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Iraq War Outcome Predicted in 1999 (NSA Website, 11-4-06) . . .   A 1999 war-games
study by 70 experts just uncovered, ‘Desert Crossing’, concluded 400,000 troops would be needed, but
even with that many troops disaster would result.  The GWU National Security Archive had to file a
request under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the documents. Among the findings:

Even before the invasion, General Zinni had made his opposition to an imminent war widely
known. In a major address at the Middle East Institute in October 2002, he disputed the view
that war was either inevitable or desirable. On the question of establishing a new government to
replace Saddam Hussein, he said, "God help us if we think this transition will occur easily."

Regime change may cause regional instability by opening the doors to ‘rival forces bidding for
power’ which, in turn, could cause societal ‘fragmentation along religious and/or ethnic lines’
and antagonize ‘aggressive neighbors.’ Secure borders and a restoration of civil order may not
be enough to stabilize Iraq if the replacement government were perceived as weak, subservient
to outside powers, or out of touch with other regional governments. An exit strategy would also
be complicated by differing visions for a post-Saddam Iraq among those involved in the conflict.

If the U.S. were to establish a transitional government, it would likely encounter difficulty from a
‘period of widespread bloodshed in which various factions seek to eliminate their enemies.’  The
creation of a democratic government in Iraq was not feasible, but a new pluralistic Iraqi
government which included nationalist leaders might be possible, suggesting that nationalist
leaders were a stabilizing force.

Nuclear Weapons Primer Posted Online (NY Times, 11-03-06) . . .
U.S. website containing nuclear weapon details shut down after NY Times inquiry . . .

“The documents, roughly a dozen in number, contain charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy
narratives about bomb building that nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what
is available elsewhere on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give
detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as
the radioactive cores of atom bombs.”  Other “topics included physical theory, the atomic core
and high-explosive experiments.”   

“John Negroponte warned us that we don’t know what’s in these documents, so these are being
put out at some risk, and that was a warning that he put out right when they first released the
documents.” Andrew H. Card Jr., former White House chief of staff, on NBC’s “Today” show

“For the U.S. to toss a match into this flammable area is very irresponsible. There’s a lot of
things about nuclear weapons that are secret and should remain so.”  A. Bryan Siebert, former
director of classification, DOE

Official Reply . . . The government has “developed a sound process to review the documents to
ensure sensitive or dangerous information is not posted.”  The complaints about the site “didn’t
sound like a big deal.  We were a little surprised when they pulled the plug.”  Jamal Ware,
spokesman for Representative Peter Hoekstra, House Intelligence Committee. “We’re confident
the D.N.I. is taking the appropriate steps to maintain the balance between public information
and national security.”  Gordon D. Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council

Destruction of Ocean Fisheries (LA Times, 11-2-06) . . .
The journal Science published a study by a team of scientists from 12 universities, the first overview of
the consequences of unchecked human abuse of life in the world's oceans.  Some of the findings . . .  



"We really see the end of the line now.  It's within our lifetime. Our children will see a world
without seafood if we don't change things. It looks grim and the projection of the trend into the
future looks even grimmer.  But it's not too late to turn this around. It can be done, but it must
be done soon. It just requires a big chunk of political will to do it"  Prof. Boris Worm

"Kinds of seafood that were very common and quite abundant in past decades are not there
now.  Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the oceans species together, as
working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood."  Stephen Palumbi,
Stanford University, co-author

Official Reply . . .  "The projection is way too pessimistic, at least for the United States.  We've
got the message. We will continue to reverse this trend."  Steven Murawski, Chief Scientist,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Hunger In America (AP, 11-1-06) . . .
38 million Americans suffered from hunger last year. Critics contend the Economic Research Service’s
annual October report is being withheld because of worsening results until after elections . . .

Similar to the IRS decision to delay collecting back taxes from last year's hurricane victims . . .  "It
seems like a pattern is emerging where the administration simply tries to bury bad information
the closer they get to the election."  Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

The administration "continues to put politics ahead of hunger in America."  Rep. Rosa DeLauro
(D-Conn), House Farm Spending Subcommittee

"Our real concern is that so few people are talking about the problem and proposing ways to
address that struggle with hunger that 38 million people constantly face.  That goes for the
administration, for both parties in Congress and for the private sector,   If we ought to be able
to do anything as a country, it's that we ought to be able to get enough adequate, decent food
to everybody.”  Jim Weill, President, Food Research and Action Center

Official Reply . . .  "There has been absolutely no political pressure to hold this report." Terri
Teuber, Agricultural Department Spokeswoman

Negative, Misleading Attack Ads (Capital Hill Blue, 11-1-06) . . .
Report Findings: Negative ads outnumber positive ads 10-1 . . .  

"Both political parties are functioning in the 2006 House races as factories for attack ads, but
the National Republican Campaign Committee's work stands out this year for the sheer volume
of assaults on the personal character of Democratic House challengers. . .   However, the DCCC
ads generally attack Republican candidates on policy issues or their performance in office –
accusing them of casting votes favorable to drug or oil companies, or of supporting President
Bush's unpopular policies in Iraq or on Social Security."   Annenberg Public Policy Center,
FactCheck.org Website, 10-27-06

"It's good cop, bad cop.  The parties can throw the sharp elbows and give the candidates
plausible deniability."   Evan Tracey, COO, TNSMI/Campaign Media Analysis Group

A negative ad works because the charges are remembered by voters . . . "But it works only in the
narrow sense.  In the long run what it does is create a tremendous amount of distrust in the
process."   Dr. Ray Seidelman, Professor of Politics, Sarah Lawrence College

Meltdown of The U.S. Economy (Associated Press, 10-30-06) . . .
The GAO Comptroller General and Leading Economists are touring across America warning of the
massive accumulating national debt and associated reckless borrowing from foreign governments . . .

"This is about the future of our country, our kids and grandkids. We the people have to rise up
to make sure things get changed.”  Regarding the dim awareness by most Americans of the extreme
danger to our nation's economic health . . . "You can't solve a problem until the majority of the
people believe you have a problem that needs to be solved."  David M. Walker, Comptroller
General of the United States

Macroeconomic meltdown is probably preventable. But to keep it at bay, the government is
essentially going to have to renegotiate some of the promises it has made to its citizens,
probably by some combination of tax increases and benefit cuts.   Anjan Thakor, Professor of
Finance, Washington University in St. Louis

Regarding the enormous, escalating cost of Medicare and its contribution to our fiscal problems . . .
"Obviously health care is a mess. No one's been willing to touch it, but that's what I see as front
and center."  Dean Baker, Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research

Regarding the inevitability of passing massive national debts on to our children and grandchildren,
requiring them to pay the bills . . .   "It's an unfair burden for future generations."   Dr. Diane Lim
Rogers, Economist, the Brookings Institution

Stolen Iraqi Weapons . . .
Findings from the office of the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, an inquiry requested by
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner . . .

"The U.S. military cannot account for about 278,000 weapons (assault rifles, machine guns,
rocket-propelled grenade launchers, pistols, etc.) destined for 325,500 members of the Iraqi
Security Forces."  (Capital Hill Blue, 10-30-06)

There is no documentation confirming coalition forces had registered their serial numbers, a
serious problem “given the importance of controlling these sensitive items — particularly given
the security environment in Iraq."

It is unknown how many of these weapons have fallen into enemy hands and are being used
against U.S. troops.  Also unknown:  how money allocated for spare parts was spent.

Official Version . . .    Military officials announced they will now launch a “process to accurately
issue weapons by quantity and serial number listing.”

Accuracy and Integrity of E-Voting . . .
With elections only one week away . . .  

"The core of our American democracy is the right to vote. Implicit in that right is the notion that
that vote be private, that vote be secure, and that vote be counted as it was intended when it
was cast by the voter. And I think what we're encountering is a pivotal moment in our
democracy where all of that is being called into question."  Kevin Shelley, former Calif. Secretary
of State   (www.VerifiedVoting.org)

Twenty-three states still do not require a paper record of all votes, despite the demonstrated
technical failures of e-voting machines in the 2004 presidential election — including the
complete loss of thousands of votes. In turn, voters cannot verify that the e-voting machines
are recording their votes as intended, and election officials cannot conduct recounts. Most of
these machines use "black box" software that hasn't been publicly reviewed for security . . .   
But poorly-designed machines are not the only problem. Most election workers remain woefully
under-trained regarding potential e-voting problems. Vendor technicians frequently have
unsupervised access to voting equipment. Local election officials routinely deny attempts to
examine e-voting audit data.  (Electronic Frontier Foundation website, 10-29-06)

With regard to proprietary voting machines purchased from a Venezuelan firm . . .   “The government
should know who owns our voting machines; that is a national security concern.  There seems to
have been an obvious effort to obscure the ownership of the company.”  Rep. Carolyn Maloney,
(D-NY), who requested the CFIUS inquiry   (NY Times, 10-29-06)

Confusing Healthcare Provider Data (Miami Herald, 10-29-06) . . .
Regarding useful, transparent provider information deemed critical to improving quality and costs . . .

Much healthcare information remains hidden, particularly about problem doctors, mistakes in
hospitals and the industry's bizarre pricing system.  (John Dorschner, Reporter, Miami Herald)

“There is a good amount of flaw” in the hospital data. “I don't think that the data truly is
showing the consumer what's really going on. Even so, “if I were a consumer, I would go look at
it.”  Abbe Bendell, Executive, Jackson Memorial Hospital

“Right now, it's a lot of data,” rather than useful information, Dr. Ronald Giffler, Director,
Broward County Medical Association

“I don't think these sites are user-friendly.”  Marilyn Van Houten, South Miami-Dade County
resident

Devastation of Sea Turtle Populations (Oceana, Press Release, 10-26-06) . . .
The federal government authorizes commercial fishing operations in the United States to kill
nearly 10,000 sea turtles and harm another 334,000 each year without assessing the harm
done to populations of endangered and threatened sea turtles. Oceana's report, Net Casualties,
based the government's own documents and data, is the first time anyone has tallied the total
number of sea turtles the government authorizes U.S. commercial fishing operations to harm
and kill.  Sea turtles have been swimming the world's oceans since before the dinosaurs
roamed the earth, more than 110 million years ago. However, these treasures of ancient times
are now on the brink of extinction (within 30 years). All six sea turtles species found in U.S.
waters are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

"Commercial fishing could be driving sea turtles to extinction, and the government really
doesn't seem to care.  The system is broken when the government allows commercial fishing
operations to harm and kill large numbers of sea turtles, which it's supposed to protect under
the Endangered Species Act.  Most people would assume that fishing would stop when a limit is
reached for the number of sea turtles a fishery can harm and kill.  Unfortunately for the turtles,
the government clearly doesn't operate this way.  It's time for the government to take its
responsibilities seriously, and take action now, before it is too late for the turtles."  Elizabeth
Griffin, marine wildlife scientist at Oceana

For virtually all fisheries, the government has no idea how many turtles are actually caught and
killed. Worse yet, those few fisheries where estimates exist for turtle deaths and injuries, the
government lets fishing continue when the "limits" for injuring and killing sea turtles are
reached-regardless of its toll on sea turtles.

Defacto DNA Testing of Immigrants (Washington Post, 10-25-06) . . .
"In many consulates, DNA testing has really become the norm."  Daniel Park, immigration
attorney, Alexandria VA

"What's troubling is that it seems like the availability of DNA testing is leading to a greater level
of mistrust of identity documents that otherwise would have been readily accepted."  Alison
Brown, Attorney, Silver Spring.

"My son said the official told him very simply, 'No DNA test, no visa.' . . . There was no
explanation."  Mehdie Halatai, Oakton, client of immigration attorney Parastoo Zahedi

Official version . . .   "Our policy is explicitly that it is not required. It is always voluntary. The
confusion may arise from the fact that we do require applicants to prove they are who they say
they are. If everything else they present doesn't prove that, then we may suggest genetic
testing."  Tony Edson, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Visa Services, State Department

Deteriorating Freedom of The Press (Washington Post, 10-24-06) . . .
Source: Reporters Without Borders, 2006 Worldwide Press Freedom Index

"Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the
president used the pretext of 'national security' to regard as suspicious any journalist who
questioned his 'war on terrorism.' "

"The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 U.S. states, refuse to recognize the
media's right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no
connection at all with terrorism."

Classified Documents Recovered At Off-site Drug Bust . . .
Danielle Brian, Executive Director, Project on Government Oversight  (AP, 10-24-06)  

"Los Alamos has always seemed to be rewarded for its screw-ups. We're waiting with bated
breath to see if anything has changed."

"The problem is when you actually have those materials that are supposed to be protected
inside the lab and you find them outside the lab in the hands of criminals - that should worry
everybody."

$800M Of U.S. Funds Stolen By Iraqi Officials . . .
Ali Allawi, Iraq’s Former Finance Minister  (AP, 10-23-06)

This is a case of massive arms fraud, "one of the biggest thefts in history".  The corrupt Iraqi
officials involved are now "running around the world hiding and scurrying around."

"The only explanation I can come up with is that too many people in positions of power and
authority in the new Iraq have been, in one way or another, found with their hands inside the
cookie jar.  And if they are brought to trial, it will cast a very disparaging light on those people
(U.S. officials) who supported them and brought them to this position of power and authority."

"We have not been given any serious, official support from either the United States or the U.K.
or any of the surrounding Arab countries.”

Mismanaged Organ Transplant Program (LA Times, 10-22-06) . . .
"The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees the nation's federally funded
transplant centers . . .   Both, for instance, are supposed to keep an eye on death rates. But
they rarely have shared information and have different standards for flagging errant programs.  
One characteristic they often share: failing to act decisively."  The LA Times reported June 2006
that Medicare had neglected to pull funding from nearly 50 programs that did not meet its
minimum standards.

"It seems like UNOS is often a day late and a dollar short.  Most people are kind of shaking
their heads and saying, 'Who's minding the store?' "  Dr. Mark Fox, Assoc. Director, Oklahoma
Bioethics Center, former chairman of the UNOS ethics committee.

"It's kind of like the fox guarding the chicken house.  These folks have a short period of time
to get their house in order or else they're begging greater government interference and
enforcement."  U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chairman, Senate Finance Committee.  
(Grassley ordered a GAO investigation of the country's transplant oversight system.)

"UNOS really can't police itself.  Everybody is beholden."  Dr. John J. Fung, director of the
Cleveland Clinic's transplant center and a former UNOS board member.

Under-Performing U.S. Students (Washington Times, 10-20-06) . . .
"If they're not learning it, we need to be honest with them. There's no reason that American
students can't perform as well as Singapore students."    Tom Loveless, Author, Brown Center
2006 Report on American Education, Brooking Institution

Teachers must work in the context of students' cultures and age levels.  "We use the phrase
'real-world mathematics.'  Well, whose world is it?"   Dr. Francis "Skip" Fennell, President,
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Professor - McDaniel College

"I think that it's absolutely essential for students to have a basic knowledge of facts.  On the
other hand, I'd also like my students to be able to reason about the mathematics that they
know and to apply that mathematics."  Michael Pearson, Director Of Programs And Services,
Mathematical Association of America

Lobbyist Money Used To Rank Lawmakers (report: Public Citizen) . . .
Why doesn't the government provide this information to the public online, realtime?

"Lobbyists and their political action committees (PACs) have contributed at least $103.1 million
to members of Congress since 1998. This is the first comprehensive effort to match names of
lobbyists with Federal Election Commission campaign contribution data." (Public Citizen Website)

"When lobbyists give members of Congress money, they expect — and often get — something
in return."  Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook  (Washington Times, 10-19-06)

"Candidates across the political spectrum are far too dependent on big-moneyed donors,
lobbyists, out-of-state money and PACs.  People on Capitol Hill who have been staffers will tell
you, they know who their $2,000 contributors are…. They're a lot more likely to get their phone
calls returned. They're a lot more likely to get a meeting with a member of Congress."   Taylor
Lincoln, Research Director, Public Citizen's Congress Watch   (Washington Times, 10-19-06)

Inadequate Medical Board Websites . . .
(Press Release, Public Citizen Website, 10-17-06)

“Most states have dangerously inadequate websites. Physicians may be disciplined for offenses
such as negligence, incompetence, sexual misconduct and breaking criminal laws. Patients
need to weigh this information when choosing a doctor. Yet, the survey found a wide range of
Website quality, with very few states providing disciplinary actions other than those taken by the
boards themselves. Forty-four of the 65 boards provided none of this external information.  
Some sites allow convenient, multi-variable searches while others bury disciplinary information
in unsearchable documents.”

“All sites should provide detailed disciplinary information that is updated frequently and
includes the action taken, the date of the action, the offense leading to the action, a summary
of the details of the action and the full text of the board order. All state legislatures should
pass laws to require medical and osteopathic boards to obtain and post verified criminal,
malpractice, hospital and federal disciplinary information about physicians and to provide that
information to consumers in an easily-accessible format.” (Dr. Sidney Wolfe, Director, Public
Citizen’s Health Research Group)

“There can be no meaningful consumer choice if critical information is denied to patients.
Clearly there is more work to be done to ensure that patients and their doctors have all the
information they need to make informed choices about their medical care.”  Dr. Peter Lurie,
Dep. Director, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group

Medical Care – Costly, Sporadic, Results Depend On Location . . .
(ABC News/Kaiser Foundation/USA Today – Health Care in America 2006 Survey, 10-16-06)

"Physicians and hospitals, by and large, get paid by the piece for what they do, so they have no
financial interest in looking hard at the issue of overuse. The U.S. health system does a great
job in developing new and innovative treatments, but it does not do a good job in thoroughly
and rapidly evaluating those innovations to find out when they work and when they don't."   Dr.
Mark Chassin, Prof. / Chair - Health Policy, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine (USA Today, 10-17-06)

"Certain areas (of the country) seem to have more surgery and not necessarily because there
are more surgeons there."  Dr. James Weinstein, study author and Professor / Chair -
Orthopedics, Dartmouth Univ.  (USA Today, 10-17-06)

Junk Foods Marketed To Children (Washington Post, 10-17-06) . . .
Regarding Disney’s new policy to license its characters only to more nutritious foods . . .

"It's a great first step, but it can't be their last. They also need to address their television
advertising."  Margo Wootan, Director Of Nutrition Policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest

"They need to stop advertising junk food on their television stations and on ABC."  Susan Linn,
Co-Founder, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

Declining Power Grid Capacity . . .
Major blackouts coming as electrical demand accelerates while capacity grows slowly . . .

As the demand for electricity continues to rapidly rise while generation capacity lags behind,
"the adequacy of North America's electricity system will decline unless changes are made
soon."  Rick P. Sergel, President, North American Electric Reliability Council  (AP, 10-16-06)

“The situation has existed for a long time, but we cannot let it continue.”  Rick P. Sergel,   
(NY Times, 10-16-06)

Poorly Defended Nuclear Storages Facilities . . .
(Project on Government Oversight Report, Released 10-16-06)

"Currently, both Y-12 and ORNL (nuclear storage facilities) are at high risk because their guard
forces cannot meet the required security strategy that would deny a terrorist access to the fissile
materials stored at these sites.  ORNL is the most poorly protected site in the U.S. nuclear
weapons complex.  If the (POGO) investigators had intended to do harm, they could have
quickly detonated a device to blow up the building.”  The devastation would be equivalent to
the WWII Hiroshima blast.

"We all know that is because [the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget]
denied funding, but since we will be defending the administration's position, we won't be able to
say that. I think there is serious risk to our credibility if we say nothing." Linton F. Brooks,
Director - Deterrence Concepts Advisory Panel  (LA Times, 10-16-06)

Outdated Genetic Test Lab Standards . . .
Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Suddenly Decline To Upgrade Genetic Labs . . .

"In 2000, CMS thought the creation of rulemaking with CLIA was a good idea. Until just a few
months ago, CMS said new rules to strengthen and ensure the quality of genetic labs should be
under CLIA.  But now CMS says it 'will focus on beefed-up oversight of genetic testing labs
under current rules.'"  Catherine D. O'Connell, senior scientist, Tetracore Inc. (biotech R&D).   
(Washington Times, 10-15-06)

"We're very disappointed.  After years of saying they were going to do this, they did a complete
about-face ... with no justification. We're mystified."  Rick Borchelt, Genetics and Public Policy
Center.   (Washington Times, 10-15-06)

Mismanaged Government Databases . . .
Personal, Medical, Financial Information On All U.S. Citizens At Risk . . .

"The federal government compiles and holds sensitive personal information on every citizen,
including health records, tax returns and military records. All 19 Departments and agencies
reported at least one loss of personally identifiable information since January 2003.  In many
cases, agencies do not know what information they have, who has access to the information,
and what devices containing information have been lost, stolen or misplaced."  House
Government Reform Committee Report,  Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, (R-VA) Chair.  (House
Committee Website, 10-13-06)

"Americans expect their private information to be protected. But the reality is that federal
security systems remain far too vulnerable."  Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles),
Committee Member   (LA Times, 10-14-06)

Dysfunctional Healthcare Sector . . .
"I've come to conclude there really isn't a health-care system. There's a health-care sector.  
There's really nothing that connects it together into an economic system."  HHS Secretary Mike
Leavitt  (Indianapolis Star, 10-13-06)

"Every American should have access to a full range of information about the quality and cost of
their health care options."  HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt  (HHS Website, 10-13-06)

Consumers deserve to know the quality and cost of their health care. Health care transparency
provides consumers with the information necessary, and the incentive, to choose health care
providers based on value.  Providing reliable cost and quality information empowers consumer
choice. Consumer choice creates incentives at all levels, and motivates the entire system to
provide better care for less money. Improvements will come as providers can see how their
practice compares to others.  (HHS Website, 10-13-06)

Massive Trade Deficits (NY Times, 10-12-06) . . .
Record $69.9 billion in August 2006, up nearly 3% from the previous record in July . . .

“This is probably as bad as it gets.”  Paul Ashworth, Senior Economist, Capital Economics

“The trade balance should improve significantly soon.  August, however, was never going to be
the starting point with the lagged effects of higher oil prices.” Dimitry Fleming, Economist, ING

Limited FBI Language Skills (Washington Post, 10-12-06) . . .
Five years after 9/11, only 33 of 12,000 FBI agents know any basic Arabic . . .

It’s “a serious problem.  With any new immigrant communities, they need these language
skills, whether it's Vietnamese or Pakistani or Arabic. It also often gives you extra cultural
knowledge and sensitivity. It makes you more sensitive to nuance, which is what investigations
are often all about."  Daniel Byman, Assoc. Prof., Georgetown Univ. Security Studies Program

"There are no agent positions, at any level, in either International Terrorism Operations
Sections I or II that utilize the Arabic language as part of their ITOS duties or responsibilities.  
As such, knowledge of the Arabic language is not a skill set utilized by either ITOS I or II."  
Michael J. Heimbach, head of ITOS

Misleading Federal Budget Deficit Projections (Washington Post, 10-11-06) . . .
"It's amazing how word games have been used to hide from the American people how serious
our fiscal situation really is.  All of the happy talk is just that."  Social Security taxes spent in
2005 but not counted actually add another $550 billion in debt.   Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.),
Senate Budget Committee

"The consensus among economists is that the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 and the extensions
have done little to boost economic growth, having been offset by increased spending."  
Revenue may be stronger than expected, "But what we're seeing is the calm before the storm.  
Everyone knows that the current revenue and spending structures taken together will be
unsustainable as the baby-boom generation begins to enter its retirement years."   Robert D.
Reischauer, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, President Urban Institute

Flavored Cigarettes Marketed To Children . . .
(Press Release, Illinois Attorney General’s Website, 10-11-06)

"In marketing their flavored cigarettes, what Reynolds did was really to lure our youth into
smoking by enticing them with candy and candy flavors."  Lisa Madigan, Illinois Atty. General  
(Chicago Tribune, 10-12-06)

"This is an important step forward in our national campaign to curb tobacco use and highlights
the need for the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to ensure that these and other tobacco
products are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."  John L.  Kirkwood, President
and CEO, American Lung Association

"There is no more flagrant recent example of tobacco marketing to kids than RJR's candy and
alcohol flavored cigarettes. This landmark settlement achieves a major public health victory for
America's kids and families in the never-ending battle to prevent the tobacco industry from
marketing to our children."  Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
“Flavored cigarettes were simply a ploy to sell tobacco to our youth.  Thankfully, today's
settlement brings an end to that shameful practice.  We commend Attorney General Madigan
on her efforts,” said Joel J. Africk, President and CEO, American Lung Assoc. of Chicago

U.S. Products Containing Chemicals Banned Abroad (LA Times, 10-8-06) . . .
"The dumping problem is concentrated in a few product sectors. But these sectors happen to be
really ubiquitous in the everyday lives of Americans. Chemical risks are being spread all over
the country in ways that are invisible to consumers."  Alastair Iles, former chemical policy
research fellow, UC Berkeley.

"We have a problem that needs to be addressed, we have technology to do it, and there is no
requirement for it to happen. Nationally, no one is stepping forward, so we think this is an area
where we can."  Mike Scheible, Dep. Exec. Officer, California Air Resources Board

"I'll guarantee you that no one tells a customer building a $75,000 kitchen that their cabinets
contain plywood from China that will off-gas formaldehyde."  Larry Percivalle, EarthSource Forest
Products

Declining U.S. Military-Industrial Base (Indianapolis Star, 10-8-06) . . .
"The industrial base just isn't there if we ever had to surge production.''  Craig MacNab, AM
General, manufacturer of the Humvee

"If we needed to seriously increase our capacity for military goods, it'd be a real challenge.''  
Bruce Braker, President, Tooling and Manufacturers Assoc.

"One area of utmost concern for the Defense Department and defense industry is
manufacturing machine tools.  There is a compelling case to be made that both the federal
government and the private sector need to step up their investments in manufacturing
technology, so we can remain competitive with economic powerhouses such as Japan, Germany
and China.''  Lawrence Farrell Jr., retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general, National Defense
magazine, Feb. 2005.

"Imports may be the thing to do, but no one has asked the question, 'To what extent is a
strong U.S.-located manufacturing base still vital to U.S. national security?' "  Alan Tonelson,
Economist, U.S. Business and Industry Council

Insecure Medicare-Medicaid Patient Data . . .
At a time the Bush Administration is promoting electronic medical and pharmaceutical records . . .

"Significant weaknesses in electronic access and other system controls threatened the
confidentiality and availability of sensitive CMS financial and medical information when it was
transmitted across the network. CMS did not always ensure that its contractor effectively
implemented electronic access controls designed to prevent, limit, and detect unauthorized
access to sensitive computing resources and devices used to support the communication
network. Numerous vulnerabilities in several areas: user identification and authentication, user
authorization, system boundary protection, cryptography, and auditing and monitoring of
security-related events. . .  As a result, sensitive, personally identifiable medical data traversing
the network is vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure and these weaknesses could lead to
disruptions in CMS services."  (GAO Report Abstract)

The security weaknesses “could ultimately result in unauthorized disclosure of sensitive
information, improper Medicare payments or disruption of critical operations,”  Daniel R.
Levinson, Inspector General, DHHS  (NY Times, 10-8-06)

"Beneficiaries and providers expect that sensitive health information is protected, and it's up to
the agency officials to ensure the system is secure."  Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA),
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee  (Washington Post, 10-4-06)

“We are very concerned about the specific control weaknesses”  Mark McClellan, Administrator,
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  (NY Times, 10-8-06)

Rep. Foley Emails To 16 Year-Old House Page . . .
"Mark Foley knew that he could get away with this type of behavior with male pages because he
was a congressman. But many people on Capitol Hill," including many Republican staffers,
"have known for over 11 years about what was going on and chose to do nothing."   Mark Beck-
Heyman, Former Republican Page, 1996.  (Washington Post, 10-4-06)

“As the author of laws designed to protect children on the Internet, I was appalled at the recent
revelations that a member of Congress engaged in reprehensible behavior toward young
people connected to the congressional page program. Congress should thoroughly investigate
this matter and, in cooperation with law enforcement authorities, support all proper legal
action."  Rep Mike Pence, (R-Ind.)  (Washington Post, 10-1-06)

Regarding the House’s vote to investigate . . . “Since that resolution unanimously passed,
Republican leaders have admitted to knowing about Mr. Foley’s outrageous behavior for six
months to a year, and they chose to cover it up rather than to protect these children.”  Rep.
Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA)  (Washington Post, 10-1-06)

Official Response . . . "[N]o one in the leadership, including Speaker Hastert, had any knowledge
of the warped and sexually explicit instant messages that were revealed by ABC News last
Friday. Had Speaker Hastert or anyone else in our leadership known about Mr. Foley's
despicable conduct, I'm confident the speaker would have moved to expel Mr. Foley
immediately and turn him over to the appropriate authorities."  House Majority Leader John A.
Boehner (R-OH), letter to The Washington Times 10-3-06   (Washington Times, 10-4-06)

The War In Iraq . . .
"We're beginning to lose. This year has been a constant, gradual deterioration ... from a
starting point that wasn't very good to begin with. We're in bad, bad trouble."  Michael
O'Hanlon, Military Analyst, Brookings Institution.  (Washington Post, 9-29-06)

"We still don't have a handle on what this insurgency is and who's in it and why. Despite all the
progress, people are still engaged in violence."  Charles Pena, military and security analyst,
Independent Institute.  (Washington Post, 9-29-06)

“Open Government Act” (H.R. 867) . . .
“The Freedom of Information Act performs a vital check on the federal branch. It protects our
open system of government and ensures that the government responds to the American
people. Unfortunately, the process for obtaining government information is overly burdensome
and federal agencies have become less and less responsive to requests for information. This
deters citizens from seeking information. Taxpayers should be able to obtain information
quickly and easily. This legislation will greatly improve the public’s right to know what the
government is doing in their name.  I am encouraged by today’s developments and hope to
see the bill approved by the full House soon."  (Website - Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX, 9-28-06)

Disastrous Iraq Police Academy (Washington Post, 9-28-06) . . .
One of the most important reconstruction projects, vital to U.S. goals . . .

"This is the most essential civil security project in the country — and it's a failure. The Baghdad
police academy is a disaster. When we walked down the halls, the Iraqis came running up and
said, 'Please help us. Please do something about this."  Stuart W. Bowen Jr., Inspector General
for Iraq reconstruction.

"They may have to demolish everything they built. The buildings are falling down as they sit.  
It's catastrophic."  Robert DeShurley, Senior Engineer, inspector general's office.

"On both sides of the aisle, we think this is outrageous. We want to get to the bottom of this."
Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.).   (Washington Post, 9-29-06)

Official version . . .   "This facility has definitely been a top priority. It's a very exciting time as
the cadets move into the new structures."  Lt. Col. Joel Holtrop of the Corps of Engineers' Gulf
Region Division Project and Contracting Office, news release, July 2006.

Overworked Emergency Rooms Stretched To The Limit . . .
"If our emergency rooms are stretched thin now, how will they provide medical care in the event
of a disaster? Our emergency care safety net is at risk. We must identify ways to reduce
overcrowding and improve coordination."  Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Chairman, Senate Health
Subcommittee On Bioterrorism And Public Health Preparedness.  (Washington Post, 9-28-06)

"We currently have no surge capacity to deal with the next big thing that comes along, be it a
terrorist attack or a natural disaster." Frederick C. Blum, President, American College of
Emergency Physicians. Senate Health Subcommittee On Bioterrorism And Public Health
Preparedness.  (Washington Post, 9-28-06)

"Despite the lifesaving feats performed every day by emergency departments and ambulance
services, the nation's emergency medical system as a whole is overburdened, underfunded,
and highly fragmented. Moreover, the system is ill-prepared to handle surges from disasters
such as hurricanes, terrorist attacks, or disease outbreaks."  (Institute of Medicine. Hospital-Based
Emergency Care: At the Breaking Point  June 14, 2006)

Secretary Spellings’ Higher Education Panel . . .
“I’m concerned with a certain vagueness to it all at this point. There’s been a lot of platitudes —
‘increase affordability, control costs’ — but we’ve not come up with much that’s specific about
how to do that.”  Dr. Richard Vedder, Prof. Ohio University / Panel Member  (NY Times 9-27-06)

FBI Fingerprint Database to Add Misdemeanors, Juveniles (Fox News, 9-26-06) . . .
In a society that after 70 years still can not protect simple social security numbers . . .

"The larger and larger connections become, the greater the chance for accidental use or
accidental misuse. You'd like to see a larger collection come with a higher standard of both
input quality and output quality." As the database swells, it will become a larger target and
harder to protect. From a security point of view, if you put all the gold in Fort Knox, it better be
Fort Knox."  James A. Hendler, Professor, Univ. of Maryland

"This is part of a much larger trend of permanently recording every blemish and mistake in our
lives and having it follow us around for the rest of our lives. A lot of these offenses are exactly
the non-serious things that we used to think people could grow out of and move on — that's
why they're called 'non-serious.' Broadening the database would encourage more false
positives, because as volume increases, so does the difficulty in grooming and updating the
database. Yes, you can create the possibly of solving new crimes, but you also create the
possibly of ensnaring people who are falsely connected to a crime because of mistaken
information. Fingerprint matches are accurate, yes. What's more likely to happen is mistakes
being made in linking the person to their fingerprints."  Christopher Calabrese, Attorney, ACLU

Declining Retiree Benefits (LA Times, 9-26-06) . . .
"Many public-sector entities are going to find themselves in a significant shortfall. This is not a
problem that can be solved by increasing tax revenues. The solution lies in reducing the level
of benefits. As these costs are shifted, the ability of retirees to access healthcare will be
compromised, and that will result in pressure on the federal government. Then it will become a
national political issue. I believe it is a crisis in waiting."  Ralph P. Craviso, Senior Director, Yale
Univ. HR Dept.

"Across the board, retirement benefits are on the chopping block. As companies try to
restructure and squeeze out shareholder value, they are going to rely more and more on
Medicare and other government programs to fill the breach."  Daniel D. Doyle, attorney for
former Monsanto Co. employees

"The double-digit cost pressures have been relentless. In many years, the annual increases for
retiree healthcare have actually been greater than for active employee healthcare."  Frank
McArdle, Hewitt Associates

ACLU - Supporters Demand Change . . .
“Over the past three years, these breaches of principle include the ACLU’s approval of grant
agreements that restrict speech and associational rights; efforts by management to impose
gag rules on staff and to subject staff to email surveillance; a proposal to bar ACLU board
members from publicly criticizing the ACLU; and informal campaigns to purge the ACLU of its
internal critics.  This has gone on for so long, and has become so pervasive, that we now
believe that only a change in leadership will preserve the ACLU and insure its future as the
nation’s leading civil liberties group.”  (www.SaveTheACLU.org  9-26-06)

“Any one of those things by itself is unacceptable, but you could say it was an error in judgment
and let it go. But when you start to see more than one of these kinds of things emerge, then
it’s clear that the organization’s leadership has let it drift away from its core principles, and
without those principles, it has no value.”  David Goldberger, Law Professor, Ohio State Univ.  
(NY Times, 9-26-06)

Congressional Inaction  (NY Times, 9-25-06) . . .
“We have no central core of political authority driving things in Washington. Individuals and
expressions of individual will by committees, and also by strong people like John McCain, have
dominated, and the result is internal fighting.”  James A. Thurber, director of the Center for
Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University

“It is disappointing where we are, and I think Republicans need to be upfront about this. We
have not accomplished what we need to accomplish.”  Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA)

“When we say this is the most do-nothing Congress in the history of our country, this isn’t just
flippant. This is true.”  Sen. Harry Reid, (D-Nevada), Democratic leader

“In the 26 years I have been here.  I don’t think I have ever seen so much tension between
the House and the Senate, and it is all among Republicans.”  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

FAA Contractor Programs (Washington Post, 9-23-06) . . .
Millions of dollars wasted . . .

"It's just outrageous how the FAA was not looking out for the taxpayers' dollars. Three words
would sum this up: absolutely no accountability."  Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA)

"There is nothing wrong with hiring experienced people, but there is plenty wrong with hiring
people and giving them a job they are not qualified to do."   Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Ineffective K-8 Science Education (Washington Post, 9-22-06) . . .
Regarding widespread concern about the nation's declining preeminence in science . . .

"Current teaching approaches are insufficient to launch students on a path to participation in a
society infused with job opportunities in scientific and technical fields."  Richard A. Duschl,
Professor of Science Education, Rutgers University and Report Committee Chairman.

"I think [the report] should be required reading for anyone who cares about our kids and how
they learn science. There are too many ideas in the [science] standards. That just throws a
monkey wrench in the system. If we have some core ideas, we can really invest in the system."  
Gerald F. Wheeler, Exec. Dir., National Science Teachers Association.

"We are underestimating what young children are capable of as students of science -- the bar is
almost always set too low. Moreover, the current organization of science curriculum and
instruction does not provide the kind of support for science learning that results in deep
understanding of scientific ideas and an ability to engage in the practices of science."  (National
Research Council Report)

Gov’t Agencies Missing Hundreds of Laptop Computers . . .
1,100 Missing from Dept. of Commerce alone. 10 of 17 departments haven't reported their losses . . .

“We don't know exactly how many computers were lost or whether personal information was
compromised. The secretary has assured me that getting that information is priority number
one, and I'm confident he'll get his arms around the problem."  Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-
VA), Chairman, House Government Reform Committee. (Wash. Post, 9-22-06)

Ed Department $5 Bil. Reading Program . . .
Findings from the Inspector General's audit of the Reading First program:  misuse of funds, ethical
lapses, conflicts of interest, willful mismanagement . . .  

''They should fire everyone who was involved in this. This was not an accident, this was not an
oversight.  This was an intentional effort to corrupt the process.''  Rep. George Miller (D-CA),
House Education Committee. (AP / NY Times, 9-22-06)

Pharmaceutical Drug Approvals . . .
The "FDA's reputation has been hurt by a perceived lack of transparency and accountability to
the public, a legacy of organization changes that have not been completed or sustained, and
an apparent slowness in addressing lack of (drug company) compliance. Cultural changes are
urgently needed to support a stronger, more systematic and more credible approach to drug
safety. Even if FDA and (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research) leaders do not see
themselves as managers who stifle dissent or exclude participation from staff, that perception
clearly exists ... and problems with retention and morale confirm it."  Report by Institute of
Medicine,  (Reuters, 9-22-06)

Aviation Passenger Safety (Washington Times, 9-21-06) . . .
Testimony at a House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee hearing regarding the
Comair crash in Lexington Kentucky . . .

"There is something wrong here – dramatically. We are long past the time that a redesigned
[safety] system should have been done."  Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ)

"The FAA has not in my view addressed staffing questions, and that is a safety concern."  Rep.
Ben Chandler (D-KY)

"I think we have a system in crisis."  Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

E.Coli Contamination of Food Supplies . . .
"The FDA is acting like the fire department after the fire has already started." Caroline Smith
DeWaal, Director - Food Safety, Center for Science in the Public Interest.  (Wash. Post, 9-22-06)

Regarding Salinas Valley where most of the nation's spinach crop is grown . . . "There are many
sources of water coming into the watershed, and I guarantee you that they all have generic E.
coli."  Christopher Rose, Environmental Scientist, California Central Coast Regional Water
Quality Control Board.  (LA Times, 9-21-06)  [i.e. E.coli contamination was already well known]

Healthcare Quality, Cost . . .
"Once . . . the U.S. healthcare system was simply the best in the world. Yet growing evidence
indicates the system falls short given the high level of resources committed to health care.
Although national health spending is significantly higher than the average rate of other
industrialized countries, the U.S. is the only industrialized country that fails to guarantee
universal health insurance and coverage is deteriorating, leaving millions without affordable
access to preventive and essential health care. Quality of care is highly variable and delivered
by a system that is too often poorly coordinated, driving up costs, and putting patients at risk.
With rising costs straining family, business, and public budgets, access deteriorating and
variable quality, improving health care performance is a matter of national urgency."  (National
Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance. Commonwealth Fund 9-20-06)

Airport Luggage Screening Equipment . . .
Regarding outdated inefficient equipment, space constraints . . . "Unfortunately, Congress is not
ready to face the reality of the problem." Rep. John Mica (R-FL), Chairman, House Aviation
Subcommittee.  (USA Today 9-20-06)

Pretexting Telephone and Financial Records . . .
“Investigators are going to have problems until they develop a set of national standards to
which they must conform.”  Jack Lichtenstein, Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy,
ASIS International. (NY Times, 9-25-06)

HP's culture "needs to be seriously reexamined and completely reworked. It is inconceivable to
me that top management could have been aware of this kind of activity and not taken steps to
separate the company from it. Large organizations are based on ethics and integrity, and the
tone comes right from the top."  Charles M. Elson, Corporate Governance Center, Univ. of
Delaware  (Washington Post, 9-23-06)

Regarding an internal HP surveillance report . . . "This is a critically important document, and if he
(Hurd, the new Chairman) overlooked it, that says as much about it as if he approved it."   Nell
Minow, Editor, Corporate Library.  (Washington Post, 9-23-06)

"The carriers would very much like to act as though the only problem here are the bad actors
fraudulently obtaining phone records. They share the records far too liberally with their
contractors and other third parties. In some cases, they may sell it. They don't have sufficient
safeguards in place to make sure someone can't fraudulently obtain it."  Jeannine Kenney,
Senior Policy Analyst, Consumers Union.  (Washington Post 9-19-06)

Bioterror Drug Stockpile (NY Times, 9-18-06) . . .
“The inept implementation of the program has led the best brains and the best scientists to
give up, to look elsewhere or devote their resources to medical initiatives that are not focused
on biodefense.”  Michael Greenberger, Director, Center for Health and Homeland Security,
University of Maryland.

“A torturous labyrinth of federal fiefdoms into which billions disappear. Yet few antidotes have
yet to emerge.”  Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT)

Port Security ID Cards (Washington Post, 9-17-06) . . .
"It's clear the department seems unable to complete the task and control access to our ports,
which is a fundamental aspect of security."  Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Chair, Senate
Homeland Security Committee.

"There's this idea that an ID card or ID credential is this kind of panacea. But they are difficult
to design and implement . . . and what we're seeing is every attempt to do so is fraught with
serious, serious problems."  Lee Tien, Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation.  

"You have to have a single way of identifying people as who they are that is authentic, that
maintains their confidentiality and that is secure."  David Heyman, Director, Homeland Security
Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Undisclosed / Low College Graduation Rates (NY Times, 9-15-06) . . .
“When you have a system where virtually everyone fails, how is that different from designing a
system in which the point is for people to fail?  No one can look at that and say this is the best
we can do.”  Kevin Carey, Research and Policy Manager, Education Sector

“If you’re accepting a child into your institution, don’t you have the responsibility to make sure
they graduate? I think people had absolutely no idea that our local colleges were running
graduation rates like that. I don’t think we have any high school in the city (Chicago) that has
graduation rates like these colleges”  Melissa Roderick, Co-director, Consortium on Chicago
School Research at Univ. of Chicago.  

“Universities in America rank themselves on many factors, but graduation rates aren’t even in
the mix. They don’t talk about it.” Charles Miller, federal commission chairman

“Most colleges aren’t held accountable in any way for their graduation rate. We treat college as
if the right to enroll is enough, and just ignore everything else.” Gary Orfield, Professor of
Education and Social Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Secret Payments From Drug Companies To NIH Scientists (LA Times, 9-14-06) . . .
From the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearings . . .

"This is the largest scandal in all of the NIH's existence." Rep. Edward Whitfield (R-KY),
Subcommittee Chairman.

"This is really an ethical Potemkin village, where a hollow system appears to provide the illusion
of integrity, but transgressors never leave."  Rep. Joe L. Barton (R-TX), Chairman, Energy and
Commerce Committee

Official Reply . . .   "When violations were found, NIH implemented sanctions ranging from oral
admonishments to letters of reprimand to suspensions."  NIH Dep. Director Raynard S. Kington
In The News - An Astonishing Two Month
Snapshot Leading Up To Elections . . .