This
June Canada's parliament passed a resolution calling on its government
to "cease any removal or deportation actions" against US soldiers who
have refused to take part in the Iraq war, and to allow them to apply
for permanent resident status and stay in Canada - a position backed by
64% of Canadians. Even so,
last month Canada deported its first war resister - Robin Long, now
serving a 15-month jail term in Colorado - and a second, Jeremy
Hinzman, has now been given a September 23 deadline to leave Canada
with his wife, son and baby daughter, or be deported. Today,
to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Central Committee
for Conscientious Objectors, we will be holding a 10-hour vigil outside
the Canadian high commission in Trafalgar Square, calling on the
Canadian government to abide by the will of its parliament and people,
and make provision for US war resisters to have sanctuary in Canada. We
urge your readers to join us by writing to the high commissioner, James
R Wright. Glenn Bassett,
Gabriel Carlyle, Susan Clarkson, Sian Colley, Pat Gaffney, Salih
Ibrahim, Joanne Macinnes, Jonathan Stevenson, Susan Wood London
The above is "War resisters" and that's the Guardian
of London for you, if someone writes a letter, a topic might get
covered. Might. But the 'reporters' have so many 'better' things to do.
(Trying to influence a foreign election takes a lot of work!) Orillia Packet & Times offers the following letter: Letter the the editor: On
June 3, the House of Commons voted to stop the deportations of American
servicemen and women who come to Canada rather than participate in the
fighting in Iraq. Incredibly, the Harper government has chosen to
ignore the decision of the House of Commons. In spite of that clear
vote, they deported Robin Long, an American soldier seeking sanctuary
in Canada, back to the U. S. Last week, Robin was sentenced to 15
months in prison at a military penitentiary. He also received a
dis-honourable discharge. This has huge implications for the rest of
his life: he will be ineligible for student loans, mortgages, and many
employment opportunities. Even worse, he will never be able to return
to Canada, where his two-year-old son lives. His crime? Refusing to participate in an illegal and immoral war, once its true nature became clear to him. In
Robin's own words: "I remember that a soldier is just a uniform
following orders, a warrior is the man or woman that follows their
conscience and does the right thing in the face of adversity." This he
has done, and continues to do. Jeremy Hinzman has received his
deportation date: Sept. 23. It is clear that he is a conscientious
objector. It is wrong that he be punished for following his conscience. What has been done to Robin Long cannot be fixed. But it must not be repeated. The Harper government has an obligation to comply with the will of the House. The deportations must stop. J. Gilbert Orillia
US war resister Jeremy Hinzman went to Canada for safe harboer and was informed August 13th,
that he had until September 23rd to leave Canada or be deported. Jeremy
has taped an appeal to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, and
you can find the video at the War Resisters Support Campaign (the video features Jeremy Hinzman, with his wife Nga Nguyen and their children Liam and Meghan):
Let
Them Stay! Keep US war resisters here in Canada! Stop the
deportations!Tell the government to respect democracy and implement
Parliament's motion. Rally on the National Day of Action
Saturday, September 13, 2008, 1:00 p.m. Richmond/Central at Victoria Park March to the Federal Building and then to Covent Garden Market.
Speakers
include war resisters Josh Randall and Tim Richard. Lots of dramatic
street theatre. Bring your enthusiasm, your indignation, and your own
sign, and your noise-makers!
The
15-year-old girl had the chubby cheeks of a child who hadn't lost her
baby fat when she was arrested Sunday by an alert policeman. Around her
chest was a vest packed with explosives. The policeman chained her to
the bars of a window, stripped off her dress, found the vest and
deactivated the bomb. Had he not intervened, Rania would have been this
year's 31st suicide bomber in Iraq. A
day later, Rania seemed in a daze as she spoke about the people who put
her up to it: the relatives who forced her to don the vest and
apparently drugged her, her husband, whom police accuse of being a
member of the group al Qaida in Iraq, and her mother, who seemed to
play a central role in turning Rania into a human bomb but whom she
looked to as a rescuer.
On the front page of this morning's New York Times, Lizette Alvarez offers "War Veterans’ Concussions Are Often Overlooked" which has a large scope that may explain many weaknesses. Here's an excerpt:
Even
now, with traumatic brain injury called the signature injury of the
Iraq war, some soldiers and their advocates say that complications from
mild concussions often are not recognized. Mr.
Owsley's request for a Purple Heart, given to troops wounded or killed
in action, was denied by the military, a devastating blow. Others say
that their mild brain injury entitled them only to low disability
payments, or, if the diagnosis was inconclusive, to none at all. This
has happened in large part because there is no quantifiable diagnostic
test for the injury, and the language used by the Veterans Affairs
Department to rate traumatic brain injury, or T.B.I., is vague. The
military, in particular, seldom rates each symptom from a concussion
separately, which it is required to do, said Kerry Baker, associate
national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans. "The criteria remains ambiguous," Mr. Baker said. "The military way underrates T.B.I. and its symptoms."
The
article's biggest problem is the glancing manner in which it looks at
things which gives off the impression that things have worked much more
smoothly than they have and that -- other than a few cases for veterans
-- the struggle on veterans care is in the distant past.
The
purpose of today's hearing is to take a hard look at the current state
of the Army Medical Action Plan This will be the third hearing this
subcomitt has held on the Army Medical Action Plan -- the army's
response to the revelations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center last
year, since it was issued in June 2007. When the Army Medical Action
Plan execution order was issued last summer, the military personnel
subcomittee believed that the army had finally demonstrated a full
understanding and acceptance of the organizational and systemic short
comings that had led to the scandalous conditions at Walter Reed. We
felt that the Army Medical Action Plan was a comprehensive and
ambitious blue print to tackle these issues head on. After years of
frustration many on the subcomittee believed that the army was finally
ready to take the necessary steps to solve these problems. However,
from our very first briefing on the Army Medical Action Plan, we had
two significant concerns. The first was that the army would be unable
to initially dedicate and then maintain over the long haul the level of
resources required by the Army Medical Action Plan. Specifically, we
were worried that the army would be unable to assign adequate numbers
of personnel to the Warrior Transition Units. Why? Because the core of
the Warrior Transition Units were to be the same soldiers that make up
the backbone of our brigade combat teams: mid-grade, non-commissioned
officers. And these soldiers were already in short supply. The second
concern was that army commanders would overwhelm the Warrior Tranistion
Units by sending them all of their soldiers with medical issues rather
than just those with complex injuries or conditions that required
comprehensive case management. In truth, we do not feel that this was
necessarily a bad thing especially if it helped units deploy at full
strength while injured or ill soldiers had the opportunity to fully
recover Of course, this would only work if Warrior Transition Units
were properly resourced to take care of these soldiers. From June 2007
through February 2008, the members and staff of this subcommittee made
numerous visits to Warrior Transition Units throughout the army. The
overall trend we observed was positive. The Army Medical Action Plan
was clearly providing better support for recovering soldiers than the
previous medical holdover system. One wounded warrior commented, 'Thank
God for the Warrior Transition Unit. Things are so much better than
they were before.' That was good to hear but despite the positive
trends we were frustrated at the slow progress of implementing the
AMAP. We felt that things should have and could have been moving
faster. We also felt that there was a discconnect between how quickly
the army leadership believed things were happening and what the facts
on the ground seemed to indicate. Again, despite the challenges, we
felt things were moving in an overall, positive direction. However our
concerns about Warrior Transition Unit staffing levels and the
potential of line units, quote, 'dumping ' soldier on the Warrior
Transition Unit continued. We asked General [Eric] Schoomaker about
this repeatedly during our hearing in February to get an update on the
AMAP In response to a question asked by Mr. [John] McHugh, the army
surgeon-general declared, 'For all intents and purposes we are entirely
staffed at the point we need to be staffed.' As the facts at Fort Hood
demonstrate that is clearly not the case now. Gentlemen, the Army
Medical Action Plan was designed by the army. It is your plan. The army
senior leadership has publicly trumpeted your commitment to wounded
soldiers at every opportunity -- and we believe that that is true. But
the Secretary of Defense agrees -- as Dr. [Robert] Gates has made clear
-- "Apart from the war itself, this department and I have no higher
priority." . Over the course of this hearing we will review the
following topics. Resources. Why has the army failed to properly
resource the Warriror Transition Units population growth. Why did the
army fail to predict the growth in the WT population. We were assured
by the army in Feb. that you had the processes and reviews in place to
stay on top of the population and clearly that's not the case today.
Priority. Is the Army Medical Action Plan truly the army's number two
priority? Our visits do not leave us with that impression. And
creativity. From the outset the Army Medical Action Plan has been sold
as a bold roadmap to overhaul outdated, inefficient and deteremental
policies and procedures. . . . And oversight. Finally and perhaps most
importantly why did it take oversight visits from the subcommittee to
identify and spure the army to fix these issues and what will take to
ensure that the army follows its own plan and lives up to its own
promises it Gentlemen, aside from telling us that you will will harder
to implement it -- and we do believe that, we know that you are working
very hard at this -- what concrete steps are being taken to ensure
better follow through?
That was last month. The article
today provides no indication of just how little has been done and what
a struggle it has been to get that little done. In terms of individual
cases, a better job's done but, even there, there's not one case that
you can't go to a statement by Davis, Shelley Berkley or any number of
members in a hearing this year -- over and over.
Turning to the presidential race, Susan Faludi's "Second-Place Citizens" runs on A19 and makes some larger points:
In
one poll, 40 percent of Mrs. Clinton's constituency expressed
dissatisfaction; in another, more than a quarter favored the clear
insanity of voicing their feminist protest by voting for John McCain.
"This is not the usual reaction to an election loss," said Diane
Mantouvalos, the founder of JustSayNoDeal.com,
a clearinghouse for the pro-Clinton organizations. "I know that is the
way it is being spun, but it's not prototypical. Anyone who doesn't
take time to analyze it will do so at their own peril." The
despondency of Mrs. Clinton's supporters -- or their "vitriolic" and
"rabid" wrath, as the punditry prefers to put it -- has been the
subject of perplexed and often irritable news media speculation. Why
don’t these dead-enders get over it already and exit stage right? Shouldn't
they be celebrating, not protesting? After all, Hillary Clinton's
campaign made unprecedented strides. She garnered 18 million-plus
votes, and proved by her solid showing that a woman could indeed be a
viable candidate for the nation's highest office. She didn't get the
gold, but in this case isn’t a silver a significant triumph?
Susan
then pulls the punch. Why should women be celebrating? When were we
allowed to? In week after week of Bill Moyers psuedo-talks about race
and blah-blah-blah about the 'historic nature' of Barack's run? Are we
supposed to play like we are as STUPID as they think we are? That we
didn't notice that CRAP day after damn day? You don't have to go to the
sewer of MSNBC to find things to call out. And it's past time Bill
Moyers was called out for his bulls**t throughout the primaries and how
he refused to explore Hillary's run, how he REFUSES to book female
guests and how SEXISM has been dished out non-stop this year by The
Journal.
It's
not just Moyers but sexism isn't just the attacks Chris Matthews and
Keith Olbermann launched. Sexism is also silence. It's how women are
historically 'forgotten' when it's time to 'create' the canon. It's how
women are left out history repeatedly. It's how each wave of feminism
has to first re-invent the wheel. And NO FEMINIST is doing feminism any
favors by pretending what went down didn't. This bulls**t of why can't
women be happy IGNORES the reality that they weren't allowed to be.
Moyers never offered one damn story on gender. Check his archives and
see what he did offer, see how PBS allowed him to turn his show into an
infomercial for Barack.
It didn't just happen. But it continued to happen because too many 'leaders' refused to call it out. Lying
about it today or playing 'nice' isn't going to change a damn thing.
You confront abuse or it continues. That's reality. And damn well
PATHETIC that feminist 'leaders' refuse to write about what happened
which was far beyond the crap MSNBC broadcast. It's past time for
'leaders' to grow the hell up or face that fact that grassroots
feminism no longer needs them, no longer wants them. (Which is why the
Kim Gandy mailing sent out after midnight last night is already a joke.)
Katie Couric:
Over the last week it's been almost impossible to pick up a newspaper
or turn on a cable show and avoid the endless post-mortums on Hillary
Clinton's campaign. Senator Clinton has received her fair share of the
blame and so has her political team. But, like her or not, one of the
great lessons of that campaign is the continued and accepted role of
sexism in American life -- particularly in the media. Many women have
made the point that if Senator Obama had to confront the racist
equivalent of an "Iron My Shirt!" poster at campaign rallies or a
Hillary nutcracker sold at airports or mainstream pundints saying they
instinctively cross their legs at the mention of her name, the outrage
would not be a footnote, it would be front page news. It isn't just
Hillary Clinton who needs to learn a lesson from this primary season,
it's all the people who crossed the line -- and all the women and men
who let them get away with it. That's a page from my Notebook, I'm
Katie Couric, CBS News.
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is gearing up for the Denver Super Rally tomorrow night. This is from Team Nader:
Nader Flix
Posted by The Nader Team on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 09:25:00 PM
As
a big part of the homestretch push to Election Day, we are starting a
new media fund drive -- $100,000 in ten days -- by the end of the
Republican convention.
We're
cruising. You've helped get us on 37 state ballots thus far (more to
come soon) and Nader/Gonzalez has been at 5% or above in several
national polls. But the big bucks news media has responded with a deep
freeze-out. So, it's up to us to break through and get our own message
out.
Enter the Nader Media Fund.
We
aren't tied down by narrow stylistic constraints. We don't worry about
offending corporate America. We just need to get much busier creating,
filming, editing, and distributing.
You
can help us create high-impact media that will get the Nader/Gonzalez
campaign message out there -- on television, radio, and the Web. Your
contributions will fund radio ads, our creative campaigns will garner
free television media (as our "puppet" debate did in 2004), and we will
put high quality content in your hands for you to show to your friends
and family.
Donate $100 to Nader/Gonzalez now
and we will mail to you three 30-45 minute DVDs over the next month
with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage hot out of the editing room --
"Nader Flix." First, the Denver Super Rally, then the Minneapolis Super
Rally, then a special debate project that we are creating.
Our
crew of professional filmmakers includes people from the pinnacle of
the business. The photo here shows them in the middle of their drive
from Los Angeles to Denver yesterday. They need tape and access to
top-notch gear, lodging and transportation. They need your support.
Make our own media. It's what we've got to do. We need your help to make it happen.
Onward to November.
(The 3-DVDs for $100 offer is good until September 4, 2008, 11:59 p.m.).
It
was the first time Maliki explicitly demanded a fixed deadline for the
departure of all U.S. troops from Iraq. His words appeared to rule out
the presence of any U.S. military advisors, special forces and air
support after the withdrawal date. The
current draft of the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, details of which
had previously been reported, outlines a conditional timeline of 2011
for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraq. However, it leaves the door
open for the U.S. military to stay on in a noncombat role. The
hardened position came after last week's visit by Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to Iraq, where she met with Maliki in hopes of
clearing obstacles to an agreement. But officials familiar with the
talks say that the prime minister remains undecided about whether he
even wants a deal.
Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) observes
it is "a direct challenge to the Bush administration, which insists
that the timing for troop departure would be based on conditions on the
ground." Fadel also establishes what was said:
Maliki
said that the United States and Iraq had agreed that all foreign troops
would be off Iraqi soil by the end of 2011. "There is an agreement
actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date,
which is the end of 2011, to end any foreign presence on Iraqi soil,"
Maliki said.
The New York Times doesn't do that. Possibly in an acknowledgement that Nouri is but a puppet, Campbell Robertson and Riyadh Mohammed's "Maliki Pushes for Troop Withdrawal Date" makes an effort to downplay what al-Maliki said by allowing unnamed others to insist 'What he really meant was . . .':
Though
Mr. Maliki seemed to be referring to all foreign troops in his
statements, Iraqi negotiators have said recently that an agreed-upon
2011 date is for combat forces only, and that "training and support"
forces could remain after that if invited by the Iraqi government. On
Monday, a senior Iraqi official said he understood that even a
departure date for combat troops would be "conditions driven."
Yesterday's snapshot
featured some of Tony Fratto's remarks as White House spokesperson for
the traveling White House (Crawford, TX). Here's Fratto in full:
Sure.
I know there are always reports out there in the press and I'm not sure
I saw exactly what Prime Minister Maliki said. But clearly from our
perspective, we've been working with the Iraqi government for a long
time on this agreement. It's a critical agreement between two sovereign
countries in this region, and we want to see this bilateral agreement
put in place, to take effect once the December 30th U.N. agreement runs
out. We're discussing goals. As you know, you've heard us speak about
different kinds of timelines or aspirational goals that may be
acceptable. I don't have anything to announce on that. An agreement has
not been signed, and so from our perspective, there is no agreement
until there's an agreement signed. There are discussions that continue
in Baghdad. We'd like to let them continue and to continue to show
progress. What we're focused on is getting a good agreement, not
getting an agreement by a particular date. So we'll continue those
discussions. Stepping back, I think what we're really pleased about is
the fact that we're having these discussions with a sovereign,
democratically elected country that is -- that wants to have a
relationship with the United States going forward, and the fact that
the only reason we can have these discussions today is because of the
success of the surge. And as we continue to see security gains on the
ground in Iraq, and we can have the return on success that the
President talked about because of those security gains, that's a good
thing for us, that's a good thing for Iraq. And so we have these mutual
goals. But any decisions on troops will be based on the conditions on
the ground in Iraq. That has always been our position; it continues to
be our position.
Ralph Nader, independent presidential candidate, is providing Ralph's Daily Audio Monday through Friday and this is "Bailouts on Your Back:"
This
is Ralph Nader. The giant corporate destruction of capitalism is
proceeding at an accelerated pace. It looks like captialsim -- that is
the bearing of risk by the business -- is only for small business, not
giant corporations that are deamed too big to fail no matter how their
executives, overpaid as they are, undermine, weaken and damage the
company their workers and share holders.
Three
examples. The US government now has enacted legislation which provides
for up to $25 billion in loan guarantees for the domestic auto
companies. These are the same companies that for years opposed fuel
efficiency standards while they sold customers their gas guzzling SUVs.
Well when the price of gasoline went up, SUV sales went down and what's
General Motors doing? Ford? Chrysler? They're going to Washington for,
essentially, a tax payer bail-out. And they want more than $25 billion
dollars in loan guarantees .
Next up is
the nuclear industry. They can't get Wall St. financing for their new
nuclear plants without a US government loan guarantee. They wanted $50
billion in recent legislation. But the Congress only gave them $19
billion for starters in loan guarantees. The Wall Streeters think that
nuclear power is so risky and unpredicatable that they won't give them
any loans without Uncle Sam guaranteeing them.
And
then there's Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For years opposing adequate
regulation and adequate capital-ratios and they took on very risky
financial instruments and now they're diving and they're in consulation
with? US Treasury for some variety of bail-out or guarantee.
And
so it goes. The big guys are too big to fail and so they have no
incentive to bear the risk or even let their owners -- the share
holders -- control runaway CEO pay that's tied to inflating profits and
taking on excessive risk so their stock options are worth more for
their private riches.
Capitalism is used
as a propaganda tool by giant corporations -- as a legitimization of
what they're doing. That is: going into the market place, bearing the
risk, succeeding where they succeed and accepting the verdict of the
market place which, of course, is always beyond their control. This is
The Big Lie.
Wall St. goes to Washington
for bail-outs, hand-outs, give-aways and subsidies -- and that ought to
be an issue in the presidential campaign.
You
won't hear John McCain and Barack Obama talking about this at all.
They're in the same boat of government subsidized corporate capitalism.
This is Ralph Nader.
Meanwhile, inside the Pepsi Center, the dog and pony show took place last night. And
yes, she bombed at the DNC. It's doubtful in all the gas bagging you'll
see and hear on it, anyone will point out that a Harvard graduate
should damn well know subject-verb agreement. And weren't her gestures
comical? More on Sunday but, yes, I have read the e-mails. "Ass"-"tute"
a groupie posing as a 'journalist' calls her today and he's just as
grammatically challenged as she is. The bar's not being moved, it's
where it always was and that speech wouldn't have cut it for the spouse
of a city council member let along as a keynote speech. Modulation was
a foreign concept as words went LOUD for no reason and what passed for
normal at others. In other words, she lacked poise. Or, as her former
roll dog on TV this morning (not introduced as such) might have worded
it, she lacked "pose"--"ee."
Monday,
August 25, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces
a death, sometimes the US and the puppet al-Maliki agree on their
stories (and sometimes they do not), and more.
Starting with war resistance. US war resister Robin Long was court-martialed in Colorado Friday and Karen Linne, Fort Carson Public Affairs Office, explained Friday afternoon
that he was sentenced to 15 months behind bars, reduced in rank (to E1)
and given a dishonorable discharge. Robin was held at the Criminal
Justice Center in El Paso Country while awaiting the court-martial and
he will receive credit for the time he has served ("about 40 days").
Eric
Singer: Now getting back to a story we told you about earlier on in the
newscast, a judge at Fort Carlson sentences a soldier to 15 months for
desertion. He ran to Canada.
Nina
Sparano: Twenty-four-year-old Private First Class Robin Long was
supposed to be deployed to Iraq three years ago. Only On News Channel
13's Scott Harrison was in the court room for the sentencing.
Scott
Harrison: Early Friday afternoon, Private First Class Robin Long left
this court room and walked down this sidewalk for the last time as a
free man for the next fourteen months or so as he begins his sentence
for desertion. Long seemed in good spirits as guards escorted him to a
waiting vehicle. He also got a warm send off from peace activists and
anti-war protesters who came to support him. Some supporters hired an
attorney from Oklahoma to represent Long.
James
Branum: He got to speak his mind about why he did what he did and he
knows that, yes, he did the legally wrong thing but the morally right
thing.
Scott
Harrison: Long's sympathizers expected he would serve some time after
going AWOL then fleeing to Canada to avoid deploying to Iraq but they
think 15 months is too harsh.
Ret.
Army Col. Mary Ann Wright: Four months, five months something like that
-- which is pretty common among all of the ones who have gone AWOL and
been public about it. I think that would be an appropriate punishment.
Sgt. Matthis Chiroux:
Robin Long to me is a hero. He is an individual who stood up during a
time of great, great crisis facing overwhelming adversity and
opposition and stood true to what he knew to be right.
Scott
Harrison: Coming up at six, we'll learn more about the influences
effecting Private Long's life that led him to be at this court room
today. At Fort Carson, Scott Harrison News Channel 13.
Nina
Sparano: Long's sentence will be reduced by forty days because of time
already served. He's also reduced in rank to private and will receive a
dishonorable discharge.
Samantha
Anderson: [The court-martial of] a Fort Carson soldier Friday at times
became more of a debate about the Iraq War then about the soldier's
desertion. In our continuing coverage, News Channel 13's Scott Harrison
explains how more service men and women are taking stands to oppose the
war.
Scott
Harrison: For most men and women in the military, the decision to go to
war is a simple one. They follow orders. It's part of the job of being
in the armed forces. But Friday's court-martial here at the mountain
post attracted other soldiers who have taken stands similar to Private
Long in opposing the Iraq War. We told you Friday how Private Long
pleaded guilty to avoiding a deployment to Iraq by fleeing to Canada.
Among those supporting him at his court-martial were a retired Army
Col. and State Dept diplomat.
Ann Wright: I resigned in opposition to the war in Iraq. And that's -- he went AWOL because of the war in Iraq.
Scott Harrison: Also present was a Reserve Sergeant who announced a month before his scheduled deployment that he wouldn't go, considering the war an illegal act of aggression.
Matthis Chiroux: I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen. My situation is quite unique.
Scott
Harrison: Sgt. Chiroux says the Army has decided not to court-martial
him partly because he gained sympathy and support in Congress for the
growing cause of war objectors within the military. The different
actions toward Sgt. Chiroux and Private Long show how the military
itself can seem divided on the issue.
Ann
Wright: And that's an interesting thing because one would think that
the army throughout the world would have a common view of these things.
And that maybe there wouldn't be such disparity.
Scott
Harrison: These war objectors -- whether in or out of the military --
say there are hundreds of servicemen and women like Private Long and
more will come as the war continues.
Matthis:
Who takes his dedication to the Constitution so seriously that he is
willing to face persecution for it? Not even our own president is
willing to do that.
Scott
Harrison: Private Long is believed to be only the second soldier
court-martialed for desertion by fleeing to Canada since the end of the
Vietnam war. And both of those cases have happened just within the last
month. At Fort Carson, Scott Harrison News Channel 13.
Robin Long wasn't 'found' in Canada that week. He was expelled from Canada July 14th. (He was extradited.)
Second, there has been more than two US war resisters who went to
Canada and then returned and were court-martialed. Darrell Anderson
returned from Canada and turned himself in October 3, 2006 but was not court-martialed, as Jim Fennerty explained to Jim Warren (Lexington Herald-Leader) back in October of 2006 (article no longer available online, but quoted in this October 4th entry). Two others would follow him back to the US that year. Kyle Snyder would turn himself in and then self-checkout again
when the US military broke the promised agreement. Snyder was informed
that he was going back to his unit, despite the agreement that had been
worked out. Snyder is married to a Canadian citizen and should not
(unless Judge Anne Mactavish thinks she can get away with it) be under
threat of deportation today. The other? Remember The Full Brobeck? Ivan Brobeck returned from Canada and turned himself in on November 7, 2006 (mid-term election day and Brobeck returned with an open letter to the occupant of the White House). Brobeck was court-martialed Dec. 5, 2007 and released on Feb. 5, 2007. As Robert Fantina (Political Affairs magazine -- one of the few to note Brobeck) explained,
"Several soldiers who deserted after a tour of duty in Iraq have stated
that cruelty towards Iraqi citizens was a factor in their desertions.
One of them, Lance Corporal Ivan Brobeck, witnessed the abuse of Iraqi
detainees and the killing of Iraqi civilians. Another, Sgt. Ricky
Clousing, had similar experiences. His allegations of systematic abuse
of Iraqi detainees are now being investigated by the military." Ivan
Brobeck would be the first known US war resister that went to Canada
and returned to the US to be court-martialed.
Back to Robin's court-martial. Jupiter Kalambakal (AHN) reported,
"During the trial, Long, 25, of Boise, Idaho, said he fled when his
unit was deployed to Iraq because he felt it was an illegal war,
according to CBC. Prosecutors, on the other hand, said he abandoned his
duty and his country." Tom Roeder (Colorado Springs Gazette via Albany Times Union) noted
that Col. Debra Boudreau presided as the judge, that the prosecution
called no witnesses and that the prosecution "showed a six-minute video
of Long, sporting dreadlocks and a beard, telling a Canadian news
reporter 'I think I was lied to by my president'." That's the October 2007 CBC interview Robin gave. The use of the video indicates Robin's civilian attorney James Branum was correct when he told Nick Kyonka (Toronto Star)
immediately before the court-martial, "I think they want to prosecute
him for free-speech issues without actually charging him." A McClatchy Newspapers-Tribune Services article in The New Haven Register reported
Ann Wright was among the witnesses and she testified that the Iraq War
"was against, the law, arguing that justified Long's fleeing to Canada.
. . . The lone character witness called to speak for Long was Peter
Haney with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission. He had met the
soldier three times while Long was awaiting trial in the El Paso
County, Colo., lockup" and he testified, "I've observed Mr. Long in
situations that would be trying to just about anyone. He seemed to me
to be extremely poised and lucid." From that article:
In his testimony, Long talked about his life in Canada and attacked the war in Iraq. "I
feel the war on terror is a war on peace," Long testified, saying he
planned to eventually move back to Canada where he has a girlfriend and
a son born while he was on the run form the Army. In Nelson,
British Columbia, Long said he perfected his organic gardening skills
and converted his Volkswagen to run on recycled cooking oil. Long told the judge he wanted to serve little or no jail time, but would take a bad conduct discharge as punishment. He wrapped up his time on the stand by telling the judge, "Peace, love and light." Long's
civilian attorney, James Branam, closed his part of the sentencing
hearing by comparing Long to Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. "The morality of what he did should lessen the punishment," Branam told the judge.
Dan Frosch (New York Times) quoted Jim Branum stating, "I felt he doesn't deserve a day in prison. Any jail time is unjust." Nick Kyonka (Toronto Star) reported,
"About two-dozen anti-war supporters gathered around the courthouse at
Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo., yesterday afternoon as a
military judge handed down Long's sentence." Other coverage included an
AP article, Erin Miller filed a report for KBS Radio. David Fox and Jesse McLaren write to the Toronto Star
to point out that the sentence proves Judge Mactavish was wrong in her
decixion. Jesse McLaren: "Since it is now clear that deporting war
resisters to the U.S. does indeed produce irreparable harm, the Harper
government must enact the motion passed in Parliament to stop the
deportations and let war resisters stay." David Fox: "Justic MacTavish
claimed he would not suffer 'irreparable harm' if deported. How is a
military jail sentence and a felony conviction not irreparable harm? No
soldier should face jail for opposing the illegal and immoral war in
Iraq. And Stephen Harper must be held to account for deporting Robin
Long when he knew full well the persecution and punishment he faced in
Bush's America." Robin's civilian attorney Jim Branumn notes Free Robin Long and at his own site notes press coverage here and here.
Friday, Free Speech Radio News reported on Robin and the lead up to the court-martial and Jeremy Hinzman. Jeremy is the US war resister who was the first to go to Canada and apply for asylum. August 13th, he was informed he had until September 23rd to leave Canada or be deported.
Jes
Burns: Back in Canada, another war resister, Jeremy Hinzman, is
fighting for himself and his family to remain in the country. The
Canadian government has ordered the Hinzman family to leave by
September 23rd despite a motion passed in Parliament in June calling for an end to the deporations. Earlier this week Hinzman spoke at a Toronto forum to discuss strategies to stem the tide of current deportations.
Jeremy Hinzman: Ever since we got here, if it wouldn't be for the support of all of ya'll . . . It
seems like we've had our hands tied. The Canadian government intervened
in my case, said that the illegality of the war was irrelevant to our
refugee claim. We appealed this all the way to the Supreme Court and,
in November of last year, they refused to hear our case. So being here
for four and a half years, working full time, having a family, having
friends we thought perhaps that we'd have a shot at compassionate,
humanitarian grounds for staying here. and as Michelle said last week
we found out that that is not going to be the case. It's pretty
devastating but all I can say is that I'd rather -- or I'd proudly
serve jail time rather than kill and displace innocent people.
Jes
Burns: The current hope for Hinzman is a new federal appeal in his
case. Alyssa Manning is a lawyer representing him and other war
resisters. She says the decision to deport Hinzman was made based on
the assumption there would be adequate protection for his religious
beliefs and political opinions back in the United States. But new
evidence has emerged -- evidence that has already been used to stay the
deporation of another war resister Corey Glass.
Alyssa
Manning: New evidence has since come out that was not available to the
Federal Court of Appeal that says that soldiers who speak out against
the war in Iraq are actually subjected to severe punishment by the
military solely for speaking out. And it was based on this new evidence
that the Federal Court issued a stay of removal in Corey's case.
Justice [Orville] Frenette, for the Court, he said, "The applicant
submits that if returned to the United States he will be
court-martialed for desertion and he will be incarcerated in a military
prison where, like Stephen Funk, Camilo Mejia and Kevin Benderman, he
will suffer persecution and cruel and inhumane treatment." He then
said: "I believe the evidence here shows that if returned to the US the
applicant will suffer the harm he has described." So that's a clear
finding from the Federal Court that what these resisters have been
alleging would happen to them if they're sent back is actually happening
Jes
Burns: Manning says there were definite errors in the decision to
deport Hinzman and his family. She hopes a new round of appeals will
convince the Canadian courts to stay the deporation.
To show your support for Jeremy and other US war resisters in Canada, Courage to Resist alerts,
"Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship
and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca,"Iraq Veterans Against the War
also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or
email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and
ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca."
There
is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which
includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei
Hurancyk, Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste,
Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano
Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal,
Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn,
Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross
Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique,
Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez,
Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada,
Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen,
Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman,
Kevin Lee, Daniel Baker, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing,
Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk,
Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey,
Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua
Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell,
Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake,
Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres,
Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and
Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada
have applied for asylum.
Moving to Iraq, over the weekend Nicholas Spangler (McClatchy Newspapers) reported that Nouri al-Maliki insists the assault in Diyala Province Tuesday
was a "rogue operation" while Iraqi Islamic Party spokesperson
responded, "We believe that such a raid could not have taken place
unless Mr. Maliki had at least prior knowledge of it." From last Tuesday's snapshot:
Reuters notes
a raid conducted by "Iraqi security forces" in Baquba on "the office of
the governor of Diyala province" which resulted in the death of "his
secetary". Reuters notes
the name of the dead is Abbas Ali Hmoud and that Raad Rasheed Mulla
Jawad (the governor of the province) has stated, "The body of the
martyr [Abbas Ali Hmoud] will stay in the building until the iillers
are captured." Though the US military admits at least 1 US helicopter
was present they deny that the US military had any knowledge or
participation in the raid. Maybe they were just jumping the gun on the August 22nd National Airborne Day? Also playing dumb is the puppet government in Baghdad which is ordering an investigation. AFP reports
that Nouri al-Maliki, puppet of the occupation, "ordered the formation
of a committee to find out how Iraqi forces came to fight each other in
Baquba" and notes that, in addition to the secretary being murdered, a
bodyguard was also shot dead. CNN notes,
"Hussein al-Zubaidi, a provincial council member, and Nazar al-Khafaji,
the Diyala University dean, were arrested during the raid, the official
said."
Nicholas Spangler and Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) report
four police officers were wounded in the Diyala actions, the governor's
secretary was shot dead, Hussein al Zubaidi ("provincial council member
and head of security committee") was arrested, computers were seized
and "Taha Dria, a Shiite lawmaker from Diyala who was not in the
government compound during the raid, said the armed forces were from
Iraq's Emergency Response Unit, an American-trained unit similar to
U.S. Special Forces" quoting him explaining that, "They were wearing
khaki. Their weapons were American. The Humvees they used looked
American. They didn't have any ranks on their shoulders. They didn't
talk." They also report eye witnesses saw two US helicopters and that
the helicopters fired on the Iraqi people. The US military issued a
denial on accusations yesterday and maintained that one helicopter was
in the area but for other reasons and it was not involved in actions. Ned Parker and Usama Redha (Los Angeles Times) note
the US military's denial and also explain that "a prominet Sunni
university dean" was also arrested, that the Iraqi forces involved
"reports to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's counter-terrorism office" but
al-Maliki claims he was unaware and his office insists, "These special
forces work with the Americans. They are not associated with the
Ministry of Defense. They have goals, and they didn't inform anyone
else." Nichoals Spangler (McClatchy Newspapers) reports
that the US continues to deny any involvement in yesterday's lawless
activities with US Big Gen James Boozer insisting, "It was what appears
to be a rogue operations."
The
US military is claiming "rogue operation" despite the use of two US
helicopters and al-Maliki's following their lead. Today claims fly on
other issues with al-Maliki and the US on different sides. Ahmed Rasheed (Reuters) reports
that al-Maliki is stating that there is an agreement (this would be the
treaty called a "SOFA") "that all US troops will leave by the end of
2011" and the White House is stating "no final deal has been reached." AP suggests
al-Malik has "dug in his heels" and that "[d]espite the tough words"
there will be a compromise. At the US traveling White House (Crawford,
TX), Tony Fratto declared in a press briefing today, "I know there are
always reports out there in the press and I'm not sure I saw exactly
what Prime Minister Maliki said. But clearly from our perspective,
we've been working with the Iraqi government for a long time on this
agreement. . . . We're discussing goals. As you know, you've heard us
speak about different kinds of timelines or aspirational goals that may
be acceptable. I don't have anything to announce on that. An agreement
has not been signed, and so from our perspective, there is no agreement
until there's an agreement signed. There are discussions that continue
in Baghdad. We'd like to let them continue and to continue to show
progress. What we're focused on is getting a good agreement, not
getting an agreement by a particular date. So we'll continue those
discussions."
Sunday Sabrina Tavernise (New York Times) tackledThe Myth of the Great Return
and explained, "Out of the more than 151,000 families who had fled
their houses in Baghdad, just 7,112 had returned to them by mid-July
according to the Iraqi Ministry of Migration." Tavernise further
reported: "The reasons for the hesitation are complex, based on dangers
both real and imagined. In most cases, Iraqis say they feel safe with
their neighbors but are not sure about other residents. Some are afraid
of the new guards on their blocks. In rarer cases, they cannot face
neighbors who they suspect helped in killings." Erica Goode (New York Times) reported the Ministry of Culture's Deputy Minister Kamal Shyaa Abdullah was assassinated Saturday in Baghdad (along with his driver). Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reported a bomber blew his/herself up and claimed 21 other lives (thirty-two wounded). Today AFP reports the death toll from the bombing has risen to 30. Tina Susman and Saif Hameed (Los Angeles Times) explain the bomber was a man who showed up at the festivities. Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) reports
that the gathering was for Sami Hanoush, the son of Adnan Hanoush -- an
"Awakening" Council member, who had recently been released from Camp
Bucca and that the assault, which was carried out by "a stranger in his
late 20s," "was one of the deadliest attacks in recent months." Erica Goode and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) note
the gathering was "a large dinner" and that the stranger was "a man
wearing a yellow dishdasha, or large robe" and quotes Abdullah Hamdan
stating, "I just lost my brother, but I pray to God to save my son."
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports
a mortar attack on the Green Zone, a Baghdad bombing that left one
Iraqi service member wounded, a Baghdad car bombing that wounded three
members of a family, a Baghdad bus bombing that wounded the driver, a
Baghdad roadside bombing that left one person injured, and a Baghdad
mortar attack on "a petrol station." Reuters notes
a Tikrit roadside bombing that injured six guards of Maj Gen Hamad
Namis Yasin ("police chief of Salahuddin province"), a Shirqat roadside
bombing claimed 2 live and, dropping back to Sunday, a Mussayab
roadside bombing that claimed the life of Lt Col Basim Mohammed and his
daughter (two sons were injured).
Today the US military announced:
"A Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldier died of wounds Aug. 25 at
a Coalition Forces Combat Army Support Hospital. The Soldier was shot
by a small-arms attack during a dismounted patrol in northern Baghdad.
The Soldier was quickly transported to the medical faciality but later
succumbed to the wounds." The announcement brings to 4147 the number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war (19 for the month thus far).
US House Rep Stephanie Tubbs Jones passed away last week. Kristal Brent Zook notes the passing at Women's Media Center. [And at Third we note the vindicative Nancy Pelosi and her decision to pull Tubbs Jones' website on Thursday.] Each week when Ava and I do our TV pieces at Third, we have a host of links we want to work in and never get to half of them. Jennifer Merin's "Women Film Critics: An Endangered Species?" (WMC) needs to be read and we wanted to note it Sunday but couldn't fit it in. We think we'll be able to note it this coming Sunday but in case not, there's the link. Peggy Simpson covers
Joe Biden being named the running mate for Barack Obama -- if Barack
ends up the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. And this is
presidential politics and personal. A number of e-mails are coming in
repeating a point made this weekend by a friend with the Obama
campaign: "You are supporting the Obama campaign now!" No, I am not. I
like Joe Biden, I've known him for many years. I am not voting for war
and when Elaine
and I went to the big money fundraiser for Barack's Senate run it was
obvious that Barack was not anti-war or for ending the Iraq War. I will
not be voting for Barack. I will not be voting for John McCain
(presumed GOP nominee). I've said that over and over. This crosses over
with another topic (and Jess
-- in the public e-mail account today -- asked me to please clarify
that I wasn't voting for Barack with Biden now on the ticket so that
the e-mails would stop coming in on that). Democracy Now!
-- has the world ever seen more gossip on a broadcast. Gossip, gossip,
gossip. And they don't even have their FACTS right when they do toss
out the occassional fact. That includes Amy Goodman who is embarrassing
herself. The friend with the Obama campaign said, "You know they are
going to distort Joe" (meaning Panhandle Media) "and you're going to get sucked in that way" meaning defending Biden. Ava and I already decided to review Democracy Now!'s
weeks worth of coverage on Sunday. We will correct the record then.
It's not my job to correct them here. In fact, it's better for our TV
commentary if Amy Goodman books IDIOTS AND LIARS all week long. Judging
by today's offerings, she's already headed in that direction. Martha and Shirley
(working the private e-mail accounts) note that members are shocked
that basics (ones we've gone over here for some time) aren't known by
Amy & her experts. What can I say, THEY'RE IDIOTS -- UNINFORMED
IDIOTS. They didn't pay attention in real time, they don't know what
they're talking about. But this is exactly how Team Obama thinks I'm
going to get sucked in to rallying behind that ticket. It's not
happening. Ava and I will cover the nonsense of Democracy Now!
Sunday. I counted 16 errors/lies in today's broadcast and only heard a
half-hour. I'm sure there will be many, many more during the week. It's
tabled until Sunday. One more Biden-Barack note, Isaiah's comic went up Sunday on that. Also Lucas notes this broadcast of From The Vault which features a 1968 interview with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
Ralph Nader, independent presidential candidate, is providing Ralph's Daily Audio Monday through Friday and this is "Bailouts on Your Back:"
This
is Ralph Nader. The giant corporate destruction of capitalism is
proceeding at an accelerated pace. It looks like captialsim -- that is
the bearing of risk by the business -- is only for small business, not
giant corporations that are deamed too big to fail no matter how their
executives, overpaid as they are, undermine, weaken and damage the
company their workers and share holders.
Three
examples. The US government now has enacted legislation which provides
for up to $25 billion in loan guarantees for the domestic auto
companies. These are the same companies that for years opposed fuel
efficiency standards while they sold customers their gas guzzling SUVs.
Well when the price of gasoline went up, SUV sales went down and what's
General Motors doing? Ford? Chrysler? They're going to Washington for,
essentially, a tax payer bail-out. And they want more than $25 billion
dollars in loan guarantees .
Next up is
the nuclear industry. They can't get Wall St. financing for their new
nuclear plants without a US government loan guarantee. They wanted $50
billion in recent legislation. But the Congress only gave them $19
billion for starters in loan guarantees. The Wall Streeters think that
nuclear power is so risky and unpredicatable that they won't give them
any loans without Uncle Sam guaranteeing them.
And
then there's Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For years opposing adequate
regulation and adequate capital-ratios and they took on very risky
financial instruments and now they're diving and they're in consulation
with? US Treasury for some variety of bail-out or guarantee.
And
so it goes. The big guys are too big to fail and so they have no
incentive to bear the risk or even let their owners -- the share
holders -- control runaway CEO pay that's tied to inflating profits and
taking on excessive risk so their stock options are worth more for
their private riches.
Capitalism is used
as a propaganda tool by giant corporations -- as a legitimization of
what they're doing. That is: going into the market place, bearing the
risk, succeeding where they succeed and accepting the verdict of the
market place which, of course, is always beyond their control. This is
The Big Lie.
Wall St. goes to Washington
for bail-outs, hand-outs, give-aways and subsidies -- and that ought to
be an issue in the presidential campaign.
You
won't hear John McCain and Barack Obama talking about this at all.
They're in the same boat of government subsidized corporate capitalism.
This is Ralph Nader.
U.S.
Iraq war resister Robin Long, arrested and deported by the Harper
government this summer after living in Canada, has been sentenced to 15
months in prison and a dishonourable discharge – a felony conviction
that will last his whole life. His only "crime" is that he opposed the
Iraq war and came to Canada. Justice
MacTavish claimed he would not suffer "irreparable harm" if deported.
How is a military jail sentence and a felony conviction not irreparable
harm? No soldier should face
jail for opposing the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. And Stephen
Harper must be held to account for deporting Robin Long when he knew
full well the persecution and punishment he faced in Bush's America. David Fox, Toronto
Since
it is now clear that deporting war resisters to the U.S. does indeed
produce irreparable harm, the Harper government must enact the motion
passed in Parliament to stop the deportations and let the war resisters
stay. Jesse McLaren, Toronto
The above are two letters to the Toronto Star under the heading "Irreparable harm, indeed." US war resister Robin Long was court-martialed in Colorado Friday and Karen Linne, Fort Carson Public Affairs Office, explained Friday afternoon
that he was sentenced to 15 months behind bars, reduced in rank (to E1)
and given a dishonorable discharge. Robin was held at the Criminal
Justice Center in El Paso Country while awaiting the court-martial and
he will receive credit for the time he has served ("about 40 days").
The War Resisters Support Campaign notes:
ROBIN LONG SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS – SHAME ON THE HARPER GOVERNMENT
We
have just learned that Robin Long was sentenced today, August 22, to 15
months in prison at a military penitentiary. He also received a
dishonourable discharge which will follow him the rest of his life. It
is a felony conviction. Robin was deported from Canada when federal
Justice Anne McTavish ruled that he had not proven that he faced
irreparable harm if returned to the U.S. Sadly, today his sentence
proves how flawed that decision was. It shows all too clearly what U.S.
Iraq war resisters face if they are forcibly returned to the U.S. by
our government. Shame on Stephen Harper for allowing this courageous
and peaceful young man to be jailed. Stop the deportations. Let the War
Resisters stay. Implement the motion passed on June 3rd in the House of
Commons.
Emergency picket to protest Robin Long's sentencing: Monday, August 25 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. 360 University Avenue (Across from the US consulate) Toronto
On
Thursday, Hinzman's wife, Nga Nguyen, said he plans to appeal the
decision. The couple are asking the Canadian federal courts to delay
the deportation. Randall Hinds, who is 60 and lives in Fayetteville, said he was surprised by Canada's decision to deport Hinzman. "Historically,
they gave deserters asylum during the Vietnam War," Hinds said. "What
they should have done is extradited him directly to the U.S. Because
he's being deported, he's still free."
Also noting Hinzman is Karen Spears Zacharias's "Every war has two losers" (Fayetteville Observer):
I've
been thinking a lot about these men lately -- Conroy, O’Brien and
Stafford -- as I read the reports about U.S. Army deserter Jeremy
Hinzman. The South Dakota native joined the Army in 2001, and was
deployed in 2002 to Afghanistan. He had, by then, converted to a
pacifist faith. So Hinzman was given a non-combat role while his
application for conscientious objector status was processed. Later,
when the 82nd Airborne Division, Hinzman's unit, received orders to
Iraq, Hinzman took his wife and son and headed for the border. He did
not want to do a tour in Iraq. Canada
recently denied Hinzman's request for objector status and told the
soldier he had to go back home, and let the military courts decide his
fate. Conroy's right. If
anybody has earned the right to protest war, it's the men and women who
have served there. But, by law, the ones with the most at stake are the
ones with the least amount of say about the wars they wage on our
behalf. The irony of that was not lost on the Poet of the West. "Those
who champion democracy, but also make a fetish of never accepting
anything they don't agree with -- what advantage do they see in
democracy?" Stafford asked. Good question. One we all ought to consider more thoughtfully. There was a time when I would have derided Hinzman for his actions. I might have even questioned his patriotism. Not any more though.
Emergency picket to protest Robin Long's sentencing: Monday, August 25 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. 360 University Avenue (Across from the US consulate) Toronto
ALL OUT SEPTEMBER 13…
September 13th is a pan-Canadian Day of Action to support U.S. Iraq war
resisters and to demand that the Harper government immediately stop the
deportations. Actions, demonstrations, and pickets will take place in
cities and towns all across Canada. Click here to see a list of actions and to download materials.
If
your city is not listed, consider organizing a local action for
September 13th. Whether it is petitioning in your local farmer's
market, picketing a Conservative MP's office or rallying at a federal
building, we need to go all out to stop the deportation of resisters
like Jeremy Hinzman and Corey Glass!
… and on September 14th, organize local screenings of Breaking Ranks Canada's
Prime Minister is about to deport Jeremy Hinzman, American
Conscientious Objector to the Iraq War, as well as his wife Nga and two
children by September 23rd. Jeremy is featured in Michelle Mason's
documentary BREAKING RANKS.
• USE THE FILM:
Check your local library or borrow a copy of BREAKING RANKS featuring
Jeremy Hinzman, from the National Film Board Of Canada (contact Jane
Gutteridge at j.gutteridge@nfb.ca) and host a day of action and/or living room screening. Check www.nfb.ca for upcoming screenings of Breaking Ranks in Toronto this September, and in your community.
Coordinated
screenings of Breaking Ranks on the eve of Parliament reconvening gives
supporters the opportunity to organize letter writing parties
afterwards, so that federal ministers' mailboxes are stuffed in the
first days after MPs return to Ottawa.
Protesters
trooped up and down the 16th Street pedestrian mall and around downtown
landmarks, chanting: "If you support the troops, bring them home,"
"This should be a peace convention," and "We support war resisters."
Members from a group called Iraq Veterans Against the War, dressed in desert fatigues and black shirts, shook their fists and shouted, "Bring our brothers home."
IVAW has a number of actions they are working on and we'll highlight one below:
Northwest GI Coffeehouse in the works
IVAW
members in the Northwest, along with local allies, are working to open
a GIs coffeehouse to provide a safe place where GIs and their families
can find support, information about their rights, and room to express
their opinions about the war. IVAW member Mateo Rebecchi was
interviewed by the Seattle Post Intelligencer about the efforts
to raise money to open the coffeehouse: "We're trying to reach out to
soldiers who feel they have nowhere to go." Read the full article here
Turning to the US presidential race. Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate. Marci notes this from Team Nader:
Nader Flix
Posted by The Nader Team on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 09:25:00 PM
As
a big part of the homestretch push to Election Day, we are starting a
new media fund drive -- $100,000 in ten days -- by the end of the
Republican convention.
We're cruising. You've helped get us
on 37 state ballots thus far (more to come soon) and Nader/Gonzalez has
been at 5% or above in several national polls. But the big bucks news
media has responded with a deep freeze-out. So, it's up to us to break
through and get our own message out.
Enter the Nader Media Fund.
We
aren't tied down by narrow stylistic constraints. We don't worry about
offending corporate America. We just need to get much busier creating,
filming, editing, and distributing.
You can help us create
high-impact media that will get the Nader/Gonzalez campaign message out
there -- on television, radio, and the Web. Your contributions will
fund radio ads, our creative campaigns will garner free television
media (as our "puppet" debate did in 2004), and we will put high
quality content in your hands for you to show to your friends and
family.
Donate $100 to Nader/Gonzalez now
and we will mail to you three 30-45 minute DVDs over the next month
with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage hot out of the editing room --
"Nader Flix." First, the Denver Super Rally, then the Minneapolis Super
Rally, then a special debate project that we are creating.
Our
crew of professional filmmakers includes people from the pinnacle of
the business. The photo here shows them in the middle of their drive
from Los Angeles to Denver yesterday. They need tape and access to
top-notch gear, lodging and transportation. They need your support.
Make our own media. It's what we've got to do. We need your help to make it happen.
Onward to November.
(The 3-DVDs for $100 offer is good until September 4, 2008, 11:59 p.m.).
A
suicide bomber rushed into a neighborhood celebration for a man who had
just been released from detention Sunday night, detonating his
explosives and killing at least 25 other people, police said. Also
Sunday, the military announced the arrest of a key Al Qaeda in Iraq
figure believed to have planned the abduction of U.S. journalist Jill
Carroll in 2006. In a statement, the military said Salim Abdallah Ashur
Shujayri, also known as Abu Uthman, is a Baghdad leader of Al Qaeda in
Iraq who oversaw some of the group's most heinous activities. The
suicide attack occurred about 18 miles west of Baghdad in the suburb of
Abu Ghraib, a mainly Sunni Muslim area. It was one of several attacks
that left about 40 people dead and underscored the threat still posed
by insurgents despite improved security nationwide.
From Tina Susman and Saif Hameed's "Iraq suicide attack kills 25" while Amit R. Paley's "Suicide Blast Kills 25 At Celebration in Iraq" (Washington Post)
reports that the gathering was for Sami Hanoush, the son of Adnan
Hanoush -- an "Awakening" Council member, who had recently been
released from Camp Bucca and that the assault, which was carried out by
"a stranger in his late 20s," "was one of the deadliest attacks in
recent months." Erica Goode and Stephen Farrell's "Bomb Shatters Party, Killing 25 Iraqis" (New York Times)
notes the gather was "a large dinner" and that the stranger was "a man
wearing a yellow dishdasha, or large robe" and quotes Abdullah Hamdan
stating, "I just lost my brother, but I pray to God to save my son."
Meanwhile AFP reports the death toll from the bombing has risen to 30. Yasser Faisal (Reuters) reports
that burials of the dead have already started and includes this, "At
Toufash Kroush's home, where the bombing took place late on Sunday,
pools of blood covered the floor. Flies swirled over mounds of rice and
lamb, set out in the garden for the outdoor feast Toufash had arranged
to celebrate the release of his son Sami from a U.S. prison camp."
Meanwhile Gulf Daily News reports Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani is stating he is not "seriously ill." The Scotsman quotes him stating, "Recently, untrue rumours have caused anxiety among believers inside and outside Iraq." BBC provides
this perspective: "He rarely intervenes in politics but he has played a
critical role in Iraq at key times since the fall of Saddam Hussein -
notably when the constitution was being drafted and during the Shia
uprising. His judgement is respected by both politicians and ordinary
people alike in Iraq, correspondents say. He underwent heart surgery in
London in 2004."
Sistani
sat on a mattress, dressed in his black robes and matching turban. He
shook our hands and we wished him success. He beckoned us to sit with
him. We sat on both his left and right. The room had about seven thin
mattresses and one large rug. A small plastic bag held coins. The
lights went out briefly and then a generator started up and emitted a
steady roar. Sitting with him, I was so happy, I wanted to cry. Sistani
smiled and his voice sounded normal. The oldest reporter in our group
asked the grand ayatollah about the rumors that he was sick. Sistani
told us: "It was circulated recently some news about my health, which
was not correct. It caused some anxiety to the believers in Iraq and
the world. I advise journalists to deal with the news honestly." He
let us know how much he valued our profession and told us he was upset
over how many reporters had been killed and harassed in Iraq. "I am
proud of you and your work, your work is important in transferring the
truth to the people," Sistani said. Listening to him, I felt such words
from such a man meant journalists are important.
The Nader Team just arrived in Denver for the DNC.
We wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so we paid a visit to Invesco Field, the site of your upcoming speech.
Ironically, it was easier for us to get in there than it was to get in one of your debates.
Here we are protesting that fact.
As you can see from this photo, we managed to inflate a huge liberty bell at Invesco Field.
You know, liberty: the freedom to speak and debate.
A liberty that third party candidates are routinely denied by the mainstream press and mainstream candidates.
We want to change that.
So
we are issuing a challenge to the Commission on Presidential Debates --
liberate debates from corporate control and end the anti-democratic
exclusion of third party candidates.
And we are issuing a challenge to you.
You are the candidate of hope and change.
Consequently, we hope you will change your mind and make good on your offer to debate anytime, anywhere.
Participate in the Google debates in New Orleans on September 18th and urge them to include third parties.
Isaiah's latest The World Today Just Nuts "Change You Can Believe In." Senator Joe Biden holds a diaper and says, "It's not all glamor." Barack waits on the changing table and insists, "Get the baby wipes, Biden! Tushy needs cleaning!"
Swiping from Third, Friday US war resister Robin Long was court-martialed in Colorado. Karen Linne, Fort Carson Public Affairs Office, explained Friday afternoon that he was sentenced to 15 months behind bars, reduced in rank (to E1) and given a dishonorable discharge. Robin was held at the Criminal Justice Center in El Paso Country while awaiting the court-martial and he will receive credit for the time he has served ("about 40 days"). Jupiter Kalambakal (AHN) reports, "During the trial, Long, 25, of Boise, Idaho, said he fled when his unit was deployed to Iraq because he felt it was an illegal war, according to CBC. Prosecutors, on the other hand, said he abandoned his duty and his country." Tom Roeder (Colorado Springs Gazette via Albany Times Union) notes that Col. Debra Boudreau presided as the judge, that the prosecution called no witnesses and that the prosecution "showed a six-minute video of Long, sporting dreadlocks and a beard, telling a Canadian news reporter 'I think I was lied to by my president'." That's the October 2007 CBC interview Robin gave. The use of the video indicates Robin's civilian attorney James Branum was correct when he told Nick Kyonka (Toronto Star) immediately before the court-martial, "I think they want to prosecute him for free-speech issues without actually charging him." The New Haven Register runs a McClatchy Newspapers-Tribune Services article entitled "Deserter sentenced to prison" which notes that Boudreau wanted to give Long an even longer sentence but was prevented from doing that as a result of the plea bargain Branum negotiated and reports this on the defense:
Among the defense witnesses was celebrated anti-war activist Ann Wright, a retired Army officer and former State Department official who has racked up more than 10 arrests with her outspoken protests, including some outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. She said the war was against the law, arguing that justified Long’s fleeing to Canada. In most court-martial sentencing hearings, defendants try to show that they’re good soldiers and lean heavily on character to mitigate their actions. Typical witnesses include family members and fellow troops. The lone character witness called to speak for Long was Peter Haney with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission. He had met the soldier three times while Long was awaiting trial in the El Paso County, Colo., lockup. "I've observed Mr. Long in situations that would be trying to just about anyone," Haney said. "He seemed to me to be extremely poised and lucid." [. . .] In his testimony, Long talked about his life in Canada and attacked the war in Iraq. "I feel the war on terror is a war on peace," Long testified, saying he planned to eventually move back to Canada where he has a girlfriend and a son born while he was on the run form the Army. In Nelson, British Columbia, Long said he perfected his organic gardening skills and converted his Volkswagen to run on recycled cooking oil. Long told the judge he wanted to serve little or no jail time, but would take a bad conduct discharge as punishment. He wrapped up his time on the stand by telling the judge, "Peace, love and light." Long's civilian attorney, James Branam, closed his part of the sentencing hearing by comparing Long to Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. "The morality of what he did should lessen the punishment," Branam told the judge.
Yesterday morning's entry included a story that mispelled James Branum's name. I provided a link in Branum's name but didn't note it because I wasn't sure it was mispelled. To be clear, Jim Branum's last name is spelled "Branum." AP reports on Robin here. Over 48 people were reported killed over the weekend.
They're just there to try and make the people free, But the way that they're doing it, it don't seem like that to me. Just more blood-letting and misery and tears That this poor country's known for the last twenty years, And the war drags on. -- words and lyrics by Mick Softly (available on Donovan's Fairytale)
Last Sunday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war hit the 4,143 was the number. And tonight? 4146. Just Foreign Policy's counter estimates the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war to be 1,252,595 . . . the same number they were using last Sunday and the Sunday before. Apparently, despite reported violence, JFP doesn't belive any Iraqi's have died in over two weeks.
Turning to some of the reported violence and starting with Saturday.
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad bombing that claimed 4 lives (fifteen wounded), a Baghdad roadside bombing claimed 3 lives (and wounded five) while another Baghdad roadside bombing left two more people wounded, a Baghdad bomber blew his/herself up and claimed 21 other lives (thirty-two wounded), a Diyala Province roadsidbe boming that claimed 3 lives (five more wounded), another Diyala Province bombing that claimed the lives of 4 Iraqi soldiers (either more wounded), a Nineveh car bombing claimed the life of the person in the exploding car and the lives of 3 police officers and 1 civilian and a Mosul bombing that claimed 2 lives. Dropping back to Saturday's violence Erica Goode (New York Times) notes a Kirkuk "suicide bombing" that claimed the lives of 5 people (plus the bomber) and left seven injured in an apparent attack on "Awakening" Council member Abdul Kareem Ahmed al-Obaydi (who was among the dead). Staying with Saturday, McClatchy's Hussein Kadhim reported a Baghdad mortar attack that wounded three soldiers, a Baquba roadside bombing wounded two people and a Mansouriya roadside bombing claimed 1 life.
In the Sunday New York Times, Sabrina Tavernise tackles The Myth of the Great Return in "Fear Keeps Iraqis Out of Their Baghdad Homes" which reveals: "Out of the more than 151,000 families who had fled their houses in Baghdad, just 7,112 had returned to them by mid-July according to the Iraqi Ministry of Migration." Tavernise points out:
The reasons for the hesitation are complex, based on dangers both real and imagined. In most cases, Iraqis say they feel safe with their neighbors but are not sure about other residents. Some are afraid of the new guards on their blocks. In rarer cases, they cannot face neighbors who they suspect helped in killings.
Also in today's paper, Erica Goode's "Gunmen Kill A Top Official In Baghdad" runs on A10 (where Tavernise continues from the front page). Goode is covering the Saturday assassination of Deputy Minister Kamal Shyaa Abdullah ("high-ranking official in the Ministry of Culture") while he was headed home (his driver was also killed in the attack).
Turning to the US presidential race, Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate, his running mate is Matt Gonzalez. Sonya notes this from Team Nader:
Nader Team Arrives in Denver Posted by The Nader Team on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 05:55:00 PM ShareThis Dear Senator Obama: The Nader Team just arrived in Denver for the DNC. We wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so we paid a visit to Invesco Field, the site of your upcoming speech. Ironically, it was easier for us to get in there than it was to get in one of your debates. Here we are protesting that fact. As you can see from this photo, we managed to inflate a huge liberty bell at Invesco Field. You know, liberty: the freedom to speak and debate. A liberty that third party candidates are routinely denied by the mainstream press and mainstream candidates. We want to change that. So we are issuing a challenge to the Commission on Presidential Debates -- liberate debates from corporate control and end the anti-democratic exclusion of third party candidates. And we are issuing a challenge to you. You are the candidate of hope and change. Consequently, we hope you will change your mind and make good on your offer to debate anytime, anywhere. Participate in the Google debates in New Orleans on September 18th and urge them to include third parties. John McCain said he'd do it. How about you? Do it for hope. Do it for change. Give people a real choice this election. Onward to November! Ashley Sanders The Nader Team ShareThis
Mr. Long's civilian lawyer, James M. Branum, said after the hearing that he would appeal the sentence. "I felt he doesn't deserve a day in prison," Mr. Branum said. "Any jail time is unjust." Mr. Branum added that "he may have committed an illegal action, but morally he was right, and it meant a lot for him to say that to the Army." Karen Linne, a Fort Carson spokeswoman, said the Army had no comment.
The above is from Dan Frosch's "Soldier Who Deserted to Canada Draws 15-Month Term" in today's New York Times (A16) and it's a good size brief but Karen had no comment? Really? She was a regular chatterbox. Maybe she just didn't want to talk to the New York Times? (Karen Linne is the Karen mentioned in yesterday's snapshot.) As Karen informed yesterday, Robin was sentenced to 15 months with credit for time served since being extradited to the US ("about 40 days"), busted in rank down to E1 and given a dishonorable discharge.
Robin is a US war resister who went to Canada instead of serving in the illegal war. In Canada, he made a life for himself, attempted to find work and became a father. If he made a mistake, it was in ending up in the region where the US dictates the shot. (The same region that took orders from the US to arrest US war resister Kyle Snyder on his wedding day. Snyder was released, he'd broken no Canadian laws and never should have been arrested.) Harassed by the police there, the hostile Stephen Harper government was able to put forward the argument that his being a day laborer meant he was somehow 'out of touch' with immigration authorities. This allowed the 'risk' analysis to take place and they tried to hide behind it when they decided to jail him prior to Judge Anne Mactavish's finding last month.
Robin was attempting to win safe harbor status in Canada. Mactavish lied and declared him a "flight risk" which allowed her to imprison him. If you think an immigrant to your country is a flight risk, if you think they may leave the country, you don't imprison them. You hope they'll leave before government monies are used to determine whether they should be allowed to stay or not. But it was always about extraditing Robin and Mactavish was working with the US government -- something Canadian citizens outraged by.
She knew extradition was a different process, she knew that if she ordered extradition (and not deportation), her actions would be reviewed by higher bodies before anything took place. Extradition is a legal process which requires many steps.
Mactavish skipped those steps by lying and saying she was deporting. Robin was not deported. Robin was imprisoned and when Mactavish entered her ruling, he was not freed. If Robin was being deported, he would be taken to the border or an airport (or bus depot for that matter) to ensure that he left the country. That is deportation.
What happened was extradition. He was imprisoned. After the ruling was made public, he was still imprisoned. He was kept from his peers and the press and he was physically taken to the border by Canadian authorities who did not expell him, they released him into the custody of American authorities under the arrangement that had already (and illegally) taken place. Robin wasn't deported, he was extradited. It's not a minor point.
Had Mactavish called it what it was, Robin would still be in Canada right now. Extradition requires review (and is beyond the power Mactavish held). Extradition, if presented openly to the Canadian people, would have led to a huge outrage. Even if a decision had been reached to extradite Robin it would not have been reached for some time.
She lied and called her deporation. Mactavish's 'ruling' doesn't just need to be reviewed by the people, it needs to be legally reviewed as does whether or not she's fit to sit on the bench. This isn't a minor point and it's especially important because Mactavish will be ruling on other war resisters in Canada.
In terms of deportation, by Canada's own laws and guidelines, Robin was iffy to be deported. He is the father of a young Canadian citizen (less than two years old). Mactavish's decision splits up a family which goes against every policy for determining status in Canada.
In terms of what she actually did, a judge who extradites and tries to conceal it under a phoney claim of "deportation" does not deserve to sit on the bench. If she truly believed in extradition, she should have pursued it through the appropriate channels. She knew it was "iffy" and wouldn't take place quickly, so she decided to set extradition in motion while LYING and calling it "deportation."
As a judge, she knows the difference between extradition and deportation. As a judge, she abused her powers and she was fraudulent with the Canadian people. She needs to step down. Charges need to be filed against her because she will be the sitting judge in other hearings regardless. She has demonstrated that Canadian law does not matter to her, serving the United States matters to Anne Mactavish. Charges need to be filed and any war resister case she's assigned needs to result in defandant's attorneys requesting that the case be reassigned.
When Mactavish elected to ignore Canadian law on immigration (Robin being the father of a young Canadian child) that was bad enough. But she had perpetrated fraud on the Canadian people by extraditing someone and insisting it was deportation. Canadians have a right to believe that their justices work for Canada. Mactavish has made it clear that she will bend, break and ignore Canadian law to be of service to the United States.
The Globe and Mail demonstrates how little they care about their country (which is one reason Canada moves more and more to a totalitarian state) by refusing to file their own story and instead running with an AP article. From that article:
He joined the U.S. Army in July, 2003, believing at the time that his country was justified in going to war in Iraq. His perspective changed after hearing that weapons of mass destruction had not been found in Iraq and that Iraqi detainees had been abused. Concluding that the abuse was systemic, Pte. Long decided that he would not participate or be complicit in what he believed were war crimes. In September, 2006, he applied to be accepted in Canada as a refugee, claiming that the U.S. was involved in an illegal war.
The sentence was the longest any convicted army deserter had received since the beginning of the 2003 Iraq war, said retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright, a former diplomat who resigned from her post out of protest at the war's outset. Wright testified against the legality of the Iraq war on Long's behalf. Of the thousands of soldiers sentenced for desertion or going AWOL – and the estimated two dozen tried for protesting the war – only former army sergeant Kevin Benderman received an equal sentence in 2005. About two-dozen anti-war supporters gathered around the courthouse at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo., yesterday afternoon as a military judge handed down Long's sentence. Though initially sentenced to 30 months in prison, that time was reduced to the 15-month maximum military prosecutors had agreed on when arranging a plea deal last week. Long, 25, came to Canada in 2005 to flee a scheduled deployment to Iraq. While here, he was briefly engaged to an Ontario woman -- with whom he had a child last year -- before he moved to British Columbia, supporters have said.
"He's doing okay," said James Branam, the civilian defense attorney hired by peace activists supporting Long. "He felt good that he got to speak his mind about why he did what he did. He knows that he did the legally wrong thing, but the morally right thing." Long's lawyer says he reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to desertion with intent to remain away permanently, a lesser charge than desertion with intent to shirk hazardous duty. The judge initially sentenced Long to 30 months, but an earlier plea agreement gave him the lesser sentence. Long's suporters felt the sentence is too harsh. "He's a young man who is a very good man," said retired Col. Mary Ann Wright, a former Army diplomat. "He's got principles, honor and courage. Four or five months is pretty common among all the ones who have gone AWOL and been public about it." Sgt. Matthis Chiroux of New York can relate to Long. Chiroux also refused a deployment, but says the Army decided against court-martialing him--partly because he testified about war objections before Congress and had support from some lawmakers. "Robin Long, to me, is a hero. I'm going to be writing him lots of letters."
Next Wednesday, Denver is going to be rockin. Thousands will be gathered at the University of Denver Magness arena to protest the corporate lockdown on the Presidential debates. Sean Penn, Val Kilmer, Cindy Sheehan, Tom Morello, Jello Biafra and others will join Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez. Demanding an end to the corporate control over the Presidential debates. So, if there is any chance you can get to Denver Wednesday, you can make a donation to reserve your ticket here. If you can't get to Denver, no problem. Free Speech TV will be streaming the event live on the Internet. (Wednesday, August 27, 7 p.m. Mountain time, 9 p.m. Eastern.) Just click here to watch. Also, the Free Speech TV will be broadcasting the event live on Dish Network Channel 9415. And many local public access channels will be carrying the Free Speech TV feed. (If your public access channel doesn't carry it, call them and ask them to do so. Click here for a list of public access channels.) Anyway, it's going to be an historic event -- protesting the corporate control over our politics -- in the midst of the corporate Democratic spectacle. So, join us in Denver if you can. If not, invite your friends over, and dial up the live Internet feed -- or watch on television via satellite or on your public access channel. Onward to November.
Since yesterday morning, the following community websites have updated:
The Iraqi paramilitary unit that stormed a government complex in Iraq's Diyala province earlier this week usually is directed by the prime minister's office, but was acting without its orders in this case, the Iraqi government said Friday. Abdul Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman who's serving as the interim commander of police in Diyala, described the emergency response unit as a counterterrorism force that's nominally under Interior oversight but with its own chain of command. The name of its leader and the size of its force are classified, he said. A spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party challenged the assertion that the unit was acting without orders, days after a prominent member was arrested in one of the raids. "We believe that such a raid could not have taken place unless Mr. Maliki had at least prior knowledge of it," said Dr. Salim Abdullah al Juboori, referring to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.
The above is from Nicholas Spangler's "Diyala raid was rogue operation, Iraqi government says" (McClatchy Newspapers) and it's cute the way he avoids certain issues. For instance the fact that two US helicopters were part of the operation with eye witnesses reporting they were fired on by those helicopters. If it was a rogue operation, how did the US military come to be involved?
Amid fears that the Sunnis' treatment could rekindle Iraq's insurgency, the Americans are caught between their wish to support the fighters and their stronger ties to Maliki's government, which has challenged the Sunni paramilitaries in recent months as it grows increasingly confident about its fledgling army. "We want to have our cake and eat it too, support Maliki and the Sons of Iraq. . . . Maliki wants to make that as hard for us as possible. He wants us to choose him," said Stephen Biddle, a Council on Foreign Relations defense expert who has served as an advisor on strategy to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq. "What it looks like we are getting is a Maliki government that won't behave itself and wants to crush the Sons of Iraq." The chief U.S. military spokesman here denied Maliki was targeting the Sons of Iraq, or that the Americans were tilting toward the government at the expense of the Sunni fighters. "Just last week, the prime minister gave his personal commitment to the program," Brig. Gen. David Perkins said. "They are well aware of the sacrifices the Sons of Iraq have made, that they were a critical element in bringing the security situation under control and that it is in their strategic advantage to assimilate them peacefully and orderly into Iraqi society." Maliki has grown powerful after successful military operations in spring against Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr's militia in southern Iraq and Baghdad. His transformation has provided the Americans a partner they can work with as they look for a way to hand over the reins in Iraq, the long-term U.S. goal here. A Western advisor to the Iraqi government said the U.S. military couldn't stop the Iraqi security forces now even if it wanted to -- they are larger in size and have their own chain of command.
At the weekly prayer service in Sadr's Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City, chants of "No to the agreement!" rang out through loudspeakers positioned along the street. Worshipers responded with applause and repeated the chant as the service ended and people drifted away. Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia have kept a low profile since fighting in the spring led the Iraqi military to move into militia strongholds. But though Sadr claims to have revamped his group into an exclusively cultural organization, his fiery anti-U.S. message can rev up supporters and could hurt Maliki's standing if Iraqis see the prime minister as kowtowing to American wishes. At prayer services across the country, Sadrist preachers said any deal struck with the Americans was a blow to Iraq's sovereignty. In Sadr City, listeners agreed. "Everyone is talking about how it will really serve the interests of the Americans, not the Iraqis," said Mohammed Fadim, whose well-stocked grocery store overlooks the wide avenue where worshipers knelt side by side in prayer. "Everyone knows the U.S. administration. Once they occupy a country, if they want to make an agreement to stay, 80% of the terms will fulfill their interests."
Something about Barack Obama's manner bothers Margaret Cowan. "There's something egotistical about him," the Sheridan, Colo., retiree said. "It's the way he struts around." Many swing voters here and throughout the country consider the presumptive Democratic nominee distant, pompous, arrogant, even elitist. "It's a big issue that he needs to address," said Eric Davis, a professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury College in Vermont. Obama has Ivy League degrees from Columbia and Harvard universities. He's extraordinarily articulate and exudes self-confidence. Those credentials and qualities combine to strike some people as arrogant. He counters by reminding voters that he was raised by a single mother of modest means and worked as a Chicago community organizer. Those aren't elitist roots.
Aarogance exists in all class strata. More importantly, the term used for Barack would be "social climber" -- a term that denotes someone from a lower strata. And the lies that attempt to pull the heart strings only undercut him all the more. Why does Barack never speak of his step-father? What's with this "single mother" claptrap he always offers? He had a step-father for years. Then he chose to live with his grandparents. It's someone expanding reality to make his 'struggle' seem more difficult -- the hallmark of a social climber. Equally true is that he was ineffective in his brief 'career' as a community organizer (by his own admission) and its at the point that he chucked it all and decided to go to Harvard.
I keep waiting for someone to make the obvious comparison: Iraq Levin's A Kiss Before Dying. If you don't have time for the book, its been filmed twice and the Matt Dillon vehicle should be easily found. Dillon's mother (Diane Ladd) is alive. But that's not good enough for Dillon who claims both parents are dead. Claims they died on a famous plane crash. Using his "orphan" status to argue for the woman he's tricking to be nicer to her father (so that he can get a job working for the man). In the article Jen Psaki, of the Obam campaign, makes the sort of statement that should have her pulled from making statements to the press. Explaining that they are going for smaller venues for Barack, she acknoweldges "we spent a little too much time doing the big rallies" and goes on to mention "Obama's fame." That's not really refuting the He's A Celebrity! charge. It only reinforces it. The reporters mention Greensboro, North Carolina and Barack's stop a market there "where he sample a biscuit, a peach and a zucchini muffin". Zucchini muffin? More importantly, arrogance reeked of that stop. You can turn to page A16 of Thursday's New York Times for the photo by Richard Perry of Barack looking arrogant as he holds half a slice of peach and chews the other half. It's not a wine tasting, Barack. You shove that tiny piece in your mouth (all of it) and you chew. No one's waiting for your ruling. He actually looked like Richard Nixon in the photo. Consider that a telling portent. LBJ is perceived as starting the war on Vietnam (it was JFK) and Nixon kept America there.
This week's photos didn't help Barack at all. Who but a celebrity sports nipple? Someone put the candidate in a t-shirt before he puts on one of his thin dress shirts because America really doesn't need to see a presidential candidate's nipples poking through day after day.
One day's round of photos? You allow that the campaign didn't realize how the thin material would photograph under glaring lights. Day after day? You realize the campaign's either ignorant or using Barack's nipples as a selling point. Nipples for President? Well maybe they can do a mock up poster of Barack starring in The Deep next? But remember Psaki says Barack's "fame" is not his "totality" -- and they wonder why the campaign can't connect with the bulk of working class voters?
We'll close with this from Bruce Dixon's "Hope Is For The Weak" (Black Agenda Report):
No less an historical authority than Oprah Winfrey herself has declared Obama's career to be "the fulfillment of Dr. King's Dream", as if the 20th century Freedom Movement was exclusively about overcoming prejudice without challenging America's empire overseas or her inequalities at home. As usual, Oprah has the establishment message dead-on. For more than forty years, the media have taught and sold an eviscerated history of the Freedom Movement which they have branded as "Dr. King's Dream." According to the authorities, "Dr. King's Dream" was about individual worth, about judging people by "the content of their character" and affording an equal opportunity for all to rise. Even though Dr. King died supporting a black union in the midst of a militant citywide strike, the media-endorsed versions of his life, of the Freedom Movement, and of "the Dream" (probably trademarked) which the election of Barack Obama will supposedly "fulfill" are never about collective action, or democracy in workplaces. They never mention the right -- won and held by people in most other nations around the world -- to organize and strike without being fired or penalized. Despite Dr. King's prescient warnings that if we did not swiftly end the war in Vietnam and turn our energies to peace abroad and justice at home we would be marching against US wars here, there and everywhere, we will be told in Denver, on the 45th anniversary of "I Have A Dream" that his legacy is being satisfied by the elevation of a black candidate who celebrates empire, who endorses the so-called worldwide "war on terror", who has assured us he will not end the war in Iraq while he, co-signs the Bush threats to Iran and escalates the conflict in Afghanistan, perhaps extending it to nuclear-armed Pakistan. Despite his African heritage, Obama shows no signs of ending, or even publicly acknowledging the fact that the US has furnished arms and military aid to more than 50 of 54 African nations, making it the most war-torn continent on earth. Thanks in large part to US policies, AK-47s are manufactured nowhere in Africa, but are cheaper there than anywhere else on earth. From Team Nader:
Next Wednesday, Denver is going to be rockin. Thousands will be gathered at the University of Denver Magness arena to protest the corporate lockdown on the Presidential debates. Sean Penn, Val Kilmer, Cindy Sheehan, Tom Morello, Jello Biafra and others will join Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez. Demanding an end to the corporate control over the Presidential debates. So, if there is any chance you can get to Denver Wednesday, you can make a donation to reserve your ticket here. If you can't get to Denver, no problem. Free Speech TV will be streaming the event live on the Internet. (Wednesday, August 27, 7 p.m. Mountain time, 9 p.m. Eastern.) Just click here to watch. Also, the Free Speech TV will be broadcasting the event live on Dish Network Channel 9415. And many local public access channels will be carrying the Free Speech TV feed. (If your public access channel doesn't carry it, call them and ask them to do so. Click here for a list of public access channels.) Anyway, it's going to be an historic event -- protesting the corporate control over our politics -- in the midst of the corporate Democratic spectacle. So, join us in Denver if you can. If not, invite your friends over, and dial up the live Internet feed -- or watch on television via satellite or on your public access channel. Onward to November.
Friday,
August 22, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the Shi'ite thugs want
the Sunni ones gone, US war resister Robin Long is court-martialed and
sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, there is no treaty ('agreement')
between the US and Iraq yet, and more.
Starting with war resistance. US war resister Robin Long was extradited from Canada in July.
He was turned over to US authorities at the border by Canadian
authorities (that is not deportation) and has spent the last weeks at
Fort Carson in Colorado. Utah's Daily Herald noted last night that Robin "plans to plead guilty Friday to a reduced charge of desertion, his lawyer said." TheDetroit Free Press added: "He faces a dishonorable discharge as well as prison time." The Whig Standard explains that Robin's attorney James "Branum
said Long has reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to
desertion with intent to remain away permanently, a lesser charge than
desertion with intent to shirk hazardous duty." Nick Kyonka (Toronto Star) quotes
Branam explaining, "In exchange for him pleading guilty, they've agreed
to (lower) the three-year maximum sentence that usually comes with
those charges." Branum added, "I think they want to prosecute him for
free-speech issues without actually charging him for them." Free Speech Radio News will have an audio report today (for those needing or requiring audio).
Karen,
with Fort Carson Public Affairs Office, states Robin was sentenced to
15 months, reduced in Rank E1 and given a dishonorable discharge. Long
has been held at the Criminal Justice Center in El Paso County while
awaiting the court-martial. He will received credit for the time he has
served ("about 40 days").
The Canadian government has announced that US war resister Jeremy Hinzman
will be deported if he does not leave their country by September 23rd.
Whether he would be deported or "deported" is an unanswered question.
Actions are taking place to make the Stephen Harper government respect
the will of the people and let Jeremy remain in Canada. Jeremy is being
highly pro-active and has already taped a video, which you can find at
the War Resisters Support Campaign, where he speaks directly to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada:
Jeremy
Hinzman: Hello, Mr. Harper. This is my family Nga, Liam and Meghan.
We've been in Canada for the last four and a 1/2 years. I was a
specialist in the 82nd Air borne division of the United States Army and
served honorably in Afghanistan. In 2004, my family and I came to
Canada because we would not participate in the Iraqi War, a war which
Canada also refused to participate in because it was condemned by the
international community. One of your predecessors, Pierre Trudeau, once
said that Canada should be have from militarism and we took him at this
word. On June 3, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion saying
that United States war resisters should be able to remain in Canada.
We're asking you to abide by this motion and allow us to stay in
Canada. Thank you.
Title Card: On September 23rd, the Harper government plans to deport the Hinzman family back to the United States.
Title Card: Hinzman faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison for opposing the Iraq war and coming to Canada.
Title Card: War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada): www.resisters.ca
In addition, Independent Catholic News reports
that demonstrations will take place in support of war resisters
(10-hour vigil outside Canada House in Trafalgar Square) and "members
of Pax Christi, the Oxford Catholic Worker and Fellowship of
Reconciliation will join Voices in the Wilderness". The War Resisters Support Campaign announces:
September
13th is a pan-Canadian Day of Action to support U.S. Iraq war resisters
and to demand that the Harper government immediately stop the
deportations. Actions, demonstrations, and pickets will take place in
cities and towns all across Canada. Click here to see a list of actions and to download materials.
If
your city is not listed, consider organizing a local action for
September 13th. Whether it is petitioning in your local farmer's
market, picketing a Conservative MP's office or rallying at a federal
building, we need to go all out to stop the deportation of resisters
like Jeremy Hinzman and Corey Glass!
In addition they are coordinating screenings of Michelle Mason's documentary on war resisters Breaking Ranks for September 14th. Spencer Spratley (Center for Research on Globalization) publishes
an open letter to Stephen Harper where he notes, "I feel that some of
your polices are beginning to depart from deeply held traditional
Canadian values. And you are transforming the face of Canada with the
mandate of a minority Government. You also have a majority in the House
of Commons who voted, on behalf of Canadians, to support the request
made by American War resisters to remain in Canada. I believe you are
turning your back on a majority of Canadians on an issue that is very
important to us. That is not the sign of a democratic Prime Minister.
Somehow Canada has always been a little bit different and we have
always been proud of that. We don't want to be more like anyone else. .
. . . Sir, in the name of decency, compassion, and a higher justice, I
request you to allow American War resisters to remain in Canada as
conscientious objectors. Please don't send them off to have their lives
and families desroyed by an unjust war. Your decision to begin
deporting American war resisters lacks decency and compassion. I
strongly urge you to reconsider your position."
Courage to Resist alerts,
"Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship
and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca,"Iraq Veterans Against the War
also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or
email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and
ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca."
There
is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which
includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei
Hurancyk, Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste,
Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano
Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal,
Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn,
Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross
Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique,
Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez,
Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada,
Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen,
Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman,
Kevin Lee, Daniel Baker, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing,
Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk,
Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey,
Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua
Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell,
Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake,
Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres,
Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and
Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada
have applied for asylum.
In
England, police are announcing that three suspects have been taken into
custody for threats against Gordon Brown, the country's Prime Minister.
Reuters explains
that did not just happen and at least two of the three have been in
custody since last week. The threat against Brown was in written form (Telegraph of London has posted it),
from "the Leader of al-Qaeda in Britain, Shaykh Umar Rabie al-Khalaila"
and demanded both "A complete withdrawal of the British troops from
Afghanistan and Iraq" and "To free all Muslim captives from Belmarsh
prison, and the foremost of them Shaykh Abu Qatada al-Filistini and
Shaykh Abu Hamza al-Misri." The threat gave the deadline of "the last
day of March 2008" and, yes, that has passed. "Threats" may be too
strong of a word. If the demands weren't met (and they clearly weren't)
the note promised to "target all the political leaders especially Tony
Blair" former Prime Minister "and Gordon Brown, and we will also target
all Embassies, Crusaders Centers and their Interest through out the
country, with the help of Allah." 'Target'? Via protests? Via violence?
The letter is not clear. Which may be why the BBC -- which is hyping the story to high-alarm-level -- tucks
this at the end of their report, "Police have until Thursday to charge
the men, release them or seek an extension to their custody." We'll go
ahead and bring in presumed Republican candidate in the US, John McCain who, as Kat explained last night,
had campaign headquarters in New Hampshire and Colorado evacauted
yesterday as a result of 'strange' envelopes with at least one
containing substance. CNN reports that the substance remains unknown ("tested positive for protein") but is "not dangerous." Mary Hudetza (AP) notes
that there's a suspect "Sheriff's officials said the inmate suspected
of sending the letter is Marc Harold Ramsey, 39, who has been
incarcerated since September 2007 on investigation of felony menacing,
harassment and second-degree assault on a peace officer. Ramsey may
face federal felony charges for Thursday's incident, sheriff's
officials said." Back to Iraq.
Today on NPR's News & Notes, Farai Chideya hosted a roundtable with Eric Deggan (St. Petersburg Times) and John Yearwood (Miami Herald)
where they dealt with such non-news topics as the Olympics, political
conventions (where the question was at least asked as to whether or not
they were "legitimate news events") and "Just this morning US and Iraqi
negotiators announced they've reached a deal to withdraw US troops from
Iraq." No. There is no deal. At best there is draft. In the US, the
treaty (which is what the SOFA actually is) needs Senate ratification
-- and Republicans and Democrats in Congress made noises in April of
bucking the White House if it attempted to bypass the Senate's
Constitutional duties and powers. In Iraq, it will a draft would go
through a number of processes including approval by the Parliament.
Yearwood made a real ass of himself when Chideya stated that US combat
troops would be out by 2011 and that the rest would be out by 2013.
Yearwood: "I'm sure that this will be approved by the Parliament as
soon as they come back from vacation and they get their act together."
When will Yearwood get his act together? Deggan was equally foolish
noting that there was talk that timetables were impossible (and "ill
advised") "And here we've done it." No, idiot, nothing's been done. And
if the two 'reporters' were less concerned with cheerleading Barack and
more concerned with reality, they could have avoided making asses out
of themselves. David Alexander and Wisam Mohammed (Reuters) explained:
"A draft agreement between the United States and Iraq contains no fixed
dates for U.S. forces to withdraw, but Iraq would like combat troops
out by the end of 2011, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on
Thursday." No deadlines. NPR needs to stop wasting the tax payer's dime
with bad gas bagging that's so bad, it's downright embarrassing. No
one, not the host, not either of the guests, grasped that it was a
draft (and approval isn't a mere formality) nor did they grasp that
there was not enough information on the draft for them to know what was
in it. The New York Times front paged the nonsense today -- no facts, just a lot of tease conducted by Stephen Farrell. Also missing the boat are Paul Richter and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) who make a point to note
that US Secretary of State Condi Rice "downplayed expectations that
approval of an agreement was imminent" -- Condi was correct on that but
the reporters had trouble grasping it. She's quoted stating, "We'll
have agreement when we have agreement." Leila Fadel and Jonathan S. Landay (McClatchy Newspapers) explain
what happens on the Iraq side, first stop the Executive Council and "If
the council agrees to the draft, it will move to the Political Council
for National Security before going to the Iraqi parliament, which must
approve the agreement before the U.N. mandate expires."
Here
is Gordon Johndroe, White House spokesperson, speaking today (in
Crawford) about the draft, "Towards the end of July, after a secure
video conference between President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki, we
announced that, as part of any agreement with the Iraqis establishing
our future bilateral releationship, would include aspirational time
horizons -- goals for women Iraqi troops begin to take over more of the
combat mission in various parts of Iraq, which allow for more US troops
to come home. So any discussions that are ongoing, that we are having
with the Iraqis right now, include these aspirational timelines, these
goals for more troops to come home." Afterwards, asked if the talks
were still "ongoing," Johndroe replied, "And ongoing and ongoing."
Real news was reported by a small number of reporters. One was Richard A. Oppel Jr. (New York Times) who explores
the latest on the "Awakening" Council -- Sunni thugs lured by coin. The
White House repeatedly credited the "Awakening" Council members with
the small reduction in violence in Iraq. Appearing before Congress in
April, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker repeatedly hailed the
"Awakening" as a reason for the reduction. Oppel reports that, "The
Shiite-domination government in Iraq is driving out many leaders of
Sunni citizen patrols, the groups of former insurgents who joined the
American payroll and have been a major pillar in the decline in
violence around the nation." Throughout the article, US voices will pop
up objecting. Comments made by a Shi'ite general should alarm Americans
who mistakenly believe the puppet is anything but a thug himself.
Of
the "Awakening" members, Brig Nassir al-Hiti declares, "These people
are like cancer and we must remove them"; while Gen Nassir declares the
"Awakening" are "like a drug addict who quits only to take drugs
again." There's no question that the "Awakening" members are thugs;
there's also no question that Nouri has put thugs in place in the
Interior Ministry, the police force and more. The only difference is
one group of thugs is Sunni ("Awakening") and one group is Shi'ite. The
US installed the Shi'ite thugs. Elections will take place (provincial
elections) at some point. A great deal of what is taking place (the
targeting and arrests of "Awakening" members) has to do with Nouri
& company shoring up their own power base before going into those
elections.
Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) quotes
US Gen David Petraeus declaring of the "Awakeing" Councils (also known
as Sawa and Sons of Iraq), "We're not going to walk away from them, and
as I said, Prime Minister Maliki committed to taking care of them. I do
think it is somewhat understandable that the government struggles to
hire former insurgents for its security forces or for its ministerial
positions... But this is how you end these kinds of conflicts. That's
why they call it reconciliation. It's not done with one's friends, it's
done with former enemies." Fadel also notes
that a "senior Iraqi commander in Baghdad" who states of SOI, "We
cannot stand them, and we detained many of them recently." The illegal
war has not improved but you can be sure Bully Boy's worried about the
little bump (provided by the "Awakening" Councils) that he had hoped to
ease out (sneak out?) of office on and how it's fading. Reuters
reporter Ali al-Mashhadani (see was noted in the July 31st snapshot) made news yesterday. Karin Laub (AP) reports
that Ali al-Mashhadani has been released (finally) and that US Maj John
C. Hall told the press the release came about "because he was deemed
not to be a security threat."
It's Friday. Violence is rarely reported on. Reuters notes
an aide of Moqtada al-Sadr was shot dead in Baghdad as was 1 other
person, while "guards" were wounded in Samarra when an "Awakening"
Council member opened fire on those he worked with, and there was a
mortar attack on the Green Zone with at least one mortar making it
inside "the heavily fortified Green Zone."
Turning
to the US presidential race. The Democratic and Republican Parties have
not declared nominees. John McCain is the presumed GOP nominee, Barack
Obama is the presumed Democratic Party nominee. Beginning tonight (in
most markets) both Bill Moyers Journal and Washington Week
travel to Denver but not to cover Robin Long's court-martial. No to
cover the same old and tease it out and tease it out. The DNC
convention (barring a surprise shocker) is nothing but a pageant and
shouldn't even be broadcast, let alone covered. It's garbage, it's
trash and IT'S OLD AND OUT OF DATE. But let's all pretend there's
something to be learned in Denver at a political convention. (And let's
pretend like either show gave a damn when the Green Party had their
convention last month.) (They didn't and they didn't provide coverage.
So much for the 'diversity' of public television.) Bill Schneider (CNN) breaks down the basics:
"Conventions are relics. They don't decide the nominees anymore . . .
No one pays much attention to the party platforms except a few
ideological activists. So why do we still have them? Two reasons: money
and publicity." NOW on PBS
uses its time more effectively by traveling to Africa to again examine
health care. Book note: Independent journalist and artist David Bacon has his latest book published next month. September 1st, Beacon Press released Bacon's Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants
which the publisher notes "explores the human side of globalization,
exposing the many ways it uproots people in Latin American and Asia,
driving them to migrate. At the same time, U.S. immigration policy
makes the labor of those displaced people a crime in the United States.
Illegal People explains why our national policy produces even
more displacement, more migration, more immigration raids, and a more
divided, polarized society."
Back to the US presidential race. Ralph's Daily Audio
-- is independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's audio
commentary. Monday through Friday, the campaign provides audio
commentary at that page. This is "Bob Herbert's World" from earlier in
the week:
This is Ralph Nader. The New York Times columnist Bob Herbert has a problem. He's
written numerous columns complaining about presidential candidates and
their campaigns ignoring serious policy issues. It's as if no one else
is running for president in Bob Herbert's world other than Barack Obama
and John McCain. In a recent article that he wrote in the New York Times,
he complains about how the two major candidates and their campaigns are
ignoring the problems of the cities: the poverty, the transportaion
problems, the lack of repair and expansion of public works and
facilities, the crime. He complains that the mayors have been
complaining that they have been abandoned by Washington, citing a
recent gathering of city mayors that he attended. In
one of these gatherings he cites the mayor of Meridian, Mississippi,
John Robert Smith saying that he believes the nation should devote the
same level of commitment to developing a first-rate passenger rail
system as was marshalled for the interstate highway system in the
Eisenhower era. Well, the Nader-Gonzalez campaign has taken a strong
stand for the expansion and modernization of passenger rail as a way to
save energy, to reduce casualties on the highway and to provide more
immediate evacuation of the cities in case of a calamity or a natural
disaster. But to Bob
Herbert, the Nader Gonzalez campaign which supports almost one-for-one
so many of the issues that he advances and champions doesn't exist. To
him, the Nader-Gonzalez campaign or any progressive third party
campaign doesn't exist in his column so I say to Bob Herbert, "At least
level with your readers, Mr. Herbert, tell them that you think the two
major parties, Republican and Democrat, own all the voters and there's
no one else on the ballot. At least level with them." This is Ralph Nader.
And (again from Ralph's Daily Audio) this is "Forestalling More of the Same:"
This
is Ralph Nader. This year two and a half to three million Americans
will lose their homes to foreclosures. Next year another two and a half
to three million Americans will probably lose their homes. Instead of
helping these Americans keep their homes, both the Democrats and the
Republicans are bailing out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Wall St. banks
and their high paid executives -- the same executives who got us into
this mess by betting the house on sub-prime mortgages. I call this
"Socialism for Spectators." Senator
McCain takes a hands-off approach to the mortgage meltdown. Senator
Obama talks about helping the home owners but is surrounding himself
with the culprits: Wall St. bankers. Obama's economic director? Robert
Rubin protege Jason Furman. Rubin
was the Clintons' Treasury Secretary. He engineered the disastrous
deregulation of Wall St. including the repeal of the Glass Steagall
Act. This Depression-era law separated investment banks from commercial
banking. Had it been in effect, the current mortgage crisis would have
been limited. Rubin went on to be an overpaid executive at Citigroup which he helped tank. Rubin is now advising Senator Obama. Nader-Gonzalez would bring back Glass Steagall. Nader-Gonzalez
would re-instate the usury laws that cap interest rates and we would
regulate Wall St. instead of bailing it out on the backs of American
tax payers. This would
include forcing mortgage companies to re-negotiate the mortgages of
millions of home owners who are currently faced with being thrown out
onto the street as a result of foreclosure. Instead
of punishing the home owners, Nader-Gonzalez would bring justice to the
predatory lenders on Wall St. who deceived them and who got us into
this mess in the first place.
The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI; www.MIGreens.org) will be hosting a press conference for Congresswoman McKinney at 7pm Saturday, August 30 at the International Institute (111 E. Kirby, Detroit). The press conference will be followed by a rally with other GPMI Federal, state, and local candidates at 7:30pm at the same location. The rally is open to the public, and free.
The following evening -- Sunday, August 31 -- Congresswoman McKinney will deliver a key policy speech on the elimination of poverty at the National Welfare Rights Union (www.MWRO.org) Awards Dinner. The dinner, starting at 6:30pm, will be held at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat House, 23333 Schoolcraft, Detroit.
On Monday, Labor Day, Congresswoman McKinney will be joining thousands of union members in Detroit celebrating Labor Day by marching down Woodward Avenue.
August 27th, while the DNC holds their corporate dog and pony show, Ralph Nader is staging a Super Rally in Denver. From Team Nader:
Next Wednesday, Denver is going to be rockin.
Thousands
will be gathered at the University of Denver Magness arena to protest
the corporate lockdown on the Presidential debates.
Sean Penn, Val Kilmer, Cindy Sheehan, Tom Morello, Jello Biafra and others will join Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez.
Demanding an end to the corporate control over the Presidential debates.
So, if there is any chance you can get to Denver Wednesday, you can make a donation to reserve your ticket here.
If you can't get to Denver, no problem.
Free Speech TV will be streaming the event live on the Internet. (Wednesday, August 27, 7 p.m. Mountain time, 9 p.m. Eastern.)
Also, the Free Speech TV will be broadcasting the event live on Dish Network Channel 9415.
And many local public access channels will be carrying the Free Speech TV feed.
(If your public access channel doesn't carry it, call them and ask them to do so. Click here for a list of public access channels.)
Anyway,
it's going to be an historic event -- protesting the corporate control
over our politics -- in the midst of the corporate Democratic
spectacle.
So, join us in Denver if you can.
If
not, invite your friends over, and dial up the live Internet feed -- or
watch on television via satellite or on your public access channel.
robin long
jeremy hinzman
the new york times
lizette alvarez
susan faludi
katie couric
the third estate sunday review
the los angeles times
tina susman
campbell robertson
riyadh mohammed
iraq veterans against the war
stephen farrell
saif hameed
saad fakhrildeen
seth gitell
karen spears zacharias
erica goode
nick kyonka
spencer spratley
independent catholic reporter
richard a. oppel jr.
ned parker
paul richter
jonathan s. landay
mcclatchy newspapers
david bacon
washington week
pbs
now on pbs
bill moyers journal
