Truthout roundup 5/15

Truthout's Christopher Kuttruff on new net neutrality legislation; local opposition to Blackwater's proposed training facility near San Diego; string of losses worrying Republicans; politics is interfering with intelligence reforms; Bush policies have squeezed out moderates in the Middle East; House passes veto-proof farm bill; Robert Scheer on the torture of the torture laws; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

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Christopher Kuttruff New Legislation and Debate on Net Neutrality
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508J.shtml Christopher Kuttruff, of Truthout: "Last week, lawmakers proposed legislation on network neutrality that would open up the possibility for antitrust lawsuits against companies that violate the bill's regulations. The bill has fueled the ongoing debate about the implications of network regulation. On Thursday, May 8, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) introduced the 'Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2008' (H.R. 5994) which seeks to prevent anti-competitive and discriminatory activity by broadband Internet service providers."

Blackwater's Proposed San Diego Training Facility Draws Criticism
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508K.shtml Tony Perry, of The Los Angeles Times: "Blackwater Worldwide, the global security firm whose conduct in Iraq has drawn criticism, is again trying to open a training facility in the face of local opposition. In March, the firm dropped plans to build a 220-acre training camp in rural Potrero, about 45 miles east of downtown San Diego. A coalition of rural property owners, environmentalists and antiwar activists opposed its effort to build a 'combat town.'"

Republican Election Losses Stir Fall Fears
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508L.shtml Adam Nagourney and Carl Hulse, of The New York Times: "The Republican defeat in a special Congressional contest in Mississippi sent waves of apprehension across an already troubled party Wednesday, with some senior Republicans urging Congressional candidates to distance themselves from President Bush to head off what could be heavy losses in the fall. The victory by Travis Childers, a conservative Democrat elected in a once-steadfast Republican district on Tuesday, was the third defeat of a Republican in a special Congressional race this year."

Political Clashes Underline Limits to Intelligence Reform
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508M.shtml Greg Miller, of The Los Angeles Times: "As head of analysis for all US spy agencies, Thomas Fingar was making final edits last summer on a long-awaited intelligence report on Iran. The draft concluded that Tehran was still pursuing a nuclear bomb, a finding that echoed previous assessments and would have bolstered Bush administration hawks. Then, just weeks before the report was to be delivered to the White House, new intelligence surfaced indicating that Tehran's nuclear weapons work had stopped."

David Ignatius The Squeeze on the Middle East's Moderates
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508N.shtml David Ignatius, of The Washington Post: "Watching the news from Lebanon, it's poignant to read the title of a new memoir by Jordan's former foreign minister, Marwan Muasher, 'The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation.' The daily headlines tell us that centrist Arabs such as Muasher are becoming an endangered species. The center is under siege in Lebanon and across the Middle East as the region becomes more polarized between Iranian-backed extremists and US-backed forces."

House Approves Farm Bill by Veto-Proof Margin
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508O.shtml Michael Doyle, of McClatchy Newspapers: "The House on Wednesday emphatically approved a massive five-year farm bill by a veto-proof margin, setting up President Bush for a major political embarrassment. Brushing off Bush's opposition, many Republicans joined a majority of Democrats in approving the farm bill 318-106. This is well over the two-thirds vote needed to override Bush's promised veto."

Robert Scheer The Tortured Law on Torture
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051508P.shtml Robert Scheer, of Truthdig: "Ah, yes, those torture confessions have proved so useful. That, at least, was the claim of our president in justifying one of the most egregious assaults ever on this nation's commitment to the rule of law. But now comes news that charges have been dropped against the so-called Sept. 11 attacks' 20th hijacker, one of dozens so identified, because the 'evidence' he supplied under torture and later recanted is not credible enough to go to trial. That fact, of course, will not compel President Bush to cut the tortured prisoner loose."