The level of death squad activity in Iraq appears to far outstrip that in El Salvador 20 years ago, from which the so-called "Salvador Option" takes its name. But there was no equivcation about the fact that there was a civil war going on in El Salvador, while everyone seems intent on denying this obvious reality in Iraq. Why is that? From Reuters, Sept. 17:

Baghdad: Iraqi police found 47 more bodies of death squad victims dumped in Baghdad overnight, they said on Saturday, after Washington said it was diverting troops from other parts of Iraq to secure the embattled capital.

From the Federation of Worker Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI):

1. On Sunday [Sept. 3], hundreds of health sector workers held a strike in Nasiriyah city, 370 Km south of Baghdad and in Umara city 370 Km South-east of Baghdad. They raised demands of higher average salaries and repayment of contagious disease compensation (similar to dangers of work benefit). This sector was frozen for periods after the occupation. The strike continued for 3 days during which the workers received nothing but promises. None of the demands were met afterwards. One of the strike organizers, Jassim Muhammed, stressed the willingness of the workers to hold a sit-in for the coming days in front of the officials’ buildings in order to express their dismay of the authorities’ neglect for their demands.

From the Federation of Worker Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI):

Oil Sector Unionists Meeting in Baghdad

54 trade unionists and worker activist from the central oil sector (Baghdad and vicinity) held a meeting on Monday, September 4th in the hall of the Institute of Oil in Baghdad. They were representatives of many departments and companies of oil and gas production and industry, and other oil projects, pipelines and refineries. The leadership of FWCUI took part in the discussions and decisions of the assembly after having it planned previously.

Note that even as he asks Congress to legalize torture, Bush plans to hawk what he calls his "freedom agenda" before the UN next week. The obligatory Orwell reference here would seem almost superfluous. We hope. Sarah Ferguson writes for the Village Voice, Sept. 15:

Bush Bash Is On: Cops Give Go-Ahead to U.N. Protest March
Looks like anti-war activists will get to be within shouting distance of President Bush when he delivers his speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

What's really terrifying about Bush's bid for Congress to address the controversy around torture and detainment is that, if lawmakers take the bait, there will cease to be a torture scandal and torture will be normalized. We are approaching a tipping point in the trajectory towards real fascism. From The Guardian, Sept. 15:

From the Israeli Committee on Housing Demolitions (ICHAD), Sept. 13:

Israelis and Hezbollah Haven’t Always Been Enemies
When Hezbollah operative and diamond trader Samih Ossailly was arrested in Belgium in April of 2002, one of the items found in a search of his apartment was an End-Use Certificate (EUC) for a shipment of 113 tons of arms from the Ukraine to the Ivory Coast. So what was an Israeli arms dealer doing in possession of an identical EUC? The answer is convoluted but revealing. Ready?

On a visit to his native Germany, Pope Benedict XVI weighed in Sept. 12 before an audience at Regensburg University, where he once taught, on the contentious issue of rapport between Islam and the West. Calling for a "genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today," he began his speech by quoting a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, in a conversation with a "learned Persian" on Christianity and Islam — "and the truth of both." But the words he quoted from the emperor were: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." He went on to say that violent conversion to Islam was contrary to reason and thus "contrary to God’s nature."

As populist leaders in Bolivia and Venezuela are determined to nationalize their oil industries, Colombia's government is insisting on a privatization plan for its state-run oil company. By selling off 20% of Ecopetrol, Colombia hopes to net some $5 billion and finance new exploration to boost production, according to Armando Zamora, president of the National Hydrocarbon agency. He warns that if more crude isn't discovered soon, Colombia will begin importing oil in 2011, with devastating results for the government's finances, which depended on Ecopetrol for 7% of last year's $41 billion budget. In 2005, Ecopetrol had sales of close to $6.5 billion. The Colombian government is expected to release details of the sale in the coming weeks.