July
9, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces a
death, Nouri al-Maliki launches a verbal attack on the KRG (while
setting himself up as a law-abiding-martyr), 5 Iranians are finally
freed, Thomas E. Ricks pimps 'miracle cures' and more.
Yesterday violence made a strong impression in Iraq even if the press wasn't paying attention. (See
Timothy Williams' article in today's New York Times
which reduces the deaths to an aside saved for the final paragraph of
the article and note that Williams was one of the few reporting on Iraq
that you could find in a US paper today.) If the ongoing, never-ending
illegal war has demonstrated anything over the last six years and
counting, it's that reality always crashes into the latest wave of
Operation Happy Talk.
Jamal al-Badrani (Reuters) counts 50 dead in Iraq today from bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad.
Ned Parker and Usama Redha (Los Angeles Times) report
on two suicide bombers in Tal Afar where one bomber detonated outside
the home of a police officer causing a crowd to gather, at which point,
the second bomber detonated.
Nada Bakri (Washington Post) adds
that the police chief states the bombers wore police uniforms and, "The
first suicide bomber managed to sneak inside the house of a
counter-terrorism officer and blew himself up, causing the home to
collapse. The attack took place in a neighborhood called al-Qala,
inhabited by mostly Shiites. When neighbors gathered to help the family
trapped inside, a second suicide bomber struck, increasing the
bloodshed."
Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) explains,
"Tal Afar, a mostly Turkmen town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of
Mosul, has been targeted by militans before. In March 2007, it was hit
by one of the deadliest single attacks since the U.S.-led invasion of
2003 when a suicide truck bomb killed more than 150 people."
Jomana Karadsheh and CNN count
35 dead and sixty-five injured from the two bombings. The two Tal Afar
bombings were not the only reported violence today . . .
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi and Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) report a
Baghdad market bombing which claimed 7 lives and left twenty injured, a
Baghdad roadside bombing which left five people injured, a Baghdad
sticky bombing which injured two people, a Baghdad bicycle bombing
which left four people injured, two Baghdad bombings which claimed 9
lives and left thirty-five people wounded and a Ramadi car bombing
which claimed the life of the bomber and left four police officers
wounded.
Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing which injured one person and a Kirkuk roadside bombing which claimed 1 life and left three injured.
Shootings?
Reuters notes one woman and one man were wounded in a Mosul attack by unknown assailants and 1 Iraqi soldier was shot dead in Kirkuk.
Today the
US military announced:
"BAGHDAD – A Multi-National Division–Baghdad Soldier died July 8 after
being found unresponsive at a Coalition forces facility. The Soldier's
name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The names
of deceased service members are announced through the U.S. Department
of Defense Official Web site at
http://www.defenselink.mil/
. The announcements are made on the Web site no earlier than 24 hours
after notification of the service member's primary next of kin. MND-B
will not release any additional details prior to notification of next
of kin and official release by the DoD. The incident and cause of death
are currently under investigation." It's the first US service member
announced death in Iraq for the month and it brings the total number of
US service members killed in the illegal war to
4322.
"I don't know the exact percentage but I'm sure it's well over 70% that want the US out as soon as possible,"
explains Mike Tharp in a video posted at McClatchy. He's speaking with Paul Jay for
The Real News Network (
click here for the clip at TRNN).
Tharp states, "They've seen the last six years as an occupation, not as
a liberation, not as bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq but instead
the loss of tens of thousands of Iraqi lives as well as over 4300
American troop losses, a trillion dollars spent by the US, I don't know
what estimates are put on the damage done to the Iraqi society and
economy but it's incalcuable." On the topic of the physical damage
done to Iraq . . .
Today the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued
[PDF format warning] "FINAL REPORT on Damage Assessment in Babylon."
The twenty page report prepared by the International Coordination
Committee for the Saveguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq
explores the damage done by the US' decision to install a military base
on an archaeological site in Babylon after the issue was raised by
Iraq's Minister of Culture. The report explains the historical context:
Babylon
is unquestionably one of the most important archaelogical sites in the
world. It was the capital city of two of the most famous kings of
antiquity, Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) who introduced one of the world's
first law codes, and Nebuchadnezzar (604-562 BC) who built the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Alexander
the Great chose Babylon as his new capital but died before he could
implement this plan. The existence of Babylon is first mentioned in
cuneiform texts of the Akkadian period (2371-2230 BC), but the city did
not become significant until the time of Hammurabi. It was
substantially enlarged in the Neo-Babylonian period (626-539 BC) when
it became the largest city of the contemporary world. Although its
location was forgotten for centuries the fame of Babylon survived
through a number of historical and religious texts. In view of the
historical and archaelogical significance of Babylon, recent
allegations of damage to the site during its occupation as a military
camp are particularly serious.
Since
1935, Bablyon has been listed as an archaeological site. In 2003, the
US invaded and the Iraq War started, the Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar
museums were looted ("Fortunately, the objects in the two museums were
plaster replicas rather than the origianls"). April 21, 2003, the US
military created Camp Alpha -- a US base that continued through
December 22, 2004 during which time the US military and contractors
such as KBR "directly caused major damage to the city by digging,
cutting, scraping, and leveling." Nine trenches and two pits were dug
including on areas that had not been excavated. This was true of cuts,
scrapings and leveling efforts by the US military and contractors as
well. In addition the report notes:
The
Ishtar Gate serves as a ritual gate leading into the northern part of
the inner city. The damage to the gate includes smashed bricks on nine
of the bodies of the animals adorning the gate. These animals depcit
the legendary dragon-snake, the symbol of Marduk, the god of the city
of Babylon. [. . .] Major damage can be observed in the southern part
of the Proecessional Way, which was rediscovered during the Babylon
Revival Project excavations in 1979. Starting from the Nabu-sha-Hare
Temple, the effects of heavy vehicle wheels are clear, breaking the
paving of the street. Three rows of 2-ton concrete blocks were placed
in the middle of the Processional Way on top the paving by heavy
vehicles, which is itself an encroachment. These blocks were removed
by helicopter on November 29, 2004 to prevent further damage to the
Processional Way. In addition, a row of HESCO containers with soil
taken from the eastern wall of the sacred precinct were placed on the
way, and barbed wire was attached by steel stakes to the wall itself
and in the middle of Processional Way. There is also a cut in the wall
itself with a length of 2.5 m, a depth of 50 cm, and a height of 1.5 m.
UNESCO's director of the Office for Iraq
Moahmed Djelid states,
"In view of Babylong's historical and archaeological significance,
recent allegations of damage to the site during its military use were
particularly serious. The report is key because it establishes a
description of damages on which there is international agreement.
Without pointing fingers, we now have a clear picture of the
situation. It provides the starting-point for the major challenge of
restoration and conservation."
In related news,
CBC reports nearly seventy stolen Iraqi artificats were recovered and returned by the Dutch government.
Mike Corder (AP) adds,
"Dutch Education, Culture and Science Minister Ronald Plasterk said the
ancient artifacts were surrendered by Dutch art traders after police
informed them they were stolen. U.S. customs authorities and Interpol
had alerted Dutch officials that the items were being sold here."
In
other diplomatic news, five Iranian diplomats were rounded up by US
forces in Iraq in January of 2007 and have been held ever since in
indefinite detention/imprisonment.
BBC News reports they have been released.
Mike Tharp (McClatchy Newspapers) goes
with the number four (four diplomats) and reports they were not
released to Tehran but to Iraqi officials and then they met with Nouri
al-Maliki.
Philippe Naughton (Times of London) quotes
Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, stating,
"They called their families from there. They are in good health. They
will be handed over to our embassy within hours. They were innocent
and arrested against all international regulations under the Vienna
convention." They are: Mohsen Bagheri, Majid Dagheri, Mahmoud Farhadi,
Majid Ghami and Abbas Jami.
Liz Sly and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) quote
Hoshyar Zebari, Foreign Minister of Iraq, stating the five are "happy
and safe." At the US State Dept today, spokesperon Ian Kelly continued
the pattern of the Bush administration by insisting they were not
diplomats, stating they were connected to Iranian paramilitary forces
(Iranian Revolutionary Guard) and declaring that, along with turning
the five over to the Iraqi government, they passed on "our concerns".
Kelly stated the hand-off took place after Iraq requested it and that
it went "to our obligations under the US - Iraq Security Agreement."
Yesterday's snapshot included: "
Alsumaria reports
that despite claims that a vote on Kirkuk might be able to take place
before the elections now scheduled for January, no suche elections will
be happening.
AP adds,
'On Wednesday, Iraqi officials said the Kurdish-run north of the
country could not vote this month on a draft constitution, a document
perceived by Iraqi Arabs as an effort to expand Kurdish authority at
the expense of the central government'." The most recent [PDF format
warning]
US State Dept status report on Iraq (July 1st) explained
that the constitution passed the Kurdish Parliament June 24th with 96
members voting for it and that the members of the Iraqi Parliament
immediately objected to the planned July 25th vote (same time the KRG
holds their elections) and to the Constitution itself.
Gina Chon (Wall St. Journal) interviews
Nouri al-Maliki and quotes him stating the KRG is guilty of
"provocations" and then declaring, "I am struggling for the unity of
Iraq, and Iraq cannot be divided into two." Chon doesn't note it, but
that is a "provocation" from Nouri because the KRG already considers
itself independent of the central government in Baghdad. Chon reveals
that US forces are currently sending drones all over Kurdistan in an
attempt to spy (she doesn't use the word "spy") on the region and how
Iraqi and Kurdish forces interact. Chon quotes al-Maliki on the
non-progress between the KRG and the central government in Baghdad
stating, "We are upset, but we are not worried because there is a
constitution and we can tell (the KRG) they are violating it." Again,
that's a "provocation." The KRG does not feel they are violating it
with regards to land disputes or anything else. In terms of the oil
rich Kirkuk, the KRG isn't violating anything because the Constitution
said that an election was to take place to determine Kirkuk's fate.
That's 2005. It's now 2009. The election has never taken place and
al-Maliki just this week refused to allow it again. Who is violating
the Constitution of Iraq?
And who's played the
Quiet Game? As noted last week, former US House Rep and 2008 US
presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney was imprisoned by the Israeli
government.
Margaret Kimberly (Black Agenda Report) notes what some focused on while ignoring McKinney:
While
Cynthia McKinney languished in an Israeli jail, black leaders mobilized
to say and do absolutely nothing. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were
busy advising Michael Jackson's family, too busy apparently to deal
with any other issues. Perhaps that explains their silence on the
subject of McKinney and Maguire. McKinney's former colleagues in the
Congressional Black Caucus must have also been similarly occupied. They
too went out of their way to say and do nothing about the illegal and
immoral treatment of someone they should have defended very
publicly.
The
silence from the corporate media is, sadly, not at all surprising. The
complete surrender of black American leadership is also sad and also
not surprising, but is nonetheless disgraceful, and should not pass
without comment. Cynthia McKinney was one of the first victims of the
corporate takeover of the Congressional Black Caucus. She was targeted
for defeat in 2002 by Zionists and other powerful forces determined to
get rid of one of the few truly progressive members of
congress.
The
silence from the corporate media is, sadly, not at all surprising. The
complete surrender of black American leadership is also sad and also
not surprising, but is nonetheless disgraceful, and should not pass
without comment. Cynthia McKinney was one of the first victims of the
corporate takeover of the Congressional Black Caucus. She was targeted
for defeat in 2002 by Zionists and other powerful forces determined to
get rid of one of the few truly progressive members of
congress.
The
black caucus could have responded in any number of ways to prevent
falling prey to McKinney's fate. They might have insured electoral
success by mobilizing their supporters, resurrecting movement politics
and exposing the forces who would seek to undermine popular will.
Instead they chose to capitulate, to go along to get along. They
decided not to put up a fight for themselves or for their constituents,
who were left without the representation they thought they were getting
when they made their choices on Election Day.
As
always, the result of capitulation is more capitulation, and it now
spreads beyond the hallowed halls of Congress. The only national action
requested by the president of the National Action Network, was a demand for a Michael Jackson postage stamp and a national day of mourning.
CYNTHIA
McKINNEY: Well, clearly, we just had a visit to Gaza by President
Carter, Former President Carter. Basically, he acknowledged that with
the complete and utter devastation that the people of Gaza experienced
at the hands of weapons that were supplied to Israel by the United
States, he said that unfortunately the Palestinians are treated worse
than human beings. I challenge the Israelis to respond to what
President Carter had to say.
AMY
GOODMAN: Former Congress member McKinney, tell us about the jail. Were
you able to reach the Obama administration while you were there?
CYNTHIA
McKINNEY: Well, the jail was very interesting. In fact, the first most
interesting thing I witnessed was the seemingly endless stream of
people of color who are being processed as we were being processed. And
on my cell block, there were women from Africa and Asia who thought
they were going to Israel because Israel was the Holy Land. And many of
them, not all of them, but many of them had United Nations refugee
status. They have been certified by UNHCR as refugees, but what they
were told as they faced the threats and intimidation from the police is
that the United Nations is not in Israel.
[. . .]
AMY
GOODMAN: Former Congress member McKinney, we only have ten seconds.
But, you've just been deported. What are your plans right now?
CYNTHIA
McKINNEY: Well, I would like to see the children of Gaza have the
coloring books and crayons that we had on board with us. I would like
to see the houses that have been destroyed rebuilt. I would like to see
the lives rebuilt for the people of Gaza and I would like to see the
people of Palestine have, and enjoy their human rights.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think president Obama is headed in that direction?
CYNTHIA
McKINNEY: I think you can probably answer that as well as we can,
because while we were in detention, the Foreign Ministry of Ireland
made protests and asked the government of Israel to release its
nationals, several Members of Parliament --
AMY GOODMAN: We have 5 seconds.
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: from the United Kingdom --
AMY GOODMAN: -- 5 seconds --
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: -- also wanted to censure Israel. Nothing from the United States.
Turning
to the world of JUNK SCIENCE. Thomas E. Ricks is a journalist. He
forgets that a lot lately. He forgets it in blog posts where he writes
about "we" when referring to the US military, for example.
He forgets it today with one of the dumbest and most disgusting things he could do
-- and, yes, I am aware of his highly unprofessional tendency to post
cheesecake photos which is surely the middle aged male blogger
equivalent of purchasing a sports car. Thomas E. Ricks is a
journalist. He's not a doctor. He's not trained in helping anyone.
His training is supposed to be in ferreting out information and
attempting to determine whether information is reliable or not. If so,
he's supposed to promote it. Today he promotes some unnamed marine's
anger passed off as 'medical counseling.' Unlike "Doctor" Thomas E.
Ricks, I showed the crap he posted to medical professionals who work
with veterans. The consensus? The unnamed marine has a problem with
what he sees as 'weakness' (any illness) and Thomas E. Ricks didn't
even grasp that or what he posted. After including the lay
'diagnosis,' Tom's babbling about this and that but the guy's already
argued -- telling Tom to ask Nate Flick -- that "it should mean he's
cured, not that it's always just around the corner". There's not a
cure. If Thomas E. Ricks had offered the same nonsense on the topic of
alcoholism, he'd be the joke of the net today but because there's such
a strong desire in this culture to deny sickness, crap like this will
be embraced. PTSD is a diagnosis. Neither Thomas E. Ricks nor his
unnamed marine are experts on science or even the diagnosis they claim
to be weighing in on. Sometimes people just makes asses out of
themselves and today it's Thomas Ricks and his unnamed friend. And
shame on him, at a time when veterans' health care is so woefullly
underfunded, for promoting the notion that an illness that can be
treated but not cured is 'curable' and apparently the fault of the
person with PTSD. And question for Thomas E. Ricks, should the marine
kill himself or someone else while Ricks is alive, how much blame will
Tom grab? He should have a huge portion of it because he's encouraged
the marine's delusion that he's 'cured'. Lastly, what kind of an ass
prints a medical 'diagnosis' that calls the mind a "bone"? What kind
of a journalist endorses that? Tom, I know you can't do math for s**t
but are you telling me you failed science as well? The brain's an
organ. Not a bone. If I recorded a workout video tomorrow, I'd have
to include a heads up at the start that people should check with their
doctors first but Tom is so sure of himself and he's buddy that he
fails to do even that. It's irresponsible. Ethically and
journalistically. We may return to this topic tonight. I've still got
calls coming in from people who work with PTSD patients and it's not
pretty. Again, it was irresponsible for Thomas E. Ricks to pimp that
Quack Science -- ethically irresponsible and journalistically
irresponsible. As dumb decisions go, it ranks alongside
the refusal to allow Dr. David Orgen to testify at Trevor Loope's mental assessment hearing at Fort Drum. Next up for Thomas E. Ricks: Restoring missing limbs via leeches.
Finally, in
snapshot yesterday we noted the
Voices of Honor press
conference. The press conference didn't receive the attention it
deserved so we'll note US House Rep Patrick Murphy's remarks again and
some of the press it did receive.
US House Rep Patrick Murphy:
My name is Patrick Murphy, I'm a Democrat from the eighth district of
Pennsylvania which is Bucks County and far north east Philadelphia. I
am now a United States Congressman in my second term but prior to that
I was in the military since 1993. I rose up to through the ranks to
become a professor at West Point. And then when 9-11 happened, I served
on two deployments. My first one with General [David] Petraeus and my
second one as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad
from 2003 to 2004. That's why every day I wear the 82nd Airborne pin on
my lapel, I don't wear the Congressional pin because 19 of my fellow
paratroopers never made it home. I am proud to be the lead sponsor
today of the Military Enhancement Readiness Act -- a bill that will
finally repeal the discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Our
troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and are stretched
dangerously thin. These men and women in our military understand what
it takes to serve our country and the values that our military and our
nation hold dear. They take an oath to support and defend the
Constitution of the United States, yet the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy
when it took effect in 1993 has discharged over 13,000 troops --
honorable men and women. That is the equivalent of three and a half
combat brigades. They have been discharged not for any type of sexual
misconduct but because of their sexual orientation. The policy is not
working for armed services and it hurts national security. Attitudes on
Don't Ask, Don't Tell have changed -- have changed in our military and
have changed in the public at large. Up to 75% of Americans support
repeal and the number is even higher in the age bracket of those we are
recruiting from 18 years of age to 29. Former senior military leaders
agree that it is time to re-evaluate and to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't
Tell policy. Opponents of lifting the ban arguing that allowing gays
and lesbians to serve openly will be detremental to unit cohesion and
morale. As a former Army officers and West Point professor, that is an
insult to me and to all the troops serving in uniform. In Iraq, my men
did not care what race, color, creed or sexual orientation their fellow
paratroopers were. They cared, whether they could get the job done. We
cared about serving with honor and coming home alive. Over 20 nations,
include our two strongest allies, Great Britain and Israel, allow gays
and lesbians to serve openly without any determental impact on unit
cohesion or morale. Believe me, our heroes serving in the US military
are the best fighting forces in the entire world. We are second to
none. And we are just as good as those who serve in Great Britain and
Israel. Our president, President Barack Obama, has stated that if
Congress will get a bill to his desk repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell,
he will sign it into law. It is now our job, and my job specifically,
to quarterback this through the Congress of the United States to do
just that. I cannot tell you today how long it is going to take. All I
can tell you is that paratroopers don't quit and paratroopers get the
job done. To remove honorable, talented and committed Americans from
serving in our military is contrary to the values that our military
life holds dear. My time in Iraq and at West Point teaching the next
generation of military leaders taught me that our military deserves and
expects the best and the brightest that are willing to serve. I stand
here today with these honorable and noble veterans. Together we will
continue the fight to make our nation and our military stronger.
One
officer, Lt. Dan Choi, who recently was subjected to a recommendation
of discharge for publicly declaring his homosexuality, told readers in
an email circulated by The Courage Campaign, "At West Point, I recited
the Cadet Prayer every Sunday.
"It taught me to 'choose the
harder right over the easier wrong' and to 'never be content with a
half truth when the whole can be won.'"
Dear friend --
I've
got some bad news. After 10 years of service to our country--including
leading combat patrols, rebuilding schools and translating Arabic in
Iraq for 15 months--the Federal Recognition Board issued its
recommendation on Tuesday that I be discharged from the Army for "moral
and professional dereliction" under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell" policy. The board's decision to fire me is not the end. Now
that this panel of four officers has recommended my discharge, it still
must be approved by senior officials in the Army, a process that could
take a few weeks to a year. Unless something unexpected happens, it may
be just a matter of time before the Army officially fires me. I will
not give up, no matter the odds. Because I know that the only way we
will win this fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is by facing it
head on. And I need your help again to keep up the fight. I've made my
case to President Obama--supported by more than 140,000 of your
signatures. I've made my case to the Army--supported by more than
160,000 of your signatures. And I will continue to make my case until
they fire me for good.
Now we need to make our case to House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi. Will you join me in asking Speaker Pelosi to strongly
support legislation currently in Congress that would repeal "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell"? Please sign on to our letter before July 4th and
I'll personally deliver your signatures to the Speaker ASAP.At West
Point, I recited the Cadet Prayer every Sunday. It taught me to "choose
the harder right over the easier wrong" and to "never be content with a
half truth when the whole can be won." The Cadet Honor Code demanded
truthfulness and honesty. It imposed a zero-tolerance policy against
deception, or hiding behind comfort. That's
why I can't give up now. I've got to keep fighting. My fellow
servicemembers--and the 70 fellow West Point graduates who have also
come out of the closet to join Knights Out, the organization I
co-founded to push for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"--would expect
nothing less. The only way we can win
this fight for the truth is if the political cost of discrimination
eventually becomes too great for the system to operate successfully. We
need to raise the political cost in Congress so that Speaker Nancy
Pelosi understands that, as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
once said, "justice too long delayed is justice denied." Speaker
Pelosi needs to make "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" a priority now and come
out strongly in support of legislative action to repeal this
discriminatory law. Will you stand by my side now and sign our letter
to the Speaker before July 4th? You have my word that I will deliver your signatures to Speaker Pelosi personally. As
I said a few days ago, national security means many things, but the
thing that makes us secure in our nation and homes is love. What makes
me a better soldier, leader, Christian and human being is love. And I'm
not going to hide my love. Love is worth it. Thank you for your support. Daniel W. Choi 1LT, IN New York Army National Guard P.S. You can also help by joining the Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell Cause and inviting your friends.
