I Hate The War

Iraq snapshot

Nouri and his thug power

Two weeks after U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraq's major cities, amid sporadic outbreaks of violence countrywide, Iraqi authorities aren't asking American forces for help. Although U.S. troops are "just a radio call away," in Baghdad and five other major urban areas, it appears the Iraqis haven't asked even once.
In Baghdad, the Iraqis also won't allow U.S. forces on the street, except for supply convoys.
The failure to trigger the "Onstar option" suggests that the government of Iraq and its military think that they can deal with the car bombings, homemade bombs and attacks with silencer-equipped handguns that have plagued parts of the country in recent days.

The above is from Mike Tharp's "Iraqis have told U.S. military no patrols permitted in Baghdad" (McClatchy Newspapers). Now explain again why the US military is in Iraq? Supposedly to manage a smooth transition. But the US installed Nouri al-Maliki, a thug, and the US can't do a thing to protect Iraqis. If Nouri launches another ethnic cleansing, like 2007, what happens? The US can't enter the cities without al-Maliki's permission so how does their presence protect anyone -- anyone except Nouri?

That's something people should be thinking about and it's something that the US Senate once discussed. In fact, along with Senator Russ Feingold, one of the best speakers on this topic was then-Senator Joe Biden, now vice president of the United States.

April 10, 2008, the US Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations, then chaired by Biden, held a hearing. Biden noted, "We've pledged we're not only going to consult when there is an outside threat, but also when there is an inside threat. We've just witnessed when Mr. Maliki engaged in the use of force against another Shia group in the south, is this an inside threat?" He went on to point out that this "internal threat" aspect to then-proposed agreements with Iraq (since rammed through by the Bush administration and continued by the Obama one) requires that the US "support the Iraqi government in its battle with all 'outlaw groups' -- that's a pretty expansive committment." It also required, in his words, that the United States "take side in Iraq's civil war" when "there is no Iraqi government that we know of that will be in place a year from now -- half the government has walked out. Just understand my frustration. We want to normalize a government that really doesn't exist."

Senator Feingold pointed out, "Given the fact that the Maliki government doesn't represent a true coalition, won't this agreement [make it appear] we are taking sides in the civil war"?

No, that hearing didn't blaze through the next day's papers. No, it didn't get tremendous attention. It should have. And those who ignored it in real time should be paying attention now. The same issues exist now and the US military's position in Iraq is no longer a hypothetical. The agreements were rammed through. What power does the US military have? Why is it still present? To allow al-Maliki to remain in power? To allow him to launch another attack on the Iraqi people?

Sam Dagher's "Bombings in Iraq Kill 11 People" (New York Times) covers some of yesterday's violence -- some because there were 20 reported deaths before the work day ended in Baghdad. He quotes Abbas Mohammed issuing a common complaint, "Where is the government? Where are the security forces? If they cannot control the situation, then let our sons take over." Our sons? He could mean the "Sons of Iraq." Sahwa. "Awakening." If he does mean that, Dagher doesn't explain it. Reuters notes that six pilgrims were wounded in a Baghdad bombing last night and eight were wounded in a Baghdad roadside bombing today.

Alsumaria cites the Iraq's Minister of Finance Bayan Jaber stating that increased "revenue from oil plus about $2 billion in fees from mobile phone companies will provide the country a supplementary budget of up to $3 billion".

Where does the money go? Not to the people. Aseel Kami (Reuters) reports on a 'housing' project. It's not housing, it's mixed -- housing and commercial. The project has a $30 billion price tag on it. Sounds impressive. Nouri's going to spend some money with at least some of it going to address the housing needs of Iraqis. But that's not really what's going on. The price tag is $30 billion. $20 billion of that will come from foreign investment (which most likely indicates the investment in the commercial district and not housing) while, over ten years, Iraq will kick in $10 billion. That's one a year. And how much of that will go to housing, no one knows. Kami notes that "Baghdad like other Iraqi cities is woefully behind the times when it comes to basic services such as water and power, not to mention an ever-more-desperate lack of suitable housing. "

Farah Stockman's "A wreath laid in Iraq" (Boston Globe) posted yesterday afternoon:

UMass Boston professor Padraig O'Malley laid a wreath today at the site of a bombing in Iraq that killed at least 72 people last month which appeared to be aimed at fomenting ethnic tensions in the volatile Kirkuk region.
Kirkuk is one of five "divided" cities participating in a peace forum established in Boston by O'Malley this past April. Elected representatives from Kirkuk visited Massachusetts this past April to learn about how Boston had overcome violence and division during the busing crisis of the 1970s.

On the subject of Kirkuk, Mohammed A Salih offers "US diplomacy leaves Kurds adrift" (Asia Times):

More signs of US involvement are emerging as Admiral Michael Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military, visited Kirkuk on Monday with the aim of urging Kurds, Arabs and Turkomans there to reach a power-sharing agreement. The US had been widely criticized in the recent months for not doing enough to settle disputes among Iraqi factions, especially Kurds and Arabs.
Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group (ICG) believes that unilateral decisions by Kurdish leaders such as the draft constitution were partly due to US reluctance to throw heavier diplomatic weight behind efforts to address the ethnic problems in the country.
But Biden's very new central role to steer US policy in Iraq, he says, shows that "Obama's administration means business".
"And his visit to Iraq is a sign that the US is serious in its efforts to broker a deal [on problems between Kurds and Iraqi government]," Hiltermann told Inter Press Service in a phone interview from Jordan.
However, as attempts to forge an agreement intensify, the key question is what kind of a deal is possible and sustainable.

The Kurdish region votes (parlimenatry and presidential elections) July 25th. The upcoming elections have gotten very little from domestic news outlets, the same ones so eager to pimp the January 31st elections non-stop. Why the silence on the KRG elections?

For one thing, the January 31st elections were never about the elections. They were about US outlets justifying their own withdrawal from Iraq, the story was an attempt to tie a bow around it all, call it a gift, grab your coat and hit the door. Second, those elections were fairly easy to cover. US reporters stayed in Baghdad, relied on stringers to flesh out details from beyond the Green Zone and offered 'reports.' The KRG? Too far from the Green Zone.

McClatchy does intend to have Adam Ashton reporting on the KRG elections, FYI. On the subject of female internal refugees and touching on the KRG, this is from Dawn Calabi's "Iraq: Don't Forget Displaced Women" (Refugees International):

As a humanitarian talking with displaced Iraqis be prepared for a lot of anger. "You destroyed my country," said one woman. "Those ruling have no place for us. What will you do?" Millions of people have been displaced inside and outside the country. Small numbers have returned home. For others, insecurity, plus the absence of the rule of law, infrastructure, employment prospects, or basic services like water, sanitation, education or health care prevent them from returning home. Individuals or members of groups targeted for religion, ethnicity or politics are unlikely to return. These families, often headed by women, live in extremely poor, overcrowded conditions, subject to extreme heat and cold. Many are skeptical Iraq will invest the political and financial resources needed for safe sustainable returns.
In Erbil, a displaced woman living in a tent wanted the world to understand. "We need security in Iraq…tell the politicians to make an agreement. Poor people are the victims of the struggle. Kurd, Arab, Sunni, Shia, Christian, we are all one people, Iraqis, and we need a secure country! Ask our government, the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) to pay attention to our needs, to see how we are living and suffering."
Unlike last year, Iraq has not contributed to the UN or neighboring countries aiding its citizens. The KRG complained of receiving insufficient funds to pay grants to people registered as internally displaced and insufficient medicines for those with chronic illnesses. But displaced people inside Northern Iraq are grateful to the KRG.

Women aren't helped by 'marital payments'. That's not in the above, it's a story that's circulating. Allegedly, men who will marry out of their sect will receive money from Nouri's administration. First, that's offensive, period. Second, a woman married to a man who 'found' her to get paid is probably not going to have an 'enjoyable' life after the payment money is gone and considering the new divorce laws enshrined under US occupation, she's going to have a very difficult leaving him although he will be able to leave her with great ease. He'll also be able to falsely accuse of her of anything, kill her and, at the most, 'suffer' through police questioning before being released.

New Zealand's TVNZ wants you to know that Baghdad's night life is 'thriving.' Any who caught the BBC World Service yesterday heard the news of the Baghdad concert. What an advance it was. Oh, it took place in the afternoon. It had to because, due to the violence, people are still not comfortable going out at night. But the concert was a hit.

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US negotiated and no one has anything to show for it

An ex-Foreign Office minister has said he doubts Britain negotiated with the right people in its attempts to free five men kidnapped in Iraq.
In a BBC interview, Kim Howells also said he had become "very frustrated" with the Iraqi government.

The above is from BBC News' "Iraq hostage policy is questioned" (link has text and audio). Howells states, "I'm not convinced we were ever negotating with the right people. I mean, that's doubtful. The only real proof of life that I saw were the video. And there were stories circulating that a suicide had taken place, there were deadlines that came and went." That's a snippet from the interview and the BBC notes: "Find out more from The Report on BBC RAdio 4, Thursday 16 July at 2000 BST. You can also listen via the BBC iPlayer after broadcast or download the podcast."

What's he talking about?

A trade of prisoners in US custody, two brothers who were supposed to have orchestrated the worst attack on a US base in Iraq during the last six years, an attack that resulted in five US service members being killed. The two brothers' organization had attacked British civilians and kidnapped five of them -- IT contractors and security. Prior to the release of the brothers' last month, the 5 British hostages had been held for over two years. And what does anyone have to show for it?

Two of the five British hostages have since been 'released.' Two corpses. (Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst.)

Danny Chism is the father of Jonathan Bryan Chism who was one of the five killed on January 23, 2007. From ICCC, let's note the five:

US 1st Lieutenant Jacob N. Fritz Karbala Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenades
US Private 1st Class Jonathan Millican Karbala Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenades
US Captain Brian Scott Freeman Karbala Hostile - hostile fire - mortar, small arms fire
US Specialist Johnathan Bryan Chism Karbala Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenades
US Private Shawn Patrick Falter Karbala Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenades

June 9th, Danny Chism learned the two brothers were released and he declared to Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Robert H. Reid (AP), "They freed them? The American military did? Somebody needs to answer for it." The US government failed to inform the families who lost loved ones in that attack that they were releasing the two men they believed were responsible for the deaths.

On June 9th, the negotiating with 'terrorists' or terrorists got a little play. From that day's snapshot:

This morning the New York Times' Alissa J. Rubin and Michael Gordon offered "U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.'s." Martin Chulov (Guardian) covered the same story, Kim Gamel (AP) reported on it, BBC offered "Kidnap hope after Shia's handover" and Deborah Haynes contributed "Hope for British hostages in Iraq after release of Shia militant" (Times of London). The basics of the story are this. 5 British citizens have been hostages since May 29, 2007. The US military had in their custody Laith al-Khazali. He is a member of Asa'ib al-Haq. He is also accused of murdering five US troops. The US military released him and allegedly did so because his organization was not going to release any of the five British hostages until he was released. This is a big story and the US military is attempting to state this is just diplomacy, has nothing to do with the British hostages and, besides, they just released him to Iraq. Sami al-askari told the New York Times, "This is a very sensitive topic because you know the position that the Iraqi government, the U.S. and British governments, and all the governments do not accept the idea of exchanging hostages for prisoners. So we put it in another format, and we told them that if they want to participate in the political process they cannot do so while they are holding hostages. And we mentioned to the American side that they cannot join the political process and release their hostages while their leaders are behind bars or imprisoned." In other words, a prisoner was traded for hostages and they attempted to not only make the trade but to lie to people about it. At the US State Dept, the tired and bored reporters were unable to even broach the subject. Poor declawed tabbies. Pentagon reporters did press the issue and got the standard line from the department's spokesperson, Bryan Whitman, that the US handed the prisoner to Iraq, the US didn't hand him over to any organization -- terrorist or otherwise. What Iraq did, Whitman wanted the press to know, was what Iraq did. A complete lie that really insults the intelligence of the American people. CNN reminds the five US soldiers killed "were: Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, of Temecula, California; 1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Nebraska; Spc. Johnathan B. Chism, 22, of Gonzales, Louisiana; Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Cortland, New York; and Pfc. Johnathon M. Millican, 20, of Trafford, Alabama." Those are the five from January 2007 that al-Khazali and his brother Qais al-Khazali are supposed to be responsible for the deaths of.

The US repeatedly denied that it had negotiated but it was clear that it had. The British wanted it to free their five citizens and Nouri al-Maliki said the brothers had to be release for political reconciliation to go through. That would be the same Nouri who opposed any reconciliation with the Kurds over the issue of Kirkuk or any reconciliation with former Ba'athists -- including the meeting that is supposed to take place in DC with them, the one Vice President Joe Biden pitched to al-Maliki on his recent trip to Iraq and that al-Maliki shot down as soon as Biden had left Iraq.

Unlike most US outlets, the Christian Science Monitor did not do a one day story and then forget it. From Jane Arraf's June 11th report:

Marking a gradual but dramatic shift in policy, the US appears prepared to release a major figure it accuses of masterminding the killing of five American soldiers in one of the most carefully planned insurgent attacks of this war, according to Iraqi and US officials.
Sheikh Laith al-Khazali, a senior member of a Shiite extremist group that the Iraqi government is trying to bring into the political process, was released from US custody over the weekend in what the Iraqi government called a wider reconciliation effort with extremist groups.
The release of his brother Qais al-Khazali, who heads the Iranian-backed militant group Asa'ib al-Haq and is directly linked to a lethal attack in Karbala in 2007, is expected to follow as talks progress, according to US and Iraqi officials. The officials asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Freeing the two men, along with a Lebanese Hezbollah operative arrested by US forces at the same time in Basra two years ago, is also linked to the release of British hostages who have been held by Shiite extremists for the past two years.

The release has not proven to be successful thus far. Was it ever worth it? That's a discussion the US should be having publicly and openly. But in terms of the British? At this point, it doesn't appear to be. Two prisoners got their release and two corpses were handed over. Where are the other three people? Are they alive? Are they dead? It doesn't appear to have been a success for the US and, thus far, it is not a success for the British. For the US government, it appears to be one of the stupidest things they've done in 2009 and it's amazing how little attention it has received in the US.

For two years, those brothers were held because they were believed to be the ones who orchestrated the attack. Should they have been held without evidence and trial? No. But maybe the US never wanted to put it to trial because they were planning a trade? I don't know. No one does because the government's not being pressed to tell the citizens what happened. All this time later, the only truth emerges unofficially. This is not a minor thing and it will be one of the incidents that haunts Barack's legacy as president.

As the Iraq War haunts the country despite all the best efforts to pretend the illegal war is over. Paul Purpura (The Times-Picayune) reports:

About 3,000 Louisiana Army National Guard soldiers and their families, including several hundred in the New Orleans area, have received confirmation they are going back to Iraq.
The 256th Brigade Combat Team received orders this past weekend to mobilize in January for predeployment training at Camp Shelby, Miss.
The brigade will spend one year in Iraq.


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As noted yesterday and the day before, those who don't need second-by-second, minute-by-minute coverage of the Sotomayor Circus can click here for BBC Radio. If any actual news is made in the hearing, you'll hear it there. Otherwise, you'll be informed of life beyond the circus, around the world. You won't find that on Pacifica which all about "Baby cried the day the circus came to town" passed off as news. And if you're following the circus or trying to, Betty continues to offer level headed coverage.

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Iraq snapshot

Ramadi bombing, Iranians held as hostages, Kirkuk and more

An apparent attack on a police checkpoint in Ramadi, capital of Anbar Province, has resulted in multiple deaths today. BBC News says it was a mini-bus bombing and that the dead number 6 with an additional seventeen injured (dead actually would number seven -- it was a 'suicide' attack). AP adds that the dead include five police officers and notes that a funeral for two other Baghdad police officers -- Hussein Qassim and Jassim Shuwaili who were killed yesterday -- took place today. Reuters notes, "Salah al-Obeidi, a doctor at the Ramadi hospital, said some of the wounded were in grave condition. He said the death toll might rise." As usual the response is 'crackdown' -- closed streets, etc.

Closed streets? Mike Tharp (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Iraqi authorities are banning "U.S. forces on the street, except for supply convoys. The failure to trigger the 'Onstar option' suggests that the government of Iraq and its military think that they can deal with the car bombings, homemade bombs and attacks with silencer-equipped handguns that have plagued parts of the country in recent days." Meanwhile Barbara Slavin reports the latest on the Iranian hostages freed last week in "EXCLUSIVE: U.S. held Iranians as 'hostages,' officials say" (Washington Times):

Three members of Iran's elite Quds Force who were seized in Iraq by the United States were held for more than two years even though they had not been involved in anti-U.S. activities and were functioning as diplomats at the time, a former and a currently serving senior U.S. official said Tuesday.
The former official, who served in Iraq and was in a position to know about the issue but asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic, said that the three - who were turned over to the Iraqis last week and then to Iran - were in effect "hostages" taken to try to persuade Iran to reduce its support for anti-U.S. violence in Iraq.
The second official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because his account contradicted previous U.S. government statements, said the three were held as "potential leverage" against Iran, which provided financial and weapons support to anti-U.S. Iraqis after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

For any wondering, we're not becoming a Moonie proxie. A) I have no issues with Slavin who has a long history of reporting. B) I know one of Slavin's sources for the article so I'm not sitting here thinking, "Is this Moonie 'truth' or reality?" Which isn't me saying, "It's true!" I am saying, what Slavin's reporting has been whispered at the State Dept since the release took place.

In the previous entry, we noted Tommy The Quack Friedman's put-down of Iraqis and his feeling that they were preoccupied with history (as opposed to living in his Just-Do-It! world). A little history would do the US good right now. When Robert McNamara did the world a favor and died earlier this month, Democracy Now! aired a roundtable. Historian Marilyn Young (author of many books and recently co-editor of Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam) explained of McNamara:

One of the legacies is that there is none, in a sense. The first clip that you ran, you could have run it now. About Iraq, several years ago, about Afghanistan today. It's as if it doesn't go anywhere. There is knowledge, and then it's erased in between McNamara should be kind of a morality tale. During his tenure as Secretary of Defense, he initially -- he was responsible really -- for the initial escalation. In 1964, he and Bundy gave -- '65, I'm sorry -- gave Johnson what's called "The Fork in the Road Memorandum," in which they said, "Now, we have really thought this over and we have two choices. We could increase military pressure or we could negotiate." And they strongly urged the increase of military pressure and Johnson went along with that. Not that he was, you know, I think he was a little unwilling, but that is another subject.

"One of the legacies," she said, "is that there is none." If you doubt her, you haven't read the morning papers.

Gordon Lubold (Christian Science Monitor) writes that four "Advisory and Assistance Brigades" are being sent to Iraq. These are military troops. But they're "advisory" and "assistance" and not "combat" troops. (As Thomas E. Ricks has noted when fully awake, there is no pacifistic wing of the military.) Lubold is very good at repeating Defense Dept propaganda, but search in vain for any clue that Lubold is educated. Apparently, he's not. Apparently, he's one more glorified general studies major. Maybe it's past time that journalism programs were dropped if this what they produce? A history major reporting the same news today would probably be likely to note that "advisors" in Vietnam just signaled further US involvement. But Lubold's not just unqualified, he's apparently an idiot or a liar. Xinhua reports the detail he leaves out, and it's a pretty big one: "However, they will also conduct coordinated counterterrorism missions." Repeating Marilyn Young on Vietnam and McNamara, "One of the legacies is that there is none."

Iran's Press TV is reporting on rumors of a development regarding the disputed region of Kirkuk:

Analysts interpret the unexpected trip by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to Iraq's northern city of a Kirkuk as a warning to ethnic Kurds.
Adm. Mike Mullen traveled on Monday to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk which Kurds have claimed as the capital of their autonomous region in the north.
They have drawn up a draft constitution claiming extra areas as part of the region's territory, including the ethnically divided Kirkuk province and parts of Nineveh and Diyala provinces in official Kurdish territory.

Yesterday's snapshot noted:

And the river dries up as Jenan Hussein (McClatchy Newspapers) reports on the poverty, "Beggars have become as visible as blast walls and checkpoints in Iraqi cities. Government ministries don't have reliable statistics, partly because those who beg fear official crackdowns on their only livelihood. It's a problem the government has yet to tackle." This happens as the Oil Ministry brags it has "acheived (59.1000) million barrels with (3.378) billion dollars incomes with daily average of (4.400) barrels per day for May and the raise was (686) million dollars. In comparison with April which achieved (54.700) million barrels with (2.692) billion dollars incomes."

On oil monies, Waleed Ibrahim, Tim Cocks, Missy Ryan and David Gregorio (Reuters) report:

Iraq's oil exports have reached an average 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in July so far, the finance minister said on Tuesday, putting them on track for the biggest month since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Higher revenue from oil plus about $2 billion in fees from mobile phone companies will give the country a supplementary budget of up to $3 billion, Finance Minister Bayan Jabor told journalists in Baghdad.

And still the people suffer without electricity and running water. And the cholera outbreak -- the annual cholera outbreak -- is just around the corner. The monies may not seem high by US standards, but this is a country with no more than 30 million people. The money is huge and where it goes is not something anyone's supposed to address in polite company.

Raheem Salman and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) report that Iraq celebrated Abdul Kareem Qasim and the 1958 "establishment of the modern Iraqi republic":

Qasim was killed by the Baath party in a coup in 1963, bookending his own power grab five years earlier, which ended with his supporters killing King Faisal II. By 1963, Qasim had been undone by his poor relationship with the West, rivalry with Egypt, a Kurdish rebellion in the north and his own crackdowns against opponents.
But today, state television broadcast a documentary, entitled "Supporter of the Poor," remembering him in a favorable light. The movie showed grainy footage of the tall, lanky army general in uniform, invoking nostalgia for the era before Iraq was plagued by successive wars and upheaval. The timing was interesting given the ongoing debate in Iraqi politics about whether the country needs a strong head of state or whether power should be decentralized and have a series of checks and balances to avoid the emergence of another autocratic ruler like Hussein.

Two highlights and then we're done. First up Jeremy Scahill's "Is Obama Continuing the Bush/Cheney Assassination Program?" (Rebel Reports):

In June, CIA Director Leon Panetta allegedly informed members of the House Intelligence Committee of the existence of a secret Bush era program implemented in the days after 9-11 that, until last month, had been hidden from lawmakers. The concealment of the plan, Panetta alleged, happened at the orders of then-Vice President Dick Cheney.
Now, The New York Times is reporting that this secret program that had "been hidden from lawmakers" by Cheney was a plan "to dispatch small teams overseas to kill senior Qaeda terrorists." The Wall Street Journal, which originally reported on the plan, reported that the paramilitary teams were to implement a "2001 presidential legal pronouncement, known as a finding, which authorized the CIA to pursue such efforts."
The plan, the Times says, never was carried out because "Officials at the spy agency over the years ran into myriad logistical, legal and diplomatic obstacles." Instead, the Bush administration "sought an alternative to killing terror suspects with missiles fired from drone aircraft or seizing them overseas and imprisoning them in secret C.I.A. jails."
The House Intelligence Committee is now reportedly preparing an investigation into this program and the Senate may follow suit. "We were kept in the dark. That's something that should never, ever happen again," said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein. Withholding this information from Congress "is a big problem, because the law is very clear."

And this is from Debra Sweet's "The Urgent Need for Decisive and Principled Leadership in the Anti-War Movement" (World Can't Wait):


UNITY in the antiwar movement: SAVE these dates: Monday October 5; Saturday October 17; Friday March 19, 2010
I was among the World Can't Wait supporters attending the National Assembly to End the Occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan this weekend in Pittsburgh. Read the proposal World Can't Wait brought. I'm glad to be able to say that out of the Assembly came a vote and intention to support a two-week period of mass, united actions against the occupations from October 3 - October 17, 2009. Based on support of most of the participants, a demand was added to "end war crimes, including torture."
This action period includes Monday, October 5 as a mass protest and non-violent civil resistance action in Washington, at the US House offices and the White House to mark the US occupation of Afghanistan, which begun that week in 2001. The period culminates with Saturday October 17th regional and local actions against the wars. October 17 is the 40th anniversary of the famous Vietnam Moratorium in 1969 that Daniel Ellsberg referred to as so huge that it forced Richard Nixon to shelve plans to nuke Vietnam.


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A tale of two columnists

Two columnists tackle Iraq today. One for a right wing outlet (the Washington Times) the other for a 'liberal' paper (New York Times). Who really embarrasses themselves? It would be great if we could say Diana West who writes for the Washington Times. But that's not the case. From the opening of her "In Iraq, soldiers still suffering and dying" (The Jamestown Sun):

The first I heard about what happened to Lt. Col. Timothy Karcher, the last U.S. commander of Sadr City who recently signed over jurisdiction to Iraqis, was from a reader. He e-mailed me about my last column, which argued that "allies" don't declare victory over each other (as Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki declared "victory" over the United States), and the sooner we realize Iraq isn’t our "ally," the better. It also bemoaned the U.S. military’s deference to Iraq, quoting top brass beginning with Gen. Raymond Odierno and including Lt. Col. Karcher, in their execution of what I, myself, consider a futile U.S. policy to Westernize Islamic cultures.
"I appreciate your fervor and feelings about Mr. al-Maliki's comments, but I must say that your biting commentary regarding the quote from Lt. Col Karcher has driven me to reply," he wrote. "You may not be aware," he continued, "but since signing over jurisdiction to the Iraqis, Lt. Col. Karcher suffered a roadside bomb attack and lost both legs. One of his men, Sgt. Timothy David of Beaverton, Mich. -- a veteran of six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan -- was killed by a second EFP."

West notes she was not aware and then explains that Timothy David died in the June 28th attack ("two days before Iraq's 'victory' celebration") and that Timothy Karcher is still at Walter Reed. West explains she wasn't aware of it until her reader pointed it out. She goes on to explore a few topics and does so with more spine than many a centrist columnist playing left.

Contrast that with the latest garbage from Thomas Friedman. And before we go further, does anyone really believe for a moment that when a reader writes him to point something out or correct him that he does anything other than immediately delete? Does anyone really believe Mr. Know It All would ever open a column (or even close one) that way West has?

The Idiot Friedman's column is entitled "Goodbye Iraq, and Good Luck" and just from the title you're aware that The World Is Flat And My Ass Is Huge Thomas Friedman can't address reality with any depth but can continue to offer breezy, facile snap readings with little-to-no bearing on reality.

Tommy packed his bag at night pre-flight, caught a military flight to Kirkuk and he was always high as a kite. He's a dumb ass, burning up his fuse out there alone. In Kirkuk, the US military meets with "provincial leaders" ("Sunnis, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians") and Tommy declares, "It's my lucky day." (It's never the readers' lucky day when Friedman has a new column.) Why? Because while various leaders offered what they needed, one (Rebwar Talabani) declared, "I want to tell a joke."

I think Thomas Friedman may have misheard. The leader may have said, "I want to talk to a joke." Regardless, the joke recounts a man who suffered under Saddam Hussein (no one suffers under the US occupation in Friedman's world -- that's the subtext of the column and the reason he includes the joke). The man is illiterate and he goes to a worker who, for money, writes letters. (No, it's not a very realistic joke.) The man tells the worker his decades of suffering and the worker writes it up. The man reads over it and declares, "That is so beautifully done. I had no idea all this happened to me."

Rebwar Talabani told the joke but you know Thomas Friedman's got to 'improve' on it, patronizing ass that he is:

Talabani's joke seemed to have been directed as much to his fellow Iraqis as to Admiral Mullen. My translation: "Everyone here has a history, and it's mostly painful. We Iraqis love to tell our histories. And the more we do, the better they get. But with you Americans leaving, we need to decide: Do we keep telling our stories, or do we figure out how to settle our differences?"

"The better they get"? The suffering is better to Thomas Friedman? "We love to tell our histories?"

The joke could easily about technocrats (the worker) and what the average citizen has to go through and/or is at the mercy of. The joke doesn't imply any of the "Do we keep telling our stories, or do we figure out how to settle our differences?" I belive the term for what gas bag Friedman has done is: Projection.

It's an insulting column throughout (and it's interesting how he fails to explain he was supposed to go beyond Kirkuk -- in fact, straight to Baghdad -- but was prevented from that due to a sandstorm).

"I am amazed in talking to U.S. Army officers heere as to how much they've learned from and about Iraiqs." What? The US doesn't interact with anyone but the thugs put in place and the collaborators. They have no idea -- outside a house raid -- what the average Iraqi is like. Thomas Friedman is a dumb ass.

Then he sells the illegal war and illegal occupation as a good thing because, despite "some shameful legacies here of torture and Abu Ghraib, . . . we also left a million acts of kindness" and allowed the Iraqis the 'joy' of seeing "the melting pot of U.S. soldiers around them".

Oh joy. Lucky, lucky Iraqis.

Thomas Friedman been selling this illegal war over and over and it's disgusting. The left wants to get riled up every few months over right-winger William Kristol. They whined and carped over his employment at the New York Times and now at the Washington Post but Kristol goes on TV and everyone knows he's a right winger. Thomas Friedman's the clear and present danger. He's a quack who has justified illegal war and global policies that hurt multiple peoples around the world. And he's still brought on as a 'respectable' and, yes, 'left' voice. Cleaning house is never fun. But it is required. And it's amazing that Kristol, a right-winger, takes up so much of ire when he's doing what the right does while Thomas Friedman pretends to be left day after day and does great damage as a result. Most people don't follow every detail. They turn on the TV and there's Thomas Friedman. Name's familiar. He's left? Oh. Okay, what's he's saying. Well, I don't agree but I don't know all the issues, maybe he's right . . . .

That's how people like Friedman do real danger and he should have been loudly called out over the previous years but it's as if Judith Miller took all the heat off him and, even after she left, no one could be bothered.

Turning to England where an inquiry is going into the death of 26-year-old Iraq Baha Mousa in September 2003 while in the custody of British forces. Deborah Haynes (Times of London) reports:

Geoff Hoon, the former Defence Secretary, could be called to give evidence at a public inquiry into illegal techniques used by British forces in Iraq to prepare detainees for interrogation.
A list of witnesses has yet to be finalised and his name is not believed to be on the latest draft. Asked yesterday whether Mr Hoon would be called as a witness, however, Gerard Elias, QC, counsel to the inquiry, told The Times: "Possibly." A second lawyer said: "It may well be that an application will be made to call politicians. However, it is early days."

Meanwhile Iraqi Christians have been targeted throughout the illegal war but Saturday saw a new wave of attacks in Baghdad and Mosul. Amnesty International has issued "Iraq: Amnesty International condemns attacks on Christian minority:"


Amnesty International is greatly concerned by the recent spate of attacks on Christian churches in Baghdad,which killed four civilians and injured more than 30others. Amnesty International condemns such attacks and demands that those responsible cease attacking civilians.

On Sunday, 12 July2009, five Christian churches in Baghdadwere targeted in bomb attacks. The most serious attackoccurred close to the Virgin Mary Church on Palestine Street in central Baghdad early on Sundayevening, when acar bomb was detonated killing four civilians, Christians and a Muslim, and injuring at least 21other people, mostly women and children. Three other people were injured by abomb explosion outside a church in the Dora district, south of Baghdad, which also damagedthe churchbuilding.

Attacks targeting Iraqi civilians, including members of ethnic and religious minorities, have intensified in recent weeks. On 9 July two suicide bombings were carried out in Tal Afar, a predominantly Turkoman town near Mosul, which killed 34 people and injured more than 60 others. No armed group has yet claimed responsibility for these attacks.

Hundreds of people have now been killed by armed groups and many more injured in the run-up to and following the 30 June deadline for the pullout of US troops from Iraq's cities and towns as stipulated for by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), a security agreement signed between Iraq and the US at the end of 2008 and which entered into force in January this year.

As direct attacks on civilians and on religious buildings these church bombings constitute war crimes. To the extent that these bombings are part of a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population of Iraq in furtherance of an organization's policy, they would constitute crimes against humanity. War crimes and crimes against humanity are among the most serious crimes under international law.These attacks must be stopped immediately and those responsible must be brought to justice.

Public Document

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org

International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org

Michelle A. Vu's "Iraq Heightens Church Security after Bombings" (Christian Post) offers the timeline for those who missed the latest wave of attacks:


Meanwhile, Iraq's vice president Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni Muslim, "strongly condemned" the attacks on churches in a statement posted on his Web site. He called on the country's security forces to locate the culprits and allow justice to take place.
Over the course of just 48 hours, seven Iraqi churches were bombed – starting midnight Saturday with a church in Baghdad.
Following the first bombing, another five Baghdad-area churches were bombed on Sunday – the last of which was attacked at 7 p.m. as worshippers left mass. The explosion killed four people - three Christians and one Muslim – and injured at least another 32.
Then on Monday, a church in the northern city of Mosul – which is home to Iraq's largest Christian population outside of Baghdad – was bombed. Three children were injured in the attack, caused by a detonated car bomb.

Carol Rizk's "Catholic Center condemns Baghdad church attacks" (The Daily Star) adds:

Lebanon's Catholic Media Center sounded the alarm on Tuesday saying Iraq's Christians were facing increasing injustice and were being pushed to flea their home country.
The center issued a statement "strongly" condemning acts of violence against Iraqi Christians, especially the latest attack over the weekend on six churches in Baghdad.
The statement described the ongoing brutal acts as "crimes against humanity" saying that the battered country's Christians "are Iraqi citizens who fulfill all their national duties but their rights are still being violated.
"Iraqi Christians have no protection and no guarantee of living a decent and peaceful life," it added.

Alsumaria quotes Baghdad Bishop Shlemon Warduin stating, "You see, you hear, all the people are together, we are brothers, you have seen maybe Muslims and Christians are together. We came to pray that our Lord live the eternal life for the Christian people. That the Lord give happiness for their families and consolations, and especially we pray that our Lord give peace and security for Iraq." IRIN notes:

A German NGO dealing with vulnerable and threatened communities in Iraq said the attacks were a bid to drive the remaining Christian community out of the country.
"Extremist Islamists are systematically aiming at driving out the remaining 100,000 Assyro-Chaldaic Christians from the Iraqi capital," Kamal Sido, a near-east consultant for the Society for Threatened People (GfbV), aid in a statement on 13 July.
According to GfbV, more than three-quarters of the approximately 400,000 Christians living in Baghdad have fled the city since the 2003 US-led invasion, due to either direct or indirect threats to their community.
GfbV appealed for urgent support for aid projects for Christians who have been displaced inside Iraq and for those who are refugees in neighbouring Jordan and Syria to help them either return to their homes or resettle in a third country.
According to the World Refugee Survey 2008 by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, at year's end, Syria hosted some 1.3 million Iraqi refugees, of whom about 20 percent were Christian. The US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2008 states that 16 percent of registered Iraqi refugees in Jordan were Christians.

The following community sites updated last night:

• 
  Cedric's Big Mix

  White House maintains it was suicide

  9 hours ago
• 
  The Daily Jot

  THIS JUST IN! DEATH SHOCKS WHITE HOUSE

  9 hours ago
• 
  Trina's Kitchen

  Recommendations

  9 hours ago
• 
  Thomas Friedman is a Great Man

  Sotomayor Circus

  10 hours ago
• 
  Mikey Likes It!

  Katyln Tracy

  10 hours ago
• 
  Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude

  another loss for gordon brown

  10 hours ago
• 
  SICKOFITRADLZ

  Charles Taylor

  10 hours ago
• 
  Ruth's Report

  LGBT, Charles Taylor

  10 hours ago
• 
  Oh Boy It Never Ends

  'Suceed' at what Debby Jacobs?

  10 hours ago
• 
  Like Maria Said Paz

  Adam Levine, Debra Sweet

  10 hours ago
• 
  Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)

  Seante Veterans Affairs Committee

  10 hours ago

As noted yesterday, those who don't need second-by-second, minute-by-minute coverage of the Sotomayor Circus can click here for BBC Radio. If any actual news is made in the hearing, you'll hear it there. Otherwise, you'll be informed of life beyond the circus, around the world. You won't find that on Pacifica which all about "Baby cried the day the circus came to town" passed off as news. Heath and Amanda both e-mailed wondering what Ruth listened to yesterday that provided her with the updates on the Charles Taylor trial? I believe Ruth listened to BBC Radio World Service. But "latest news" and "news bulletin" will also include coverage. And if you're following the circus or trying to, Betty continues to offer level headed coverage.

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Iraq snapshot

US military announces another death, Jay Garner writes the Times

Last night, the US military announced:

BAGHDAD -- A Multi-National Division–Baghdad Soldier died the afternoon of July 13 due to a medical condition. 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 Website at http://www.defenselink.mil/ . The announcements are made on the Website 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 announcement brings the total number of service members killed in the illegal war since it started to 4323.

Meanwhile on the front page of today's New York Times, Campbell Robertson's "Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles" begins and notes:

The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria; a two-year drought; and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago. Some officials worry that it could soon be half of what it is now.

Why is it drying up? Global warming no doubt impacts as it does everywhere. Robertson doesn't raise that. In addition, neighbors Syria and Turkey grab from the same water supply and have several dams set up. In addition, the infrastructure in Iraq was allowed to decay and was further damaged during the illegal war. In the first year of the illegal war, the paper was writing about the Tigris and the problems with it. Today's problems aren't surprising. And the US bears a larger responsibility for it than the Robertson's article is willing to acknowledge. He's also unwilling to acknowledge how little the US has done. And on what others are planning, we'll just assume he's unaware.

Last month, UNICEF, now back in Baghdad, declared the start of a new water and sanitation project that would service an estimated 100,000 Iraqis and is funded with by the European Community (at an estimated cost of $10 million in US dollars).

As the river dries, Iraqis lose another water supply -- already a huge, huge problem in a country where potable water has become a thing of the past. The lack of potable water and the start of summer means that the cholera outbreaks are just around the corner. Last year, a UN doctor shamefully blamed Iraqi women for the cholera outbreak. Disgracefully blamed Iraqi women -- who already suffer enough and require no additional burdens 'gifted' to them. Cholera outbreaks take place because there is no potable water. Boiling the water is a safety measure; however, it depends upon having the gas or electricity with which to boil water and it depends upon having access to a stove or other device you can boil water on. Fixing Iraq's sewer and water systems would address the issue. Providing potable water would address the issue. Iraq brought in a ton of money in 2008. Where did it go? It's one of the richest countries in the world when you grasp that it has a population of approximately 30 million (a generous estimate considering the number killed during this war and the number of external refugees). Last year's revenues more than doubled the population. So where is that money?

That's a question that will be asked after the US finally withdraws, whenever that is. The item below is from [PDF format warning] the US State Dept's Iraq report for July 1, 2009 (and you can also find news on the UNICEF item in that).

Villages determined to be at high risk for cholera received four solar powered water purification units. The units were provided by the PRT at the request of provincial health authorities as part of an anti-cholera campaign. Villagers will be instructed in unit operations and repairs.

A friend at the State Dept asked that the cholera units be noted last week. I didn't have time and we're noting it today. PRTs are "Provincial Reconstruction Teams." From a March 2008 fact sheet issued by the State Dept:

#
Established by Secretary Rice on November 11, 2005, the Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Team initiative is a civilian-military inter-agency effort that provides the primary connection between U.S. and coalition partners and provincial and local governments in all of Iraq’s 18 provinces.
#
The core PRT mission is helping provincial governments with: developing a transparent and sustained capability to govern, promoting increased security and rule of law, promoting political and economic development and providing provincial administration necessary to meet the basic needs of the population.
#
The PRT focus is on five thematic areas including governance, economics, infrastructure, rule of law and public diplomacy. The teams work to assist provincial and local governments with a range of engagement, training, jobs and small grant programs.
#
Most of Iraq is served by a total of 31 PRTs including thirteen “embedded” PRTs (EPRTs), formulated as part of President Bush’s New Way Forward strategy. Embedded teams work hand-in-glove with military units at the brigade level.
#
Four southern provinces are served by smaller civilian teams based in Babil and Dhi Qar. These provincial support teams bring vital engagement and capacity building activity to the provinces of Karbala, Najaf, Muthanna and Maysan.
#
The combined staff of all teams now numbers approximately 800. They are from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. and coalition military, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Agriculture and contract personnel.
#
PRT funding comes from a variety of sources, including coalition partners, with the majority coming from the U.S. The principal programs associated with PRTs include PRDC (Provincial Reconstruction and Development Committee) and QRF (Quick Response Fund) programs as well as the following USAID-funded programs: CSP (Community Stabilization Program); the LGP (Local Governance Program); CAP (Community Action Program); Izdihar Economic Growth Program; and INMA Agri-business Program.
#
The teams are an important tool in achieving our counterinsurgency strategy by bolstering moderates, promoting reconciliation, fostering economic development and building provincial capacity.

Seth Robson (Stars and Stripes) reports on PRTs today. Mike Tharp and Warren P. Strobel (McClatchy Newspapers) report on attempts to determine the target of a roadside bombing Sunday, "U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the incident is under investigation, stressed Monday that they didn't know whether the bomb was intended to target American Ambassador Christopher Hill. Investigators' arrival on the scene has been delayed by severe sandstorms, one official said." They also quote a PRT head in Dhi Qar Province who asks, "How can you tell foreign investors to come here, when for the first time the ambassador comes and sits down to listen to people and their ideas and you (attempt to) blow him up? These elements are few, but it is now up to Iraqi forces to go get them." The fact that a government investigation is taking place into the bombing makes it all the more shocking that yesterday's State Dept briefing did not even acknowledge the bombing (not Ian Kelly, not the reporters in attendance). Also today, Jeremy Schwartz (Cox Newspaper) reports on the difficulties many returning Iraq War and Afghanistan War veterans are having in finding a job:

About 100 soldiers sit rigidly in their chairs, contemplating life after the military. They are fresh off tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they survived roadside bombs and dodged sniper fire.
Their reward? In a matter of weeks or months, they will enter the most brutal job market in a generation.
They're students now, sitting in a three-day employment preparation class, one of the ways Fort Hood tries to help soldiers transition to the civilian world. Outside the huge fort, new veterans face several barriers to landing a job.
Many, especially those who joined the military out of high school, are writing résumés and going to job interviews for the first time. Others struggle to translate their military duties into civilian qualifications. All could face discrimination from employers who worry they might be riddled with mental disorders and too risky to hire, veterans advocates say.

Reuters notes the latest in the continued attacks on Iraqi police includes 2 shot dead in Baghdad and they drop back to yesterday to note that 3 civilians were shot dead in Mosul yesterday. Meanwhile DPA reports a protest in Falluja today of over 200 people rallying "to demand the interior ministry release the city's former police chief, Colonel Faisal Ismail, and his deputy, Eissa al-Sari, witnesses told the German Press Agency dpa."

Dropping back to Sam Dagher's article Friday (click here for critique). A letter on A20 (national edition) of today's New York Times addresses the article:

To the Editor:
Re "Defiant Kurds Claim Oil, Gas and Territory" (front page, July 10):
The Iraqi Constitution, specifically Article 140, requires a vote by referendum to resolve Iraq's disputed territories. To cast this as a "threat" is unfair. The Iraqi Kurds are simply trying to carry out the constitutionally mandated referendum.
Furthermore, the Iraqi Kurds are not defying Baghdad in formulating a regional constitution; they are embracing their right to create such a document, which is allowed in the Iraqi Constitution.
The Kurds, who represent the most stable and progressive element of Iraq, have made it clear that they desire to be a part of a united Iraqi nation.
To allow for a responsible and phased withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, which is the stated policy of the Obama administration, several issues must first be resolved, the most important of which is that of the disputed territories. Only then will a stable and united Iraq be able to thrive.
Jay Garner
Erbil, Iraq, July 10, 2009

The writer, a retired lieutenant general in the Army, was director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq in 2003.

Considering Dagher's article last week and Timothy Williams' infamous 'To Nouri With Love' last month, it's really amazing that Xinhua covered the following Saturday night but it's not made it into the New York Times:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Saturday renewed his call to change his country's constitution to give more power to the central government and then to go ahead with building a modern state.
"We need to review and change the constitution so that we can build a modern state," Maliki said during a meeting with tribal leaders in Baghdad.
"The constitution is not perfect. It played a role during a difficult period of Iraqi history, but it absolutely needs changes, which must be carried out constitutionally instead of by scaring or intimidating others," Maliki said.

Lastly British community members are noting the news on the late Dr. David Kelly who died six years ago following a witch hunt. The BBC reported that the Iraq War dossier had been "sexed up" -- which it was -- and Tony Blair & company launched a witch hunt. During the witch hunt, it emerged that Kelly was one of the BBC sources. Shortly after, Kelly was discovered dead. His death is now back in the news. The Press & Journal notes:

The witch-hunt and vilification of Dr Kelly is well documented. Conspiracy theories that he did not commit suicide but was murdered persist, but his death was examined only by the Hutton inquiry and not an inquest.
The doctors' evidence appears strong enough to merit a fresh and more detailed examination, which only an inquest can provide.

From Daniel Martin's "Dr Kelly did not commit suicide, insists 13 doctors" (Daily Mail):

A group of doctors has demanded an inquest into the death of government scientist David Kelly -- saying the verdict of suicide should be overturned.
It comes as a documentary to be screened later this week claims Dr Kelly may have been killed because he knew about secret germ warfare plans.
His body was found six years ago this week in woods near his Oxfordshire home, only days after it emerged he was the source of a BBC story which claimed evidence against Iraq had been 'sexed up' to justify invasion.

Immediately after his death, in the New York Times, a little noted write up by Judith Miller ran in which she revealed herself to be in daily or near daily contact with Kelly and she also appeared to be surprised/doubtful over the suicide.

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Bob Woodruff back in Iraq

Those who don't need second-by-second, minute-by-minute coverage of the Sotomayor Circus can click here for BBC Radio. If any actual news is made in the hearing, you'll hear it there. Otherwise, you'll be informed of life beyond the circus, around the world -- including Charles Taylor's trial which isn't even a blip in this country.

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