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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tuesday,
August 19, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military
announces another death, Iraqi forces raid the office of the governor
of Diyala Province and shoot dead his secretary but no one knows how?,
the issue of the oil-rich Kirkuk may have already been 'settled,' and
more. Starting with war resistance. US war resister Jeremy Hinzman has been told he has until September 23rd to leave Canada. John Mackay (WSWS) explains,
"Hinzman joined the US Army in early 2001, partly out of a sense of
patriotism and adventure. However, he was primarily attracted by the
promise of financial support for a university education. He says that
more than a year after joining, he realized that he could not become a
killer. He felt he could not dehumanize the people he was supposed to
shoot. He applied for conscientious objector (CO) status in August
2002, but his command threw his application away. Hinzman subsequently
reapplied while serving in Afghanistan, only to have his application
turned down. In Afghanistan, while his CO application was being
processed, Hinzman played a non-combatant role as an assistant to
Haliburton employees serving meals to soldiers. Upon denial of his
application for CO status, Hinzman was ordered to return to active
duty. When his unit returned to the US with the understanding that
they would soon be sent to Iraq, Hinzman deserted, crossing the
Canadian border in January 2004 with his wife and young son and
claiming refugee status." Nga Nguyen, Jeremy's wife, just gave birth
to a daughter (Meghan) in July. We'll note again that the four are in
a video at the War Resisters Support Campaign where Jeremy speaks to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada: Jeremy
Hinzman: Hello, Mr. Harper. This is my family Nga, Liam and Meghan.
We've been in Canada for the last four and a 1/2 years. I was a
specialist in the 82nd Air borne division of the United States Army and
served honorably in Afghanistan. In 2004, my family and I came to
Canada because we would not participate in the Iraqi War, a war which
Canada also refused to participate in because it was condemned by the
international community. One of your predecessors, Pierre Trudeau,
once said that Canada should be have from militarism and we took him at
this word. On June 3, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion
saying that United States war resisters should be able to remain in
Canada. We're asking you to abide by this motion and allow us to stay
in Canada. Thank you. Title Card: On September 23rd, the Harper government plans to deport the Hinzman family back to the United States. Title Card: Hinzman faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison for opposing the Iraq war and coming to Canada. Courage to Resist alerts,
"Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship
and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca," Iraq Veterans Against the War
also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or
email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and
ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca." In addition to that, Canada's War Resisters Support Campaign
is staging an emergency meeting this week (August 20th, Wednesday, 7:00
pm, Steelworkers Hall at 25 Cecil St.) and planning a day of action
(September 13th) where "[a]ctions, demonstrations and pickets will take place in cities and towns all across Canada." A new documentary, The Path of Most Resistance,
addresses war resistance. Directed by Gareth Keogh, the film traces two
US service members attempts to receive CO status. One receives it, one
doesn't. Susannah Tarbush (Saudi Gazette) reports
on the film noting that Daniel Baker and Robert Weiss are the two CO
applicants. Anyone paying attention knows who was successful and who
wasn't: Daniel Baker joined the US Navy
in 2004, but soon after being deployed in Qatar as a communications
officer in 2006 he made a successful application for CO status. He now
works for the Catholic Peace Fellowship, one of the organizations that
advise CO applicants.
In contrast, soldier Robert Weiss's
application for CO status was turned down in December 2007. He said: "I
feel that at this point I have no legal avenue for pursuing recognition
of my beliefs, so therefore I have no choice but to leave the military
rather than do something I feel is immoral." On December 22 he was due
to fly back to Iraq, but saw no alternative but to go absent without
leave (AWOL) for 30 days, the minimum time necessary to be classified
as a deserter. He would then turn himself in and face the inevitable
court martial and imprisonment.
During his period of being AWOL,
he was given refuge by a family with pacifist sympathies. In February
he turned himself in, and on May 13 was court martialled. He is serving
a seven-month sentence in a military prison in Mannheim, Germany. . There
is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which
includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei
Hurancyk, Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste,
Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano
Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal,
Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn,
Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross
Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique,
Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez,
Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada,
Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen,
Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman,
Kevin Lee, Daniel Baker, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing,
Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk,
Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey,
Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua
Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell,
Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake,
Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres,
Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and
Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada
have applied for asylum. Turning to Iraq, Richard A. Oppel Jr. (New York Times) sketches out
how oil-rich Kirkuk's fate already appears determined and how that took
place because the central government (puppet) in Baghdad didn't do
anything to mediate between Arabs, Kurds and Turkomans. Oppel writes,
"Kurdish authority is visible everywhere in the city. In addition to
the provincial government and command of the police, the Kurds control
the Asaish, the feared undercover security service that works with the
American military and, according to Asaish commanders, United States
intelligence agencies." Oppel doesn't pursue that aspect which is a
shame because the puppet government was controlled by the White House
so the stand-down on Kirkuk was no acident. And US Col David Paschal
can brag about how he made the call last month (as Turkmen and Kurds
battled) not to send in the Iraqi forces but that call came from higher
up. Mohammed Khalil ("leader of the Arab bloc on the provincial
council") explains, "There is much fear. The Asaish are saying they
will annex Kirkuk by force and that is terrifying people." For more
realities on Kirkuk, see Stephen Farrell's " As Iraqis Vie for Kirkuk's Oil, Refugee Kurds Becomes Pawns" (December 9, 2007). Meanwhile the United Nation's IRIN advises
today of how volatile the situation in Kirkuk remains and sites Baghdad
University's Amer Hassan al-Fayadh explaining, "I do believe the best
solution for Kirkk is that it be run as a separate region -- after
resolving all pending issues between its segments, conducting a census
and then letting its population determine its fate through a
referendum, instead of one party imposing a solution." IRIN notes that
the Iraqi Parliament attempts to impose a solution (in regular session
last July and in special session early this month) have resulted "in
daily demonstrations in favour of, or against, the new legislation." Meanwhile the Associated Press has an article all over the place today ( here at Los Angeles Times, here at Washington Post,
etc.) that is just rah-rah-rah about the US taking in Iraqi refugees
and how the State Dept might meet their announced quota ("for the first
time" is left unstated by Samantha Henry). But at Inside Iraq (McClatchy Newspapers) Sahar Issa explains,
"For the second time now in one month Iraqi newspapers have published
articles stating the U.S will not accept any more Iraqi refugees." And
before some idiot says, "Well it's the 2008 quota and it's been met!"
Fiscal year. Which ends September 30th. Meaning October 1st starts the
next (fiscal) year. Zaineb Naji (Baghdad Life, Wall St. Journal) examines the changing policies on Iraqi refugees for surrounding countries: Last
year, Syria announced new rules for Iraqis coming to Syria and for the
first time, required us to get visas. But only academics, merchants,
and taxi and truck drivers would qualify for visas. You can also get
permission to travel to Syria if you are going there for medical
treatment. [. . .] This
time as we went through customs, two Iraqi soldiers came up to us and
used a scanning device to check us. Then American soldiers took our
biometrics information, including an eye scan. The people who passed
got an "OK" written on their right hand with a black marker. "Just
like sheep" a young woman said to the American soldier when she got the
"OK" mark on her hand. The soldier said "sorry" several times and
explained that this was the procedure. Two
hours later, we were on the Syrian side of the border and again we had
to line up to get our passports checked. In the arrival hall, people
were shouting and pushing each other to reach the immigration desk. I
was told to step aside by one of the customs officers, who said I was
blocking his view of the television set. In
the hall, there was an extra "fee" for each kind of visa. Merchants
were asked to pay $10, while for the sick, the price was $5. For our
transit visas, the fee was $4 each. Everyone got a stamp that allowed
them to stay in Syria for one month and then we were on the bus
again. At the end of the trip, I realized that Iraqis are always suffering, whether it's inside their country or outside of it. Bombings? Shootings? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports
a Baghdad attack in which 1 police officer was shot dead and three were
left wounded and, in Kirkuk, a police shooting is under examination as
a result of the deaths of a man and his father. Reuters notes
a raid conducted by "Iraqi security forces" in Baquba on "the office of
the governor of Diyala province" which resulted in the death of "his
secetary". Reuters notes
the name of the dead is Abbas Ali Hmoud and that Raad Rasheed Mulla
Jawad (the governor of the province) has stated, "The body of the
martyr [Abbas Ali Hmoud] will stay in the building until the iillers
are captured." Though the US military admits at least 1 US helicopter
was present they deny that the US military had any knowledge or
participation in the raid. Maybe they were just jumping the gun on the
August 22nd National Airborne Day? Also playing dumb is the puppet government in Baghdad which is ordering an investigation. AFP reports
that Nouri al-Maliki, puppet of the occupation, "ordered the formation
of a committee to find out how Iraqi forces came to fight each other in
Baquba" and notes that, in addition to the secretary being murdered, a
bodyguard was also shot dead. CNN notes,
"Hussein al-Zubaidi, a provincial council member, and Nazar al-Khafaji,
the Diyala University dean, were arrested during the raid, the official
said." Corpses?
Today the US military announced:
"A Multi-National Division - Center Soldier was killed as a result of a
rocket attack on a forward operating base near Amarah Aug. 19." ICCC's
count is 4144 for the total number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war and 17 for the month. Turning to the US presidential race. The Democratic Party holds its convention in Denver shortly. AP notes,
"Independent Ralph Nader planned to attend a rally at Denver University
on Aug. 27, the night before Obama accepts his party's nomination. And
Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney was scheduled to address
supporters after an anti-war march through downtown Denver on Sunday,
the day before the convention opens." Christopher Keating (Hartford Courant) notes
that independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's campaign was set
to turn in petitions today in New York and Alabama making them the 31st
and 32nd states the Ralph Nader - Matt Gonzalez ticket will be on the
ballots of. Foon Rhee (Boston Globe) adds that the Nader campaign is set to submit their signatures to be on the Massachusetts ballot. The Nader campaign states
it has around 17,000 signatures gathered, that Massachusetts would be
the 34th state they'd be on the ballot of and that "Michael Richardson,
Massachusetts Nader/Gonzalez 2008 Coordinator, will hold a Weds. Aug.
20, 10 a.m. news conference at the Elections Division office, McCormack
Bulding, Room 1705, One Ashburton Place, Boston, Mass. 02108".. This
is Ralph Nader. Just how different are the two major parties? Well
I've often said that the towering similarities between the two parties
are far greater than the dwindling differences they're really willing
to fight over. It's clear that the Democrats are better than
Republicans on Social Security, civil justice, the right to go to court
if you're wrongfully injured, civil rights and a number of other
issues. But consider the similarities. As I've said when it comes to
the overriding issue of the corporate takeover of our federal
government department by department, agency by agency, the two parties
differ in the velocity with which their knees hit the floor when
corporations pound on their door. The
two parties are pretty similar on foreign and military policy. In
recent weeks the leading foreign affairs reporters for the Washington Post and the New York Times
said that Obama would be similar in his foreign and military policy to
the second term of George W. Bush. They're both pushing for more
military budget. They haven't singled out a single weapons system that
they think is obsolete, redundant or not needed. They
both are not doing anything about cracking down on corporate crimes
commensurate with the violations of health and safety laws by the
corporations in the looting and draining of trillions of dollars of
mutual fund savings and pension funds they both are furthering the
perforation of the tax code corporate loopholes and offshore
havens. They both have put the regulatory agencies under anesthesia.
They both are in a race to get more and more private special interest
money into elections corrupting our election process. You ever hear
them mention in any specifics what they're going to do about consumer
protection or what they're going to do about repealing anti-worker,
anti-union laws like Taft-Hartley? No way. Similarly silent. The
Democrats took over the Congress in January 2007, they haven't rolled
back any of the legislation or even made a major college try to roll
back the bad legislation that Bush and his Congressional Republicans
have passed So we can go and on but just think about it, how necessary
it is to have somewhere else on the ballot line to cast your vote.
Nader-Gonzalez. Thank you.
We are in a sprint to the finish line.
That would be November 4. And we're not about to let up. But for the first time since we started this campaign, we are in danger of not meeting one of our financial goals. We set a goal of $50,000 by tomorrow night 11:59 p.m. As of now, we are just under $30,000. So, we need to ramp it up. Big time. And now. We need 2,000 of you -- our loyal supporters -- to drop $10 each.
That simple. Time to get it done. By the way, did you hear some of the big names that are coming to our Super Rallies in Denver and Minneapolis? Not just our own caped crusader. But also --
Batman? Huey Long? The Anti-Pelosi? Stay tuned. Here's one person who will be there for sure. Ashley Sanders. Ashley who? Ashley Sanders. Ashley gave one of the most eloquent and thought provoking endorsements of the Nader/Gonzalez candidacy this year. But first things first. Let's not miss this deadline. Onward to November. Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential nominee and she has upcoming appearances this week (tomorrow and Thursday):
Wednesday,
August 20th McKinney will make 3 stops in Memphis. That evening she
will be in Jackson, Tennessee for a fundraiser hosted by the Madison
County Green Party.
Thursday, August 21st McKinney's first stop is
in Dickson to meet with representatives of the community who have been
affected by the dumping of toxic waste in their community. Then to
Nashville for an 11:00 AM Press Conference in Room 31, Legislative
Plaza speaking to the press about her campaign. This event is open to
the public. Following the press conference Ms McKinney will speak
directly to the public and take questions. This will also be in
Legislative Plaza, Room 31.
That morning Greens will turn in their
nominating petitions to secure her position on the general election
ballot in Tennessee. "Due to Tennessee's oppressive election access
laws Ms McKinney will be listed on the ballot as an independent
candidate which we can achieve with 275 valid signatures. It would take
over 45,000 valid signatures to get her listed with the "Green"
affiliation. The Green Party is currently a litigant against the state
seeking ballot access laws that are fair", said John Miglietta a
delegate to the Green Party of the US and a Green Candidate for US
House District 5.
Following the Press Conference she is scheduled to
visit Tennessee State University, Fisk University and Carver Food Park
where Sizwe Herring of EarthMatters Tennessee teaches children and
community members about the value of composting and principles of
ecology. Those appearances start tomorrow and the Geen Party website still has nothing up. |
Posted at 03:32 pm by thecommonills
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jeremy hinzman
john mackay
daniel baker
robert weiss
susannah tarbush
christopher keating
the new york times
richard a. oppel jr.
leila fadel
mcclatchy newspapers
