Today the US military announced: "A Multi National Force -- West Marine died Nov.14 as the result of wounds received when an improvised explosive device detonated in al Anbar province earlier in the day." Meanwhile a US helicopter is down in Iraq. Reuters reports that the US military states the helicopter hit "overhead cables" and that caused what they are terming a "hard landing."
China's Xinhau reports a Baghdad car bombing ("near the National Theater") claimed 3 lives and left twenty-three people wounded. Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing that wounded seven people and a Baghda sticky bombing that left three people injured. Tim Cocks (Reuters) notes a Tal Afar car bombing that claimed 10 lives (thirty more injured) and, on Friday, a Mosul roadside bombing that wounded a mother and son.
The following community sites have updated since Friday morning:
"I repeat my demand to the occupier to leave our land without keeping bases or signing agreements," Mr. Sadr said in a statement read to thousands of supporters at Friday Prayer. "If they keep bases, then I would support honorable resistance." Tension is rising here over the agreement as the vote nears, even if few oppose it to the extremes of Mr. Sadr and his followers. An aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered Shiite cleric in Iraq, also indicatied that he would intervene in some way if the draft did not enjoy the full support of the Iraqi people. But Ayatollah Sistani, who far outranks Mr. Sadr, has consistently advocated nonviolence.
John Howard was the prime minister of Australia until Kevin Rudd replaced him. Howard was very tight with the White House and rivaled UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for the title of White House lapdog. Howard was on board with the illegal war and now that he is out of office, the Australian press is attempting to evaluate and investigate his leadership. From "No evidence justifying sending troops to Iraq: former ADF chief" (Australia's ABC):
Former prime minister John Howard has told ABC1's The Howard Years program that the decision to send troops was the most difficult he made. While the claims that Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction turned out to be wrong, Mr Howard says he does not believe that he took the country to war based on a lie. But former Admiral Chris Barrie, who retired as ADF chief in July 2002, has told the same program he did not see compelling evidence for the war which was launched the following year. "I have to say, even up until the day I retired, I never saw any evidence that said suddenly we had to go off and do a job in Iraq," he said.
Friday, November
14, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the treaty gets vocal
supporters and foes, Blackwater finds out the life of a mercenary isn't
all fun and games, and more.
Earlier this week, Warren P. Strobel (McClatchy Newspapers) reported,
"The State Department is preparing to slap a multi-million dollar fine
on private military contractor Blackwater USA for shipping hundreds of
automatic weapons to Iraq without the necessary permits. Some of the
weapons are believed to have ended up on the country's black market,
department officials told McCarthy, but no criminal charges have been
filed in the case." Today Brian Ross and Jason Ryan (ABC News) add,
"A federal grand jury in North Carolina is investigating allegations
the controversial private security firm Blackwater illegally shipped
assault weapons and silencers to Iraq, hidden in large sacks of dog
food, ABCNews.com has learned" and ABC's consultant John Kiriakou
(formerly CIA) states, "The only reason you need a silencer is if you
want to assassinate someone." Tod Robberson (Dallas Morning News) wonders
why Blackwater continues to get tax payer money, "I guess it wasn't
enough that Blackwater gunmen slaughtered Iraqi civilians on the
streets of Baghdad and helped undermine the U.S. war effort in Iraq. .
. . And ye, its current $1.2 billion in federal contracts curiously
seem unaffected. If the American public only knew how cozy the
relationship is between State Department personnel and its biggest
contractors, they'd be appalled." Though there have been many
slaughters, September 17, 2007 was the one which recieved the most attention AP reports
today that that slaughter of 17 resulted in prosecutors drafting an
indictment against six employees of Blackwater Worldwide". Today Robert Brodsky (GovernmentExecutive) notes
New America Foundation's October report calling for the utilization of
the State Dept's Bureau of Diplomatic Secuirty and not
mercenaries/private contractors "to protect U.S. assets and personnel"
and he also points out "An August Congressional Budget Office study
found that roughly $1 out of every $5 the U.S. government has spent in
Iraq has gone to contractors. The budget analysts said there is roughly
one contractor on the ground in Iraq for every member of the military,
although most are not American and only a fraction are private security
contractors."
At the US State Dept,
spokesperson Robert Wood declared of the treaty masquerading as a
Status Of Forces Agreement, "We certainly hope to get that deal. We
think it's a good agreement and the Iraqis will have to take it through
their political process. And we'll see what goes -- you know, see
where it goes from there." Where it goes next is an expected Sunday
vote. Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) reports
that Jawad al-Bolani, Minister of the Interiror, is endorsing the
treaty and quotes him stating, "The security agreement is important for
Iraq to ban and stop foreign influence and interference. The Iraqi
people need this security agreement." BBC noted
in June 2006 that al-Bolani declared (upon being voted into his post),
"The interior ministry will preserve Iraqi blood." A laughable claim
since the thugs of the Interior Ministry are infamous for spilling
blood (and for expelling Iraqis from their legal homes).
al-Bolani is
one of the Iraqi officials targeted by the US State Dept and it appears
to have paid off. (Rumors are he sees himself as the next al-Maliki.)
Supposedly, there is one more Iraqi official among those currently
pressured that the State Dept thinks they can publicly flip before the
Sunday meeting. al-Bolani by himself has very little impact (Kurds
have never taken to him and Sunnis don't believe he's done much of
anything to tackle the Ministry's assaults on Sunnis while most
Shi'ites in the government see him as too sectarian) so the hope is
that one or more flipping publicly ahead of Sunday's meeting could
create a wave leading into the meeting that would put pressure on
others to support the treaty masquerading as a Status Of Forces
Agreement.
UPI reports
that KRG president Massoud Barzani has declared, "If the pact is not
signed, the situation in the country may deteriorate to the point of a
civil war." In a live Washington Post online chat yesterday, Dana Priest declared of the treaty, "Still a stand-off with the clock ticking." In the most recent update, Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) reports
that puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki declared today "that he
now supports a security agreement with the United States, a Shiite
Muslim legislator [Sami al Askari] who's close to the premier said
Friday. . . This would represent an about-face for the Shiite prime
minister, who was a hard-line holdout throughout the negotiations and
had publicly criticized early drafts of the agreement."
Rania Abouzeid (Time magazine) states
Moqtada al-Sadr "threw down the gauntlet: he threatened to resume
attacks against U.S. troops if they don't leave Iraq 'without retaining
bases or signing agreements" al-Sadr is quoted declaring, "I repeat my
demand that the occupier leave the land of our beloved Iraq
unconditionally, without retaining bases or signing agreements. If
they remain, I will support the resistance . . . as long as their
weapons are directed exclusively against the occupier." Iran's Press TV adds,
"Moqtada al-Sadr has called on supporters to gather next week for
weekly Friday prayers in a central Baghdad square to voice their
protest to the pact." Robert Craig (Indianapolis Star) notes
that the White House wants to "maintain more than 58 military bases
indefinitely" and wonders, "So why would Iraq renew SOFA if it is
apparently anxious to rid itself of occupation? Is this because the
U.S. is holding $50 billion of oil money hostage in the New York
Federal Reserve Bank? Why not simply release this money to help
rebuild Iraq and futher its independence and national integrity?"
Moqtada al-Sadr wasn't the only cleric issuing a call not to sign the
treaty. Hamza Hendawi (AP) reports
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has "vowed to intervene if he concludes
that a proposed agreement governing the presence of U.S. forces
infringes on national security." At Real News Network (video), Paul Jay addresses the obstacles to the treaty and other dimensions.
While the White House attempts to extend the US engagement in the illegal war, AP reports
that Bulgaria is leaving (155 soldiers) and quotes their prime
minister, Sergei Stanishev, declaring yesterday the departure was
necessary because "the presence of the Bulgarian military contingent on
a humanitarian mission in Iraq ends on Dec. 31." And they aren't the
only ones leaving. Russia's Novosti reports
Azerbaijan's parliament voted today to pull their "150 peacekeepers"
out of Iraq by an 86 to one vote ("The troops are currently protecting
a hydroelectric power station in the town of Al-Hadida, which supplies
Baghdad with half of its electricity.") David Williams (The Daily Mail) cites
Iraq's National Security Adviser Muwafaq al-Rubaie as the source for
the assertion that the UK will pull all troops out of Iraq "by the end
of next year" (4,000 "mostly based near the southern city of Basra"). Deborah Haynes (Times of London) expands
on the story by quoting al-Rubaie's statements to their paper, "By the
end of next year there will be no British troops in Iraq."
Violence? The wire services are silent. China's Xinhau notes,
"Two American soldiers died in separate non-combat related incidents in
Iraq, the U.S. military said on Friday." Both are noted here: The US military announces,
"A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died as the result of a
non-combat related cause at approximately 3:50 a.m. Nov. 13 in
Baghdad." And the US miliary announces:
"A Coalition force Soldier died as a result of a non-combat related
cause at approximately 11:52 a.m Nov. 13 in western Iraq." But we'll
note them again because the announcement were made late. The two deaths
bring the total number of US service members killed in Iraq since the
start of the illegal war to 4197.
It
is not an exaggeration to say that Barack Obama's career since 2004 has
been all about soaring promises to capture ardent voters followed by
lowering standards to please his biggest financial contributors. An
early foe of the Iraq war and Patriot Act during his US Senate
campaign,
Obama voted to continue one and pass the other once in office. Obama's
pledge to withdraw from Iraq has more loopholes by now than swiss
cheese. His promise to filibuster warrantless eavesdropping and
immunity for telecom lawbreakers morphed into
a
vote for both, and his campaign trail promise to pursue Dr. King's
unfinished quest for economic justice flipped into lobbying the
congress in support of the multi-trillion dollar no-strings-attached
Wall Street bailout.
The first appointments of the new regime are truly disturbing. Illinois
congressman Rahm Emanuel, the new White House chief of staff is a
certifiable Democratic neocon who helped strongarm NAFTA, welfare reform
and the Telecom Act of 1996 though congress for Bill Clinton. He served on the board of Freddie Mac while it was busy inflating the housing bubble, and was
an early and unrepentant advocate of invading Iraq and bombing Iran. As head
of the DCCC, responsible for recruiting and funding 2006 Democratic c
ongressional candidates, Emanuel used corporate contributions to try to
knock more than a twenty antiwar Democrats out of primary races in favor of
pro-war Democrats. Confronted with choices between pro-war Democrats and
pro-war Republicans, voters rejected most of Emanuel's picks, costing
Democrats as many as ten Congressional seats.
Larry
Summers, early front-runner to succeed Bush Treasury secretary Henry
Paulson, was happy to be Enron's eyes and ears at Treasury, according
to a handwritten note to his pal Ken Lay you can find at OpenLeft.com.
Summers famously remarked that third world countries were "underpolluted". His
solution
to this "problem" is encouraging them to sell their share of "rights"
to poison the planet's oceans and air to wealthy western corporations
through a system like the present futures and commodities exchanges.
Both the outgoing Bush and the incoming Obama administrations are
enthusiastic advocates of
this "market-based" approach. So much for a Change We Can Breathe In.
It was a dawn of the dead - Blair left behind him the almost unimaginable horror of Iraq and Afghanistan.
A rare poll conducted by Ipsos last January of 754 Iraqi refugees in Syria found
that "every single person interviewed by Ipsos reported experiencing at
least one traumatic event in Iraq prior to their arrival in Syria."
UNHCR estimated that one in five of those registered with the agency in Syria
over the previous year were classified as "victims of torture and/or violence."
The
survey showed that fully 89 per cent of those interviewed suffered
depression and 82 per cent anxiety. This was linked to terrors endured
before they fled
Iraq – 77 per cent
of those interviewed reported being affected by air bombardments,
shelling or rocket attacks. Eighty per cent had witnessed a shooting...
and so on.
John Pilger was a lonely
voice in 1997 warning that Blair was a dangerous fraud, a neocon in
sheep's clothing. As Pilger later pointed out, the media could hardly
plead ignorance:
Blair's
Vichy-like devotion to Washington was known: read his speeches about a
new order led by America. His devotion to Rupert Murdoch, who flew him
and Cherie Booth around the world first class, was known. His devotion
to an extreme neoliberal Thatcherite economics was known…3
Over
the past two weeks -- one decade and three wars later -- the same media
have been insisting, as one, that US president-elect Barrack Obama is
another "new dawn". A Guardian leader observed:
They
did it. They really did it. So often crudely caricatured by others, the
American people yesterday stood in the eye of history and made an
emphatic choice for change for themselves and the world…
Today
is for celebration, for happiness and for reflected human glory. Savour
those words: President Barack Obama, America's hope and, in no small
way, ours too.
In the Guardian's news section, Oliver Burkeman described the victory as "historic, epochal, path breaking". But there was more:
"Just being alive at a time when it's so evident that history is being made was elating and exhausting."
In 2003, the Guardian's foreign editor, Ed Pilkington, told us:
"We are not in the business of editorialising our news reports."4
Someone forgot to tell Burkeman, indeed the entire Guardian
news team. At times like these, the media's claims to balanced coverage
seem to belong to a different universe. Over the last two weeks, the
public has been subjected to a one-way delusional deluge by the media.
The propaganda is such that comments made by independent US
presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, appear simply shocking:
What
we're seeing is the highest level of resignation and apathy and
powerlessness I've ever seen. We're not talking about hoopla. We're not
talking about 'hope'. We're not talking about rhetoric. We're not
talking about 'rock star Obama'. We're talking about the question that
is asked everywhere I go: 'What is left for the American people to
decide other than their own personal lives under more restrictive
circumstances year after year?' And the answer is: almost nothing.5
Nader says of Obama: "This is show business what you're seeing." The crucial point: "Obama doesn't like to take on power."5
MediaChannel has opened MEDIA STORE
for the holidays: "The Economy may be crashing, but we as a culture
still believe in a season of giving. That's why MediaChannel and
GlobalVision are opening an online store, as others close theirs, to
share books and films we believe offer food for the mind and make for
valuable gifts. Buying through us helps support MediaChannel. Your
support in this season means alot to us. Our last fundraising drive has
helped keep us alive! Your continuing help will keep us online and on
the issues we all care about."
Public broadcasting notes. NOW on PBS explores green collar jobs:
Can
something as common as building materials represent an opportunity to
create jobs, help the needy, and save the planet? This week, NOW looks
at two "green" projects keeping furniture, paint, cabinets, and other
building supplies out of landfills and getting them into the hands of
those who need them most. Will they be devastated by the economic
meltdown, or do they signal a possible way out? Based in the Bronx, New York, Greenworker Co-operatives aims to set up worker-owned green businesses. The first of these is Rebuilders Source,
a store that sells recycled and donated building materials at
affordable prices--items that would otherwise have ended up in a
landfill. "My vision now is
a completely green South Bronx," says Bronx-born entrepreneur Omar
Freilla, the founder of Greenworker Co-operatives, "with businesses
throughout the area that are owned and run by people living in the area
together." On the other side of the country, in Southern California, Materials Matter
matches donations of furniture and high quality building materials with
individuals, organizations, and homeless shelters that use the
materials to literally rebuild lives. But the faltering economy has had
an impact. "We have to
decide whether the value of that donation will be worth the cost of
transportation," says Materials Matter co-founder Alison Riback on her blog. "[The economic downturn] put a huge dent in our 'always say yes to a donation' philosophy." This show is part of Enterprising Ideas, NOW's continuing spotlight on social entrepreneurs working to improve the world through self-sustaining innovation.
NOW on PBS begins airing tonight in most PBS markets, check local listings. Washington Week also begins airing on some PBS stations tonight (and later throughout the weekend on others). Gwen's joined by Greg Ip (The Economist), Dan Balz (Washington Post), Janet Hook (Los Angeles Times) and Karen Tumulty (Time
magazine) and topics will include the proposed auto bailout, Barack,
Bully Boy transitioning to civilian war time (okay, Karen won't really
discuss that, but she should) and Congressional races. On Barack, CBS' 60 Minutes
gets the first extended television interview with him since the
election (Steve Kroft interviews him) and that airs this Sunday.
That's
public broadcasting TV, public broadcasting radio includes WBAI and
we'll note these programs airing Sunday and Monday on WBAI:
Former
WBAI News Director and Dan Rather writer, Paul Fischer's latest
newsical in the series "What's the Freqency, Kenneth?" This time, Paul
goes one joke over the line...to confess his lifelong addiction to drug
songs.
Feminist
author Vivian Gornick on her latest book of literary criticism, "The
Men In My Life," downtown icon Edgar Oliver on "East 10th Street
Self-Portrait," a play by and about him; and playwright Stephen Belber
on his newest work, "Geometry of Fire,"about an
investment-banker-turned Marine sniper returned from Iraq and a
Saudi-American who just wants to get laid. Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozer."
Broadcasting at WBAI/NY 99.5 FM Streaming live at WBAI Archived at Cat Radio Cafe
Turning to utter trash. May 28, 2008, Amy Goodman declared on Democracy Sometimes!:
In
other campaign news, Senator Obama says he's accepted Senator Hillary
Clinton's explanation for controversial comments invoking the 1968
assassination of Robert F. Kenney to justify her continued stay in the
Democratic presidential race. In an interview in South Dakota Friday,
Clinton cited Kennedy's assassination as an example of a contest
continuing through June.
Hillary:
My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the
California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all
remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You
know I just, I don't understand it.
Goody
then stated: "Clinton explained she was trying to cite a historical
precedent for a June presidential contest." Trying to? She was asked
that as Goody well knew (but Goody is the trash who chose to publish
in LARRY FL**T's H**TLER MAGAZINE). As Jake Tapper noted May 23
(five days earlier than Goody) the editorial board (South Dakota's
Argus Leader) asked her "about calls for her to drop out." And Hillary
responded "This is part of an ongoing effort to end this before it's
over. I sure don't think it's over." A comment Goody CHOSE to leave
out because SHE"S A LIAR. After "I don't understand it," Hillary says
"And there's a lot of speculation about why it is." Why she's being
pushed to drop out. But to include that wouldn't have fit GOODY LIAR's
non-stop attempts to sell Barack.
There's a
reason Bernardine Dohrn's always been the partner in charge of that
marriage. Bill Ayers is the Barbara Bush of that pair and only more so
with each passing year. Liar Goody brought them on Democracy Now and she never asked about Prarie Fire.
In
May, Goody wanted to distort Hillary's remarks and make it appear she
was trampling on the memory of RFK. Today, Goody brought on Bill and
Bernardine and never asked them about the dedication in their book Prarie Fire to Sirhan Sirhan (RFK assassin).
Bill Ayers is on a publicity blitz that included Good Morning America
today. I know Bill and Bernardine and we're not going to let lies
stand. First off Bernardine, you know not to speak without knowing the
facts. So let's start with your error:
I
think my favorite -- our favorite moment of this whole election
campaign -- and there were certainly, really, many unprecedented and
moving movements of the last year and a half -- was when, at the height
of the primary campaign, Senator -- then-Senator Obama was asked, "Who
would Martin Luther King support? Would you support you or Senator
Clinton?" And without his frequent pauses in thinking, he said, "He
wouldn't support either of us. He's be out in the street building an
independent social justice movement."
No,
no, Bernardine. No, Barack's not MLK ("Would you support you or
Senator Clinton?"). No, Barack didn't say what you said he did. No,
it wasn't Hillary and Barack alone on stage. CNN debate, Wolf Blitzer the moderator. He started with John Edwards,
"And, Senator Edwards, let me start with you. If Dr. Martin Luther
King were alive today, unfortunately, he's not, but if he were alive
today, why do you think he would or why should he endorse you?"
Edwards replied than Wolf's full question to Barack was, "Senator?"
Barack didn't say "either of us," he said MLK wouldn't "endorse any of
us" and Barack did not say "He's be out in the street building an
independent social justice movement." in that debate. You may wish he
had and certainly it would help your friends if he had; however, he DID
NOT SAY THAT. You know facts matter. That was embarrassing. It was
all the more sto for Democracy Now! which didn't catch your multiple
mistakes.
Hillary: Well, there is no
doubt that change comes from the extraordinary efforts of the American
people. I've seen it in my life. I'm sitting here as a result of that
change. It is also true -- and Dr. King understood
this. He campaigned for political leaders. He lobbied them. He pushed
them. He cajoled. He did everything he could to get them over the line
so that they would be part of the movement that he gave his life for.
There are people sitting in this audience right now, John Lewis, Jim
Clyburn, they were part of those kinds of efforts, going so far as they
could to make it clear that we had to live up to our values and our
ideals. And then there was a meeting of morality and politics. And the
political leaders finally responded.
That's
the closet anyone came to making the remark Bernardine wrongly
attributes to Barack ("He's be out in the street building an
independent social justice movement.").
Bill declared,
"We were asked by our state senator if we would hold a coffee for him
some, I don't know, twelve or fifteen years ago, and we did . . ."
Bill, you're lying. You're lying because Alice Palmer has already
stated she did no such thing and you're lying because I know you and I
know who talked Barack up to me back when he was running for the US
Senate. It wasn't Alice Palmer (whom I've never met), care to get
honest Bill? (Those late to the party on this tale shared here and at Elaine's site since 2005 -- Elaine
and I went to the private, big money fundraiser for the 'anti-war'
candidate with the intention of writing checks for the maximum donation
only to discover an 'anti-war' candidate who did not believe in
withdrawal because 'the troops were there'. Once Elaine and I
clarified that point, we immediately left without donating a cent.)
Here's
Bill rambling on about Weather Underground (Bernardine was the leader,
not Bill, of WU and that's something the right refused to get correct
because they were blinded by their own sexism):
But
on the other hand, I don't expect somebody to today endorse what we did
forty years ago or even to understand it. To me, nothing that he said
is either, you know, false or wrong or terrible. The other thing I
guess I would say about it is, we would disagree on our evaluation of
what went on forty years ago, but we disagree on many things, so it's
not surprising.
Bill,
many of us disagreed with you in real time. And, no, you were not of
the peace movement. I fully understand what Weather did and I have no
need to condemn you, Bernardine or anyone else for it. But I also have
no reason to lie about it.
You
chose the road of violence. I've often said, "Weather was a violent
response to a criminal government that used violence." But Weather was
a violent response. The US government behaved in a criminal manner. I
don't deny it. But, no, Bill, the peace movement was not Weather and
many disagreed with you and some, like Toad Gitlan, have insisted
Weather's violence destroyed the left. (I disagree with that and have
always disagreed with that.) What Weather did was not about ending the
illegal war and let's not pretend it was. It was an attempt to bring
revolution into the streets (which is why you lived in working class
neighborhoods despite your own financial circumstances) and it was an
armed revolution. But they wanted to set the stage for the armed
revolution and that wasn't about Vietnam so stop lying. When
Bernardine made her ridiculous statement about Sharon Tate's murder,
that wasn't about Vietnam either. So stop the lies.
Well,
you know, I would say calling those acts despicable forty years ago, I
guess I would disagree with. But more to the point is that it's an
irrelevant--it's an irrelevant issue in this campaign.
No,
it's not irrelevant. Domestic terrorism is what Weather engaged in.
There's no need to deny that and you've certainly never denied it
one-on-one.
Bill
then needs to lie hard and starts talking about the sixties. Weather's
actions were in the chronological seventies. Bill's attempting to
couch his argument on grounds he can't stand on and he knows it.
On
the other hand, I think that it's a sad thing that we've never really
had a truth and reconciliation process about the war in Vietnam, about
the black freedom movement and what happened. And that means, among
other things, that we haven't learned the lessons of invasion and
occupation. We haven't learned the lessons of what happens when people
get involved in direction action and struggle, and both the advances
that can be made and also the limits of those struggles. We haven't
learned the lessons that might make for a more peaceful, more just
future. I think that's the problem.
Well
if you believe that, maybe you should have worked for such a process.
But you didn't. You were underground and active in Weather at that
time, remember? And long after US troops left Vietnam, you were still
hiding out. If you think people need to get honest, well go for it,
sport. Start cataloguing your own actions. Nixon's dead. Henry
Kissinger should only have a few more years left. But if you want
'honesty,' then start offering some.
Repeating,
Weather was a violent response to a violent and criminal government.
It's not surprising, it's not shocking. But it's not the peace
movement and shouldn't be passed off as such. Toad Gitlin and The
Nation magazine disgraced themselves during 2008. Both had long called
out Bill and Bernardine's actions in Weather and suddenly they wanted
to act like they never had. I don't find the actions shocking. I can
make a political defense for them. I cannot and do not confuse
Weather's actions with the peace movement. I don't think they
destroyed the left or the peace movement. But I don't lie about what
Weather did. And consider how often (and how loudly) Bill laughed a
few decades back at the couple mocked as "The Mork & Mindy of the
Left" (we'll be kind and not name the couple), it's a sad moment to see
him do just what he accused "Mork" of -- minimize his actions for
respectability.
China's Xinhau notes,
"Two American soldiers died in separate non-combat related incidents in
Iraq, the U.S. military said on Friday." Both are noted here: The US military announces,
"A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died as the result of a
non-combat related cause at approximately 3:50 a.m. Nov. 13 in
Baghdad." And the US miliary announces:
"A Coalition force Soldier died as a result of a non-combat related
cause at approximately 11:52 a.m Nov. 13 in western Iraq." But we'll
note them again because the announcement were made late. The two deaths
bring the total number of US service members killed in Iraq since the
start of the illegal war to 4197.
According
to figures from Iraq's Interior Ministry, sticky bombs killed 3 people
and wounded 18 in Baghdad alone during the month of July. In October, 9
people were killed and 46 more were injured by sticky bombs. Casualty
rates caused by sticky bombs are still relatively low. But recent raids
on insurgent groups have uncovered caches of the bombs, even "sticky
bomb factories," Colonel Stover said. And magnetic I.E.D.'s have
recently been made an explicit part of the training that American
soldiers in Baghdad receive. "We
make our soldiers aware of the latest threat, and the latest I.E.D.
threat is these magnetic I.E.D.'s," he said. "We put them in their
hands and say, 'Hey, soldier, this is what this thing looks like.'
They're sometimes used against us -- our vehicles are metallic, too." Iraqi
and United States officials acknowledge that "sticky bombs" have been
an effective means of spreading terror among Iraqi urban populations
but note that, paradoxically, the bombs are also a sign that terrorists
are finding it harder to move freely. "The
safety barriers, the walls themselves, have largely taken away these
catastrophic attacks that you saw in the past," Colonel Stover said.
"The smaller bombs are not capable of causing that catastrophic attack.
But they’re causing a lot of panic."
Stover might want to
reconsider his assasine remarks because they are offensive. While the
US may take the 'long range' view that sticky bombs do less damage,
they still do damage and people still die. The people are not being
'silly' or 'paranoid' to be bothered (or in a "panic") over them. For
more on sticky bombs, you can drop back to October for Ernesto
Londono's "Use of 'Sticky IEDs' Rising in Iraq" (Washington Post) which noted:
Iraqi
insurgents are increasingly using magnetically attached bombs known as
"sticky IEDs" to assassinate mid- and low-level Iraqi officials, Iraqi
and U.S. officials said. Rigged with magnets so they will adhere to
the undersides of automobiles and detonated by remote control or with
timers, the bombs have been used in Iraq sporadically since 2004. This
year, U.S. military officials said, they have investigated roughly 200
cases involving magnetic bombs, and Iraqi officials said they have
noted an increase in assassination attempts in which attackers use guns
equipped with silencers.
Staying with bombs in Iraq, an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers offers "The Explosive Detecting Device of the Iraqi Forces" (Inside Iraq) addressing the ineffective devices used to 'detect' bombs:
The
first time I found out this fact was few days ago. I was with my friend
in his car coming to work. When our car passed through the checkpoint,
the Iraqi soldier walked beside the car carrying the detecting device.
The antenna of the device moved towards our car which means that we
have explosives. The soldier ordered us to park aside. My friend did
exactly what the soldier wanted. Another soldier came towards us and
told my friend to open the trunk and he searched it. he didn't find
anything. while searching our car, a soldier came riding his motorbike
and carrying his AK 47 gun. he passed through the checkpoint. I was
looking at him when I saw that the device didn't detect anything
although the gun was loaded. I thought it is only the device was broken. The
second incident was in Abo Nowas street in downtown Baghdad. Another
kind of the detecting devices is used in one of the check point. Again,
the devices detected something in our car. We stopped and the policeman
checked it but he found nothing. he came towards us and asked "anyone
of wear perfume?" I said quickly "yes I do" then the man said "ok you
can go." I was like OMG. What kind of detecting devices our forces
have".
The Congressional races still ongoing include the December 6th vote for a House seat the Green Party's Malik Rahim is running for.
Public broadcasting notes. NOW on PBS explores green collar jobs:
Can
something as common as building materials represent an opportunity to
create jobs, help the needy, and save the planet? This week, NOW looks
at two "green" projects keeping furniture, paint, cabinets, and other
building supplies out of landfills and getting them into the hands of
those who need them most. Will they be devastated by the economic
meltdown, or do they signal a possible way out? Based in the Bronx, New York, Greenworker Co-operatives aims to set up worker-owned green businesses. The first of these is Rebuilders Source,
a store that sells recycled and donated building materials at
affordable prices--items that would otherwise have ended up in a
landfill. "My vision now is
a completely green South Bronx," says Bronx-born entrepreneur Omar
Freilla, the founder of Greenworker Co-operatives, "with businesses
throughout the area that are owned and run by people living in the area
together." On the other side of the country, in Southern California, Materials Matter
matches donations of furniture and high quality building materials with
individuals, organizations, and homeless shelters that use the
materials to literally rebuild lives. But the faltering economy has had
an impact. "We have to
decide whether the value of that donation will be worth the cost of
transportation," says Materials Matter co-founder Alison Riback on her blog. "[The economic downturn] put a huge dent in our 'always say yes to a donation' philosophy." This show is part of Enterprising Ideas, NOW's continuing spotlight on social entrepreneurs working to improve the world through self-sustaining innovation.
NOW on PBS begins airing tonight in most PBS markets, check local listings. Washington Week also begins airing on some PBS stations tonight (and later throughout the weekend on others). Gwen's joined by Greg Ip (The Economist), Dan Balz (Washington Post), Janet Hook (Los Angeles Times) and Karen Tumulty (Time
magazine) and topics will include the proposed auto bailout, Barack,
Bully Boy transitioning to civilian war time (okay, Karen won't really
discuss that, but she should) and Congressional races. On Barack, CBS' 60 Minutes
gets the first extended television interview with him since the
election (Steve Kroft interviews him) and that airs this Sunday.
That's
public broadcasting TV, public broadcasting radio includes WBAI and
we'll note these programs airing Sunday and Monday on WBAI:
Former
WBAI News Director and Dan Rather writer, Paul Fischer's latest
newsical in the series "What's the Freqency, Kenneth?" This time, Paul
goes one joke over the line...to confess his lifelong addiction to drug
songs.
Feminist
author Vivian Gornick on her latest book of literary criticism, "The
Men In My Life," downtown icon Edgar Oliver on "East 10th Street
Self-Portrait," a play by and about him; and playwright Stephen Belber
on his newest work, "Geometry of Fire,"about an
investment-banker-turned Marine sniper returned from Iraq and a
Saudi-American who just wants to get laid. Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozer."
Broadcasting at WBAI/NY 99.5 FM Streaming live at WBAI Archived at Cat Radio Cafe
Mass Actions on the 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War -- March 21, 2009 Bring All the Troops Home Now -- End All Colonial Occupations! Fund People's Needs, Not Militarism & Bank Bailouts!
Marking
the sixth anniversary of the criminal invasion of Iraq, thousands will
take to the streets of Washington D.C. and other cities across the U.S.
and around the world in March 2009 to say, “Bring the Troops Home NOW!”
We will also demand “End Colonial Occupation in Iraq, Afghanistan,
Palestine and Everywhere,” and “Fund Peoples’ Needs Not Militarism and
Bank Bailouts.” We also insist on an end to the war threats and
economic sanctions against Iran. The
ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is organizing for
unified mass marches and rallies in Washington DC, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Chicago, Miami and other cities on Saturday, March 21, 2009.
Months ago we obtained permits for sixth anniversary demonstrations.
ANSWER has been actively involved with other coalitions, organizations,
and networks to organize unified anti-war demonstrations in the spring
of 2009. ANSWER participated in the National Assembly to End the Iraq
and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations that was held in Cleveland, Ohio
on June 28th-29th and attended by 450 people, including many national
and local anti-war coalitions. The National Assembly gathering agreed to promote national, unified anti-war demonstrations in the Spring of 2009.
The
war in Iraq has killed, wounded or displaced nearly a third of Iraq’s
26 million people. Thousands of U.S. soldiers have been killed and
hundreds of thousands more have suffered severe physical and
psychological wounds. The cost of the war is now running at $700
million dollars per day, over $7,000 per second. The U.S. leaders who
have initiated and conducted this criminal war should be tried and
jailed for war crimes.
The
war in Afghanistan is expanding, and both the Democratic and Republican
presidential candidates and Congressional leaders have promised to send
in more troops. Both have promised to increase the size of the U. S.
military. Both have promised to increase military aid to Israel to
continue its oppression of the Palestinian people, including the denial
of the right of return.
While
millions of families are losing their homes, jobs and healthcare, the
real military budget next year will top one trillion dollars,
$1,000,000,000,000. If used to meet people’s needs, that amount could
create 10 million new jobs at $60,000 per year, provide healthcare for
everyone who does not have it now, rebuild New Orleans and repair much
of the damage done in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Federal bailouts of
the biggest banks and investors many of whom have also made billions in
profits from militarism, are already up to an astounding $2.5 trillion
this year. None of that money is earmarked for keeping millions of
foreclosed and evicted families in their homes.
That was mentioned in Monday's snapshot
and will be noted in the snapshots as it draws nearer. But, as Zack
points out, the so-called 'movement' is "pretty damn pathetic right now
and noting what A.N.S.W.E.R. has planned might clue people in that some
are still working to end the illegal war." Good point. In Monday's
snapshot, we also linked to Debra Sweet's "Going Forward in Stopping the Crimes of Your Government" (World Can't Wait) and we'll note a section of it here:
Some hard facts & questions:
What
is there to celebrate in an Obama presidency? Making us feel good about
the country again when Obama is trying to unite us to behind what he
calls "the good war" in Afghanistan? While people in the US were lining
up to vote, a US air strike on an Afghan wedding party killed 34
civilians. Another strike killed 7 more yesterday.
Obama,
the "anti-war" candidate, wants to leave 50 to 80,000 troops in Iraq,
and move more combat brigades to Afghanistan. He promises to increase
the US military by 92,000, ready to project American empire further on
the lives of kids in high school now. Obama proposed sending drones and
special forces into Pakistan - a sovereign country - and the Bush
regime secretly began attacks on Pakistan in July, which have killed
scores of civilians, as part of the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war.
How
could we celebrate "national unity" when Obama's vote for the FISA law
opens the way for unprecedented political repression and spying on the
people? People expected Obama, who taught Constitutional law, to
protect their rights, but Obama went out of his way to make an
unpopular vote to bolster the "war on terror" and set the basis for
expanded political repression. He voted for an amended USA PATRIOT Act
that had more draconian curbs on political protest than the 2001
version.
How can we feel
Obama is "for the people" when he put all his backing behind the
bailout of Wall Street banks, but tells the people only to have faith
in their leaders? When he supports the notoriously racist death
penalty, and blames Black people themselves for the huge prison
population? When he finds "common ground" with the most rabid Christian
fundamentalist plans to do away with abortion and gay marriage? The ban
on gay marriage passed in California, benefiting from Obama's expressed
opposition to gay marriage.
In
the face of huge crimes perpetrated by the Bush regime,.Obama said, "I
think you reserve impeachment for grave, grave breaches, and
intentional breaches of the president's authority."
There is a responsibility and a way for us to act:
This
is not the time to "wait and see" what Obama will do after January 20,
or after 6 months or a year...or never, because if he does what's in
the peoples' interests he won't be re-elected? He's telling us what he
will do, and the worst thing would be to get passive in the face of
more crimes being done in our name.
There
is a force to join with that will firmly oppose this program. World
Can't Wait will be here, organizing a movement of resistance with a
realistic aim -- to bring these crimes and this whole direction to a
stop. If you don't want to join us now, remember what we're saying, and
when it does become clear to you that the crimes of your government -
not matter who is president -- have to be stopped, join with the kind
of movement that CAN make that happen.
The San Francisco rally
against Prop 8 this weekend is part of a nationwide mobilization -- a
peaceful demonstration in support of marriage equality in California.
For a full list of rallies throughout the state and country, check out
the Join the Impact website.
San Francisco rally details:
Where: San Francisco City Hall
When: November 15, 2008 - 10:30a to 1:30p
And from Join The Impact, the following will be holding actions as well: This Saturday, November 15, 2008, Join the Impact in EVERY single state in America. Click your state below to learn more.
Mr Bulani was a member of Iraq's interim Governing Council in 2004. He became a member of the Iraqi parliament in 2005. During the rule of Saddam Hussein he was an air force engineer, but left the armed forces in 1999. "I
promise [the Iraqi people] that the interior ministry will be neutral,
independent and will not be under the influence of anyone," he said
after he won parliament's endorsement. "The interior ministry will preserve Iraqi blood."
The above is from the BBC's "Key Iraq ministers get approval"
reporting on Jawad al-Bolani being installed as the head of Thug City
(aka Interior Ministry) in June of 2006. al-Bolani is back in the news
today via Ernesto Londono's "Iraqi Urges Passage of U.S. Deal" (Washington Post)
and, yes, the Iraqi in the headline is al-Bolani who told the paper,
"The security agreement is important for Iraq to ban and stop foreign
influence and interference. The Iraqi people need this security
agreement." al-Bolani (not in the article) is one of the Iraqi
officials targeted by the US State Dept and it appears to have paid
off. (Rumors are he sees himself as the next al-Maliki.) Supposedly,
there is one more Iraqi official among those currently pressured that
the State Dept thinks they can publicly flip before the Sunday meeting
(that's not in the article). al-Bolani by himself has very little
impact (Kurds have never taken to him and Sunnis don't believe he's
done much of anything to tackle the Ministry's assaults on Sunnis while
most Shi'ites in the government see him as too sectarian) so the hope
is that one or more flipping publicly ahead of Sunday's meeting could
create a wave leading into the meeting that would put pressure on
others to support the treaty masquerading as a Status Of Forces
Agreement.
Seattle,
Wash.: What is the update on the Status of Forces Agreement? I read
that the Iraqi government reacted positively to the election of Obama,
but couldn't tell if they were dropping objections to the whole SoFA or
just the withdrawal time line.
Dana Priest: Nope, not so far. Still a stand-off with the clock ticking.
At the State Dept yesterday, AP's Matthew Lee raised the issue to Deputy Spokesperson Robert Wood:
QUESTION:
So you haven't gotten a formal announcement from the White House about
the transition team, you haven't gotten a formal response from the
Russians about the missile defense. Have you gotten a formal response
from the Iraqis on the SOFA, or is this building just sitting around
waiting for formal responses to things before it actually does or says
anything?
MR. WOOD: You're so cynical, Matt. (Laughter.) We are
waiting for the Iraqis to get back to us on this. As I mentioned
yesterday, I don't have any update on that. And again, just want to
reiterate, we think we've got a good agreement that addresses all of
the concerns of both sides, and we look forward to the Iraqi response.
You can click here
for the transcript and the State Dept also offers video. This morning
they'll be added to the links on the left. When the snapshot's dictated
they usually are not up but the time the snapshot hits this site (or
shortly after -- never more than the next morning) they are up.
While the White House attempts to extend the US engagement in the illegal war, AP reports
that Bulgaria is leaving (155 soldiers) and quotes their prime
minister, Sergei Stanishev, declaring yesterday the departure was
necessary because "the presence of the Bulgarian military contingent on
a humanitarian mission in Iraq ends on Dec. 31." And they aren't the
only ones leaving. Russia's Novosti reports Azerbaijan's parliament voted today to pull their "150 peacekeepers" out of Iraq:
The resolution was passed with 86-1 vote following a request from President Ilkham Aliyev. "The
request from the president came with the expiration of a five-year
mandate on the presence of the Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent in
Iraq," said Aydyn Mirzazade, deputy head of the parliamentary
commission on defense and security. [. . .] The
troops are currently protecting a hydroelectric power station in the
town of Al-Hadida, which supplies Baghdad with half of its electricity.
The
State Department is preparing to slap a multi-million dollar fine on
private military contractor Blackwater USA for shipping hundreds of
automatic weapons to Iraq without the necessary permits. Some of the
weapons are believed to have ended up on the country's black market,
department officials told McClatchy, but no criminal charges have been
filed in the case. The expected fine is the result of a long-running
federal investigation into whether employees of the firm shipped
weapons hidden in shrink-wrapped pallets from its Moyock, N.C.
headquarters to Iraq, where Blackwater is the State Department's
largest personal security contractor.
It was a dawn of the dead - Blair left behind him the almost unimaginable horror of Iraq and Afghanistan.
A rare poll conducted by Ipsos last January of 754 Iraqi refugees in Syria found
that "every single person interviewed by Ipsos reported experiencing at
least one traumatic event in Iraq prior to their arrival in Syria."
UNHCR
estimated that one in five of those registered with the agency in Syria
over the previous year were classified as "victims of torture and/or
violence." The survey showed that fully 89 per cent of those
interviewed suffered depression and 82 per cent anxiety. This was
linked to terrors endured before they fled Iraq – 77 per cent of those
interviewed reported being affected by air bombardments, shelling or
rocket attacks. Eighty per cent had witnessed a shooting... and so on.
John
Pilger was a lonely voice in 1997 warning that Blair was a dangerous
fraud, a neocon in sheep's clothing. As Pilger later pointed out, the
media could hardly plead ignorance:
Blair’s
Vichy-like devotion to Washington was known: read his speeches about a
new order led by America. His devotion to Rupert Murdoch, who flew him
and Cherie Booth around the world first class, was known. His devotion
to an extreme neoliberal Thatcherite economics was known…3
Over
the past two weeks -- one decade and three wars later -- the same media
have been insisting, as one, that US president-elect Barrack Obama is
another "new dawn". A Guardian leader observed:
They
did it. They really did it. So often crudely caricatured by others, the
American people yesterday stood in the eye of history and made an
emphatic choice for change for themselves and the world…
Today
is for celebration, for happiness and for reflected human glory. Savour
those words: President Barack Obama, America’s hope and, in no small
way, ours too.
In the Guardian's news section, Oliver Burkeman described the victory as "historic, epochal, path breaking". But there was more:
"Just being alive at a time when it’s so evident that history is being made was elating and exhausting."
In 2003, the Guardian's foreign editor, Ed Pilkington, told us:
"We are not in the business of editorialising our news reports."4
Someone forgot to tell Burkeman, indeed the entire Guardian
news team. At times like these, the media's claims to balanced coverage
seem to belong to a different universe. Over the last two weeks, the
public has been subjected to a one-way delusional deluge by the media.
The propaganda is such that comments made by independent US
presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, appear simply shocking:
What
we're seeing is the highest level of resignation and apathy and
powerlessness I've ever seen. We're not talking about hoopla. We're not
talking about 'hope'. We’re not talking about rhetoric. We're not
talking about 'rock star Obama'. We’re talking about the question that
is asked everywhere I go: 'What is left for the American people to
decide other than their own personal lives under more restrictive
circumstances year after year?' And the answer is: almost nothing.5
Nader says of Obama: "This is show business what you’re seeing." The crucial point: "Obama doesn't like to take on power."5
And you can find John Pilger's most recent essay "Beware the Obama Hype" in multiple places including Dissident Voice (which is where the link takes you).
Today on NPR's All Things Considered, George McGovern proved an old fool is just an old fool. The former senator, failed presidential candidate (several times over but most infamously in 1972) and co-author of Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now is praising Barack's Iraq 'plan.'
How feeble-minded is George McGovern? In his book, he calls for all US troops out of Iraq in six months. That is more than do-able. He knows that. Bill Richardson knows that and, when running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, made it very clear that he would remove all US troops from Iraq in six months. For those who pay attention to Iraq (a small number, granted), we now know that if Barack wanted all US troops out he could do so in his first 100 days. That is do-able.
But what Barack's offering instead is approximately a third of the US troops in Iraq -- those classified as "combat forces" -- will be removed from that country over a sixteen month period. That is not withdrawal. That is not ending the illegal war.
That is doing what Bully Boy and Donald the Rumsfled did -- fighting the illegal war on the cheap. They purposely kept numbers down because the lower the number the lower the public outrage. If they'd tried to send the number of troops that the military was calling necessary, they risked a huge public opinion shift. So what Barack's really doing is dropping down from approximately 140,000 troops currently in Iraq to approximately 80,000.
He is not ending the illegal war. He is continuing it if he sticks to that 'plan.' And it's past time he was called out for that.
He is not offering an end to the Iraq War. You can soothe him and stroke him and fondle him and maybe make yourself as good as you do him in the process. But that's not ending the illegal war. Nor is it being honest.
Let's quote McGovern's most idiotic statement, ""Another 2,500 young Americans have been killed since we wrote our book, thousands of Iraqis have been killed -- and this is too bad. It's always easier to get into a bad situation than it is to get out. And we're finding that out in Iraq as we did in Vietnam, where we were tied down for a full decade."
Wow. Tied down in Vietnam "for a full decade." That's so hard to picture, thank goodness the Iraq War is only two years old. What's that? Yeah, it does hit the six year anniversary in March. By Barack's plan, the illegal war will still be going on in March 2010, March 2011 and March 2012. That will be nine years. And it's really damn doubtful that 2012 -- an election year -- will suddenly see an end to the illegal war.
Barack's not offering an end. He's not offering a full withdrawal.
He never has. A lot of people have lied for him. A lot of 'independent' media types have whored whatever was left of their names to make Barack look good.
But the reality for anyone who studies Barack's 'plan' includes:
1) It is not all troops out of Iraq. 2) It allows for troop numbers to increase if Barack makes that determination.
It's that second point that Tom Hayden and the Cult especially work overtime to ignore. See the 16 months 'plan' is only if things go really great. As Barack's admitted repeatedly (though Panhandle Media refused to tell you about it), if he starts his partial withdrawal and things go badly, he doesn't just freeze this tiny withdrawal,, he intends to send US troops back in.
How many? Well before he could answer that question, he would have to be asked and if there's one thing the liars of Panhandle Media know it is how to avoid embarrasing Barack Obama. Embarrassing themselves? They wallow in that.
So Barack's not ending the illegal war by his 'plan' of 16-months. That 'plan' never promised the Iraq War ended. But damned if the liars didn't lie and swing their ass real hard and work overtime under their street lamps in order to lie to you and swear Barack was all about ending the illegal war.
This is not a new development, it's nothing that so-called 'independent' media shouldn't have been able to tell you months and months ago. From the November 2, 2007 snapshot:
On the subject of Iran, Barack Obama appears on the front page of this morning's New York Times. War pornographer Michael Gordon and Jeff Zeleny who lied in print (click here, here and here -- the paper finally retracted Zeleny's falsehood that should have never appeared) present a view of Barack Obama that's hardly pleasing. Among the many problems with the article is Obama as portrayed in the article -- and his campaign has issued no statement clarifying. The Times has the transcript online and from it, Barack Obama does mildly push the unproven claim that the Iranian government is supporting resistance in Iraq. Gordo's pushed that unproven claim repeatedly for over a year now. But Obama's remarks appear more of a reply and partial points in lengthy sentences -- not the sort of thing a functioning hard news reporter would lead with in an opening paragraph, touch on again in the third paragraph, in the fourth paragraph, in . . . But though this isn't the main emphasis of Obama's statements (at any time -- to be clear, when it pops up, it is a fleeting statement in an overly long, multi-sentenced paragraphs), it does go to the fact that Obama is once again reinforcing unproven claims of the right wing. In the transcript, he comes off as obsessed with Hillary Clinton. After her, he attempts to get a few jabs in at John Edwards and one in at Bill Richardson. Here is what real reporters should have made the lede of the front page: "Presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama who is perceived as an 'anti-war' candidate by some announced that he would not commit to a withdrawal, declared that he was comfortable sending US troops back into Iraq after a withdrawal started and lacked clarity on exactly what a withdrawal under a President Obama would mean."
That is what the transcript reveals. Gordo really needs to let go of his blood lust for war with Iran. Writing up a report, Gordo and Zeleny are useless but, surprisingly, they do a strong job with some of their questions. The paper should have printed up the transcript. If they had, people might be wondering about the 'anti-war' candidate. He maintains Bill Richardson is incorrect on how quickly US troops could be withdrawan from Iraq. Obama states that it would take at least 16 months which makes one wonder how long, if elected, it would take him to move into the White House? If you can grab a strainer or wade through Obama's Chicken Sop For The Soul, you grasp quickly why he refused to pledge (in September's MSNBC 'debate') that, if elected president, he would have all US troops out of Iraq by 2013: He's not talking all troops home. He tries to fudge it, he tries to hide it but it's there in the transcript.
He doesn't want permanent military bases in Iraq -- he appears to want them outside of Iraq -- such as Kuwait. But he doesn't see the US embassy in Iraq -- the largest US embassy in the world as a base. However, he does feel that even after the illegal war was ended, US troops would need to remain behind in order guard the embassy and the staff. In addition, it becomes clear that he will keep US troops in Iraq to train the Iraqi police. Because? The reporters don't think to ask. Here's a slice of reality, the US military is not trained to train police officers. Here's another to drop on the plate, Jordan was training them. Jordan got pushed aside around the half-way mark of 2006. If Obama wanted to pull US troops out of Iraq, the most obvious solution is to turn over the duty of training police officers to a non-military force. Along with needing those for trainers, he needs some to protect the trainers. Gordo gets to the point asking, "So how will you protect the trainers without forces in Iraq?" His answer is an embarrassment, he could keep the trainers out of potentially difficult situations. And in Iraq, that would be where? In addition, he would keep troops in Iraq for counter-terrorism (but not, he insists, counter-insurgency). If this doesn't all sound familiar, you slept through this spring and summer when Congressional Dems tried repeatedly to convince the American people that "all troops out of Iraq" could also mean that US troops stay to train, as military police, to fight terrorism, etc. While he's off talking al Qaeda in Iraq (a small number and one most observers state will be forced out by Iraqis when US troops leave) and working in more attacks on Senator Clinton, it's noted that he has "a more expansive approach to Iraq than she does in that you identify in your plan the possiblity of going back into Iraq to protect the populartion if there's an all-out civil war. . . . And providing monitors to help the population relocate and go after war criminals. Those are three elements -- those are new missions for Americans after Iraq that she doesn't postulate." What follows is a comical exchange:
Obama: But they aren't necessarily military missions.
NYT: But how do you go back into Iraq without military forces?
Obama: No, no, no, no, no. You conflated three things. The latter two that you are talked about are not military missions. Let's just be clear about that.
NYT: An armed escort is not a military mission?
Though Obama says he wants "to be clear," he refuses to answer that yes or no question and the interview is over.
So let's be clear that the 'anti-war' Obama told the paper he would send troops back into Iraq. Furthermore, when asked if he would be willing to do that unilaterally, he attempts to beg off with, "We're talking too speculatively right now for me to answer." But this is his heavily pimped September (non)plan, dusted off again, with a shiny new binder. The story is that Barack Obama will NOT bring all US troops home. Even if the illegal war ended, Obama would still keep troops stationed in Iraq (although he'd really, really love it US forces could be stationed in Kuwait exclusively), he would still use them to train the police and still use them to protect the US fortress/embassy and still use them to conduct counter-terrorism actions.
The 'plan' McGovern and others praise today is the same plan it was then. It is not about ending the Iraq War. It was never about ending the Iraq War. And those refusing to pressure Barack to end the Iraq War right now are allowing the killing to continue.
Yes, that includes McGovern. And how ridiculous that he wants to talk about a decade of Vietnam when the US will have been in Iraq for over a decade if people don't stop deluding themselves and stop deluding themselves really quick.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love There's a war going on So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove And I'm writing a song about war And it goes Na na na na na na na I hate the war Na na na na na na na I hate the war Na na na na na na na I hate the war Oh oh oh oh -- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 4191. Tonight? 4197. The toll includes the Friday announcements (it's already Friday in Iraq). The US military announces, "A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died as the result of a non-combat related cause at approximately 3:50 a.m. Nov. 13 in Baghdad." And the US miliary announces: "A Coalition force Soldier died as a result of a non-combat related cause at approximately 11:52 a.m Nov. 13 in western Iraq." The first is listed as Thursday, it was not released by seven p.m. EST Thursday (which would have been around 3:00 a.m. Friday in Baghdad.) Just Foreign Policy lists 1,284,105 as the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war -- the same number they listed last Thursday.
Thursday, November 13, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, a plane crashes in Iraq, Military Families Speak Out calls out VA Secretary James Peake, and more.
Nationwide -- Members of Military Families Speak Out are condemning comments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs suggesting that the dramatic increase in the suicide rate among young veterans is not connected to the war in Iraq. The suicide rate among male veterans under the age of 29 is now twice that of the general population.
In an interview aired Monday November 10th on PBS's NewsHour, Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake said that Veterans' suicides are the result of:
"the same kinds of issues that have to do with suicide in the general population. It is issues of failed relationships, senses of hopelessness, transitions in life, that are at the root cause . . . we're not making a direct correlationw ith combat."
Specialist Scott Eiswert committed suicide in May after being told by a friend that his unit of the Tennessee National Guard would be returning to Iraq. His widow, Tracy Eiswert, a member of Military Families Speak Out, expressed outrage at Secretary Peake's comments:
"I am not a statistic. We are a military family. We are real people with real experiences as a result of my husband's PTSD and his suicide. He wasn't that way before he went to Iraq, he came back changed."
After returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, Spc. Eiswert had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by civilian doctors, but the Veterans Administration denied that his condition was the result of his experiences in Iraq. The Veterans Administration reversed that ruling in August. Tracy Eiswert said: "It took him having to put a gun in his mouth for the military to admit that the changes in my husband were a result of the war. If they had admit that the changes in my husband were a result of the war. If they had admitted that earlier he might still be alive."
Kevin and Joyce Lucey are members of Military Families Speak Out and the parents of Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, a Marine Corps Reservist who suffered severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his service in Iraq in 2003. Shortly after being turned away from a Veterans Administration hospital, Corporal Lucey killed himself on June 22, 2004. Kevin Lucey said:
"Secretary Peake's words are the kind of self serving comments that this nation does not need to hear from the Veterans Administration and its leadership. This is why many regard this VA administration to be steeped in disgrace and dishonor when it comes to our loved ones. They feel that they need to explain away, rationalize, justify or minimize -- instead of committing their resources, time and efforts to create the best healthcare system on God's earth."
Joyce Lucey also had strong words for Secretary Peake:
"This is dishonorable, disgraceful and shameful behaivor from someone who is charged with giving the best of care to our warriors. With this type of message and thinking, is it any wonder that many of our troops and veterans don't seek help from those who are so callous and uncaring?"
Specialist Joe Hafley, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out who has had to fight to get treatment for his own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, agreed. Hafley served in Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserves from 2004 - 2005, and his brother, a Major with the U.S. Army Reserves is scheduled to deploy to Iraq early next year.
When Hafley returned from Iraq, the Veterans Administration diagnosed him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and severe depression -- but ruled that none of those conditions were the result of his service in Iraq. He said:
"My treatment at the VA was belittling and frustrating. To have them diagnose me with PTSD and not attribute it to my service in Iraq is a slap in the face. To have them tell me the problems could be the result of a failed relationship rather than the result of my experiences in combat makes me feel that as a veteran I have no place at the VA.
"The thing that is most baffling to me is that this 800 pound gorilla in the room, not being addressed. Why are we feeling hopeless? Why do we have failed relationships? The common denominator is we all served in Iraq. Maybe my feeling of hopelessness is that I served my country with honor and I am still trying to figure out for what reason? For what just cause?
"Secretary Peake, it doesn't matter how many additional mental health workers you hire if you as the person at the top still feel we are just losers that failed to adjust or that we entered our military service unit. No amount of false support will help us."
For The NewsHour report (link has text and video), Tracy Eiswert explained of her husband to Betty Ann Bowser, "He said he felt belittled because they didn't take what he was saying seriously. 'This is what it happened to me over there.' You know, and they wanted to talk about, 'Well, how's your marriage? Or how was your childhood? How was your dad with you?' And he's like, 'Well, what's this got to do with why I'm here today?'" Meanwhile Aaron Glantz (OneWorld) reports that Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Modern Warfare "filed a class action lawsuit this week to help ensure bureaucratic delays no longer keep disabled U.S. veterans from getting the financial help they need, when they need it most" and they are asking "a federal court to order interim benefits to be paid to a veteran if an initial claim for disability compensation takes longer than 90 days to be processed or an appeal of a denied claim takes longer than six months."
Reuters reports a civilian plane, Falcon Aviation Group Ltd, with FedEx cargo has crashed in Iraq "killing all seven people on board".
Moving to yesterday's Mosul shooting. Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that eight US soldiers were shot yesterday with two of them being shot to death and alleged shooter Barzan Mohammed reportedly used an AK-47 submachine gun in "the shooting spree". Sam Dagher (New York Times) explains what Iraqi officials and eye witnesses are saying: Mosul police's Brig Gen Abdul-Karim al-Jubouri, "a senior official in the Ministry of Defense and an officer of the Nineveh Operations Command" all say there was "a quarrel between an American and Iraqi soldier" at the onset; 2 Iraqi soldiers and one Iraqi Army officer (all witnesses) described the US patrol arriving at the Iraqi post and "[a] heated arugment" taking place "between one of the American soldiers and an Iraqi soldier identified as Barzan Mohammed Abdullah, prompting the American to curse at the Iraqi, spit in his face and slap him, the Iraqis said. The Iraqi soldier then opened fire on the American, they said, and other American soldiers responded with a barrage of gunfire at the Iraqi." Ernesto Londono and Qais Mizher (Washington Post) note that US Maj. Gen. Mark P. "Hertling dismissed reports by Iraqi officials who suggested that an altercation between Iraqi and American soldiers preceded the gunfire in Mosul, but he said he had no information on the shooter's motive. He said U.S. and Iraqi officials are jointly investigating the incident."
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG) Staffan de Mistura expressed his shock and outrage at the continued targeting and killing of religious minorities, following the murder of two Christian sisters in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which has recently seen thousands of its inhabitants flee their homes after a campaign of threats and attacks.
The SRSG noted that this cowardly attack came hours after the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that some recently displaced Christian families are beginning to return to Mosul as the security situation in the city shows signs of improvement.
He said Mosul has historically been and must remain the cradle of religious and ethnic diversity, reiterating the United Nations' position that respecting and guaranteeing the rights of minorities in Iraq is "absolutely fundamental to a stable and democratic future for our country."
Mr. de Mistura called on the Iraqi Government authorities to do everything in their power to safeguard the human rights and protection of Christian, Yezidis, Shabak and other minorities -- all of whome have been the victims of terrible attacks -- and to ensure that those responsible for these attacks are swiftly brought to justice. The SRSG also urged local authorities, as well as the Kurdistan Regional Government, to assist in protecting the rights of minorities and their religious identity, as well as in ending impunity for these criminal attacks.
That's in reference to the Mosul attack that left 2 women dead and a third wounded. Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) notes, "On Wednesday, two Christian sisters were gunned down in Mosul and their mother was wounded. When police responded, unknown assailants detonated a roadside bomb, wounding three officers. The shooting underscores Christian fears in the city. Ten thousand or more Christians fled the city last month after a spate of about 15 killings of Christians in just two weeks." Sam Dagher (New York Times) explains that the older sister was Lamia Subaih Daoud, who worked for the municpal government and was the mother of three small children, was murdered first while waiting outside the family home on a bus and the assailants then stormed the house and shot dead the woman's twenty-three-year-old sister and wounded the women's mother. Dagher notes that Lamia's three children were asleep in the home "and survived the attack." The Melbourne Herald Sun supplies the name of the younger sister, "The intruders killed Lamia and Walaa Sabih and wounded their mother before booby-trapping the house. When police arrived a bomb went off, wounding two of them, an officer said on condition of anonymity." Asia News explains while both sisters were shot, the mother was attacked with a knife, that both sisters worked for the Office of the Treasurer of the Municipality of Wala, that their names were Lamia Sobhy Salloha and Walaa Sobhy Salloha and, "According to eyewitnesses the attack was carried out by a gang of 16-to-18 year olds who after attacking the residents of the house placed a bomb at the entrance and detonated it when a group of police agents came to the scene, killing two and wounding others." Aid to the Church in Need's John Pontifex (at Australia's Christian Today) observes, "Christians and other minorities are saying that the incident casts doubt on the Iraqi government's bid to improve security with a massively increased police presence in the city. . . . Speaking from northern Iraq in an interview with ACN, Fr Bashar Warda, who has overseen the charity's emergency relief programmes for people fleeing Mosul, said today's incident was having a 'dramatic' effect on the faithful, who now fear another wave of attacks against them. Fr Warda said: 'It is clear that many would think of leaving Mosul again. The government is trying to say the city is now safe and then suddenly you have incidents like this'." UPI notes: "Iraqi Christians began issuing accounts of targeted attacks against their community in July when parishioners claimed an Islamic group called "The Battalion of Just Punishment, Jihad Base in Mesopotamia" sent threatening letters to several churches." ZENIT quotes an Iraqi "Catholic leader" stating, "The government is trying to deceive the outside world, making them believe that they are acting correctly and that Christians are safe. In reality the situation is still very challenging."
Since Monday, according to police statistics, roadside bombs, car bombs and suicide bombers wearing explosive belts have killed 58 people in the capital. Deaths elsewhere included two Christian women who police said were killed by unidentified gunmen in the northern city of Mosul, where Christians say they have been caught in the middle of a war for power between Kurds and Arabs. Several Iraqis who witnessed the violence noted the heavy presence of Iraqi security checkpoints near Saadoun Street, in the eastern part of the capital, and elsewhere and said it showed that nobody could be trusted to keep them safe. Some also said it was a sign that Iraqi forces were not ready to protect the city if U.S. troops withdrew. U.S. military officials said that this week's violence, coming after a steady downward trend in attacks, does not mean insurgents are staging a comeback, and they disputed the casualty figures provided by Iraqi sources. Baghdad and its environs continue to experience an average of four attacks a day on security forces and civilians, compared with more than 20 a day about a year ago, Army Brig. Gen. William Grimsley, deputy commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, said Monday after bombers killed 31 people in northeast Baghdad's Kasra district.
In some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad bombing that claimed 1 life and left seven injured, a Baghdad roadside bombing that left six injured, a Mosul car bombing that claimed 1 life and left sixteen injured and a Mosul roadside bombing that left 2 people dead.
In diplomatic news, Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes the department's minister Hoshyar Zebari and his Syrian counterpart Walid Moallem held a press conference yesterday in Damascus where they "discussed ways to develop and activate bilateral relations between the two countries," Zebari alluded to Iraq sending an ambassador to Damascus and he "explained the positive results of his visit and his meetings with President Bashar al-Assad, and delivered the letter of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to president Asaad regarding the Iraqi government's stance on the US-Iraqi security agreement and stages of negotiation. Foreign Minister Zebari also stressed the Iraqi government's refusal to use Iraqi territory as a platform to launch military operations against Syria or any of the neighboring countries and expressed sympathy and solidartiy with the Syrian people."
Tuesday's snapshot noted on IVAW's co-chair Adam Kokesh's court appearance for being the victim of police state actions carried out Oct. 15th in Hempstead, NY on himself and thirteen other IVAW members who were trying to deliver debate questions for Senators John McCain and Barack Obama.. Kimberly Wilder (On The Wilder Side) provides an update, "I attended court today in the stands for Adam Kokesh. Adam was there with his attorney, and some other supporters. More to follow, and possibly a few photos of Adam and his attorney. The main outcome: Adam Kokesh will have his trial on Thursday, December 11th. Sounds like the trial would happen sometime after 10am. In addition, Wednesday, December 10th and Thurs. Dec. 11th are appearance dates for some of the other Hempstead 15. So, we will standby for which dates the IVAW folks would prefer the community come out in full force for." Adam (Adam Kokesh - Revolutionary Patriot) explains, "In requesting that I be released on my own recognizance (or ROR as everyone else had been) so I could get my bail money returned, my attorney was told by the prosecutor that he would like to have my bail raised! The judge declined, but that would have put me in jail again until I could get bail posted at the raised amount. The judge also declined Mr. Moore's motion to dismiss, or take an ACD, adjourn in contemplation of dismissal. The prosecutor conferred with the police officer who would be testifying, and came up with a date to schedule the trial. So trial is now scheduled for 9:30 AM on December 11th. For reasons I can't discuss, we are very excited about this going to trial." IVAW has just published Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupation in book form.
Turning to the 2008 presidential election, On The Wilder Side notes that Green Party of Connecticut officials have registered an objection that "'REGISTERED' WRITE IN votes were not counted in all towns across the state, as required by state law". Rebecca addressed the topics of write-ins Friday and noted that Cynthia McKinney (Green Party presidential candidate) received only 53 votes in Connecticut and Rebecca focused on Texas where the Ralph Nader - Matt Gonzalez ticket allegedly received 3,053. It appears many states have areas that were 'selective' in their counting. [That is not questioning the outcome or saying "The election was stolen!" That is noting write-in votes appear not to have been counted.] Joel S. Hirschhorn (Dissident Voice) reviews the election numbers:
This year, among the four most significant third-party presidential candidates, Ralph Nader without a national party did the best with 685,426 votes or 0.54 percent of the grand total (a little better than in 2004 with 0.4 percent but much worse than in 2000 running as a Green Party candidate with 2.7 percent). He was followed by Bob Barr the Libertarian Party candidate with 503,981 votes or 0.4 percent of the total (typical of all Libertarian candidates in recent elections, including Ron Paul in 1988), followed by Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party with just 181,266 votes or 0.1 percent, and then Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party with only 148,546 votes or 0.1 percent.
Showing the problem of ballot access, engineered by the two major parties, is that there were only 15 states where all four were on the ballot. In all but one, Nader received more votes than the other three third-party candidates. In four states only one of the four candidates was on the ballot; in one state none of them were ( Oklahoma ).
Nader's best state was California with 81,434 votes, as it was for McKinney's with 28,624 votes. Baldwin was not on the ballot there. Alan Keyes received 30,787 votes in California . Barr's best state was Texas with 56,398 votes. None of the other three were on the ballot there. In his home state of Georgia where he had been a Representative Barr received 28,420 votes (and none of the other three were on the ballot). Baldwin's best state was Michigan with 14, 973 votes. Nader was not on the ballot there.
In round numbers, Barack Obama raised $639 million or about $10 per vote, and John McCain raised $360 million or $6 per vote, compared to Ralph Nader with $4 million and $6 per vote, Bob Barr with about $1 million or $2 per vote, and Cynthia McKinney with only about $118,000 or less than $1 per vote. Money matters, but the ability of the two-party duopoly to keep third-party presidential candidates out of nationally televised debates matters more for media attention, money and votes.
To its everlasting credit, the conservative American Bar Association sent to President Bush three reports in 2005-2006 concluding that he has been engaged in continuing serious violations of the Constitution. This is no one-time Watergate obstruction of justice episode ala Nixon that led to his resignation just before his impeachment in the House of Representatives.
Nearly two years ago Senator Obama, contrary to what he knows and believes, vigorously came out against the House commencing impeachment proceedings. It would be too divisive, he said. As one of one hundred Senators who might have had to try the President and Vice President in the Senate were the House to impeach. He should have kept impartial and remained silent on the subject.
As President, he cannot remain silent and do nothing, otherwise he will inherit the war crimes of Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney and become soon thereafter a war criminal himself. Inaction cannot be an option.
Violating the Constitution and federal laws is now routine. What is routine after awhile becomes institutionalized lawlessness by official outlaws.
Domestic Policy abuses are also rampant. Just what are the limits of the statutory authority of the U.S. Treasury Department or the government within a government funded by bank assessments known as the Federal Reserve?
Don't read the $750 billion bailout law for any answers! The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and the Majority Leader of the Senate, Harry Reid just sent a letter to Bush asking whether the White House believes the bailout law could be interpreted to save not just the reckless banks, but also the grossly mismanaged Big Three auto companies in Michigan.
Didn't Congress know what they were or were not authorizing? Or did the stampede started by the demanding Bush result in blanket, or panicked ambiguity by a cowardly Congress?
2- As you've heard already, Obama picked congressman Rahm Emanuel to become the White House's chief of staff. Mr. Emanuel, an Israeli citizen who has served in the Israeli Army (he denies both), was the only one out of Illinois' nine congressmen who voted for the invasion of Iraq in 2002. I know that the confetti has not settled down yet, but I think it's time already to ask the Obama-Biden campaign some questions about their foreign policy plans, especially regarding the U.S. role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and regarding ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
And winding this up, the GOP ticket was John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin. The Republican governor's conference took place today and Texas Governor Rick Perry explained it was focused on "what's the Republican Party going to look like going forward." He then stated, "It gives me great deal of pleasure to introduce one of our collegues, one of America's great republican governors, Governor Sarah Palin."
Gov Sarah Palin: Thank you [to Rick Perry], thank you so much [to those assembled]. Thank you, Governor Perry. Thank you governors. Thank you very much. Thanks. Honored to be here and to speak with and to my fellow governors. It hasn't been that long since we all gathered. I don't know about you, but I managed to fill up the time. [Laughter] Let's see I had a baby, I did some traveling, I very briefly expanded my wardrobe [Laughter], I made a few speeches, I met a few VIPs including those who really impact society like Tina Fey [Laughter] and aside from that it was pretty much the same-old, same-old since we last gathered. But in the great campaign that has come and gone . . . And it was great. One of the nicer experiences that we had along the campaign trail was seeing so many of my RGA colleagues and I think you guys so much for your assistance with John McCain's good run. Each of you gave your all to the cause and were helpmates and positive additions to Senator McCain's good run. You were there to help when things were looking good and you were there to help when -- once in a while -- things weren't looking so good. And where I'm from in Alaska, life would be pretty lonely if all we had were fair weather friends. And you have been friends in all seasons and for that I will forever be grateful and I know Senator McCain also would be so appreciative.
Palin noted the campaign in her remarks.
Gov Sarah Palin: Along the trail, it was my husband, Todd, who was my right hand. And among his many willing -- winning qualities is the gift that he has of optimism and just thankfulness in all situations that he finds. And going forward, I'm going to count on those qualities a little more even. Because of course there was a disappointment after a loss in a national election like that. You run to win. You run the race to win. It's kind of relying on Todd with that optimism and the thanfkulness in all situations that I'm certainly going to be there with him along those lines. But far from returning to the great state of Alaska with any sense of sorrow or regret, we carried with us the best of memories and joyful experiences that really do not depend at all on political victory. For years to come, I'm going to remember all the young girls who came up to me at rallies to see the first woman having the privilege of carrying our party's VP nomination. And they inspired me. With an extra hurdel or two in front of us and in front of these young girls, I fell that we've got this mutually beneficial relationship now -- me and these young girls -- where we're going to work hareder. We're going to be stronger. We're going to do better. And one day, one of them will be the president because in America there will be no ceilings on achievement -- glass or otherwise. [Applause begins and grows ] And if I can help point the way -- [Pauses for applause to die down.] If I can help point the way for these young women or inspire them to tap into their own gifts and talents and strengths -- to find their own opportunities -- Well, it is a privilege.
AP's Sinan Salaheddin notes
that Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary General's Special
Representative to Iraq, ""expressed his shock and outrage at the
continued targeting and killing of religious minorities" today. He's
speaking out against the murder of two Iraqi Christian women in Mosul
yesterday. Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) notes,
"On Wednesday, two Christian sisters were gunned down in Mosul and
their mother was wounded. When police responded, unknown assailants
detonated a roadside bomb, wounding three officers. The shooting
underscores Christian fears in the city. Ten thousand or more
Christians fled the city last month after a spate of about 15 killings
of Christians in just two weeks." Sam Dagher (New York Times) explains
that the older sister was Lamia Subaih Daoud, who worked for the
municpal government and was the mother of three small children, was
murdered first while waiting outside the family home on a bus and the
assailants then stormed the house and shot dead the woman's
twenty-three-year-old sister and wounded the women's mother. Dagher
notes that Lamia's three children were asleep in the home "and survived
the attack." The Melbourne Herald Sun supplies
the name of the younger sister, "The intruders killed Lamia and Walaa
Sabih and wounded their mother before booby-trapping the house. When
police arrived a bomb went off, wounding two of them, an officer said
on condition of anonymity."
Raheem Salman, Usama Redha and Tina Susman reflect on the latest violent trends in "In Iraq, a sudden spurt of violence" (Los Angeles Times):
Since
Monday, according to police statistics, roadside bombs, car bombs and
suicide bombers wearing explosive belts have killed 58 people in the
capital. Deaths elsewhere included two Christian women who police said
were killed by unidentified gunmen in the northern city of Mosul, where
Christians say they have been caught in the middle of a war for power
between Kurds and Arabs. Several
Iraqis who witnessed the violence noted the heavy presence of Iraqi
security checkpoints near Saadoun Street, in the eastern part of the
capital, and elsewhere and said it showed that nobody could be trusted
to keep them safe. Some also said it was a sign that Iraqi forces were
not ready to protect the city if U.S. troops withdrew. U.S.
military officials said that this week's violence, coming after a
steady downward trend in attacks, does not mean insurgents are staging
a comeback, and they disputed the casualty figures provided by Iraqi
sources. Baghdad and its
environs continue to experience an average of four attacks a day on
security forces and civilians, compared with more than 20 a day about a
year ago, Army Brig. Gen. William Grimsley, deputy commander of U.S.
forces in Baghdad, said Monday after bombers killed 31 people in
northeast Baghdad's Kasra district.
From yesterday's snapshot:
"At the State Dept today Wood also noted that Tayyip Recep Erdogan,
Turkey's Prime Minister, was in the US for an economic meet up with the
White House and that Secretary of State Condi Rice will be meeting with
him during the visit. Turkey and northern Iraq are in continous
conflict and it is a rare day when the Turkish military's airplanes are
not bombing northern Iraq. Whether that topic will figure into any
talks or not is not being dicussed." This morning Hurriyet reports,
"Turkey and the Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq agreed
on a strategic plan involving measures against the terror organization
PKK, the organization's mouthpiece Firat News Agency reported on
Thursday. According to the agreement, the administration in northern
Iraq led by Massoud Barzani will cut the links between Europe and the
PKK, which uses bases in northern Iraq as a springboard to launch
cross-border attacks on neighboring Turkey."
Meanwhile Missy Ryan (Reuters) notes
that accusations are flying in Mosul back and forth between Arabs and
Kurds that reflect the conflict between the Kurdish government and the
central government out of Baghdad:
Behind
the quarrels is oil. Many of the disputed areas along the "green line"
have promising reserves, especially Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed city
that accounts for a quarter of Iraq's oil exports. Kurds consider
Kirkuk their historic capital. Iraq's constitution provides for a
referendum on control of the city. That vote has been postponed
indefinitely, but Kurds think they would win it, undoing Saddam's
"Arabisation" of one of Iraq's main oil-producing areas. The impasse
affects not just Iraq's oil sector, but all investment, casting a
shadow on the U.S. project in Iraq.
Not seeing anything on yesterday's joint-press conference in Syria. It did take place, see photos below.
His
Excellency Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Mr. Walid Moallem,
Syrian Foreign Minister held a joint press conference on Wednesday
November 12, 2008.
The two sides discussed ways to develop and
activate bilateral relations between the two countries and Minister
Zebari reviewed the political, economic and security developments in
Iraq, and stressed the importance of Syria's cooperation in improving
the situation in Iraq, indicating that Iraq will soon nominate an
ambassador in Damascus in a step that aims to develop and activate the
relations between The two countries.
Minister Zebari explained
the positive results of his visit and his meetings with President
Bashar al-Assad, and delivered the letter of Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki to president Asaad regarding the Iraqi government’s stance on
the US-Iraqi security agreement and stages of negotiation. Foreign
Minister Zebari also stressed the Iraqi government’s refusal to use
Iraqi territory as a platform to launch military operations against
Syria or any of the neighboring countries and expressed sympathy and
solidarity with the Syrian people.
On his part Mr. Walid Moallem
welcomed the visit of Minister Hoshyar Zebari and his accompanying
delegation stating that Syria is keen to maintain the security and
stability of Iraq.
Mr. Walid Moallem bid farewell Minister
Hoshyar Zebari and his accompanying delegation in Damascus
International Airport; the farewell ceremony was attended by the Iraqi
Charge d'Affaires in Syria and a number of Iraqi embassy staff.
With
the increased risk of domestic violence in veterans suffering from
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), collaboration is needed to deal
with both problems effectively, a University expert in veteran mental
health said. "The increasing
number of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder raises the risk
of domestic violence and its consequences on families and children in
communities across the United States," said Monica Matthieu, Ph.D.,
assistant professor of social work. "Treatments
for domestic violence are very different than those for PTSD. The
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has mental health services and
treatments for PTSD, yet these services need to be combined with the
specialized domestic violence intervention programs offered by
community agencies for those veterans engaging in battering behavior
against intimate partners and families," she said. Matthieu
and Peter Hovmand, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work, are
merging their research interests and are working together to design
community prevention strategies to address this emerging public health
problem. "The increasing
prevalence of traumatic brain injury and substance use disorders along
with PTSD among veterans poses some unique challenges to existing
community responses to domestic violence," Hovmand said.
Since
his election to the U.S. Senate and through the presidential campaign,
the "deeply conservative" (according to New Yorker writer Larissa
MacFarquhar) Obama has done nothing to undermine his "palatability" to
concentrated economic and political power. He has made his safety to
the power elite evident on matters both domestic and global, from his
support for bailing out parasitic Wall Street financial firms with
hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars (while claiming to be "a free
market guy" and proclaiming "love" for "capitalism") to his refusal to
question the morality of U.S. colonial wars and his strident support
for maintaining a globally unmatched "defense" (empire) budget that
accounts for nearly half the world's military spending. As Edward S.
Herman and David Peterson note in an important recent article, "in
2007-08, Obama has placated establishment circles on virtually every
front imaginable, the candidate of ‘change we can believe in' has
visited interest group after interest group to promise them that they
needn't fear any change in the way they're familiar with doing
business" [5]. It's all very
consistent with Obama's history stretching back to his days as the
Republican-pleasing editor of the Harvard Law Review and his climb up
the corporate-friendly politics of Chicago. As Ryan Lizza noted in The
New Yorker last July, "Perhaps the greatest misconception about Barack
Obama is that he is some sort of anti-establishment revolutionary.
Rather, every stage of his political career has been marked by an
eagerness to accommodate himself to existing institutions rather than
tear them down or replace them" [6]. Obama's
business-friendly centrism helped him garner an astonishing,
record-setting stash of corporate cash. He received more than $33
million from "FIRE," the finance-real-estate and insurance sector. His
winnings include $824,202 from the leading global investment firm
Goldman Sachs [7]. He has been consistently backed by the biggest and
most powerful Wall Street firms. At
the same time and by more than mere coincidence, Obama enjoyed a
remarkable windfall of favorable corporate media coverage. That media
treatment was the key to Obama's success in winning support and
donations from the middle-class and from non-affluent people like
Deddrick Battle.
Three
e-mails on that from yesterday. (1) What's Trina's post? It wasn't a
post proper. She was playing around and practicing links. (2) It wasn't
included yesterday for that reason (I haven't included this site in the
above links, FYI). (3) Could I go down all the way to include Betty as
well? Yes, absolutely.
An
Iraqi soldier shot and killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded at least
six others Wednesday in Mosul, the American military said. As the
shootings occurred in northern Iraq, violence continued in Baghdad,
with at least 25 people killed in bombings across the capital. The
shootings of the U.S. troops occurred in an Iraqi army compound in
western Mosul outside a building where two U.S. Army lieutenants were
conferring with an Iraqi captain, the American military said. Just
before noon, an Iraqi soldier named Barzan Mohammed walked into the
compound with an AK-47 submachine gun and began the shooting spree,
according to the U.S. military. It
said he fired a "drum load" of ammunition at American soldiers. A drum
load holds a "significantly" higher number of bullets than the magazine
that's issued to Iraqi soldiers. U.S. Army spokeswoman Maj. Peggy
Kageleiry said Mohammed said something to another Iraqi soldier and
began shooting the Americans.
The
head of police operations in Mosul, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim al-Jubouri,
said the episode was set off by a quarrel between an American and an
Iraqi soldier. This was confirmed by a senior official in the Ministry
of Defense and an officer in the Nineveh Operations Command, which
oversees all Iraqi forces operating in Mosul and is advised by the
American military. An Iraqi
Army officer and two soldiers who witnessed the attack provided a
detailed account on the condition of anonymity, for fear of retribution
from their commanders. They
said an American military patrol stopped on Wednesday afternoon to
inspect a post staffed by Iraqi soldiers in the predominantly Sunni
Arab neighborhood of Zanjili, a notoriously violent part of Mosul. A
heated argument ensued between one of the American soldiers and an
Iraqi soldier identified as Barzan Mohammed Abdullah, prompting the
American to curse at the Iraqi, spit in his face and slap him, the
Iraqis said. The Iraqi soldier then opened fire on the Americans, they
said, and other American soldiers responded with a barrage of gunfire
at the Iraqi.
Ernesto Londono and Qais Mizher's "2 U.S. Troops Killed by Iraqi Soldier" (Washington Post)
notes that US Maj. Gen. Mark P. "Hertling dismissed reports by Iraqi
officials who suggested that an altercation between Iraqi and American
soldiers preceded the gunfire in Mosul, but he said he had no
information on the shooter's motive. He said U.S. and Iraqi officials
are jointly investigating the incident." [Note Dagher also presents the
US version. That should go without saying being that it's the New York
Times but before some drive-by e-mail comes in from a visitor screaming
about what NYT has done now, let's make that clear.] Tina Susman
provides background on such attacks in "Iraq soldier kills at least two Americans" (Los Angeles Times):
A
similar shooting occurred in the area in December. Two U.S. soldiers
were killed by an Iraqi soldier in Nineveh, which remains one of the
country's most volatile areas because of the presence of Sunni Muslim
insurgents loyal to the group Al Qaeda in Iraq and friction between
Arabs and Kurds vying for influence. The Iraqi soldier is awaiting
trial in Baghdad.
That's yesterday. Already violence is being reported today. Reuters notes
Baghdad has seen two bombing with at least thirteen wounded while a
Mosul car bombing has left 16 people injured, a Ramadi bomber has taken
his own life and the lives of 4 other people "including two policemen"
and a bombing outside Laitifya has claimed at least one life.
And we'll again note John Pilger's "Beware the Obama Hype" (Dissident Voice) but focusing on this section:
That
is the subtext of Barack Obama's "oratory". He says he wants to build
up US military power; and he threatens to ignite a new war in Pakistan,
killing yet more brown-skinned people. That will bring tears, too.
Unlike those on election night, these other tears will be unseen in
Chicago and London. This is not to doubt the sincerity of much of the
response to Obama’s election, which happened not because of the unction
that has passed for news reporting from America since November 4 (e.g.
"liberal Americans smiled and the world smiled with them") but for the
same reasons that millions of angry emails were sent to the White House
and Congress when the "bailout" of Wall Street was revealed, and
because most Americans are fed up with war. Two
years ago, this anti-war vote installed a Democratic majority in
Congress, only to watch the Democrats hand over more money to George W
Bush to continue his blood fest. For his part, the "anti-war" Obama
never said the illegal invasion of Iraq was wrong, merely that it was a
"mistake". Thereafter, he voted in to give Bush what he wanted. Yes,
Obama's election is historic, a symbol of great change to many. But it
is equally true that the American elite have grown adept at using the
black middle and management class. The courageous Martin Luther King
recognized this when he linked the human rights of black Americans with
the human rights of the Vietnamese, then being slaughtered by a liberal
Democratic administration. And he was shot. In striking contrast, a
young black major serving in Vietnam, Colin Powell, was used to
"investigate" and whitewash the infamous My Lai massacre. As Bush's
secretary of state, Powell was often described as a "liberal" and was
considered ideal to lie to the United Nations about Iraq’s non-existent
weapons of mass destruction. Condoleezza Rice, lauded as a successful
black woman, has worked assiduously to deny the Palestinians justice. Obama's
first two crucial appointments represent a denial of the wishes of his
supporters on the principal issues on which they voted. The
vice-president-elect, Joe Biden, is a proud war maker and Zionist. Rahm
Emanuel, who is to be the all-important White House chief of staff, is
a fervent "neoliberal" devoted to the doctrine that led to the present
economic collapse and impoverishment of millions. He is also an
"Israel-first" Zionist who served in the Israeli army and opposes
meaningful justice for the Palestinians -- an injustice that is at the
root of Muslim people's loathing of the United States and the spawning
of jihadism.
Wednesday,
November 12, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, 2 or 4 US soldiers are
dead, Iraqi refugees who make it to Michigan continue to struggle,
truth tellers John Pilger and Paul Street show the play 'left' how it's
done, and more.
Faisal Sidiq and Zoe Magee (ABC News) report
that 4 US soldiers were shot dead in Mosul -- reportedly following "an
argument" with an "Iraqi soldier, Barazen Mohammed, and an American
colleague" which led Mohammed to allegedy shoot dead the 4 and then he
was shot dead. The deaths bring to 4197 US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war with 7 for the month thus far. Gregory Viscusi and Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) notes
that "at least two" US soldiers are dead and argue that it wasn't
"clear what prompted the incident and whether the Iraqi soldier killed
himself or was shot by American forces" and they quote US Sgt Chris
Stagner stating, "The situation is fluid and we are investigating." Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) cites
US Navy Commander Abram McGull stating the US service members "were
dismounted, going back to their convoy" and that two are dead and six
are wounded. Tim Cocks (Reuters) notes
two US service members dead and adds, "A local morgue said it had
received the body of the Iraqi soldier, riddled with bullets." Sam Dagher (New York Times) adds,
"While the deaths of the [2] American soldiers were confirmed by the
United States military, the circumstances surrounding the Mosul
shooting remained in dispute." James Hider (Times of London) offers,
"The Iraqi Interior Ministry said the soldier opened fire after he had
been publicly slapped by an American colleague. Many Iraqi men,
especially in the military, are intensely proud and conscious of any
perceived slight to their honour."
Meanwhile George Frey (AP) reports
that US army Sgt. Michael P. Leahy Jr. will move straight to a
court-martial following his decision to waive his Article 32 hearing
into the deaths of four Iraqis who were shot dead while they were bound
and blindfolded and then their corpses were dumped in a canal. Frey
notes, "Leahy is the fifth of seven soldiers implicated in the incident
to face a judge since August." Last week Seth Robson (Stars and Stripes) provided
an overview of the cases and he noted, "Leahy is also charged with
premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and
obstruction of justice in the deaths of the four detainees in March or
April."
Baghdad,
12 November 2008 -- The number of people without adequate access to
food in Iraq has fallen dramatically, according to the findings of a
joint assessment carried out by the Iraqi Government and the UN World
Food Programme (WFP). The
assessment -- which shows a significant improvement in food security -
found some 930,000 people were without adequate access to food last
year, down from around four million in 2005. The
Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment (CFSVA) was
carried out in late 2007 in collaboration with the UN Children's Fund
(UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World
Health Organization (WHO), as a follow-up to the last food security
survey in mid-2005. "We can give a cautious welcome to these figures," said Edward Kallon, WFP Country Director for Iraq. "I
say cautious, because 930,000 is still far too many for a relatively
wealthy country. Moreover, there are a further 6.4 million people who
would slide into food insecurity if it were not for safety nets, such
as the Public Distribution System (PDS)." Under
the Government-run PDS, every Iraqi is entitled to a monthly food
basket to fulfill their nutritional needs. However, frequent shortfalls
and delays in the distribution of certain commodities have made it
difficult for vulnerable households to manage their monthly food
needs. As well as
surveying the food security of 26,000 people across the country, the
CFSVA also examined the nutritional status of 24,000 children under
five. It found an improvement in national acute malnutrition rates and
little change in chronic malnutrition rates. However, in five
districts, stunting rates among children were described as alarming. "This
report gives us crucial insights into the current state of food
security in Iraq," said Dr Mehdi al-Alak, chairman of the Central
Organization of Statistics and Information Technology of the Iraqi
Ministry of Planning. "And that, in turn, is vital for the country's
economic recovery, reconstruction and improvements in basic services."
"For the first time, we
have a comprehensive report covering all parts of the country. This
makes it an extremely valuable tool for working out policies and
strategies in the future," said Dr. Jamal Ameen, the head of Kurdistan
Region Statistics Office. WFP
is currently providing food assistance to 750,000 of the most
vulnerable among the estimated 1.5 million people displaced inside Iraq
since February 2006, who do not have continuous access to a PDS ration
because they are unable to register in the places where they are
currently living. Kallon
attributed the reversal of declining food security to increased
economic activity across the country, stimulated by a marked
improvement in security and the humanitarian efforts of the
international community. "But the situation remains volatile and any
deterioration could undermine the whole process," he said. The
report recommends continued food assistance to the most vulnerable in
collaboration with the Iraqi government's efforts to reform the PDS. It
calls for support to initiatives to improve mother and child nutrition
and caring practices, scaling up micronutrient programmes and providing
food for education in the poorest areas, with a particular emphasis on
girls' school enrolment and attendance.
Related, as noted in yesterday's snapshot, Khaled Yacoub Oweis (Reuters) reported
Syria refused to allow a World Food Program ship to unload rice "at the
country's main port" due to "the percentage of cracked rice in the
cargo" (according to a Syiran official). The rice was intended for
some of the estimated 194,000 refugees from Iraq currently living in
Syria. Staying with the topic of refugees, Barbara Ferguson (Arab News) reports
on the process for Iraqis who make it to the United States, "Once in
the US, for example, refugees must over time reimburse the US
government for the cost of their plane ticket, usually well in excess
of $1,000. Though some are given small stipends, they lament that they
start life in the US already in debt. In the US, many new arrivals say
life hasn't improved much. Many subsist on food statmps, housing
supplied by refugee services, and get whatever medical care they need
from Medicaid. . . . The immediate resettlment -- finding a house,
giving three months' worth of cash assitance -- is the easy part. The
hard part comes afterward, when the money has run out, the economy is
still bad and affordable is hard to come by." At the White House
today, spokesperson Dana Perino said the Bully boy was "very well aware
of" Michigan's 9% unemployment rate. NPR's Jamie Tarabay (Morning Edition) reported yesterday on
the Iraqi refugees in Michigan and notes that "the economy is so bleak
that the State Department no longer wants to allow Iraqis to settle in
Michigan unless they have immediate relatives already living there.
Iraqi engineer Raed Jabro has been looking for a job in Detroit for
four months now and told Tarabay, "It's not easy to find a job now."
Rawa Bahou is an Iraqi widow living in Detroit with her three young
children and she explains that after leaving Syria (where she and her
family were refugees for three years), she was settled in Atlanta
despite having family in Detroit, "We stayed in an apartment they
rented for us. I didn't go out. I closed the door, rang my in-laws to
come get me." The city's Chaldean federation is headed by Joe Kassab
and he makes clear that the refugees are not putting a strain on any
government system, "Those who aren't working, their families are
supporting them. They are not a burden on the government or the
state. They are a clannish people. They live among each other, and if
I lose money, I have my cousin -- my ungle going to help me." Of all
Iraqi refugees, Marc J. Sirois (Pakistan's Daily Star) notes the US has "been dowright stingy, for instance, about helping to care for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees." Johanna Berrigan (CounterPunch) reports
on the refugees who've sought shelter in Syira and Jordan. Of a 2007
trips, she writes, "Throughout the trip, the works of war came vividly
to life in the stories and sorrowful eyes as each person spoke. They
eagerly and openly shared with us their experiences of the war in Iraq,
the circumstances under which they were forced to flee, the
indignities, uncertainty, and suffering that they continue to endure.
We spent time with individuals and families whose lives have been
utterly devastated by the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The Iraqi
people are barely eking out an existence in these countries were they
cannot claim residence and don't know when or if they will be resettled
to a third country. One man expressed it rather poetically, yet
tragically, 'we cannot touch the sky, we cannot touch the earth, we are
nowhere, we are in limbo without hope, all we want is peace.' Neither
Jordan nor Syria is a signatory of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees
which guarantees certain minimal rights. Niether government refers to
the Iraqis in their countries as 'refugees,' but rather as 'guests.'
Both countries are concerned that the Iraqi refugess will become a long
term presence."
Hamid Ahmed (AP) reports
a Baghdad car bombing claimed 4 lives today (fifteen more wounded) and
it was "the third consecutive day of morning rush hour blasts in the
Iraqi capital" which also included a roadside bombing that left seven
wounded while, in Mosul, two Iraqi Christians (sisters) were shot dead
outside their home and their mother was left wounded. Louise Ireland (Reuters) notes,
"In Wednesday's incident, gunmen killed one woman outside her home,
then stormed the house, killing her sister and wounding their mother." Sam Dagher (New York Times) identifies one sister as Lamai Subaih Daoud (and the mother of three young children) and notes the other was twenty-three years old.
As the report released Monday by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted (this is the link, click on language of choice -- such as "English" -- and remember it's PDF format):
Starting
in August, attempts at intimdation aginst Christians in Mosul were
reported with a dramatic increase in violence in the first two weeks of
October. Over 2,200 families, more than 10,000 individuals, have
reportedly fled their homes and most have sought temporary shelter in
the Ninawa plains, leading my Special Representative to publicly
express concern and strongly condemn the killing of civilians on 12
October. The development comes at a very sensitive time, and against a
backdrop of heightened political tensions regarding the unresolved
issues of minority representation in the provincial elections and
disputed internal boundaries.
Didn't puppet of the
occupation Nouri al-Maliki swear the assaults had resulted in stronger
measures to ensure protection? Some of the over 2,000 families have
returned to the area and it appears some may flee for their own safety
again.
In other violence . . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a
Baghdad roadside bombing that left seven wounded, a Baghdad car bombing
claimed 2 lives (ten more wounded), another Baghdad roadside bombing
that wounded two people, another Baghdad car bombing that claimed 12
lives and left at least sixty more people wounded, a Mosul car bombing
at the home where the 2 sisters were shot dead which resulted in three
police officers being wounded (the bombing followed the shooting), a
Kirkuk sticky bomb that wounded four people, a Mosul car bombing that
wounded one Iraqi soldier and a Mosul roadside bombing that left one
person wounded. Reuters notes the Kirkuk sticky bomb targeted (and wounded) "Christian plitician Ashur Yalda" (and also wounded two of his bodyguards).
At
the US State Dept today, deputy spokesperson Robert Wood was asked of
the treaty masquerading as a Status Of Forces Agrement and he
responded, "My understanding is that the Iraqis are studying the text,
and we await to hear back from them. We think it's, you know, a good
agreement that serves both countries' interests. China's Xinhua quotes
Ali al-Adeeb speaking to the Iraqi press on the treaty and stating,
"Washington's response over the Iraqi proposed amendments on Status of
Forces Agreement only have some positive points, but it seems not
enough for the Iraqi side"; and they quote Iraq's Minister of Finance
Bayan Jabr Solagh stating, "The cabinet will meet either on Saturday or
on Sunday to review the last version of the SOFA draft and then will
vote." People's Weekly World Newspaper quotes
Iraq's Communist Party secretary of the central committee (and Iraqi
MP) Hamid Mejaeed Mousa stating, "Our party is seeking, with others, to
amend the agreement, because it is unacceptable in Iraqi society in its
current draft. It will also not pass in the Parliament in this format,
and we will be the first to reject it. . . . There has to be an
agreement that ensures the evacuation of the foreign troops . . . their
evacuation cannot take place by total rejection. It must be regulated
by an agreement between the two sides. In all countries, regardless of
the situation where there are foreign troops, their exit does not take
place by only ignoring mutal dialogue and talks, but through an
agreement. What matters, therefore, is the content of such an
agreement, and what the principles and basis were for concluding it.
That is the correct approach." Real News Network files a report on the treaty:
The
Iraqi government has made more demands for more changes to the Status
of Forces Security Agreement with the United States. The government of
Prine Minister Nouri al-Maliki had already demanded changes to the
agreement last month and last week the US sent an amended draft
proposal back for approval. But even with the US acquiescence to Iraqi
demands on Tuesday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh told the
London based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat,
"The US reply to the Iraqi amendments is not satisfactory and there are
many points that still need clarification and amendment." The agreement
must be approved by the Iraqi parliament before the 31 December 2008
deadline of the U.N. mandate that allows US troops to operate legally
within Iraq. Without an agreement the US would have to go back to the Security Council to get an extension.
While the treaty remains iffy, one thing was approved today. The Saudi Gazetter reports
al-Maliki's cabinet signed off on the $67 billion 2009 budget and that
it now goes to the Parliament (which will ratify or turn thumbs down).
At
the State Dept today Wood also noted that Tayyip Recep Erdogan,
Turkey's Prime Minister, was in the US for an economic meet up with the
White House and that Secretary of State Condi Rice will be meeting with
him during the visit. Turkey and northern Iraq are in continous
conflict and it is a rare day when the Turkish military's airplanes are
not bombing northern Iraq. Whether that topic will figure into any
talks or not is not being dicussed. Another Iraqi neighbor is in the
need. Khaled Yacoub Oweis (Reuters) reports
that despite the US assault on Syria October 26, the Syrian government
has decided it will go through with a planned conference on November
22nd. The conference has invited Iraq, its neighbors, the US, the UK
and others.
An
old friend used to be a very smart Marxist and was an early member of
SDS -- a real New Leftist. She refused to be given -- yes, refused to
be given -- a copy of of my very careful and respectful book on the
Obama phenomenon. "I can't read that," she said. Some of the names on
the back of the book (Adolph Reed Jr., Noam Chomsky, and John Pilger)
are former icons of hers (she introduced me to the writings of Adolph
Reed, Jr. in the mid-1990s.) but now she's in love with Obama. "It's
the best thing that could happen," she says about his election. She's
repudiated her radical past and agrees with centrist American
Enterprise Institute (AEI) "scholar" Norman Ornstein's recent ravings
on how "the left" must not press Obama for very much right now
(Ornstein's AEI-funded admonitions have recently been broadcast again
and again across America's wonderful "public" broadcasting stations
("N" PR and "P" BS) because of, you know, "the economy" and all.
Paul
Krugman in the New York Times (a left-liberal Obama critic during the
primary campaign) says there's "something wrong with you" if you
weren't "teary-eyed" about Obama's election. Yes, numerous other
radicals and I need to be put under psychiatric care because we didn't
cry over the militantly bourgeois and openly imperialist Obama's
presidential selection.
We have the
increasingly unglued white anti-racist Tim Wise screaming "Screw You"
to Obama's harshes radical critics -- this after recklessly charging
racism against working-class whites and Hillary Clinton supporters who
had any issues with (the racially conciliatory) Obama.
[. . .]
The
local bookstore, run by progressives (left-liberal Edwards supporters
during the Iowa Caucus), is willing to sell my book but "too scared" to
have an author event.
Few if any of
these people have bothered to read a single solitary word of Obama's
blatantly imperial, nationalist, and militarist foreign policy speeches
and writings. And my sense is they never will. They do not care about
such primary sources in the ongoing history of the Obama phenomenon.
For
the last two years talking to many liberals and avowed "progressives" I
know about Obama -- who I picked to be the next president in the fall
of 2006 (I thought he was too simultaneously irresistible to both the
power elite and the liberal base not to prevail) -- has been like
talking to Republicans about George W. Bush and the invasion of Iraq in
2003 and 2004; no room for messy and inconvenient facts.
I
am hearing people of color identify with the occupations of Afghanistan
and Iraq in ways that would be unimaginable without Obama. This may be
the worst thing of all.
No
serious scrutiny of this is permitted within the histrionics of
Obama-mania, just as no serious scrutiny of the betrayal of the
majority of black South Africans was permitted within the "Mandela
moment." This is especially marked in Britain, where America's divine
right to "lead" is important to elite British interests. The once
respected Observer newspaper, which supported Bush's war in Iraq,
echoing his fabricated evidence, now announces, without evidence, that
"America has restored the world's faith in its ideals." These "ideals",
which Obama will swear to uphold, have overseen, since 1945, the
destruction of 50 governments, including democracies, and 30 popular
liberation movements, causing the deaths of countless men, women and
children.
None of this was uttered during
the election campaign. Had it been allowed, there might even have been
recognition that liberalism as a narrow, supremely arrogant, war-making
ideology is destroying liberalism as a reality. Prior to Blair's
criminal war-making, ideology was denied by him and his media mystics.
"Blair can be a beacon to the world," declared the Guardian in 1997. "[He is] turning leadership into an art form."
Today,
merely insert "Obama". As for historic moments, there is another that
has gone unreported but is well under way -- liberal democracy's shift
towards a corporate dictatorship, managed by people regardless of
ethnicity, with the media as its clichéd façade. "True democracy,"
wrote Penn Jones Jr., the Texas truth-teller, "is constant vigilance:
not thinking the way you're meant to think and keeping your eyes wide
open at all times."
the washington post
ernesto londono
dana priest
warren p. strobel
leila fadel
media lens
john pilger
deborah haynes
dan balz
janet hook
wbai
cat radio cafe
janet coleman
david dozer
vivian gornick
60 minutes
cbs news
karen tumulty
washington week
now on pbs
pbs
the real news network
mudhafer al-husaini
a.n.s.w.e.r.
debra sweet
military families speak out
the newshour
the los angeles times
tina susman
usama redha
raheem salman
qais mizher
raed jarrar
jessica martin
hurriyet
missy ryan
paul street
npr
