The
Milum
Bloggers™
Technology News
Science
News
WHO
study
suggests
200,000
Iraqi
dead
BBC
Excerpt:
"One
of
the
biggest
surveys
so
far
of
Iraqis
who
have
died
violently
since
the
US-led
invasion
of
2003
has
put
the
figure
at
about
151,000…
The
World
Health
Organization
study
looks
only
at
the
period
from
March
2003
until
June
2006."
ANALYSIS:
Extrapolating
into
the
present
(early
January
2008),
this
would
suggest
that
roughly
200,000
Iraqis
have
died
as a
result
of
the
US-led
invasion
of
Iraq.
Did
Mitt
Romney
lie
when
he
claimed
that
his
father
marched
with
Martin
Luther
King?
Excerpt:
"In
the
most-watched
speech
of
his
political
career,
speaking
on
'Faith
in
America'
at
College
Station,
Texas,
earlier
[in
December
2007],
Mitt
Romney
evoked
the
strongest
of
all
symbolic
claims
to
civil-rights
credentials:
'I
saw
my
father
march
with
Martin
Luther
King.'
…
But
that
account
is
incorrect.
King
never
marched
[with
Romney's
father]."
Religious
Freedom
in
Military
Questioned
AP
Excerpt:
"A
foundation
that
has
sued
the
military
alleging
widespread
violations
of
religious
freedom
said
that
it
has
evidence
showing
that
soldiers
are
pressured
to
adopt
fundamentalist
Christian
beliefs…
Examples
at
Fort
Riley
[Kansas]…
included
a
display
outside
[of
a]
military
police
battalion's
office
with
a
quote
from
conservative
writer
Ann
Coulter
saying,
'We
should
invade
their
countries,
kill
their
leaders
and
convert
them
to
Christianity.'
Another
photo
from
Fort
Riley
shows
the
book
'A
Politically
Incorrect
Guide
to
Islam'
for
sale
at
the
post
exchange…
The
lawsuit
also
alleges
that
[Secretary
of
Defense]
Gates
permits
a
military
culture
in
which
officers
are
encouraged
to
pressure
soldiers
to
adopt
and
espouse
fundamentalist
Christian
beliefs,
and
allows
a
culture
that
sanctions
activities
by
Christian
organizations."
Poll
finds
more
Americans
believe
in
Devil
than
in
Evolution
Reuters
Excerpt:
"More
Americans
believe
in a
literal
hell
and
the
devil
than
Darwin's
theory
of
evolution,
according
to a
new
Harris
poll
released
on
Nov
29,
2007.
It
is
the
latest
survey
to
highlight
America's
deep
level
of
religiosity,
a
cultural
trait
that
sets
it
apart
from
much
of
the
developed
world…
'[O]nly
16
percent
of
born-again
Christians,
compared
to
43
percent
of
Catholics
and
30
percent
of
Protestants,
believe
in
Darwin's
theory
of
evolution.'"
20,000
vets'
brain
injuries
not
listed
in
Pentagon
tally
Excerpt:
"At
least
20,000
U.S.
troops
who
were
not
classified
as
wounded
during
combat
in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
have
been
found
with
signs
of
brain
injuries,
according
to
military
and
veterans
records
compiled
by USA
TODAY.
The
data,
provided
by
the
Army,
Navy
and
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs,
show
that
about
five
times
as
many
troops
sustained
brain
trauma
as
the
4,471
officially
listed
by
the
Pentagon
through
Sept.
30
[2007].
These
cases
also
are
not
reflected
in
the
Pentagon's
official
tally
of
wounded,
which
stands
at
30,327."USA
TODAY.
The
data,
provided
by
the
Army,
Navy
and
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs,
show
that
about
five
times
as
many
troops
sustained
brain
trauma
as
the
4,471
officially
listed
by
the
Pentagon
through
Sept.
30
[2007].
These
cases
also
are
not
reflected
in
the
Pentagon's
official
tally
of
wounded,
which
stands
at
30,327."
Recruiting
Shortfall:
Cooking
the
books
has
caught
up
with
the
US
Army
AP
Excerpt:
"The
Army
began
its
recruiting
year
Oct.
1
with
fewer
signed
up
for
basic
training
than
in
any
year
since
it
became
an
all-volunteer
service
in
1973,
a
top
general
said
[October
31,
2007].
Gen.
William
S.
Wallace,
whose
duties
as
commander
of
Army
Training
and
Doctrine
Command
include
management
of
recruiting,
told
reporters
at
the
Pentagon
that
the
historic
dip
will
make
it
harder
to
achieve
the
full-year
recruiting
goal…
Wallace
attributed
the
decline
in
the
number
of
pre-signed
recruits
to
the
Army's
decision
last
summer
to
begin
offering
a
'quick
ship'
bonus
of
$20,000
to
recruits
willing
to
leave
for
basic
training
by
the
end
of
September.
For
some
recruits
that
bonus
is
the
equivalent
of a
year's
pay.
The
bonus
program,
which
began
July
25,
was
part
of a
last-minute
push
by
the
Army
to
meet
its
year-end
recruiting
goal,
after
having
fallen
short
on
recruiting
numbers
in
May
and
June.
It
had
the
effect
of
getting
many
of
the
recruits
who
signed
up
after
July
25
into
basic
training
sooner
than
they
would
have
otherwise,
thus
reducing
the
number
with
entry
dates
after
Oct.
1."
US
President
attempting
to
block
denunciation
of
genocide
BBC
Excerpt:
"President
George
W
Bush
has
urged
US
legislators
not
to
pass
a
resolution
declaring
the
killing
of
Armenians
by
Ottoman
Turks
to
be
genocide…
[U]p
to
1.5
million
Armenians
were
killed
in
an
organized
campaign
to
force
them
out
of
what
is
now
eastern
Turkey
in
1915-17…
[T]he
issue
has
been
kept
alive
by
the
powerful
Armenian
Diaspora.
Last
year,
the
Lower
House
of
the
French
parliament
declared
the
killings
a
genocide."
US
invasion
has
created
4.4
million
Iraqi
refugees
BBC
Excerpt:
"The
UN
refugee
agency
has
said
the
options
for
Iraqis
fleeing
violence
are
being
narrowed
by
an
increasing
number
of
provinces
refusing
them
entry.
The
head
of
the
UNHCR
Iraq
Support
Unit
told
the
BBC
up
to
11
governors
were
restricting
access
because
they
lacked
resources
to
look
after
the
refugees.
Andrew
Harper
warned
that,
with
no
imminent
end
to
the
displacement,
Iraq
was
becoming
a
'pressure
cooker.'
The
UNHCR
recently
said
more
than
2.2m
Iraqis
had
become
internally
displaced.
It
estimates
a
further
2.2m
have
fled
to
neighboring
states,
particularly
Syria
and
Jordan,
since
the
US-led
invasion
in
2003…
[The
total
number
of
Iraqi
refugees
is]
increasing
on
average
by
up
to
100,000
every
month."
Pentagon
Sued
Over
Mandatory
Christianity
Excerpt:
"A
military
watchdog
organization
filed
a
lawsuit
in
federal
court
[in
Kansas
City,
Kansas
on
September
18,
2007]
against
the
Pentagon,
Secretary
of
Defense
Robert
Gates,
and
a US
Army
major,
on
behalf
of
an
Army
soldier
stationed
in
Iraq.
The
suit
charges
the
Pentagon
with
widespread
constitutional
violations
by
allegedly
trying
to
force
the
soldier
to
embrace
evangelical
Christianity
and
then
retaliating
against
him
when
he
refused."
Read
the
Complaint
Bush
spy
chief
committed
perjury
before
US
Congress
Newsweek
excerpt:
"In
a
new
embarrassment
for
the
Bush
administration
top
spymaster,
Director
of
National
Intelligence
Mike
McConnell
is
withdrawing
an
assertion
he
made
to
Congress
this
week
that
a
recently
passed
electronic-surveillance
law
helped
U.S.
authorities
foil
a
major
terror
plot
in
Germany…
Other
U.S.
intelligence-community
officials
questioned
the
accuracy
of
McConnell's
testimony
and
urged
his
office
to
correct
it.
Four
intelligence-community
officials,
who
asked
for
anonymity
discussing
sensitive
material,
said
the
new
law,
dubbed
the
'Protect
America
Act,'
played
little
if
any
role
in
the
unraveling
of
the
German
plot.
The
U.S.
military
initially
provided
information
that
helped
the
Germans
uncover
the
plot.
But
that
exchange
of
information
took
place
months
before
the
new
'Protect
America'
law
was
passed.
After
questions
about
his
testimony
were
raised,
McConnell
called
Lieberman
to
clarify
his
statements
to
the
Senate
Committee
on
Homeland
Security
and
Governmental
Affairs,
an
official
said.
(A
spokeswoman
for
Lieberman
confirmed
that
McConnell
called
the
senator
Tuesday
[September
11,
2007]
but
could
not
immediately
confirm
what
they
spoke
about.)
Late
Wednesday
afternoon
[September
12,
2007],
McConnell
issued
a
statement
acknowledging
that
'information
contributing
to
the
recent
arrests
[in
Germany]
was
not
collected
under
authorities
provided
by
the
Protect
America
Act'."
First
Amendment
Center
survey
shows
Americans
want
a
Christian
theocracy
USA
TODAY
excerpt:
"Half
[of
Americans]
say
teachers
should
be
allowed
to
use
the
Bible
as a
factual
text
in
history
class
[while]
only
56%
agree
that
freedom
of
religion
applies
to
all
groups."
More
poll
results:
The
Constitution
establishes
a
Christian
nation
•
Agree:
55%
•
Disagree:
41%
•
Other:
4%
•
The
First
Amendment
goes
too
far in
the
rights
it
guarantees:
25%
•
Public
schools
should
be
allowed
to
put
on Nativity
reenactments
with
Christian
music:
43%
•
Teachers
and
public
school
officials
should
be
allowed
to
lead
prayers
in
schools:
58%
•
Public
school
teachers
should
be
able
to
use
the
Bible
as
literature
in
English
class:
80%
Related:
"In
a NEWSWEEK
Poll
in
March
[2007],
48
percent
of
those
asked
said
God
created
humans
in
their
present
form
within
the
last
10,000
years."
U.S.
Generals
ran
a
"Christian
Embassy"
operation
from
the
Pentagon
Religion
News
Service
Excerpt:
"High-ranking
Army
and
Air
Force
personnel
[i.e.,
generals
and
Pentagon
civilian
overseers]
violated
military
regulations
when
they
participated
in a
promotional
video
for
a
private
evangelical
organization,
according
to a
report
by
the
Pentagon's
Office
of
Inspector
General…
'The
officers
were
filmed
during
the
duty
day,
in
uniform
with
rank
clearly
displayed,
in
official
and
often
identifiable
Pentagon
locations,'
the
report
said.
'Their
remarks
conferred
approval
of
and
support
to
Christian
Embassy,
and
the
remarks
of
some
officers
implied
they
spoke
for
a
group
of
senior
military
leaders
rather
than
just
for
themselves.'"
Report:
Asians
played
a
bigger
part
in
settlement
of
Europe
than
Africans
AP
Excerpt:
"An
international
team
of
researchers
reports
in
[the
August
6,
2007]
online
edition
of
Proceedings
of
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
that
Asians
appear
to
have
played
a
larger
part
in
the
settlement
of
Europe
than
did
Africans.
The
team
led
by
Maria
Martinon-Torres
of
the
National
Center
for
the
Investigation
of
Human
Evolution,
in
Burgos,
Spain,
reached
that
conclusion
after
analyzing
more
than
5,000
fossil
teeth
from
early
hominins,
an
early
form
of
human
predecessors.
After
studying
ancient
teeth
from
Africa,
Asia
and
Europe,
the
researchers
report
that
early
European
populations
had
more
Asian
features
than
African
ones.
That
conclusion
also
supports
the
theory
that
the
development
of
the
genus
Homo
—
modern
humans
are
Homo
sapiens
—
occurred
both
in
Africa
and
Asia."
United
States
distrusted
around
the
world
AP
Excerpt:
"Unease
with
American
foreign
policy
and
President
Bush
has
intensified
in
countries
that
are
some
of
the
closest
U.S.
allies
and
around
the
globe…
according
to
an
international
survey
by
the
nonpartisan
Pew
Research
Center.
…
The
poll
covered
46
countries
plus
the
Palestinian
territories."
Americans
have
little
trust
in
their
institutions
and
have
a
particular
distrust
of
Congress
Study:
Jewish,
Christian,
Muslim
extremists
basically
the
same
Reuters
Excerpt:
"Violent
Muslim,
Christian
and
Jewish
extremists
invoke
the
same
rhetoric
of 'good'
and
'evil'
and
the
best
way
to
fight
them
is
to
tackle
the
problems
that
drive
people
to
extremism,
according
to a
report
obtained
by
Reuters.
It
said
extremists
from
each
of
the
three
faiths
often
have
tangible
grievances
--
social,
economic
or
political
--
but
they
invoke
religion
to
recruit
followers
and
to
justify
breaking
the
law,
including
killing
civilians
and
members
of
their
own
faith.
The
report
was
commissioned
by
security
think
tank
EastWest
Institute
ahead
of a
conference
on
Thursday
[June
14,
2007]
in
New
York
titled
'Towards
a
Common
Response:
New
Thinking
Against
Violent
Extremism
and
Radicalization.'
The
report
will
be
updated
and
published
after
the
conference.
The
authors
compared
ideologies,
recruitment
tactics
and
responses
to
violent
religious
extremists
in
three
places
--
Muslims
in
Britain,
Jews
in
Israel
and
Christians
in
the
United
States.
'What
is
striking
…
is
the
similarity
of
the
worldview
and
the
rationale
for
violence,'
the
report
said."
US
veterans
'high
suicide
risk'
BBC
Excerpt:
"US
war
veterans
are
twice
as
likely
to
commit
suicide
than
ordinary
civilians,
a
study
has
found.
Researchers
examined
data
on
320,890
men,
of
which
a
third
served
in
the
US
military
between
1917
and
1994.
Men
who
were
white,
better
educated
and
older
than
the
other
men
appeared
to
be
at
higher
risk,
as
did
those
with
a
physical
or
emotional
disability.
Researchers
say
the
findings
emphasize
the
need
for
mental
health
care
for
those
serving
in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan.
The
research,
published
in
the
Journal
of
Epidemiology
and
Community
Health,
included
men
who
had
served
in
World
War
Two,
the
Vietnam
war,
the
Korean
War
and
the
Gulf
war.
It
said
the
rate
of
suicide
among
men
who
had
taken
military
service
was
2.13
times
higher
than
those
who
had
never
served
in
the
armed
forces."
Records
show
that
most
Senators
and
House
Members
who
authorized
Iraq
war
did
not
read
key
report
CNN
Excerpt:
"A
new
biography
of
Sen.
Hillary
Rodham
Clinton
has
once
again
raised
the
issue
of
whether
members
of
Congress
read
a
key
intelligence
report
before
the
2002
vote
to
authorize
war
in
Iraq.
Clinton
did
not
read
the
90-page,
classified
National
Intelligence
Estimate
on
Iraq,
according
to
'Her
Way:
The
Hopes
and
Ambitions
of
Hillary
Rodham
Clinton.'
For
members
of
Congress
to
read
the
report,
they
had
to
go
to a
secure
location
on
Capitol
Hill.
The
Washington
Post
reported
in
2004
that
no
more
than
six
senators
and
a
handful
of
House
members
were
logged
as
reading
the
document."
Muslims
believe
U.S.
goal
to
weaken
Islam
Reuters
Excerpt:
"More
than
70
percent
of
Egyptians,
Pakistanis,
Indonesians
and
Moroccans
believe
the
United
States
is
trying
to
weaken
and
divide
the
Islamic
world,
a
poll
released
on
Tuesday
[April
24,
2007]
showed.
The
survey
by
WorldPublicOpinion.org
also
showed
more
than
40
percent
thought
that
was
the
primary
goal
of
the
U.S.-led
war
on
terrorism,
while
only
12
percent
believed
Washington's
aim
was
to
protect
the
United
States
from
attack…
More
than
50
percent
believed
the
militant
Islamist
group
[al
Qaeda]
was
pushing
the
United
States
to
remove
its
bases
and
military
forces
from
all
Islamic
countries
and
63
percent
agreed
with
that
goal."
Israel
tops
list
of
worst
nations
in
world
poll
BBC
Excerpt:
"A
majority
of
people
believe
that
Israel
and
Iran
have
a
mainly
negative
influence
in
the
world,
a
poll
for
the
BBC
World
Service
suggests.
It
shows
that
the
two
countries
are
closely
followed
by
the
United
States
and
North
Korea.
The
poll
asked
28,000
people
in
27
countries
to
rate
a
dozen
countries
plus
the
EU
in
terms
of
whether
they
have
a
positive
or
negative
influence."
Poll
shows
Arabs
dislike
Bush
Reuters
Excerpt:
"A
new
poll
on
Thursday
[November
8,
2006]
underscored
deep
Arab
unhappiness
with
the
United
States
but
said
the
negative
image
could
be
repaired
if
Washington
brokered
a
comprehensive
Arab-Israeli
peace
agreement.
The
survey
of
3,850
people
in
six
Arab
countries
rated
President
George
W.
Bush
as
the
most
disliked
world
leader,
while
the
United
States
and
Israel
were
viewed
as
significantly
greater
threats
than
Iran."
Bush
Family
involved
in
Defense
scandal
Reuters
Excerpt:
"President
George
W.
Bush's
uncle,
William
H.T.
'Bucky'
Bush,
was
part
of a
group
of
outside
directors
at a
defense
contractor
who
realized
about
$6
million
in
unauthorized
pay
from
an
options
backdating
scheme,
according
to
U.S.
securities
investigators."
Israel
'broke
US
arms
deal
terms'
BBC:
"Israel
probably
violated
the
terms
of
its
arms
deals
with
Washington
by
using
American-made
cluster
bombs
in
Lebanon
last
year,
a US
government
report
says.
The
State
Department
probed
Israel's
use
of
cluster
bombs
in
civilian
areas
of
southern
Lebanon
during
the
34-day
conflict
with
Hezbollah.
US-made
weapons
are
sold
to
the
Israeli
military
with
restriction
on
their
use.
Cluster
bombs
can
scatter
hundreds
of
small
bomblets
over
a
wide
area,
and
their
use
has
been
widely
criticized.
The
US
government
has
now
sent
a
preliminary
report
on
its
investigation
into
the
matter
to
the
US
Congress.
Last
November
Israel's
own
military
said
it
would
investigate
how
the
bombs
were
used
during
the
conflict.
The International
Committee
of
the
Red
Cross
called
for
a
ban
on
the
use
of
cluster
bombs
in
populated
areas,
because
of
the
indiscriminate
civilian
deaths
they
caused.
And Amnesty
International
has
criticized
Israel
for
its
use
of
cluster
bombs
in
the
final
days
of
the
conflict."
1
million
Israeli
bomblets
remain
in
South
Lebanon
BBC
Excerpt:
"Up
to a
million
cluster
bomblets
discharged
by
Israel
in
its
conflict
with
Hezbollah
remain
unexploded
in
southern
Lebanon,
the
UN
has
said…
It
says
the
problem
could
delay
the
return
home
of
about
200,000
displaced
people
by
up
to
two
years.
The
devices
have
killed
14
people
in
south
Lebanon
since
the
August
[2006]
truce.
The
manager
of
the
UN's
mine
removal
centre
in
south
Lebanon,
Chris
Clark,
said
Israel
had
failed
to
provide
useful
information
of
its
cluster
bomb
strikes,
which
could
help
with
the
clearance
operation."
U.S.
Marines
institute
de
facto
draft
Reuters
Excerpt:
"The
U.S.
Marine
Corps
will
start
ordering
what
could
be
thousands
of
inactive
service
members
to
return
to
duty
in
the
coming
months
to
counter
a
steady
decline
in
the
number
of
such
troops
who
volunteer,
the
service
said
on
Tuesday
[August
22,
2006]…
Many
Marines
have
performed
three
tours
of
duty
in
Iraq
since
March
2003…
The
Marine
Corps'
authority
to
involuntarily
recall
Marines
for
jobs
in
the
'Global
War
on
Terror'
-- a
war
whose
parameters
remain
largely
undefined
--
has
no
expiration
date."
Muslims
bristle
at
Bush
term
"Islamic
fascists"
Reuters
Excerpt:
"U.S.
Muslim
groups
criticized
President
Bush
on
Thursday
[August
10,
2006]
for
calling
a
foiled
plot
to
blow
up
airplanes
part
of a
'war
with
Islamic
fascists,'
saying
the
term
could
inflame
anti-Muslim
tensions…
'We
believe
this
is
an
ill-advised
term
and
we
believe
that
it
is
counterproductive
to
associate
Islam
or
Muslims
with
fascism,'
said
Nihad
Awad,
executive
director
of
the
Council
on
American-Islamic
Relations
advocacy
group.
'We
ought
to
take
advantage
of
these
incidents
to
make
sure
that
we
do
not
start
a religious
war
against
Islam
and
Muslims,'
he
told
a
news
conference
in
Washington.
Awad
said
U.S.
officials
should
take
the
lead
from
their
British
counterparts
who
steered
clear
of
using
what
he
considered
inflammatory
terms
when
they
announced
the
arrest
of
more
than
20
suspects
in
the
reported
plot…
Bush
upset
many
Muslims
after
the
September
11
attacks
by
referring
to
the
global
war
against
terrorism
early
on
as a
'crusade,'
a
term
which
for
many
Muslims
connotes
a
Christian
battle
against
Islam."
Israelis
accused
of
'human
shields'
tactic
BBC
Excerpt:
"The
Israeli
army
has
been
accused
of
using
Palestinian
civilians
as
human
shields
in
an
operation
in northern
Gaza.
According
to
the
Israeli
human
rights
group,
B'tselem,
six
civilians
including
two
minors
were
subjected
to
the
illegal
tactic
during
an
incursion
into
the
town
of
Beit
Hanoun
last
week."
TOP