poor poor pitiful norman solomon.
truly.
he had a reputation once.
he's just an old skank now, tired and used up. so whored out he couldn't get a john if he offered his services for a nickle.
he was already sinking, like a ship, when he decided he loved him some barry obama. he decided he'd try to be a delegate for barry.
he forgot to tell his readers that.
in fact, he'd comment and comment about the race without ever informing them. finally, in april (california, where he voted, held their primary in february), he'd say, 'guess what i'm in love with barry, i'm his delegate, and, god help me, i will bear his child. i don't care if some think my hips are narrow. i have a very wide urethra and i can give birth that way!'
so little norman snag barry's praises and embarrassed himself.
like when he'd go on kpfa and 'forget' to inform listeners that he was a pledged delegate for barack. no 1 else got a pledged delegate to sing their praises 'objectively' on kpfa. aimee allison would always forget to tell the listeners normy was an obama delegate as well.
poor pathetic norman.
then the highly closeted norman wanted to attack a man on air who was part of puma. wanted to use lies and to yell and use ad hominem attacks - the kind of attacks he always condemns others for.
see, norman's 'little girl' itched for barry obama. he couldn't think straight, apparently. he just knew he had to get barry and had to get barry inside him.
not much has changed in all the months since the election.
here's little normy heavy panting in 'Meet the New Escalators:'
In their eagerness to help the Obama presidency, many of its prominent liberal supporters -- whatever their private views on the escalation -- are willing to function as enablers of the expanded warfare. Many assume that opposition would undermine the administration and play into the hands of Republicans. But in the long run, going along with the escalation is not helping Obama; by putting off the days of reckoning, the acceptance of the escalation may actually help Obama destroy his own presidency.
i didn't realize, normy, that the peace movement was all about barry. i didn't realize that you argued for strength and honesty on how it 'may actually help' or harm barry.
i kind of thought peace was an intrinsic value.
i realize now, that to you, peace is just another way to get laid. i hope barry ends up being the lover you've dreamed of.
maybe some good sex would loosen you up?
i don't think it would get you honest. at this point, i don't think anything could make you get honest.
last night was poetry theme post so be sure to check out all the posts:
Cedric's Big Mix
Barack's yellow fever
10 hours ago
The Daily Jot
THIS JUST IN! POETRY IN COWARDICE!
10 hours ago
Thomas Friedman is a Great Man
Helen C. Harris
10 hours ago
Mikey Likes It!
Anne Sexton
10 hours ago
Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude
marvin bell
10 hours ago
SICKOFITRADLZ
Patricia Smith
10 hours ago
Trina's Kitchen
Gwendolyn Haste
10 hours ago
Ruth's Report
Dorothy Parker and Daniel Brown
10 hours ago
Oh Boy It Never Ends
Karoniaktatie
10 hours ago
Like Maria Said Paz
Katie Ford
10 hours ago
Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)
D.A. Levy
10 hours ago
and that's it for me. yes, heroes was better monday night. might write about that tomorrow.
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, Falluja goes under crackdown, Barack returns to the US, the attacks on Iraq's LGBT community gets some serious attention, and more.
The devil went down to Georgia, or you might have thought something similar must have happened as all three commercial broadcast networks suddenly rediscovered Iraq last night. Not much of value despite the Big Three basically over approximately sixteen minutes when you combine all their reports. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (here for video of the episode) offered a report by Bill Plante which folded in Chip Reid's audio report (noted in yesterday's snapshot) which was the breaking news on the trip. Reid's biggest contribution (post flooded zone with everyone covering the topic) is probably his noting the number of US troops Barack spoke to (five hundred to seven hundred) -- a basic fact and one that the White House didn't try to keep secret but, amazingly?, some print outlets attempted to triple the number. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (here for video page) offered a report from Richard Engel which folded in NBC's Chuck Todd and also offered an exchange between Engel and anchor Brian Williams. Value in the report? Only this from Engel: "Tonight Air Force One took off with its lights turned off apparently out of security concerns as President Obama began the twelve hour trips back to Washington." ABC World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson offered a report from Jake Tapper. There were a few bits of value in Tapper's report. Sadly this is one: "The visit was kept secret for security reasons." Sadly? Despite the fact that the visit was kept secret some outlets (New York Times) had to pretend that wasn't the case. Pretend? Let's call it what it was: LYING. Helene Cooper can take the fall for that. Tapper, Sulen Miller and Karen Travers wrote up the vists and link includes video. No network posted a transcript of their report and their online streaming does not offer closed captioning. Those needing transcripts can click here (consider those rush transcripts). PBS' The NewsHour covered the stop-over and, as usual, they have the option of transcript, audio or video. Accessible to all, as PBS programs should be -- should all be. But apparently commercial networks feel no such obligation?
They felt no obliation for real much -- including no obligation for reality. Barack landed at the airport surrounded by Camp Victory, quickly hightailed it in an armed motorcade to a palace on Camp Victory and received people there. He could not venture out. The excuse the White House tried to float was "dust". Golly, dust didn't prevent Nouri or Iraqi President Jalal Talabani from meeting with him on the safety of the US military base. And who knew "dust" grounded flights in Iraq? For those who can remember, March 2003 did see a dust storm that grounded some helicopter flights. The dust storm knocked over a fuel tanker. So it was, in fact, more than dust. It was a sandstorm. There was no sandstorm in Iraq yesterday. As every reporter on that trip (and I've spoken to three) damn well knows, there was no "dust" excuse, let alone a sandstorm. You can read Andrew C. Revkin (New York Times) reporting in 2003 on that impending sandstorm because that was actual news. Did you see any reports Monday predicting a sandstorm? No. Did you read any reports of a sandstorm yesterday or today? No. You were played for a fool if you bought into the lie. Barack couldn't travel to Baghdad. He could only land in and stay on the US military base. And they want to pretend that things are safe in Iraq? And they want to pretend that Barack represents change? The US media continues to LIE and play like this is normal. It's not normal. It was never normal. Foreign leaders go to Iraq all the time. They actually visit Iraq.Those who pay attention will remember this issue coming up in April of last year. April 8, 2008, Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Iraq, and General David Petraeus were doing their days of testimony and that afternoon popped in on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Barbara Boxer had some questions and observations:She then focused on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad noting, "The Bush administration told the American people more than five years ago that we would be greeted as liberators in Iraq and supporters of the war said that they would be dancing in the street with American flags." That didn't happen and not only did that not happen but when Ahmadinejad goes to Iraq, he's greeted warmly while Bully Boy has to sneak "in, in the dead of the night." She wondered, "Do you agree that after all we have done, after all the sacrifices, and God bless all of our troops . . ., that Iran is stronger and more influential than ever before?"Crocker wanted to debate that reality. He stated it was just militias. Boxer pulled out reports that demonstrated it wasn't, where Ahmadinejad was greeted warmly even by children who gave him flowers, kissed him on both cheeks. "I'm saying that after all we have done," Boxer declared, "the Iraqi government kissing the Iranian leader and our president has to sneak into the country -- I don't understand it." Crocker still wanted to argue leading Boxer to respond, "I give up. It is what it is. They kissed him on the cheek. . . . He had a red carpet treatment and we are losing our sons and daughters every day for the Iraqi people to be free. . . . It is disturbing."Last year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could walk (with his guards) throughout Baghdad and be greeted warmly. Barack can't even be Humvee-ed into Baghdad. And Ahmadinejad didn't keep his visit a secret. It was known well ahead of time.Like a coward, the US president had to slink into Iraq and had to remain hidden away on the US military base. That's disgusting. All the more so when you grasp how other leaders move freely. And Tony Blair did. Bush's poodle moved freely. Yesterday, Adam Kokesh spoke with Dennis Bernstein on KPFA's Flashpoints.
Dennis Bernstein: Well President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Iraq today talking about withdrawals but his policy appears to be widening the war, privatizing it and expanding in Afghanistan. We want to continue to get the views of those who strongly oppose this war, those who opposed it first inside and now outside. Adam Kokesh is joining us. He is an Iraq veteran and a member of the board of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Kokesh said, "Today Obama's plan is to continue the indefinite presence of 50,000 troops in Iraq, have an increased reliance on private contractors." Adam Kokesh, welcome back to Flashpoints. It's good to have you back. You did serve in Iraq. Your initial response to Obama's visit and what he's saying?
Adam Kokesh: Well I appreciate what you said about -- by way of people that truly oppose the war as opposed to Kool-Aid drinkers who drank the Obama Kool-Aid and are still on their various stages of hangover at this point, realizing that he really didn't mean to change anything. But there are still those of us out here who truly believe in non-interventionism, who truly believe in respecting the people of the rest of the world and that our foreign policy should only represent the truly benevolent will of the American people and not the interest of the American empire or the military-industrial-complex. The thing about this trip though that Obama just made to Iraq is what's so interesting is how much it stands in stark contrast to his trip of last July when he was still at least broadly seen as an anti-war candidate. Now, I mean, I read the fine print from the beginning. And really didn't believe him when he said "I would like to end the war" because I read the fine print. And the fine print said twelve months, forty to sixty-thousand troops and, you know, an increased reliance on private contractors. So I knew he wasn't about ending the war from the beginning but at least when he was able to fool enough people into believing that that's what he wanted to do, when he went to Iraq as a senator, and as an anti-war candidate, he didn't need anymore security than the troops on the ground or the generals at least, generals on the ground, as they're called, who really run our foreign policy. But now, as president, when people know what he really stands for and what he's actually planning on doing there, he's got to go in in secret and with super intense security. Now I understand there's some increased security necessary when you're the president as opposed to a candidate but by stark contrast, Ahmadinejad walks around the streets of Iraq like it's cool because they respect him there. They're not going to respect the next imperialist American president no matter what his skin color is.
Dennis Bernstein: Well let's talk just a little bit more about what he's saying here. He's really talking about private contractors. He's talking about the continuing expanding privatization of US foreign policy. How does that play into this for you?
Adam: Well it's really scary. I mean the idea of what is government and what is it that we give the government the power to do and that is, you know government is an idea, it is a group of people that have a socially granted monopoly on the use of force. What we are doing now is allowing the government to use force to tax and exploit the American people and then give that money specifically to other people to do violence on other people. And that's a whole other separate move from the what is socially acceptable to what is the appropriate role of government. And this is, of course, nothing new. But a lot of this centers around Blackwater and of course Blackwater 'ah they changed their name so they're not a threat anymore!' right? Well the contract that Blackwater had in Iraq went to other companies. Blackwater, by the way, was never the biggest one. One of the bigger ones was Triple Canopy and Triple Canopy just got some of the contracts that Blackwater had. So what Blackwater had to do because they damaged their brand so much, they lost a lot of contracts, they had to lay a lot of people off -- but when those contracts go to another corporation that's doing the exact same thing, they're hiring the exact same people that Blackwater laid off with the exact same mentality of "We're the American Big Guns, no laws apply to us here, we can run roughshod over this country and do whatever we want." And the fundamental responsibility for that is still with us the American people and we are falling down on the job. We fell down on the job when we elected Barack Obama president and we continue to do so by failing to hold him accountable and bring about the appropriate pressure to really change our foreign policy.
Dennis Bernstein: We're speaking with Adam Kokesh. He is an Iraq War veteran. He is on the board of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He has been among the most outspoken veterans standing against this war. Now, and I don't want to play around with hyperbole, but let me ask you the question this way, Adam: When does this illegal war -- obviously we all remember we were lied into a war, nothing was ever founded in terms of the claims, so in terms of this illegal war and occupation, when does it become a crime also of the Obama administration?
Adam Kokesh: Oh, I would say it became a crime the day that he took office and didn't demand that it stop. If you want to say -- and that's not hyperbole. You know, I said that Obama is as much a War Criminal as Bush ever was. Now if you want to debate the scale of those war crimes for initiating a war versus perpetuating it, okay, I can give you a little slack there. Bush was a bigger War Criminal than Obama perhaps but they are still squarely in the same category. They're both War Criminals. And what Obama is doing in terms of allowing the occupation to continue, you know, you might say is not criminal if it doesn't involve a deliberate act but I think being president you take on a greater responsibility in that role. More specifically though, as putting Obama squarely in that category his plan, or his current escalation, in Afghanistan and the attacks he's order by unmanned drones into Pakistan. You know the specific violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan. That in and of itself constitutes a War Crime. By all the international law standards, that's a War Crime. Every attack into Pakistan is a violation of their sovereignty. Those are War Crimes. You know, let's not pull punches here just because he's an African-American or because he's a Democrat. People are dying. And in Pakistan, when they were protesting a few months ago, before Obama even was elected, when he was just vocally supporting the attacks that Bush had going into Pakistan, they were burning effigies of Obama right next to the American flag and the people that are suffering at the hands of our imperialist foreign policy, they don't care about the skin color of our president. And in terms of Iraq, the criminality there is that it's not about how many troops are there or what you call them because we know the idea of re-designating troops "non combat" isn't going to change anything about how the Iraqis resent our presence or the fundamental fact that this an occupation. And there were a number of presidential candidates that pointed out, that pointed this out. And I'm going to single out John Edwards here who I've met and talked about this and thanked him for taking a stand because one thing that he said very specifically was that he would immediately end all combat operations. That is really the crux of what is this occupation. It is the forceful interference with the sovereignty of the Iraqi people. And that is something that Obama could change at the snap of his fingers, with an executive order. And that he has not done that, maybe it's less technically, is he being less of War Criminal by not ending it immediately? I don't know. The way that he is deliberately perpetuating it, the way that he is escalating Afghanistan and the violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan? Those are War Crimes. Those are very distinctly, technically War Crimes. And that is not hyperbole.
Dennis Bernstein: Alright, Adam. I want to ask you two more questions and they really focus in on your active resistance to the war and the different stands that you've taken. First of all, let me take you back to Iraq. When you talk about War Crimes, do they include that which you witnessed yourself?
Adam Kokesh: Yeah. Our presence there, when we are not welcome, is in and of itself a War Crime. So let's make that clear, first of all, our presence there by force, against the will of the Iraqi people although it might have been less harder when I was there in 2004 in Falluja to quantify what was the will of the Iraqi people but at this point it is -- there is no doubt to the fact that they would rather have us not in their country. During the siege of Falluja there were definitely the indiscriminate use of artillery and air fire power into the city of Falluja that was by its nature bound to lead to civilian casualties. And I believe that that constituted a War Crime as well.
Dennis Bernstein: Alright and finally, sort of looking back at your last day in Iraq and your life now that includes a whole bunch of resistance, arrests, being tracked by various levels of the National Security State, has anything changed at the core of you since then, since you left? And what is it that's driving you now?
Adam Kokesh: Well I've always been a libertarian and the core of that philosophy -- and at first, at least, before I went to Iraq -- and for the record I was against the war before the war as someone who believes in the foreign policy of non-interventionism. But before I went to Iraq, being a libertarian was more of an intellectual thing than an emotional thing or a spiritual thing. And having come back from Iraq and joined Iraq Veterans Against the War and gone through the ensuing process of personal exploration and discovery and all the ways that I've grown and been challenged by taking on these huge issues and doing my best to be an effective organizer, I've come to realize in a very visceral way that the issues that we debate are not just a matter of academics or debate or interpretation or anything like that -- they really are a matter of life and death. It really is a matter of what is morally right and wrong. And at the corp of my political philosophy is the principle of self-ownership. That you, as a human being, own yourself, and any violation of that by force is fundamentally immoral. And for me, it is based on a choice you know the difference between state-ism or liberty is a matter of choosing to really love humanity or not. And I fully make that choice to express as much as I can in my life a full, complete, courageous love for humanity. And out of that love is a natural faith that the better nature of humanity will triumph in the long run, that humanity progresses, that things will get better, that we are able as a species to live lives based on a greater love. And from that faith inherently leads me to a lifestyle of respecting the people I come into contact with, an innate respect for fellow human beings. And that respect that we all seek, that we all want and desire as basic human beings, to not have our lives forcefully interfered with by anybody, I think the way that we talk about liberty and freedom in society are mere measurements of that respect because obviously our government does not respect us. Our gov -- the people that make up our government think that they have some divine right to claim ownership over our bodies, you know, with the drug war, with our system of taxation, with our system of foreign policy, they demonstrate that they feel they have some claim to the lives of people in the rest of the world, that they have some divine right as the American government to do that. And so, that's what I want to do with my life and that's how I've changed, deciding that I want to apply my life to taking on the greatest injustices to those core values of faith and respect. And I see them all sourced out of Washington, DC. The United States Federal Government is the greatest source of injustice in the world today. And so, you know, that's how I've changed, that's how I've brought in and how I've really got in touch with the truly philosophical spiritual basis of my politics, if you will. And that's what motivates me, my love for humanity.
Dennis Bernstein: Alright well, Adam Kokesh, I hope that we can continue this dialog and maybe talk more maybe about a transformation that we see happen somewhere but I'm going to keep just some hope alive there but we thank you for laying it down and giving us a perspective that we really need to be thinking about as we face so much war, expanded military budgets, so on and so forth, we're going to leave it --
Adam Kokesh: Well I take it you're smart enough to not be hoping for any more 'change' from Obama or have any more hope in him but my hope, and I believe yours too, comes from the people first.
Dennis Bernstein: Adam Kokesh is an Iraq War veteran and a member of the board of Iraq Veterans Against the War and I think you can tell he's against these wars. Thanks for being with us.
Adam Kokesh: Hey, man, thank you.
The hour long, Monday through Friday program is archived at KPFA and at Flashpoints. Yesterday's NewsHour found Judy Woodruff interviewing US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and she asked him about Barack's trip, specifically, "What is his message to the Iraqis?" Despite being asked that, Gates instead went to the troops and then came to Iraqis. Apparently, they are bad children and certainly Barack's scolding of them yesterday, from one of their palaces which the US occupies, about their need to be responsible and take control, lecturing from one of Iraq's palaces which the US occupies, was all about saying Iraqis are the second-class citizens of the world. That was Barack's patronizing message. Gates told Woodruff, "I think his message to the Iraqis is, almost certainly, keep on doing what you're doing; keep on resolving problems politically; keep on working at reconciliation; get ready for your elections. We are going to keep our side of the bargain in terms of the agreement, in terms of draw-downs of troops and you have to step up to your responsibilities now, too." A question Gates should be asked, in light of the footage, is whether the for-show troops at Barack's political rally yesterday should have behaved the way they did. Their behavior was shameful, however, I will offer a semi-apology on calling that out. They were ordered, as various e-mails have explained (and I confirmed it with a friend at M-NF and two friends at the White House) to, quote, "whoop it up" for the cameras. The US military was ORDERED to behave in that embarrassing fashion. You've never seen anything like that before and you never should again. Gates might need to be questioned about that and certainly Barack should be questioned as to why his meeting with the troops required that they be instructed to "whoop it up" for the cameras? The troops came off embarrassing and, since they were ordered to behave that way, someone up the chain needs to take accountability.
Woodruff did note that violence was on the rise in Iraq and asked what this meant regarding Barack's "pledge to get most of the troops out -- 19 months, most of them will be out by next year. But if this violence were to step up considerably, is there a contingency plan?" Gates replied, "I think the president always has the authority to, as commander-in-chief, to change his plans." As always with the US officials, he went on to blame al Qaeda in Mesopotamia for any violence. He did not however use that term. He just tossed out al Qaeda. He did not notice this was a homegrown group and that it did not exist until after the start of the Iraq War.
While Gates blamed al Qaeda, Rod Nordland (New York Times) reports in this morning's paper on an audio message released by Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, former deupty chair of Saddam Hussein's Revolutionary Command Council: "Mr. Douri called Mr. Maliki's government and Iraqi elections illegitimate because they were a result of the American military occupation. Americans were withdrawing, he said, because they failed in Iraq but hoped to leave a puppet government in place." Nordland reports that the statemetn (released on Tuesday) made no mention of Monday's Baghdad bombings or yesterday's. Meaning if any "Baathist elements" led by al-Douri was responsible for the bombings, they most likely would have claimed creidt. Nordland reports, "Mr. Douri's statement rejected any possibility of negotiations unless the Iraqi government met a series of conditions, which included allowing armed Baathists to take over the government and disbanding all institutions created after the American invasion." No, it has nothing to do with religious factions. Yes, Barack did present the sects as the only thing blocking progress in Iraq in his speech yesterday.
The United Nations Secretary-General issued the following on Monday:
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the string of bombings that struck a marketplace and other locations in Baghdad today, killing a large number of civilians and injuring many others. The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the deceased. The Secretary-General is confident that the people of Iraq will reject these reprehensible attempts to provoke sectarian violence in the country. He urges them to continue undeterred in their efforts to achieve lasting peace and national reconciliation. The United Nations remains committed to supporting the Iraqi people toward these ends.
While those statements are very common, the Secretary-General has been silent on the non-stop attacks on the LGBT community in Iraq. Also silent is the White House and the US State Dept and, apparently, the topic is so 'icky' to those reporters who attend press breifings, that no one ever bothers to ask about it under the current administration. Timothy Williams and Tareq Maher give serious attention to the issue as does their paper, the New York Times, which front paged the issue this morning. The reporters explore the ongoing attacks on Iraq's LGBT community and point out that the last two months have seen at least 25 allegedly gay males turn up dead in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad: "Most have been shot, some multiple times. Several have been found with the word 'pervert' in Arabic on notes attached to their bodies, the police said." They speak with 23-year-old Basima who explains he's lost three friends who were killed en route to a cafe. Iraqi police say the ones doing the killings are family members -- the same police who go on the record, by name, stating that gay males are "disgusting." Not much protection they're going to get from that police department. The police department is now in the midst of another crackdown on the LGBT community, which is also bragged about by them in the article. Prior to the start of the illegal war, Iraq had a thriving LGBT community. The reporters note Naomi Klein's BFF Ali al-Sistani issuing his fatawa on gay people ("The people should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing.") Naturally, Naomi never said a peep. Even though this fatawa was issued long after she'd begun praising al-Sistani in public. Some people believe 'democracy' starts and ends with them and screw everyone else. It's a major story and one that deserves serious attention. UPI offers a summary of Williams and Maher's report. David Warner (Creative Loafing) observes, "Openly gay Iraqis are being murdered with the tacit and sometimes overt approval of police and families."
Violence continues today. Laith Hammoudi and Corinne Reilly (McClatchy Newspapers) report the Kadhemiyah neighborhood of Baghdad was bombed again today (bombed yesterday as well) with 7 people dead and twenty-three injured and speculation flying as to who is responsible. Mohammed Madhi states it's Baathists while Mohammed Salman blames the government. Jomana Karadheh (CNN) adds today's bombing, like yesterday's, took place "near a Shiite holy shrine". Fadhel al-Badrani (Reuters) reports Falluja is under 'crackdown' as automobile and foot traffic is banned, schools and shops are ordered closed and the city is placed under curfew. By? Nouri and his goons. 35 people have been arrested: "Most of those arrested had recently been freed by the U.S. military from its detention centres or were suspected in the past of being al Qaeda sympathisers, said Lieutenant-Colonel Aziz Faisal of Falluja police." Hussien Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports an armed clash "took place between gunmen and an Armeican military unit in the New Mosul neighborhood" and that there have been no reports (thus far) of casualties.
Claudia Parsons (Reuters) has a review of the Iraq War and how it's currently seen. We'll note this section:
But Alissa Rubin, New York Times bureau chief in Baghdad, said Iraq was in a dynamic and critical phase leading up to the drawdown of U.S. troops. "It's only as they pull out you see just how bad the violence might be," she said.
"If you're sitting in New York or Washington or small-town Kansas, you look at Iraq and think 'OK, well, that war is kind of over...,' and you move on," Rubin said.
"That's clearly the way most Americans see it, it's not on the front burner. But the reality is different," she said.
The New York Times keeps at least three international reporters and a photographer in Baghdad in addition to locally hired personnel. But most U.S. media outlets, facing pressure to cut costs, have trimmed overseas staff, relying on agencies such as Reuters and the Associated Press.
iraqthe cbs evening news with katie courickatie couricbill plantechip reidworld news tonight with charlie gibsoncharlie gibsonjake tappernbc nightly news with brian williamsbrian williamsrichard engelchuck toddcbs newsabc newsnbc news
sunlen millerkaren traversjudy woodruff
pbsthe newshour
adam kokeshflashpointsdennis bernsteinkpfa
claudia parsons
iraq veterans against the war
the new york timestimothy williamstareq maherrod nordlandmcclatchy newspaperslaith hammoudi
4/07/2009
marvin bell
i want 1 of those predictor books.
that's what i told c.i.
the theme for tonight's posts is poetry and we decided it 2 weeks ago. i told c.i. what i wanted because, outside of a public library, i don't know any 1 with more books than c.i. has in what i term a private library.
so c.i. passed over major young poets: these are the new american voices, edited by al lee.
this book came out in 1971 and was published by world publishing and times mirror.
the poem i thought people today would find most interesting was by marvin bell.
"World War III"
I
You post a sign,
"We have gone to the cellar to die."
Ready to descend,
you hear the motors of airplanes.
You look up to see
the American right wing.
You think of the euphemism for pay:
"This is the day the eagle craps."
II
All the planes are driven
by suicide pilots.
The young fliers are ready to drown,
to fill the oceans, if need be,
while the fish cough
on dry land.
Mountains will fill valleys,
the beaches fuse.
III
You decide against shelter.
Instead, you stand on your porch .
In the sun,
that old fireball,
you stand on your porch with your family.
You tell them not to worry.
It's a nice day, you say,
such warmth on your skin.
click here to find out more about marvin who has had a career. michael benedikt is also in the collection and he's also had a career. if any 1 can find "Wm BROWN" have at it. but he was the only 1 i couldn't easily track down. the others were people you heard from.
Charles Simic - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
Mark Strand - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
James Tate - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
C. K. Williams - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
and david p. young taught at olberlin college from 1961 to 2003.
C. K. Williams was born in 1936 in Newark, New Jersey. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, including The Singing (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
James
Mark Strand was born on Canada's Prince Edward Island on April 11, 1934. He received a BA degree from Antioch College in Ohio in 1957 and attended Yale ...
Charles Simic was born on May 9, 1938, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where he had a traumatic childhood during World War II. In 1954 he emigrated from Yugoslavia
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Tuesday, April 7, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, Barack makes a Bully Boy visit to Iraq, the White House is ignorant of military jargon, in the US veterans deal with the possibility that VA hospitals have infected them with HIV, San Francisco wants action on the murders of Iraqi gay men, Talabani says there are assassination plots, and more.
Hit is Stevie Nicks:
She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless
Barack hand-holder Jeff Zeleny (New York Times) isn't again whining about Barry referring to Muslim roots/ties (as usual, Barry was really saying nothing to invert the old girl group song) but how when Jeffy did it there was fallout. No, all is happy in Vaselineville and the paper even handed him a box of tissues allowing him to blog that Barack made a surprise trip to Baghdad. The official White House transcript (remember, under Barry these transcripts are often 'incomplete' and/or 'improved on') paints a horrific scene where Barry addresses service men and women assembled as "guys" and an audience member (apparently unaware of what it means to wear a uniform) gushes, "We love you!" Barack replies, "I love you back." The military is now screaming, "I love you" at a president? And a president of the United States mistakes appearing before the military with a night at the Grammys? Eisenhower would have been embarrassed but then Eisenhower could point to many ways he actually served his country. Barack's got a traveling White House crew who has also never served -- well never served anything that didn't come in a frosted glass. Which is how "Ooh-ah" ends up in the transcript. Did the soft-handed White House fools believe Diana, Mary and Cindy were present and about to perform "Baby Love"? Do the soft-handed White House fools have no idea of military jargon? Do they just want to confess to the whole world how little they value the military? Yes, yes and, apparently, yes. "Ooh-ah." What fools, what ignorant, pampered fools. (Click here if you're also in the dark.)
Our Church Of Latter Day Evita uttered "I" nineteen times which might be shocking, however, it should have been twenty times. The One Let Into Harvard As A Legacy never mastered English which is why he ended up stating "that Michelle and myself are doing everything" -- he meant "I."
Barry tossed out the same hokum Bully Boy Bush used to. Regarding Iraq and Iraqis ("they" as he so enjoyed putting it), Barack declared, "It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis. They need to take responsibility for their country and for their soveriengty." They need to? Have they been slacking? Has the US been stuck in Iraq this entire time because those slackers wanted the US to stay? That's certainly how he made it sound. He continued, "And in order for them to do that [take responsibility], they have got to make political accomodations." They HAVE? His poor grammer is always problematic; however, here it's not only offenisve, it seems to allow him more wiggle room. Translation, in a few months he can declare, "The US has to remain because they [Iraq] didn't live up to their end."
"They're going to have to decide that they want to resolve their differences through constitutional means and legal means," declared the Infant Obama, apparently unaware that "they" did not install the Shi'ite thugs, the US did. Apparently unaware that when the US finally does leave, there will be a serious challenge to the the US hand-picked exiles installed into power.
"They are going to have to focus on providing government services that encourage confidence among their citizens," Barack insisted. "All those things they have to do. We can't do it for them." Then why the hell is the US still in Iraq? That of course was the question that lingered over the hopium. It was no different than anything Bully Boy Bush would have said and frequently did say. It's the same speech we've heard year after year. So why is the US still in Iraq? There's no reason for them to be. But you can almost hear this same speech, given repeatedly over the last six years, trotted out in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 . . .
Why are US forces still in Iraq? Compare Barack's words with the column the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband wrote for The New Statesman but grasp that Miliband is citing these things as reasons why the UK is drawing down over the next four months (leaving behind approximately 400 troops). Nothing ever changes, no it doesn't. Which was the point of opening with the Stevie Nicks song "Rhiannon" (reminder, Fleetwood Mac is on tour currently): Just like Bush, Barack had to sneak into Iraq. Robert Hendin (CBS News) explains how secretive the White House was:
Usually, the White House press leaves a location a few hours after the president does. After the press was told that our departure from Istanbul was delayed a few hours, this after the president took off from here, supposedly to go home, reporters grew even more suspicious.
Many here tried to figure out how long the flight was from Istanbul to Baghdad or Kabul in Afghanistan so we could get a sense of how long the president would be flying before anyone on Air Force One could call and tell us where they were. After two and a half hours of flight time, the tension in the press filing center in Istanbul was intense. No one knew where Mr. Obama was going, when he would get there and what was going to happen to us. When would we leave Istanbul and would we have enough time to file reports? Then, in a flash, a White House press aide came running through the filing center, screaming "the pool report is out!!" He was referring to a print pool report filed by Richard Wolf of USA TODAY, who drew the rotation of being the print pool reporter for the day. Wolf's report said it all: "Air Force One landed at Baghdad Intl Airport at 4:42."
This CBS and AP report contains an audio link to Barack's speech (and Hendin's report contains a link to CBS' Chip Reid's audio report of the trip to Baghdad). Steven Lee Myers and Helene Cooper (New York Times) report on the "unnaounced trip" and they offer what the "Associated Press reported" on a meeting between Nouri al-Maliki and Barack that the paper was apparently shut out of. They state, 'Air Force One landed at Baghdad International Airport under heavy security at 4:42 in the afternoone after military officials shut down the airport." From which he was whisked to US base Camp Victory which Myers and Cooper hilariously describe as being "near the Baghdad International Airport." Near? Let's get even more specific. As Friends Committee On National Legislation explains, "Camp Victory is a U.S. Army base situated on airport grounds about 5 kilometers from Baghdad from Baghdad International Airport. The base can house up to 14,000 troops. Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory is surrounded by a man-made lake and serves as an unofficial conference center for the Army." Click here for Google maps image (satellite). The US Justice Dept has explained it this way (Dec. 22, 2008), "Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex, which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport." Ernesto London, Michael D. Shear and William Branigin (Washington Post) cover the "unnannounced trip" and the applause getter of his speech, noting Barack "drew wild cheers from U.S. troops when he declared that it was time for Iraqis to 'take responsibility for their country'." Please note the Washington Post knows the difference between a Supreme's chorus and an army exclamation. Unlike Myers and the Bobble Headed Pundit, the Post explains that Barack spoke at al-Faw Palace and that it "was built by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and was captured by U.S. forces when they seized Baghdad and ousted Hussein from power." It really takes a lot of nerve for any foreign leader to go to Iraq and stand on the grounds of one of the country's palaces while insisting that Iraqis need to take responsibility for their country. He wasn't able to stand in front of as many photo-opped troops as the White House wanted. Leila Fadel and Steven Thomma (McClatchy Newspapers) report, "Commanders had hoped to have 1,500 troops there to meet the commnader in chief but were unable to gather them in time . . . Weather prevented Obama from taking a helicopter to visit Maliki and President Jalal Talabani as he'd hoped, aides said. Maliki traveled to the camp instead." The Post notes Talabani also traveled to meet the 'visiting' Barack. (Visitors, for those not up on etiquette, traditionally travel to the host.) At the US State Dept, Robert Wood was spinning like he hadn't done since his spokesperson days during the Bush administration. Asked about a story that Barack was speaking with Nouri over the phone instead of in person, Wood replied, "No, my understanding is that he had to speak with Maliki by telephone because apparently there were some wet climate conditions . . . ["Dust" was supplied to him] Dust and what have you." Wood was then corrected that Nouri and Barack met face to face and tried to glide over that by stating, "Oh, okay. You got a futher update than I have." In a move that did not save face, Wood then went on to insist:
So, look, violence in Iraq, I think, overall has been on the decline. You're going to see terrorists continuing to try to disrupt the functioning of the Iraqi government. What's importat is that we help Iraqis to be able to help themselves and provide their own security and help give the people of Iraq hope. And you know, as I said, violence in Iraq overall has been on the decline. And the Iraqi government, with our help and the help of others in the international community, is going to -- We're gong to do what we can to try to give the Iraqi people a much better future, something that they so truly deserve.
Where to begin? January saw a decrease in violence. That was months ago. A trend requires multiple months. February saw an increase in violence from January. March saw one from February. The trend is an increase in violence. Wood is incorrect. Help them help themselves? Is that the logic? So the US is trying to play the victim here and paint itself as a co-dependent enabler? As for "international community," Wood stopped himself when he seemed to grasp, everyone is gone or going. It is just the US now.
Like a cat in the dark or a thief in the night, Barack traveled to Iraq. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) reports the stop-over lasted five hours. Hopefully, that is correct. The number she gives for US troops present is wrong. We hear endlessly how 'safe' Iraq is yet time and again, the Oval Office occupant cannot travel to Iraq without secrecy. Though the photo op was supposed to be feel good, the reality is that nothing's changed. One up to Barack's visit is Iraq will now make the evening news. As noted this morning, The NewsHour (PBS) did manage to at least mention the bombings. Gwen Ifill: "In Iraq, a string of six bombings tore through Shia nieghborhoods in Baghdad. Iraqi police reported at least 37 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. The blast sites were littered with mangled wreckage and burned out cars. The deadliest attack happened at a busy market in the western part of Baghdad." ABC, CBS and NBC? Too busy with fluff. (CBS offered a lengthy advertisement for a candy store and then, after, helpfully explained, "By the way the owners of that desert bar alerted us to that bright spot in the economy.") 37 dead and one hundred wounded from a series of bombings in Baghdad and ABC, CBS and NBC didn't think that was news. They had so much more 'important' things to cover. They should all be ashamed. But today, watch them pretend interest in Iraq . . . at least until the commercial break. Shameful. Thomas E. Ricks (Foreign Policy) offers a kinder assessment (than mine) of Barack's for-show visit, "Take responsibility for your country, President Obama lectures. Likely Iraqi response: Thanks for your interest. The next 18 months are 'critical,' Mr. Obama says. Alas, they always are in Iraq. It all feels depressingly like the Bush administration." Ricks is the author of the new bestseller The Gamble.
Those with thirty seconds to fill prior to the commercial break may toss in Muntadar al-Zaidi. al-Zaidi is the Iraqi journalist who found international fame when Bully Boy Bush was making his December 14th secret trip to Baghdad. At the press conference, al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at Bush. March 12th Muntadhar was sentenced to three years. Today brings news of a sentence reduction. BBC reports that the sentence has been dropped to one year. Aseel Kami (Reuters) quotes the judiciary spokesperson Abdul Sattar al-Birqdar stating, "The appeal court issued its decision today to decrease the sentence against Muntazer al-Zaidi from three years in prison to one year, taking into consideration that he's still young and doesn't have any previous convictions." Or maybe the anchors will use that time to note Monday's violence?
Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) reports Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, appears alarmed by the visible increase in violence as evidence by his statement that Iraq's security forces need to make "rapid steps" because, according to Talabani, there are plots "to carry out assassinations on leading politicians" and he is quoted stating, "We warn all, and call on all Iraqis to support national unity and confront anyone trying to ignite sectarian conflict in Iraq." But isn't it a bit hard to call on unity when Nouri's targeting Sunnis? Isn't that a bit weak assed and pathetic? While Sahwa's hit in the face with a two-by-four repeatedly, Talabani wants to ask them to chant "Unity"? The president of a country has stated publicly that assassinations are being planned on politicians. How much coverage will this receive from the press? And who are the politicians? With Talabani having stated he won't run for re-election (his term is up in December), it's hard to believe he'd top the targeted list. But resentment at Kurds or the office of the presidency could put him on a list of targets. If the press covers this, it will be interesting to see if anyone presses for a list of alleged targets.
Over the weekend (see yesterday's snapshot) came news of seven brutal murders. KTVU (link has text and video) reports on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors decision to adopt "a resolution supporting gay rights in Iraq".
Deborah Villalon: Well Ken [Wayne], it's been described as "Don't Ask, Just Kill." International observers say any new found stability in Iraq does note extend to gays and lesbians. In fact their plight has worsened with the rise of religious militias and the bodies of two men found shot to death over the weekend.
Supervisor Bevan Duffy: Six gay men murdered with words put on their dead bodies to vilify them.
Deborah Villalon: The word "pervert" in Arabic was written on the Iraqi victims leaving no doubt why they were targeted and triggering outrage among local gay leaders. At the corner of Castro and Market Street, they dubbed this spot "Tomb of the Unknown Gay" for the dead men.
Bevan Duffy: This is the beginning of what could be untold slaughter of innocent people. Tribal councils basically put out death sentences to people. I mean that is certainly far afield to anything related to democracy.
Deborah Villalon: Human rights group have documented the persecution of gays in Iraq counting at least 400 murders in the past several years -- at least that they know about. In recent weeks, religious clerics condemnded homosexuality from their pulpits, triggering a new wave of violence.
Gary Virginia: I think people around the world can all go to their political leaders and demand an inquiry to find out who these six men were who were murdered and for what reason and hold somebody accountable for it.
Lyanne Melendez (San Francisco's KGO -- link has text and video) adds, "Gay leaders in San Francisco hope Monday's small rally and others around the world, will send a message around the world that these killings will not be tolerated."
Superviser Bevan Duffy made the motion in this morning's meeting and it will be introduced in Thursday's meeting. If passed, it would call for an investigation into the murders as well as for a public statement condemning them. This would be the White House, the US State Dept and the Congress. This is needed. It's not binding in that the White House, et al can ignore it. But we all need to grasp that the United Nations and specifically UNHCR regularly condemns murders of Iraqis. For example, if a politician or Christian is murdered, the UN or one of its bodies will issue a statement condemning it. But there's been no statement from them. There's been no statement from any governing body. These killings have been going on forever and they've never been called out. Our State Dept has never called them out and today's briefing -- not one question about the murders.
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) reports a Baghdad car bombing today which has claimed at least 9 people and left at least eighteen injured. Aseel Kami, Tim Cocks, Abdul-Rahman Taher, Tim Cocks and Michael Christie (Reuters) add an intriguing note in the speculation over who's responsible for the recent bombings: "But a senior Iraqi intelligence source, who declined to be named, said there was evidence the bombs could be the work of the militant Badr Organisation, the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI). ISCI is allied to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawa party in parliament, but the two have become somewhat estranged." Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad grenade attack which destroyed a store and notes a taxi cab bomber who "targeted the motorcade of Saad Abu Qutaiba, a high ranking member in the Support councils" left Abu Qutaiba wounded and claimed the life of 1 police officer leaving eight people wounded (four were members of the police).
Shootings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Falah Mohammed Younis (just "elected to lead the local government" was shot dead in Mosul last night.
Corpses?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports the corpse of Sahwa member Mohammed al Janabi was discovered in Iskanderiya ("evidence of torture" and "shot many times") -- Sahwa is the term for "Awakening" Council members.
While Barack pranced and preened yet again for the cameras today, back in the US veterans continued to wait for care. Jason Whitely (WFAA, ABC station in Dallas, owned be Belo -- link has text and video) reports on Steven Farmer, in Baghdad April 9, 2003 now home with Planters Fasicitis a condition reuslitng "from wearing an drunning boots" requiring him to use a cane for the last few weeks and being told that it will be a year to eighteen months before he can get surgery. Famer tells Whitely, "When they asked me to go to Iraq, I didn't ask them to hold on. I packed up, said goodby to my family and friends and I was off serving my country. Now, it's time for me to get help with my problems so I can go on and live my life and they're telling me to hold on." And Whitely reports that many other veterans requiring surgery are being told that non-emergency surgeries will wait and wait. WFAA's report resulted in Steven Farmer being moved up the list but the others will remain waiting. And yet Barack wanted to his end for-show speech today declaring, "The main point I want to make is we have not forgotten what you have already done, we are grateful for what you will do, and as long as I am in the White House, you are going to get the support that you need and the thanks that you deserve from a grateful nation." Of course, technically Princess Tiny Meat wasn't at the White House. He was finishing up his Oh Come Let Us Adore Me Tour. Jennifer Pifer-Bixler (CNN -- link has text and video) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an investigation into whether there is connection between improperly sterilized endoscopy equipment and a veteran's postive HIV test. This comes after more than 10,000 veterans were possibley exposed to HIV and hepatitis at three VA facilities while undergoing colonoscopies and other procedures with equipment that had not been properly cleaned. The VA sent letters to those veterans offering free testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV." Free testing, oh that's good. We'd hate to think the VA would charge veterans to see whether or not the VA had infected them. It takes a lot of gall to grandstand in front of US troops today with that news out there.
In legal news, yesterday's snapshot noted jury selection for USA v. Steven D. Green began yesterday. Rebecca caught some interesting items including Alsumaria:
The selection of the jury panel in the trial of US soldier Steven Green has started today. Green has raided with four others the house of Abir Qassem Hamza Al Jinabi and raped the girl while they killed her family and set the house afire to hide their crimes. The soldier believed to have led the group is sentenced to death. Four soldiers involved in this incident were sentenced in March 2006. The conjunctures of the incident were uncovered during the soldiers' trial.
As Rebecca pointed out, that might be more of a desire (an understandable one) since Green is not yet sentenced to anything. A desire was expressed by one Iraqi politician. 3news.co.nz reports Jabir al-Hamdani has called for the death sentence for Green if Green is convcited.
iraq
the washington posternesto londono
michael d. shear
william branigin
mcclatchy newspapers
leila fadel
cbs news
caroline alexander
the new york timeshelene cooperjeff zeleny
steven lee myers
cnnjomana karadshehaseel kamiabdul-rahman tahertim cocksmichael christiepbsthe newshour
thomas e. ricks
lyanne melendez
that's what i told c.i.
the theme for tonight's posts is poetry and we decided it 2 weeks ago. i told c.i. what i wanted because, outside of a public library, i don't know any 1 with more books than c.i. has in what i term a private library.
so c.i. passed over major young poets: these are the new american voices, edited by al lee.
this book came out in 1971 and was published by world publishing and times mirror.
the poem i thought people today would find most interesting was by marvin bell.
"World War III"
I
You post a sign,
"We have gone to the cellar to die."
Ready to descend,
you hear the motors of airplanes.
You look up to see
the American right wing.
You think of the euphemism for pay:
"This is the day the eagle craps."
II
All the planes are driven
by suicide pilots.
The young fliers are ready to drown,
to fill the oceans, if need be,
while the fish cough
on dry land.
Mountains will fill valleys,
the beaches fuse.
III
You decide against shelter.
Instead, you stand on your porch .
In the sun,
that old fireball,
you stand on your porch with your family.
You tell them not to worry.
It's a nice day, you say,
such warmth on your skin.
click here to find out more about marvin who has had a career. michael benedikt is also in the collection and he's also had a career. if any 1 can find "Wm BROWN" have at it. but he was the only 1 i couldn't easily track down. the others were people you heard from.
Charles Simic - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
Mark Strand - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
James Tate - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
C. K. Williams - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
and david p. young taught at olberlin college from 1961 to 2003.
C. K. Williams was born in 1936 in Newark, New Jersey. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, including The Singing (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
James
Mark Strand was born on Canada's Prince Edward Island on April 11, 1934. He received a BA degree from Antioch College in Ohio in 1957 and attended Yale ...
Charles Simic was born on May 9, 1938, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where he had a traumatic childhood during World War II. In 1954 he emigrated from Yugoslavia
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Tuesday, April 7, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, Barack makes a Bully Boy visit to Iraq, the White House is ignorant of military jargon, in the US veterans deal with the possibility that VA hospitals have infected them with HIV, San Francisco wants action on the murders of Iraqi gay men, Talabani says there are assassination plots, and more.
Hit is Stevie Nicks:
She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless
Barack hand-holder Jeff Zeleny (New York Times) isn't again whining about Barry referring to Muslim roots/ties (as usual, Barry was really saying nothing to invert the old girl group song) but how when Jeffy did it there was fallout. No, all is happy in Vaselineville and the paper even handed him a box of tissues allowing him to blog that Barack made a surprise trip to Baghdad. The official White House transcript (remember, under Barry these transcripts are often 'incomplete' and/or 'improved on') paints a horrific scene where Barry addresses service men and women assembled as "guys" and an audience member (apparently unaware of what it means to wear a uniform) gushes, "We love you!" Barack replies, "I love you back." The military is now screaming, "I love you" at a president? And a president of the United States mistakes appearing before the military with a night at the Grammys? Eisenhower would have been embarrassed but then Eisenhower could point to many ways he actually served his country. Barack's got a traveling White House crew who has also never served -- well never served anything that didn't come in a frosted glass. Which is how "Ooh-ah" ends up in the transcript. Did the soft-handed White House fools believe Diana, Mary and Cindy were present and about to perform "Baby Love"? Do the soft-handed White House fools have no idea of military jargon? Do they just want to confess to the whole world how little they value the military? Yes, yes and, apparently, yes. "Ooh-ah." What fools, what ignorant, pampered fools. (Click here if you're also in the dark.)
Our Church Of Latter Day Evita uttered "I" nineteen times which might be shocking, however, it should have been twenty times. The One Let Into Harvard As A Legacy never mastered English which is why he ended up stating "that Michelle and myself are doing everything" -- he meant "I."
Barry tossed out the same hokum Bully Boy Bush used to. Regarding Iraq and Iraqis ("they" as he so enjoyed putting it), Barack declared, "It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis. They need to take responsibility for their country and for their soveriengty." They need to? Have they been slacking? Has the US been stuck in Iraq this entire time because those slackers wanted the US to stay? That's certainly how he made it sound. He continued, "And in order for them to do that [take responsibility], they have got to make political accomodations." They HAVE? His poor grammer is always problematic; however, here it's not only offenisve, it seems to allow him more wiggle room. Translation, in a few months he can declare, "The US has to remain because they [Iraq] didn't live up to their end."
"They're going to have to decide that they want to resolve their differences through constitutional means and legal means," declared the Infant Obama, apparently unaware that "they" did not install the Shi'ite thugs, the US did. Apparently unaware that when the US finally does leave, there will be a serious challenge to the the US hand-picked exiles installed into power.
"They are going to have to focus on providing government services that encourage confidence among their citizens," Barack insisted. "All those things they have to do. We can't do it for them." Then why the hell is the US still in Iraq? That of course was the question that lingered over the hopium. It was no different than anything Bully Boy Bush would have said and frequently did say. It's the same speech we've heard year after year. So why is the US still in Iraq? There's no reason for them to be. But you can almost hear this same speech, given repeatedly over the last six years, trotted out in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 . . .
Why are US forces still in Iraq? Compare Barack's words with the column the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband wrote for The New Statesman but grasp that Miliband is citing these things as reasons why the UK is drawing down over the next four months (leaving behind approximately 400 troops). Nothing ever changes, no it doesn't. Which was the point of opening with the Stevie Nicks song "Rhiannon" (reminder, Fleetwood Mac is on tour currently): Just like Bush, Barack had to sneak into Iraq. Robert Hendin (CBS News) explains how secretive the White House was:
Usually, the White House press leaves a location a few hours after the president does. After the press was told that our departure from Istanbul was delayed a few hours, this after the president took off from here, supposedly to go home, reporters grew even more suspicious.
Many here tried to figure out how long the flight was from Istanbul to Baghdad or Kabul in Afghanistan so we could get a sense of how long the president would be flying before anyone on Air Force One could call and tell us where they were. After two and a half hours of flight time, the tension in the press filing center in Istanbul was intense. No one knew where Mr. Obama was going, when he would get there and what was going to happen to us. When would we leave Istanbul and would we have enough time to file reports? Then, in a flash, a White House press aide came running through the filing center, screaming "the pool report is out!!" He was referring to a print pool report filed by Richard Wolf of USA TODAY, who drew the rotation of being the print pool reporter for the day. Wolf's report said it all: "Air Force One landed at Baghdad Intl Airport at 4:42."
This CBS and AP report contains an audio link to Barack's speech (and Hendin's report contains a link to CBS' Chip Reid's audio report of the trip to Baghdad). Steven Lee Myers and Helene Cooper (New York Times) report on the "unnaounced trip" and they offer what the "Associated Press reported" on a meeting between Nouri al-Maliki and Barack that the paper was apparently shut out of. They state, 'Air Force One landed at Baghdad International Airport under heavy security at 4:42 in the afternoone after military officials shut down the airport." From which he was whisked to US base Camp Victory which Myers and Cooper hilariously describe as being "near the Baghdad International Airport." Near? Let's get even more specific. As Friends Committee On National Legislation explains, "Camp Victory is a U.S. Army base situated on airport grounds about 5 kilometers from Baghdad from Baghdad International Airport. The base can house up to 14,000 troops. Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory is surrounded by a man-made lake and serves as an unofficial conference center for the Army." Click here for Google maps image (satellite). The US Justice Dept has explained it this way (Dec. 22, 2008), "Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex, which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport." Ernesto London, Michael D. Shear and William Branigin (Washington Post) cover the "unnannounced trip" and the applause getter of his speech, noting Barack "drew wild cheers from U.S. troops when he declared that it was time for Iraqis to 'take responsibility for their country'." Please note the Washington Post knows the difference between a Supreme's chorus and an army exclamation. Unlike Myers and the Bobble Headed Pundit, the Post explains that Barack spoke at al-Faw Palace and that it "was built by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and was captured by U.S. forces when they seized Baghdad and ousted Hussein from power." It really takes a lot of nerve for any foreign leader to go to Iraq and stand on the grounds of one of the country's palaces while insisting that Iraqis need to take responsibility for their country. He wasn't able to stand in front of as many photo-opped troops as the White House wanted. Leila Fadel and Steven Thomma (McClatchy Newspapers) report, "Commanders had hoped to have 1,500 troops there to meet the commnader in chief but were unable to gather them in time . . . Weather prevented Obama from taking a helicopter to visit Maliki and President Jalal Talabani as he'd hoped, aides said. Maliki traveled to the camp instead." The Post notes Talabani also traveled to meet the 'visiting' Barack. (Visitors, for those not up on etiquette, traditionally travel to the host.) At the US State Dept, Robert Wood was spinning like he hadn't done since his spokesperson days during the Bush administration. Asked about a story that Barack was speaking with Nouri over the phone instead of in person, Wood replied, "No, my understanding is that he had to speak with Maliki by telephone because apparently there were some wet climate conditions . . . ["Dust" was supplied to him] Dust and what have you." Wood was then corrected that Nouri and Barack met face to face and tried to glide over that by stating, "Oh, okay. You got a futher update than I have." In a move that did not save face, Wood then went on to insist:
So, look, violence in Iraq, I think, overall has been on the decline. You're going to see terrorists continuing to try to disrupt the functioning of the Iraqi government. What's importat is that we help Iraqis to be able to help themselves and provide their own security and help give the people of Iraq hope. And you know, as I said, violence in Iraq overall has been on the decline. And the Iraqi government, with our help and the help of others in the international community, is going to -- We're gong to do what we can to try to give the Iraqi people a much better future, something that they so truly deserve.
Where to begin? January saw a decrease in violence. That was months ago. A trend requires multiple months. February saw an increase in violence from January. March saw one from February. The trend is an increase in violence. Wood is incorrect. Help them help themselves? Is that the logic? So the US is trying to play the victim here and paint itself as a co-dependent enabler? As for "international community," Wood stopped himself when he seemed to grasp, everyone is gone or going. It is just the US now.
Like a cat in the dark or a thief in the night, Barack traveled to Iraq. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) reports the stop-over lasted five hours. Hopefully, that is correct. The number she gives for US troops present is wrong. We hear endlessly how 'safe' Iraq is yet time and again, the Oval Office occupant cannot travel to Iraq without secrecy. Though the photo op was supposed to be feel good, the reality is that nothing's changed. One up to Barack's visit is Iraq will now make the evening news. As noted this morning, The NewsHour (PBS) did manage to at least mention the bombings. Gwen Ifill: "In Iraq, a string of six bombings tore through Shia nieghborhoods in Baghdad. Iraqi police reported at least 37 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. The blast sites were littered with mangled wreckage and burned out cars. The deadliest attack happened at a busy market in the western part of Baghdad." ABC, CBS and NBC? Too busy with fluff. (CBS offered a lengthy advertisement for a candy store and then, after, helpfully explained, "By the way the owners of that desert bar alerted us to that bright spot in the economy.") 37 dead and one hundred wounded from a series of bombings in Baghdad and ABC, CBS and NBC didn't think that was news. They had so much more 'important' things to cover. They should all be ashamed. But today, watch them pretend interest in Iraq . . . at least until the commercial break. Shameful. Thomas E. Ricks (Foreign Policy) offers a kinder assessment (than mine) of Barack's for-show visit, "Take responsibility for your country, President Obama lectures. Likely Iraqi response: Thanks for your interest. The next 18 months are 'critical,' Mr. Obama says. Alas, they always are in Iraq. It all feels depressingly like the Bush administration." Ricks is the author of the new bestseller The Gamble.
Those with thirty seconds to fill prior to the commercial break may toss in Muntadar al-Zaidi. al-Zaidi is the Iraqi journalist who found international fame when Bully Boy Bush was making his December 14th secret trip to Baghdad. At the press conference, al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at Bush. March 12th Muntadhar was sentenced to three years. Today brings news of a sentence reduction. BBC reports that the sentence has been dropped to one year. Aseel Kami (Reuters) quotes the judiciary spokesperson Abdul Sattar al-Birqdar stating, "The appeal court issued its decision today to decrease the sentence against Muntazer al-Zaidi from three years in prison to one year, taking into consideration that he's still young and doesn't have any previous convictions." Or maybe the anchors will use that time to note Monday's violence?
Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) reports Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, appears alarmed by the visible increase in violence as evidence by his statement that Iraq's security forces need to make "rapid steps" because, according to Talabani, there are plots "to carry out assassinations on leading politicians" and he is quoted stating, "We warn all, and call on all Iraqis to support national unity and confront anyone trying to ignite sectarian conflict in Iraq." But isn't it a bit hard to call on unity when Nouri's targeting Sunnis? Isn't that a bit weak assed and pathetic? While Sahwa's hit in the face with a two-by-four repeatedly, Talabani wants to ask them to chant "Unity"? The president of a country has stated publicly that assassinations are being planned on politicians. How much coverage will this receive from the press? And who are the politicians? With Talabani having stated he won't run for re-election (his term is up in December), it's hard to believe he'd top the targeted list. But resentment at Kurds or the office of the presidency could put him on a list of targets. If the press covers this, it will be interesting to see if anyone presses for a list of alleged targets.
Over the weekend (see yesterday's snapshot) came news of seven brutal murders. KTVU (link has text and video) reports on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors decision to adopt "a resolution supporting gay rights in Iraq".
Deborah Villalon: Well Ken [Wayne], it's been described as "Don't Ask, Just Kill." International observers say any new found stability in Iraq does note extend to gays and lesbians. In fact their plight has worsened with the rise of religious militias and the bodies of two men found shot to death over the weekend.
Supervisor Bevan Duffy: Six gay men murdered with words put on their dead bodies to vilify them.
Deborah Villalon: The word "pervert" in Arabic was written on the Iraqi victims leaving no doubt why they were targeted and triggering outrage among local gay leaders. At the corner of Castro and Market Street, they dubbed this spot "Tomb of the Unknown Gay" for the dead men.
Bevan Duffy: This is the beginning of what could be untold slaughter of innocent people. Tribal councils basically put out death sentences to people. I mean that is certainly far afield to anything related to democracy.
Deborah Villalon: Human rights group have documented the persecution of gays in Iraq counting at least 400 murders in the past several years -- at least that they know about. In recent weeks, religious clerics condemnded homosexuality from their pulpits, triggering a new wave of violence.
Gary Virginia: I think people around the world can all go to their political leaders and demand an inquiry to find out who these six men were who were murdered and for what reason and hold somebody accountable for it.
Lyanne Melendez (San Francisco's KGO -- link has text and video) adds, "Gay leaders in San Francisco hope Monday's small rally and others around the world, will send a message around the world that these killings will not be tolerated."
Superviser Bevan Duffy made the motion in this morning's meeting and it will be introduced in Thursday's meeting. If passed, it would call for an investigation into the murders as well as for a public statement condemning them. This would be the White House, the US State Dept and the Congress. This is needed. It's not binding in that the White House, et al can ignore it. But we all need to grasp that the United Nations and specifically UNHCR regularly condemns murders of Iraqis. For example, if a politician or Christian is murdered, the UN or one of its bodies will issue a statement condemning it. But there's been no statement from them. There's been no statement from any governing body. These killings have been going on forever and they've never been called out. Our State Dept has never called them out and today's briefing -- not one question about the murders.
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) reports a Baghdad car bombing today which has claimed at least 9 people and left at least eighteen injured. Aseel Kami, Tim Cocks, Abdul-Rahman Taher, Tim Cocks and Michael Christie (Reuters) add an intriguing note in the speculation over who's responsible for the recent bombings: "But a senior Iraqi intelligence source, who declined to be named, said there was evidence the bombs could be the work of the militant Badr Organisation, the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI). ISCI is allied to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawa party in parliament, but the two have become somewhat estranged." Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad grenade attack which destroyed a store and notes a taxi cab bomber who "targeted the motorcade of Saad Abu Qutaiba, a high ranking member in the Support councils" left Abu Qutaiba wounded and claimed the life of 1 police officer leaving eight people wounded (four were members of the police).
Shootings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Falah Mohammed Younis (just "elected to lead the local government" was shot dead in Mosul last night.
Corpses?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports the corpse of Sahwa member Mohammed al Janabi was discovered in Iskanderiya ("evidence of torture" and "shot many times") -- Sahwa is the term for "Awakening" Council members.
While Barack pranced and preened yet again for the cameras today, back in the US veterans continued to wait for care. Jason Whitely (WFAA, ABC station in Dallas, owned be Belo -- link has text and video) reports on Steven Farmer, in Baghdad April 9, 2003 now home with Planters Fasicitis a condition reuslitng "from wearing an drunning boots" requiring him to use a cane for the last few weeks and being told that it will be a year to eighteen months before he can get surgery. Famer tells Whitely, "When they asked me to go to Iraq, I didn't ask them to hold on. I packed up, said goodby to my family and friends and I was off serving my country. Now, it's time for me to get help with my problems so I can go on and live my life and they're telling me to hold on." And Whitely reports that many other veterans requiring surgery are being told that non-emergency surgeries will wait and wait. WFAA's report resulted in Steven Farmer being moved up the list but the others will remain waiting. And yet Barack wanted to his end for-show speech today declaring, "The main point I want to make is we have not forgotten what you have already done, we are grateful for what you will do, and as long as I am in the White House, you are going to get the support that you need and the thanks that you deserve from a grateful nation." Of course, technically Princess Tiny Meat wasn't at the White House. He was finishing up his Oh Come Let Us Adore Me Tour. Jennifer Pifer-Bixler (CNN -- link has text and video) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an investigation into whether there is connection between improperly sterilized endoscopy equipment and a veteran's postive HIV test. This comes after more than 10,000 veterans were possibley exposed to HIV and hepatitis at three VA facilities while undergoing colonoscopies and other procedures with equipment that had not been properly cleaned. The VA sent letters to those veterans offering free testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV." Free testing, oh that's good. We'd hate to think the VA would charge veterans to see whether or not the VA had infected them. It takes a lot of gall to grandstand in front of US troops today with that news out there.
In legal news, yesterday's snapshot noted jury selection for USA v. Steven D. Green began yesterday. Rebecca caught some interesting items including Alsumaria:
The selection of the jury panel in the trial of US soldier Steven Green has started today. Green has raided with four others the house of Abir Qassem Hamza Al Jinabi and raped the girl while they killed her family and set the house afire to hide their crimes. The soldier believed to have led the group is sentenced to death. Four soldiers involved in this incident were sentenced in March 2006. The conjunctures of the incident were uncovered during the soldiers' trial.
As Rebecca pointed out, that might be more of a desire (an understandable one) since Green is not yet sentenced to anything. A desire was expressed by one Iraqi politician. 3news.co.nz reports Jabir al-Hamdani has called for the death sentence for Green if Green is convcited.
iraq
the washington posternesto londono
michael d. shear
william branigin
mcclatchy newspapers
leila fadel
cbs news
caroline alexander
the new york timeshelene cooperjeff zeleny
steven lee myers
cnnjomana karadshehaseel kamiabdul-rahman tahertim cocksmichael christiepbsthe newshour
thomas e. ricks
lyanne melendez
4/06/2009
abeer
sunday Kat's "Kat's Korner: When you build your house . . ." and Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The Pig-Pen Ambassador" went up and the latter is above. c.i. asked us to all remember to note kat's review and that pissed me off.
not because c.i. asked but because if c.i.'s asking we (including me) haven't been doing that.
i love kat and i know she works like crazy on any and every album review. i think we've all gotten so used to them lately. that's partly due to the fact that she's already done almost as many as she does most years and we're not at the 1/2 way point.
it's also true that mondays are just awful. we all just want to blog quickly and get the heck to bed.
me included.
so since kat does her reviews on the weekends, we intend to note them on monday. monday rolls around and we've forgotten.
i'm glad c.i. asked us to all note kat's review but i wish i'd been doing that here on my own.
i know i haven't.
i am the lazy blogger.
steven d. green is dealt with in the snapshot. wonder how iraqis feel about him? i think you can find out in this item from alsumaria:
The selection of the jury panel in the trial of US soldier Steven Green has started today. Green has raided with four others the house of Abir Qassem Hamza Al Jinabi and raped the girl while they killed her family and set the house afire to hide their crimes. The soldier believed to have led the group is sentenced to death. Four soldiers involved in this incident were sentenced in March 2006. The conjunctures of the incident were uncovered during the soldiers’ trial.
he hasn't been sentenced to death. i think that was some hope on alsumaria's part. i can't blame them for that. setting the house on fire was to destroy evidence and also to make it appear that 'insurgents' (iraqis) killed the family and gang-raped the young girl.
here's bbc:
Mr Green was discharged from the 101st Airborne Division for a "personality disorder" before the case came to light, and he was charged in June 2006.
In August 2007, Private Jesse Spielman was convicted of conspiracy to rape and murder and sentenced to 110 years in prison for his role in the incident.
He said he acted as a lookout for four other soldiers who carried out the attack.
Spielman was given the longest sentence of the group, while the three other soldiers pleaded guilty and received sentences between five and 100 years under plea agreements with prosecutors.
3news.co.nz states:
Local Iraqi politician Jabir al-Hamdani called on Monday for the death sentence to be imposed if Green was convicted.
Congress passed the law in 2000 to allow US authorities to prosecute former military personnel for crimes committed overseas.
The law specifically cites a "jurisdictional gap" that leaves perpetrators unpunished for crimes by Americans occurring in countries that won't prosecute them or that the US is unable to investigate or prosecute. It also covers civilians, their spouses and military contractors.
Green and four other soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were investigated after an Iraqi girl, Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, was raped and her body set afire.
more on the green jury selection and the war crimes are in the snapshot so let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Monday, April 6, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, the US miltiary announces deaths over the weekend, violence sweeps Baghdad today, jury pool selection for USA v. Steven D. Green began today, and more.
Cindy Sheehan's latest Soapbox (her weekly internet radio program) went up Sunday. Her guests were Sara Rich (sexual assault activist, peace activist and mother of Suzanne Swift) and retired Army Col and retired State Dept diplomat Ann Wright. Cindy's son Casey Sheehan died at age 24 in Iraq April 4, 2004. During this show she spoke about counter-recruitment and she and her guests spoke about a number of other topics including Janis Karpinski being the fall person for Abu Ghraib. From the broadcast, we'll note intros in case anyone doesn't know Cindy's guests and then focus on sexual assaults and traumas.
Cindy Sheehan: And you were concerned with -- in your career, being in the military and being in the diplomatic corps -- you were concerned with US foreign policy a lot but there was one thing that finally pushed you over the edge, wasn't there?
Ann Wright: Well indeed. It was the decision of the Bush administration to invade and occupy an oil rich Arab Muslim country that had not attacked the United States and had nothing to do with 9-11. And that was the decision to invade and occupy Iraq. And I ended up resigning in March of 2003 in opposition to that war and ever since then I've been working with people like yourself and Sara Rich on stopping wars and proper treatment of our veterans when they return.
Cindy Sheehan: And Ann actually is one of the hardest working people in the peace movement. She helped me at Camp Casey every single time we went to Crawford [Texas}. She helped coordinate the volunteers and coordinate activities and she just is very admirable.
[. . .]
Sara Rich: Well I've always been a human rights activist -- even before she [her daughter Suzanne Swift] joined the military. And when she joined the military she was told by the recruiter that she -- if she signed up for five years, that she wouldn't be deployed to a combat zone.
Cindy Sheehan: Right.
Sara Rich: And basically she was sent to a combat zone. Neither of us had any idea about military sexual assault or that there was a term called military sexual trauma -- MST -- or anything about command rape. Suzanne was more than just harassed, she was actually raped by her commanding officer in Iraq and we didn't understand quite what was going on but it was she was harassed by one of her commanding officers, raped by another and then harassed by another. So it was three different men, all who had direct authority over her in a combat zone because she did see combat. It wasn't that she was stationed somewhere safe. She was shot at, she was doing combat patrol. She was the driver of a Humvee doing combat patrol in Karbala '04 - '05. And the whole time she was there I kept thinking this isn't right, something's wrong, what can I do and then finally when she got out of Iraq I said "Now can we say something? Can we do something?" Because she was too scared for me to say something while she was in Iraq because you know we have cases like LaVena Johnson.
Cindy: Absolutely
Sara Rich: Where, you know, women speak out and their murdered. So she was too scared to say anything and finally she was being redeployed to Iraq for a second time and her PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma just exploded and she went AWOL instead of returning which was a huge turning point in our whole family. She refused to go back. She went AWOL. We got an attorney and a psychologist and that's when we finally started coming out about the sexual assault and the rape and all of the trauma that she experienced while in Iraq because up until that point it was just too raw for her to talk about. So she was seeing a psychologist, we had an attorney, we were trying to work with the army to get her so that she could turn herself in and get the help she needed but nobody would work with us so finally the AWOL Apprehension Team called their good buddies down here in Eugene [Oregon] at Eugene police department and they sent people to our home at ten-thirty on a Sunday night and took her in handcuffs. You know here we have this -- by then she's how old was she about 22 by then. A 22-year-old who had been raped, who had Combat Trauma and they put her in handcuffs and threw her in jail.
Cindy Sheehan: She had been raped, she had been the victim of a crime actually while she was stationed in another profound crime -- a crime against humanity, an international crime, the occupation of Iraq. Were her assaulters, were her rapists and harassers, were they hauled off in handcuffs at any time?
Sara Rich: No. [. . .] They just stripped of her rank and sent her to prison.
Cindy Sheehan: And ultimately nothing has happened to the people who raped her?
Sara Rich: No. No. The one, the man who raped her, his wife ended up calling us about a year ago saying she was divorcing him. I always called him the molester because his name is Mark Lester
Cindy Sheehan: Uh-huh
Sara Rich: And she told me that he had been hired as a police officer in Kent, Washington and so I put a blast to my friends saying, you know, call the mayor, call the police chief and by the end of the week he was fired.
Cindy Sheehan: Well at least he had a little bit of accountability but you know there was Mark Lester that raped Suzanne but actually the entire system raped Suzanne.
Sara Rich: You better believe it.
Cindy Sheehan: And this is an absolute tragedy. I have read statistics where at least 30% of females are sexually harassed or raped in the military and of course that's probably a much higher number and we read and are still hearing about cases where female soldiers have died of dehydration in Iraq because they don't drink water because they don't want to get up to use the latrine in the middle of the night because they don't want to be raped so here Suzanne was in a war zone battling the resistance -- the Iraqi resistance -- but she also had to battle her own, her fellow soldiers -- her colleagues. You know, to me, if this isn't a reason to not join the military, I don't know what could be the reason. So thank you, Sara, we'll come back to you in a second. Ann, Sara talked about the case of LaVena Johnson and I know you have worked with the family and you know about the case. Can you tell my listeners about the case of LaVena Johnson?
Ann Wright: Sure I -- I will tell them about it. Let me just mention though that on the statistics on sexual harassment well over 90% of the women who are in the military say that they have been sexually harassed. Sexual assault and rape, the crimes of sexual assault and rape, that's where one-in-three soliders, service members, are saying that they have been sexually assaulted or raped while they've been in the military and these are figures, statistics, that are given by the Veterans Administration
Cindy Sheehan: So but sexual harassment -- sexual harassment is almost 100%?
Ann Wright: That's right. That's right. Yes, it is. The case of LaVena Johnson, a young woman, twenty-one-years-old who had -- or pardon me, nineteen-years-old. Nineteen-years-old who had gone to Iraq. Within two weeks of her having been there, she ended up being found in a tent, a burning tent, she had been shot in the head and uh when her parents uh were notified of her uh death uhm they were told she was dead of a noncombat related incident. [. . .] 104 have been killed in Iraq and 43 have been killed in what they call noncombat related incidents and of that 43, there are 15 of them that when you look at the cases you think, "Mmm, there's something really strange." And one of them is LaVena Johnson who was found shot in a tent. When her body came back to her home in Missouri and they had the body at the funeral home, her mom and dad touched their daughter's body. The mother tried to rub her [LaVena's} hand and the gloves the military had put on her hands would not move and they looked at the gloves and they had been glued on. And so they went to the morturary guy and said, "What's going on here? We want to see why these things were glued on." And when they cut those off they saw that her hand had been burned and indeed her whole body, one side of her body, had been burned. So how was this noncombat related incident? Why was she burned? Well over a period of two and a half years as the family kept begging the military for information -- first to get the autoposy, then, later on, to try to find documetns about the death. Try to get information that is held by the military but they won't give it to the families unless you file a Freedom of Information Act on it. Well ultimately, after two and a half years they finally got the CD that contained the photographs of her body as her body was undressed in Iraq before it was shipped back to the United States and the -- the body showed that she had been beaten in the face that her nose had been broken, that there were -- the father says that it appears that there were bite marks on her body, that one of her arms had been distended and dislocated that there were -- that her vaginal area looked as though she had been sexually assaulted and then a caustic acid poured in her genital area. So, um, the Johnson family has been demanding that the US military review thsi case. That they do not believe that um, well, the military has said that she comitted suicide. that on one killed her, that she comited suicide. With all of those injuries, she committed suicide. So I've been assisting the family to try to get a hearing before the army to make the army reopen that case. And we've gone to Congress to try to get Congress men and women involved in this and it's a real slow process of making the army reopen cases. You know, the Pat Tillman case, here after three Congressional hearings on his death in Afghansitan we now know that he was shot by friendly fire, he was shot in the head, it looks like he was assassinated and yet after three Congressional hearings, the parents of Pat Tillman don't know who among that small unit that Pat Tilman was a part of, who killed Pat Tillman and why? So for a family like LaVena Johnson's who have no political pull, there daughter was not an NFL star, she was just one of hundreds of thousands of young men and women who decide to join the military and then terrible things happen to them. The family is still pushing very, very hard on the military to try to get more answers on what happened to their daughter. But one thing for sure, they do not believe that she comitted suicide nor do I.
[. . .]
Sara Rich: It's interesting when I -- when I found out about LaVena's case, it just sent absolute shivers up my spine, thinking this is what would have happened to my daughter if she had told about what was going on to her to her superior officers in Iraq. This is what would have happened, she would have been murdered, they would have said it was a suicide. Their birthdays are very close to each other, there a few years apart, but their birthdays are within a couple of days of each other. And it just, it made me feel so -- so thankful for my -- that my daughter was -- you know, still with us.
Cindy Sheehan: Right.
Sara Rich: LaVena is not. And it made me feel the Johnsons and I have a real heart connection. They're very protective of Suzanne and I think about LaVena every day. It's just, we have a very deep, very deep connection about that. And when Ann and the Johnsons and I were going to Congress men and Congress women and senators, trying to talk to them about reopening LaVena's case and showing them that it was not a suicide, it was a murder, they were treated in a way that just infurated me. I mean here they have a fallen soldier who is obviously raped and murdered and they were seeing -- taken to these little teeny rooms with junior staffers and weren't even given the respect and care that we as military parents of combat veterans should be absolutely demanding from people that say that they run our country.
Sara Rich is holding a retreat this weekend in Portland, Oregon, "It's going to be in the Applegate Valley which is in southern Oregon. This is actually a pilot program. We're really trying to find a way that we can take this on the road and start providing healing retreats in every state because the need is so great in women veterans, the need to connect, the need to heal and I'm one of three trauma informed therapists that's going to be helping facilitate this weekend and we're going to come together and really take care of each other and take care of our veterans because that's what needs to happen. We're trying to offer it as low-cost as possible so that it's available and accessible for everybody and just create a place that's safe." To get in touch with Sara Rich you can e-mail her through the Suzanne Swift website.
Today jury selection began in Paducah, Kentucky for USA v Steven D. Green. Green's trial is set to start April 27, 2009. Who is Steven D. Green? Who is Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi -- or rather, who was Abeer. March 12, 2006 Abeer's parents -- Qassim Hamza Raheem and Fakhriya Taha Muhasen -- were murdered as was Abeer's five-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza. Abeer was gang-raped during the murders. After the murders, the gang-rape continued and then she was murdered. Remember how LaVena Johnson had acid or lye poured on her to destroy evidence? Abeer's attackers attempted to set her body on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. The crime was blamed on 'insurgents.' As Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) reported, Justin Watt came forward (Watt was not involved in the rape, murder or conspiracy to commit the War Crimes) with some troubling things he was hearing, the 'incident' was looked into anew. The military immediately went into major spin control as it became obvious that US soldiers were responsible. In an attempt to 'lessen' the gang-rape and murder of Abeer, they insisted she was 26-years-old. She wasn't. She was fourteen-years-old but if she had been twenty-six, it wouldn't have made the events any less horrible or any less criminal.
Friday, June 20, 2006, Steven D. Green was arrested in the US (Asheville, North Carolina) having already been discharged in May. He was charged with murder and with rape. Green appeared in a Kentucky federal court November 8, 2006 and entered a plea of not guilty. Green was out of the US military, Paul Cortez, Jesse Spielman, Bryan Howard and James P. Barker were still in. An Article 32 hearing was scheduled for August (2006) and, strangely, Robert F. Worth and Carolyn Marshall (New York Times), ahead of the Article 32 hearing, presented the defense's argument. That was strange not only because the defense hadn't presented their argument yet but also because the defense argument was a strange one. After the defense had made the argument, Andy Mosher (Washington Post) would quote the go-to-military law expert for the press, Eugene Fidell stating, "This is not a defense known to the law. But this kind of evidence could come in during the court-martial, and it might be pertinent to the sentence. They could be setting the stage to avoid a death penalty." Wow. So will Robert F. Worth and Carolyn Marshall ever be asked to explain how they offered the defense -- excuse me, how they made the defense argument in an alleged article of reporting? They didn't quote the defense. They didn't have to. They didn't present this as an argument, they presented it as what happened. It sure is good to know that the New York Times will work it, whore it out, when they feel the need. This is, remember, the same paper that has REFUSED to ever print Abeer's name. They have rendered her invisible and victimized her all over again. But by rendering her invisible, by refusing to print her name, they have made her a non-entity and that was their point.
At the Article 23 hearing, Captain Alex Pickands, for the prosecution, responded to the defense's argument: "Murder, not war. Rape, not war. That's what we're here talking about today. Not all that business about cold food, checkpoints, personnel assignments. Cold food didn't kill that family. Personnel assignments didn't rape and murder that 14-year-old little girl."
During the hearing, Pickands would explain, "They gathered over cards and booze to come up with a plan to rape and murder that little girl. She was young and attractive. They knew where she was because they had seen her on a previous patrol. She was close. She was vulnerable." Though the New York Times was happy to carry propaganda for the US military and to render Abeer invisible, they weren't interested in the actual Article 32 hearing. Which is why you'd have to go elsewhere for that coverage. Elsa McLaren (Times of London) reported:
Special Agent Benjamin Bierce recalled how Specialist James Barker described how the couple and their youngest child were put in another room, while the teenager was kept in the living room. Barker said that he held the girl's hands while Sergeant Paul Cortez raped her or tried to rape her. Barker then switched positions with Cortez and attempted to rape the girl, but said he was not sure if he had done so, Special Agent Bierce told the hearing. Some shots were fired in the other room and Private Steven Green emerged, saying "They're all dead. I just killed them." Green put down an AK-47 assault rifle and raped the girl while Cortez held her down, the hearing heard. Special Agent Bierce said Green then picked up the weapon and shot the girl once, paused, and shot her several more times. Kerosene from a lamp was poured over the girl and someone - it was not clear who - set her alight.
Back then, we had to say "alleged" when speaking of the soldiers. Alleged murder or alleged rapist or alleged co-conspirator. We don't have to do that now with anyone except Green. The others have all either been convicted or entered a plea of guilty. Cortez and Barker offered confessions in court when they entered their plea. Some found the confessions emotionally compelling. Others of us noted the weasel words such as "kind of". In his confession, he admited that while "Cortzed pushed her to the ground. I went towards the top of her and kind of held her hands down while Cortez proceeded to lift her dress up." Kind of. He kind of held her hands down. Her parents are being shot and killed in the next room, her sister is being shot and killed in the next room, these Americans dressed in black are in her home, they are lifting up her dress and Barker wants the world to know he "kind of" held her hands. Kind of. Well he "kind of" took repsonsibility when he admitted to his guilt. Kind of.
They plotted it. They have fingered Steven D. Green as the ringleader. They said he plotted it, he came up with the conspiracy. Iraqis have spoken of how Green made Abeer uncomfortable (had she lived, her parents had already arranged to get her out of the area), how, at the US checkpoint he supervised, he would stop her, he would touch her face, he would intimidate her. AFP reminded yesterday, "Cortez testified that he raped Abeer Kassem Hamza al-Janabi while Barker pinned the sobbing girl to the floor. The men switched positions and then heard about four or five shots from a bedroom where Green had taken the girl's father, mother and six-year-old sister, Cortez said. Green shot the girl when he was finished raping her and the soldiers set the home on fire by tossing a lighter onto a Kerosene-soaked blanket covering her naked body, the other soldiers said." Today Brett Barrouquere (AP) reports, "Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Ford, who is prosecuting the case, said at least three of those soldiers as well as members of the slain girl's suriving family may be called as witnesses in the case." Darren Wolff, one of Green's attorneys and apparently insane, wants to ask of the prospective jury, "How can they accurately get the impression of a battelfield in Paducah?" Yeah, it was real torture for Green -- grilling chicken breasts and downing booze after the gang-rape and murders. And of course, "battlefield" excuses rape, right Wolff? That's what you're saying. And not just any rape, mind you, but the rape of a young girl. They were better off flirting with the insanity plea. If this is where they're headed and this is the sort of defense they intend to mount, they're just inviting outrage. Brett Barrouquere, by the way, always included Abeer's name in his reports. As did other AP reporters. Gregg Zoroya at USA Today (already noted) also didn't shy from reporting the victims' names nor did Ellen Knickmeyer (Washington Post) who did one of the most intensive reports when the crimes were revealed. Mentioning the victims names was never a problem for foreign outlets and it wasn't a real problem in the US except for one outlet, the alleged paper of record, the New York Times.
Today violence sweeps through Iraq at the sort of levels the Operation Happy Talkers had told us was long gone. Thomas E. Ricks (Foreign Policy) explains, "former secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thinks that Iraq is 'on its way to becoming a strategic asset' of the United States. Someone in Baghdad who didn't get that memo set off a bunch of car bombs that killed about three dozen people today." Ricks is the author of the new bestseller The Gamble. Leila Fadel and Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) report there were at least 7 bombings in Baghdad resulting in multiple deaths and multiple wounded, "All but one explosion had detonated by 9 a.m. in markets and other gathering places in Baghdad. The bloody morning was a reminder of how fragile the country's security gains are, after a series of fatal bombings in March." Deborah Haynes (Times of London) reports the bombings "tore through Baghdad . . . as [UK Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform"] Peter Mandelson passed through with a delegation of British businessmen to spread the message that it is safe to invest in Iraq." Steven Lee Myers (New York Times) reveals, "Most of the bombs struck largely Shiite neighborhood, but there did not appear to be any obvious pattern to the attacks. There were no claims of responsibility, and Iraqis disagreed on whom to blame." Myers quotes MP Abbas al-Bayati blaming the "Awakening" Council members for the violence. Abbas al-Bayati does a lot of public blather for Nouri al-Maliki so when he speaks, he's usually repeating what he's been told. (As when the news broke about the US spying on Nouri al-Maliki.) Usama Redha, Caesar Ahmed and Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) add, "The string of explosions came just three months before U.S. combat troops are expected to withdraw to bases outside cities and a week after Iraqi forces put down an insurrection by Sunni paramilitary fighters in eastern Baghdad, which has raised fear that Sunnis, who had turned on groups such as Al Qaeda in Iraq, could return to fighting the Shiite-led government." Anthony Shadid (Washington Post) observes, "The strikes called into question statements by Iraqi military officials that insurgents had lost their ability to attack in the heart of the capital with ease and reflected a sense by many in Baghdad and elsewhere that violence may be worsening, as the American military begins a withdrawal of combat troops slated to end by August 2010." Sahar Issa and Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) break down the Baghdad bombings as follows Baghdad car bombing at seven in the morning 4 dead, fifteen wounded, Baghdad car bombing "targeted the motorcade of Brigadier General Sadoun" at eight in the morning 2 dead and four wounded, Baghdad car bombing at eight-thirty this morning 10 dead sixty-five wounded, another Baghdad car bombing at eight-thirty 4 dead and twenty wounded, a Baghdad sticky bombing which wounded two, two Baghdad car bombings at one this afternoon killing 12 and leaving twenty-five wounded and a five o'clock this evening Baghdad roadside bombing which left three wounded. They note that the tolls were expected to rise. Aseel Kami, Mohammed Abbas, Hadir Abbas, Tim Cox, Wisam Mohammed, Tim Cocks and Charles Dick (Reuters) count at least 37 dead and (check my math) one-hundred and fourteen people injured. They also note speculation that Sahwa, "Awakening" or "Sons of Iraq" (all the same group, different names) might have been involved but quote the US military going with their catch-all: al Qaeda in Iraq. Golly, I thought Baghdad was said to be protected from them and they'd all been driven out of that area. Weren't they allegedly just hanging around in and outside Mosul? The official story changes so frequently you can never pin it down. Independent journalist Dahr Jamail contributes "The Growing Storm" (Dissident Voice) and notes the fall out from the attacks on Sahwa and the fears from the response in Baghdad two weekends ago: "This distrubing event is the realization of what most Iraqis have long feared -- that the relative calm in Iraq today would eventually be broken when fighting erupts between these two entities." Sahwa was under attack over the weekend and while today's violence is garnering press attention, yesterday's violence was an increase as well and saw a variety of groupings targeted.
Reuters noted two Baghdad home bombings which claimed the life of 1 man and left two women injured -- one home was of a Sahwa leader and "It was not clear if the target was the 'Sahwa' leader's house." Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reported Dr. Yasir Khdaiyir ("well known surgeon") was assassinated Saturday night in Baghdad, the Ministry of the Interior's Brig Gen Ahmed Kathum Breesem was shot dead in Baghdad tonight, a Sahwa ("Awakening") was shot dead in Baquba (in the latest of continual attacks on Sahwa) and 1 Peshmerga (Kurdish security forces) was shot dead in Kirkuk City, 1 person shot dead in Mosul. In addition, Issa noted 1 police officer killed in Samarra by either "a thermal charge or an armour-penetraing grenade" (four more were wounded), a Falluja roadside bombing which claimed the life of 1 police officer and left another wounded, a second Falluja roadside bombing resulted in one police officer being injured, a Kirkuk roadside bombing which wounded seven people, a Mosul roadside bombing which claimed the life of 1 "small boy" and left his mother wounded, one al Jazair (Ninevah Province) grenade attack which injured one Iraqi soldier and one Mailyah (Ninevah Province) grenade attack which injured another Iraqi soldier and 1 corpse discovered Saturday night in Mosul with signs of torture. Today's violence didn't spring out in total surprise. Also today Sahar Issa and Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) report a Kirkuk suicide bombing which left seven Iraqi soldiers wounded and that Iraqi police state the US military shot dead an innocent civilian by mistake in Nineveh Province.
Over the weekend, the US military had announcements. Saturday the US military announced: "AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq -- A Multi National Force -- West Marine died as the result of a non-combat related incident in Al Anbar Province April 3. The Marine's name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification and release by the Department of Defense. The incident is under investigation." Sunday the US military announced: "TIKRIT, Iraq – A U.S. Coalition forces Soldier died as a result of operations in Diyala province, Iraq, April 5. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin and release by the Department of Defense." The announcements brought to 4266 the number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war.
In other violence noted over the weekend, Wisam Mohammed and Khalid al-Ansary (Reuters) reported Saturday that gays are being targeted in Baghdad, with four corpses discovered March 25th and 2 gay men murdered Thursday 'after clerics urged a crackdown'." Sunday Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reported the two were first "disowned" (by their homophobic and hateful families) and "The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims." Tawfeeq reports the other were also disowned (and gives the date of their deaths as March 26th) and states a cafe in Sadr City was torched when it was said to be an LGBT hangout in Baghdad. The Dallas Morning News wrote a brief on the topic and UPI summarized Tawfeeq's report. AFP reported Sunday that the two corpses discovered Thursday "had pieces of paper attached on which was written the word 'Pervert" and that the two men were aged sixteen and eighteen and had also had "their arms and legs broken". In addition, AFP reports another man presumed to be gay was found on Friday -- which would bring the toll to seven -- and this follows Sheikh Jassem al-Muatairi's 'inspiring' sermon denouncing "new private practices by some men who dress like women, who are effeminate. I call on families to prevent their children from following such a lifestyle."
Meanwhile in the US,independent journalist David Bacon, author of (most recently) Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalize Immigrants (Beacon Press), writes (at ZNet) of what's coming up on May Day:
In a little over a month, hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of people will fill the streets in city after city, town after town, across the US. This year these May Day marches of immigrant workers will make an important demand on the Obama administration: End the draconian enforcement policies of the Bush administration. Establish a new immigration policy based on human rights and recognition of the crucial economic and social contributions of immigrants to US society.
This year's marches will continue the recovery in the US of the celebration of May Day, recognized in the rest of the world as the day recognizing the contributions and achievements of working people. That recovery started on Monday, May 1, 2006, when over a million people filled the streets of Los Angeles, with hundreds of thousands more in Chicago, New York and cities and towns throughout the United States. Again on May Day in 2007 and 2008, immigrants and their supporters demonstrated and marched, from coast to coast.
One sign found in almost every march said it all: "We are Workers, not Criminals!" Often it was held in the calloused hands of men and women who looked as though they'd just come from work in a factory, cleaning an office building or picking grapes. The sign stated an obvious truth. Millions of people have come to the United States to work, not to break its laws. Some have come with visas, and others without them. But they are all contributors to the society they've found here.
The protests have seemed spontaneous, but they come as a result of years of organizing, educating and agitating - activities that have given immigrants confidence, and at least some organizations the credibility needed to mobilize direct mass action. This movement is the legacy of Bert Corona, immigrant rights pioneer and founder of many national Latino organizations. He trained thousands of immigrant activists, taught the value of political independence, and believed that immigrants themselves must conduct the fight for immigrant rights. Most of the leaders of the radical wing of today's immigrant rights movement were students or disciples of Corona.
Immigrants, however, feel their backs are against the wall, and they came out of their homes and workplaces to show it. In part, their protests respond to a wave of draconian proposals to criminalize immigration status, and work itself for undocumented people. But the protests do more than react to a particular congressional or legislative agenda. They are the cumulative response to years of bashing and denigrating immigrants generally, and Mexicans and Latinos in particular.
In other news, Bob Somerby takes on Rachel Maddow's 'strength' and other nonsense here.
iraq
cindy sheehanann wrightsara rich
brett barrouquere
the new york timesrobert f. worthcarolyn marshall
the washington postellen knickmeyer
the new york timessteven lee myerscampbell robertsonthe washington postanthony shadid
thomas e. ricks
mcclatchy newspapersleila fadel
deborah haynes
usama redhathe los angeles timesned parker
caeser ahmed
dahr jamail
mohammed tawfeeqaseel kami
wisam mohammedsami al-jumailiwaleed ibrahimkhalid al-ansarymohammed abbas
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