Walter Pincus of the Washington Post reports Sept. 11 that the Pentagon has drafted a revised doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons that envisions commanders requesting presidential approval to pre-empt an attack by a nation or terror group using… Read morePentagon prepares nuclear pre-emptive doctrine
Al Garza, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, confirmed on Sept. 7 that his group is beginning operations in Texas sooner than expected, bringing about 50 volunteers to Brownsville this month for “Secure Our Borders,” a campaign targeting undocumented… Read more“Minutemen” hit Texas, New York
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, VA, ruled unanimously Sept. 9 that Jose Padilla, held for more than three years as an “enemy combatant,” can be detained indefinitely without trial. Judge Michael Luttig wrote the decision for a… Read more4th Circuit upholds Padilla detainment
Reports Sarah Garland of Newsday Sept. 9: Michael Dardar lost his home when Hurricane Katrina flooded his trailer in Boothville, La., but that is the least of his worries. For Dardar, 43, a Houma Indian, the loss of his land… Read moreKatrina pushes Houma Indians towards cultural extinction
Sarah Ferguson of the Village Voice reports Sept. 8 of the feds shutting down yet another citizens’ self-help initiative: Although the effort was trumpeted in the media as an example of grassroots ingenuity in the face of disaster, local officials… Read moreFEMA shuts down grassroots radio initiative for evacuees
From AP, Sept. 9, via TruthOut: The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops from Mississippi and Louisiana in Iraq when Hurricane Katrina struck hindered those states’ initial storm response, military and civilian officials said Friday. Lt. Gen. Steven Blum,… Read moreIraq deployment cost lives on Gulf Coast: National Guard chief
Contrary to earlier reports, the St. Petersburg Times states Sept. 9 that nobody has yet been arrested for disobeying evacuation orders—but authorities are preparing to carry out forcible evacuations if “hold-outs” continue to resist. The paper acknowledges that this suspension… Read moreNew Orleans: “standoff” over forced evacuation
From a Sept. 10 TruthOut account by Jeremy Scahill and Daniela Crespo: Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries… Read moreIraq mercenaries deployed to New Orleans
Survivors of Hurricane Katrina who refuse to follow the mandatory evacuation order have been handcuffed as soldiers and police force them to abandon their homes. Up to 10,000 “hold-outs” are still thought to be in New Orleans, and many are… Read moreForcible evacuation of “Occupied New Orleans”
From the Arizona Daily Star, Aug. 31, online at Chiapas95: The North American Free Trade Agreement may have boosted big business, but it has had a disastrous effect on Mexicans, a Chiapas economist said. “There have been losers, and the… Read moreChiapas economist: NAFTA displaced Mexican campesinos
A heat wave with high temperatures peaking at 120 degrees Fahrenheit has led to a record number of deaths of migrants crossing into the US through Arizona. The US Border Patrol reports that at least 229 immigrants have died in… Read moreBorder deaths hit all-time high
The Denmark IMC reports that Danish police have raided part of Christiania, a longtime squatter community in an abandoned military base in Copenhagen, Denmark. About 200 riot police stormed the “freestate” compound and quickly sealed off “Fredens Eng” (Meadow of… Read moreCopenhagen squatters raided
