Proponents of the Iraq War have argued that despite all the American losses at least the Iraqi people are better off under US administration than Saddam’s regime. Unfortunately, the facts do not support that argument. From the AP:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - More than 5,500 Iraqis died violently in just Baghdad and three provinces in the first 12 months of the occupation, an Associated Press survey found. The toll from both criminal and political violence ran dramatically higher than violent deaths before the war, according to statistics from morgues.

You know things are really bad when your chances of being killed actually increase without Saddam.

The Christian in me says it's wrong, but the corrections officer in me says, 'I love to make a grown man piss himself.'

- Spec. Charles Graner, US prision guard in Iraq pictured in the abuse photos

The Washington Post published today a new run of photos from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. They also obtained US military documents with sworn statements from detainees:

Previously secret sworn statements by detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq describe in raw detail abuse that goes well beyond what has been made public, adding allegations of prisoners being ridden like animals, sexually fondled by female soldiers and forced to retrieve their food from toilets.

The fresh allegations of prison abuse are contained in statements taken from 13 detainees shortly after a soldier reported the incidents to military investigators in mid-January. The detainees said they were savagely beaten and repeatedly humiliated sexually by American soldiers working on the night shift at Tier 1A in Abu Ghraib during the holy month of Ramadan, according to copies of the statements obtained by The Washington Post.

Investigators continue to look at several deaths at the camp. And here’s a story Christians can happily share with their kids over the holidays:

Al-Sheik said he was arrested on Oct. 7, and brought to Abu Ghraib, where he was put in a tent for one night. The next day, he was transferred to the "hard site," the two-story building that held about 200 prisoners and contained Tiers 1A and 1B.

He said a bag was put over his head and he was made to strip. He said American soldiers started to taunt him.

"Do you pray to Allah?" one asked. "I said yes. They said, '[Expletive] you. And [expletive] him.' One of them said, 'You are not getting out of here health[y], you are getting out of here handicapped. And he said to me, 'Are you married?' I said, 'Yes.' They said, 'If your wife saw you like this, she will be disappointed.' One of them said, 'But if I saw her now she would not be disappointed now because I would rape her.' "

He said the soldiers told him that if he cooperated with interrogators they would release him in time for Ramadan. He said he did, but still was not released. He said one soldier continued to abuse him by striking his broken leg and ordered him to curse Islam. "Because they started to hit my broken leg, I cursed my religion," he said. "They ordered me to thank Jesus that I'm alive."

Jesus might have found something familiar in torture and humiliation at the hands of a foreign occupier. The American soldiers who committed these acts behaved more like Pilate’s army than followers of the Prince of Peace.

Why all this happened becomes a little more clear when you read about the role of General Boykin.

The moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches released a Pastoral Statement on Iraq today. It read in part:

As people of faith, we adamantly believe that all people are entitled to humane treatment, free of torture, degradation and abuse. Metropolitan Community Churches joins a growing chorus of international voices in condemning the conduct that occurred in the Iraqi prisons as violations of commonly held moral tenets and accepted international standards.

Metropolitan Community Churches especially condemns the use of sexuality as an instrument of torture, shame, and intimidation. Our physical bodies and sexuality are good gifts that God has given us, to be used wisely, for our pleasure and wholeness. There can be no justification for forcing sexual acts upon human beings against their will. That prisoners were forced to perform sexual acts that violate their religious principles and personal consciences is particularly heinous.

It is also a sign of our society's deeply troubled relationship with sexuality that homosexual acts were considered by the perpetrators to be acceptable forms of torture, shame and humiliation.

We are further deeply disappointed to learn that the governments of United States, Great Britain and Australia were informed of the prison violations many months ago, yet took no public action to stop it.

You can read the full statement here.

Action Alert from Sojourners

Republicans, Democrats, and internationally respected humanitarian and human rights organizations agree: the abuses committed in U.S. military prisons in Iraq are systemic, and the responsibility for them reaches to the highest levels of leadership. An independent investigation is required to determine the extent of and persons responsible for these crimes - including military police and intelligence officials, the CIA, and independent military contractors. The system that allowed these abuses to occur cannot be trusted to fully correct them.

Click here to tell your members of Congress that Donald Rumsfeld must resign, and that an independent investigation into these abuses must be undertaken immediately.

Iraq just makes your stomach turn. One ugly day after another.

May 11, 2004, NEW YORK CITY -- In an ecumenical pastoral letter released today (May 11), leaders of the National Council of Churches USA and its 36 Protestant and Orthodox member communions call for a change of course in Iraq.

Their goal, they agree, is peace and a renunciation of violence as contrary to the will of God.

"In a sinful world, some of us may hold that there may be times when war is a necessary evil," they write. "But Christians should never identify violence against others with the will of God and should always work to prevent and end it."

Specifically, they call on the United States “to turn over the transition of authority and post-war reconstruction to the United Nations - and to recognize U.S. responsibility to contribute to this effort generously through security, economic, and humanitarian support - not only to bring international legitimacy to the effort, but also to foster any chance for lasting peace. We would ask that members of our churches, as they feel appropriate, contact their respective congressional delegations to urge the U.S. to change course in Iraq.”

They encourage local churches to read the letter aloud in services during the coming month.

The full text of the letter follows, along with signatures collected by 5 p.m. May 11.

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May 11, 2004

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ!

We, leaders of the thirty-six member communions of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, write this joint pastoral letter at a time when the threat of violence hangs over the earth and warfare involving United States forces is increasing in Iraq. We write out of a deep love for this country, but also out of a profound concern at the direction this cycle of violence is taking us. This concern has been brought home to all Americans and indeed the world in the horrific pictures of prisoner abuse.

Two central claims of the Christian faith are crucial in our thinking: that every person, as a child of God, is of infinite worth; and that all persons, as participants in God's one creation, are related in their humanity and vulnerability. This is why the World Council of Churches has asserted that "war is contrary to the will of God" - because it destroys that which God has made sacred.

In a sinful world, some of us may hold that there may be times when war is a necessary evil. But Christians should never identify violence against others with the will of God and should always work to prevent and end it.

We believe, with these things in mind, that the guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy must be to build up the whole, interdependent human family and to promote reconciliation whenever possible. Yes, this means standing firmly against all acts of terror, but it also means envisioning a world in which war is truly a last resort.

Current U.S. foreign policy, however, is not aligned with this principle. Many people see our policy as one based on protection of our country's economic interests narrowly defined, rather than on principles of human rights and justice that would serve our nation's interests in deep and tangible ways. We are convinced that current policy is dangerous for America and the world and will only lead to further violence.

We, therefore, call for a change of course in Iraq, and we encourage you to do the same. Specifically, we are calling upon our country to turn over the transition of authority and post- war reconstruction to the United Nations - and to recognize U.S. responsibility to contribute to this effort generously through security, economic, and humanitarian support - not only to bring international legitimacy to the effort, but also to foster any chance for lasting peace. We would ask that members of our churches, as they feel appropriate, contact their respective congressional delegations to urge the U.S. to change course in Iraq.

We certainly recognize that faithful Christians of good will may disagree with one another when it comes to questions of national policy. We trust, however, that all Christians will pray and work for peace, remembering the words, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

We also urge all of our congregations and parishes to pray not only for the soldiers of this nation, as we surely do, but for all people, military and civilian, caught in this and other cycles of violence. When possible, join in prayer, discussion, and action with ecumenical and interfaith neighbors. Materials to assist in this are available from many of our churches and from the National Council of Churches (www.ncccusa.org).

As ecumenical partners, we know that it is a scandal that the body of Christ remains so visibly divided, often by those things that divide the world. Let us, however, be united as followers of Christ in our hope for that day when swords are beaten into plowshares and mourning and crying and pain will be no more!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Alliance of Baptists
The Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey
Executive Director

American Baptist Churches in the USA
The Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley
General Secretary

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America His Grace Bishop Vicken Aykazian Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Officer

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Rev. Wm. Chris Hobgood
General Minister and President

The Episcopal Church, USA
The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios
Primate

International Council of Community Churches The Rev. Michael E. Livingston Executive Director

Moravian Church, N.P
David L. Wickmann
President

National Council of Churches USA
The Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar
General Secretary

National Council of Churches USA
Interfaith Relations Commission
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Zikmund
Chair

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Friend Thom Jeavons General Secretary

Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
The Rev. Dr. Major L. Jemison
President
The Rev. Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts
General Secretary

Swedenborgian Church in North America
The Rev. Ronald P. Brugler
President

United Church of Christ
The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President

The United Methodist Church
Council of Bishops
Bishop Melvin G. Talbert
Ecumenical Officer

Council of Bishops The United Methodist Church

Resolution on the War in Iraq

Whereas, the prophet Micah reminds us that God "shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate strong nations far away," and calls nations to "beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks," that nations will no longer "lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they learn war any more" (Micah 4:3); and

Whereas, The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church states that "we deplore war" and "urge peaceful settlement of all disputes" (Para. 164G, The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2000); and,

Whereas, the continuing loss of Iraqi civilian lives, especially children, and the increasing death toll among United States, coalition military and civilian personnel in Iraq grieves the heart of God; and,

Whereas, the premises advanced by the United States government for engaging in this war, namely, the presumption of weapons of mass destruction and alleged connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq have not been verified; and,

Whereas, the cycle of violence in which the United States is engaged has created a context for the denigration of human dignity and gross violations of human rights of Iraqi prisoners of war;

Therefore, The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church:

1. Laments the continued warfare by the United States and coalition forces.
2. Prays for military personnel and their families who have sacrificed as a result of this war and for a swift end to the destruction and violence raging in Iraq.
3. Asks the United States government to request that the United Nations become involved in the transition process to a new Iraqi government.
4. Requests the United Nations to establish a legitimate transitional government of Iraq to maintain the peace and safeguard sustainable development efforts.
5. Calls for the rebuilding of Iraq and other nations in the Middle East through a multinational development plan that honors the participation of the peoples of the region and gives them hope for the future.
6. Invites United Methodists throughout the world to pray for a new era of peace and to advocate for public policies that promote justice, life, and reconciliation among adversaries.

Christian Peacemakers Team has been working in Iraq monitoring how US forces have been treating Iraqi captives. Their reports to the U.S. military and Coalition Provisional Authority helped uncover some of the abuses currently being reported in the media. Visit their web site and read their posting Patterns of Abuse and Responsibility to learn more about the human rights crisis that has been exposed.

Vice-President Dick Cheney is urging people to support Defense Secretary Dick Rumsfeld despite the prison abuse scandal and urges people to "get off his case.” How out of touch with reality can you get? What is happening and has happened in Iraq is nothing short than grossly immoral. Here’s the latest photo of American forces “liberating” Iraq under the command of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Seymour M. Hersh chronicles what went wrong under their watch in The New Yorker. I have no intention of getting off their case.

The Interfaith Alliance offered these comments from some of their board members on recent events in Iraq.

.......................................

A cry of outrage, horror, and grief has been heard from around the world with the relevation of abuse of Iraqi prisoners while under detainment of US officials. The devaluing and debasement of any human life impacts all people and is in violation of all faith traditions that hold sacred the holiness of life.

If the United States is to take a postion of modeling and advocating for'democracy' in war torn Iraq we must begin with seeking justice for those whose voices have been muted. There can be no justice without accountability. There can be no healing without a call to action for those held reposible to step down from their positions of leadership.

The world is watching.

The Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord
Chair, The Interfaith Alliance

..............................................

Acts of tyranny perpetrated under a banner of freedom are not only horrific, but also evil.

Rev. Galen Guengerich
Co-Minister, All Souls Unitarian Church
New York City

……………………………………..

“When we as a nation sow seeds of hate and violence, the fruits are bitter and the tree alone is not to blame. We cannot scapegoat the soldiers and absolve ourselves.”

Arun Gandhi
Founder and President
M.K.Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence

…………………………………………..

If we ever needed a graphic reminder of the dehumanizing effects of war, these photographs of American soldiers mistreating Iraqi prisoners come to instruct us. They are nothing short of pornography.

Jewish tradition teaches that even in war, every human being must be viewed as uniquely created in God's image. Enemy combatants must be resisted in war, and the sad fact is that lives are damaged or lost, even sometimes when combatants become prisoners. But human dignity must be preserved even in armed conflict, and our soldiers seem to have failed at that task. President Bush echoes the thoughts of all conscience-stricken Americans when he expresses his revulsion and regret at these incidents.

Pictures of piles of naked bodies and men leashed like dogs are on display in every documentation of Nazi atrocities. The soldiers responsible for these acts dishonor the veterans of World War II, who fought against the perpetrators of that evil, during the very week our nation pays tribute to their sacrifice.

As individuals, they have a price to pay and atonement to make. As a nation, we have soul-searching to do.

Rabbi Jack Moline
Agudas Achim Congregation
Alexandria, Virginia

May 21, 2004 Update: Click here for the new story with photos from TWP.

The Washington Post published an article this morning in which they report to have uncovered at least a thousand new digital photos - some showing more Iraqi prisoners being mistreated.

The collection of photographs begins like a travelogue from Iraq. Here are U.S. soldiers posing in front of a mosque. Here is a soldier riding a camel in the desert. And then: a soldier holding a leash tied around a man's neck in an Iraqi prison. He is naked, grimacing and lying on the floor.

Mixed in with more than 1,000 digital pictures obtained by The Washington Post are photographs of naked men, apparently prisoners, sprawled on top of one another while soldiers stand around them. There is another photograph of a naked man with a dark hood over his head, handcuffed to a cell door. And another of a naked man handcuffed to a bunk bed, his arms splayed so wide that his back is arched. A pair of women's underwear covers his head and face.

The photos have apparently been circulating around US forces in the Iraq region. Click here to read the story and view some of the new photos.

May 5, 2004, New York City -- The National Council of Churches USA is watching with growing sadness and indignation the devolution of the crisis in Iraq into increasing chaos. This chaos is marked by a mounting death toll of United States soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and others; the continuing civil unrest throughout Iraq; uncertainty as to Iraqi leadership after the transition on June 30; little and only begrudging change in posture on the part of the United States with regard to the international community’s role in Iraq; and now the devastating report of the humiliation and torture of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military personnel.

The United States ostensibly went to war in Iraq as a part of its “war on terror.” No matter what one thinks of the “war on terror” as the guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy, its primary goal of eradicating terrorism as an imminent threat against people of goodwill throughout the world requires the cooperation of most, if not all, countries in the world.

How can Americans expect such cooperation when our actions can only be met with revulsion? Indeed, our actions have resulted, not only in the squandering of the universal goodwill enjoyed by the U.S. in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, but also in the alienation of many around the world who once saw American democracy as something to be emulated. How else to assess the damage done by the unilateral invasion of Iraq, the deprival of due process for more than 600 people imprisoned at Guantanamo, the closing down of an Iraqi newspaper, the appalling mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners?

The common cause that all countries should share in the “war against terror” is overtaken by resentment against the United States for what is seen as a betrayal of its own ideals. Unfortunately, the photographic emblem of this war will not be the tearing down of Saddam Hussein’s statue by Americans and Iraqis in joint celebration; it will be the pyramid of naked Iraqi prisoners being taunted by U.S. soldiers in a moment of moral bankruptcy.

Especially in a world filled with conflict, our faith calls us, as witnesses to Christ who is our peace, to fellowship and community with all people and nations. The path to such community is not an easy one. It requires much dialogue, respect for others, and the belief in the dignity of all human beings. Such community also requires shared commitments and rules of legitimate behavior, as expressed in international law and agreed upon by the community of nations.

It is time the United States take actions that befit its place among the community of nations. It is time we Americans stand up and demand it of ourselves.

United States: End Abuse of Detainees in U.S. Custody

Human Rights Watch Letter to National Security Advisor

(Washington D.C., May 3, 2004) -- Human Rights Watch sent a letter today to U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, urging the United States to take nine specific steps to address the systemic problem of detainee abuse by the U.S. military and intelligence personnel operating in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world. See letter below.

May 3, 2004

Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Asst. to the President for National Security Affairs
The White House
Washington, DC 20504

Dear Dr. Rice:

It is becoming clear that the ill treatment and torture of prisoners by the U.S. military in Iraq were not limited to isolated incidents, but reflected, in the words of the U.S. army’s own inquiry, “systemic and illegal abuse of detainees.” The brazenness with which the U.S. soldiers involved conducted themselves suggests they thought they had nothing to hide from their superiors. The reported role of U.S. intelligence officers in encouraging such treatment to “soften up” detainees for interrogations, combined with earlier reports of similar abuses in Afghanistan, suggests a much wider problem that must be addressed.

The acts described in the investigative report written by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, including beatings, repeated sexual abuse and humiliation, and threats and simulation of rape and of torture by electric shock, violate the Geneva Conventions and could constitute war crimes. They clearly contradict President Bush’s pledge on June 26, 2003 that the United States will neither "torture" terrorist suspects, nor use "cruel and unusual" treatment to interrogate them, as well as the more detailed policy on interrogations outlined that day by Defense Department General Counsel William Haynes. It should also now be beyond doubt, as we have repeatedly argued, that such conduct damages the reputation of the United States and its ability to advance the rule of law around the world.

We welcome reports that the Defense Department is now examining the interrogation practices of military intelligence officers at all U.S.-run prisons in Iraq, not just Abu Ghraib. But this does not go nearly far enough to reverse the extraordinary harm these abuses have caused. We strongly urge the administration to take the following steps:

1. Launch an investigation into interrogation practices wherever detainees are held around the world, whether the facilities are run by the U.S. military or the Central Intelligence Agency – and make the results public. The reports from Iraq suggest a systemic problem involving the intelligence community, not just the military police officers on the scene. Any inquiry that focuses solely on Iraq and exclusively on the practices of the U.S. military, without also encompassing the U.S. intelligence community as a whole, will be woefully incomplete.

2. Prosecute any military or intelligence personnel found to have engaged in or encouraged any acts amounting to torture or inhuman treatment. Some of the abuses described in Gen. Taguba’s report clearly rise to this level. In such cases, administrative penalties are not enough to ensure accountability for serious mistreatment and to send a clear signal that such abuse will not be tolerated.

3. Ensure that all interrogators working for the United States, whether employees of the military, intelligence agencies, or private contractors, understand and abide by specific guidelines consistent with the policy outlined by DOD General Counsel Haynes last year, which prohibited interrogation methods abroad that would be barred in the United States by the 5th, 8th, and/or 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Geneva Conventions. Such guidelines should be publicly available. They should prohibit some of the techniques of stress now apparently permitted by a reported “72-point matrix” used by U.S. interrogators, including extended sleep and sensory deprivation and forcing detainees to assume painful positions, in addition to the other forms of humiliating and degrading treatment that have been reported in Iraq, such as holding detainees nude. U.S. Army field manuals do contain prohibitions against cruel and inhuman treatment in interrogations, but it is unclear if CIA interrogators operate under any similar guidelines, or how the more specific policy outlined by DOD last year was communicated to personnel in the field. It is also unclear whether adherence to such policies is the subject of routine, frequent monitoring by supervisory officials. Whatever such practices may be, events in Iraq make clear that ongoing monitoring of interrogation and detention practices is inadequate.

4. Grant the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all detainees held by the United States in the campaign against terrorism throughout the world, whether held in facilities run by the U.S. military or intelligence services, or nominally held by other governments at the behest of the United States. The United States should not be operating undisclosed detention facilities to which no independent monitors have access.

5. Make public information about who is detained by occupation forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and why, and enable families of detainees to visit their relatives. Even with internal safeguards, incommunicado detention is an invitation to abuse.

6. Videotape all interrogations and other interaction with detainees so responsible personnel understand that there will be a record of any abuses. These videotapes should be regularly reviewed by supervisory personnel to ensure full compliance with interrogation and detention standards in U.S. and international law.

7. Release the results of the investigation the Defense Department conducted into deaths in custody of two detainees held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Reports we’ve received that criminal prosecutions have been foregone in lieu of quiet disciplinary action.

8. Pay restitution to detainees found to be victims of torture or inhumane treatment.

9. Ensure that private contractors working for the United States in military or intelligence roles operate under a clear legal regime so that they can be held criminally responsible for complicity in illegal acts.

We hope you will agree that the revelations from Iraq call for dramatic, and systematic, changes in the treatment of prisoners held by the United States around the world, both to ensure compliance with U.S. legal obligations, and to repair the damage these abuses have caused to the credibility of the United States.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Roth
Executive Director

Tom Malinowski
Washington Advocacy Director

cc: Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
George Tenet, Director, Central Intelligence

From CNN:

(CNN) -- U.S. Army soldiers have committed "egregious acts" and "grave breaches of international law" at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according to a classified report by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba made available to CNN.

Read my October 10, 2004 Update on Sinclair's anti-Kerry show

Tonight some ABC stations across the nation will be airing a special edition of the program Nightline where anchor Ted Koppel will read the names and show photos of the over 700 Americans killed in Iraq. Unfortunately, ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group will be unable to see the program. The owners of Sinclair Broadcast Group, who are top contributors and political backers of George W. Bush, have claimed that by focusing on the American casualties the program promotes an anti-war agenda. CNN reports that US Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) wrote Sinclair about the controversy. His letter read:

"Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war's terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail, is a gross disservice to the public, and to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces," McCain, a Vietnam veteran, wrote in a letter to David Smith, president and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group. "It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves."

The St. Louis ABC affiliate is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group – that means I won’t be allowed to see the program. But ABC’s web site does list all the names they’ll be reading along with some biographical information. You can find it here.

And you can e-mail your thoughts to Sinclair Broadcast Group at these addresses.

Sinclair CEO: [email protected]

VP of Programming and Promotions: [email protected]

CBS News ran a report last night with pictures of US forces torturing Iraqi prisoners. You can see those pictures and hear a report about the fall out on the BBC web site.

Update: The National Council of Churches USA has released a statement on this issue. Click here to read it.

US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) told the media over the weekend that he thinks the military occupation of Iraq might require the United States to reinstitute the draft. Hagel is a conservative Republican who has been sometimes critical of the Bush Administration’s Iraq policy.

The Seattle Times ran a photo this week of flagged draped coffins that contain the remains of dead American soldiers returning from Iraq. The Bush Administration doesn’t want you to see this photo and the American contractor who took it has been fired. Read The Seattle Times story and see the photo.

John Negroponte has been named the new US Ambassador to Iraq. What's on his record? He was a key figure in the Iran-Contra scandal and was US Ambassador to Honduras when that nation's US-sponsored army was using death squads to fight off advocates of democracy. He'll feel right at home in Iraq.

A Message From The Clergy Leadership Network.....

After listening to President Bush's address to the nation last night and his comments to reporters last weekend, we realize more than ever how zealousness and pride have prevented this President from seeing moral issues about Iraq clearly. For weeks and even months, President Bush suggested that the violence in Iraq stemmed from only a "few people." Yet, though he admitted that times were tough, he failed to genuinely take responsibility for his decisions. In effect, he has failed to acknowledge just how grave last week was for our soldiers and for the Iraqi civilians who have been caught in the crossfire. The tragic facts are that more soldiers died last week in combat than in any other week since the conflict in Iraq began.

While President Bush spent most of the week on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, approximately 76 American soldiers lost their lives. During a time that included days of religious celebration for Christians, Jews and Muslims, nearly 76 families learned that they would never again welcome loved ones to their holiday tables.

In light of these events and despite Bush's visit to soldiers' families in Fort Hood, Bush's comments seem, at best, callous and, at worst, frighteningly detached from the harsh reality so many Americans and Iraqi civilians are facing.

Since our inception, CLN has opposed President Bush's war in Iraq and his Administration's failure to bring peace and stability to that area. We agree with the comments of Rev. Dr. James Forbes, "A righteous superpower must have a global vision, strong values of respect for the rights of others, and a rational sense of purpose to promote justice, peace, and compassion."

Last week's events obligate us more than ever to call for a new vision for America's actions in Iraq and our foreign policy in general – a vision that is rooted in our shared values of justice and peace.

We urge you to speak truth to power! Join us in challenging America to forge a new path in international relations, a path that ends with America offering authentic principles of freedom and hope to Iraq and the world.

Please support our work and demonstrate that people of faith are deeply concerned with these issues by:

1) Writing your local Congressman or Congresswoman about this issue. To identify your Senator and/or Congress person go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html.

2) Writing the Kerry Campaign and/or Senator Kerry's office about this issue. Go to http://www.johnkerry.com/contact/ for details.

3) Registering to attend our National Gathering to empower yourself and to learn more about the role of people of faith in politics. Go to our website at http://www.clnnlc.org/news_events.html for more details.

(Aljazeera photo of Iraqi child killed in Falluja Fighting)

Western media reports continue to focus understandably on the tragic deaths of US and other coalition forces and civilian contractors. Iraqi civilian deaths largely go unnoticed. Tonight you can expect the president to ignore the issue completely. We can at least do a little something (besides opposing the administration politically). Church World Service is looking for support for their campaign to help Iraqi children.

(Church World Service Photo)

Plenty of people warned before the US invasion of Iraq that the battle would be costly and a distraction from the war on terror (i.e. bringing to justice those responsible for 9/11). The worst case scenario was the possibility of outright revolt by Iraqi citizens against US forces that kept America in a protracted ground war. Many believe that scenario is now playing itself out. Jefferson Morley from The Washington Post reports:

Iraq is slipping into chaos as a radical young Shiite leader rallies the country's Arab population against the U.S. occupation, say international online commentators.

While Arab observers criticize upstart cleric Moqtada Sadr for inciting rebellion against U.S. forces, many are predicting he will gain support at the expense of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the Shiite leader who has grudgingly cooperated with occupation authorities. Fears that Iraq is falling apart have never been more common in international news sites.

At least 20 American soldiers have also been killed in the last few days. Al Jazeera, the Arab news service, reports there are growing numbers of Iraqi civilian causalities in the battle zone.

Fierce street battles continued to rage in Falluja with resistance fighters putting up stiff opposition to US occupation forces trying to gain control of the restive town.

Hospital sources said at least 45 Iraqis were killed and 90 injured in attacks on the besieged town on Wednesday.

Among the casualties were a family sitting in a car parked behind the Abd al-Aziz al-Samarai mosque when it was bombed by a US airplane.

Another 53 Iraqis died in attacks overnight on the town which was sealed off on Sunday by US forces.

Twenty-five of those killed were from a single family.

"More than 200 Iraqis, including women and children, have been injured in the past 24 hours," said Aljazeera correspondent in Falluja, Ahmad Mansur.

The US plan to hand over control of Iraq some sort of self-governing body on June 30 has come under increased attack. So far the Bush administration has put forth no plan for the formal transfer of power. There is no natural leader who could pull the country together. John Kerry is calling on the White House to abandon the transfer date.

"I think the June 30 deadline is a fiction and they never should have set an arbitrary deadline, which almost clearly has been affected by the election schedule in the United States of America," Kerry told National Public Radio in an interview to be broadcast Wednesday.

Anyone seeking evidence of the failure of the Bush Administration’s policies toward Iraq – going back so far as the original plan to invade – needs to look no further than the events of the past few days for a fuller understanding of the magnitude of the disaster.

Hopefully, the battles will be short-lived. No one wants to see more Americans or Iraqi people die. The administration needs to look past election year politics and invite the international community – one their own terms, not Bush’s – to help deescalate the situation and return some measure of stability to the country.

It turns out that some of America’s leading counter terrorism officials have left the White House because of growing frustration with the Bush Administration.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has faced a steady exodus of counterterrorism officials, many disappointed by a preoccupation with Iraq they said undermined the U.S. fight against terrorism. Former counterterrorism officials said at least half a dozen have left the White House Office for Combating Terrorism or related agencies in frustration in the 2 1/2 years since the attacks. Some also left because they felt President Bush had sidelined his counterterrorism experts and paid almost exclusive heed to the vice president, the defense secretary and other Cabinet members in planning the "war on terror," former counterterrorism officials said. "I'm kind of hoping for regime change," one official who quit told Reuters.

Richard Clark isn’t alone.

"I think there's every reason to think that huge numbers of the Iraqi population are going to welcome these people (American troops)." - Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz - April 4, 2003

Children point to a body part, tied to a brick and hanging from a telephone cable, after an attack in the restive town of Falluja March 31, 2004. A crowd of cheering Iraqis dragged charred and mutilated bodies through the streets of Falluja on Wednesday after an attack on two vehicles that witnesses said killed at least three foreigners. (Ali Jasim/Reuters)

Actually, four more American contractors were killed today along with another five American soldiers. Not much of a warm welcome.

One Year Later ... An National Council of Churches Reflection

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. There will be peace marches. There will be candlelight vigils. There will be political speeches. But one thing that may be lacking is sustained reflection on who we are as a nation, one year later.

To begin such reflection, we must necessarily think back to that fateful day of September 11, 2001. For it was on that day that our world changed. Certainly there had been terrorism before 9/11, in the United States and in other parts of the world. But it was on that day that the world realized that terrorists have the capability to utterly destroy all that civilized humanity has achieved.

We now have a March 11, the day of the large-scale terrorist attack in Spain, the day the world was once again reminded of the magnitude of terrorism’s destructive power. As in all acts of terrorism in all parts of the world, we mourn with the families of the victims in Madrid. Indeed, 3/11 will now stand as an exclamation point in the sad narrative of world affairs in the two-and-a-half years since 9/11.

In between 9/11/2001 and 3/11/2004, the United States, along with a small cadre of allies, waged war in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Afghanistan, we defeated the Taliban, only to leave the search for the 9/11 culprits unfinished and the Afghani people without the necessary infrastructure to rebuild their lives. In Iraq, we defeated Saddam Hussein, only to plunge the country into chaos and the Iraqi people into further instability after years of oppression.

The United States Government led the American people to war in Iraq as part of its “war on terror.” In fact, the progress of the “war on terror” has become the standard against which we have come to measure ourselves as a nation. Now, after a year of increasing violence that seems to be spiraling out of control in Iraq and around the world, many Americans - those who supported the war and those who opposed it - are reflecting on our choices. One year later, what have we learned?

We have learned yet again that we are capable of waging war. What we have forgotten is that the true greatness of our country lies, not in our military might, but in the ideals of freedom and justice and equality. Since the founding of our nation, our ideals have been an inspiration to others. In the last year, the United States - through its preemptive invasion of Iraq, through its dismissal of the international community, through its continued imprisonment of detainees without due process as mandated by U.S. and international law - has inspired disappointment and resentment around the world.

We have learned that we are quick to seek retribution. What we have forgotten is that, in order to build up from the ashes of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the fields of western Pennsylvania, the blood of others will not nurture future peace. Certainly, the perpetrators of this crime should be brought to justice in the courts of law. But, as we seek a future free of terrorism, it is good to remember that it is also necessary to remedy the causes of injustice in the world that breed perpetual destructiveness.

We have learned that we can be misled by fear. What we have forgotten is that the American spirit has long been characterized by bravery in the face of adversity. Since 9/11, we have allowed ourselves to be manipulated by fear. How else to account for our willingness to yield to restrictions on civil liberties, to squander our long-term social well being in favor of unchecked military spending, to accuse our allies of disloyalty instead of weighing the validity of their concerns?

On this somber anniversary, the National Council of Churches USA has called for prayer vigils in churches, mosques, synagogues, and other houses of worship across the country. People will gather in congregations and town squares nationwide to mourn the dead - the hundreds of American and international soldiers; the thousands of Iraqis; the several missionary and other aid workers. There will be fervent prayers for the many thousands who have been injured in this conflict, and who, perhaps for the rest of their lives, will live with wounds to body, mind and spirit.

Let us also use these vigils, and other opportunities, to reflect on who we are as a nation, one year later.

Donald Rumsfeld told reporters this weekend that no one in the Bush Administration ever called Iraq an “imminent threat” before the start of the war. Of course, the Bush Administration did make those comments and the reporters were ready with quotes from none other than Donald Rumsfeld. Watch the video.

Meanwhile, in the Iraq that the Bush Administration claims is free and on the way to democracy, another major bombing has taken place. Iraq is in chaos and there is no end in sight.

George W. Bush’s campaign is running commercials lauding his achievements in Iraq. Is the world better off without Saddam Hussein in power? No question about it. Is the world safer now? No. Sadly, the American invasion of Iraq has created even more chaos in the Middle East. American soldiers continue to die nearly every day. Spain, one of the few allies in Iraq, is set to withdrawal from the conflict. The administration wants you to believe they never told the America people Iraq was an imminent danger (though that is what they said time and time again) and that the mission was humanitarian in nature. Churches across the United States are holding peace vigils this weekend to mark the 1-year anniversary of the invasion – and to remind people how theologically difficult it is to have called this unprovoked invasion a just war.

"How many more people are going to die because he can't say, 'I'm sorry, I made a terrible mistake'?"

- Cherice Johnson, whose husband, Navy Corpsman Michael Vann Johnson Jr., was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade last March, now questions President Bush

The Washington Post ran an article this morning on the growing number of families with relatives serving in Iraq who question the American invasion. Read the article here.

Learn more by visiting Military Families Speak Out.

The FBI has dropped their attempt to obtain records from Drake University about an anti-war forum held on campus.

The Oregonian is a paper that loves to endorse Republicans like George W. Bush. The only time they've endorsed a Democrat was Bill Clinton in 1992 (though they changed their minds and backed Bob Dole in '96). So their editorial on Bush this week was all the more damning:

Sadly, George W. Bush's performance during a "Meet the Press" interview on Sunday was lackluster across the board. By now, Americans are familiar with a kind of contagious unease they sometimes feel, watching the president fumble for answers.

What was downright unnerving this time, however, was the president's failure to betray even a whisker of the possibility that he has learned something from the collapse of prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Americans now know that the President brought the country into a unprovoked war with Iraq based on bad intelligence and a misinformation campaign led by Bush himself.

His unwillingness to adjust course made his statement "I'm a war president" far from reassuring. Although we can all hope that the future proves the president right about Iraq, Americans need straight answers now. And Bush gave no sign he's demanding them.

Where is this president's anger? Where is his determination to get to the bottom of intelligence failures that led him to conclude Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction?

"In light of not finding the weapons of mass destruction, do you believe the war in Iraq is a war of choice or a war of necessity?" NBC's Tim Russert asked the president.

"I think that's an interesting question. Please elaborate on that a little bit," Bush said. "A war of choice or a war of necessity? It's a war of necessity. We . . . had no choice when we looked at the intelligence I looked at . . ."

Which was in error, Mr. President.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Des Moines, Iowa has issued subpoenas to Drake University demanding that the school hand over records concerning an anti-war forum held on their campus. One of the items the FBI has demanded is a list of everyone who attended. The Associated Press reports:

In addition to the subpoena of Drake University, subpoenas were served this past week on four of the activists who attended a Nov. 15 forum at the school, ordering them to appear before a grand jury Tuesday, the protesters said.

Those served subpoenas include the leader of the Catholic Peace Ministry, the former coordinator of the Iowa Peace Network, a member of the Catholic Worker House, and an anti-war activist who visited Iraq in 2002.

"This is exactly what people feared would happen," said Brian Terrell of the peace ministry, one of those subpoenaed. "The civil liberties of everyone in this country are in danger. How we handle that here in Iowa is very important on how things are going to happen in this country from now on."

Why is a FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force being used to investigate American citizens opposed to the war in Iraq? The FBI won’t comment. But the Bush White House has used the FBI in the past to gather information on Americans opposed to their military policies.

No administration has been so brazen in their misuse of the FBI since Richard Nixon.

(from MoveOn.org)

In an attempt to evade responsibility for the misleading statements that pushed the nation into war, Bush has announced plans to form an independent inquiry to look into what went wrong. An inquiry would serve the Bush administration well: it would envelop the issue in a fog of uncertainty, deflect blame onto the intelligence services, and delay any political damage until 2005, after the upcoming election.

But the facts need no clarification. Despite repeated warnings from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency, President Bush and his administration hyped and distorted the threat that Iraq posed. And now that reality is setting in, the President wants to pin the blame on someone else. We can't let him.

Congress has the power to censure the President -- to formally reprimand him for betraying the nation's trust. If ever there was a time for this, it's now.

Join our call on Congress to censure President Bush.

George W. Bush promised this week to appoint an "independent" nine-member commission to look into why he lied about Iraq having WMD. Today he managed to come up with only seven of the nine members. The good news: one of those members is John McCain. The bad news: he didn't allow democrats to participate in developing the commission and the report won't be done until after the elections.

CIA Director George Tenet gave a speech today in which he said US intelligence agencies never told the White House that Iraq was an imminent threat.

In the run up to the US war against Iraq all we heard from the White House was how Iraq was nearly ready to invade the US unless something was done to stop them.

Yet this week the White House even claimed they never called Iraq an imminent threat. All this is a bad attempt by the Bush White House to re-write history and cover-up how they misled the America people into supporting a war that has cost over 500 Americans and thousands of Iraq's people.

Did the White House claim Iraq was an imminent threat when asking for support for their war? Let their own words damn them:

"There's no question that Iraq was a threat to the people of the United States." • White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, 8/26/03

"We ended the threat from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction."
• President Bush, 7/17/03

Iraq was "the most dangerous threat of our time."
• White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 7/17/03

"Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to the United States because we removed him, but he was a threat...He was a threat. He's not a threat now."
• President Bush, 7/2/03

"Absolutely."
• White House spokesman Ari Fleischer answering whether Iraq was an "imminent threat," 5/7/03

"We gave our word that the threat from Iraq would be ended."
• President Bush 4/24/03

"The threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction will be removed."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 3/25/03

"It is only a matter of time before the Iraqi regime is destroyed and its threat to the region and the world is ended."
• Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke, 3/22/03

"The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder."
• President Bush, 3/19/03

"The dictator of Iraq and his weapons of mass destruction are a threat to the security of free nations."
• President Bush, 3/16/03

"This is about imminent threat."
• White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 2/10/03

Iraq is "a serious threat to our country, to our friends and to our allies."
• Vice President Dick Cheney, 1/31/03

Iraq poses "terrible threats to the civilized world."
• Vice President Dick Cheney, 1/30/03

Iraq "threatens the United States of America."
• Vice President Cheney, 1/30/03

"Iraq poses a serious and mounting threat to our country. His regime has the design for a nuclear weapon, was working on several different methods of enriching uranium, and recently was discovered seeking significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 1/29/03

"Well, of course he is.”
• White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett responding to the question “is Saddam an imminent threat to U.S. interests, either in that part of the world or to Americans right here at home?”, 1/26/03

"Saddam Hussein possesses chemical and biological weapons. Iraq poses a threat to the security of our people and to the stability of the world that is distinct from any other. It's a danger to its neighbors, to the United States, to the Middle East and to the international peace and stability. It's a danger we cannot ignore. Iraq and North Korea are both repressive dictatorships to be sure and both pose threats. But Iraq is unique. In both word and deed, Iraq has demonstrated that it is seeking the means to strike the United States and our friends and allies with weapons of mass destruction."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 1/20/03

"The Iraqi regime is a threat to any American. ... Iraq is a threat, a real threat."
• President Bush, 1/3/03

"The world is also uniting to answer the unique and urgent threat posed by Iraq whose dictator has already used weapons of mass destruction to kill thousands."
• President Bush, 11/23/02

"I would look you in the eye and I would say, go back before September 11 and ask yourself this question: Was the attack that took place on September 11 an imminent threat the month before or two months before or three months before or six months before? When did the attack on September 11 become an imminent threat? Now, transport yourself forward a year, two years or a week or a month...So the question is, when is it such an immediate threat that you must do something?"
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 11/14/02

"Saddam Hussein is a threat to America."
• President Bush, 11/3/02

"I see a significant threat to the security of the United States in Iraq."
• President Bush, 11/1/02

"There is real threat, in my judgment, a real and dangerous threat to American in Iraq in the form of Saddam Hussein."
• President Bush, 10/28/02

"The Iraqi regime is a serious and growing threat to peace."
• President Bush, 10/16/02

"There are many dangers in the world, the threat from Iraq stands alone because it gathers the most serious dangers of our age in one place. Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists."
• President Bush, 10/7/02

"The Iraqi regime is a threat of unique urgency."
• President Bush, 10/2/02

"There's a grave threat in Iraq. There just is."
• President Bush, 10/2/02

"This man poses a much graver threat than anybody could have possibly imagined."
• President Bush, 9/26/02

"No terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 9/19/02

"Some have argued that the nuclear threat from Iraq is not imminent - that Saddam is at least 5-7 years away from having nuclear weapons. I would not be so certain. And we should be just as concerned about the immediate threat from biological weapons. Iraq has these weapons."
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 9/18/02

"Iraq is busy enhancing its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents, and they continue to pursue an aggressive nuclear weapons program. These are offensive weapons for the purpose of inflicting death on a massive scale, developed so that Saddam Hussein can hold the threat over the head of any one he chooses. What we must not do in the face of this mortal threat is to give in to wishful thinking or to willful blindness."
• Vice President Dick Cheney, 8/29/02

The President is finally agreeing to a bi-partisan commission to look into why there are no WMD in Iraq. Great. When will the report be finished? After the election, of course.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — President Bush will establish a bipartisan commission in the next few days to examine a broad overhaul of American intelligence operations, using the case of what went wrong in their assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction as part of a look at the difficulties in penetrating secretive regimes and stateless groups that target the United States, senior administration officials said today.

Mr. Bush will issue an executive order establishing the group in coming days, but it will not report back until after the November elections and may take a year and a half or more to reach its conclusions, officials said.

This commission will needs lots of time to do their work. On the other hand, the Bush folks want the 9/11 Commission to wrap up their work now - so that they won't be releasing their report anywhere near the November elections.

The commission is scheduled to finish its work on May 27. But panel members this week asked Congress for a two-month extension, citing a need for full analysis of reams of documents about the disaster.

The Bush administration and Republican House leaders oppose any extension, saying the longer the process takes the more politicized it becomes.

George Bush: More concerned with politics than the safety of Americans.

Newspapers across the country are calling for an independent investigation into the assertions made by the Bush White House that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Possession of these weapons was the major reason given by the President for going to war. Even the Dallas Morning News, the President’s hometown paper and a supporter of the war, have now turned on the administration:

"We feel deceived -- by the CIA, which overestimated the threat, and by the White House, which probably stretched the bad estimates to build a case for war."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes:

…. "the evidence also seems overwhelming that the Bush administration pushed existing evidence well beyond its breaking point, exaggerating threats and claiming specific knowledge of Iraqi WMD where in reality no such knowledge existed."

13 major papers – eight of which supported the war – are now calling for investigations and leveling harsh words against the White House. This week the US chief weapons inspector broke ranks with the White House and claimed that there are no weapons to be found in Iraq. You can read more about the editorials by clicking here.

During the State of the Union address last year the president got into trouble for saying a few things that turned out not to be true. Now it turns out he either lied again or is the most ill-informed president in modern times. This is what he said last week about weapons in Iraq:

Already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.

I’m not sure what weapons of mass destruction-related program activities are, but ok. The problem with the statement concerns what David Kay (author of the above mentioned Kay Report) told the media when he resigned this week as the US-point person searching for weapons in Iraq.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former chief U.S. arms hunter David Kay has concluded Iraq had no stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons, a potential embarrassment for President George W. Bush, and Secretary of State Colin Powell has said it is an open question if they'd be found.

Kay told Reuters by telephone shortly after stepping down from his post on Friday he had concluded there were no such stockpiles to be found.

"I don't think they existed," Kay said. "What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War, and I don't think there was a large-scale production program in the '90s," he said.

"I think we have found probably 85 percent of what we're going to find," said Kay, who returned from Iraq in December and told the CIA he would not be going back.

"I think the best evidence is that they did not resume large-scale production and that's what we're really talking about," Kay said.

That’s right: the man Bush sent to Iraq to find all those illegal weapons has concluded there aren’t any and quit his job.

You can only conclude that Bush doesn’t know the different between fact and fiction. That’s pretty scary in a commander-in-chief.

New information casts additional doubt on Bush Administration claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the US invasion last year. George W. Bush and other administration officials went so far as to suggest Iraq was either in the process or had developed nuclear weapons. The Christian Science Monitor and The Washington Post both dispute those assertions in articles published today. No weapons have ever been found. Tom Regan reports on csmonitor.com:

The Guardian reports that the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Thursday accused the Bush administration of "systematically misrepresenting" the threat posed by "Iraq's weapons of mass destruction" in a comprehensive report on post-war findings. The report, by four experts on weapons proliferation at the respected institute (which has consistently opposed the war in Iraq), is likely to reignite calls for a commission to look into the government's pre-war intelligence claims.

According to the BBC the report's authors, "WMD in Iraq: Evidence and Implications," says they can find no evidence Iraq reconstituted its nuclear program after the first Gulf War, and it is unlikely Iraq could have destroyed, hidden or moved large amounts of chemical and biological weapons without the United States detecting some sign of activity.

The truth is that President Bush misled the country when he sent American soldiers into battle. Nine more of those soldiers were killed today.

Eric Berg, a Portland activist I've known since high school, took the FBI's warning very seriously that Americans should be on the look out for “suspicious” looking people carrying around almanacs. Almanacs, said the FBI, could be used by terrorists. Willamette Week reports:

The warning sparked one Portland patriot into action. Eric Berg, a 36-year-old soccer fan (see Mailbox, page 4), marched into Portland's downtown FBI office on Jan. 2, intent on doing his patriotic duty--he wanted to turn in his almanacs. And this is a man who loves almanacs. "Some people call me the Human Search Engine," says Berg, who has been unable to translate his skills into gainful employment. "Others, the Man of Knowledge."

But it turned out the feds weren't as keen to seize Berg's dangerous portable information banks as might have been expected. After Berg stood in the FBI's lobby for some 15 minutes--holding an almanac in plain sight--three special agents roguishly refused his would-be contribution to the cause. "It must be FBI policy not to crack a smile," Berg notes. The Portland man kept his beloved almanac but says he may take further action with his hastily formed group Americans Against Terror and Knowledge.

For their efforts Willamette Week named the FBI their "Rouge of the Week."

For the record I would like to state that I do not own any almanacs. Though my wife does love maps. She's also a member of AAA. Very suspicious.

Paul Nickell is offering his own take on the capture of Saddam. Click here to see. Very funny.

This week the National Council of Churches released a statement concerning the capture of Saddam Hussein. It follows here:

December 15, 2003, NEW YORK CITY -- The National Council of Churches USA welcomes the news that Saddam Hussein has been captured by U.S. forces in Iraq. As demonstrated by the displays of celebration in the streets of Baghdad, the arrest of this dictator should bring to an end the fear that has gripped Iraqis throughout his long reign, a fear that has lingered throughout these last several months of U.S. occupation. It is our hope now for the Iraqi people that freedom will flourish in their country.

As the next days and weeks unfold, we remind the U.S. government that the world will be watching to see how we treat our adversaries after they are in our custody. This presents a teachable moment in western ideals and democracy. We therefore urge the US government not to give in to the temptation of vengeance or expediency, but to facilitate the prosecution of Hussein in a manner consistent with the highest accepted international standards of justice.

As for the court process itself, no trial is possible based on evidence to date of weapons of mass destruction, or of a link between Hussein and the terrorism of 9/11 – two reasons many Americans believe we went to war in the first place. Prosecution should instead focus on the abundant evidence of heinous crimes he committed against his own people. For this, the Iraqis themselves must play a prominent role in what should be a public trial.

News networks have been running those "man on the street" interviews and asking what should happen to Saddam. Most of the time the people responding understandably offer lists of how he could be killed. As Christians, we know better. More killing will only bring more killing. Executing Saddam – the President’s preferred option – would not bring real or lasting justice. Saddam deserves real justice in which he is forced to confront his victims. Sadly, Saddam is nearly a US-made dictator. Those facts need to come out in any legal process as well. Justice needs to be spread around on this one.

Saddam Hussein has been captured by US Forces. Finally, some good news. For all the problems in Iraq no one should forget that Saddam is a man who gassed his own people and killed thousands for political reasons. He should be brought before an international court for justice.

December 10th is International Human Rights Day.

In Iraq, the US may have celebrated by stopping the count of Iraqi dead civilians. The Associated Press is reporting:

Iraqi Health Ministry officials ordered a halt to a count of civilian casualties from the war and told workers not to release figures already compiled, the head of the ministry's statistics department told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Dr. Nagham Mohsen, the head of the ministry's statistics department, said the order came from the ministry's director of planning, Dr. Nazar Shabandar, who told her it was on behalf of Abbas. She said the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, which oversees the ministry, didn't like the idea of the count either.

The US-led forces occupying Iraq refused to comment for the AP report. It is the policy of the United States not to count civilians they kill in combat operations. No one thinks the US forces target civilians, but clearly civilians have been killed in large numbers in Iraq. Their lives deserve to be accounted for.

In the meantime, the US did admit today that another six children were killed by American forces in Afghanistan. Nine children were killed last week.

First came the reports that Bush’s dramatic Thanksgiving mid-air encounter with a British Airlines pilot never happened during the President’s trip to Iraq.

Now comes word the turkey he proudly held up for the troops was a fake. Yep, the troops never got to eat Bush’s turkey.

In the most widely published image from his Thanksgiving day trip to Baghdad, the beaming president is wearing an Army workout jacket and surrounded by soldiers as he cradles a huge platter laden with a golden-brown turkey.

The bird is so perfect it looks as if it came from a food magazine, with bunches of grapes and other trimmings completing a Norman Rockwell image that evokes bounty and security in one of the most dangerous parts of the world.

But as a small sign of the many ways the White House maximized the impact of the 21/2-hour stop at the Baghdad airport, administration officials said yesterday that Bush picked up a decoration, not a serving plate.

...the foray has opened new credibility questions for a White House that has dealt with issues as small as who placed the "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the aircraft carrier Bush used to proclaim the end of major combat operations in Iraq, and as major as assertions about Saddam Hussein's arsenal of unconventional weapons and his ability to threaten the United States.

So what did the troops get for Thanksgiving? Well, not the roasted-fake turkey the President held up. Instead they ate steamed turkey. They deserved better. And Americans deserve more truth and less turkey from the White House.

Number of soldiers in crowd President Bush addressed on Thanksgiving: about 600

Number of U.S. soldiers killed so far during the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq: 437

Number of funerals for U.S. soldiers that Bush has personally attended: 0

Number of Iraqi civilians killed so far during the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq: more than 3,240

(or at least 7,918 according to the Iraq Body Count)

Reprinted from Sojo Mail. Source: Associated Press, CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/28/sprj.irq.main/index.html

Returning from his Thanksgiving trip to Iraq the President’s staff recounted a dramatic moment when their secret plans were nearly uncovered by a passing British Airlines pilot who spotted Air Force One.

"Did I just see Air Force One?" the pilot radioed, according to the White House. There was a pause. Then came the response from Air Force One: "Gulfstream 5" -- a much smaller aircraft.

As one of Bush's aides recounted, the BA pilot seemed to sense that he was in on a secret, and replied: "Oh."

The problem with this story: It looks like it never happened.

British Airways said on Monday that none of its pilots made contact with President Bush's plane during its secret flight to Baghdad, contradicting White House reports of a mid-air exchange that nearly prompted Bush to call off his trip.

Honor Verrier, a spokeswoman for British Airways in North America, said two BA aircraft were in the area at the time and neither radioed the president's plane to ask if it was Air Force One.

"We have spoken to the British Airways captains who were in the area at the time and neither made comments to Air Force One nor did they hear any other aircraft make the statement over the radio," Verrier said in response to a question from Reuters.

The White House had no immediate comment on the discrepancy.

This is not the first time the White House has been caught in an exaggeration involving Air Force One.

An effigy of President George W. Bush is pulled down in Trafalgar Square, London, as part of a large protest over his state visit November 20, 2003. The protestors were mimicking the pulling down of a Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad by U.S. troops during the war on Iraq. Photo by David Bebber/Reuters

A photo like this causes mixed emotions. The one good part of the war in Iraq is that Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to his people. Can George W. Bush be honestly compared with a man who gassed his own people? The obvious answer is no. Protesters in London and elsewhere remind us though that America’s foreign policy in 2003 is seen as aggressive and a danger to world peace. I don’t disagree with that.

Since today war is still raging in Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Israel, and Palestine it is right to offer prayers for peace.

Christian Prayer for Peace

Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be known as
the Children of God.
But I say to you that hear,
love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.
To those that strike you on the cheek,
offer the other one also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods,
do not ask for them again.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

(London protesters)

While tens of thousands are marching to protest American foreign policy in London the police in Miami are using pepper spray to turn back people protesting economic globalization. My friend Kate Lore is in Miami with a group from Portland’s First Unitarian Church. She wrote me before leaving:

Tomorrow morning several of us from church and from the larger Portland community will be boarding a plane to Miami to teach workshops at the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)Teach-In and to participate in a large, legally permitted protest. I expect that all of us will have a wonderful and inspiring time -- as we did at the WTO protest in Seattle. From what I'm reading, however, things are likely to get messy for folks who will be participating in civil disobedience (and there is much of it planned).

These are strange times and Florida is a strange state (to put it mildly). Thus, there is some uncertainty regarding just how heavy-handed the police and National Guard will be with us protesters. Hence, I am putting out this request for your thoughts and prayers -- especially on the big protest day: Thursday, Nov. 20.

England is getting ready for a visit from the President of the United States. What do Americans living in England think of their President’s visit?

"It's tougher being an American in London than it used to be. Our President has made it so," said Newsweek Magazine's London correspondent Stryker McGuire. "Even among friendly Britons, there's a growing scepticism about the gun-toting, electric-chairing land that has let Dubya be Dubya for nigh on three years now."

Christine Swanson, back home after taking the kids on the morning run to school, said: "I am frustrated. As horrible as September 11 was, it was a real opportunity to move forward in a positive way. "There was a lot of goodwill to tap into and it took the incredible talent of George Bush to piss it all away in two years."

Almost 25 years after she first called London home, Pennsylvania-born Virginia Schultz vividly recalls the days after 9/11. "People were hugging me in the street. I thought the way they reacted then was wonderful." "Right now there is strong anti-Americanism and I compare it to the Vietnam War. Bush has been targeted as the villain in all of this. I think he is even more unpopular than Nixon was."

The New York Times ' London correspondent Warren Hoge told Reuters: "America is now something of a rogue state, a pariah nation." "People repeatedly say it isn't Americans we don't like, it is just Bush. He pushes hot buttons. Bush has so much to do with this rather stupendous fall-off in American popularity. It is quite amazing to think where we were the day after September 11 and how much of that goodwill has been squandered."