Within a few weeks, the American TV networks will be commemorating the first anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. As we brace ourselves for a recycling of the old footage, and abeating of the corporate breasts, let us integrate a "new fact" into our calculi. I begin today with a historical note of more than historical interest from The Guardian:

"DID YOU KNOW?

"George Bush set the US on the path to war in Iraq with a formal order signed in February 2002, more than a year before the invasion, according to a book published yesterday. The revelation casts doubt on the public insistence by US and British officials throughout 2002 that no decision had been taken to go to war, pending negotiations at the United Nations. Rumsfeld’s War is by Rowan Scarborough, the Pentagon correspondent for the conservative Washington Times newspaper, which is known for its contacts in the defence department’s civilian leadership."

From that unfinished war, let us segue to another one closer to home. The war (or is it massacre?) in Haiti. The UN Security Council meets in emergency session today (a bit "late in the say" as they say) while the State Department seems to be changing its position and aligning itself with opposition calls for President Aristide to step down.Read this item from CNN’s website — slowly. And then read it again.

"U.S. intercepts Haitian ships

"The United States intercepts two ships packed with Haitian refugees as President Bush warns he will turn back anyone attempting to flee the violence by sailing to America."

As the US Cost Guard turns Haitian ships around, and refugees return to the violence, BBC reports:

"Armed gangs roam Haitian capital

"Law and order breaks down in Port-au-Prince as gangs loyal to the president prepare for a rebel assault."

CNN then takes us to the land of those other infidels. Dateline PARIS, France:

"French officials have called for the "immediate" creation of an international civilian peace force to restore order to Haiti." (Again, late in the day.)

"The call comes as rebel leader Guy Philippe said Wednesday his troops were ready to attack the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, but wanted to "give a chance to peace" and will hold off to see if President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns. Philippe told The Associated Press reports the rebels also were taking a wait-and-see approach to proposals to send international peacekeepers to Haiti."

WAR FOR IRAQI FREEDOM

The New York Times reports : "The United States military is facing the gravest accusations of sexual misconduct in years, with dozens of servicewomen in the Persian Gulf area and elsewhere saying they were sexually assaulted or raped by fellow troops, lawmakers and victims advocates said on Wednesday. There have been 112 reports of sexual misconduct over roughly the past 18 months in the Central Command area of operations, which includes Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, military officials said on Wednesday. The Army has reported 86 incidents, the Navy 12, the Air Force 8 and the Marine Corps 6."

Instability is never far away in the Balkans. Boris Trajkovski, the pro-western president of Macedonia was killed overnight in a plane crash in Bosnia. This poses a threat to the peace deal he crafted to keep that country from plunging into civil war. Meanwhile an architect of war in the region may be back. Stacy Sullivan reports for Foreign Policy in Focus that Serbian strongman Slobadan Milosvic, now on trial for genocide, could beat the rap.

"When prosecutors opened their case against Slobodan Milosevic on February 12, 2002, they told the court that not only would his trial provide the world with a full picture of the "medieval savagery" that stalked the Balkans throughout the Nineties, but that they would also prove that the former Serbian president was guilty of the gravest crime known to mankind — genocide.

"Two years on, after hearing nearly 300 witnesses — some of them high-level insiders who have turned on their former leader — and presenting thousands of pages of documents, including telephone intercepts, military orders and transcripts of political meetings, they are resting their case. But many legal experts say they fear that the prosecution has not made the case for genocide, in part because the United Nations tribunal has set the bar for doing so extremely high. …"

Stacy Sullivan, for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting’s Hague Tribunal Project (www.iwpr.net). See also Foreign Policy in Focus (www.fpif.org).

Analyst Thomas C. Lewis offers an analysis of the testimony yesterday before the House Budget Committee, by Federal reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. He urged that cuts be made in Social Security benefits for future retirees rather than raising taxes to deal with the huge budget deficit. Lewis offers the sort of analysis we rarely see on all those financial shows:

"Let’s look at the logic of this. Bush inherits a budget surplus from Clinton, cuts taxes for the very wealthy, signs a Medicare bill that does more for HMOs and big pharma than the elderly, pushes defense and law enforcement spending through the roof without making us safer (see George Tenet’s testimony yesterday), cuts every social program, pushes the federal deficit through the clouds, and Greenspan wants retirees to pay for it out of their pissant Social Security benefits. Thus, the working poor and elderly pay twice for Bush’s rich friends.

"Is Greenspan nuts? No. He’s in Bush’s pocket. How did he get there? Because Greenspan’s version of the economy includes only central bankers, Wall Street, big business, and the very rich.

"How can we know this? Just listen to Greenspan talk about inflation. The inflation he talks about is an economist’s theoretical, aggregated number that bears no relation whatsoever to the costs of daily life for the Americans in the bottom three quintiles of household income.

"Greenspan should try for, say, twenty years, as many middle class Americans have done, to pay for college tuition for two or three kids, plus the costs of helping elderly parents make their way through the marvelous health care system. Higher education and health care have been the two most inflationary sectors of the American economy since the 1960s (other than the costs of war). How do people do this? They acquire large, nearly unpayable debts. Debt hurts individuals and benefits the corporate economy. The only debt Greenspan worries about is federal debt because it has the potential to drive up interest rates and cause the kind of inflation Greenspan cares about, the inflation of payroll and borrowing costs to corporations."

MEDIA ACTIVISTS SAY PRESSURE WORKS

Media activists are claiming some victories today. MediaReform.net writes:

"The popular backlash against the FCC’s lifting of media ownership regulations is bearing fruit: Two recent victories show that our collective efforts are having an impact.

"First: Corporate-sponsored junkets for FCC Commissioners have been stopped. Last year, the Center for Public Integrity revealed that the FCC had accepted over $2.8 million in free travel and entertainment from the very industries they were regulating. Public outrage at this and the loosening of media ownership regulations resulted in the FCC banning this practice.
For the complete story, visit http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/report.aspx?aid=188.

"Second: Low-power FM broadcasting — nonprofit radio stations with a reach of just a few miles — recently received a huge boost. Last Friday, the FCC recommended to Congress that it eliminate restrictions that deprived communities of their own locally-oriented radio stations. If Congress writes this into law, it will clear the way for hundreds — if not thousands — of communities to begin broadcasting.

"The battle in Congress over Low-power FM licenses is about to begin, and Big Media is going to fight back — hard. We’re going to need all of your support to beat them. Stay tuned to http://www.mediareform.net/lpfm for details."

MEANWHILE IN ENGLAND

There is an uproar again. Former Minister Clare Short says that she saw intelligence documents confirming that Tony Blair spied on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. … Former FAIR Director Jeff Cohen reports that a judge in England has dropped charges against Katherine Gun, a 29 year old whistlebower who exposed an illegal British intelligence operation against members of the United Nations during the Iraq war:

"Charges were dropped today in court, approved by the judge. A complete climbdown by the UK government, which is now on the defensive about why it ever prosecuted Katharine in the first place.

"The story is huge in England, as evidence of more disarray in the Blair government over the Iraq war. The news is full of pictures/footage of Katharine’s beaming smile, after charges dropped." He thanks the Institute for Public Accuracy for organizing a campaign."

The Institute for Public Accuracy — Accuracy.org

SHOULD WE SAY GOODBYE TO THE 911 INVESTIGATION?

USA TODAY reports that the 911 investigation is being shut down: "The most sweeping investigation into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be scaled back because Republicans in Congress won’t permit it to go beyond May, members of an independent commission charged Wednesday.

Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert decided that a proposed 60-day extension, reluctantly agreed to by the Bush administration, will not be considered by the House. It would have pushed the commission’s final report to late July, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. … The New York Daily News reports "Ex-Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), now president of New York’s New School University, told the Daily News that resigning is "on my list of possibilities" because the administration continues to block the full panel’s access to top intelligence officials and materials."

RICE SAYS NO TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY

CNN reports that the commission investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said Wednesday that National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice had declined their request to testify at a public hearing next month.

"We are disappointed by this decision," commission members said in a statement Wednesday. "We believe the nation would be well served by the contribution she can make to public understanding of the intelligence and policy issues being examined by the Commission." Rice met privately with the panel on February 7.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/02/25/911.commission

MEDIA NEWS

The Media Guardian reports: "Silvio Berlusconi was last night facing demands for a reality TV program on plastic surgery to be scrapped. … The biggest public pension fund in America has said it will not vote for Michael Eisner’s re-election to the board of Disney. … FT reports: "Conrad Black’s court testimony opened the door to a challenge from US regulators that could compel him to reappear before the SEC."

YOUR LETTERS

Deborah Emin writes about Connie Rice, who appeared on Bill Moyers NOW progam last Friday speaking powerfully about the fight for justice in California.

"For your readers’ information, if they want to hear Connie Rice regularly she is on the Tavis Smiley show on NPR. She is one of the most interesting and level headed of the commentators on that radio show. Her experience as a lawyer and her ability to clearly state the issues always makes her appearance on his show incredibly thought provoking. She was one of the first African-Americans I heard to describe the gay marriage issue as a civil rights issue. In fact, I think it was her influence that inspired Tavis Smiley to invite some young gay activists onto his show. Thanks for all the other info I receive from you daily.

"One request, let’s continue to make sure that the Times is held accountable for what their columnists say. A full inquiry into what Safire’s motives and informants have been feeding him would be appreciated. It’s time to make him aware that many readers are very tired of all the misinformation he has been allowed to write and publish without any evidence or attempt on the Times’ part to fact check him."

TOO EXTREME?

Sally Vitamvas writes again from Iowa to ask, "Is the following assessment of the national political situation too extreme?"

"I watched "Counting on Democracy" on Free Speech TV (again) this morning, and a Bush quote toward the end of the documentary particularly struck me: "Our nation watched as we were all reminded on a daily basis of the importance of each and every vote. We were reminded of the strength of our democracy — that while our system is not always perfect, it is fundamentally strong and far better than any other alternative."

"Before the 2000 vote count, I believed that our system was "fundamentally strong", its strength due in great part to its 3 branch design. Then the vote count debacle, ensuing Supreme Court decision, and the courts’ inaction vis-a-vis the USA Patriot Act exposed the administration’s iron control of the judicial branch.

"At least three important bills have had their House and Senate versions tossed, and their joint session versions written by White House and lobbyists with the Democrats excluded from the process. Tactics as blatant as blackmail and bribes at times effected passage. Our legislative branch, and thus, representative democracy, seems to be effectively dead, too.

"The executive branch, under the titular control of George W. Bush, is now the residue of the "far better than any other alternative" "system" he grabbed in 2000. Our Bill of Rights is gone. Our courts are ham-strung. Congress is moribund. The journalistic horde that we counted on to tell annoying, embarrassing, and vital truths, has reduced itself to the status of pet parrot. …

"I plan to move somewhere … anywhere, if Bush is re-elected. I suspect if Bush is returned to power this election could well be the last one permitted for a very long time."

Marc (with a ‘c’) Sheffner writes from Japan

"You will be interested in this, I’m sure: (it was in the Guardian today, but the article mentions the fact that the Guardian reported last Friday that the case would collapse; the defense were not informed at the same time):

"GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun demanded an explanation after the case against her of disclosing information and breaking the Official Secrets Act collapsed after the prosecution offered no evidence." http://tinyurl.com/28s6g

Marc continues:

"And re: the letter from a reader about the connection between Skull & Bones society, Kerry and Bush. Here’s something (not checked): That the Bay of Pigs fiasco, "Operation Zapata," was organized by members of Skull and Bones, the ghoulish and powerful secret society at Yale University whose membership also included Prescott, George Herbert Walker and George W Bush; that two of the ships that carried the Cuban counterrevolutionaries to their appointment with absurdity were named the "Barbara" and the "Houston" - George HW Bush’s city of residence at the time - and that the oil company Bush owned, then operating in the Caribbean area, was named "Zapata." …"

NAÌVE?

Also on Katherine Gun, PMAC writes from the UK: "This might be a naive point of view, but I thought the UN was supposed to be a place where diplomacy happens, not a convenient meeting place for spies to work on foreign diplomats. … Are there any regulations at the UN restricting espionage within the auspices of the UN? Why are the other countries involved not causing more fuss? Did they have spies working on the US and UK diplomats too?"

AMEND THE CONSTITUTION?
Oh yes, our friend Marc adds in a second email:

"On a lighter note, you and your readers might like to have a stab at this competition:

"This week, the Backbencher has an immaculate copy of Peter Riddell’s "Hug Them Close: Blair, Clinton, Bush and the "Special Relationship" (courtesy of Politico’s, http://www.politicos.co.uk) to give away. It’s a great, fast-paced read, and reveals that Bill himself urged Tony to "get as close to George Bush as you have been to me" … Backbencher is the name of a Guardian column and pen-name for a Westminster correspondent:

"In the spirit of that special relationship, the Backbencher has a special challenge for entrants. As many of you will be aware, George has proposed a change to the constitution of the US in order to make God’s opposition to gay marriages absolutely clear. But why stop there? Why only tinker with a document which has so little in common with the spirit of the times? The Backbencher invites readers to use their skill and judgment to update a section of the constitution as you see fit.

"The whole document is available at http://tinyurl.com/u1pn . If you need a little prompting. Email backbencher@guardianunlimited.co.uk. The best and most egregious amendment will be published in next week’s issue."

Luke John Howie writes from Australia to add his favorite word to our lexicon:

"My favorite is still "sleeper cell", ie: a group of Muslim people doing nothing wrong. George Orwell must be so proud."

CALLING ARTISTS & AD HACKS

MediaChannel.org is looking for graphic artists interested in lending a helping hand to our marketing efforts. Specifically, we’d like to create banners and buttons for the Dissector Blog, Media for Democracy 2004, and Media Savvy Daily Newsletter. Interested parties should contact doug at mediachannel dot org.

NIGHT ON THE TOWN

Your News Dissector was out mingling last night at a fab Soho Party where I learned about some artist projects of great value. One was the work of the Jazz Foundation of America run by the dynamic Wendy Oxenhorn which organizes support and solidarity for older or down on their luck jazz artists. For more info and to help, email: Jazzfoundation.pledge@rcn.com.

Also if you are in town check out OPEN PROPOSITION a benefit exhibition and month-long silent auction for the New York Bill of Rights Defense Committee, The event. backed by a coterie of major artists, has its closing reception Saturday 6-8 PM at the Proposition, 559 West 22nd Street, in Chelsea.Thanks to the impressive Jack White for passing on word of this exhibition.

Check out www.ArtistsForTheBillOfRights.org.

And thank you all for joining me today. You can feed back as readers the world over are, by eeing: dissector@mediachannel.org