*From ZNet, "A Saddam Chronology"

"Saddam Hussein is one of the world's great monsters. Nothing would be more welcome than to have him put on trial, a trial which could offer Iraqis and the world an honest accounting of his many crimes. However, as so often happens, when a trial is organized by those who are themselves guilty of serious crimes, truth is not the goal. Instead the historical record is falsified to make the one monster seem uniquely blameworthy and the ones running the show above criticism."

[....]

"It is a matter of principle in Washington that Americans not be held to the same international standards as others. Thus, the U.S. refuses to endorse the International Criminal Court and demands that its allies give up their right to invoke the jurisdiction of the court when U.S. citizens are involved. But those of us who truly care about justice ought to demand that Saddam Hussein be tried before a court that is in no way subject to U.S. control or manipulation. Only in that way can the real truth come out."

more on saddam from znet, "Got Saddam But Not Much Else"


*Justice = transparancy, so no surprise that "Wesley Clark testifies in secret at Milosevic trial" since he is doubtless as worthy of prosecution for war crimes as sloba...

"Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial in The Hague heard testimony behind closed doors yesterday from the former Nato commander Wesley Clark, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in next year's presidential election.

Under a laboriously negotiated agreement with the tribunal, the US has the right to edit out evidence deemed damaging to national security."

As Sir Humphrey in Yes Minister points out to PM Jim Hacker "The Official Secrets Act is not to protect secrets, it is to protect officials.", in other words "If people don't know what you're doing, they don't know what you're doing wrong."


*Inglan is a bitch;

Drugs study finds children aged 11 on heroin and crack