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Friday,
September 24, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, children are among
the targeted today, Jalal Talabani's grooming his successor, State of
Law's working on spin, the Iraqi government ignores violence to focus on
finding a new flag and anthem, Stephen Harper's very, very unpopular,
and much more.
Starting in Canada with The Hollow Man himself, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Heartless, heartless
Ya think he's gonna bare his empty soul?
He never realized, the way loves dies
When you crucify its soul
-- "Heartless," written by Ann and Nancy Wilson, first appears on Heart's Magazine and the Wilson sisters new album, Fanatic, comes out next Tuesday, October 2nd
"It
doesn't get any clearer that this," Mr. Marciniec said. "The risk that
we've pointed out, of Iraq War resisters being punished as prisoners of
conscience, isn't just risk. It's fact. Kim's case today proves that."
Mr.
Marciniec also pointed out that two other Iraq war resisters who were
deported in the past -- Robin Long and Clifford Cornell -- faced
year-long jail sentences for desertion upon their return.
Rivera, who lived in Toronto with her family, came to Canada in 2007 to avoid further U.S. military service.
She has said she grew to oppose the Iraq war while she was taking part in it, and even stopped carrying her rifle with her.
We the
undersigned support conscientious objector Kimerly Rivera and her
family who are threatened with imminent deportation from Canada on
September 20. Kim deployed to Iraq in 2006 and sought asylum in Canada
in 2007. She faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison
for refusing to participate any longer in the Iraq War -- a war which
had no legal sanction. Kim would be separated from her four young
children, two of whom were born in Canada. A felony conviction would
mean a lifetime of difficulty finding employment. We call on the
Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kennedy
to do the right thing and allow Kimberly Rivera and her family to stay
in Canada.
Naomi Klein, author [child of a Vietnam War resister Michael who went from New Jersey to Montreal in 1967 with his wife Bonnie]
Ron Kovic, author, Born on the Fourth of July
Jack Todd, journalist and Vietnam War resister
To all of this, Stephen Harper flipped the middle finger.
Who knew he had goodwill to waste? Turns out, he doesn't. Eric Grenier (Huffington Post Canada) reports, "With one in two Canadians having an unfavourable opinion of Stephen Harper,
the New Democrats and Conservatives are now tied in the latest national
poll. But the leaderless Liberals have suffered the most, dropping to
their lowest level of support since immediately after the May 2011
election debacle." 1 in 2? That means fifty percent of Canadians
surveyed disapprove of Harper. (Margin of error? It wasn't a random
poll and has no margin of error.)
Others sounding off? In his letter to the Montreal Gazette, Vietnam war resister Lee Zaslofsky observes,
"As a Canadian citizen who came to this country as a Vietnam War
deserter in 1970, I am deeply distressed that our current government has
broken with our best traditions and our noblest values by forcing Ms.
Rivera to return to the United States to be punished for refusing to
carry on fighting a war which she had found to be immoral." David C. Fox writes the Financial Post to wonder,
"Why is it that 'mere foot soldiers' like Kimberly Rivera are going to
jail for speaking out against a war based on non-existent weapons of
mass destruction and false links to 9/11, when the leaders who took us
to war are making millions on international book and speaking tours?" Charlie Diamond writes the Montreal Gazette editors,
"But the best part of Mr. [Jack] Todd's article and my third thank you
is his last sentence. 'It should be noted, however, that while Rivera
and [Rodney] Watson served in Iraq and Watson is a decorated combat
veteran, neither Harper, [Immigration Minister Jason] Kenney nor Defence
Minister Peter MacKay ever served in the military." Lucia Kowaluk's letter notes,
"Congratulations to Jack Todd for beaming yet another light on the
failure of the Harper government to live up to the long-held
traditions of a Canada respected in the world for positions taken
precisely the opposite of the recent one: the deportation of Kimberly
Rivera." Jesse McLaren tells the editors of the Financial Post,
"In 2008, Stephen Harper admitted the Iraq War was 'absolutely an
error,' yet he refuses to support the troops who came to the same
conclusion. By deporting war resisters the government is deserting
international law, Canadian tradition and democracy."
Jack Todd (Montreal Gazette) points out
Harper's policies are a break with Canada's proud past, "It's a far cry
from the precedent established under Liberal prime ministers Lester B.
Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, who faced down the pressure exerted by U.S.
presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard M. Nixon to allow an estimated
100,000 American war resisters (this writer among them) to come to
Canada during the Vietnam War. " To this day, the name Pierre Trudeau
is known around the world -- as a good thing. Stephen Harper's ensuring
that he's remembered, but far less fondly.
Moving to the US, Friday's snapshot
noted the reports that the State Dept had made their (court-ordered)
decision on the MEK and would be delisting it. It also included
Victoria Nuland, State Dept spokesperson, refusing to confirm that but
noting that a decision would be announced prior to the (court-ordered)
deadline. It has rattled the unhinged.
But he gets a link -- for making me laugh louder than Glenn Glenn. TNR
identifies him as a Princeton professor. He is that . . . right now,
for the fall semester. But he's mainly a British journalist, a subject
of the crown. So what the hell is this "our new Iran plan"? Our? Maybe TNR
should stop outsourcing and find some citizens of the US if they want
to feature commentaries about "our" plans? There is no "our" plans from
the US State Dept for a British citizen to write about, the
Revolutionary War kind of ensured that.
It's
really something to watch all these crazies suddenly re-discover Iraq.
They must feel like Chris Columbus -- watching old silent films and
'discovery' slapstick to 'homage' into 1990's Home Alone. They apparently hope you haven't been paying attention.
If
you have been, you might call out a lot of them for their selective use
of facts. Since the 1970s blah blah blah. The MEK wasn't on the
terrorist list in the 1970s. Not during the Nixon administration, not
during the Ford administration and not during the Carter
administration. This is the period they were active against the US. We
all are aware of that, right? That three different administrations had
the opportunity to put them on the list and chose not to?
In
the 80s, Reagan didn't put the MEK on the list. Nor did America's only
President Bush -- George H.W. Bush. In fact, it's not until 1997 that
the MEK makes the US terrorist list. Then-President Bill Clinton put
them on it in a gesture towards friendly relations with Iran.
Friendlier relations never came and maybe Bill was wrong to have done
that to begin with? They've remained on the list since.
Was
it right? Was it wrong? I don't pretend to know. But I do know the
law so my concern is about the Camp Ashraf refugees getting safely out
of Iraq. That's a concern most US citizens should have because the US
government granted the residents protected persons status. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed
earlier this year that "since 2004, the United States has considered
the residents of Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons'
under the Geneva Conventions." That's a legal obligation. You can't
shrug that off. Well you can but that means you're unethical. Changing
the status means countries can take in the 3500 Camp Ashraf residents
without fear of the US attacking them. (Yes, other countries do worry
that the same US government urging them to take in Camp Ashraf
refugees will, in the current administration or a new one, use the same
residents as reason to attack. That's how low the US government's
standing is in the world.)
But if you're
going to talk MEK, speak honestly. (The unethical can't do so, I
forget.) Should they be on the list or not? I don't really care but the
frantic arguments from Glenn and his fellow padded cell cronies are
dishonest. They want to insist that there was a State Dept report!!!!
Was there? There were also multiple reports done by US commanders of
the military. They were the ones doing the interacting, doing the
questioning, doing the searches -- the US military. Not the US State
Dept. I don't know why one report by the State Dept (during the Bully
Boy Bush Occupation) would mean a damn thing to anyone to begin with.
But when contrasted with multiple reports from the US military, I don't
know why you'd cite that one State Dept report and ignore all the US
military reports unless it was to deliberately misinform people?
The
State Dept may or may not be making the change. If they are, it has
more to do with concern over the fact that a court is watching their
decission. (Quick, Conspiracy Guru Greenwald! Announce that the entire
American judiciary has been bought off!) It has to do with the fact
that the European Union took them off the terrorist list in January
2009. (I'm sure they were bought off too -- right, Crazy Glenn -- every
last one!)
I guess if I were fiercely opposed
to the de-listing but couldn't make a valid case for keeping them on
the list, I'd stick to insinuations about pay offs as well.
Is
is the right decision? I don't know. My concern is that the US
government live up to their legal obligations with regards to Camp
Ashraf residents. If Glenn and the other Three Faces of Eve
had advocated on behalf of the residents, on behalf of international
law, then maybe things would be turning out differently? Instead, they
spent years ignoring international law and now they want to whine at the
way things may be going down? Impotent and inneffective, I believe
that describes them all.
And it certainly describes Nouri al-Maliki, thug and prime minister of the occupation. Iran's Press TV (where many of the outlets trashing the reported decision frequently appear) reports,
"According to a statement issued on Sunday by Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki's office, the Iraqi government said that Washington's decision
of delisting the MKO as a terrorist group would not change Baghdad's
position toward the group 'which was involved in terrorist acts against
Iraqis, in addition to its role in defending the former (Saddam Hussein)
regime'." Iran's Fars News Agency adds,
"The statement further said that Baghdad is determined to expel members
of the terrorist organization from Camp Ashraf, and called on the
United Nations to fulfill its commitment to resettle the group members
outside Iraq."
Friday was International Peace Day. Al Mada notes
that Iraq's Peace and Solidarity Council used the occasion to declare
the Iraqi government was responsible for the deterioration in security
throughout Iraq. AFP notes
that Iraq current national anthem was selected in 2004 but that the
government is now devoting to time to selecting a new one and a new
flag. Press TV notes
six potential anthems have been commissioned already including: "Salam
ala Hadhabat al-Iraq" (Peace on the Hills of Iraq), "Ghareeb ala
al-Khaleej" (A Stranger on the Gulf), and "Watani al-Haq Yuaiduhu" (My
Country is Supported by Right). The interest in focusing on that comes
after the Telegraph of London used the Olympics to make a nasty
statement. From July 28th:
In other news, Alsumaria reports that the Telegraph of London has declared
that Algeria and Iraq have the worst national anthems. The unsigned
article in the Telegraph of London, ranks what they call the ten worst
anthems -- Iraq comes in at number seven:["]Iraq's
national song, "My Homeland," comes from a poem written by Ibrahim
Touquan, a Palestinian poet, in 1934. Reinstated in 2004 after a
previous anthem reminded residents too much of Saddam Hussein's regime,
the lyrics are rousing but the uanty melody underplays the seriousness
of the message. ["]
AFP missed
that insult. They also missed the 'reinstated' aspect. Prior to
Saddam Hussien's rule in Iraq, "My Homeland" was used as the national
anthem -- for decades.
While the government makes the choice to focus on new anthems and flags, violence continues in Iraq. All Iraq News notes
a suicide car bombing in Hit targeting an elementary school in which 4
students were killed and five more people (most students) were injured.
The UN News Centre quotes
Martin Kobler, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq,
stating, "This is a shocking act of violence against the innocent. For
schools to be attacked in a despicable crime and we are particularly
distressed to learn that some of the victims were young children.
Whether the school was intended as the target or not, no child should
pay the price for violence carried out at the hands of criminals." Alsumaria adds
the death toll has climbed to 5, that 3 of the were first graders and
it was their first day at school, and that the number injured is six. Alsumaria also reports an attack on a military checkpoint in nothern Babylon Province that left 1 Iraqi solder dead and three more injured. Bahrain News Agency says three soldiers were killed. Alsumaria also notes
a mortar attack in Nineveh Province left two soldiers injured, a Diyala
Province roadside bombing injured a father and daughter, 1 young girl
was kidnapped in Mosul, and1 five-year-old girl was kidnapped in
Kirkuk.
Like the violence, the political stalemate
and crisis continues. While they fret over flags and anthems, the
government still, all these years later, has not passed an amnesty
law. Al Mada reports
today the latest hiccup is counterfeiting. Should counterfeiters be
covered? It's time to 'debate' and 'explore. More likely it's time to
think of another excuse to derail the position. A member of
Parliament's Integrity Commission who speaks to Al Mada about the bill
currently not including counterfeiting quickly launches into a
conversation about how people must not be released quickly because
there's no rehabilitation in Iraq -- which most likely means no process
such as probation and parole and the MP is not insisting that Iraqis
lack the ability to learn from actions. The amnesty bill was supposed
to have become a law long, long ago. Al Mada noted on Sunday that the current bill's being in 'process' since 2008. As the broken down process remains stagnant, Alsumaria reports Iraqiya is stating the very least the government can do is start releasing those people who are innocent from the prisons.
Jalal
will be hailed as "the good Kurd" to set him off from the others, used
like a club to clobber the other Kurdish leaders who will be known as
"the bad Kurds." Then Jalal hails Nouri's 'leadership' and praises his
'plan' and then, look, these others won't go along and POOF! all the
past has vanished and all the Iraqi people know is that Jalal and Nouri
are in agreement -- a Kurd and Shi'ite! -- so everyone should be!
Reality,
Nouri and Jalal are almost always in agreement. With the exception of
his participation in the April 2012 meet-up and his advocating for a
no-confidence vote, Jalal's always been on Nouri's side. What appeared
to be a change of heart in April 2012 really looks now like Jalal
participated with the intent of de-railing anything that might happen so
Nouri would be safe. (And considering how he stabbed Moqtada, Ayad
Allawi, Massoud Barzani and others in the back at the end of May as he
refused to forward the legitimate petition onto the Parliament, it
really looks like Jalal came into that meeting to spy.)
As part of the efforts to spin, Al Mada reports
Nouri's State of Law is saying that Iraqiya is trying to derail a
national conference. For their spin campaign to work, everyone has to be
really stupid and forget that, since December 21st when the Speaker of
Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi first called for a national conference,
State of Law has repeatedly resisted, thrown up road blocks and insisted
that a 'reform committee' could handle it. (How's that paper from the
reform committee coming?)
Friday, KRG President President Massoud Barzani addressed the World Conference in Rome.
He noted that the Kurdistan Democracy Party (his political party) was
founded in 1946 and that the party supports equality, social justice and
diversity. He spoke of the KRG Parliament which has 111 members, from
11 political parties, 33% of the members are women. The people are free
to be Muslim, Christians and Yezidis. He noted the exodus from
centeral Iraq to the KRG since 2003 and the success the region has in
terms of security and business. All Iraq News states
he also made remarks about how the KRG will not live under a
dictatorial regime and that the Iraqi government must comply with the
Constitution.
Meanwhile, it's time for the annual pilgrimage by an Iraqi official to the United Nations to beg that Iraq be taken out of Chapter VII. Nouri was planning to make the pitch this year but, Al Mada reports,
he's now decided not to go to New York because the White House has
refused to arrange a face-to-face with Nouri while he is in the US.
This is seen as an insult. (It may just be that October is a serious
campaign month for the US presidential election and Barack will also be
taking part in three debates that month.)
But
the Obama administration says that after a pause, Baghdad allowed the
flights to resume in July. Since then, every American official to visit
Iraq has made the case that the arms shipments must stop, according to
Robert Beecroft, the new ambassador to Baghdad. On Friday, Vice
President Joseph Biden Jr. stepped up the pressure with a telephone call
to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. Given Iraq's recalcitrance,
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was
right to warn last week that American aid could be reconsidered if Iraq
failed to change course.
Perhaps to address the
mounting criticism, Iraqi officials may be altering their stance. On
Friday, Reuters reported that Iraq had denied permission for a North
Korean plane bound for Syria to use its airspace. On Saturday, an Iraqi
government spokesman said authorities will start searching Syrian-bound
Iranian planes if they have reason for suspicion.
Meanwhile Michael R. Gordon (New York Times) examines
what really happened in Iraq in 2010 and 2011 as the White House made
deals about Iraq's government and as it tried to press a deal for US
troops to remain in Iraq in significant numbers beyond 2011:
The
attempt by Mr. Obama and his senior aides to fashion an extraordinary
power-sharing arrangement between Mr. Maliki and Mr. Allawi never
materialized. Neither did an agreement that would have kept a small
American force in Iraq to train the Iraqi military and patrol the
country's skies. A plan to use American civilians to train the Iraqi
police has been severely cut back. The result is an Iraq that is less
stable domestically and less reliable internationally than the United
States had envisioned.
The story of these efforts
has received little attention in a nation weary of the conflict in Iraq,
and administration officials have rarely talked about them. This
account is based on interviews with many of the principals, in
Washington and Baghdad.
Gordon details the effort
to get Jalal Talabani to step down as president so Ayad Allawi could be
president and how Jalal blew off Barack (who made the request in a
personal call).
Dear friend,
I am writing you to say thank you for your very generous support of Cheri and me in our campaign, and also to give you some exciting updates.
We've been on a roll – qualifying for federal matching funds, getting on 85% of the ballots, raising nearly $500,000 (please donate to build on that!), winning unprecedented media coverage, and receiving a hero's welcome on the campaign trail:
- walking the picket lines in Chicago;
- addressing Occupy Wall Street's 1st anniversary celebration;
- Cornel West and Tavis Smiley's Poverty Tour 2.0;
- speeches before the Veterans for Peace Convention and at Fighting Bob Fest,
- and much more.
For
the first ten months of our campaign, we poured the vast majority of
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tirelessly to defend your right to vote for the candidate of your
choice.
But now, in our eleventh month, we can say with pride that 85% of voters will see my name on the ballot. And now --right now--
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We
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Nearly
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haven't heard about us yet.
Please help us raise our voices by making a contribution to our general election campaign. I
am asking everyone who has already contributed to make a donation of
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Here's an added
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Winning 5% of the vote in November will unleash a $20,000,000 grant from
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By making a generous contribution now –
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Please help turn this breaking point into a tipping
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send a check made out to Jill Stein for President to P.O. Box 260217,
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and the planet!
~ Dr. Jill Stein
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ann wilson
heart
nancy wilson
