennial dreams, negotiated
improvements. DAVE BELDEN asks if romance can be found in small change
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/belden_010404.jsp

WORLD DIARY: RECIPE FOR DISASTER
DOMINIC HILTON keeps his weekly engagement with reality
http://www.opendemocracy.net/email/ed3705/worlddiary_010404.jsp

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Secrets of Timothy McVeigh Lingering questions about the Oklahoma City bombing by Jim Crogan MARCH 26 - APRIL 1, 2004 + Powerlines: Drip. Drip. Drip. Former counter-terrorism honcho Richard Clarke is the latest high-level tattler from the Bush administration. BY HAROLD MEYERSON # Dissonance: Oh, stop the gloating over Richard Clarke. The fiends who want to do us in are still out there. BY MARC COOPER

Subject: Urgent: Spread 9/11 and Iraq Revelations

Several days ago, former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke revealed how the Bush administration systematically mishandled 9/11 and Iraq. Help us get Clarke's comments in front of the American people in a new hard-hitting ad.
Dear MoveOn member,

As you may have heard, Richard Clarke, a former counter-terrorism advisor to Bush, and a registered Republican who has worked in every administration since Reagan, has exposed Bush's mishandling of 9/11 and the war on Iraq.1 In his book "Against All Enemies," Clarke does an amazing job of presenting the facts and connecting the dots. Instead of refuting Clarke's claims, the Bush Administration has launched a campaign of character assassination, hoping that the story will just go away.2

We're committed to stopping that from happening by making sure that the American public hears Clarke's extraordinary comments. If we can raise $300,000 in the next few days, we can run a hard-hitting ad nationally that highlights his message. You can see a rough story board of the ad and donate to get it on the air at:
https://www.moveonpac.org/clarkead.html?id=2487-3261555-xE9LEb2n3CqsdZQRdaDWEA

When the World Trade Center was hit on the morning of 9/11, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice dubbed Richard Clarke, the administration's top counter-terrorism official, "crisis manager."3 As the White House, which was thought to be the next target, was evacuated, Clarke heroically stayed on, coordinating the government's response from the Situation Room in the West Wing.4

Clarke is viewed by colleagues as a hawk, a "true believer" who doesn't play partisan politics.5 So the shocking facts he revealed about the Bush administration's approach to terrorism before 9/11 and its response after must be taken seriously. On Sunday, Clarke told reporters that the President and Defense Secretary downgraded counter-terrorism and ignored repeated warnings about an al Qaeda attack prior to 9/11. And, perhaps even more explosive, Clarke revealed that President Bush and senior administration officials wanted to bomb Iraq after 9/11 even though they knew that it had no connection to al Qaeda, and that al Qaeda was responsible for the attacks.6

Already, the White House spin machine is in overdrive. Since they can't rebut Clarke's facts -- which independent witnesses have confirmed7 -- they're trying to paint him as an angry partisan, even though he's a Republican. But Clarke's words remain a searing indictment of the Bush Administration's campaign against terrorism. Together, if we act today, we can beat back the spin by widely airing a TV ad which gets these uniquely credible comments directly to TV viewers.

You can view a story board of the ad and help us get it on the air now at:
https://www.moveonpac.org/clarkead.html?id=2487-3261555-xE9LEb2n3CqsdZQRdaDWEA

In his own words, here are some of Clarke's revelations:

* Clarke repeatedly warned the Bush Administration about attacks from al Qaeda, starting in the first days of Bush's term. "But on January 24th, 2001, I wrote a memo to Condoleezza Rice asking for, urgently -- underlined urgently -- a Cabinet-level meeting to deal with the impending al Qaeda attack. And that urgent memo-- wasn't acted on."8 According to another Bush administration security official, Clarke "was the guy pushing hardest, saying again and again that something big was going to happen, including possibly here in the U.S." The official added that Clarke was likely sidelined because he had served in the previous (Clinton) administration.9

* In face-to-face meetings, CIA Director George Tenet warned President Bush repeatedly in the months before 9/11 that an attack was coming. According to Clarke, Tenet told the President that "A major al-Qaeda attack is going to happen against the United States somewhere in the world in the weeks and months ahead."10

* On September 12, 2001, Donald Rumsfeld pushed to bomb Iraq even though they knew that al Qaeda was in Afghanistan. "Rumsfeld was saying that we needed to bomb Iraq," Clarke said. "And we all said ... no, no. Al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan. We need to bomb Afghanistan. And Rumsfeld said there aren't any good targets in Afghanistan. And there are lots of good targets in Iraq. I said, 'Well, there are lots of good targets in lots of places, but Iraq had nothing to do with it.'"11

* Also on September 12, 2001, President Bush personally pushed Clarke to find evidence that Iraq was behind the attacks. From the New York Times: "'I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything, everything,' Mr. Clarke writes that Mr. Bush told him. 'See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way.' When Mr. Clarke protested that the culprit was Al Qaeda, not Iraq, Mr. Bush testily ordered him, he writes, to 'look into Iraq, Saddam,' and then left the room."12

* The Bush Administration knew from the beginning that there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, but created the misperception in order to push their policy goals. "[Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush] did know better. They did know better. They did know better. We told them, the CIA told them, the FBI told them. They did know better. And the tragedy here is that Americans went to their death in Iraq thinking that they were avenging September 11th, when Iraq had nothing to do with September 11th. I think for a commander-in-chief and a vice president to allow that to happen is unconscionable."13

* The war on Iraq has increased the danger of terrorism. In his book, he writes that shifting from al Qaeda to Iraq "launched an unnecessary and costly war in Iraq that strengthened the fundamentalist, radical Islamic terrorist movement worldwide."14

It's been well reported that President Bush intends to run on his record as a wartime President. Clarke's revelations show how deeply flawed that record is. But if we don't act fast, the public may not have a chance to evaluate the facts for themselves -- the story could go away quickly. With an ad, we can take Clarke's comments directly to the public. Can you help? Check out the script and donate whatever you can to get this story out there at:
https://www.moveonpac.org/clarkead.html?id=2487-3261555-xE9LEb2n3CqsdZQRdaDWEA

(By the way, if we're unable to use your contribution for the ad you specify, either because of oversubscription or for another unforeseen reason, it is our policy to use your contribution for other advertising, public relations, and advocacy activities.)

Richard Clarke had an intimate view -- perhaps the best view -- of how the Bush Administration responded to terrorism. So we should all listen carefully when he says:

"Frankly, I find it outrageous that the president is running for re-election on the grounds that he's done such great things about terrorism. He ignored it. He ignored terrorism for months, when maybe we could have done something to stop 9/11. Maybe. We'll never know. . . I think the way he has responded to al-Qaeda, both before 9/11 by doing nothing, and by what he's done after 9/11 has made us less safe, absolutely. I think he's done a terrible job on the war against terrorism."15

Together, we can make sure every American knows what President Bush's true record on terrorism really is.

Sincerely,
--Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Laura, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn PAC Team
March 24th, 2004

P.S. Salon has recently published a new interview with Clarke. You can read it at:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/03/24/clarke_moveon/

P.P.S. As the Administration strikes back, our friends at the Center for American Progress have put together an excellent rebuttal to their claims. Here's an example:

CLAIM #1: "Richard Clarke had plenty of opportunities to tell us in the administration that he thought the war on terrorism was moving in the wrong direction and he chose not to." -- National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, 3/22/04

FACT: Clarke sent a memo to Rice principals on 1/24/01 marked "urgent" asking for a Cabinet-level meeting to deal with an impending Al Qaeda attack. The White House acknowledges this, but says "principals did not need to have a formal meeting to discuss the threat." No meeting occurred until one week before 9/11. -- White House Press Release, 3/21/04

For the whole document, go to:
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=39828

Footnotes:

1. "Dissent from within on Iraq war," Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/24/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/8260216.htm?1c (Registration required)

2. "Bush Aides Blast Ex-Terror Chief," CBS News, 3/22/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/23/terror/main608107.shtml

3. "The book on Richard Clarke," Washington Post, 3/23/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16192-2004Mar22.html (Registration required)

4. "Clarke's Take On Terror," CBS, 3/21/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/19/60minutes/main607356.shtml

5. See 3, above.

6. "60 Minutes" interview; see 4, above.

7. "Ex-Bush Aide Sets Off Debate as 9/11 Hearing Opens," New York Times, 3/23/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/23/politics/23CLAR.html?hp (Registration required)

8. "60 Minutes" interview; see 4, above.

9. See 7, above.

10. "60 Minutes" interview; see 4, above.

11. "Sept. 11: Before And After," CBS News, 3/20/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/20/60minutes/main607622.shtml

12. "Excerpts from 'Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror' by Richard A. Clarke," posted on NYTimes.com, 3/23/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/23/politics/23CWOR.html (Registration required)

13. "60 Minutes" interview; see 4, above.

14. "Memoir Criticizes Bush 9/11 Response," Washington Post, 3/22/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13607-2004Mar21.html (Registration required)

15. "60 Minutes" interview; see 4, above.

PAID FOR BY MoveOn PAC
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March 2004

.. Iraq, an overview; Kurdistan, what degree of separation? why Haiti’s revolution failed; Algeria, traumatised by past grief; Russia, nostalgic for the cosy old Soviet days; Balkans, democracy wobbles.. plus Germany remembers exodus and exile; France’s intolerance of Islam starts at school; Julio Cortázar, artist of encounters.. and more..

Next issue, April 12th

Bush attacked on terrorism record Aides have rejected the criticism of President Bush A former White House security expert has accused President Bush of doing a "terrible job" of tackling terrorism.

Carter savages Blair and Bush: 'Their war was based on lies' By Andrew Buncombe in Atlanta, 22 March 2004

Subject: Honoring our troops

Dear MoveOn member,

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. It's a good time to take a moment to honor the sacrifices our troops there and their families are making. More than 100,000 American troops are serving in Iraq today.

Here's the story of one mother, Adele Kubein, whose daughter was injured while serving in Iraq:

When my daughter enlisted in the National Guard I was proud of her, for having the discipline to make it through basic training. But I had friends who went to Vietnam, and I said: "Baby, are you sure you want to do this? And she said: "Oh, mom, I'm going to fight fires in Oregon, build roads, and there's never going to
be another war."

When she called me after her unit went from Kuwait to Mosul in a convoy and told me that she had gone through roads with depleted uranium dust and tanks with dead bodies in them, I was afraid. I knew that my daughter was facing mortal danger. I cried for joy that she was alive when her helicopter was shot down because the one in front of her, everybody died on. But when she called me up and told me, "mom, I had to kill someone today, and I looked in his eyes and I saw him die," I cried with her because I knew there was no going back then.

I want to know that there’s a good reason for what happened to my daughter, and to all the other kids that have been killed and injured in Iraq. My daughter told me stories about the Iraqi people, their casualties are just as high as ours, and they love their families just as much as we love ours. When my daughter was injured, I cried, I wept with joy to know that she was coming home, because I knew that so many other people were not going to come home. My daughter accounted for herself; she did her duties regardless of her fears and feelings. She thought she was going to Iraq to build houses and schools for people who needed them. That’s what they told them in the Oregon National Guard. Instead she ended up in an ever-escalating cycle of violence.

Our nation is based on accountability. I want to know that what our loved ones are going through is for a good reason. When I visit my daughter once more and hold her as she weeps about the things that she has seen and done, I will tell her that she did the right thing. But I want to know that the people who lead this country are doing the right thing also. [1]

Of course, this is just one story. Thousands of our troops in Iraq have been injured, and hundreds have been killed. Countless Iraqis have also been killed. [2]

One simple way to show our respect and gratitude for our soldiers' service, and our hope for their safe return, is to put a candle (or a light resembling one) in a window tomorrow night.

Our troops and their families are making incredible sacrifices. Many reservists serving in Iraq left with as little as a week's notice, and have been told they'll be there for a year, at constant risk to life and limb. At the same time, the Bush administration has tried to short-change soldiers, veterans, and their families on combat pay,
[3] health care, [4] and education funding. [5]

One way we can help is by giving to a fund called the Armed Forces Relief Trust, which helps military servicemembers and their families with emergency expenses, medical bills, flights home, and education costs. If you'd like, you can give at:

http://www.afrtrust.org/aboutcontributing.asp

Please take a few minutes to honor our troops tomorrow by putting a light in your window. And if you can help some families in need, that's great too.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

- Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
The MoveOn.org team
Friday, March 19th, 2004

[1] Adele made this statement at a press conference announcing our Censure campaign, on February 10th.

[2] According to an editorial in today's New York Times, "The innocent Iraqi casualties of Mr. Bush's war are literally countless because the Pentagon refuses to estimate their number."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/19/opinion/19FRI1.html?hp

[3]
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0803/14paycut.html

[4]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A4064-2003Jan16

[5]
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/110009_military25.shtml

Bush ignored terror threat, claims ex-aide Former chief counter-terrorism adviser accuses Bush of doing "a terrible job" in protecting America against attack. What the papers say Special report: US elections 2004

Ex-Advisor Says Bush Eyed Bombing of Iraq on 9/11, Fri Mar 19, 7:20 PM ET

The Middle East, Still Dark in Bush's Gaze Flashlight on the Potomac by Kareem Fahim, The Village Voice, March 17 - 23, 2004

Iraq Occupation Watch "Exposing the impact of the military and economic occupation of Iraq"

Save The Date! August 29, 2004, The World Says No to the Bush Agenda MASS WORLDWIDE PROTEST DURING THE 2004 REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN NEW YORK CITY From: United for Peace and Justice

I'll be here: ! Will you? Click the poster image to find out more!

Iraq: 52 Weeks And Counting The war that won’t end: JUDITH LEWIS tests the sometimes-invisible strength of the peace movement. MATTHEW CRAFT, reporting on a case of an anti-war protester in Egypt, reveals a surprising verdict with overtones for Bush’s Middle East policy. IAN WILLIAMS examines the renewed role for the U.N. HOWARD BLUME pages through the Iraqi Constitution in pursuit of liberty. And CHRISTINE PELISEK’s war list: casualties, costs and the extent of Halliburton fraud. +++ Spain Flips Off W.: The world stage is shrinking for one George Bush. BY DOUG IRELAND

Subject: Mercury: make sure people know

Dear MoveOn member,

Thanks for being one of 180,000 MoveOn members
who've told the EPA not to delay a scheduled
cleanup of toxic mercury by over ten years. Although
this is a scandalous attempt by the Bush
administration to protect its friends in the energy
industry at the expense of our children's health, the
mercury issue is not getting much media attention.

Our papers need to know that mercury pollution
from power plants has a direct impact on our
families and should be covered closely. Please take a
few minutes today to write a letter to the editor
of your local paper. Filling the nation's
editorial pages with letters from concerned citizens is
a great way to help keep the pressure on the Bush
administration to protect us from mercury
pollution.

Writing a letter to the editor doesn't actually
take very long -- you can do it in ten minutes or
less. A letter that's short, sweet, and to the
point has the best chance of getting published.

We've added some tips and some talking points
below. Once you've written, please let us know at:

http://www.moveon.org/mercuryltes.html?id=2470-3261555-QspU.FOy39jnfkqQr5YOwA

Even though public comment has been
overwhelmingly against delaying mercury cleanup, we have seen
in similar situations that 99% negative public
feedback is not always enough. We need to shine a
very bright media spotlight on this issue. Not
long ago, front page media attention to a proposal
to weaken protection against arsenic pollution in
our drinking water shamed the Bush administration
into doing the right thing.

Working together, we can make sure that mercury
emissions are cleaned up as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

- Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
The MoveOn.org team
Thursday, March 18th, 2004

RESOURCES FOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I. Tips

II. Talking Points

I. Tips on how to get your letter published:

- Your own words, written from the heart, are
always best.

- Brevity is the soul of wit.

- The key to publication is to pounce on
something specific you've
seen in the newspaper -- anything that seems
related to you.

- Be sure to include your name and address, and
especially your phone
number when submitting your letter. Editors
need to call you to
verify authorship before they can print your
letter. They don't
print your phone number.

- Your newspaper's letters page should give you
an email address or
fax number to use, or you can try this
website:

http://congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

- Please let us know when you've sent your
letter by going to:

http://www.moveon.org/mercuryltes.html?id=2470-3261555-QspU.FOy39jnfkqQr5YOwA


II. Talking points

There is no uncertainty about the danger to the
environment, and to humans, emanating from power
plant mercury pollution.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimate that 8% of women of childbearing age in
the U.S. have mercury levels in their blood that
are unsafe.

The EPA itself reports that 630,000 infants are
born annually who are at risk for learning
disabilities. Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause
severe neurological and developmental problems in
unborn fetuses and young children.

The EPA and forty-three states have now issued
advisories warning people, especially women and
children, to avoid or limit eating local fish
because of mercury. This table shows the advisories
that are in effect where you live

http://www.moveon.org/mercury/table.pdf

Source: Clear the Air coalition.

The Bush administration proposes to not regulate
mercury as a dangerous poison, but instead to
allow power plants to emit mercury pollution ten
years longer than is necessary.

The EPA was initially planning to require power
plants to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent
by 2008.

In December, the EPA announced a mercury plan
that will expose our children to far more mercury,
for far longer, than what the agency has said is
achievable and cost-effective. The proposal also
is less stringent than was recommended by the
majority of the EPA's own panel of experts who spent
more than two years working on this problem.

The EPA now proposes to regulate mercury from
utility companies as if it were a non-hazardous
pollutant, demanding only a 30 percent emission
reduction and allowing some sources to avoid controls
entirely by buying pollution "credits."

When plants are not forced to curb pollution but
can buy pollution credits, it increases the
chances that there will be communities where mercury
pollution is more prevalent.

The proposal also would give polluters at least
15 years to make the reductions rather than the
three years currently required by law.


The Bottom Line:

The EPA must protect our children by making all
power plants install controls to stop mercury
pollution by 2008.

More information can be found on MoveOn's Mercury
Resources page:

http://www.moveon.org/mercury/mercury-resources.html
_______________

This is a message from MoveOn.org.

SPANISH LIE Three Years After 9-11, Our Fibber Keeps His Job 3/16/04

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

t r u t h o u t | 03.18

Henry Waxman | Bush Administration's 237 Misleading Statements on Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804A.shtml

Powerful Blast Shatters Baghdad Hotel, At Least 29 Dead
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804B.shtml

Steve Weissman | Did Spain Fink Out?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804C.shtml

David MacMichael | Untruth and Consequences
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804D.shtml

Marjorie Cohn | Spain, EU and U.S.: War on Terror or War on Liberties?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804E.shtml

Iraq War Protesters Name Hundreds Lost
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804F.shtml

Bush Packs the Courts with Anti-Environmental Judges
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804G.shtml

Le Monde | Iraq, One Year Later
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804H.shtml

Assassination Attempt on Mandella Foiled
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804I.shtml

Florida's Senior Jews Still Angry at Bush
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/031804J.shtml


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