FROM “THE FRONT OF THE GOOD WAR”

Pakistani Taliban leader says jihad in Afghanistan to continue

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - Top Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud on Saturday said jihad, or holy war, would continue in Afghanistan, despite peace negotiations between the militants and Islamabad.

Many Afghans outraged at US decision on Marines

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan officials expressed outrage Saturday at a decision by the U.S. military not to charge U.S. Marines involved in a shooting spree that left 19 Afghan civilians dead in 2007.

CRACK DOWN ON PENTAGON MEDIA MANIPULATORS

LA TIMES: The House of Representatives moved Thursday to crack down on a Pentagon program that Democrats say planted false and overly optimistic news stories about the Iraq war, using military analysts who appeared regularly on television.

Acting on a 2009 defense policy bill, lawmakers forbade the Defense Department from engaging in “a concerted effort to propagandize” the American people over the war.

The amendment by Rep. Paul W. Hodes (D-N.H.), which passed by voice vote, also would force an investigation by the General Accounting Office of efforts to plant positive news stories about the war. The overall bill passed 384-23.

The action follows an April 20 New York Times article that described how the Pentagon promoted its positive view of the war by cultivating former military officers who became regulars on Fox News, CNN and the broadcast networks.

The report prompted outrage among war opponents, who called it just the latest example of the Bush administration’s secretly trying to manipulate the media. Defenders of the war said the Pentagon merely tried to ensure that its views were understood by the retired officers, who have become a broadcast staple.

The Senate will not take up the defense policy bill until after next week’s recess. Its version does not yet include language about the military analyst program.

The White House, citing concerns with other provisions of the overall legislation, has threatened a veto.

AP: EARTHQUAKE CHANGES CHINA MEDIA POLICY

Chinese leaders haven't fully explained the new openness, and periods of thaw can be brief here. Only time will tell if it is a real policy shift — a bold break from the Communist Party's traditional tight control on the release of news, particularly bad news.

From Ly Fong: HELP EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN CHINA

In response to the recent earthquake disaster in southern China, we are collecting donations via our website (www.thedonationcenter.org) to support earthquake relief efforts.

Moving Mountains has been working in China since 2004 helping community groups, NGOs and individuals improve the lives of local people and their environment. Four years ago we collected donations for communities affected by the Asian Tsunami and are proud to say that our efforts made an impact.

Please visit our website (www.thedonationcenter.org) for more information about these and other efforts.

GORE VIDAL AGAIN

Stolen elections, pathetic candidates and a supine congress…