Greg's View of Todays News - 02/02/2009

• Sky News: January death toll in Iraq lowest yet

  One hundred and forty Iraqi civilians were killed in violence across the country last month, the lowest toll since the US-led invasion of 2003, authorities say.

  • 'This toll is the lowest since 2003,' he said, adding that the figures were a clear indicator of the nation's steadily improving security situation.
    • How terrible it must be to live under an invasion - day in and day out - having your neighbours, friends and family killed as collateral damage in a war that should never have been - post by gnaylor
    
    

• Watch out for elderly during heatwave, says Kevin Rudd | The Courier-Mail

  PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has pleaded with Australians to keep an eye on elderly neighbours as a fellow parishioner succumbed to high temperatures.

  • "If you have got a neighbour getting on in years, pop on in (to check on them)," Mr Rudd said.
    • I am an 'elderly' and a 'sicky'. Even with a full time carer, I have locals from the village drop in unannounced to see how I am traveling. Being a refuge from the city, where you live next to someome for years and never get to find out how many kids they have - and where the elderly are regularly found dead in their homes for months before anyone notices, I am in awe at the compassion of country people.
      Go on, check out those oldies down the streat - they will really appreciate your concern. - post by gnaylor
    
    

• Obama To Continue Rendition - Raw News

  Two days after taking the helm of a country ready for change after eight years of George W. Bush, President Obama has allowed one controversial "War on Terror" tactic to remain in place: rendition.
  "In some ways, [rendition] is the worst option," the former official said. "If [the prisoners] are in U.S. hands, you have a lot of checks and balances, medics and lawyers. Once you turn them over to another service, you lose control.

  • Only a cursory effort “to study and evaluate the practices of transferring individuals to other nations” with a task force was offered for what has internationally been among America’s most infamous policies. In the end though, the new president has kept the practice legal. - to his discredit! - post by gnaylor
  • Despite frequent condemnation of the practice around the world, rendition -- the secret capture, transportation and detention of suspected terrorists to foreign prisons in countries that cooperate with the U.S. --remains in the CIA's playbook, thanks to a recent executive order issued by President Obama.
    • " ... in countries that ooperate with the US" ... MEANS that whilst the US sys it does not do torture - they have no qualms about shipping these people off to countries that do do turture. The very concept of using another country even to house them is in itself suspicios - post by gnaylor

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