“A police autopsy report, finally released in February, shows Abdullah died from twenty-one gunshot wounds and was found with his wrists handcuffed. At least one of the gunshot wounds entered through Abdullah’s back.”

In a related story, just when you thought the Bush era was over, President Obama makes W proud.   Obama has apparently implemented a Bush-conceived “presidential assassination program.”  Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com elaborated on President Obama’s role and the apparent presence of “hit lists.”  The executive now has the right to target and assassinate American citizens without due process of law, outside of battle, and only on the suspicion of criminal activity.   Greenwald writes:

“. . . in Barack Obama’s America, the way guilt is determined for American citizens — and a death penalty imposed — is that the President, like the King he thinks he is, secretly decrees someone’s guilt as a Terrorist.  He then dispatches his aides to run to America’s newspapers — cowardly hiding behind the shield of anonymity which they’re granted — to proclaim that the Guilty One shall be killed on sight because the Leader has decreed him to be a Terrorist. “

In other empire news, WikiLinks.org released military video this week showing US military forces killing plain clothes Iraqis and two Reuters reporters.  Though several of the men appeared armed, the attack from an American Apache helicopter was unprovoked.  The American soldiers heard on the video come off as trigger happy and looking for justification to shoot.  The attack footage eventually shows the evisceration of an unmarked van which had arrived to rescue one of the wounded reporters.  Inside the van were two young children.  Upon realizing the children were in the van, one of the US soldiers over the radio blames the Iraqis for bringing the kids “into battle.” Two versions of the video are available at the link above. The following link is the shorter, edited version:

Collateral Murder

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ableman/351362491/

Click here to download the MP3

The measure is non-binding, but demonstrates the US government’s disconnect with the international community.  The United Nations and countries from around the globe have called for immediate ceasefire.  Outcry has spread around world against the disproportionate response of the Israeli army.  Democracy Now! reported yesterday, as did the BBC, that Israeli has been targeting civilian sites, including a UN aid agency which was burned severely by white phosphorus.  The UN site had become a sanctuary for Palestinians fleeing their homes.   Israel has since apologized for that attack.

We Refuse to be Enemies is calling for all concerned to gather at the Federal Building on Main Street in Hartford after which they will march to Larson’s office.  Here are the details:

TODAY – January 16, 2009
We Refuse to Be Enemies – March and Rally
Federal Building
450 Main Street, Hartford CT
3:00pm-4:00pm

From the We Refuse to be Enemies press release:

Larson was the house co-sponsor of the “AIPAC Resolution” passed Jan. 9 that blames Hamas and justifies the Israeli govt for the Massacre in Gaza.

When our entire Congressional Delegation co-signs the Massacre, we must refuse to be silent, we must refuse to allow this heinous propaganda to go unanswered.

In related news, the Media Education Foundation has released its acclaimed documentary, Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, online for free in response to the conflict.  It can be watched online or downloaded. The film details the Israeli occupation in defiance of UN resolutions and other violations documented by Amnesty International, some of which have been labeled “war crimes.”   Watch or download the video by visiting pppl.org.

The slumping economy has not affected Exxon Mobil, the largest of the large US oil companies.  AP Business reports that the petroleum giant “shattered its own record for the biggest profit from operations by a U.S. corporation, earning $14.83 billion in the third quarter.”  This adds to historic profits at the Irving, Texas based conglomerate.   For more details, click here.