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2. OSHA Fails to Protect United States Workers 4. Did the United States Deliberately Bomb the Chinese Um States labour laws are poorly enforced and fail to meet | Embassy in Belgrade? the basic human rights of US workers. Each year, about lements within the CIA may have deliberately targeted the 6,000 workers die on the job from accidents and another 50,000 to Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, without NATO approval, 70,000 workers die annually from "occupationally acquired because it was serving as a rebroadcast station for the diseases" Yugoslavian Army. The London Observer and the Copenhagen The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is Politiken [dates not given] reported that, according to senior US not capable of effectively overseeing US workplaces. The entire and European military sources, NATO knew very well where the federal and state worker health and safety apparatus involves just | Chinese Embassy was located and listed it as a "strictly prohibited 2,300 inspectors who must cover America's 102 million workers target" at the beginning of the war. in 6.7 million workplaces. That comes to one inspector for every The Observer stated that the CIA and its British equivalent, 44,348 workers. Theoretically, it would take OSHA 110 years to — MI6, had been listening to communications from the Chinese inspect each workplace under its jurisdiction just once. Embassy routinely since it moved to its new site in 1996. The Needed by labour and despised by business, OSHA may be Chinese Embassy was taken off the prohibited target list after workers’ best friend in government, but crit- NATO detected it sending Yugoslavian ics say OSHA has never been weaker or less Army signals to forces in the field. worker-friendly. Recent studies show that "Nearly everyone involved in NATO air United States labour laws have loopholes, operations (radio) signals command knows are poorly enforced and fail to meet human "Nearly everyone that the bombing was deliberate," said Jens rights standards required of other countries. involved in NATO Holsoe of Politiken, lead investigative In these times, it is hard to get the atten- reporter with the news team reporting on the tion or an OSHA inspector as there are % air Operations (radio) story. President Clinton cae the bombing ew of them, an is woefully ill- 4 a "tragic mistake" and said it was the resu equipped to monitor the workplaces of signals command of a mix-up. NATO claimed that they were America. knows that the using old maps and got the address wrong. Reference . However, Observer reporters quoted a * Christopher D. Cook (cdcook@igc.apc.org), bombing Naples-based flight controller who said the "Losing Life and Limb on the Job", The Progressive, February 2000, www.pro - gressive.org/cook0200.htm NATO maps used during the campaign had correctly identified the Chinese Embassy. A French Ministry of Defence report stated that the flight that targeted the Chinese Embassy was not under NATO command but, rather, was an indepen- dent US bombing raid. In July 1999, CIA director George Tenet testified before Congress that, of the 900 sites struck by NATO during the bombing campaign, the only one targeted by the CIA was the Chinese Embassy. [of the Chinese Embassy] was deliberate." 3. US Army's Psychological Operations Personnel Worked at CNN — Jens Holsoe, Politiken rom June 1999 to March 2000, CNN employed military specialists in "psychological operations" (Psyops) in their Southeast TV bureau and CNN radio division. CNN had hosted a total of five interns from US Army Psyops: two in television, two in radio and one in satellite operations. The mili- References tary/CNN personnel belonged to the airmobile Fourth ¢ Yoichi Shimatsu, "Reports Showing US Deliberately Bombed Psychological Operations Group, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Chinese Embassy Deliberately Ignored by USMedia", Pacific News, Carolina. One of the main tasks of this group of almost 1,200 sol- October 20, 1999 diers and officers is to spread "selected information". + Joel Bleifuss (itt@ inthesetimes.com), "A Tragic Mistake?", In These The propaganda group was involved in the Gulf War, the war in Times, December 12, 1999, www.inthesetimes.com Bosnia and the crisis in Kosovo. The military personnel stayed with CNN for at least two weeks "to get to know the company and —- 5. _ United States Taxpayers Underwrite Global Nuclear to broaden their horizons". Power Plant Sales Still, the Psyops people in Arlington were not entirely satisfied lhe US tax—supported Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) is solidly with news handling during the war on Serbia. In their opinion, backing major US nuclear contractors such as Westinghouse, too much information about the results of the bombings came to Bechtel and General Electric in its efforts to seek foreign markets the surface. for nuclear reactors. CNN reports and other media coverage of the war in Kosovo Between 1959 and 1993, Ex-Im spent US$7.7 billion to help have attracted criticism for being one-sided, overly emotional, sell American-made reactors abroad. Most countries do not have oversimplified and too heavily reliant on NATO officials. On the the capital to buy nuclear power, so contractors, in order to be other hand, journalists have complained about the lack of reliable competitive, provide 100 per cent of the financing. Ex-Im offers information from NATO; for almost all of them, it was impossible terms too good for Third World and Eastern European buyers to to be on the battlefield and file first-hand reports. pass up. If the host country defaults on its loan, Ex-Im steps in Reference with American taxpayer dollars. « Alexander Cockburn, "CNN and Psyops", CounterPunch, February Westinghouse built the Bataan nuclear power facility in The 16 and March 1, 2000, www.counterpunch.org/cnnpsyops.html Philippines in 1985 at a cost of $1.2 billion, 150 per cent above its "Nearly everyone involved in NATO air operations (radio) signals command knows that the bombing [of the Chinese Embassy] was deliberate." 3. US Army's Psychological Operations Personnel Worked at 5. United States Taxpayers Underwrite Global Nuclear Power Plant Sales lhe US tax—supported Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) is solidly backing major US nuclear contractors such as Westinghouse, Bechtel and General Electric in its efforts to seek foreign markets for nuclear reactors. Between 1959 and 1993, Ex-Im spent US$7.7 billion to help sell American-made reactors abroad. Most countries do not have the capital to buy nuclear power, so contractors, in order to be competitive, provide 100 per cent of the financing. Ex-Im offers terms too good for Third World and Eastern European buyers to pass up. If the host country defaults on its loan, Ex-Im steps in with American taxpayer dollars. Westinghouse built the Bataan nuclear power facility in The Philippines in 1985 at a cost of $1.2 billion, 150 per cent above its 14 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2001 2. OSHA Fails to Protect United States Workers www.nexusmagazine.com