Truthout roundup 5/16

Truthout's Maya Schenwar on Thursday's "bizarre" war funding vote; case moves forward against Blackwater employee accused of murder; death toll in Burma reaches 43,000; Israel and US agree that there needs to be "tangible action" on Iran; Tom Engelhardt on American "insecurity"; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

Asking You For Money Is a Good Thing Friday 16 May 2008
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t r u t h o u t 05.16

Maya Schenwar War Funding "Victory," Bizarro-Style
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051608J.shtml Maya Schenwar, of Truthout: "At first glance, it seems like a shocking triumph for the antiwar movement: After five years of war, the House of Representatives finally voted down a war funding bill on Thursday afternoon, while simultaneously passing a provision to set a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq. The catch? The 'triumph' was engineered by House Republicans, most of whom voted 'present' on the funding bill, which would have provided $168.4 billion for operations for Iraq and Afghanistan. If the Republicans had voted for the funding, as they usually do, the 85 Democrats who voted 'yea' would've easily tipped the boat in the war funds' favor."

Probe of Blackwater Killing Moves Forward
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051608K.shtml Gene Johnson, of The Associated Press: "A Justice Department team has traveled to Iraq to investigate the fatal shooting of an Iraqi guard by a security contractor, hastening the resolution of questions about whether US attorneys can prosecute him, an official said Thursday. The contractor, Andrew Moonen of Seattle, was fired by Blackwater USA but never prosecuted and eventually given an overseas job by another contractor. The shooting outraged Iraqis, who questioned how an American could go free under such circumstances."

Burma Cyclone Death Toll Soars Above 43,000
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051608L.shtmlThe Associated Press: "Burma's junta warned today that legal action would be taken against people who trade or hoard international aid as the cyclone's death toll soared above 43,000. It was the first acknowledgment by the military government, albeit indirectly, of problems with relief operations in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. The warning came amid reports that foreign aid was being sold openly in markets, and that the military was pilfering and diverting aid for its own use."

Israel: US Sees Need for "Tangible Action" on Iran
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051608M.shtml Reuters: "The United States and Israel agree on the need for 'tangible action' to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said after a visit by US President George W. Bush. 'We are on the same page. We both see the threat ... And we both understand that tangible action is required to prevent the Iranians from moving forward on a nuclear weapon,' Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said on Friday."

Tom Engelhardt Kiss American Security Goodbye
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051608N.shtml Tom Engelhardt, of Tomdispatch: "When the history of this era is finally written, based on the Tai Chi Principle, Osama bin Laden and his scattering of followers may be credited for goading the fundamentalist leaders of the United States into using the power in their grasp so - not to put a fine point on it - stupidly and profligately as to send the planet's 'sole superpower' into decline. Above all, bin Laden and his crew of fanatics will have ensured one thing: that the real security problems of our age were ignored in Washington until far too late in favor of mad dreams and dark phantoms. In this lies a bleak but epic tale of folly worthy of a great American novelist (wherever she is)."