Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

Canada T4T 1R2

Library books, letters and priceless documents are set ablaze in final chapter of the sacking of Baghdad --by Robert Fisk "So yesterday was the burning of books. First came the looters, then the arsonists. It was the final chapter in the sacking of Baghdad. The National Library and Archives – a priceless treasure of Ottoman historical documents, including the old royal archives of Iraq – were turned to ashes in 3,000 degrees of heat. Then the library of Korans at the Ministry of Religious Endowment were set ablaze... And the Americans did nothing. All over the filthy yard they blew, letters of recommendation to the courts of Arabia, demands for ammunition for troops, reports on the theft of camels and attacks on pilgrims, all in delicate hand-written Arabic script. I was holding in my hands the last Baghdad vestiges of Iraq's written history."

Americans defend two untouchable ministries from the hordes of looters --by Robert Fisk "[The Americans] did nothing to prevent looters from destroying priceless treasures of Iraq's history in the Baghdad Archaeological Museum and in the museum in the northern city of Mosul, or from looting three hospitals... which ministries proved to be so important for the Americans? Why, the Ministry of Interior, of course – with its vast wealth of intelligence information on Iraq – and the Ministry of Oil. The archives and files of Iraq's most valuable asset – its oilfields and, even more important, its massive reserves – are safe and sound, sealed off from the mobs and looters, and safe to be shared, as Washington almost certainly intends, with American oil companies."

How and why the US encouraged looting in Iraq --by Patrick Martin "The widespread looting in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk and other Iraqi cities, following the collapse of the Ba’athist regime of President Saddam Hussein, was not merely an incidental byproduct of the US military conquest of Iraq. It was deliberately encouraged and fostered by the Bush administration and the Pentagon for definite political and economic reasons."

Iraqis plead for law and order --The looting has begun in Tikrit a day after US marines overran Iraqi loyalists in the Saddam Hussein stronghold.

In pictures: Baghdad protests --Baghdadis have complained that US troops have done little to prevent looting of Iraq's cultural sites.

US army hampers coverage of Iraqi protests --United States forces on Tuesday tried to hamper the media from covering a third day of anti-American protests by Iraqis outside a hotel housing a US operations base, an AFP correspondent said.

US troops accused of carnage --United States troops opened fire on a crowd hostile to the new pro-American governor in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul yesterday, killing at least 10 people and injuring as many as 100, witnesses and doctors said.

Clash in Mosul Complicates Already Troubled U.S. Arrival --At least 10 Iraqis were reported killed and 16 injured today in a clash in northern Iraq that Marines called a gun battle and Iraqis described as the shooting of unarmed civilians. The deaths further complicated the already troubled arrival of American troops in Mosul, a city considered a center of Iraqi nationalism.

Three U.S. Soldiers Killed Near Baghdad --Three soldiers with the U.S. Army's V Corps were killed and three wounded Monday in two apparent accidents, U.S. Central Command said.

U.S. Central Command: All Oil Fields in Iraq Now in Areas Under Control of U.S. and Allies --All oil fields in Iraq now fall within areas controlled by the U.S. coalition, a U.S. general announced Monday. [Thank heavens! I was concerned that the Iraqi oil wells were not 'liberated' during the torching of the library of Korans and the Ottoman historical documents! No one needs hand written ten-thousand year old Arabic script, anyway. As long as the *oil wells* are safe and secure under Halliburton's control and DynCorp's policing, all is well!  --Lori Price]

Iran continues to raise secret deal claim --An Iranian news agency close to top conservative military figures attributed the fall of Baghdad to a secret tripartite agreement between Saddam Hussain, Russia and the U.S.

Republican Guard commander cut deal with US forces --The French daily, Le Monde, reports that Maher Sufyan, Commander of the Republican Guard reached an agreement with American forces in which he ordered his forces to surrender in exchange for his transfer via an American Apache helicopter to an undisclosed safe haven.

Baghdad Did Not Fall - It Was Handed Over --by Jalal Ghazi "Arabic media are using the word 'safqa' to explain the sudden collapse of Baghdad and the Iraqi regime. Translated into English, 'safqa' means 'a deal made fast and in secrecy.'" Arabic media are speculating that a 'safqa' -- Arabic for a secret deal -- was arranged between the United States and the Baath regime to hand over Baghdad."

US networks agree to serve as Pentagon propaganda tool in Iraq --In the name of providing Iraq’s people with a taste of a "free press," ABC, CBS, Faux and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) have decided to provide content for a Pentagon-controlled television service in Iraq.

You've broken your word, says Baghdad boy who lost his arms --Ali Ismail Abbas, the 12-year-old Baghdad boy who lost his arms in a US air strike, yesterday accused the media of letting him down... Ali has already been moved once, after looters ransacked one hospital.

Disappointed Marines learn stay in Baghdad may be indefinite --U.S. Marines got a visit from their top general in the region Saturday but were disappointed when he didn't give them a firm date for their departure from Iraq.

Mother sees no honor in death of her soldier son --Other parents also struggle to find meaning in loss --Ruth Aitken's grief has an extra ingredient. She is one of a small number of these military family members who said they opposed the war.

Iraqis Say Lynch Raid Faced No Resistance --"They made a big show," said Haitham Gizzy, a physician at the public hospital here who treated Pfc. Jessica Lynch for her injuries at Saddam Hospital. "It was just a drama," he said. "A big, dramatic show." Gizzy and other doctors said no Iraqi soldiers or militiamen were at the hospital that night, April 1, when the U.S. Special Operations forces came in helicopters to carry out the midnight rescue.

People in Basra Contest Official View of Siege --Life Was Mostly Normal, Residents Say; Doctors Report Many Civilians Killed There was nothing resembling a popular uprising against the Iraqi militiamen who controlled this city during its 13-day siege by British forces... People expressed more dismay at the looting and general lawlessness that followed the British entry into the city on April 6 than at the behavior of the Iraqi militiamen.

"A rapacious colonial war": Interview with Arab journalist Said Dudin on US bombing of Al Jazeera --A WSWS team spoke with Arab journalist and writer Said Dudin last week on the Iraq war and the intimidation of Arab journalists, which culminated in the US bombing of the Al Jazeera media centre in Baghdad on April 8... Dudin emphasised there could be no doubt that the aim of the US bombing of Al Jazeera was the decapitation of its work in Iraq.

Arab world set to foot the war bill --The US-led war on Iraq could cost as much as $1,000 billion in lost production in Arab countries, a UN economic seminar in Beirut warned on Monday.

Saddam Hussein's lions, tigers and bears go hungry --Two of Saddam Hussein's leopards stare out glumly from a cage surrounded by netting on the grounds of the presidential palace in the heart of Baghdad.

Keep your eye on the ball --by Brent Flynn "...how many Americans have forgotten that it was a CIA coup that brought Saddam Hussein's Baath party into power in the first place? How many have forgotten that it was the United States that helped Saddam consolidate his power as a counter balance to the Islamic fundamentalist government of Iran? But more importantly, how many times did our government and media remind us of these historical facts?"

Ultimate Insiders --by Bob Herbert " The primary goal of Mr. [Donald] Rumsfeld's visit to Baghdad [in December, 1983] was to improve relations with Iraq. But another matter was also quietly discussed. The powerful Bechtel Group in San Francisco, of which Secretary Shultz had been president before joining the Reagan administration, wanted to build an oil pipeline from Iraq to the Jordanian port of Aqaba, near the Red Sea. It was a billion-dollar project and the U.S. government wanted Saddam to sign off on it."

The other Saddam --by Mani Shankar Aiyar "[President] Saddam ran a brutal dictatorship. That, however, caused no concern to the hordes of Western businessmen who descended in droves on Iraq to siphon what they could of Iraq's newfound oil wealth through lucrative contracts for everything."

International protests against the US-led war on Iraq --Reports from Spain, India, and Los Angeles from this past weekend

Hundreds of war protesters protest at Chevron gates (CA) Chanting "No Blood for Oil," hundreds of war protesters blocked the gates at Chevron's world headquarters in San Ramon on Monday.

Anti-war protesters rally at oil company, dozens arrested (CA) As the Pentagon declared an end to the ground war in Iraq, anti-war protesters took their pleas for peace to the headquarters of one of the world's biggest oil companies.

Moore slams Bush in Texas --Filmmaker Michael Moore continued his criticism before a university crowd in Mr. Bush’s home state. Moore said the United States is at war with Iraq because Mr. Bush needed to keep the public’s eye off his domestic failures as president [sic].

Kazakh challenges Bush to saber duel --A retired colonel who fought in World War II and who opposes U.S. intervention in Iraq has challenged Dictator George W. Bush to a duel with sabers, media reported Tuesday.

Hall's Petroskey Throws Wild Pitch --The tables turned on National Baseball Hall of Fame president [and assistant press secretary for Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s] Dale Petroskey Monday. He had been scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mets-Expos game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, but officials in Puerto Rico, after consulting with Major League Baseball, decided the timing was not right...

U.S. Allies Also Have Chemical Weapons --A list of countries with likely chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programs is not confined to nations Washington may consider hostile. It also includes such U.S. allies as Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, India and Taiwan. [Oh, but the embedded hypocrisy is embedded with the in-bedded "journalists..." --Lori Price]

US blocks Syria pipeline --The US says it has blocked a pipeline used to pump Iraqi oil to Syria. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed a pipeline had been "shut off", but said no Iraqi infrastructure had been destroyed.

U.S. also denies Iraqi oil to Lebanon --The United States has halted the flow of Iraqi oil to Lebanon. Arab diplomatic sources said the U.S.-led invasion forces in Iraq shut down the Iraqi-Syrian oil pipeline that extended from Kirkuk to the Syrian port city of Banyas.

Bush vetoes Syria war plan --The White House has privately ruled out suggestions that the US should go to war against Syria following its military success in Iraq, and has blocked preliminary planning for such a campaign in the Pentagon, the Guardian learned yesterday.

U.S. Threatens Syria With Sanctions --The Bush dictatorship is demanding that Syria stop sponsoring terrorism and harboring remnants of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime or face diplomatic or economic sanctions.

Bush's Call to Syrians --Lawrence Eagleburger, Secretary of State under George Bush Senior, said American public opinion would not tolerate action against Syria or Iran."This is still a democracy and public opinion rules. If George Bush decided he was going to turn troops on Syria now and then Iran he'd be in office about 15 minutes. "If President [sic] Bush were to try it now, even I would feel he should be impeached. You can't get away with that sort off thing in a democracy."

EU to U.S.: 'Cool it' over Syria --European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg Monday urged Washington to tone down its confrontational rhetoric towards Syria as they attempted to carve out a role for the 15-member bloc in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.

Britain and US split on Syria --A marked difference in emphasis emerged between Britain and America yesterday over the possible extension of war in Iraq to military action against Syria.

U.S. Sharply Scolds Syria and Threatens Sanctions --The Bush regime sharply scolded Syria today, warning it to "ponder the implications" of what Washington says is that country's support of terrorism, its development of chemical weapons and its harboring of fugitives from the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Syria risks 'pariah' status, warns US --Syria faces economic sanctions and risks becoming a pariah state if it refuses to hand over Iraqi officials and abandon its suspected chemical weapons programme, America said yesterday.

Three US Marines Killed In Afghanistan --On Saturday Taliban militants killed three and wounded two US marines in the Afghan province of Kunar bordering on Pakistan, the Pakistani NNI news agency reports.

Graham Invitation Irks Muslims at Pentagon --Clergyman Has Called Islam 'Evil' --Muslim employees of the Defense Department are protesting plans for the Rev. Franklin Graham, who has called Islam an evil religion, to lead Good Friday prayers at the Pentagon.

New U.S. Medical Privacy Rules Take Effect Monday --The federal rules were issued by former President Bill Clinton shortly before he left office in January 2001. The Bush dictatorship agreed to implement them but made changes that critics said significantly weakened the protections.