Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Wednesday, 12 April 2006, 11:51 am
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Greg Palast: Has George Bush Been Caught Lying?
Fisheries: Chasing Squid Just Got A Whole Lot More Dangerous For Sea Lions
Finance: Dunne And Cullen Talk Up Investment Tax Cut
Scoop Audio: PM Chats About Iran, Housing and Plunket
MORE HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
John Gideon On The Approaching US Election Train Wreck
Are You Being Watched Online? Apparently So
Leopold: The Leaker-In-Chief Discussed Plame Too
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:
Katya Rivas's Passion (Parts 6-10)

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Housing NZ: Financial Accountability in the House! -
Health: Plunket Helpline Calls for Help
Environment: Government Feels Changes in its Water
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

Greg Palast: Has George Bush Been Caught Lying?

[1] It's a crime. No kidding. But the media has it all wrong. As usual. 'Scooter' Libby finally outed 'Mr. Big,' the perpetrator of the heinous disclosure of the name of secret agent Valerie Plame. It was the President of United States himself -- in conspiracy with his Vice-President. Now the pundits are arguing over whether our war-a-holic President had the legal right to leak this national security information. But, that's a fake debate meant to distract you. See... A Leaky President Runs Afoul Of 'Little Rico' [2] MORE ON THE PLAMEGATE REVELATIONS:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00114.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00114.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00110.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00109.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00095.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00094.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00081.htm

Fisheries: Chasing Squid Just Got A Whole Lot More Dangerous For Sea Lions -

The 55% mid-season increase in the number of NZ sea lions that the squid fishing industry will be allowed to kill this season is unjustified, Forest & Bird said today. "There is no new scientific evidence to justify the Minister's 55% increase in the annual NZ sea lion 'kill quota' from 97 to 150 animals," said Forest & Bird Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell. See... NZ sea lion 'kill quota' increase unjustified [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00098.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00228.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00216.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00219.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00214.htm

Finance: Dunne And Cullen Talk Up Investment Tax Cut -

The government is to introduce a fairer regime for taxing New Zealanders who invest in New Zealand and overseas which will mean a tax cut of $110 million a year from next April, Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne announced today. "We want a system that doesn't encourage investors to favour investing overseas over investing in New Zealand. See…$110 mn of investment tax cuts improve fairness [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00205.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00206.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00138.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00211.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00207.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00206.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00210.htm

Scoop Audio: PM Chats About Iran, Housing and Plunket -

The assembled masses at today's press conference were able to indulge in high level foreign affairs speculation around the United States intentions for Iran. Also on the post-cabinet smorgosboard were the chance for the media to quiz the Prime Minister about alleged shenanigans at Housing New Zealand. See... Audio: PM Talks About Iran, Housing And Plunket [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00121.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00191.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0604/S00093.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0604/S00068.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0604/S00038.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00191.htm

John Gideon On The Approaching US Election Train Wreck

- Today I am going to use this space to talk about what I see as the beginning of a disaster in the making with our elections. This isn't the election fraud that some point to when they talk about the vendors and some elections officials. It's not about recounts or audits. This is a real, get your hands around it, happening problem that will disrupt our election process if we do not do something about it now. While we have been involved in all of our issues about Direct Recording Electronic (DRE or "touch-screen") voting machines or paper ballots the electronic voting machine vendors have been wreaking complete havoc across the country. See... E-Voting 2006: The Approaching Train Wreck [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00137.htm

Are You Being Watched Online? Apparently So

- On 26 Jan 2006 I wrote: Particularly scary is that the Patriot act gives the feds the right to basically march up to every ISP in the country and install special 'black boxes' [doing] God only knows what and the ISP's cannot even mention this fact publically let alone not comply... Now we have confirmation from a whistleblower that this is exactly what they've been doing. See... Scoop Blogwatch: Are We Paranoid Enough Yet? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00136.htm

Leopold: The Leaker-In-Chief Discussed Plame Too

- In early June 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney met with President Bush and told him that CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson was the wife of Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson and that she was responsible for sending him on a fact-finding mission to Niger to check out reports about Iraq's attempt to purchase uranium from the African country, according to current and former White House officials and attorneys close to the investigation to determine who revealed Plame-Wilson's undercover status to the media. See... Bush and Cheney Discussed Plame Prior to Leak [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00134.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00131.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00133.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00132.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00130.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00129.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00128.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00127.htm

Katya Rivas's Passion (Parts 6-10)

- Of My Passion I want you to consider above all, the bitterness that was caused by My knowing the sins, that darkening the mind of man, lead him to aberrations. Most of the time these sins are accepted as a fruit of natural inclinations that, it is said, cannot be opposed by one’s own will. Today, many live in grave sin, blaming others or fate, without the possibility of getting rid of them. I saw this in Gethsemane and I knew the great evil that My soul would absorb. So many are lost like that and how I suffered for them! See... Katya Rivas: The Passion Extracts 6-10 [1] & Extracts 1-5 [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00126.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00097.htm

Housing NZ: Financial Accountability in the House! -

Housing Minister Chris Carter is calling in the chairman of the Board of Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) for a full explanation of the allegations raised in the Herald on Sunday about the Corporation’s accounting practices. “HNZC’s Board is responsible for overseeing the financial accountability of the Corporation, and I will be seeking from the Board a full report on these allegations and how the Board is handling them". See... Housing Minister comments on allegations [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00171.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00200.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00167.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00122.htm

Health: Plunket Helpline Calls for Help

- Plunket, founders and operators of PlunketLine, an information and support service for parents, is seeking an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister following the announcement that Government is to withdraw funding from PlunketLine and instead fund a competing telephone service to be operated by US-owned multi-national McKesson Corporation. See... Plunket to seek meeting with Prime Minister [1] ALSO

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0604/S00034.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00121.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00209.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00208.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00164.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00169.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00173.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00175.htm

Environment: Government Feels Changes in its Water

- The government has agreed a significant new strategy to protect and improve New Zealand's freshwater resources. "Cabinet has approved a staged package of actions to improve the sustainable management of our rivers, lakes and ground water," the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jim Anderton and Minister for the Environment David Benson-Pope announced today. See... Charting dynamic new course to manage our water [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00172.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0604/S00173.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00179.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00180.htm

MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00202.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00203.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00214.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00213.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00207.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00199.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00197.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00204.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00210.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0604/S00212.htm

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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